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"* 'What an altogether good book this is - excellently researched and infused with a love of its subject' Daily Telegraph * 'An affectionate salute to a lost talent' The Herald * '[A] convincingly warm-hearted portrait' Spectator"
Product Description
The hardback of this first and authorised biography received very good reviews and immediately reprinted. It tells the story of one of the heroines of post-war British comedy, on radio, film and TV. Hattie Jacques is known as the billowing, imposing Matron in the Carry On films, as the star of such BBC radio classics as ITMA, Educating Archie and Hancock’s Half Hour, and as the fictional sister of Eric Sykes in his long-running TV sitcom. But the formidable, frumpy galleon-in-full-sail screen persona could not have been more at odds with the real-life woman, as this biography reveals for the first time. She had a tempestuous wartime affair with an American officer, and then a strange marriage to the actor John le Mesurier (Corporal Wilson in Dad’s Army) whose dissatisfactions she circumnavigated by moving her lover, a flashy Cockney car dealer, into the matrimonial home. But as well as being warm and sexy and generous she was also, owing to her lifelong struggle with her weight, needy and melancholic, and rueful that her size persistently typecast her and excluded her from many roles. This biography has been written with full co-operation from Hattie’s son, and show business friends like Barbara Windsor, Clive Dunn, Galton and Simpson and Ian Carmichael. Andy Merriman is the son of the legendary comedy scriptwriter Eric Merriman.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've been reading show business biographies for decades, and this effort by Andy Merriman is one of the best I've come across. Jacques was a much-loved figure and the author goes to some lengths to explain why. He doesn't shy away from her frustration with the work she got, or her unconventional approach to life. Among revelations (to this reader, at least) is the assertion that all was not as rosy between Hattie and Eric Sykes as one might have imagined. Kudos to the writer and the publishers for not padding the book with out a hundred or so pages of filmographies, etc., a worrying trend, especially when forking out large amounts for hardbacks.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an exceptionally well written showbiz biography which goes well beyond what I expected from the tales of the well loved actress' life. There is a wealth of anecdotes from British favourites in addition to revelations about Hattie Jacques that will both shock and surprise. Andrew Merriman has a natural gift for encapsulating all that Hattie stood for and I await more of this kind of work from him in the future. There is an in-depth review on The Telegraph website which also endorses the credentials of this offering, which ought to be, at least, a definitive fun and engaging christmas read.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is without doubt one of the best showbiz biographies I have read. Andy Merriman gives us a fascinating view of the wonderful Hattie Jacques' colourful life both in and out of the public eye. And what a full and fabulous life it was!
Her story is told with honesty, integrity and affection and includes contributions from her son and surviving friends who knew her best.
She was a lively and multi faceted character. A bright and funny lady, a truly great actress and comedienne, a loving mum to her two sons, a devoted daughter to her beloved mother, a friend who many loved and relied on, and a woman whose love life was often eventful.
There is no hint of ego or any unpleasant trait in this lady!
People remember her home with great nostalgia. It reflected her character - warm and welcoming, 'A place of abundance' as one friend recalled. She welcomed family and friends at all hours and was known to cook guests bacon and eggs at 3am (her energy boosted by the purple hearts she freely handed round to her guests!)
Her courtship by John Le Mesurier is covered with touching detail. The chapters on her early career as a popular stage performer, before she became a radio star with the ITMA show, are fascinating and capture the era vividly.
Andy Merriman leaves us in no doubt this lady was a star from the very start of her career. She was also wildly sexy (once likened to Ava Gardner), though her weight always bothered her and she hated being the butt of 'fat jokes'.
This did not stop her embarking on a passionate, though ill fated affair which ended her marriage.
I personally didn't much like the 'Carry Ons' and much preferred her in 'Sykes' where her size was never referred to and she turned in beautifully judged comic performances that more than matched Eric Sykes.
It emerges in the book that Sykes may have shown some professional jealousy towards Hattie. It is said this caused her stress and sadness and consequently when she died her sons banned him from her funeral. This is terribly sad, especially when one views the Sykes shows and is reminded of what a wonderful double act they were.
