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apu takes lisa through a secret passageway hidden behind the cooler section assigned to non @@ alcoholic beer leading to the kwik @@ e @@ mart roof where they meet paul and linda mccartney the mccartneys explain that they are old friends of apu from paul 's days in india and discuss their interest in animal rights after a brief discussion apu asks lisa what happened at home that made her upset she reveals everything and while he understands apu warns lisa that forcing others to accept her views can do a lot more harm than good she is committed once more to vegetarianism but realizes that she should tolerate those who disagree with her views
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inspired lisa begins to return home and finds homer frantically searching for her homer apologizes for his behavior but lisa admits she was wrong as well she apologizes to homer admitting she had no right to ruin his barbecue he forgives her and offers her a veggie back ride home the final credits play over the still airborne roast pig
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= = production = =
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= = = writing = = =
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lisa the vegetarian was the first full @@ length episode david x cohen wrote for the simpsons his most prominent work for the show to that point had been the nightmare cafeteria segment in the season six episode treehouse of horror v the idea for lisa the vegetarian came to him while he was working on another simpsons script cohen could not concentrate on his task because he was waiting for lunch and on the back of the script he scribbled lisa becomes a vegetarian cohen showed the note to simpsons writer brent forrester who liked the idea show runner david mirkin then approved the story when cohen pitched it to him mirkin had just become a vegetarian himself and later noted that many of lisa 's experiences in the episode were based on his own
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writer bill oakley suggested the episode 's barbecue scenes cohen 's first draft contained a more philosophical argument between lisa and homer about eating meat but oakley told cohen that the story needed something more specific to serve as the basis of homer and lisa 's dispute george meyer a writer known among the simpsons staff for his bizarre physical jokes contributed the idea of the barbecue pig getting caught in the spillway and flying into the air cohen credits simpsons writer john swartzwelder for inspiring the scene in which homer finds it impossible to believe that bacon ham and pork chops could possibly come from the same animal according to cohen it was based on a real statement made by swartzwelder who was going on and on about how amazing the pig is for the variety of cuts of meat that come from it
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in the episode ralph wiggum coins the phrase oh boy sleep that 's where i 'm a viking the term caused a point of contention with some fans curious whether or not he meant he was literally a viking in his dreams or if he meant sleeping was just something he excelled at mirkin confirmed on twitter that the line was meant to be taken literally stating we weren 't writing ralph as capable of metaphor
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= = = voice acting = = =
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at the time the episode was being written paul mccartney was the only living member of the beatles who had never appeared on the simpsons john lennon died before the show was created but ringo starr and george harrison had guest starred in 1991 ( brush with greatness ) and 1993 ( homer 's barbershop quartet ) respectively the simpsons staff wanted to bring mccartney onto the show and david mirkin thought lisa the vegetarian would be an attractive story since mccartney is a vegetarian himself mccartney agreed to appear but requested that lisa remain a vegetarian for the rest of the series rather than revert to meat @@ eating in the next episode the simpsons staff promised that she would remain a vegetarian resulting in one of the few permanent character changes made in the show mccartney 's wife linda was also recruited to appear in the episode she told entertainment weekly that the episode was a chance for her and her husband to spread the vegetarian word to a wider audience paul and linda were both long @@ time fans of the simpsons
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mirkin later said that recording with the mccartneys was one of the most amazing experiences of his life he flew to london and met the couple at paul mccartney 's recording studio where the mccartneys spent an hour recording their parts simpsons creator matt groening was supposed to go with mirkin to london but missed his plane groening commented that having mccartney and the rest of the beatles on the simpsons was a dream come true for all of us
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linda mccartney died of cancer at age 56 on april 17 1998 the simpsons ' season nine episode trash of the titans which aired on april 26 1998 was dedicated to her memory simpsons executive producer mike scully said it just seemed like the right thing to do everyone here was surprised and saddened by her death
