MAX MILLER
THE CHEEKY CHAPPIE
Max's Legacy
There'll Never Be Another!
Max Miller died in Brighton on May 7th 1963 but his contribution to the variety stage and comedy lives on.
Books
The biography, Max Miller the Cheeky Chappie by John M. East was published in 1977. A paperback version was issued in 1993 with additional material.
(East, John M. (1977), Max Miller the Cheeky Chappie, London, W H Allen, ISBN 0491-02260-3)
Paperbacks containing Miller's jokes have been published:
The Max Miller Blue Book compiled by Barry Took and illustrated by cartoonist Trog (1975)The Max Miller Appreciation Society's Blue Book compiled by members with a foreword by Roy Hudd (2001).Max Miller’s New Blue Book revised edition of The Max Miller Appreciation Society’s Blue Book with contributions from Roy Hudd, Michael Aspel and Ken Dodd (2011).
TV Documentaries
These were made after his death and include interviews with his wife, friends and fellow artists. Probably the best of the documentaries is the one made by Gerald Scarfe I Like the Girls Who Do.
Applause! Applause! Thames TV, 10-Apr-69.
Bygones - The Cheeky Chappie, Anglia TV, 19-Jan-79
To view programme, click on BYGONES
40 Minutes - I Like the Girls Who Do - written and presented by Gerald Scarfe, BBC2 TV, 16-Feb-89.
To view click on 40 MINUTES
Heroes of Comedy - written and produced by John Fisher
Thames Television for Channel 4,
27-Oct-95.
To view, click on: HEROES
The Pier - Remembering Max Miller
Meridian TV, 11-Jul-99.
A Home for Max
Jointly produced by Latest TV Brighton and MMAS
16 October 2022
Plays
Here's a Funny Thing by R.W. Shakespeare, a tribute to the comedian. Max's story is told as a part of his act, weaving biographical details amongst the gags and songs starring John Bardon as Max and Clare Kelly as his pianist; First performed in the Liverpool Playhouse followed by the Edinburgh Fringe, it ran at the Fortune Theatre, London from January 1982 and was filmed for Channel 4 TV for showing on 20 November 1982
To view, click on: A FUNNY THING
The Cheeky Chappie a play by David Simpson about Max's juxtaposed working and personal life. First performed at the Library Theatre, Manchester in 1986 and in 1987 at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch. It was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on 11 February, 1989 with Joe Melia as Max and Barbara Marten as his secretary. It was revived at the Union Theatre, London in 2004 with Jamie Kenna in the lead. And revived a second time for the Brighton Fringe in 25-29 April and 3-6 May, 2012 at the Marlborough Theatre, Brighton and on 24 June, 2012 at the Art's Theatre, London with Jamie Kenna in the lead and Sarah Moyle as Max's secretary.
Casting Shadows by Mark Burgess produced by the Brighton Revue Company for the Queens Head Theatre, Brighton on 13-30 October 1999. The play set in August 1962 is about a "meeting" between Max, Sir Laurence Olivier and Terence Rattigan, all of whom lived in Kemptown at that time. Later it was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 with Roy Hudd playing the part of Max.
Maxie - The Max Miller Story, the life and times of Brighton's own Cheeky Chappie written by Les Hull and produced by the Vanguard Theatre Company at the Pavilion Theatre, Brighton on 3-5 July, 2008 starring Nelson E Ward as Max and Amaryllis Crooke as Kathleen Miller..
John Bardon as Max Miller
Memorials
A bronze statue sculptured by Peter Webster was unveiled on 1 May 2005 by Roy Hudd, George Melly, June Whitfield and Norman Wisdom on 1 May 2005 (re-sited August 2007) in the Pavilion Gardens, New Road, Brighton.
Blue commemorative plaques have been erected on three of Max’s former homes.
● 25, Burlington Street, Brighton (1986)
● Ashcroft, Kingston Lane, Shoreham-by-Sea (2000) - photo below showing Bill Pertwee and Ken Dodd unveiling plaque
● 160 Marine Parade, Kemptown, Brighton. (2006) - photo below showing Roy Hudd and Michael Aspel unveiling plaque.
A carved paving stone on the Walk of Fame in the Brighton Marina includes Max with over 100 paving stones of other celebrities with Brighton connections (1999).
The Memorial Tablet on a wall of the Downs Crematorium, Brighton.
The Max Miller Walk on the Madeira Terrace in Kemptown, Brighton was officially acknowledged by the unveiling of a street sign in May, 2012.
Max on Sgt. Pepper's Album Cover
The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has a widely recognized album cover that depicts several dozen celebrities and other images. The image was made by posing the Beatles in front of life-sized, black-and-white photographs pasted onto hardboard and hand tinted.[1]
It was created by Jann Haworth and Peter Blake, who in 1967 won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts for their work on it.[2] Blake has said that the intention was to show a new band surrounded by fans after a performance.
Sir Peter Blake CBE RDI RA is an avid collector of Max Miller memorabilia and is a life member of the Max Miller Appreciation Society.
Click on image to find Max.
Clue: left near top
Max Miller Bus
Brighton & Hove Bus Company
819 Dennis Trident convertible open topper - carried name since delivery in May 1999, changed to Micky Adams + Bobby Zamora during May 2001 then back to Max Miller, repainted in the new livery from November 2004. Repainted in allover red in April 2008 for City Sightseeing Tours. Max Miller moved to bus 808 July 2009 then on to bus 919 a Scania N94UD OmniDekka in February 2015.
"That's nice Maxie"
