Biography

Jimmy James, whose real name was James Casey, was born in Stockton on Tees in 1892. His father, who was a clog dancer on Northern and Midland halls in 1904. introduced James as Terry the Blue Eyed Irish Boy. who then did a song and dance act. After a while, he joined Will Netta's juvenile singing troupe, Jockey, then Phil Ree's Stable Lads and Clare Lovedales Ten to One On. He then formed his own sketch company and toured The Spare Room as a bridegroom who got drunk at the reception and got locked out on the wedding night. Playing Sunderland in 1929, he was seen by George Black's agent and given a London booking at the Palladium. He was essentially a visual comic doing drunk routines, rolling a cigarette around his mouth and making facial contortions. He had three routines: drunk, chipster and, his best known, The Shoebox ,with gormless Hutton Conyers, originally played by his son in law, Jack Darby, then his son Cass James, then Roy Castle (1956 -59), Bretton Woods and his nephew Jack Casey.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5

Jimmy had two acts as a drunk in full evening dress and the other with two stooges with the names of Hutton Conyers (the name of a Yorkshire village) and Bretton Woods (scene of a 1944 conference in America), Roy Castle, now a star in his own right, used to play Bretton Woods for £10 a week. All he did was to walk on to the stage in a full length over coat and say 'Are you putting it about that I'm barmy?' , then Jimmy would go into action and get the laughs. He was in many TV shows, including Sunday Night at the London Palladium and his own series on BC TV. Although he was a non drinker, he was a big gambler, losing thousands of pounds on the horses and was bankrupt three times. He fought against ill health for years. His last appearance was in a show at Skegness in the Summer of 1965. He collapsed and had to retire. He died in his home at South Shore in Blackpool in August 1965, aged 71. His real name was James Casey and he'd begun his career when he was twelve, doing a dancing and whistling routine and later topped the variety bills all over the country in his 'drunk' garb of top hat, disheveled evening and pulling on a cigarette. Much of his act was ad-libbed. Although he made a lot of money during his career he was declared bankrupt three times. His son was BBC producer James Casey and one of his stooges was Roy Castle. Jimmy loved horse racing but could rarely find a winner. He was buried at Oxbridge Lane Cemetary, at Stockton on Tees, Co Durham. He was married to Isabel and had a son, Jimmy, who is a BBC producer, and a nephew, Jack 'Eli' Casey, who was his stage stooge for many years.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5

Known mainly for theatre and radio work Jimmy did make 5 films which were Spare Room in 1932 in which he played Jimmy, , Manhattan Melodrama (1934) in which he played a Chemin de Fer dealer and was uncredited Over the Garden Wall (1950) in which he played Joe Lawton and Those People Next Door (1950) in which he played a drunk . He also played himself in Stars on Parade (1936)
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5

James was dogged by money troubles, usually tax areas and twice faced bankruptcy proceedings in 1955 and 1963. The second time he admitted a £15,542 deficency made up of £12,282 unpaid tax and £9,800 from his previous bankruptcy. At his peak he was earning £250 a week and always wanted his bookings to fit in with local race meetings at which he bet in £50's and £100.s. In his young days he was a sergeant in the Northumberland Fusiliers during the First World War during which he was wounded in a leg and gassed.On being demobbed he continued with his singing act with no idea of becoming a comic which came about by accident in 1925 when he was playing in Staffordshire and the regular comedian had to drop out so Jimmy stood in for him and the rest, as they say, is history.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5