From The History of "Punch"

Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (November 29, 1836 – April 21, 1917), often credited as F. C. Burnand, was an editor of Punch, taking over from Tom Taylor in 1880, until 1906, when he was succeeded by Sir Owen Seaman. He was also a prolific humorist and writer, creating almost 200 burlesques, farces, pantomimes and other works. He was knighted in 1902. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (628x878, 78 KB)Sir Francis Burnand, an editor of Punch. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (628x878, 78 KB)Sir Francis Burnand, an editor of Punch. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Charles Darwin 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Punch was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire published from 1841 to 1992 and from 1996 to 2002. ... This article is about the dramatist and editor. ... Sir Owen Seaman (September 18, 1861 - February 2, 1936) was a British writer, journalist and poet. ...

Life and career

Burnand studied at Eton and Cambridge (where he founded the Amateur Dramatic Club) and studied first to become a priest and then an attorney, practicing a little. But he found that his talents lay in writing farce, pantomime, burlesque and extravaganza for the London stage. He was a contributor to the humor journal Fun, and then Punch. The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a prestigious and internationally known Public School for boys. ... The University of Cambridge (often called Cambridge University, or just Cambridge), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Cambridge University ADC Logo Founded in 1855, the Amateur Dramatic Club (or ADC) is the oldest University dramatic society in England - and the largest dramatic society in Cambridge. ...

In 1860, he married Cecilia Victoria Ranoe, an actress. She died in 1870, and he married Rosina Jones, a widow, in 1874.

Stage works

Burnand's first production on the public stage was a burlesque entitled, Dido, produced at the St. James’s Theatre on February 11, 1860. This was followed by The Iles of St. Tropez (1860); Fair Rosamond (1862); and The Deal Boatman (1863). His most memorable success was Ixion, or the Man at the Wheel (1863), a musical spoof that found great success on both sides of the Atlantic. Other notable early works included Windsor Castle (1865) and the very successful Black Eyed Susan (a burlesque, in 1866). Burnand also translated Jacques Offenbach's early hits for the London stage. February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Jacques Offenbach (20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880), composer and cellist, was one of the originators of the operetta form, a precursor of the modern musical comedy. ...

In 1866, he wrote the comic opera Cox and Box, collaborating with Arthur Sullivan. The opera was based on the farce Box and Cox, written by John Maddison Morton. That work was successful enough to encourage its authors to write a two-act opera, The Contrabandista (1867), revised and expanded as The Chieftain (1894), which did not achieve great popularity in either version. Comic opera is a subcategory of opera, and denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature. ... Cox and Box (video tape cover) Cox and Box is a comic opera with a libretto by by Francis Cowley Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the farce Box and Cox, by John Maddison Morton. ... Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (May 13, 1842 – November 22, 1900) was an English composer best known for his operatic collaborations with librettist W. S. Gilbert. ... A farce is a comedy written for the stage, or a film, which aims to entertain the audience by means of unlikely and extravagant - yet often possible - situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include puns and sexual innuendo, and a fast-paced... John Maddison Morton (January 3, 1811 - December 19, 1891), English playwright, was born at Pangbourne. ... The Contrabandista, or The Law of the Ladrones, is a two-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and F. C. Burnand. ... The Chieftain is a two-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and F. C. Burnand based on their 1867 opera, The Contrabandista. ...

Burnand also wrote several works with Edward Solomon. Dozens of works followed including, notalby, burlesques, such as The Colonel (1881), and pantomimes until 1909.

Books

His well-known book, Happy Thoughts was originally published in Punch in 1863–64 and frequently reprinted. This was followed by My Time and What I’ve Done with It (1874); The Incompleat Angler (1887); Very Much Abroad (1890); Rather at Sea (1890); Quite at Home (1890); and The Real Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1893). He also wrote Personal Reminiscences of the A.D.C., Cambridge, in 1880, and Records and Reminiscences, in 1904.

External links

• Works by Francis Burnand at Project Gutenberg
• Profile of Burnand
• Another profile of Burnand

Project Gutenberg (often abbreviated as PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ...

References

• Parker, John, comp. & ed. (1914). Who’s Who in the Theatre. London: Pitman, 84.
• "F. C. Burnand". Who Was Who in the Theatre: 1912–1976: 335. (1978). Detroit: Gale.