Born on this date in 1924 was Tony Hancock, British actor and comedian who was high profile during the 1950s and 60s. 10 things you might not know about him:
He was born in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham. The house he was born in now bears a Blue plaque. He didn’t live there for long, though. When he was three the family moved to Bournemouth for his father’s health. His parents ran a hotel there.
On leaving school he joined a tailoring firm as a tea boy, but was already appearing as a stand up comedian in clubs. He was spotted by a BBC producer at a talent show.
He worked on some shows for the BBC but then the second world war broke out and Hancock was called up to the RAF where he served as ground crew. In 1942 he was in the RAF Gang Show.
When he was demobbed he joined the Ralph Reader Gang Show and toured abroad with them. He went on to join the Windmill Theatre in London and later the Archie Andrews Radio show. After that, he was given a Radio show of his own.
In 1950 Hancock married Cicely Romanis, a model, after a brief courtship. They were married for 15 years during which time he started an affair with his publicist, Freddie Ross. He divorced Cicely to marry her in 1965. He wasn’t faithful to her, either and cheated with Joan Le Mesurier, the wife of his best friend, actor John Le Mesurier.
The inspiration for his characters came from observing ordinary people in real life. He wanted them to be true to life ordinary people on his shows, and fell out with co-star Kenneth Williams when he started giving them funny voices and catchphrases.
He suffered from stage fright all through his career and disliked performing in theatre for that reason. He was also a very private person and being approached by fans made him uncomfortable. He enjoyed spending holidays in France, because he wasn’t famous there and people left him alone. Even when out with friends he would prefer listening to being the centre of attention.
He was prone to depression and drank heavily. This affected his career at times. He was cast in the Disney movie The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, but was replaced by Harry Guardino because his mental state wasn’t ideal at the time. He even took time out from his radio show to recover in hospital from a nervous condition. He was replaced by Harry Secombe and listeners were told Hancock was away on holiday.
He died of an overdose in 1968, aged 44. He was in Australia at the time and had been depressed for a few days since hearing his second wife had divorced him. He left a suicide note which said "Things seemed to go wrong too many times". The comedian Willie Rushton brought his ashes back to England.
Very popular in 1960s England, where pubs and fish and chip shops would be empty at the times his show was on. Musician Pete Doherty named one of his albums after one of Hancock's catchphrases, "Up the Bracket."
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment