Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam

Mr. Flotsam (Bentley Collingwood (B. C.) Hilliam (1890-1968)) and Mr. Jetsam (Malcolm McEachern (1883-1945)) were an original British musical comedy act of the 1920s and 1930s. Hilliam wrote most of their songs, played the piano and sang in a light, high tenor voice. By contrast, McEachern had one of the deepest bass voices on record. Their material consisted of comic songs with rapid-fire delivery, songs with mild social commentary as well as sentimental songs. They are sometimes considered a precursor of Flanders and Swann.

Songs in their repertoire

• "The Alsatian and the Pekinese"
• "The Changing of the Guard"
• "Is he an Aussie"
• "I Want to be a Military Man"
• "King Canute"
• "Little Betty Bouncer"

Their only film appearance is in the prelude of the 1936 Tod Slaughter melodrama, "The Crimes of Stephen Hawke." Per imdb.com.

External links

• Recording session outline with photos of the two
• National Library of Australia digital recording listing for "The Changing of the Guard"