He was one of the first (at least in Britain) to do magic and make it seem like things were going wrong before the big reveal. By all accounts he used to enjoy the laughs he got from it and in the end he decided to chase the laughs and have the magic side act.
Tommy, after getting out of a taxi, would pay the fare then slip something into the drivers shirt pocket saying ' here, have a drink on me'. Latet when the driver pulled it out, it turned out to be a tea bag.
@johnsmith-es7zk that was true,he was heard saying...I can't get out...when Tommy did..he shook his shoulders, went hmmm and laughed...that was it!! Audience in a fit of laughter/ tears
A friend of mine was Musical director at the London Palladium and Tommy came on stage. Didn't utter a word for 20 minutes and everyone (including the orchestra) were helpless. The man was a genius
Guy in our village is a really good Tommy impersonator, he walks on stage and the audience laughs. That's how good Toomy was, people laughed in anticipation of what was to come.
Twenty years after his death he was voted the funniest British comedian ever, that was how well loved he was. He was staying with Tom O'Connor in Liverpool one December and had gone into the city to do his Christmas shopping. He was going into shops and then taking his purchases back to his car. Merseyside Police rang Tom O'Connor to ask him to get Tommy out of the city because people were helpless with laughter just watching him walking about, everything he did was almost dangerously hilarious
I can confirm his being hilarious, off duty? I am in Leeds, a few decades ago, I was walking in what then, were known as the dark arches, they run under the main railway, near City Station. I saw Tommy on the other side of the road, he was directing a Railway porter, who had a pair of wheels for moving trunks and luggage. Seriously, I stopped, and had two minutes of unadorned entertainment. There are several side tunnels run off the main tunnel that forms the road, Tommy kept badgering this poor bloke , and directing him as to how to do his job, and getting it all wrong. Sadly I suspect the Porter will have had a tea bag slipped into his top pocket, thinking Tommy was giving him a large tip? With the words, "Here have a drink on me" I had two minutes + free entertainment, a true comedian.
At the time with Radio & TV Times the whole nation was well aware and ready days in advance. People would remind other people he was going to be on. Adored by all.
I remember going to see Tommy and the lights were turned off before he came on. Next we heard his laugh in the pitch black; the audience just fell about laughing
That's exactly what my Dad said about seeing him. He didn't do anything for half an hour until the audience stopped laughing. My Grandparents said the same when they saw Laurel and Hardy live. Being present at a theatre or sports ground is always special even today, but I think we've lost a bit of the magic with the ease of watching virtually anything at home in seconds.
@@jimb9063 well anywhere. You have these youngsters now watching it on the tube! It does diminish the "special" event it is. Plus the exclusivity of it. If I went to see a live event in the 70s, something may happen that no one else (except who was there) would see other than me. And to you, you could watch the same live act (or whatever) on a different night and have a total utter other expierence. Nowadays, camera's are immediately out and taped for all to see online with a click of a button.
Apparently, when he first went on stage, he was so paralyzed by stage fright, that he couldn't get out his prepared routine. Instead, he just stuttered & fumbled. And the audience laughed even more - because they thought that WAS his act. Same with his magic tricks. He was an accomplished magician, but the audience loved it more as the tricks 'went wrong'. So he built it into his act. And just when you thought that the trick had gone totally off the rails, he would pull out something totally astounding. You now see others copying the form. It was often said that he could just walk onto stage, say nothing, but just stare out at the audience like a rabbit in the headlights [ that stage fright again ] - and the audience would howl with laughter. Genius.
