The Egyptian comedian and monologue artist Aziz Othman, born on 23 January 1893 and died on 24 February 1955, rose to fame in the 1940s and 1950s through his films, of which he made around 30. Among the most notable were Anbar (1948) and Lu'bet Al Sit (1946). In the latter film he played the role of 'Mahmoud Balalika', the cousin of the film's heroine 'Lu'ba' (Tahia Carioca), urging her to leave her poor husband 'Hassan Abu Tabaq' (Naguib Al Rihani) after she had taken up dancing and become wealthy.
In the film, Balalika performed a comic song mocking Hassan Abu Tabaq, titled 'Bataloo Dah W'isma'oo Dah' ('Stop That and Listen to This'), with lyrics by Badih Khayri and music by Mahmoud Al Sharif. Among its lines were:
Stop that and listen to this / Oh, what things we still see and what things / The crow — oh, what a black misfortune / They married him off to the loveliest dove
Time moved on in Aziz Othman's life, and he put himself forward to marry one of the most beautiful women of his era: the actress Layla Fawzi (1918–2005), who had inherited her beauty from her Turkish mother and was nicknamed 'the Virginia of Egyptian cinema' on account of her European looks and aristocratic features.
Because Aziz Othman was a friend of her father, a wealthy fabric merchant, the father agreed — after initial hesitation and refusal — to give his daughter's hand in marriage to him. She, for her part, accepted despite the wide age gap between them (30 years) and the groom's complete lack of good looks.
It was said at the time that Layla accepted him solely to escape her father's strict control and gain her personal freedom. Yet in ridding herself of her father's dominance and restrictions, she fell under the restrictions of an even more severe and harsh jealous husband. Aziz Othman was known for his intense jealousy over her and his insistence on accompanying her everywhere, fearing that someone might steal her away from him given his lack of good looks and his advancing age.
It is told that Aziz Othman was frequently mocked by the public while accompanying his beautiful wife in public places. The public even used against him the very same tool he had used to mock 'Hassan Abu Tabaq' in Lu'bet Al Sit for marrying the graceful and beautiful dancer 'Lu'ba' — namely the line 'The crow — oh, what a black misfortune, they married him off to the loveliest dove' — which pained and agitated him, causing him to grow harsher towards his wife.
The mockery of Aziz Othman continued until Layla Fawzi insisted on and demanded their separation, which took place on 9 July 1954, approximately four years after they had been together.
It is established that Othman made his agreement to divorce her conditional on Layla waiving her deferred dowry and alimony, in addition to paying 3,000 Egyptian pounds in cash as compensation — perhaps compensation for the ridicule he had endured from people. His ex-wife accepted all the conditions in order to escape her miserable life with him.
After the separation, Othman lived a gloomy life that soon ended with his death on 24 February 1955. What likely deepened his depression and hastened his death was the news that his beautiful ex-wife had married the 'Don Juan of Egyptian cinema' of that era, the actor and director Anwar Wagdi.
Perhaps had God granted Othman a little more time, he might have taken some comfort in his ex-wife's widowhood following the death of her new husband, Anwar Wagdi, who passed away afflicted by kidney disease on 14 May 1955.
It is worth noting that Othman left behind a collection of fine comic songs. Besides 'Bataloo Dah W'isma'oo Dah', he sang 'Aywa Ya Fandam', 'Taht Al Shubbak', 'Rouhi Ya Nawma', 'Ya Nasma Tali Ala Ard Khali', 'Farfish Ya Kibir', and 'Ya Fattah Min Ghair Miftah'. He also contributed a segment to the song 'Illi Yiqdar Ala Albi', sung by the singer Layla Murad in 1949 in the film Al Habib Al Majhoul, alongside Ismail Yassin, Mahmoud Shokoko, Aziz Othman, and Elias Muadab. His line in it was: 'Never mind them — there is no one but me, with standing, status, and a government post.'