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= = = directing and animating = = =
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the episode was directed by mark kirkland who was intrigued by the story because he had not seen many television episodes about vegetarianism the designs for paul and linda mccartney are unusual for the simpsons in that the characters have brown and blue irises respectively most simpsons characters simply have black spots in the centers of their eyes
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in one scene of the episode homer sprays two bottles of lighter fluid onto his grill causing viewers to anticipate an explosion when homer throws a match on it when he does release the match however the grill barely ignites a similar scene appears in an older episode of the simpsons treehouse of horror although in that episode homer uses a single bottle of lighter fluid and causes an explosion mirkin enjoyed the joke enough to reuse parts of it in lisa the vegetarian adding new twists to further enhance the comedic effect the old sketches from the treehouse of horror episode were used to help the animators animate the scene
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= = cultural references = =
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the episode features several references to the beatles and mccartney 's solo career for instance mccartney tells lisa that playing his 1970 song maybe i 'm amazed backwards will reveal a recipe for a really <unk> ' lentil soup a modified version of the song plays in the final scene then over the closing credits of the episode when played backwards mccartney can be heard reciting the recipe in the song mirkin had mccartney record the recipe which was later added in reverse over the original song mccartney thought it was very funny that the staff wanted to send up the whole cult thing of backmasking on the beatles ' songs a secret lentil soup recipe seemed a nice parody of that he said one of the backwards snippets says oh and by the way i 'm alive a reference to the paul is dead urban legend
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when lisa apu and the mccartneys gather on the kwik @@ e @@ mart roof apu tells lisa i learned long ago to tolerate others rather than forcing my beliefs on them you know you can influence people without <unk> them always it 's like paul 's song ' live and let live ' paul corrects apu and says the song 's title is actually live and let die in the same scene apu refers to himself as the fifth beatle and linda alludes to a line in the beatles ' 1969 song octopus 's garden the mccartneys later ask lisa if she would like to hear a song and apu sings part of sgt pepper 's lonely hearts club band to which the mccartneys snap along
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= = release = =
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lisa the vegetarian originally aired on the fox network in the united states on october 15 1995 it finished 47th in the ratings for the week of october 9 15 1995 with a nielsen rating of 9 @@ 0 equivalent to approximately 8 @@ 63 million viewing households the episode was the fourth highest @@ rated show on the fox network that week following the x @@ files fox nfl sunday and melrose place lisa the vegetarian was later selected for release in a 2000 video collection of episodes titled the simpsons raiders of the lost fridge other episodes included in the collection set were guess who 's coming to <unk> dinner king @@ size homer and burns verkaufen der kraftwerk lisa the vegetarian was later included in the simpsons ' season seven dvd set which was released on december 13 2005 david x cohen mark kirkland matt groening and david mirkin participated in the episode 's dvd audio commentary
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the episode won an environmental media award in the best television episodic comedy category which has been awarded every year since 1991 to the best television episode or film with an environmental message the episode has also received a genesis award in the best television comedy series ongoing commitment category the genesis award is awarded annually by the humane society of the united states to honor works that raise the public 's understanding of animal issues
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= = = critical reviews = = =
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lisa the vegetarian has received positive reviews from television critics and the staff of the simpsons among the show 's staff mirkin kirkland groening and writer ian maxtone @@ graham list it as one of their favorite episodes in the dvd audio commentary for the episode mirkin called the opening sequence at the petting zoo one of his favorite set pieces in the show 's history he thought it was absolutely hilarious and praised kirkland for his animation mirkin also enjoyed the use of apu in the episode because apu shows lisa that the way to get people to change is through tolerance and understanding groening considers the joke in which the family forms a conga line one of the high @@ points in the history of the simpsons