@@paulgreen758 'Paul GREEN' ? ..I saw it first hand too. In a park Park. Tommy Cooper had a weekend house down on the south east coast of the UK at Motcombe in Eastbourne where I grew up. He would feed the Ducks with his wife in the Park with all these youngsters with their parents staring at him. I was one of them in the 1970s. The Parents would say - 'Leave Mr. Cooper alone' & he would reply with that bewildered expression on his face - 'Yeah, leave Mr. Cooper alone',,,& with that face we would all burst out laughing...lol (Paul)
@@walterevans2118 at Bailey’s in Watford when he performed the whole week, he also loved a beer and vodka, used to take it to his dressing room, as I said the guy was a genius
My Dad was renovating a theatre where Tommy was performing, they were trying to replace the seating before his gig and Tommy was on stage practicing his bits, they couldn't work for laughter. At one point my Dad was back stage and Tommy was just sitting on a chair, poking the closed curtains with a broom handle, when my Dad asked him what he was doing, he asked my Dad to look out the side and see if the others were laughing, my Dad told him they were in histerics as it looked like he was trying to get through the curtains and was trapped, Tommy's reply was just "That'll do then" And when my Dad went to see the show that night, he opened with him not being able to get through the curtains, everybody in histerics, and then Tommy comes bursting through the curtains looking like he'd just had the fight of his life. Everybody crying with laughter, and it was just non stop through the show. The man could bring the house down with just a broom handle.
England has a long tradition of entertainer. English actors and comedians are the best in the world. Who can e.g. bring about a series like foulthy tower?😂😂😂😂 🇬🇧!!
I once saw Tommy at Night Club, he just walked on the stage never said a word and the audience where laughing their heads off. A naturally funny man 😂!
I was lucky enough to see him live. He just walked on stage and had the whole audience in fits of laughter without uttering a word. He was a comic genius
Every move every prop and gag was laid out and timed with military precision,had the pleasure to see him live twice.He was able to have a crowd crying with laughter just walking on stage-through an old wooden fence gate just sat in the middle of the stage MAD but just so funny.By the end of his act the stage would look like a bomb had gone off with stuff everywhere,.A sadly missed comedy great.
Me and my mum watched him during a Royal tv performance die on stage in front of the royals. Everyone was laughing as he collapsed on stage thinking it was part of the act. It was shocking to find out he was dead.
I was on the same aeroplane as Tommy and his wife in the 1970s and he was on the table next to us in a breakfast restaurant he joked around with people around him. Lovely guy
Tommy Cooper was and still is a national treasure over here in the UK! Sad he had a heart attack and died on stage! Glad you liked his work EB! He is hilarious haha.. Like button smashed! :)
Tommy was a legend ! and was actually a member of the " Magic Circle " !! Despite all his clowning around, he could carry off the magic tricks ! He didn't even have to open his mouth, he was just a naturally funny guy !
Growing up Tommy Cooper was my favourite comedian on TV. The night he died on stage I was in the house alone.. I was an older teenager. Everyone in the live audience was laughing when he collapsed.. I did too.. then it went on just a few moments too long.. They brought the curtain down. So Tommy Cooper famously died on stage being televised live to the nation.
Thanks for a great reaction. They don't make legends like him any more. I remember reading a book of facts many years ago and one of the stories describes how a young aspiring magician went on stage in front of a large audience & all his tricks messed up. He did that thing where you put a bit of cardboard over a glass of milk, turn it upside down and the vaccuum is supposed to hold the cardboard in place. It didn't work & spilt all over him. Other tricks were just as disasterous. He walked off stage thinking his career was over before it began & heard cheering and cries for 'more' from the audience. The story finished with the sentence 'Tommy Coopers career had just begun'. That then kind of became his act. So sad that he died on stage making people laugh, but he went out doing what he loved. I guess not everyone goes out on such a high.
My favourite Tommy Cooper gag is the one where he's interviewed at the jobcentre: 'Mr Cooper, we notice you've been out of work for a long time, would you consider doing voluntary work?' Tommy Cooper: ' I wouldn't do voluntary work if you paid me'.
Many years ago, a friend of my Dad's went to see Tommy Cooper live. He said that for the first 15-20 minutes, Cooper was pretending he was locked in the dressing room, then couldn't find his way to the stage. The audience was in hysterics before he'd even walked out. When he finally appeared, he was given a 10 minute standing ovation.
