81:, with a new partner, Bobby Breen, who (at about 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m)) was even shorter than Dean. Rather than continuing the format of a succession of jokes, they used the device of Collinson attempting to teach Breen a new skill. They remained popular, broadcasting through the war into the early 1950s, and appeared regularly in
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writer and performer, before he established a working partnership with Alfie Dean in 1925. Dean had started his own career as a juvenile performer in 1915, and the contrast between the pair's ages and height (Collinson was tall, Dean was short) formed part of the basis of their humour. Collinson
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with Sid Field (released after Dean's death, and shortly before that of Field, its star). In July 1948, Dean suffered serious head injuries when he was hit by a car; although he seemed to be making a recovery, he died two months later from a
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in the 1930s, several of which are still readily available online. They broadcast regularly on
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Their partnership ended in 1938, and Dean joined the military at the start of the
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38:(born William Valentine Malivoire; 14 February 1882 – June 1958) and
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London-born
Collinson had toured Britain, Australia and America as a
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42:(born Alfred Corfield; 7 March 1902 – 22 September 1948).
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After the end of the war, Dean worked as a foil to comedian
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on the brain, aged 46. Collinson died in 1958, aged 76.
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Kindly Leave the Stage: The Story of
Variety 1919-1960
23:Cigarette card showing Dean (left) and Collinson
144:Aaron Neathery, "Who are Collinson and Dean?",
34:popular during the 1920s and 1930s. They were
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235:, George Allen & Unwin, 1979, p.167
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77:. Collinson continued to perform, as
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212:Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts
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245:"Collinson and Breen", Search,
50:was a blustery and middle-aged
175:"Collinson and Dean", Search,
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265:. Retrieved 22 February 2021
250:. Retrieved 22 February 2021
210:Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin,
180:. Retrieved 22 February 2021
165:. Retrieved 22 February 2021
150:. Retrieved 22 February 2021
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68:Royal Variety Performance
260:Alfie Dean filmography,
286:English male comedians
214:, Robson Books, 1998,
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30:were a British comedy
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160:Collinson and Dean,
281:English comedy duos
99:A Date with a Dream
79:Collinson and Breen
111:Cardboard Cavalier
56:Flanagan and Allen
28:Collinson and Dean
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123:References
117:blood clot
83:pantomimes
40:Alfie Dean
32:double act
102:, and in
90:Sid Field
70:in 1933.
64:BBC radio
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96:film
216:ISBN
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