The Tony Hancock sculpture, bronze and glass, by Bruce Williams, 1996, in Old Square, Corporation Street, Birmingham, England. The statue is flat with a picture on each side. The tower of the Methodist Central Hall is in the background. Photographed by Oosoom 6 June 2006.
Problem
The statue of British comedian Tony Hancock in Birmingham, his birthplace, was spoiled by vandalism. But ...!
Answer
However, it is being restored in 2018 time for the anniversary of his death in June.
Who was Tony Hancock and what did he do? He was the hero of the 1950s for his Hancock's Half Hour radio programmes (1956-60). At the same time he had a TV series. I remember my favourite, the scene of blood donation in the episode The Blood Donor. Hancock, with his glum face, is contemplating giving blood and wondering if it will hurt. My favourite line is when he converses with an Indian.
The conversation goes like this:
'Are you a full-bloodied Indian?'
No, I'm one pint short.'
I've heard it or repeated it to myself dozens of times over the years, so the surprise should be gone. However, the exchange of words still makes me smile.
I have listened to recordings of the programmes many times. I was surprised how few funny lines there are. Yet the whole situational comedy keeps you spellbound throughout.
Reading though the Wikipedia article on Hancock's half hour, I was impressed by the number of episodes. Several series, more than 100, compared with only six of the more recent worldwide acclaimed TV comedy series Fawlty Towers.
In the early episodes Hancock appeared, or rather was heard, with Sid James, who plays the faster talking and faster thinking small time criminal who cheats the lugubrious Hancock. Hancock's mournful character is really an extension of himself.
Hancock was a depressive, like so many comedians. Comedy is a way of coping with life. (I am thinking of Benny Hill, who I understand committed suicide when a new TV series was not forthcoming and he was out of work.
Many clowns are also depressive - they literally hid behind a mask). Another example is Coco the Clown.
For the comedy writer, the comedy performer and the audience, comedy is an escape from life, and a way of looking at stressful situations with humour.
Other famous people who featured with Hancock included Hattie Jacques, larger than life when seen, and the distinctive high-voiced Kenneth Williams.
It is a pity that people have drawn all over the 'statue'. The answer should be a little barrier. Maybe a moat. A motion-activated recording, and an impersonator's imitation of his voice warning: 'Don't come nearer! You are being watched. One step nearer and you will become a blood donor - or in need of one.'
Finally, some practical information:
Tony Hancock: 12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968. He died young, aged only 44. (American comedian Goerge Burns lived to 100.) He was thrown through a window in a car accident, was a heavy drinker, and went through two marriages and an affair or two.
He got rid of fellow comedian Sid James because he did not want to be a double act. Why not! Some of the most successful comedy pairings, which lasted yonks, have included The Two Ronnies. The phrase which pops into my head is: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'
He took an overdose. Off-beat comedian Spike Milligan perceptively commented that Hancock had got rid of everybody else and would eventually get rid of himself.
If you are a Hancock fan, you may be interested in the Hancock appreciation society:
http://www.tonyhancock.org.uk
Other useful websites:
visitbirmingham.com
visitbritain.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hancock%27s_Half_Hour
Video showing the flat filled-in silhouette and restoration:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-44376561/tony-hancock-statue-given-makeover-in-birmingham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hancock
I have not yet found an image of Hancock in life which I feel safe and entitled to use. The ones on Wikipedia are BBC copyright and although they are considered fair use in the USA I don't wish to get entangled in a correspondence let alone a financial situation. If you want to see pictures of Hancock, go to Wikipedia and the other websites.
What else would you see whilst in Birmingham?:
Cadbury's World chocolate tour. Must book. If you can't get on a tour because it is fully booked or you don't have time, go to the shop. Chocolate to cheer you up. Two things to cheer you, comedy and chocolate.
'Oi give it foive!' (Quotation from the 1960s TV show Juke Box Jury, in which a girl called Janice Nicholls, with a Birmingham/Midlands accent votes for her favourite acts.)
https://www.cadburyworld.co.uk/en
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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