Kenneth Williams: Born Brilliant - The Life of Kenneth Williams [Paperback]

 

 

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I must confess to having read every book thus far published on Kenneth Williams, including those authored by Williams himself.

Those, like me, who never tire of reading something new about Williams will be happy with this latest book to look at the life and times of someone who has achieved just as big a following from today's generation as he did from his own.

This really is the first proper full-length biography of Kenneth Williams, with the first attempt being a rather poor effort by Michael Freedland. Therefore I expected Mr. Stevens to come to his subject having delved deep into the backgrounds of the people and places that so dominated the life of Kenneth Williams. In this the author doesn't disappoint, as drawing on access to the full Diaries, he has managed to bring to the table facts that we otherwise never really knew before. For example, Kenneth's Army career is detailed in good length, including where he was posted at what times, and his early forays into army entertainment is equally nicely documented.

There are revelations scattered here and there, although do not expect anything too shocking because for one Mr Stevens respects his subject too much to allow that, and for another, we already seemed to know every facet of Williams' life that there wasn't a great deal left to find out.

The book is illustrated with some rare pictures, although more pictures would have been welcome. And my only criticism is that there are one or two errors relating to facts; for example, on page 14 the author quotes from an interview with Kenneth Williams which says how rude Charlie Williams (KW's father) was as an hairdresser, the book says the anecdote was from the Pakinson Show when in fact it comes from Desert Island Discs in 1987, which Parkinson presented. Another similar error occurs towards the end where the book states Williams was engaged with regular radio work in the 1980s such as Give Us A Clue - Give Us A Clue being, of course, a TV show.

Apart from those small errors, and an over-reliance on too many already well-known Keneth Williams anecdotes and interview quotes, the book excels at filling in some of the blanks of his early life, a controversial conclusion about his death, and lots of original interviews from people who knew and evidently loved this unique man.

A career guide at the end listing all his professional work would also have been something nice.

As for the Diaries, when will a volume come out giving us much more than the published ones ever did?

I'd like to be able to give this biography more than 3 stars, because it is well-intentioned and (as far as it goes) thorough. Stevens has persuaded a lot of Kenneth Williams' surviving friends and relatives to be interviewed, but unfortunately the results are disappointing. Most of the quotes are of the type: "Kenny could be quite cruel at times". The reader learns little he didn't already know or could easily surmise, especially if he has read the published diaries.

The diaries overshadow Born Brilliant and detract from it. At (if I remember correctly) 800 pages they are more than twice the length, so by comparison the biography feels light on detail. It's more than 10 years since I read the diaries but they made a big impression, and as I read Born Brilliant I continually found myself thinking: "Didn't Williams cover this event more thoroughly in the diaries?" I don't own a copy of the diaries so I couldn't check, but the sense of missing detail was constant.

The author tries to correct the impression that Williams hated his father, Charlie, and gives a more sympathetic portrait than emerges from the diaries; he quotes an extract from 1961 that refers to both parents as "darlings". However, I'm not convinced. Williams was capable of expressing love for a friend or relative one day and contempt the next; that was the nature of the man. I retain the view that he and his father disliked each other but maintained cordial relations for the sake of family harmony.

One of Stevens' pet theories is that Williams could have "conquered America" had he deigned to try. On page 192 he tells us the actor was "much admired in Hollywood" (but not by whom). Personally, I doubt American audiences would have "got" Williams. I suspect Williams thought so too, and would not have risked potential rejection by appearing on Broadway or in an American film. Look what happened when Tony Hancock appeared in The Rebel in 1961; he flopped.

