The Cerdonic Empire presents - Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge

were the husband and wife team who entertained and amused several generations over six decades with their light comedy, funny songs and silly dancing.

These pages will celebrate an unforgettable force in British comedy. If you would like to add any comments, suggestions or information, please visit our Guestbook.

Jack Hulbert was born on 24th April, 1892 at Ely in Cambridgeshire. As an undergraduate at Cambridge he appeared in a number of shows and revues, both professional and amateur, until his last production, Cheer-oh! Cambridge (1913) was such a success that it moved to the Queen's Theatre in London. There he met Cicely Courtneidge, the daughter of theatrical producer Robert Courtneidge, and they worked together for the first time in The Pearl Girl.

Cicely Courtneidge was born in Sydney on 1st April, 1893, while her father was on tour with his company. After spending some years of her childhood in Australia she moved permanently to Britain in 1907. Her first stage appearance was in one of her father's productions at Manchester in 1901, although her acting career didn't begin in earnest until The Arcadians (Shaftesbury Theatre, 1909) which ran for 809 performances.

Jack and Cicely were married in 1916, and enjoyed huge success as a cohesive unit in revues and musicals in London.

Their film careers began from the early 'thirties with comic and musical vehicles such as The Ghost Train, Falling For You and Jack's the Boy. Throughout that decade they were among the top two or three acts both on stage and screen, rivalled only in the latter by Tom Walls' farces and Jessie Matthews' musical-comedies.