Tommy was a big, lumbering man. He was a genuine magician who got huge laughs from having all his tricks go wrong. His jokes were old and awful, but the way he told them guaranteed you laughed. His catchphrase was "Just like that".
I remember him cracking jokes like, "A man walked into a bar. He passed out. It was an iron bar." From him it was funny every time.
Tommy had a reputation for being very mean, and not always very pleasant to others. He handled his nerves by drinking, and though it was not generally known at the time, he was reputed to hit his wife when in his cups.
Tommy died live on TV in 1984, aged just 63.
This reminds me of when I was in a bowling league with my family and at the end of the season there was this banquet. They had hired a comedian for entertainment and he was that old-school type. One of his jokes went something like this..."I have a German friend who's very particular about his shoes...he ties them in little "nazis." I laughed so hard I cried and couldn't catch my breath. You had to have seen the way he was dressed...in a suit and reminded me of a Shecky Green or a Don Rickles...and the way he told his jokes. Just adorable.
ReplyDeleteMy mother couldn't and still can't stand Tommy Cooper, whereas my dad and I always found him hilarious, much to her annoyance. I well remember him dying (quite literally) on stage. He just sank down in a heap and everyone at the time thought it was part of the act....
ReplyDeleteWarning to fellow Bloggers: Beware changing any settings on your blog at the moment. I went and tweaked something this morning and Blogger wiped out all the comments on every post back to November 2009!
LMAO! Thank you for sharing val!
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