Dora Lindsay

Dora Lindsay
Dora Lindsay, from a 1921 newspaper
Born	Glasgow
Occupation(s)	Comedian, entertainer

Dora Lindsay (born before 1890 – died after 1944^[1]) was a Scottish comedian and singer in the early twentieth century.

Lindsay was from Glasgow, the daughter of a publisher father and a poet mother. Her grandfather, Louis Lindsay, was also a stage performer, described as a "celebrated Negro comedian" (meaning that he impersonated Black people in his act).^[2][3][4]

Lindsay was a comedian and singer with the Anderson's Star Musical Company by 1903,^[5] and in Scottish music hall revues and pantomime productions In the 1910s and 1920s.^[6][7][8] She was often seen in a double act with comedian Bret Harte (not the writer), where the "droll couple" humor rested on the class differences between their accents.^[9][10] "Dora was a wee woman with a complete mastery of the intricacies and nuances of Glasgow working-class speech," explained one theatre historian.^[11][12] She performed as Mother Goose at the Glasgow Pavilion in 1920 and 1921.^[13][14] One of her signature songs was "Ah'm nut a can, Ah'm Dorothy Ann".^[15] She appeared in several short silent films made in Scotland.^[16] She was compared to Harry Lauder and Marie Lloyd by critics.^[17]

Lindsay toured internationally in 1923 and 1924.^[18] "She is a born humorist, with remarkable knowledge of character impersonation," said a 1923 report in Australia.^[19] She later moved to Australia, and performed comedic songs in Scottish-themed entertainments on stage and radio,^[20] through the 1930s,^[21][22][23] and into the 1940s.^[1][24][25] She toured with the Long Tack Sam company in New Zealand in 1936.^[26] She wrote the words and music to a song, "Anzac" (1939).^[27]