Hi all, I’m hoping someone with a long memory will have some information about a theatre manager, playwright and author named Rex Ryan (1882-1950). He was born Evelyn Bradley but from the early 1920s he always used the name Rex Ryan. I’ve been researching this obscure chap for a number of years and have been posting my findings on the Wormwoodiana blog here: http://wormwoodiana.blogspot.com – look for R.R. Ryan in the list of subjects on the right hand side. Rex Ryan is best known these days for writing a series of weird thrillers in the 1930s under the name R.R. Ryan. Throughout the 1930s he lived in Hove, with his wife, Annie, also an actor, firstly at 16 Granville Road, and later at 80B Lansdowne Place. Sadly, on 18 October 1950 Rex gassed himself, but he leaves quite a legacy – his books and plays that have slowly been coming to light.
I believe that Rex Ryan managed theatres in Brighton and Hove during the 1930s and 40s, and perhaps in the late 1920s, though I haven’t found any evidence of this – I’m wondering if anyone has any recollections of him, or has seen his name in directories or newspapers of the time.
Thanks, James
