- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Corgi; New edition edition (1 Oct 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0552141372
- ISBN-13: 978-0552141376
- Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 3.1 x 19.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 386,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Kentish Lad, A
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
The autobiography of one of the most respected and enduring figures in British entertainment.
Product Description
For more than twenty-five years Frank Muir, in partnership with Denis Norden, produced some of the most sparkling and original comedy ever written for radio and television. On programmes such as My Word! and My Music his distinctive voice became familiar to millions as he displayed an astonishingly well-stocked mind and a genius for ad libbing and outrageous puns. Later, working at the BBC and then at London Weekend Television, he produced some of the best television comedy of the 1960s and 70s. He has written highly successful books for children, and two bestselling anthologies of humour.
Frank Muir recalls, in glorious detail, a happy 1920s childhood in the seaside town of Ramsgate, where he was born in his grandmother’s pub in Broadstairs, and in London, where he attended an inexpensive but excellent school of a kind no longer to be found. He remembers his very first joke at the age of six, when he knew that his destiny was to make people laugh. He also knew from an early age that he wanted to write, but it took a childhood illness for him to discover that humour and writing could be combined. The death of his father forced him to leave school at the age of fourteen and work in a factory making carbon paper. Then, at the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the RAF as an air photographer and his memories of the war years, as might be imagined, are engagingly different from the usual kind. It was during those years, with their rich fund of comic material, that he began his career as scriptwriter and performer. At his demob in 1945 he moved naturally to London and the Windmill Theatre, that remarkable breeding ground of talent where new comedians like Jimmy Edwards and Alfred Marks vied with nude girls for the attention of the audience. In story after story he recalls the lost world of London in the 1940s and early 50s, when the laughter and creative ideas seemed to explode out of post-war shabbiness and austerity. Then came the BBC, the legendary partnership with Denis Norden, and half a century of fulfilling the boyhood ambition of that Kentish lad. ‘All I ever wanted to do was to write and amuse people.’
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I always admired Frank Muir based on seeing some of his TV appearances. A true British gentleman, with a quick mind and a happy, humourous outlook. This autobiography conveys this same sense of the man but with a wealth of experiences covering his RAF exploits in the second World War, his radio and TV script-writing, and his roles as Entertainment department heads in the BBC and independent television. Throughout, Frank Muir comes over as a thoughtful man who focused on what was important to viewers and listeners, and a willingness to take risks on new programmes and new entertainers.
This book is a pleasant and easy read - not a gripping novel by any means, but a happy and relaxed way to unwind in good company. If you've enjoyed British TV comedy in the sixties, seventies, and eighties it's likely that Frank Muir played a role in your favourite programme and this book will allow you to reminisce happily.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Frank Muir's life-story is not all that remarkable - plenty of people have had reasonably happy childhoods, their share of good and bad fortune, success in their chosen field, and so on. However, what makes this autobiography stand out from the rest is the wealth of anecdote and humour to be found on almost every page. The life story is basically an excuse for the telling of a vast number of funny stories and the recounting of memories of encounters with fascinating people.
Anyone who ever heard Frank on the radio or saw his TV appearances on "Call my Bluff" and the like will remember his beautifully quirky way of putting things. This style is apparent throughout the book, proof positive that no 'ghosts' had a hand in this autobiography.
A word of warning, though. Read this book yourself, and don't let your partner get hold of it first. Otherwise you will suffer a constant diet of "I must just read you this bit"! - as my long-suffering wife can testify!
There is a sad note to the book in that Frank died shortly after completing it, and there is an afterword to this effect written by Jamie Muir, the son of Frank and Polly. Their loss must of course be infinitely greater than that of those of us who knew his talent but not the man himself. However, having this book means that some very happy memories can be preserved.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have enjoyed Frank Muir ( also Dennis Norden and others) in My Word and My Music, so I had to rush out and get this book when I heard about it.In this book Frank relates many funny jokes and anecdotes, many about the famous comedians he has known.I find this book especially fascinating because of the behind the scenes information about his shows.An endearing quality of Frank was his penchant for stepping in where angels fear to tread.He tells us why he was not given a knighthood: he offended Prince Philip.He also told a joke which did not amuse the Archbishop of Canterbury.Mostly he is reticent about personal matters and reveals little about the inner man.For example, his brother and mother hardly feature after his childhood days.Still, there is much that is of interest about his life to be found here, and fans of British comedy will certainly be amused.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not for me but for Kentish lad of my own
The condition of the book is fine. I bought it for my husband who is a Kentish lad so I haven't yet read it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Amy Page
a very pleasant read
This is a very pleasant easy read, it rambles along and there is a chuckle and a smile on every other page, it really takes you back down memory lane.
Published 11 months ago by jv
The Greatest Bedside Table Book
Once read, A Kentish Lad will remain on your bedside table to be read wholely or in part time and time again!
Published on 6 Jan 2010 by J. M. Cook
Genteel humour and much warmth
Frank Muir's autobiography reflects the subject not only in terms of the history but more so in terms of the style as the genteel humour and warmth of the book comes through... Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2007 by JFD
A gentle, humorous wander down the years of a wonderful life
If you remember Britain in the 40's & 50's, thought wit & wholesome humour were a thing of the past or that real achievement in the tawdry world of entertainment could... Read more
Published on 22 Oct 1999
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