| Collection | David Drummond Pantomime Collection |
| Admin history | Prince Frank Littler was born Jules Horace Virgil Emile Richeux, at 5 Kent Terrace, Ramsgate, Kent to parents Jules Richeux and his wife, Agnes May, née Paisey, who were both theatrical managers. His father leased the Ramsgate Victoria Pavilion from 1906, while his mother leased the Artillery Theatre, Woolwich, from 1909. Prince was the eldest son and brother to Emile Littler and Blanche Robey. Following the death of Jules Richieux in 1911, in 1914 his mother married Frank Rolison Littler, who adopted Prince and his four siblings.
Prince was educated privately at Stratford upon Avon, and started his theatrical career in 1927 with his sister, Blanche, sending out small-scale regional tours and becoming resident manager of his parents' theatre in Woolwich. His brother Emile was also involved in the theatrical industry.
Prince bought his first two theatres in 1931, both of which were in Leicester and throughout the 1930s continued to acquire theatres. These include theatres in Manchester and Norwich. By the end of the 1930s he was touring the actor George Robey, who married Prince's sister Blanche, in The Bing Boys Are Here. Prince was also prolific in London, with his first London ventures being in pantomimes at the Coliseum, the Prince's, and Drury Lane. In 1939, he had a West End success with Ivor Novello's operetta Glamorous Night.
During the Second World War, Prince was appointed chairman and managing director of first the Stoll (later Stoll Moss) and then the Associated Theatres chains. This meant that he was left as resident manager of the Globe Theatre, until it was destroyed as a result of the bombing on London during the Second World War, the Queen's Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. In 1946, after the end of the Second World War, Prince reopened the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane Noël Coward's Pacific 1860. This, however, was not a success and, unlike his brother Emile, Prince was more interested in the business of showbusiness and he did not have special affection for plays or players individually. His concern was with being a landlord of the theatres he owned.
Prince was a chairman of Moss Empires by 1947 and and director of the company Howard and Wyndham. This gave him unique powers not only in London, but, also, across regions in the United Kingdom. Prince was also unique in that he was one of the first to bring over Broadway hits to the United Kingdom, with post-war shows including such musicals as Carousel, Guys and Dolls, and Can-Can. Shows also included Teahouse of the August Moon and No Time for Sergeants. Throughout his career, he fought prolonged battles to preserve his empire, successfully fighting a takeover attempt by Bernard Delfont and the property millionaires Jack Cotton and Charles Clore for Stoll in 1960. In the same year, he merged Stoll with Moss Empires, endowing him control of 16 London theatres, including the Palladium and the Victoria Palace. It also meant that he had a sharehold in one of the founding ITV companies in Britain, Associated Television. Whilst Prince experienced success in these endeavours and gained power in the industry, there were also legal actions which he had to content with as a result.
Despite being a prominent figure in the theatre industry, Prince only gave one major press interview in 1961. If a show experienced little success or did not make much money, Prince would swiftly close these down. His final three shows, The Black and White Minstrel Show, There's a Girl in my Soup, and Fiddler on the Roof, all of which took place in 1966, were successes.
During his lifetime, Prince was also a chairman of the Denville Hall home for elderly thespians, a vice-president of the Variety Artists Benevolent Fund, and a member of both the South Bank Theatre and Opera House boards.
In 1957, Prince was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He died on 13th September 1973 at his home in Chestham Park, Henfield, Sussex. Following his death, a legal battle was fought to clarify a complex series of bequests arising from two apparently contradictory wills; the estate had been valued at just over £1 million, and there were no children. |
| Related Person | Littler, Prince Frank (1901–1973) |