James Alexander Young (23 May 1918 – 5 July 1974), better known as Jimmy Young or simply Our Jimmy, was an Irish actor and comedian born in Ballymoney and brought up in Belfast.
He performed on stage and television. His comedy records sold over a quarter of a million copies. His stage shows are most closely associated with the Group Theatre, where his one man show gained a listing in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest running in the world. He also toured extensively across Ireland, Canada and the United States.
He is best remembered for the characters in his sketches, which uniquely reflected the character of the people of Belfast. These included "Orange Lily", "The Lady from Cherryvalley", and "Derek the Window Cleaner" from the BBC Radio Ulster series The McCooeys. He was also one of the first comedians to confront the Troubles in his material, while still appealing to both sides of the divided community.
A blue plaque in his memory is displayed at his birthplace in Union Street, Ballymoney and at his family's home in Fernwood Street, Ormeau Road, Belfast.
Life
James Alexander Young was born on 23 May 1918 at 33 Union Street Ballymoney, the fourth child of Alexander Young, a bread server, and Grace Woodrow. In the economic uncertainty following World War I, the Youngs moved to the industrial Belfast where Alexander found work as a stable hand for a local bakery. Until the age of 14, Young attended the Cooke Church School off the Ravenhill Road. Even at this early stage, Young's natural talent for humour was evident. His mother would often tell him, "Stop impersonating the visitors. Because after you do, I find it impossible to take them seriously."
During his youth, Young's mother would frequently take him to the theatres around Belfast. At the age of six, Young went with his mother to see a show starring Jimmy O'Dea. O'Dea would be a massive influence on Young who, like Young, was a highly skilled comic and female impersonator. He would also be influenced by many visiting English music hall acts.
At the age of 14, Young left school and found work as a rent collector for a local estate agent. Young collected rent from some of the toughest districts in Belfast. Young visited homes in the Falls Road, Shankill Road and Crumlin Road areas of the town. It was during these visits he would find the inspiration for many of his future comedy characters.
After two years, Young tired of collecting rent and volunteered for the Savoy Players, an English company based at the Grand Opera House during World War II. Young performed the odd jobs backstage for the company but soon wanted to appear on stage. He joined the Youth Hostel Association Drama Group in 1943 and, in the first year, he won the award for best actor for his performance in A Story For Today by Jack Loudan.
Due in part to the praise for his performance in A Story For Today, Young was offered a role in the Ulster Group Theatre's production of Joseph Tomelty's Right Again, Barnum. Young appeared in further Group Theatre productions and productions for other companies in Belfast but, in 1944, Young left Northern Ireland to seek greater success in England.
He found work in a repertory company based at the Stockport Hippodrome near Manchester, appearing in over a hundred productions across different genres. He soon left the company and joined the West End production of Seán O'Casey's Red Roses for Me. The play ran for seven months and was a great success. Following this, Young got to work with his hero Jimmy O'Dea in his production of Phil the Flutter's Ball. However, following an accident with a member of the audience, Young was let go from the show.
Young then joined a show that was being arranged by ENSA and was due to tour the Middle East. While on the tour, Young was to meet Jack Hudson who would become a major part of his personal and professional life until his death.
At the end of the tour, Young started to feel home sick for Northern Ireland and he, along with Hudson, returned to Belfast. They moved into a flat on the Newtownards Road above a butcher's shop. Young returned to the Ulster Group Theatre, while Hudson became a manager of a local ballroom.
Success was not forthcoming and, for a time, Young and Hudson considered emigrating to Australia. Young's luck was to change, however, when he was cast in Joseph Tomelty's BBC Radio Ulster series The McCooeys. Tomelty devised a character called Derek, loosely based on the character Young played in Right Again, Barnum. Derek was the camp window cleaner of the title characters. Derek appeared in only five episodes of the series but was a massive hit with the public and made Young a household name.