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television critics praised lisa the vegetarian for its humor john serba of the grand rapids press named it his favorite episode because the tale of lisa 's conversion to vegetarianism has more humorous scenes per square inch than any other episode the ventura county reporter 's matthew singer thought it was overflowing with great individual scenes particularly troy mcclure 's meat council propaganda video which he said may be the funniest isolated segment in the history of the show msnbc 's patrick enright who listed the episode as his second favorite of the series highlighted the you don 't win friends with salad song as one of those archetypal simpsons moments one in which the writers hit a joke so long that it goes from funny to unfunny and back to funny again
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reviewers of the episode have also praised it for its character development todd gilchrist of ign said he thinks the key to the simpsons ' longevity is its sentimental but not gooey approach to storytelling and character development he took lisa the vegetarian as an example and said lisa sabotages homer 's barbecue which results in an unceremonious death for his prize pig but rather than simply punctuating the episode with an iconic image of the <unk> soaring through the air the writers actually develop a story into which the joke fits the comedic effect is actually intensified because we care about the characters are invested in the story and primed for a great gag the niagara gazette 's phil <unk> said that the character development and storytelling is perfect noting that the episode was equally hilarious touching and satirical
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the mccartneys ' guest appearance received mixed reactions from critics warren martyn and adrian wood the authors of i can 't believe it 's a bigger and better updated unofficial simpsons guide called it a superb performance singer however thought their cameo was poorly integrated into the show and <unk> thought it seemed a little forced ign ranked mccartney 's performance in this episode along with ringo starr 's performance in brush with greatness and george harrison 's performance in homer 's barbershop quartet as the tenth best guest appearance in the simpsons ' history they added that although none of these appearances were really large the fact that the most popular band of all time appeared on the simpsons is a large statement on the popularity and importance of the show simon crerar of times online named paul and linda mccartney 's performance in the episode as one of the thirty @@ three funniest simpsons cameos ever and larry <unk> and mike errico of blender listed it as the eighth best band cameo in the show 's history
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= marie lloyd =
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matilda alice victoria wood ( 12 february 1870 7 october 1922 ) professionally known as marie lloyd / <unk> / was an english music hall singer comedian and musical theatre actress during the late 19th and early 20th centuries she was best known for her performances of songs such as the boy i love is up in the gallery my old man ( said follow the van ) and oh mr porter what shall i do she received both criticism and praise for her use of innuendo and double entendre during her performances and enjoyed a long and prosperous career during which she was affectionately called the queen of the music hall
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born in london she was showcased by her father at the eagle tavern in hoxton in 1884 she made her professional début as bella <unk> she changed her stage name to marie lloyd the following year in 1885 she had success with her song the boy i love is up in the gallery and she frequently topped the bill at prestigious theatres in london 's west end in 1891 she was recruited by the impresario augustus harris to appear in that year 's spectacular theatre royal drury lane christmas pantomime humpty dumpty she starred in a further two productions at the theatre little bo peep ( 1892 ) and robinson crusoe ( 1893 ) by the mid @@ 1890s lloyd was in frequent dispute with britain 's theatre censors due to the risqué content of her songs
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between 1894 and 1900 she became an international success when she toured france america australia and belgium with her solo music hall act in 1907 she assisted other performers during the music hall war and took part in demonstrations outside theatres protesting for better pay and conditions for performers during the first world war in common with most other music hall artists she supported recruitment into the armed services to help the war effort touring hospitals and industrial institutions to help boost morale in 1915 she performed her only wartime song now you 've got your khaki on which became a favourite among front @@ line troops
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lloyd had a turbulent private life that was often the subject of press attention she was married three times divorced twice and frequently found herself giving court testimony against two of her husbands who had physically abused her in later life she was still in demand at music halls and had a late success in 1919 with her performance of my old man ( said follow the van ) which earned her an extended audience privately she suffered from bouts of ill @@ health and became alcohol @@ dependent both of which imposed restrictions on her performing career by the 1920s in 1922 she gave her final performance at the alhambra theatre london during which she became ill on stage she died a few days later at the age of 52
