William Henry Ralph Reader was born on 25th May, 1903, the son of Salvationists in Crewkerne, Somerset. Before he was nine years old young Ralph was orphaned and left to be brought up and schooled by various Aunts and Uncles in Crewkerne, Cardiff and finally Newhaven near Brighton in Sussex.

In 1914 he became a Scout in Newhaven and was also introduced to the theatre by visits to the Brighton Hippodrome. His first job was with the Cement Works at Newhaven. From here he was transferred to their Northern Ireland Office and in 1920 he sailed to America and a show business career, or so he thought at the time. An Aunt who lived in New York was thought to be an impresario at the very least, she turned out to be a dresser's assistant in off-Broadway productions. In New York he worked first for a hosiery company, opening crates and was then moved back to office work.

During these early days he shared 'Digs' with other hopefuls trying to break into show business. Two he shared with were Jack Oakie and George Raft, the former was to become a lifelong friend. They gradually broke into show business by way of the 'Chorus' in off-Broadway shows and in Vaudeville, the equivalent of our Music Halls. When out of work or 'resting', which was frequent, they brewed illicit hooch in the bath tub for this was the days of prohibition in America. By understudying and spending anything up to twelve hours a day in drama and dance studios Ralph learnt his craft. A tour with a stock company in Canada collapsed and he worked his way back to New York staging cabaret acts and choreographing small dance routines. Back on Broadway the breaks began to come, gradually Ralph became established as a performer and then finally the big one, he was offered the chance to choreograph the routines for a Broadway Musical, it was a resounding success and Ralph Reader had arrived. By 1927, when he returned to England for a holiday, Ralph had choreographed five major Broadway productions. On his return to New York he was signed up to perform in and stage manage the numbers for a big show at the Winter Gardens. Star of the show was Al Jolson who bought Ralph his first 'tuxedo' and always referred to him as 'English'. Al was to become Ralph's greatest idol and they worked together for over two years.

In all Ralph Reader was associated with 32 productions on Broadway and 34 in London's West End, including 11 at Drury Lane and 10 at the London Hippodrome. All the training and skills he learnt in America he transferred to the London Stage and at Pinewood he became the Busby Berkeley of English film studios. Radio and television all came his way but another area he became famous in was the staging of large pageants at the Royal Albert Hall including the Royal British Legion Annual Festival of Remembrance. In all Ralph produced and directed 150 shows at the Royal Albert Hall alone, some with a cast of over 2,300. Stars he directed and worked with included Laurence Olivier, Noel Coward, Vivien Leigh, Alec Guinness, Robert Morley, Bud Flanagan, Vera Lynn, Flora Robson, Marlene Dietrich. He worked with Malcolm Sargent with whom he produced "Pilgrim's Progress" for the Daily Telegraph at Drury lane. The formidable cast in this production included Robert Speight, Jack Hawkins, Barry Jones, Cathleen Nesbitt, Frank Pettingell and Hugh Williams. It is impossible to mention all the stars he worked with over the years to add names such as Gertrude Lawrence, Binnie Hale, Bobby Howes, George Robey, Renee Houston, Anna Neagle etc. just completes the tip of the iceberg.

With all these commitments Ralph still found time to devote to Scouting. It was in 1932 at the Scala Theatre he first staged what was to become the greatest amateur production of the theatre - "THE GANG SHOW". In 1939 the Scout Gang Shows came to a temporary halt.

War was declared and Ralph Reader was commissioned into the Royal Air Force as an intelligence officer. Could this have been the start of the latter day James Bonds? As a cover for his activities 12 members of the pre-war Scout Gang Shows were formed into the first Royal Air Force Gang Show. Not only was this first show given in France, before the evacuation, a great success, it was recognised by the Air Ministry that similar shows would make perfect cover for Ralph's activities. There were over twenty units of the Royal Air Force Gang Shows playing throughout the Second World War allowing Ralph to visit any theatre of operations without any cause for suspicion. Amongst those who cut their teeth in the Royal Air Force Gang Shows were Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock, Dick Emery, Reg Dixon, Harry Worth, Cardew Robinson, Joe Black, David Lodge, Len Lowe, Charlie Gray, Rex Roper and many others, some who are in the 'Bill' of this tribute show. For his services to the Royal Air Force, Ralph was appointed an M.B.E. of the Military Division in 1943.

 

After the war Ralph set up his own production company, Ralph Reader Limited, which revived and toured many of the Ivor Novello shows which Ralph had staged before the war at Drury Lane and made its mark in provincial tours when it founded the National Light Opera Company. In 1950 he was persuaded to re-start the London Scout Gang Shows and the first post war show was staged at the King's Theatre, Hammersmith. It again was a National event which sold out long before the opening date each year and subsequent annual Television productions of the show always figures high in the ratings. Ralph also wrote a number of musical plays for the Scout Association and from 1958 to 1962 he produced American Gang Shows in both Chicago and Pittsburgh. It was on a cold March morning in 1959 that he went proudly to Buckingham Palace to be appointed a Commander of The Most Excellent Order of The British Empire, C.B.E., by Her Majesty the Queen.

The London Gang Shows continued to flourish and a new generation of future performers emerged, some achieving new heights in the theatrical profession, Keith Skinner, Roger Rees, Jim Davidson and Mark Greenstreet to name a few. Ralph continued through the late fifties and sixties with productions of Summer Seasons, Trade Shows, Television Shows and appearances but devoted more and more of his time to the Gang Shows which now were recognised and totally accepted by the theatrical profession of which membership Ralph was so proud of. Indeed the London Scout Gang Show gained the unique distinction of being the only amateur production to be invited on three separate occasions to appear in The Royal Command Performance at the London Palladium. On November 19th, 1971, proposed by Cyril Dowler and seconded by Philip Hmdin, Ralph was initiated and made a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, an occasion he rated as being one of the proudest, and greatest, events of his life.

Many hundreds of numbers and songs have come from his pen, including "Crest of a Wave", "Strolling" and no fewer than five books. In 1972 the London Gang Shows celebrated its 40th Anniversary and during the run on one memorable night H.M. The Queen, H.R.H. Prince Philip and Earl Mounthatten of Burma attended. In 1974 Ralph decided the time had come for him to retire from Gang Shows. But Gang Shows all over the country and throughout the world continued to flourish, and Ralph? He continued with personal appearances and his own touring production of "An evening of memories with Ralph Reader". Sadly in May 1982, Ralph passed away, a loss that will never be replaced and memories that will never be forgotten.

To his lasting memory there is the Ralph Reader Room at the Y.M.C.A. Hotel, Tottenham Court Road, London, site of the rehearsal rooms at the old Y.M.C.A. for the pre-war London Gang Shows. At the Royal Air Force Church, St. Clement Danes in the Strand, London, there is the Ralph Reader Memorial Seat and on the South side of the church, a plaque to the memory of all those who served in the Royal Air Force Gang Shows. Inside this magnificent Church is the 'Book of Remembrance' of the Royal Air Force Gang Shows Association in which his name is recorded alongside many whose wartime entertainment brought relief and laughter to so many in the Service of their country. As a living Memorial to Ralph there is the Ralph Reader Memorial Fund. The fund was founded in 1982 shortly after his passing by the London Gang Show Fellowship, The R.A.F. Gang Shows Association and the Grand Order of Water Rats. The monies from the fund are used to help young men and women, under the age of 21, in both the Scout and Guide Movements in the pursuance of their careers and other activities when other help is not available.