Allô Allô, uma retrospectiva... (VIII) - Kenneth Connor

O actor Kenneth Connor encarnou o papel de Monsieur Alfonse. A sua imagem de marca era o seu "dicky ticker". Infelizmente o actor deixou-nos em 1993.

Da Infopédia (em Inglês):

Kenneth Connor, MBE (6 June 1916 – 28 November 1993) was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for the Carry On films.

Born the son of a naval officer in London, Connor first appeared on the stage at the age of 2 and by 11 had his own act. After periods at drama school and the army during which time he participated in the British invasion of Rome, he returned to the stage, but found most success in BBC radio comedy, particularly in comedian Ted Ray's Ray's a Laugh in which he played the brother-in-law and other 'odd' characters including 'Sidney Mincing'. He had a small role as a taxi driver in The Ladykillers (1955), and was an occasional guest on The Goon Show on radio, being called upon to fill in during regular cast members' illness.

In 1958 he was cast in the first Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant. He became one of the regulars of the series, appearing in 17 of the 30 original films and many of the television productions. In his earlier Carry On appearances he frequently played sympathetic straight roles, often as the romantic lead. His appearances subsided during the middle period of the Carry On film run; however, he returned in the later films. In his later appearances he often played married men with a wandering eye, various lascivious and lusty men, and pompous unsympathetic characters. His son Jeremy appeared as his son in Carry On Nurse.

Together with Kenneth Williams and Eric Barker, Kenneth Connor was the only star of the Carry On's to appear in the first Carry On Sergeant and last Carry On Emmanuelle of the original set of Carry On films excluding Carry On Columbus.

He also starred with fellow Carry On stars Sid James and Esma Cannon in the 1961 British comedy What a carve up!.

Between 1971 and 1973 Connor joined Dad's Army stars Arthur Lowe and Ian Lavender on the BBC radio comedy Parsley Sidings. In contrast with some of his Carry On co-stars, Connor found further success on the London stage playing a leading role alongside Frankie Howerd in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and he also appeared in West End revues. On television he appeared in The Black and White Minstrel Show, in the children's show Rentaghost (1983 – 1984), and as Monsieur Alfonse in 'Allo 'Allo! (1984 – 1992) and Uncle Sammy Morris in Hi-de-Hi! (1986 – 1988). He also made guest appearances in sitcoms, including That's My Boy, You Rang, M'Lord? and he made a memorable cameo in an episode of Blackadder the Third in 1987, alongside fellow veteran comic star Hugh Paddick.

His final TV appearance as Mr Warren in The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes episode The Adventure of the Red Circle was broadcast posthumously in 1994. He was in over fifty movies and was honoured by the Queen with an MBE in 1991.

He made his first stage appearance at the age of two and was still working just 2 days before his death, with an appearance on Noel Edmond's Telly Addicts.

Connor died of cancer at his home in London in 1993, and was survived by his wife Margaret (Miki), his son and three grandchildren, Thomas, Hayley and Rose, all of whom have been accomplished child actors.

Monsieur Alfonse is Nouvion's undertaker, first being seen when local hero René Artois fakes his own death. Alfonse quickly falls in love with the latter's wife, Edith, and René has to propose to Edith or lose his café as everyone believes he is dead.

Alfonse also has a small fortune in a Swiss bank account; therefore, Edith's mother agrees with the match, as Alfonse would make a better husband financially.

The undertaker's catchphrase is "Swiftly and with style", while announcing his services. In addition, he also has a "dicky ticker", which comes on every time something stressful (or arousing) happens, and also suffers from the less publicised "tricky truss". He admires René for all the brave work he does for the Resistance, and agrees to admire Edith from afar. When he finds out about René's affair with waitress Yvette he tells Edith, but René manages to fob her off with another excuse.