Quote: Rood Eye @ 7th July 2019, 10:26 AMWasn't there a "Hancock" episode in which Tony, while reading a mystery novel, arrived at the end only to find the last page had been torn out?
Yes, superb "The Missing Page", and the book was Lady Don't Fall Backwards by Darcy Sarto, which incidentally was also the title of Freddie Hancock's book.
Surely it was Joan La Mesurier? Freddie Hancock wasn't a lady.
I haven't noticed any damaged books in Herne Bay.
Didn't Joe Orton go to jail for defacing library books?
Quote: Paul Wimsett @ 7th July 2019, 8:20 PMSurely it was Joan La Mesurier? Freddie Hancock wasn't a lady.
Freddie Hancock was Tony's second wife and his original biographer. She is still alive today. Joan Le Mesurier was his mistress but remained married to John until he died. She is also still alive. To my knowledge she has never written any books about Tony Hancock.
Quote: john tregorran @ 7th July 2019, 8:33 PMDidn't Joe Orton go to jail for defacing library books?
Ostensibly, yes. Although it has always been felt that the sentence, which was somewhat harsh for the crime in question, was really a punishment for his well publicised homosexual activities.
Quote: john tregorran @ 7th July 2019, 8:33 PMDidn't Joe Orton go to jail for defacing library books?
Yes, this was in the very early 1960s - although "defacing" was a rather harsh term for what he did: a great many people would say "improving" was a better description.
Joe and his totally illegal lover borrowed a great many library books without the consent of the library, took them home and improved them out of all recognition by adding collage-type pictures to the jackets and typing all sorts of things inside. When each volume had been improved to their satisfaction, they returned it to the library.
The problem is that a great deal of their alterations were erotic and shockingly so.
The real problem, of course, was that the pair were blatantly "queer" (as the saying used to go) and respectable British society was having absolutely none of that in the early 1960s.
They got six months apiece.
Had two straight men played exactly the same trick, they would probably have been ordered to pay for the damage and then set free.
... which is basically what I said but in fewer words!
Gawn yersel the British ambassador to the US. Doing his job in reporting the truth back to the country he serves. Now we hear there are morons in power who think Farage would be a good replacement. What the Hell is Britain becoming?
Quote: Billy Bunter @ 7th July 2019, 9:44 PM... which is basically what I said but in fewer words!
If the trend continues, it's entirely possible that somebody will turn your answer and mine (together with their own research) into an award-winning British film.
Quote: Briosaid @ 7th July 2019, 11:11 PMWhat the Hell is Britain becoming?
I have a feeling the answer is in the question. 
Quote: Paul Wimsett @ 7th July 2019, 8:20 PMSurely it was Joan La Mesurier? Freddie Hancock wasn't a lady.
She certainly was - my daughter thought she was Tony's son, 
but of course you are right about the other.
Quote: Billy Bunter @ 7th July 2019, 8:44 PMFreddie Hancock was Tony's second wife and his original biographer. She is still alive today. Joan Le Mesurier was his mistress but remained married to John until he died. She is also still alive. To my knowledge she has never written any books about Tony Hancock.
I stand corrected - yes you are both right of course - how embarrassing. 
I have so many comedy books on the shelf and that is what you get for a quick glance at the titles when you mind is elsewhere.
Quote: Rood Eye @ 7th July 2019, 11:22 PMIf the trend continues, it's entirely possible that somebody will turn your answer and mine (together with their own research) into an award-winning British film.
Actually it's already been done. "Prick up your Ears". https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093776/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 7th July 2019, 10:51 AMYes, superb "The Missing Page", and the book was Lady Don't Fall Backwards by Darcy Sarto, which incidentally was also the title of Joan La Mesurier's book.
Love Tony describing in mime the crime of passion book Sid was going to take out that Tony had read - Hancock superb of course, but what I like to do sometimes is keep an eye on Sid who you can see has got a big grin on his face all the way through it, which I think is not so much admiration as being on the verge of corpsing, which he often did on both radio and TV, especially when Hancock fluffed his lines. How The Lad Himself did the whole skit without laughing is another matter!
The other great "in the library" scene was Hancock asking the up till then not too impressed librarian (Hugh Lloyd) for four of the thickest books in the library and then using them as a step to reach "Lady Don't Fall Backwards" which is on a high shelf, and love Sid threatening to duff up everyone in the library who keep on shushing him, including the fascinating and ubiquitous (at that time) Johnny Vyvyan.
Today's Daily Mail carries a story about a well-known British comedy actor and his "addiction to alcoholism".
I thought about emailing them to point out the error but decided against it.
Quote: Rood Eye @ 9th July 2019, 8:45 AMToday's Daily Mail carries a story about a well-known British comedy actor and his "addiction to alcoholism".
Maybe he's not an alcoholic, he's just addicted to the idea of being an alcoholic.
France is introducing a new tech tax which will hit American the hardest. America said they "might" retaliate. But America already has two trade wars raging, with China and Mexico. America can't afford a full blown trade war with the EU its the biggest single market in the world. EU + China is pretty much most of America's exports.
Of course America's allie in tech has always been the UK, so we stand to lose too. Contrast that with Russia having a pop at the UK, with the Salisbury poisonings, and actually saying the UK is now week. Iran has also joined in harrasing a UK oil tankard. When an animal breaks away from the herd, they become an easy target. I think France has timed this perfectly unfortunately and if they succeed others will follow.
We live in dark times Firkin , and nationalism thrives on uncertainty and fear. People need to stand firm in the face of those that spew hatred and extremism from the left or the right usually both.
Because if the grown ups don't step in soon then before long everyone in the country is going to be shooting at each other from behinds bins and it will make the Beirut look like Alton Towers.