Tommy Cooper
Acting
Biography
Born in Caerphilly, South Wales, at 19 Llwyn Onn Street, Trecenydd, Cooper was delivered by the woman who owned the house in which the family was lodging. His parents were Welsh-born army recruiting sergeant father Thomas H. (Tom) Cooper, and his English-born wife Gertrude (née Gertrude C. Wright) from Crediton, Devon. In light of the heavily polluted air and the offer of a job for his father, the family moved to Exeter, Devon, when Cooper was three and gained the West Country accent that was part of his act. The family lived in the back of Haven Banks, where Cooper attended Mount Radford School for Boys, and helped his parents run their ice cream van, which attended fairs on the weekend. At the age of eight an aunt bought Cooper a magic set and he spent hours perfecting the tricks. Magic ran in his family—his brother David (born 1930) opened a magic shop in the 1960s in Slough High Street (then Buckinghamshire now Berkshire) called D. & Z. Cooper's Magic Shop. On 15 April 1984, Cooper collapsed and soon after died from a heart attack in front of millions of television viewers, midway through his act on the London Weekend Television variety show Live From Her Majesty's, transmitted live from Her Majesty's Theatre. His stage persona required that his act intentionally went wrong for comic purposes, leading to some initial uncertainty about whether this collapse was real.
Known For
An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.
An Audience with...
Beginning in 1959 as Bruce's Show, mixing music, dancing and comedy in the time honoured tradition, this series focused on laughter, glamour and big name guests.
The Bruce Forsyth Show
The incomparable master of muffed magic returns with this six-part series from 1975. There are rope tricks, rabbit tricks, even a jacket-and-shirt trick... if you're quick enough to catch them, that is! Tommy is joined by the lovely Lynsey de Paul, who supplies a song for each show, and stalwart assistant David Hamilton - who also doubles up as an in-depth interviewer to probe the great man's mind in 'Fez to Fez'. Other stars risking their reputation include Victor Spinetti and Dandy Nichols - as a strange pair with a very odd way of making ends meet - and Ian Hendry (The Lotus Eaters), who realises 'it's not a question of guessing what Tommy's going to do next - it's a question of guessing what he's doing now!'
Cooper
A slapstick comedy about two workmen delivering planks to a building site. This is done with music and a sort of "wordless dialogue" which consists of a few mumbled sounds to convey the appropriate emotion.
The Plank
Sir Michael Parkinson looks back over his 50 years as a broadcaster, revealing some tricks of the interview trade and remembering some of his favourite encounters.
Parkinson at 50
No description available.
Cooperama
Just Like That! is a celebration of the comic genius of Tommy Cooper - just like that! But nobody could do it just like that apart from the unique Mr Cooper himself, and despite his claim never to have used those words. Was Tommy really Henry Coper's brother? Can Tommy's performance as Hamlet, clown prince, compare with the greats? Was Tommy a ventriloquist at heart? Rare and classic routines and contributions from famous fans help solve the mystery. The friends and fans who take part (many of them confirming that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery) include Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry, Henry Cooper, former Goons Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan, writer Dick Hills, Tommy's brother David Cooper (who has himself sadly since died), alternative comedian Steve Murray, The Wow Show and magician Paul Scott. A title montage sequence features further impersonations of the great man from Alexei Sayle, Bob Todd, Patricia Hayes, and Jess Conrad.
Just Like That!
A silent slapstick comedy depicting the travails of young couple moving into a new home, who hire an accident-prone firm of house removers, headed by Sykes. It features an all-star cast including Tommy Cooper, Bernard Cribbins, Jimmy Edwards, Irene Handl, Bob Todd and Andrew Sachs.
It's Your Move
Dickie Dreadnought is the boxing-mad nephew of pious clergyman Reverend Sydney Mullet. To mollify his disapproving uncle, Dickie embarks on an elaborate plan to keep his budding boxing career a secret, with he and his tough-talking promoter Wally Burton both pretending to be devout 'men of the cloth'.
And the Same to You
Tommy Cooper stars in a series of hour-long specials dedicated to his unique and hilarious blend of comedy and magic.
The Tommy Cooper Hour
This celebratory special showcases appearances by the revered comedian, featuring material previously unseen by British audiences, including tour-de-force performances on US TV.
Tommy Cooper: The Lost Tapes
In this musical, the Gilbert and Sullivan classic is updated and set in post-war Japan. This time, the trouble begins when a soldier, the son of a Yankee judge, falls in love with a Japanese girl. This enrages her Yakuza fiancé who kidnaps him.
The Cool Mikado
Join in this feztival of fun which contains the best loved sketches and classic routines from one of Britain's Favourite clowns who returns for yet more side-spitting sketches. Watch as all his conjuring tricks misfire and let his maniacal laugh take over you in his unique and inimitable style. A true comic genius with unmistakable fez, he will make you laugh out loud... just like that!
Tommy Cooper - A Feztival Of Fun With Tommy Cooper
The 49th Royal Variety Performance, held at the London Palladium on the 21st of November, 1977. Presented by Bob Hope, includes his own performances, Julie Andrews, Paul Anka, Pam Ayres, Harry Belafonte, Brotherhood of Man, Tommy Cooper, Alan King, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth, John Williams, Little and Large, Shirley MacLaine, Jim Henson's Muppets, Rudolf Nureyev, Jack Parnell with special visits from Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Charles, Prince of Wales
The Royal Variety Performance 1977
The shockingly controversial, outrageous, and wickedly funny comedienne performing live in front of a celebrity audience.
An Audience with Joan Rivers
No description available.
Cooper (or Life With Tommy)
No description available.
It's Tommy Cooper
No description available.
Life With Cooper
An affectionate look back at Tommy Cooper's life and career. Sir Michael Parkinson, Jimmy Tarbuck and Chris Tarrant and others reflect on what made Tommy Cooper one of the greatest ever comedians. Colleagues talk about working with him, and his daughter Vicky reveals her feelings about her father.
Tommy Cooper: In His Own Words
Tommy Cooper, the hapless magician who was in a league of his own, is joined here by a star-studded selection of guests in previously unseen extracts from his classic TV series. The guests include Penny Meredith, Eric Sykes, Henry Cooper and Norman Rossington.