Another irritant was the number of times I found myself thinking: "Surely that can't be right?" An example is on page 226 of the hardback where the author talks about the casting of Carry on Doctor. Apparently, Williams complained that Frankie Howerd had been given a better role than he, but was reassured after the producers promised: "[Howerd] would be dropped from the film ... he [Williams] did play Doctor Tinkle." After a couple of quotes from the film's dialogue, the biography moves on to other matters. But hang on: Howerd did appear in the film as Francis Bigger the faith healer. This is hardly an obscure detail of film history, because Carry on Doctor is still seen regularly on the TV; in fact it was screened about three days before I read the passage in Born Brilliant. This makes it doubly puzzling that Stevens (or his editor) didn't spot the anomaly of telling us Howerd was going to be dropped from the cast without telling us how he came to be reinstated. Even more interesting, how did Williams react?

On page 194 Stevens tells us that Carry on Cowboy was Williams' "least successful" Carry On. Perhaps it was. However, I'm pretty sure that in the diaries Williams refers to Cowboy as one of his favourites in the series; it's odd for Stevens to record his own verdict while omitting that of his subject. Similarly, on page 183 he refers to Carry on Cleo as "superb". A valid point of view, but again it's strange not to mention that Williams disparages it in the diaries. These may seem like trivial points, but a lot of people who read Born Brilliant will know the Carry Ons and the diaries as well as I, or better, so they will notice them too.

There are other niggling problems with the text. On page 90, Stevens refers to Williams in the role of the pilot of a "jumbo jet" - at least 10 years before the 747 entered commercial service. I'm still puzzling over the meaning on page 302 of "exercise his despite" (exorcise his despair?).

Notwithstanding these problems, Born Brilliant is a perfectly good introduction to Kenneth Williams for anyone unfamiliar with the man and his work. If you've read the dairies, be prepared for a canter round highly familiar territory. Diehard fans will have to hope that one day a heavyweight biographer like Peter Ackroyd or Zachary Leader will tackle the subject and really do him justice.

The publication of Kenneth Williams' diaries had the unfortunate consequence of encouraging some to assume the 'false' KW was the public man and the 'real' KW was the diarist - which is a big simplification, as the diaries are full of exaggerations, self-delusions and variations in mood. This biography is more balanced, giving as much insight into the public as well as the private performances. There are a few minor weaknesses, as noted above, but I'm giving it full marks to offset the misleading 'fixed price' complaints, which are aimed unfairly at the blameless author.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Top Value
In total cost £4 for the book and postage. Unbelievable value. This book is over an inch thick. A must for a fan of the Carry on's or kenneth Williams in general. Read more

Published 12 days ago by Blade1889

3.0 out of 5 stars A tortured funny man
Congratulations to Christopher Stevens who has managed to trawl through millions of words to produce an interesting account of this complex and much loved character. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Clive A. H. Still

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough job, but not thorough enough?
This well thought-out and well-written biography throws some revealing new perspectives on several areas of KW's life and death - e.g. Read more

Published 2 months ago by James Hayes

4.0 out of 5 stars born brilliant
i am a huge fan of all carry on films and all it's major stars. I think Kenneth Williams was one of the greatest of the carry on stars. Read more

Published 2 months ago by deac

5.0 out of 5 stars kenneth williams
this is a very enjoyable book....i read it in installments...a must for ken. williams lovers....very detailed & it
gives many of the reasons why... Read more

Published 6 months ago by brigid

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant book
I bought this for a holiday read and was not dissapointed. a real insiight of a well respected entertainer.

Published 6 months ago by Mr. J. R. Solesbury

3.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and informative
I have been fascinated by KW since I heard him on Round the Horne in the late 60s. This is a well-written book that pulls together significant points from a mass of evidence. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Ms. L. R. Fisher

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't get enough of Williams' brilliance
Not only did I find Kenneth Williams brilliant and fascinating when he was alive; I continue to want to read anything that is written about him because we share so may traits -... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Amsterdamned

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating dip into the life of Mr Kenneth Williams
Having grown up knowing Kenneth as Willow the Wisp and Carry Ons, I was excited to find a book with a review of this incredible mans life. Read more

Published 10 months ago by bluecooperfan

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed.
I'm fascinated with the lives of those British comedy legends who had so-called troubled private lives. I call them flawed geniuses... Read more

Published 12 months ago by KAZ

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