Hancock

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[rogue]

I got the Hancock box set for christmas and i must say, it's bloody good. There are very few programmes that have made me actually laugh out loud but i have done a few times with this. It's quite interesting too to see how a sitcom was written 50 odd years ago, there is much more talking and less jumping around from scene to scene (i'd guess it was done to keep costs down, using less background i presume). it makes for a much more involving programme. Also its interesting to see that Galton and Simpson (the writers) get photo credits!

[Gomez Addams]

Can't help wondering whether the amount of witty dialogue was also due to there being more ideas around, back then, than there are these days, apart from budgets not allowing for many explosions, car chases and exotic locations...

Also, having gone through the whole lot myself rather recently, I watched for the first time the 60's "Hancock" solo episodes, and I must admit they were rather disappointing, when compared to the old "Half Hour" series.

It's so sad that such an extraordinary performer would be so devoted to self-destruction.

[rogue]

It's so sad that such an extraordinary performer would be so devoted to self-destruction.

He really knew how to throw away such a good thing didn't he? He had a dream team of a support cast, the best writers in the buisness and one by one he cast them away. It seems his private like was no better, why poor old John Le Mesurier stood by him, i'll never know.


Its quite interesting seeing who pops up in small roles in the old Hancock programmes, so far i've seen the likes of Dick Emery, Andrew Sachs and Clive Dunn ...

[rogue]

Bloody typical! i buy the box set and now i've just found out that they found 6 more episodes a few months back and now a new boxset is scheduled for release.

[Gomez Addams]

He really knew how to throw away such a good thing didn't he? He had a dream team of a support cast, the best writers in the buisness and one by one he cast them away.

Hearing of Tony Hancock's death, Spike Milligan commented, in uncharacteristically bitter fashion...

"He got rid of Hattie Jacques, then Kenneth Williams, then Sid James, then Galton & Simpson, then Beryl Vertue... and now he got rid of himself!"

It seems his private like was no better, why poor old John Le Mesurier stood by him, i'll never know.

John was described by all as an exceptionally good person, did you know his wife got back to him, after Hancock's death? She said herself that he just accepted her back, no questions, no comments...

Its quite interesting seeing who pops up in small roles in the old Hancock programmes, so far i've seen the likes of Dick Emery, Andrew Sachs and Clive Dunn ...

Andrew Sachs? Are you sure? Which episode? I'm not saying it's impossible, he started on TV in the late 50's, sure, but I thought I've seen him in some places, and then it turned out it was another actor, looking very much like him, can't remember the name right now...

Bloody typical! i buy the box set and now i've just found out that they found 6 more episodes a few months back and now a new boxset is scheduled for release.

I understand your feelings, it IS bloody typical, but I prefer to consider that as rather good news, in the end...

[rogue]

Andrew Sachs? Are you sure? Which episode? I'm not saying it's impossible, he started on TV in the late 50's, sure, but I thought I've seen him in some places, and then it turned out it was another actor, looking very much like him, can't remember the name right now...

i've just researched Andrew Sachs and it looks like i'm wrong, i saw the name on one of the credits (i dont fancy going back through them all to find out which one!), I guess it must have been a different Andrew Sachs or i read the name wrong.

[rogue]

John was described by all as an exceptionally good person, did you know his wife got back to him, after Hancock's death? She said herself that he just accepted her back, no questions, no comments...

Yeah, i read that, He seems to have been a real old school gentleman.

[Gomez Addams]

I really MUST tell you about this, the complete and utter madness of morbid, extremist paranoia is getting everywhere...

Spurred by Rogue's news of "new" old episodes of the series having resurfaced, I made a net search to see if I could find any more details and perhaps even a download, somewhere, and one of the search engines I used gave me the following warning...

Your search contained adult keywords.
We don't allow adult searches.

My search string was simply "Tony Hancock"...

I don't belieeeeeeve it, as Victor Meldrew would put it... what's this world coming to?  

P.S. Just out of curiosity, it just occurred to me to make a search for "penis"... well, no problems there, penis is allowed, Tony Hancock isn't...

These people are barking MAD!

[rogue]

LOL, you have a "Big Brother" search engine!

BTW, i'm now rather confused by this found episodes malarky ...

Wikipedia says this ..

In June and August 2009, six long-lost TV episodes from series 4 of the TV version where found after several years, However 2 of them are currently in poorer quality.

BBC DVD will re-release all of the surviving tv episodes and possibly the "recently found 6 tv episodes of the fourth tv series" in another DVD Boxset called The Hancock's Half Hour TV Collection" "containing all 45 sole surviving tv episodes whose will include the 6 found tv series 4 episodes in a decending chronological order" this will be released about 2011.

but the Daily Telgraph say that they are audio recordings http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/5538996/Hancocks-Half-Hour-Six-lost-episodes-found.html

The beeb have this page listing missing episode but i think it's not been updated for a few years http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/treasurehunt/missing/hancocks.shtml