by John Fisher
Punch Lines 159
Puss in Boots 206, 249, 252
Pye Records 224
Radio City Music Hall 190
Rawlins, Dennis 71–2, 84
Reeves, Peter 277, 281, 289, 309–10, 359
Regency Room 91
Rhubarb 338, 339
Robey, George 53, 138
Robinson Crusoe 106, 139
Rome, Italy 387–8, 389, 390, 393, 396
Ronay, Mac 130–2, 151
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In 108, 151, 278
Roy, Derek xiv, 188–9, 206
Royal Horse Guards, The 45–50, 439
Royal Variety Gala Performance 390
Royal Variety Performance 231 1953 160 1964 147–8, 234–5, 412, 451 1977 162–3
Ruis, Willem 301, 402
Sadler, Freddie 161, 163, 165, 166, 168, 230–1, 245
Saturday Showtime 242
Sauce Piquante 90, 440
Savva, George 396, 399, 402
Scarborough Floral Hall 207
Secombe, Harry 21, 88, 137, 180, 208, 212, 213, 328, 338, 448
Sellers, Peter xix, 88, 245, 262, 333
Sewell, Ernest 26–7
Shakespeare Club, Liverpool 184
Shand, Neil 350, 351
Shaw, George Bernard 118–19
‘Sheik of Araby’ 7, 57
Simpson, Alan 14, 260, 261, 262, 331, 342
Sinatra, Frank 10, 386
Sirdani 54
Skelton, Red 151–2, 158
Slydini 246–7
Southampton, Hampshire xiii, 23, 35–6, 38, 39, 40, 41–2, 106, 195, 439
Speight, Johnny 120, 417, 431, 432
Stanley, Harry 109, 110, 117, 451
Starr, Freddie 355, 409–10, 438–9
Stars Rise in the West, The 26
Startime 207, 212, 251
Stennett, Stan 20–1, 329, 414
Stone, Richard 337–8
Storer, Joan 31
Storer, Roy 26, 31, 33
Stuart, Donald B. 126
Stuart, Mark 255, 271
Sullivan, Ed 158, 219, 274, 294
Sunday Night at the London Palladium 117
Sunday Times 179
Supreme Magic Company 110–14, 356, 445
Sykes, Eric 4, 15, 38, 110, 120, 230, 261, 301, 302, 303, 332–7, 338–41, 342, 353, 357–8, 360, 402, 416, 417
Syms, Sylvia 340, 341
Tabarin 164
Taffner, Don 195, 196
Talk of the South 377–8
Tarbuck, Jimmy 234, 353, 372, 408, 410, 411, 412, 413, 430–1, 436, 446
Tate Junior, Harry 73
Tate, Harry 12, 136, 265
Tati, Jacques 333, 334
Terry-Thomas 98, 136–7, 236, 251
Tesler, Brian 255–6, 258, 259
Thames Television Ltd xvii, 139, 195, 196, 222, 248, 249, 265, 269, 272–3, 274, 275, 277, 283, 288, 289, 297, 298, 300, 302, 304–5, 338, 339, 340, 341, 364, 379, 381, 389, 398, 404, 419, 431, 440
Thank Your Lucky Stars 248
Theatre Royal, Margate 61
This Is Your Life 302, 431
Thurber, James 8–9, 189, 273
Tich, Little 136, 138–9
Times, The 11, 63, 194
To See Such Fun 211, 213–14, 216
Tommy Cooper 278–80
Tommy Cooper Arts Ltd 286
Tommy Cooper Hour 289, 293, 294, 364
Tommy Cooper Show 296
Tommy Cooper’s Guest Night 296
Took, Barry 196, 262
Topo Gigio 294
Tynan, Kenneth 14, 97–8, 194, 345, 391
Unique Magic Studio 109, 112
USA 189–91, 196, 228, 272–4, 278, 285–8, 429
Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium 242, 247
Van Hoven, Frank 39, 124, 125, 127–8
Variety 189
Variety Bandbox 332
Variety Club 232–3, 235, 363, 453
Vaughan, Frankie 206, 207, 212, 272, 301, 315
Vosburgh, Dick 277, 279, 280–1, 282, 283, 304, 310
Waldman, Ronnie 91, 92, 93, 97, 98, 189, 239, 240, 242, 244
Wall, Max 14, 124, 158, 229, 243, 318, 345–6, 400–1, 420
Way Out in Piccadilly 261
Welles, Orson 99, 112, 121
Westcott, Lucy (aunt) 26
Westinghouse 273, 275
Westmore, Michael 244
Whitfield, David 107
Whose Baby? 222
Willem Ruis Lotto Show 402
William Morris Agency 193
Williams, Cissie 85–6
Williams, Claude 126, 132
Wilton, Robb 126, 327
Windermere Club 75–7, 81, 84
Windmill Theatre, London 66, 88, 89, 90, 114, 223
Winner, Michael 179, 329–30
Wisdom, Norman 90, 91, 98, 137, 173, 187, 213, 241, 327–8, 344, 440
Wise, Ernie 133, 176, 185, 226, 264, 277, 280, 292, 299, 307, 426
Wright, Jack (cousin) 21–2
About the author
JOHN FISHER was born in 1945 and educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton and Magdalen College, Oxford. His long and distinguished career as a television producer and executive working in light entertainment for both the BBC and Thames Television has embraced shows as diverse as Parkinson, The Bob Monkhouse Show, The Ken Dodd Show, Wogan, Joan Rivers: Can’t We Talk?, The Best of Magic, This Is Your Life, Des O’Connor Tonight, The Paul Daniels Magic Show, with which he won the Golden Rose of Montreux, and specials with names ranging from Spike Milligan, Max Wall and Bruce Forsyth to Paul Merton, David Copperfield and Tommy Cooper. His most recent work has included the critically acclaimed series Heroes of Comedy for Channel 4 and its sister show Heroes of Magic.
