Ken Mills - From Tiny Acorns: The Kenny Baker Story

by KEN MILLS

WRITESTUFF AUTOGRAPHS (PUBLISHING)

First published in Great Britain in 2009

by Writestuff Autographs (Publishing)

Copyright Ken Mills 2009

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ISBN 978-0-9563819-0-3

Writestuff Autographs (Publishing)

www.writestuffautographs.com

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From tiny acorns mighty oaks do grow

BY DAVE PROWSE
a.k.a. Darth Vader

Kenny and I have been friends for over 40 years having first met on a Publicity stunt for the Bristol Evening Post when Kenny was appearing in Snow White at the Bristol Hippodrome. I was Bouncing at the Kingswood Top Rank Bowling Alley. Over the years we have got together when he has been doing his One Man shows or appearing with his late partner Jack Purvis in one of the funniest variety acts ever The Mini Tones.

He really is the ultimate performer comedian talented musician playing the harmonica and vibes, and actor. Star Wars and the character he brings life to R2D2 Is the culmination of a film career that includes, Amadeus, Time Bandits, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

It was a great pleasure to work with him on the Star Wars Trilogy and have become even closer friends with the advent of Sci-Fi Conventions where we appear all over the world. It has been a pleasure to have been friends so long and I wish him all success with his Autobiography.

Dave Prowse

In Loving Memory of Eileen Baker and Jack Purvis

CHAPTER 1

A long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away well, to be more precise, the 24th August 1934, and perhaps a little closer to home, Shirley, Solihull, a suburb of South East Birmingham, in the United Kingdoms Midlands, a little Star with a huge future was born.

Kenneth George Baker, better known as Kenny, made his first appearance to the delight of his father Harold, and mother Ethel, and although they were relatively short themselves there was never any indication that their newly born son would be a dwarf. The characteristics of a dwarf are that they are generally disabled, and in Kennys case his body is more or less in proportion except for having small arms, and short fingers. Whilst his legs are straight, his arms are not, and he maintains that this has been a huge advantage throughout his life when having to buy drinks at the bar!

His early recollections of life in Shirley are that in comparison to other school friends they were reasonably affluent, having a semi-detached house in a nice area of the town on Haslucks Croft, a small spur road off Haslucks Green Road, quite close to the A34 Stratford Road. They had a nice rear garden where Kennys father built a train track with three lines made from plastic, which ran through the rockery and one wonders whether it was for his sons sole benefit as Im sure he enjoyed playing with it too. Harold, his father was a successful draughtsman and was very creative with his hands as well as being a capable artist and musician. He had a moustache in those early days and was always very smartly dressed. The family had a succession of nice cars including a Morgan, an Austin 7, followed by an Austin 10, and there was always a gleaming car on their driveway. Kenny remembers his mother Ethel was a Pianist, and a professional dress maker, who worked from home so that she was able to look after her young son. She was stricter than his father he felt, but made up in the early days by being a very good cook. Harold would buy really interesting toys for his son, that often reflected his passion for engineering, and this extended into his professional career. Kenny remembers a scale model steam locomotive which you could put water into the boiler and there was a place to put paraffin oil in and when a small wick was lit it would start up the engine, just like the real thing.

One toy he just couldnt manage was a Meccano set, and for all the youngsters who have ever owned one it shouldnt be too difficult to understand why. It is a construction kit comprising re-useable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles, and gears with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. The shape of his hands made it virtually impossible to use the small spanners required to connect the pieces together, so it remained in its box in almost mint condition. At the back of the house it was possible to gain entrance to Shirley Park, where Kennys mother and father would often play tennis on the municipal courts. It had previously been farmland but was bought up in 1927 and developed into a tranquil area, which was ideal for walks and other recreational activities such as pitch and putt, and family picnics. His parents bought a dog that was a cross between a Labrador and a Spaniel, which had short legs, floppy ears, and a black and white waistcoat. He was named Chum and he became perhaps Kennys greatest companion in those early days. The family would often take the dog for a walk in the park, although Kenny would have a job trying to keep up with the lively and boisterous addition to the Baker household. Both of his parents had bicycles and Kennys father adapted his, by fixing a small saddle onto the crossbar with two foot rests attached to the frame, so that their son could accompany them on cycling trips. He remembers they would often cycle to Earlswood Lakes nearby, where there were three lakes, and you could watch people fishing, and it was possible to walk around them on the paths, which had been designed for recreational walking.

Kenny recalls his parents taking him on holiday to Barmouth in the North West of Wales, and they stayed in a caravan in a field, which was surrounded by inquisitive cows and sheep. Being so young he remembers very little other than there was a beach and the railway ran alongside it, but it was a break for his parents who were hard workers. The seaside resort is geographically the nearest holiday destination to the English West Midlands and a large proportion of its visitors are from Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and other parts of the Black Country, as it is commonly known. One eminent visitor to Barmouth way back in the 19th Century was the poet William Wordsworth, who described the resort as having A fine sea view in front, the mountains behind, the glorious estuary running eight miles inland, and Cadair Idris in Snowdonia within compass of a days walk. He concluded by claiming that Barmouth can always hold its own against any rival. These days he would have been paid a fortune to advertise the holiday destination and it is abundantly clear that he saw more in the area than young Kenny, and lets be fair he could describe it more eloquently too.

This early introduction to Caravans was to have a lasting effect, as Kenny later used both mobile and static vans when touring extensively virtually every inch of the United Kingdom as a performer. It was a great source of amusement that his father Harold who had been blessed with a practical and artistic nature, had actually once built a Caravan with his brother Charlie in Wolverhampton, and although immensely proud of their achievement, both had forgotten to measure the width of the entrance gate, and were unable to get it out without removing a gate post!