Stanley Holloway: The Lion and Albert / Three Ha'pence a Foot (Columbia DX 353)
​This Columbia release (DX 353) features Stanley Holloway performing two humorous monologues written by Marriott Edgar.
​Catalog Details
​A-Side: "The Lion and Albert" (Marriott Edgar).
​B-Side: "Three Ha'pence a Foot" (Marriott Edgar).
​Label: Columbia, "Magic Notes" trade mark, Made in England.
​Artist: Stanley Holloway, with Wolseley Charles at the piano.
​Year of Issue: 1932.
​Artistic and Social Context
​"The Lion and Albert" was inspired by an actual news story that both Stanley Holloway and Marriott Edgar had heard regarding a child being eaten by a lion at a zoo.
​The monologue is set in the menagerie at Blackpool Tower and satirizes the stoic, understated reactions of the Ramsbottom family to the tragedy.
​The lion in the poem, Wallace, was named after the first African lion to be bred in Britain (1812–1838).
​"Three Ha'pence a Foot" provides a comedic take on the Biblical story of Noah, delivered in a Lancashire dialect.
​These monologues captured the humor and working-class British identity of the 1930s, providing a form of escapism during the interwar period.
​Condition Report
​Visual Assessment: The disc surface retains a good level of original factory luster, with only minor handling marks visible, as shown in 1000029131.jpg and 1000029133.jpg.
​Label Integrity: Both labels are fully legible and intact, although there is a small paper sticker ("A.30") affixed to the A-side label, as seen in 1000029130.jpg.
​Grading: This record is graded as Very Good Plus (VG+) due to the high retention of surface gloss and minimal wear.
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​The disc is sandwiched between corrugated cardboard and wrapped in bubble wrap.
​This is then placed inside a double-skin box filled with packing void to prevent movement and provide maximum protection.
​Carefully packed and promptly dispatched.