This family photograph was probably taken around 1917. Dennis is on the left at the back in the bow tie. His three brothers and his sister are with him, all assembled around their father and mother, John and Mary Elizabeth Pratt. It was his mother's maiden name of King that Dennis chose as a stage name.
My father, Reg, is seated in front of Dennis.
I think it is relevant to Dennis's account of his early career to note that his father, John, was a bricklayer who eventually became his own boss as a builder. My father and another of Dennis's brothers followed in their father's footsteps and became bricklayers. The other brother, according to the 1911 census, started out as a sheet metal worker. So Dennis's decision to choose to launch himself into a life in the theatre has to be seen as an intriguing departure.
Dennis's story, repeated in many press accounts, is that he "ran away" to become a call boy. I have often wondered how this should be taken. The Birmingham Repertory Theatre opened early in 1913 when Dennis was just over fifteen so he didn't leave school any earlier than most and he certainly did not have to run far. Perhaps the real reason he saw it as running away is that it was his choice and either not what his parents envisaged for him or maybe his teachers suggested more schooling.
Whatever the explanation, given Dennis's family background, he has to be credited with making a momentous decision. A decision that all his family would live to praise.
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