| ||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
‘If God is in the details then this book has a very strong case for being considered divine.’ The Word magazine
‘Magisterial’ The Times
‘There is no better example of the tragedy of comedy than Tony Hancock’ Mail on Sunday
‘Lives up to its title, dispelling myths and replacing all previous accounts.’
Independent on Sunday
‘an exceptional book’
Oxford TImes
‘Packed to bursting point with painstaking attention to detail …a rich gift from Fisher to anyone who was ever a fan.
Stage
‘an indispensible book…a brilliant and much-needed account of Hancock’s extensive theatre work and its originality, a celebration of the audacity of the television work, and a kind of voyage round the comedian’s mind and the nature of his comic enterprise.
The Guardian
Review
an indispensible book ... a brilliant and much-needed account of Hancock's extensive theatre work and its originality, a celebration of the audacity of the television work, and a kind of voyage round the comedian's mind and the nature of his comic enterprise.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In his preface to this work, John Fisher mentions eight other previous biographies of "the lad himself" that he has referred to and which have between them have attempted to tell the whole tragic story that is the life of Tony Hancock, all of which I have read at some point, and all of which put another piece into this complicated jigsaw of a comedian. So why, you might think, did he feel we need another one?
Well, for the first 300 or so pages this book turns out to be one of the most affectionate portraits of Mr Hancock that I have read so far, and, whilst addressing his faults, it does not attempt in any way to diminish the actual man and retains its fondness for him throughout.
Once the troubles begin, Mr Fisher does not gloss over them, but does manage, at least, to address them from Mr Hancock's point of view, which I find encouraging - too often, previous biographies have dealt with the monster and failed to connect with the anxieties that made the monster. The tragedy of his suicide is addressed with a certain sympathy, and the book wisely uses its last chapter to address the good that was in the man rather than the bad, so that I was not left with the bad taste in the mouth that some the other writers have left me with.
I can't totally agree with the parallels made with the career of Ricky Gervais in the final few pages, but they do serve to emphasise the kind of career Tony Hancock could have had if television production had been a different beast back then, but it wasn't and so he couldn't; and maybe that's the biggest tragedy of what we lost - the possibility of what might have been. I still have to suppress a tear when I read the story of the flight home his ashes took - this was a man who was truly loved by his public and still managed to lose it all. The photograph on the inner front sleeve (on the back cover of the hardback edition) which is credited to his brother, is one of the greatest clues to the inner torment of the sad comic and that image alone is worth the admission fee.
I happen to think that this turns out to be, for the most part, one of the happiest biographies of Tony Hancock that I have read and didn't leave me feeling truly disillusioned in a way some of the others have, and is definitely worth a look, but even though I continue to read all I can about the life of Mr Hancock, I still feel that it is by his work that he should be most judged, and the CD and DVD releases of his BBC radio and television and performances are his legacy. Listen to them, watch them, enjoy them. Then read the biographies. The other way round just gets too heartbreaking.
Well, for the first 300 or so pages this book turns out to be one of the most affectionate portraits of Mr Hancock that I have read so far, and, whilst addressing his faults, it does not attempt in any way to diminish the actual man and retains its fondness for him throughout.
Once the troubles begin, Mr Fisher does not gloss over them, but does manage, at least, to address them from Mr Hancock's point of view, which I find encouraging - too often, previous biographies have dealt with the monster and failed to connect with the anxieties that made the monster. The tragedy of his suicide is addressed with a certain sympathy, and the book wisely uses its last chapter to address the good that was in the man rather than the bad, so that I was not left with the bad taste in the mouth that some the other writers have left me with.
I can't totally agree with the parallels made with the career of Ricky Gervais in the final few pages, but they do serve to emphasise the kind of career Tony Hancock could have had if television production had been a different beast back then, but it wasn't and so he couldn't; and maybe that's the biggest tragedy of what we lost - the possibility of what might have been. I still have to suppress a tear when I read the story of the flight home his ashes took - this was a man who was truly loved by his public and still managed to lose it all. The photograph on the inner front sleeve (on the back cover of the hardback edition) which is credited to his brother, is one of the greatest clues to the inner torment of the sad comic and that image alone is worth the admission fee.
I happen to think that this turns out to be, for the most part, one of the happiest biographies of Tony Hancock that I have read and didn't leave me feeling truly disillusioned in a way some of the others have, and is definitely worth a look, but even though I continue to read all I can about the life of Mr Hancock, I still feel that it is by his work that he should be most judged, and the CD and DVD releases of his BBC radio and television and performances are his legacy. Listen to them, watch them, enjoy them. Then read the biographies. The other way round just gets too heartbreaking.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I recall watching Hancock on TV in the 60s (repeats, obviously ) as a youngster, and probably not really appreciating the programmes. In the mid-70s, the radio programmes were repeated on Radio 4 and (for some reason, I have no idea ) I taped them and absolutely fell in love with them. Since then I have spent 35 years often "quoting" Hancockisms - usually without anyone realising what I was doing ! I have read a number of biographies, some engaging and informative ( David Nathan ) others seemingly trying to cash-in on the memory.
This book is a real challenge - it IS extremely detailed, indeed almost too detailed ( one almost knows Hancocks breakfast preference, it's THAT detailed ). There is a lot of information that I was surprised to find I didn't know already, which is great, BUT................this book is SO long, and printed in a tiny type with minimal margins so each page is "comprehensive" to say the least. I consider myself an avid, and fairly quick, reader but it has taken me 5 months to finish it !
The level of detail is so high that, frankly, it is just too much, I continually found myself wishing time would move on a bit. The last 5 years of Hancock's life seem to last 100 times more than the previous 10, and at times I was almost bored but my love for Hancock's work ( mainly the radio stuff ) kept me going. In the end, of course, we all know the ending, and it is just so very sad. In reality, Hancock's real "time at the top" was only about 5 years, after that it was just a long and very sad decline. But I still cherish at least 3 series of radio programmes and continue to play them regularly, they have no equal.
So, a comprehensive book, painstakingly researched and put together, but 100 pages too long
This book is a real challenge - it IS extremely detailed, indeed almost too detailed ( one almost knows Hancocks breakfast preference, it's THAT detailed ). There is a lot of information that I was surprised to find I didn't know already, which is great, BUT................this book is SO long, and printed in a tiny type with minimal margins so each page is "comprehensive" to say the least. I consider myself an avid, and fairly quick, reader but it has taken me 5 months to finish it !
The level of detail is so high that, frankly, it is just too much, I continually found myself wishing time would move on a bit. The last 5 years of Hancock's life seem to last 100 times more than the previous 10, and at times I was almost bored but my love for Hancock's work ( mainly the radio stuff ) kept me going. In the end, of course, we all know the ending, and it is just so very sad. In reality, Hancock's real "time at the top" was only about 5 years, after that it was just a long and very sad decline. But I still cherish at least 3 series of radio programmes and continue to play them regularly, they have no equal.
So, a comprehensive book, painstakingly researched and put together, but 100 pages too long
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the saddest things I have seen on a TV screen is the bloated Hancock in his last series of shows for Australian TV... This excellent and thorough books is a clear guide through the trajectory of Hancock from his early promise, his magnificent peak and his tragic decline. It manages to be informative and moving without being mawkish.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
