Charles Penrose (entertainer) Charles Penrose (entertainer) Charles Penrose (born Charles Penrose Dunbar Cawse; 11 November 1873 – 17 November 1952) was an English music hall and theatre performer, and later radio comedian, who is best known for his unusual comic song "The Laughing Policeman". He was born in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, the son of a master watchmaker and jeweller. He initially followed his father into the jewellery trade, but enjoyed such success with his innovative laughing songs at local concert parties that he was invited to join a theatrical tour at the age of 18. His theatrical career took off, and he appeared in
The Laughing Policeman (novel) The Laughing Policeman (novel) The Laughing Policeman is a mystery novel by Swedish writers Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, originally published in Sweden in 1968 as "Den skrattande polisen". It is the fourth of ten novels featuring Detective Martin Beck. In 1971, "The Laughing Policeman" earned a 'Best Novel' Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The American police procedural film, "The Laughing Policeman" (1973), is a loose adaptation of the novel. It was translated into English in 1970. The novel's title, "The Laughing Policeman", derives from a 1922 British song of the same name. Detective Beck, ill for