Amazon.co.uk Review
An unhappy clown, Tony Hancock once claimed that "The only happiness I could achieve is to perfect the talent I have, however small it may be ... If the time came when I found out that I had come to the end of what I could develop out of my own ability, I wouldn't want to do it anymore." He had reached that stage by 1968, when he died, alone and miserable, in a Sydney hotel room; but by then he'd already established himself as one of Britain's most gifted and beloved comedians--so popular that, at the height of his fame, publicans and shopkeepers protested to the BBC because their businesses were empty while
Hancock's Half Hour went to air. First broadcast in June 1961, "The Blood Donor" was one of his most acclaimed TV appearances: a showcase for the neurotic, self-obsessed character he perfected--British masculinity at its most innately conservative. Intending to give blood "so that others might live", he soon finds his public spirit waning once the possibility of physical discomfort sets in. ("A pint? Why that's very nearly an armful!") As if that wasn't enough the tape also includes "The Missing Page"--in which Hancock embarks on a desperate bid to solve a whodunnit entitled "Lady, Don't Fall Backwards"--and the brilliant spoof of Sidney Lumet's 1957 courtroom drama,
Twelve Angry Men, where Sid and Hancock spin out jury duty to make the most of their 30 bob a day. The writing--by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson--is peerless, and Hancock's own performances are extraordinary, investing this pompous, petty little man with a real sympathy and humour. All three episodes are genuine classics. --
Andrew McGuire
Synopsis
Plus 'The Missing Page' and 'Twelve Angry Men'.
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