Regarded as one of the biggest names in international variety entertainment during the first three decades of the twentieth century, Harry Lauder initially established himself as a British music hall star in the early 1900s with an act that combined Scottish wisdom and humour with songs, homemade jokes and clean monologues. Following his death in 1950, US Variety critic Joe Laurie Jnr. wrote: "[Harry Lauder] remained all through the years as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, one-man show that graced our shores and theatres" (1 March 1950, n. pag.).
Lauder visited the Australasian region four times during his career (1914, 1919, 1923 and 1929), and established a close association with the Tait brothers and E. J. Carroll, who acted as his personal manager during each of the tours. Carroll was also involved in managing a number of Lauder's international tours, including those to South Africa.
Harry Lauder wrote a number of songs during his Australasian tours, with several referencing the country. Among these are "Australia is the Land for Me" (1914) and "Australian Girls Are Good Enough For Me (1923). His influence can be seen in the numerous references made in relation to aspiring Australian and New Zealand comedians following his first tour in 1914. Although invariably described along the lines of "Australia's Harry Lauder," no other performer working his type of act was ever able to come close to realising the popularity of the diminutive Scotsman. Lauder also makes mention of Australia, the Taits and E. J. Carroll in his autobiography Roamin' in the Gloamin' (1928).
[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]