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= = biography = =
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= = = family background and early life = = =
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lloyd was born on 12 february 1870 in hoxton london her father john wood ( 1847 1940 ) was an artificial flower arranger and waiter and his wife matilda mary caroline née archer ( 1849 1931 ) was a dressmaker and costume designer lloyd was the eldest of nine children and became known within the family circle as tilley the wood family were respectable hard @@ working and financially comfortable lloyd often took career advice from her mother whose influence was strong in the family lloyd attended a school in bath street london but disliked formal education and often played truant with both her parents working she adopted a maternal role over her siblings helping to keep them entertained clean and well cared @@ for along with her sister alice she arranged events in which the wood children performed at the family home she enjoyed the experience of entertaining her family and decided to form a minstrel act in 1879 called the fairy bell troupe comprising her brothers and sisters
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lloyd and the troupe made their début at a mission in nile street hoxton in 1880 and followed this with an appearance at the blue ribbon gospel temperance mission later the same year costumed by matilda they toured local <unk> @@ houses in east london where they performed temperance songs teaching people the dangers of alcohol abuse eager to show off his daughter 's talent john secured her unpaid employment as a table singer at the eagle tavern in hoxton where he worked as a waiter among the songs she performed there was my soldier laddie together with her performances at the eagle lloyd briefly contributed to the family income by making babies ' boots and later curled feathers for hat making she was unsuccessful at both and was sacked from the latter after being caught dancing on the tables by the foreman she returned home that evening and declared that she wanted a permanent career on the stage although happy to have her performing in her spare time her parents initially opposed the idea of her appearing on the stage full @@ time she recalled that when her parents saw that they couldn 't kick their objections as high as [ she ] could kick [ her ] legs they very sensibly came to the conclusion to let things take their course and said ' bless you my child do what you like '
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= = = early career and first marriage = = =
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on 9 may 1885 at the age of 15 lloyd made her professional solo stage début at the grecian music hall ( in the same premises as the eagle tavern ) under the name matilda wood she performed in the good old days and my soldier laddie which proved successful and earned her a booking at the sir john falstaff music hall in old street where she sang a series of romantic ballads soon after this she chose the stage name bella <unk> and appeared on stage in costumes designed by her mother her performances were a success despite her singing other artists ' songs without their permission a practice which brought her a threat of an injunction from one of the original performers news of her act travelled that october she appeared at the collins music hall in islington in a special performance to celebrate the theatre 's refurbishment the first time she had appeared outside hoxton and two months later she was engaged at the hammersmith temple of varieties and the middlesex music hall in drury lane on 3 february 1886 she appeared at the prestigious sebright music hall in bethnal green where she met george ware a prolific composer of music hall songs ware became her agent and after a few weeks she began performing songs purchased from little @@ known composers as her popularity grew ware suggested that she change her name marie was chosen for its posh and slightly french sound and lloyd was taken from an edition of lloyd 's weekly newspaper
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lloyd established her new name on 22 june 1886 with an appearance at the falstaff music hall where she attracted wide notice for the song the boy i love is up in the gallery ( which was initially written for nelly power by lloyd 's agent george ware ) by 1887 her performance of the song had become so popular that she was in demand in london 's west end including the oxford music hall where she excelled at skirt dancing george belmont the falstaff 's proprietor secured her an engagement at the star palace of varieties in bermondsey she soon began making her own costumes a skill she learned from her mother and one she used for the rest of her career she undertook a month @@ long tour of ireland at the start of 1886 earning £ 10 per week after which she returned to east london to perform at amongst others the sebright music hall bethnal green on 23 october the era called her a pretty little soubrette who dances with great dash and energy
