Echoes of the Past: Rollo Tooth the "act-aw"

This week’s Echoes of the Past has something of thespian feel to it, with flamboyancy, comedy and even tragedy. The All in a Day’s Work column in the June 25 issue of Optician from 1965 recalls the story of Rollo Tooth, an actor who made quite the impression on the optometrist.

“Are you the optical wallah?” was Tooth’s opening gambit as the optometrist unlocked the front door of the practice first thing on a Monday morning.

After whistling Finlandia in the waiting area, much to the annoyance of the optometrist, Tooth entered the consulting room. ‘He walked very deliberately up to my refracting chair, took out an immaculate handkerchief from his breast pocket and with a very theatrical gesture, dusted the seat and sat down,’ the optometrist, who went on to describe his voice as a mix of Mr Magoo and Sir Laurence Olivier on an off day and compared his mannerisms to Lionel Barrymore.