“I’d lost everything. I’d lost my future; people thought, ‘Oh, he won’t be able to do it on his own’. And I’d lost my best friend.”
Les Dennis
Introduction
Being natural is a precious natural talent, and Gerald Harrison or Dustin Gee had it in abundance as he was known on stage. The long-term comedy partner of Les Dennis was a brilliant impressionist and comedian who had us in fits of laughter with his impression of the Coronation Street character Vera Duckworth. It’s a hilarious duo accompanied by Les Dennis playing the part of Mavis Riley. Yet Dustin would have to graft before this entertainment opportunity arose. Like Les Dawson and others, Gee started on the ladder’s bottom rung and worked his way up.
Finding Fame
Born in York in 1942, Dustin left school at 15 and studied at an art college. He would go on to take a job working with stained glass, most notably the beautiful stained glass windows at York Minster Cathedral. By night, Gee played in a rock band called the Dare Devils, Gerry B, and the Hornets. When the band broke up, Dustin became a compère, then a comedian. An openly gay man who got his lucky television break on the ITV programme Who Do You Do? He would go on to appear as a guest on Russ Abbot’s Madhouse from 1980-1985, and when Les Dennis joined the cast in 1982, the two instantly found a spark, working exceptionally well together.
It was an affinity that would lead the two to get their own BBC show, The Laughter Show. A comedy programme filled with sketches and impersonations that ran for three series, with the third being renamed Les and Dustin’s Laughter Show. Widely regarded as a potential future Two Ronnies or Morecambe and Wise, the duo were trendy, appearing on the ill-fated ITV Live From Her Majesty’s, on which Tommy Cooper died from a massive heart attack on stage. Les and Dustin were the next act to perform.
Tragedy Strikes
While the two were appearing in pantomime Cinderella in Southport in 1986, Dustin suffered a massive heart attack in the changing rooms and died two days later in hospital. He was only 43. A bolt that came out of the blue. Although Dustin had cardiomyopathy and an enlarged heart muscle, Les and Dustin had been shaving and chatting before their performance and had been drinking brandy throughout the evening. Coming off stage laughing, Gee suddenly held his left arm, saying, “I think I am dying”, and collapsed.
Dustin’s passing led to a flood of letters from fans to Les. Even now, Gee is missed by the world of British comedy. Les described his passing as losing “a great, lovely man”. We will never know what great, future projects Dustin could have worked on but his sheer talent was there for all to see. A lamented star who could have been so much more.