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by the end of 1886 lloyd was playing several halls a night and earned £ 100 per week she was now able to afford new songs from established music hall composers and writers including harry 's a soldier she has a sailor for a lover and oh jeremiah don 't you go to sea by 1887 lloyd began to display a skill for ad lib and to gain a reputation for her impromptu performances it was during this period that she first sang whacky @@ wack and when you wink the other eye a song which introduced her famous wink at the audience unlike her west end audiences who enjoyed her coarse humour her blue performances did not impress audiences in the east end
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while appearing at the foresters music hall in mile end she met and began dating percy charles courtenay a ticket tout from streatham london the courtship was brief and the couple married on 12 november 1887 at st john the baptist hoxton in may 1888 lloyd gave birth to a daughter marie ( 1888 1967 ) the marriage was mostly unhappy and courtenay was disliked by lloyd 's family and friends before long courtenay became addicted to alcohol and gambling and grew jealous of his wife 's close friendship with the 13 @@ year @@ old actress bella burge to whom lloyd had rented a room in the marital house he also became angry at the numerous parties lloyd hosted for fellow members of the music hall profession including gus elen dan leno and eugene stratton
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in october 1888 lloyd returned from maternity leave and joined rehearsals for the 1888 89 pantomime the magic dragon of the demon dell or the search for the mystic thyme in which she was cast as princess kristina the production which was staged between boxing day and february at the britannia theatre in hoxton gave her the security of working close to home for a two @@ month period the engagement also gave her much @@ needed experience of playing to a big audience the following year she appeared at more bohemian venues including the empire and the alhambra theatres the trocadero palace of varieties and the royal standard playhouse in 1889 she gave birth to a stillborn child which further damaged her marriage
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by the start of the 1890s lloyd had built up a successful catalogue of songs which included what 's that for eh about a little girl who asks her parents the meaning of various everyday household objects her biographer and theatre historian w j macqueen @@ pope described the song as being blue and thought that it spoke volumes about her reputation thanks to her wonderful wink and that sudden dazzling smile and the nod of the head similar @@ styled songs followed she 'd never had her ticket punched before told the story of a young naive woman travelling to london on her own by train this was followed by the wrong man never let a chance go by we don 't want to fight but by jingo if we do oh you wink the other eye and twiggy vous a song which won her much success and increased her popularity abroad after an evening 's performance at the oxford music hall a french well @@ wisher requested a conversation and to meet lloyd backstage flanked by courtenay she appeared at the stage door where courtenay threatened the man with violence as both had become suspicious of his interest in her she took a chance and invited the man into her dressing room where he identified himself as a member of the french government he confirmed to her that twiggy vous was most popular in paris she was delighted at the news at the end of the year lloyd returned to london where she appeared in the christmas pantomime cinderella in peckham alongside her sister alice
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= = = 1890s = = =
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= = = = drury lane and success = = = =
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between 1891 and 1893 lloyd was recruited by the impresario augustus harris to appear alongside dan leno in the spectacular and popular theatre royal drury lane christmas pantomimes while lunching with harris in 1891 to discuss his offer lloyd played coy deliberately confusing the theatre with the lesser known venue the old mo so as not to appear conscious of drury lane 's successful reputation she compared its structure to that of a prison secretly she was thrilled with the offer for which she would receive £ 100 per week the pantomime seasons lasted from boxing day to march and were highly lucrative but lloyd found working from a script restrictive her first role was princess <unk> in humpty dumpty or the yellow dwarf and the fair one which she dismissed as being bloody awful eh she received mixed reviews for her opening performance the times described her as being playful in gesture graceful in appearance but not strong in voice despite the weak start ( which lloyd blamed on nerves ) the pantomime received glowing reviews from the theatrical press the london entr 'acte thought that she <unk> [ d ] her text quite pungently and sings and dances with spirit too she was noted for her acrobatic dancing on stage and was able to display handstands tumbles and high kicks as a boy the writer compton mackenzie was taken to the show 's opening night and admitted that he was greatly surprised that any girl should have the courage to let the world see her drawers as definitely as marie lloyd
