How a prisoner of war used comedy to mask the sound of an escape
In short: Before he became a beloved face of British comedy, Peter Butterworth was a Royal Navy lieutenant shot down over the Netherlands. In a German POW camp, he and a fellow prisoner used loud, chaotic musical performances to drown out the sound of their comrades digging a secret escape tunnel beneath them.
Born in 1915, Peter Butterworth’s path to stardom was forged in the unlikely setting of Stalag Luft III. Captured in 1940 after his aircraft was downed during an attack on a seaplane base, he met writer Talbot Rothwell while imprisoned. The pair formed a comedy duo, performing shows that served a dual purpose: entertaining the camp and providing acoustic cover for escape attempts. Butterworth later noted that their boos and hisses were specifically designed to mask the noise of tunneling.
Post-war, Butterworth transitioned into a prolific acting career, becoming a staple of British television and film. He is perhaps best remembered for his sixteen appearances in the Carry On series, where he often played quiet, eccentric characters or stooges to more bombastic leads. His association with the franchise began in 1965 with Carry On Cowboy, facilitated by his friend Rothwell. Despite his success in comedy, he also took on dramatic roles, appearing alongside stars like Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn in films such as Robin and Marian.
Beyond the Carry On films, Butterworth was a familiar face in children's television and a guest star in iconic series like Doctor Who, where he played the Meddling Monk. He was married to the impressionist Janet Brown, who gained fame for her portrayals of Margaret Thatcher. Butterworth’s career ended abruptly in 1979; he died of a heart attack in his hotel room while starring in a pantomime production of Aladdin in Coventry. His final film roles, including a part in The First Great Train Robbery, were released posthumously, marking the end of a life that spanned from wartime service to the heights of British entertainment.
Though he auditioned for the film version of The Wooden Horse, which depicted the escape efforts he was involved in, he was rejected for not appearing heroic enough. Yet, his legacy remained tied to his wartime resilience and his ability to bring warmth to the screen. Producer Peter Rogers, who worked closely with him, remembered him as a thoroughly nice person and a dear friend, a sentiment shared by the many colleagues he worked with throughout his decades-long career.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Peter Butterworth
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