Tommy Cooper: Always Leave Them Laughing: The Definitive Biography of a Comedy Legend

by JohnFisher (Author)

• Used

  Illustrated
  2007

  $3.25

  The first ever intimate portrait of Britain's best-loved, but little known, comedy entertainer. Fully authorised, and written by Cooper's friend and colleague John Fisher. More than just a comedian, Tommy Cooper was a born entertainer. Working in a golden age of British comedy, Cooper stood - literally - head and shoulders above the crowd, and had a magical talent for humour that defied description. But there was a man behind the laughter that few people saw. John Fisher was Cooper's friend and colleague and witnessed first-hand the moments of self-doubt and inadequacy that contrasted with the genial exterior. Until his tragic death on live television in 1984, Tommy Cooper lived in constant fear of the day he would be found out by his audience. He could never accept the accolades that came so thick and fast from every direction, and died to the sounds of laughter that he never really believed. Supplementing his own intimate knowledge with material accessed for the first time from the archives of Cooper's agent and manager, Miff Ferrie, and with the full co-operation of the Cooper family, John Fisher's warm, honest and insightful writing skilfully brings alive the man behind the comedic mask in this definitive biography of a comedy legend.

• Used

  Paperback
  2006

  $3.25

  Frank and revealing, this fully authorised biography by Tommy's friend and colleague, acclaimed TV producer, John Fisher, is the first ever intimate portrait of Britain's best-loved, but little known, comedy entertainer. With a love of laughter stemming from a magic performance gone wrong when he was just a child, Cooper enlisted in the army at the age of 18 and perfected his comic timing on his army colleagues in the Egyptian desert. The man with the Fez was born. Cooper was the heart of the thriving British variety scene, and was adored by his legion of fans, and much revered on the comedy circuit. The gentle giant of entertainment accompanied his bewildered, botched magic act with a sublime sense of timing and a face that was made for comedy. Everyone has a favourite Tommy Cooper moment or joke, but this is the story from his life-long friend John Fisher, using the archives of Tommy's manager Miff Ferrie to reveal the man behind the laughs.