Tony Hancock was regarded as the best radio and television comic of his era. A man whose star burned brightly in the eyes and ears of millions before his untimely death. This is the first fully authorised account of his life.Tony Hancock was one of post-war Britainrsquo;s most popular comedians ndash; his radio show lsquo;Hancockrsquo;s Half Hourrsquo; would clear the streets as whole families tuned in to listen.His peerless timing and subtle changes in intonation marked Hancock out as a comic genius. His character lsquo;Anthony Aloysius St John Hancockrsquo; was an amplification of his own persona; a pompous prat whose dreams of success are constantly thwarted. The original British loser that we recognise in Victor Meldrew and Alan Partridge. Wonderfully supported by a cast including Sid James; Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams; and working with scripts from Ray Galton and Alan Simpson; Hancock became a huge star. The show was commisioned for TV; showcasing his talent for hilarious facial expression; and he became the first British comedian to earn a thousand pounds a week.Behind Tony Hancockrsquo;s success however hid the self-destructive behaviour that plagued him all his life. Prone to self-doubt; and wanting to be the star of his own show; he got rid of James; and finally dismissed Galton and Simpson who had created the platform for his success.His private life was wracked by his ever increasing alcoholism and bouts of depression; and his relationships shattered by his capacity for violence. His ratings fell and; feeling washed up and alone after divorcing his second wife; he committed suicide in an Australian hotel room in 1968.Now; forty years after his death John Fisher explores the turbulent life of a man regarded by his peers as one of the greatest British comics to have ever lived.
#552887 in eBooks 2009-09-25 2009-10-06File Name: B002QE3CT4
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Mister Chops Takes Center Stage - Buy the Book!By Albert J. MoraI recommend that you buy this book!Paul Shaffer is of my generation and I viscerally connect to everything about him. He grew up in a close family. Me too. His parents loved entertainment and exposed him to an immense variety of high-quality music. Me too. Pauls first love is performing music. Me too. Paul is a cheerful creature who is too busy loving all the groovy things in life to have a bad day. Me too.Ive loved Paul on everything from his Saturday Night Live days up to the last Letterman episode. and Ive enjoyed the forays into movies. sitcoms. benefits. award shows. albums. etc. with which Pauls life has been filled. Ive enjoyed many of Pauls interviews. where he is shown to be quick-witted. extremely articulate. and as happy a creature as youll ever see. Paul takes every opportunity to acknowledge Dave Lettermans immense talent. which shows he gets it. and his generosity. In my case. because Im a musician. the thing I love most about Paul is how he plays keyboards. Paul might never be inducted to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame because he has had very little direct connection to hit songs. but in my opinion he should be. Watch videos of Paul playing and. especially if youre a musician. youll appreciate Pauls encyclopedic knowledge of material and his immense vocabulary of (what we call in the music biz) chops. Paul has as many chops as any cat who ever touched any instrument. In short. Im a huge Paul Shaffer fan.Back to the book. In the book. we see that Paul has led the ultimate charmed life. And in the book we see that the great thing is that he knows it and appreciates it.Thanks for sharing your story Paul!Write another one in a few years!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Strangely InformativeBy JJ MorleyIn as much as Shaffer grew up in Thunder Bay Canada right across the border from my home state of Minnesota. and also being close to the same age and of musical taste and persuasion I thought I knew quite a bit about Shaffers professional career. The book was very informative and really portrayed Shaffer in a mostly positive but strangely nerdy light. One thing that was increasingly obvious is that sometimes its better to be lucky than good. Shaffer has mostly lived a charmed life it would seem and if not for being in the right place at the right time and coming from a wealthy family his story could have been much different. The guy is a geek and the book clearly establishes that fact. Having the backing of a pronounced Jewish networking contingent from Canada. New York. L.A. and other places did not hurt his career any either! He has enjoyed having a very astute manager and truth be known Shaffer is better known in the business for being a better businessman than as a the mostly average professional musician he is. Still it was refreshing to find out he wasnt a real druggie or a flaming alcoholic and is considered a good husband and family man. If you arent really a Shaffer fan I wouldnt bother with the book though. I bought the book used and did not get hurt too bad on it.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Music ManBy Eddie WannabeePaul Shaffer comes across exactly as how I imagined him to be. His caliber as a musician is undisputed. for he has played in so many important dates that he surely deserves the recognition. This book is fun and easy to read. I found myself skipping quite a few pages that really did not have enough interesting value. Apparently Mr. Paul Shaffer is a very happy man. and there is nothing wrong with that. He briefly mentions various names. which is the correct way to say I Know Them!. but really he does not say much besides letting the reader know how incredibly lucky. and respected musician he is. I guess I am so used to hear about chaos in the life of musicians. and with Paul Shaffer that does not happen. Just a clean cut kid that grew up to become a staple in late night television. plus his glory days with Saturday Night Live. There is very little to dislike about his career. and much to admire. Still. the book did not have a lot of oomph. and it became easier and easier to skip to the more pertinent parts. which were far and few in between. I bought it. will pass it to the next interested party. but will not say is outstanding by any stretch of the imagination. Great musician. a little boring on the side. 3.5 Stars.
