Fred Kitchen, a renowned and endearing artist, was the mastermind behind the iconic sentence "Meredith, we have arrived!" - the final sentence in his beloved comedy sketch "Moses and Son", which he took on tour for many years.
As one of Fred Karno's leading comedians, he was known for his impressive skills and ability to connect with audiences. Interestingly, he is also credited with introducing the oversized, outward-facing shoes that later became a hallmark of Charlie Chaplin's character, The Tramp. When asked why he never toured in the USA, Kitchen humorously replied that people would say he was only trying to emulate Chaplin.
Kitchen played a significant role in Chaplin's early career, serving as a mentor and teaching him the fundamentals of comic stage art. With a remarkable rags-to-riches story, Kitchen's income increased dramatically from seven pence a week as a seven-year-old boy to 450 pounds a week when he performed at the prestigious Folies Bergère in Paris in 1918. His unique ability to make the public laugh and cry earned him widespread popularity.
In contrast to many successful vaudeville comedians of his time, Kitchen never ventured into the motion picture industry, appearing in only one film, a one-reeler called 'Freddie's Nightmare', in 1914. He did, however, make a few brief appearances as an extra in some B-films in the 1930s and 1940s.
Unlike many of his vaudeville contemporaries, who stopped acting in the early 1920s, Kitchen maintained his popularity until he felt he was too old to continue, retiring in 1945 at the age of 73. He passed away six years later. His son, Fred Kitchen Jr., followed in his father's footsteps and continued his legacy.