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lloyd 's biographer midge gillies defines 1891 as being the year that she officially made it thanks to a catalogue of hit songs and major success in the halls and pantomime when she appeared at the oxford music hall in june the audience cheered so loudly for her return that the following act could not be heard the era called her the favourite of the hour during the summer months she toured north england including liverpool birmingham and manchester at the last she stayed an extra six nights due to popular demand which caused her to cancel a trip to paris the 1892 pantomime was little bo peep or little red riding hood and hop o ' my thumb in which she played little red riding hood the production was five hours long and culminated with the show 's harlequinade during one scene her improvisational skills caused some scandal when she got out of bed to pray but instead reached for a chamber pot the stunt angered harris who ordered her not to do it again or risk immediate dismissal max beerbohm who was in a later audience asked isn 't marie lloyd charming and sweet in the pantomime i think of little besides her on 12 january 1892 lloyd and courtenay brawled drunkenly in her drury lane dressing room after an evening 's performance of little bo @@ peep courtenay pulled a decorative sword off the wall and threatened to cut her throat she escaped from the room with minor bruises and reported the incident to the bow street police station in early 1893 she travelled to wolverhampton where she starred as flossie in another unsuccessful piece called the <unk> girl or flossie the <unk> which according to macqueen @@ pope ended the queen of comedy 's career as an actress
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lloyd made her american stage début in 1893 appearing at koster and bial 's music hall in new york she sang oh you wink the other eye much to the delight of her american audiences other numbers were after the pantomime and you should go to france and see the ladies dance which both required her to wear provocative costumes her performances pleased the theatre proprietors who presented her with an antique tea and coffee service news of her success reached home and the london entr 'acte reported that miss marie lloyd made the biggest hit ever known at koster and bial 's variety hall new york
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upon her return to london lloyd introduced listen with the right ear which was an intended follow @@ up to oh you wink the other eye shortly after her return she sailed to france to take up an engagement in paris her biographer daniel farson thought that she received greater acclaim than any other english comedienne who had preceded her she changed the lyrics to some of her best @@ known songs for her french audience and retitled them the naughty <unk> twiggy vous i 'm just back from paris and the coster honeymoon in paris at christmas in 1893 she returned to london to honour her final drury lane commitment starring as polly perkins in robinson crusoe the part allowed her to perform the barmaid and the naughty <unk> and saw her perform a mazurka with leno talking to a friend years later about her drury lane engagements she admitted that she was the proudest little woman in the world
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in may 1894 courtenay followed lloyd to the empire leicester square where she was performing and attempted to batter her with a stick shouting i will gouge your eyes out and ruin you his assault missed lloyd but struck burge in the face instead as a result of the incident lloyd was sacked from the empire for fear of a reprisal lloyd left the marital home moving to 73 carleton road tufnell park and successfully applied for a restraining warrant which prevented courtenay from contacting her a few weeks later lloyd began an affair with the music hall singer alec hurley which resulted in courtenay initiating divorce proceedings in 1894 on the grounds of her adultery that year together with a short tour of the english provinces lloyd travelled to new york with hurley where she appeared at the imperial theatre staying for two months on her return to england she appeared in the liverpool christmas pantomime as the principal boy in pretty bo @@ peep little boy blue and the merry old woman who lived in a shoe her performance was praised by the press who called her delightfully easy graceful and self @@ possessed
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= = = = <unk> reputation and transatlantic tours = = = =
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by 1895 lloyd 's risqué songs were receiving frequent criticism from theatre reviewers and influential feminists as a result she often experienced resistance from strict theatre censorship which dogged the rest of her career the writer and feminist laura ormiston chant who was a member of the social purity alliance disliked the bawdiness of music hall performances and thought that the venues were attractive to prostitutes her campaign persuaded the london county council to erect large screens around the promenade at the empire theatre in leicester square as part of the licensing conditions the screens were unpopular and protesters among them the young winston churchill later pulled them down that november at the tivoli theatre lloyd performed johnny jones a ditty about a girl who is taught the facts of life by her best male friend the song although not lyrically obscene was considered to be offensive largely because of the manner in