George Clarke's signature on-stage persona throughout his career was that of the 'dude comedian', impeccably dressed, often with a monocle and top hat, and delivering his comedic patter in an exaggerated upper-class accent.

By the late-1920s Clarke had developed a comedy routine which involved him driving an Austin Seven car on stage, skilfully manoeuvred for dramatic and comedic effect.

Young George began his career in about 1893-4 as a child performer alongside his father, appearing as "patter comedians and dancers" in British music halls and billed as 'George Clarke and His Half'.

[4][3][1] The 'dude comedian' was a popular on-stage persona in music hall tradition, a working-class send-up of the upper classes, embodied as the well-dressed toff with monocle and top hat who indulged in routines of verbal nonsense.

[5] In a summary of his career published in The Performer magazine in 1946, it was said of Clarke: "He was a master in the art of giving full rein to the most priceless verbal inanities, was always impeccably attired on the stage, and with his monocle typified the 'silly ass' character so vastly enjoyed by the average man in the street".

[3] After his father retired from the stage Clarke teamed up with another comedian named Harold Price, who used the stage-name of 'Tom Mostol'.

[13][7][8] A reviewer for The Bulletin commented that Clarke and Mostol "have nothing new to show, but their step-dancing, single or double, is very good, and their cross-talk amusing".

[16] Clarke and Mostol were featured in the programme of acts presented by Rickards at the Opera House in Melbourne from early October 1911.

[20][21] From early February 1912 Clarke and Mostol performed at the Melrose Theatre in Perth in a programme of vaudeville items and "animated pictures".

A reviewer wrote that the pair "gave astonishing exhibitions of rapid dancing" and described their patter as "diverting", with a "freshness about some of their jokes that was distinctly pleasing".

[36] In 1927-28 Clarke played the character of 'Harry Bassett' in a touring production of the musical Lido Lady (with songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart).

[3] The vehicle was a yellow open-top Austin Seven Chummy Tourer, with blue mud-guards, a standard production-line car except for the finish on the body.

At one stage he would drive the car straight at the footlights, causing considerable consternation to the audience in the front rows; at the last moment he would change from first gear into reverse; the back of the vehicle would jump up in characteristic fashion before shooting backwards.

One source describes him performing a routine in 1925 at the Palace Theatre in Plymouth which involved him driving "a brand new yellow Austin Seven car on the stage".

Described as "the dapper little dude comedian", Clarke dared his infant daughter to bounce, "lest she broke the springs".

[39] During 1929 Clarke played the lead role of 'Bertie Bundy', appearing with a monocle and minute moustache, in the musical comedy Darling!

[41][37] Clarke and an ensemble of English performers (Norah Dwyer, Gladys Gilbert, Dorothy Lawrence and Albert Morris) arrived in the United States in late-August 1929.

[2] They performed In New York at Keith's Fordham Theatre in The Bronx, presenting a fifteen minute rendition of His New Car for which Clarke adopted his usual stage persona (described by the American reviewer as "of the dude comedian type, possessing a heavy English lingo, sporting a monocle and dressed with unusual care").

The culmination of the performance was when Clarke took the other cast members for a ride: "He manipulates the car in the fashion of a beginner, starting with jerks, grinding the gears, backfiring and general recklessness".

A reviewer for Billboard magazine praised his performance: "George Clarke, British dude funster with a brand of comedy that knows no national lines, ran up the highest laugh score of the show in the post-intermission spot in his superclever skit, His New Car".

[47][48][49] In 1930 Clarke and his wife Mamie Watson were the featured actors in the short comedy film His First Car (later titled I'll Take That One), directed by Monty Banks for Gordon Bostock Productions.

[60] Nora Nicholson, who had a small part in the production, later commented: "We broke records on tour, but George, an enormous favourite in the provinces, somehow didn't go down with London audiences and our run at the Gaiety Theatre lasted a bare six weeks".

[1] Clarke played the lead role of 'George Muffit' in Here's George, a film directed by Redd Davis and released in September 1932.

[61][62] In February 1933 Clarke and fellow comedian Marriott Edgar were the lead roles in the musical revue By George!