| The Toff | |
| Full Name: | Richard Rollison |
| First: | The Black Circle (1933) |
| Last: | The Toff and the Dead Man's Finger (1978) by William Vivian Butler |
| Creator: | John Creasey |
| Portrayer: | John Bentley (film) Robert Burnard (radio) Terence Alexander (radio) Michael Johnson (theatre) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Nickname: | The Toff Rolly Mr. Ar |
| Alias: | Bernard Brown |
| Occupation: | Aristocrat Amateur sleuth |
| Origin: | Cambridge |
| Home: | 22 Gresham Terrace |
| Nationality: | British |
In the series of adventure novels by John Creasey, the Toff is the nickname of the Honourable Richard Rollison, an upper-class crime sleuth.[1] Creasey published almost 60 Toff adventures, beginning with Introducing the Toff in 1938 and continuing through The Toff and the Crooked Copper, published in 1977, four years after the author's death.
Rollison is in many ways similar to Simon Templar, although Creasey's other character The Baron bears an even closer resemblance. Unlike Templar and The Baron, Rollison has no earlier life of crime, although he frequently breaks or bends the law in pursuing his investigations.
Rollison's calling card includes a caricature of a toff—a line drawing with a top hat, monocle, bow-tie and cigarette with a holder. His flat includes a trophy wall, on which is a memento of every case Rollison helped to solve.
In these stories Rollison is moderately well-known, as his exploits are frequently reported in the newspapers. He is as at home in upper-crust society circles as he is in the East End of London.
The Toff was introduced in the tuppenny weekly crime magazine The Thriller in 1933,[2] while the first novel was published in 1938.
After Creasey's death, William Vivian Butler wrote The Toff and the Dead Man's Finger (1978).[4]
In 1961, Creasey wrote a play titled The Toff for the Salisbury Arts Theatre.[5]
The Toff is a wealthy bachelor living in a Mayfair flat at 22 Gresham Terrace. Although the settings of the stories keep up with the times, Rollison himself maintains an age of roughly 40 throughout. He is described as over six feet tall, with dark hair. Rollison's friends refer to him as Rolly, and acquaintances from the East End refer to him as "Mr. Ar".
Jolly is Rollison's valet, as well as a partner is his investigations. He is described as dour and sad-looking, and is in every way the proper gentleman's gentleman.
Superintendent Bill Grice of Scotland Yard shows respect for Rollison's abilities and contributions, but nonetheless complains about his methods. Grice bears a scar on his face from a case in which Rollison was involved.
Shuttleworth owns the stables at the end of Shoreditch Lane. He also acts as Rollison's apprentice in many novels.
Bill Ebbut is the proprietor of the Blue Dog Gymnasium, in which he trains fighters, and The Sailor's Arms public house. Ebbut frequently provides trustworthy men to act as guards or trail suspects. In The Toff and the Golden Boy, Ebbut is described as follows:
He had a big head, pendulous jowls, no neck to speak of, and a huge chest merging into a mammoth waist-line. All the time he breathed, he wheezed.
Lady Gloria Hurst is Rollison's aunt. Her home is the Marigold Club, where she takes in women requiring temporary assistance. She occasionally protects women involved in Rollison's adventures.
Two Maclean Rogers films were made from Toff adventures in 1952: Salute the Toff and Hammer the Toff. The Toff was played by John Bentley in both films.
At least six early novels, namely Introducing the Toff, The Toff Steps Out, Here Comes the Toff, Salute the Toff, The Toff Proceeds, and The Toff Is Back, were adapted into a serial by Australia's Crawford Productions in the late 1940s. Robert Burnard starred as the Toff. Hundreds of episodes are kept in Australia's National Film and Sound Archive.[6] [7]
Two other novels, The Toff and the Runaway Bride and The Toff on the Farm, were adapted into BBC Radio dramas starring Terence Alexander, in 1975 and 1977 respectively.
The 1961 production The Toff by Salisbury Arts Theatre Limited, which debuted on 17 April 1961 at Salisbury Playhouse, starred Michael Johnson as the Toff.[5]
A couple Super Detective Library comic books published by Amalgamated Press were adapted from Toff novels: The Toff at Butlin's (#61) and The Missing Millionaire (#110, based on A Six for the Toff).[8] [9]