Billy Liar (1959) is a novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, film, musical and TV series. Keith Waterhouse (born 6 February 1929 in Leeds, England) is a novelist, newspaper columnist, and the writer of many television series. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... “ISBN” redirects here. ... Billy Liar may refer to: Billy Liar, a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse Billy Liar, a 1963 film directed by John Schlesinger Billy Liar, a song by The Decemberists from their 2003 album Her Majesty the Decemberists Category: ... This article is about the literary concept. ... Keith Waterhouse (born 6 February 1929 in Leeds, England) is a novelist, newspaper columnist, and the writer of many television series. ... For other uses, see Play (disambiguation). ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ...

The semi-comical story is about Billy Fisher, a working-class 19-year-old living with his parents in the fictional town of Stradhoughton in Yorkshire. Bored by his job as a lowly clerk for an undertaker, Billy spends his time indulging in Walter Mitty-like fantasies and dreams of life in the big city as a comedy writer. However, with three girlfriends on the go, his tendency to overimagination comes at a cost. Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The word clerk, derived from the Latin clericus meaning cleric, i. ... This article is about the vocation of a mortician and the death metal band; for the World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, see The Undertaker. ... Information Nickname(s) The Old Man (in one fantasy) Occupation unknown; various fantasy occupations Title Commander, Doctor (in fantasies) Spouse(s) unnamed except as Mrs. ...

Characters

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William "Billy" Fisher - Billy is 19, and living with parents Alice and Geoffrey, and his grandmother, Florence Boothroyd. Billy lies compulsively to everyone he comes across, whether it's the claim that his father lost the chance to become "world champion" after a leg-amputation or telling his parents that his friend's mother is pregnant. Billy works as a clerk for undertakers Shadrack & Duxbury. He is engaged to three girlfriends in the play, and is always talking about a job offer writing scripts in London for "Danny Boon", a comedian. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...

Alice Fisher - Billy's mother. She rarely sits down in the play, constantly working hard to keep the house tidy and look after her husband, her mother and Billy.

Geoffrey Fisher - Billy's father. Geoffrey uses the word "bloody" in his sentences so often it has lost all meaning. Geoffrey has been a successful garage owner so his family live middle class lives despite his working class background. Geoffrey has a short temper, but otherwise rarely shows emotion. The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ...

Florence Boothroyd - Billy's grandmother. Florence talks to the sideboard more than her own family, and is always drinking out of a pint-pot. She keeps pots of condensed milk upstairs. Florence falls ill in Act 2 and is taken upstairs. By Act 3 she has died.

Arthur Crabtree - Billy's friend. Arthur works at Shadrack & Duxbury's with Billy. When we first see Arthur and Billy together in Act 1, they adopt thick northern accents and engage in buffoonery, imitating their elders. Despite this tomfoolery, Arthur's mood towards Billy changes in Act 3. He does not appear in Act 2.

Barbara - One of Billy's fiancees. Barbara is prudish, always eating oranges and harbours dreams of living with Billy in a cottage in Devon, with "little Billy and little Barbara". An engagement is an agreement by a couple to enter into marriage at some future time, usually accompanied by a formal or informal announcement to friends and family. ... Orange blossoms and oranges on tree For other uses of orange, see orange (disambiguation) The Orange Citrus x sinensis is a Citrus tree, and the fruits of this tree. ...

Rita - Rita is 17, is short, but comes across as a "hard lass". She is engaged to Billy, and has a habit of mimicking Billy every time he offers an excuse for her missing engagement ring. Unbeknown to her, it is on Barbara's finger. She appears in Acts 2 and 3.

Liz - A scruffy girl in need of a new skirt, she is nevertheless the one who truly understands Billy, and the only one he really has a genuine interest in. Before her appearance, Billy pretends he doesn't have much interest in her, but it is clear when she appears that he is still smitten with her.

Incarnations

Play

In 1960, the novel's author, journalist Waterhouse, co-wrote a three-act stage version with Willis Hall. The action took place on a single set combining the living room, hallway and porch of the Fisher household. The first production opened in the West End of London with Albert Finney in the title role, and more recently by Nicholas D. Cooper. It has since been produced all over the world, and has become a favourite with amateur groups. Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Journalist (disambiguation). ... Willis Hall (6 April 1929 - 7 March 2005) was an English playwright and radio and television writer who drew on his working class Leeds roots in much of his material. ... West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, England, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Albert Finney (born May 9, 1936 in Salford, Lancashire, England) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated English actor of Irish descent. ... Nicholas D. Cooper (born Nicholas Davis Cooper on January 17, 1986) is an English actor. ... Amateur Dramatics is how Community Theater is referred to in the UK. Categories: Theatre stubs ...

The play is set in one Saturday: Act 1 in the morning, Act 2 in the early evening and Act 3 at night.

