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Where's George ? -
Gone to Lyonch
One of J.
Lyons & Company's most successful
advertising slogans during the 1930/40s
was created by their publicity department
quite by accident. 'Where's George ? -
Gone to Lyonch' was a hugely popular catch
phrase which caught the public
imagination.
Originally
coined as 'Gone to Lyonch' to encourage
more people to use the teashops at
lunchtime, it was a chance remark that
gave the slogan a new twist. In the Lyons
publicity department at that time
(situated over a teashop in Fleet Street,
London) was an artist whose Christian name
was George. A friend called on him one
day, couldn't see him at his normal desk
and called out 'Where's George? The
spontaneous reply from one of his
colleagues was 'Gone to Lyonch'. Thus the
phrase was born.
One of the
first advertisements using the terminology
appeared showing an empty peg in a row of
hats, coats and umbrellas with the caption
'Where's George ? - Gone to Lyonch'. A
popular comedian of the period happened to
see the advertisement, drew his face
peeking out from behind one of the coats
saying 'here', signed it and sent it to
the management at Cadby Hall. That man was
George Robey.
By 1935
over one hundred subjects had been used in
this successful advertising campaign,
which continued right up to the start of
the Second World War. The phrase passed
into everyday talk. Famous cartoonist,
comedians and writers adopted it. It
inspired the name of a racehorse, a revue,
several songs and a film (Where's George?)
produced by British & Dominion Films,
staring the comedian Sydney Howard. The
Lyons publicity department, employees and
many members of the press and public,
became obsessed with the catch phrase. In
1935 there were over 2 million George's
registered in the UK.
In 1934,
the London Evening Star newspaper reported
on the sing-along which preceded the
Service of Remembrance at the Albert Hall,
London, in the following terms: 'The huge
concourse of ex-servicemen had been
roaring famous wartime songs, and the
massed bands of the Guards were about to
strike up again when a wag in the gallery
noticed that the conductor was missing.
'Where's George?' he yelled, and the
enormous audience howled with delight,
none more vociferously than the Prince
[of Wales]'.
George's
popularity was unique - yet he had no
distinguishing feature other than the fact
that he was always missing.
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