No, Yes, well, you see, Oooh a lovely book it was...
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I don't think I've ever enjoyed a book so much - I don't normally read biographies, but then Frankie Howerd always came across as someone rather special and this book shows all his comic skill and hard work, all his character traits and faults, and all his genius. And he was a genius, which is demonstrated amply across all the pages. Tortured genius is probably more accurate.
What I would say is that whilst it covers his career up until the 1960s in really good detail, it starts to feel like it's rushing the part of his life up until his death in 1992 - as if the author has enjoyed Frankie building his career, losing his top slot and making a comeback, but then has not felt entirely comfortable with dealing with Frankie grabbing at work as he got older and less marketable.
Still, if you like Frankie Howerd (and all his famous contemporaries, for they are in here in their vast numbers) and want a balanced view of his life - and it is balanced giving the difficult points as much as the good - then this is the book for you. But be warned it might leave you feeling sad for the loss of such a powerful, magical talent.
P. S. Watch out for the bit at the Establishment (p. 195) - this event is available on CD featuring Kenneth Williams laughing out loud.
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Goodish biog
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This is a good book, but not a great one. McCann clearly adores his subject, which has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that his enthusiasm for Frankie shines through and so he discusses him with alacrity - the disadvantage is that he glosses over certain darker aspects of Frankie's character. He dismisses those who slated his predatory nature in a brief sentence.
One thing to note is that this is a book very much about Howerd's work - it sadly doesn't focus much on his personal life, and frustratingly only touches on his thoughts about politics and philosphy, as well as his experiences with depression. The other main fault with the book is that the author generalises about the success of Howerd's career - some years are total triumphs, others are dismal flops. A look at Howerd's CV doesn't really bare this out. Sure, people have ups and downs but not in the extremes that McCann describes.
Overall, a decent read but more research, and interviews with those who were close to him, would have made it a much better one.
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well researched and revealing.
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a book that goes to a considerable effort to probe the tormented mind of one of our most popular comedians.
i always knew that frankie howerd was an insecure sort of person, but this biography goes that little bit further.
in the text, you will find out the following; how much howerd was affected by the downhill spiral his career took in the late 50s, his L.S.D therapy that revealed more about his childhood than he could have known. other interesting facts include his constant battle with his nerves before going on stage, the death of his mother, his sensitivity about his lack of hair etc. but there was also the subject of his homosexuality. endlessly, howerd worried about becoming exposed and thus ruining his living as an comedian.
all this and more will keep the reader occupied till the end, but will also make one realize how troubled a man he was, like quite a few comedians and comics.
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The Definitive Work
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The definitive biography of a great comic talent. Well written and wonderfully researched, this book is a highly readable must for any comedy fan.
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An excellent biography
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I wouldn't count myself as a great fan of Frankie Howerd, but I do whole-heartedly recommend this book. Well-researched, thoughtful, and balanced, I found it to be one of the best constructed biographies I have ever read. I had not appreciated how ground-breaking FH's approach was, and McCann gives a very helpful potted history of the development of comedy from music-hall onwards which helped me understand what made FH so special. The author doesn't shy away from the difficult parts of FH's personality, nor the poor quality of his later work [due my age, this was pretty much all I knew him for], but he puts all of this in context and the end result is rounded and sympathtic.
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