A stalwart from the great days of radio comedy, actor Dick Bentley is
best remembered as the gormless Ron in the
Denis Norden and
Frank Muir's fifties series Take It
From Here.
Bentley was born in Australia and during his teens played the saxophone
in local dance bands. He came to Britain in 1939 and appeared briefly
in the BBC radio series You've Asked For It.
During the Second World War he returned to Australia where he
entertained the troops. He also appeared in troop shows throughout the
South Pacific and in New Guinea.
After the War he returned to London and appeared in radio's The Navy
Mixture before teaming up with
Joy Nichols
and the comedian
Jimmy Edwards in
Take It From Here.
He also had his own weekly radio series Gently, Bentley and
subsequently appeared in a number of Royal Command Performances. His
film appearance included an excellent cameo in
The Sundowners (1960), with
Robert Mitchum and an amusing role in
Barry Humphries'
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972).
He was also a noted singer of light popular songs and made a number of
LPs.
From the early 1970s he lived in retirement in London. In his last
interview he said: "I'd sooner be remembered as a funny man than that
people remembered the funny things I say. I don't want to be a
second-hand
Tommy Handley. I want to be a
first class Bentley."
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em(1973)as Grandad
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own(1974)as Colin 'The Frog' Lucas
Love Thy Neighbour(1972)as The White Vicar
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie(1972)as Detective
The More We Are Together(1971)as Paul Prentice
This Is Your Life(1955)as Self
Russell Harty Plus(1972)as Self - Guest
Jokers Wild(1969)as Self
Frost on Saturday(1968)as Self
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie: Introduction by Dame Edna Everage(2007)as Detective
The Adventures of Bazza in Chunderland: The Making of 'The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'(2007)as Self, Detective
Barry Humphries Gives Us the Good Oil(2003)as Detective, Colin 'The Frog' Lucas
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie: A Conversation with Barry Humphries(2002)as Detective
Heroes of Comedy(1992)as Self