An authority on the history of popular entertainment, he includes amongst his published works Funny Way To Be A Hero, regarded as the seminal work on British variety comedians. Jus’ Like That! – his celebration for the stage of the life of Tommy Cooper – has enjoyed recent success at London’s Garrick Theatre and on tour throughout the United Kingdom.
He shares with Tommy Cooper the distinction of being a Gold Star Member of The Inner Magic Circle. A past recipient of The Magic Circle’s ‘Magician of the Year’ award, he was also the first person to receive the Houdini Award for services to international magic on American television’s prestigious ‘World Magic Awards’, and is one of only a handful of people to win The Magic Circle’s Devant Award for his contribution to Magic.
‘ ‘‘The definitive biography of a comedy legend’’ – for once a book
lives up to its blurb.’ MICHAEL PARKINSON
‘A monumental and masterly biography of the great Cooper.’
Daily Mail
‘A masterful work that will deservedly find its way into the Christmas
stockings of anyone interested in showbiz.’ The Stage
‘It’s a measure of how funny he (Cooper) was that this book had
me on the floor even when reading about gags I’ve never seen. Yet
this is no hagiography. While it has chapter and verse on how
Cooper’s comic chaos came into being, it also tells how one of
our country’s greatest bringers of joy was a boozy, tight-fisted,
foul-mouthed, faithless old misery.’ The Sunday Times
‘This book is an accolade to a truly talented and complex man
who was much more than just a comic.’ The Sun
‘John Fisher’s biography admirably captures the Cooper magic.’
The Oldie
‘A moving and illuminating showbiz biography. The book deserves
a standing ovation.’ Irish Examiner
‘Fans of more old-fashioned biography (and comedy) will prefer
Tommy Cooper: Always Leave Them Laughing, a book with
unrivalled access to (and knowledge of) its elusive subject.’
The Independent
‘Not the least of the pleasures
in John Fisher’s fine biography is
that he describes many of the routines in loving detail, so that they
come to life again in the theatre of the mind’s eye.’
Sunday Telegraph
‘An affectionate and informative memorial to by far the greatest
of all the surrealists.’ Mail on Sunday
‘Fisher’s research and sources are impeccable.’ The Guardian
‘There have been other memoirs of the gentle giant of an entertainer,
but acclaimed TV producer Fisher is well placed as a friend
and colleague to present this as the definitive biography – warts
and all.’ Manchester Evening News
‘This exhaustive study is never less than sympathetic and contains
many illuminating insights into the craft of comedy, the vital
importance of visual technique and movement, and the sheer slog
of showbiz.’ The Spectator
‘The flyleaf describes Fisher’s book as being the ‘‘definitive biography’
of Cooper, I wouldn’t disagree.’ Yorkshire Evening Post
‘For all his popularity as one of Britain’s best-loved post-war entertainers,
Tommy Cooper’s life away from stage and screen is little
known. John Fisher’s excellent new book, Tommy Cooper: Always
Leave Them Laughing, does much to change that.’ Yorkshire Post
‘A superb read and it will make you laugh and cry.’ Belfast News Letter
‘This entertaining, heroically researched biography isn’t a labour
of love, it’s a labour of adoration.’ Eastern Daily Press
‘This is a wonderful book that will be devoured and treasured by
Tommy Cooper’s legions of fans.’ Magic Week
‘I don’t think that I have ever read a book, written about a star,
with more love and understanding by the author. John Fisher has
caught him exactly, in all his many moods.’ BOBBY BERNARD
By the same author
John Fisher’s Magic Book
Funny Way to be a Hero
The Magic of Lewis Carroll
Call Them Irreplaceable
George Formby: The Ukulele Man
‘Never Give a Sucker an Even Break’
Paul Daniels & the Story of Magic
Body Magic
Copyright
HARPER
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
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Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk
First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2006
This paperback edition published 2007
1
Copyright © John Fisher 2006
The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins eBooks.
Epub Edition JANUARY 2009 ISBN: 9780007280025
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