which lloyd sang it adding winks and gestures and creating a conspiratorial relationship with her audience social reformers cited johnny jones as being offensive but less so compared to other songs of the day upon the expiry of a music hall 's entertainments licence the licensing committee tried to use the lyrical content of music hall songs as evidence against a renewal as a result lloyd was summoned to perform some of her songs in front of a council committee she sang oh mr porter ( composed for her by george le brunn ) a little of what you fancy and she sits among the cabbages and peas which she retitled i sits amongst the cabbages and <unk> after some protest the numbers were sung in such a way that the committee had no reason to find anything amiss feeling disgruntled at the council 's interference she then rendered alfred tennyson 's drawing @@ room ballad come into the garden maud and displayed leers and nudges to illustrate each innuendo the committee were left stunned at the performance but lloyd argued afterwards that the rudeness was all in the mind
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despite their opposing views on music hall entertainment lloyd and chant shared similar political views and were wrongly assumed by the press to be enemies an inspector who reported on one of lloyd 's performances at the oxford music hall thought that her lyrical content was fine but her knowing nods looks smiles and the suggestiveness in her winks to the audience suggested otherwise the restrictions imposed on the music halls were by now beginning to affect trade and many were threatened with closure to avoid social unrest hackney council scrapped the licensing restrictions on 7 october 1896 in 1896 lloyd sailed to south africa with her daughter who appeared as little maudie courtenay on the same bill as her mother lloyd came to the attention of barney barnato a british entrepreneur who was responsible for mining diamond and gold barnato lavished gifts on her in an attempt to woo her but his attempts were unsuccessful nevertheless the two remained friends until his death in 1897 the tour was a triumph for lloyd and her songs became popular among her south african audience she performed wink the other eye twiggy @@ vous hello hello hello whacky whacky whack keep off the grass and oh mr porter feeling satisfied at the success she had achieved lloyd returned to london once the two @@ month tour had ended
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the following year lloyd travelled to new york where she re @@ appeared at koster and bial 's music hall her first song was about a young woman who lacked confidence in finding a suitor the chorus not for the very best man that ever got into a pair of trousers proved hilarious the era observed that the line tickled the audience immensely following this she performed a song about a french maid who appeared innocent and petite at first sight but turned out not to be so the era described the character as being not so demure as she looked for she confided to her auditors that she ' knew a lot about those tricky little things they don 't teach a girl at school ' many other songs followed and were all warmly received at the conclusion of each performance she received gifts from the audience including bouquets and floral structures the era commented that miss lloyd 's clever character work her versatility and unflagging endeavours to please were rewarded with deserved success after the tour lloyd returned to london and moved to hampstead with hurley that christmas she appeared in pantomime this time at the crown theatre in peckham in a production of dick whittington in which she played the title role in it she sang a little bit off the top which macqueen @@ pope describes as being one of the pantomime songs of the year the music hall and theatre review was equally complimentary saying brilliant repertory charming dresses a unique personality during the christmas period of 1898 9 lloyd returned to the crown where she took her benefit during which she appeared in dick whittington the entertainment culminated with a song from vesta victoria and a short piece called the squeaker starring joe elvin
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= = = 1900s = = =
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in february 1900 lloyd was the subject of another benefit performance at the crown theatre in peckham kate carney vesta tilley and joe elvin were among the star turns who performed before the main piece cinderella which starred lloyd her sister alice <unk> rayburn and jennie <unk> the same year although her divorce was not yet finalised lloyd went to live with hurley in southampton row london hurley an established singer of <unk> songs regularly appeared on the same bill as lloyd his calm nature was a contrast to the abusive personality of courtenay lloyd and hurley set sail for a tour of australia in 1901 opening at harry rickards opera house in melbourne on 18 may with their own version of the lambeth walk after the successful two @@ month tour lloyd and hurley returned to london where she appeared in the only revue of her career entitled the revue it was written by charles raymond and phillip yorke with lyrics by roland <unk> and music by maurice jacobi it was staged at the tivoli theatre in celebration of the coronation of king edward vii lloyd and courtenay 's divorce became absolute on 22 may 1905 and she married hurley on 27 october 1906 hurley although ecstatic with his earlier success in australia began feeling sidelined by his wife 's popularity macqueen @@ pope suggested that [ hurley ] was a star who had married a planet already the seeds of disaster were being sown
