Tony Hancock & VE day 75th

The comedian Tony Hancock is almost forgotten these days. His radio career started with “Educating Archie” when he tried act as tutor to Archie, a mischievous boy. Although played as a character Archie was in fact the dummy of ventriloquist Peter Brough.  He bloomed in the mid fifties, first with the radio show Hancock’s Half Hour ( with heavy breathing on the H ) and then on TV in Hancock. The TV show expanded some of his successful radio sketches. The radio show also featured Sid James plus Bill Kerr with also others from time to time..

Hancock played a struggling comedian who lived at 23 Railway Cuttings East Cheam. His character was of an opinionated, passionate but ignorant and frustrated man. He aspired to the affluent professional classes but lacked the necessary ability and was continually frustrated. His scripts were written by the comedy writing duo of Galton and Simpson.

My mother was a big fan of the radio series ( we had no TV ). My father was working afternoon shifts and consequently didn’t come home until well after 10pm. The programmes were broadcast before my bedtime so I could listen also. My mother found the long evenings tedious in our isolated house away from the nearest village. The radio was a major solace.

Some of the TV sketches have become classics. The Blood Donor is often shown in the clip where Hancock mistaking the thumb prick test for the real thing expostulates when told he should donate a pint. “ A pint !, why that’s a whole armful.”

In “Twelve Angry Men” he becomes the one juror at odds with the total jury embroidering his argument by declaring” Remember Magna Carta. Did she die in vain?”

Although a successful albeit ordinary comedian Hancock aspired to be better and unable to achieve his aim committed suicide. His comedy persona in fact mirrored the man.


VE day 75

We had a social distancing street party!. Well about a dozen did. We convened at 2 o’clock on a beautiful spring day. Our village had a street party for the 50^th anniversary which was talked about for years afterwards. Unfortunately I missed it to my lasting regret.  As far as I can see the war was 6 grim years followed by a one day party and that followed by a very slow recovery over the rest of the forties. Society changed hugely with the Welfare State and the National Health service founded. Pretty much all the other domestic changes proved disastrous and were unwound subsequently. Even so it must be seen as the most radical administration in British history.

I am somewhat ambivalent on the education changes applauding the introduction of universal secondary education but deploring the 11plus exam and its divisiveness. I was fortunate in attending a grammar school but the supposed three tiers of modern, technical and grammar never really worked. I am depressed that some politicians don’t see that retaining grammar schools means an invidious selection.

We very nearly missed our street party but our next door neighbour who is an enthusiast for the commemoration discussed it with us in the morning. He was very organised with large union jack on display and even a power line from his house to his coffee maker by the pavement.

I nearly offended one lady who I approached by being within what she regarded as her exclusion zone. I had been asked by Annette who spoke to her earlier to talk about a school friend who she also knew. This boy was the outstanding scholar of his year although I’m not sure he fulfilled all his early promise although he did achieve a Cambridge doctorate. It turned out the lady in question knew his sister well.

 I’m glad we marked the occasion. The British performance in WW11 was outstanding and the  celebration amply justified.  I’m always uncertain whether I remember the original ( I was nearly 3 ) or whether my memory was of another later celebration.  I recall watching fireworks at a local park but I suspect it might have been for a town carnival which was held in later years.
I asked an elderly relative for her memories but she dismissed it as altogether too minor to be noteworthy. I found this surprising