Who is/was Icky Plush?

[Possumboy]

I am currently rehearsing a play called Celebration by Keith Waterhouse & Willis Hall. I believe it was written in the late 50's/early 60's and is meant to be set in northern England at around that time.

My question is in relation to one of my characters lines, in which he is naming a succession of people who are 'not' in attendance, in sacrcastic response to his mother asking a loaded question about some peoples notable absences.

Anyway, one of the people mentioned is Icky Plush. Prince Phillip is mentioned, that one's easy, as is Lester Piggott, Tommy Steele and Tony Hancock, but Icky is a problem.

We assume that is is a slang term, but we are far from sure as to what it meant. The only reference we can come up with is our directors vague recollection of his father refering to Icky Plush as "The man with the Velvet Ringpiece". What is was in relation to, we have no idea!
I have also tried to find reference on the internet, but have drawn a blank.

Any ideas on this would be greatly appriciated, as the show goes up in about three weeks, and we still are clueless as to the identity of Mr. Plush!

[Quizmonkey]

Why not write to Keith Waterhouse? I'm sure he'd be delighted at your interest and pleased to answer.

[Possumboy]

A very good suggestion it has to be said. I did try sending a Mr. Waterhouse an E-mail although I am still waiting for a response.

The play had it's final night on the 2nd of this month (December) and was sold-out every night, seeing two performances needing extra seats putting out to cope with the demand! Very well recieved show.
If any of you should find yourselves in Cottingham around May 2007, feel free to drop into our next show, a whodunnit spoof called Murdered To Death! It's gonna be fab!

[barrowman]

Icky Plush was the bogie man that everybody knew of but nobody wanted anything to do with. According to my mother he was the chap handing out sweets to unsuspecting young children, the man lurking behind the toilets and unsavoury in every way. Icky of course means sticky (from childspeak) and plush was the soft spongy upholstery of those places that decent young men never visited which had red lights outside the door. I would imagine that Keith Waterhouse had the same semi-mythical character in mind when he wrote the play. My mother would classify him as "being too smarmy for his own good"

[Possumboy]

Hehe! Thanks for the reply, very detailed =))

I am glad I have found out about him, now I can lay him to rest as it were!

Thanks once again!

Possumboy ;)

[barney15c]

Never seen the play but have the film adaptation on DVD, came out in the mid 70's i believe, and very good it is too, Bill Owen (from Last of the summer wine ) played the father also Alan Bates, James Bolan and Brian Cox as the sons. Worth getting if you see it around, but couldnt say if its true to the spirit of the play as ive never seen it on stage, but as most of the scenes are based inside the house it belies its theatre origins.

[barney15c]

sorry to be pedantic its called IN Celebration and hit the theatres in 1969...dont shoot the messenger ;)

[barney15c]

for belies read betrays, sorry my grammar is terrible.

[barney15c]

ooops wrong bl00dy play, my sincere apologies for not reading the question thoroughly and sticking my nose in.....still a great film though! ;)