Film

Main article: Billy Liar (film)

The 1963 film was directed by John Schlesinger and featured Tom Courtenay (who had understudied Albert Finney in the West End play) as Billy and Julie Christie as Liz, one of his three girlfriends. Mona Washbourne played Mrs Fisher, and Wilfred Pickles played Mr Fisher. Rodney Bewes, Finlay Currie and Leonard Rossiter also had roles. Billy Liar is a 1963 film based on the novel by Keith Waterhouse. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Richard Schlesinger CBE (February 16, 1926 – July 25, 2003) was an English film director. ... Tom Courtenay (pronounced Courtney) (born February 25, 1937) is a British actor who came to prominence in the early 1960s with a succession of critically-acclaimed films including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Billy Liar (1963) and Dr. Zhivago (1965). ... Albert Finney (born May 9, 1936 in Salford, Lancashire, England) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated English actor of Irish descent. ... Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1941) is an English Academy Award-winning film actress. ... Mona Washbourne (November 27, 1903 - November 15, 1988) was a British film and stage actress. ... Wilfred Pickles (13 October 1904 - 26 March 1978) was an English actor and radio presenter. ... Rodney Bewes (born 27 November 1938 born in Bingley, West Yorkshire) is a British TV actor probably best known for playing the lovable Bob Ferris in the classic BBC sitcoms The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? Bewes was RADA trained and got his break in the... Finlay Jefferson Currie (20 January 1878 – 9 May 1968) was a Scottish actor on stage, screen and television. ... DVD of first series of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin starring Leonard Rossiter Leonard Rossiter (21 October 1926 – 5 October 1984) was a distinguished English actor, known for his comedy roles in two British television series of the 1970s, and for his roles in two Stanley Kubrick films. ...

TV series

The novel was also used as the basis for a sitcom made by London Weekend Television in 1973-74, and starring Jeff Rawle as Billy. It has never been rerun, although the first series was released on Region 2 DVD in August 2006. The second series was released in March 2007. A British sitcom is a situation comedy (sitcom) produced in the United Kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jeff Rawle (born 1951 in Birmingham, England) is a British actor. ... Rerun van Pelt is the name of Linus and Lucys younger brother in the comic strip Peanuts. ...

The series was scripted by the play's writers, Waterhouse and Hall, and the action was updated to the 1970s. George A. Cooper reprised his West End role as Billy's father. Other regular cast members included Pamela Veazey as Alice, Colin Jeavons as Shadrack, May Warden as Billy's grandmother and Sally Watts as Barbara. Several new girlfriends were also introduced. George A. Cooper George A Cooper is a English actor (born 7 March 1925 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England) He is best known for his role as Mr. ... Colin Jeavons is a Welsh character actor, born 20 October 1929 in Newport, Monmouthshire. ... May Warden (1891-05-09 in Leeds – 1978 in London) was an English actress and comedian. ...

An American adaptation entitled Billy and starring Steve Guttenberg, Peggy Pope, and James Gallery aired briefly on CBS in 1979. Billy is the name of a short-lived situation comedy that CBS aired in the United States in 1979. ... Steve Guttenberg (born on August 24, 1958), sometimes credited as Steven Guttenberg and Steven Robert Guttenberg, is an American actor. ... Peggy Pope (born May 15, 1929) is an American actress. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ...

Musical

Main article: Billy (musical)

A successful West End musical (entitled simply Billy) starred Michael Crawford and, in her West End debut, Elaine Paige. The book was by well-known British sitcom writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, where music and lyrics were by film composer John Barry and Don Black respectively. Billy is a West End musical based on the novel and play Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall. ... West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, England, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre... Billy is a West End musical based on the novel and play Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall. ... Michael Crawford (right) as Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do Ave Em Michael Crawford, OBE (born Michael Patrick Dumble-Smith, 19 January 1942 in Salisbury, Wiltshire), is an English actor and singer. ... On the cover of Elaine Paige Tour Programme 2004 Elaine Paige OBE (born Elaine Bickerstaff on 5 March 1948 in Barnet, Hertfordshire) is a world-renowned English singer and actor, primarily in musicals. ... Dick Clement (born September 5, 1937) is an English writer. ... Ian La Frenais, born 7 January 1937 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, is, in partnership with Dick Clement, one of the most influential television writers in Britain. ... A film score is the background music in a film, generally specially written for the film and often used to heighten emotions provoked by the imagery on the screen or by the dialogue. ... John Barry. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Others

Waterhouse later wrote a sequel called Billy Liar on the Moon.

"Billy Liar" is also the title of the second track of Her Majesty The Decemberists by The Decemberists and the first track of a CD single of the same name. Her Majesty the Decemberists is an album by The Decemberists released in 2003 by Kill Rock Stars. ... The Decemberists are a five-piece indie pop band from Portland, Oregon, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy . ... Track Listing 1. ...

Morrissey was heavily influenced by the novel, borrowing many lines from it, in particular for The Smiths song "William, It Was Really Nothing". For other uses, see Morrissey (disambiguation). ... The Smiths were an English rock band active from 1982 to 1987. ...

"Billy Liar" is also the name of a character that appears on Nottingham Hospitals' Radio's Something for the Weekend show. This Billy is a bit of a namedropper and claims to know a number of celebrities - mostly Z-list and has a brother called Liam and another relative called Ernest. Something for the weekend? is a euphemism traditionally used by barbers in the United Kingdom when offering condoms to their clients. ...

External links

• Billy! the Musical (Broadway.com article)