This is an irrestistible and heart warming story, skilfully told. I was left feeling full of affection for Hattie and breathless admiration for her talent. She was very much loved by her family and friends but also by those who only knew her through the TV screen.
A great shame she suffered ill health towards the end of her life and died prematurely in her fifties. She was a wonderful actress and a very special human being and had so much more to give. I felt privileged to get this in depth insight into her life and personality.
Her story is told with honesty, integrity and affection and includes contributions from her son and surviving friends who knew her best.
She was a lively and multi faceted character. A bright and funny lady, a truly great actress and comedienne, a loving mum to her two sons, a devoted daughter to her beloved mother, a friend who many loved and relied on, and a woman whose love life was often eventful.
There is no hint of ego or any unpleasant trait in this lady!
People remember her home with great nostalgia. It reflected her character - warm and welcoming, 'A place of abundance' as one friend recalled. She welcomed family and friends at all hours and was known to cook guests bacon and eggs at 3am (her energy boosted by the purple hearts she freely handed round to her guests!)
Her courtship by John Le Mesurier is covered with touching detail. The chapters on her early career as a popular stage performer, before she became a radio star with the ITMA show, are fascinating and capture the era vividly.
Andy Merriman leaves us in no doubt this lady was a star from the very start of her career. She was also wildly sexy (once likened to Ava Gardner), though her weight always bothered her and she hated being the butt of 'fat jokes'.
This did not stop her embarking on a passionate, though ill fated affair which ended her marriage.
I personally didn't much like the 'Carry Ons' and much preferred her in 'Sykes' where her size was never referred to and she turned in beautifully judged comic performances that more than matched Eric Sykes.
It emerges in the book that Sykes may have shown some professional jealousy towards Hattie. It is said this caused her stress and sadness and consequently when she died her sons banned him from her funeral. This is terribly sad, especially when one views the Sykes shows and is reminded of what a wonderful double act they were.
This is an irrestistible and heart warming story, skilfully told. I was left feeling full of affection for Hattie and breathless admiration for her talent. She was very much loved by her family and friends but also by those who only knew her through the TV screen.
A great shame she suffered ill health towards the end of her life and died prematurely in her fifties. She was a wonderful actress and a very special human being and had so much more to give. I felt privileged to get this in depth insight into her life and personality.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
She was so much more than just Matron
Even some 30 years or so after her death Hattie Jacques is still one of Britain's most recognisable and best loved actresses. Read more
Published 2 months ago by SEM
worth the wait
It was a pleasure to read about this wonderful actress in detail and hats off to the author for at last giving us a full-scale biography of a lady who brought so much pleasure to... Read more
Published 6 months ago by ruemac
A Superlative Read!
As a reader who specialises in biographies, I can honestly say that this book on Hattie Jacques is without doubt, one of the most entertaining that I have ever read. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Martin Oldham
Hattie:the authorised biography of Hattie Jacques
I love Hattie Jacques, but this book didn't look at her life from a very personal point of view. It tried to cram in every piece of work she had ever been in (almost in a list),... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Bex
Hattie - an appreciation
I remember seeing Hattie and Eric when I was a child. I even remember the Hattie - 'This is Your Life'. I loved Hattie and Eric and was delighted with the 'This is Your Life' . Read more
Published 15 months ago by Square Peggy
A good read.
A well written book with a good outline of her public and private life. TBH I felt it could have been longer as many of her peers are still alive but still a good read.
Published 15 months ago by Mark One
Fat Hat.
A bit too factual for my liking. Not enough of a human story for almost the first one hundred and fifty pages. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. Leslie Wood
the real" Carry on"
this biop of Hattie Jacques does lift the lid on the life of this well loved actress. I grew up not knowing of the turmoil and lack of self worth in her life until I read this... Read more
Published 15 months ago by J. R. Valentine
Doesn't get to the heart of its subject
As one or two other reviewers have hinted, this is a competent rundown of Miss Jacques' life, but the author never really gets inside his subject, or offers us much insight into... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. J. Hudson
shame it's hard to get
What a great pity copies of this book appear to be getting scarcer and scarcer. It's a nice, compact, coherent biography of a very amiable, and talented, comedy actress. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Les Livres
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