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= = = = music hall strikes of 1907 = = = =
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shortly after her marriage to hurley lloyd went to bournemouth to recuperate from exhaustion within days she was back performing in london music halls from the start of the new century music hall artistes and theatre managers had been in dispute over working conditions a reduction in pay and perks and an increased number of matinée performances the first significant rift was a 1906 strike initiated by the variety artistes ' federation the following year the music hall war commenced which saw the federation fight for more freedom and better working conditions on behalf of music @@ hall performers although popular enough to command her own fees lloyd supported the strike acted as a picket for the strikers and gave generously to the strike fund to raise spirits she often performed on picket lines and took part in a fundraising performance at the scala theatre during one demonstration she recognised someone trying to enter and shouted let her through girls she 'll close the music hall faster than we can the singer was belle elmore later murdered by her husband dr crippen the dispute ended later the same year with a resolution broadly favourable to the performers in 1909 lloyd appeared at the gaiety theatre in dundee where a critic for the courier noted her bright smile and fascinating presence has much to do with her popularity while her songs are of the catchy style perhaps not what a dundee audience is familiar with but still amusing and of an attractive style
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= = = = relationship with bernard dillon = = = =
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despite their marital problems lloyd went on an american tour with hurley in 1908 she was eager to equal the success of her sister alice who had become popular in the country a few years previously by 1910 marie 's relationship with hurley had ended due in part to her endless parties and her developing friendship with the jockey bernard dillon winner of the 1910 derby lloyd and the young sportsman began an open and passionate affair for the first time her private life eclipsed her professional career she was seldom mentioned in the theatrical press in 1910 and when she did perform it was not to the best of her abilities the writer arnold bennett who witnessed her on stage at the tivoli theatre in 1909 admitted that he couldn 't see the legendary cleverness of the vulgarity of marie lloyd and accused her songs of being variations of the same theme of sexual naughtiness as with courtenay years previously the shy and retiring dillon was finding it hard to adapt to lloyd 's elaborate and sociable lifestyle dillon 's success on the racecourse was short lived in 1911 he was expelled from the jockey club for borrowing £ 660 to bet on his own horses to win dillon 's horses lost and he ended up in debt to trainers he became jealous of lloyd 's successful life in the spotlight depression led to drink and obesity and he started to abuse her hurley meanwhile had initiated divorce proceedings the strain of which caused him to drink heavily which in turn finished his theatrical career lloyd left the marital home in hampstead and moved to golders green with dillon a move which macqueen @@ pope describes as being the worst thing she ever did
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= = = later years = = =
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a new show in london in 1912 showcased the best of music hall 's talent the royal command performance took place at the palace theatre in london which was managed by alfred butt the show was organised by oswald stoll an australian impresario who managed a string of west end and provincial theatres stoll although a fan of lloyd 's disliked the vulgarity of her act and championed a return to a more family @@ friendly atmosphere within the music hall because of this and her participation in the earlier music hall war stoll left her out of the line @@ up he placed an advert in the era on the day of the performance warning that <unk> and vulgarity etc are not allowed this intimation is rendered necessary only by a few artists in retaliation lloyd staged her own show at the london pavilion advertising that every one of her performances was a command performance by order of the british public she performed one thing leads to another oh mr porter and the boy i love is up in the gallery and was hailed as the queen of comedy by critics the same year she travelled to devon where she appeared at the exeter hippodrome to much success the devon and exeter gazette reported that lloyd 's performance of every movement tells a tale was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience and [ received ] round after round of applause the paper also praised her recital of a cockney girl 's honeymoon in paris which was met by roars of laughter
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= = = = scandal in america = = = =
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