Making people laugh is the hardest thing to do. But making people cry with laughter is even harder.😂 Pure genius. Remember when he passed away live at the London Palladium live on TV . everyone thought it was one of his gags.
Tommy Cooper was a legend even in Portugal, although the tv at the time only showed very few clips. You are right, Allan. Very few comedians, if any at all, do stuff like this. It's like watching the old Looney Toons cartoons, I just can't stop laughing because they were so silly. And that was the beauty of it.
He held up a painting and a violin-' a Rembrandt and a Stradivarius....unfortunately in this case the violin is by Rembrandt and Stradivarius couldn't paint to save his life
You should watch the documentary about his life. Although his act would look haphazard and mostly adlib, Tommy would rehearse each act meticulously until it was as near to perfection as it could be. He was also a member of the Magic Circle and a very accomplished magician! His act was and still is unique! 😆😂
i remember watching him live on TV pass away, everybody was laughing and didnt realise he was dead, but with laughter in the air , thats probably the way he wanted to go, class act
The whole thing about Tommy was that all his tricks went wrong, all though they didn't, he usually ended with a great trick that you thought went wrong, but he would turn it around at the last minute. As others have said he was actually a great magician and very accomplished, but he tended to err on the side of comedy more. He was a comedy legend in the UK, and is still sadly missed. (He passed away many years ago). If you can watch his trick with duck who plucks cards, or the one where he keeps pulling bottles out a bag, they are hilarious. Cheers
I met Tommy Cooper at the airport when I worked there, I assisted him with his luggage, after with a straight face he handed me a tea bag and siad, "Here, get youeself a drink," Then he gave me £1 and laughed. He used to ne on TV a lot and my dad loved him, he was so corny he was funny, he did lots of magic tricks then shown how they were done by accident.
Even his death was funny. He died on live TV, everyone thought it was part of the act and wet themselves. He collapsed, the stage crew realised that there was a problem so pulled the curtains across. His legs were still sticking out and twitching, his mike was still on and he was making gurgling noises in a very Tommy way. Hilarious. Then it suddenly cut to commercials. He always said he wanted to die on stage, good for him !
I remember as if only yesterday. He had just put a dressing gown on then collapsed. Jimmy Tarbuck did really well to hold the rest of the show together
It was quite tragic looking back, but also very, very him. I like to believe he was looking down on the event as St Paul said ' yes, just like that'. Then they shared that laugh and grin that was pure Tommy. ;.; he is missed along with Les Dawson, Ronny Barker, R Corbet, Spike Milligoon, H Segoon .. too too many
I met him. 1975 Gibraltar Main street. I o'clock in the morning. Just me, my mate him and his wife. The rest of the crew got hold of him the next day. He had to be lifted out of the Main Hatch. His wife was livid. He liked a small refreshment.
I grew up watching Tommy Cooper on TV. He was a genius, as far as I’m concerned. Combined sight gags, puns, absurdity, anecdotes, miming etc etc - and all that was just interruptions of his main act, which was magic tricks that artfully failed - until they didn't. As natural and spontaneous as he comes across, there was painstaking planning & preparation behind his act - plus decades of sheer grind. He still cracks me up. Note: the act shown here was clearly performed on Irish TV - probably the Late Late Show. That's why the audience cheers when he gets on the phone to "the GPO" - the General Post Office. Firstly, the audience would have been delighted that Tommy "localised" his act for them. Secondly, the GPO is a site of cultural & historical significance.
Your take on British comedy is a breath of fresh air and as always your laugh is just a day brightener - even better than Tommys laugh and thats saying something.
Alan try & find one of tommy coopers routines that he keeps on making wine bottles appear it's comedy gold & it's amazing how he does it,I bet he could of gone on for ages..
I love the the one when he takes the dog to the Vet. Vet says "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to put him down." Tommy replies "Oh my God! Terminal then?" Vet says "No. He's heavy!"
Artist, producers, and directors of his shows, also personal friends. All say the same thing, there was nothing haphazard, about his act. Everything, from the script, and the props on the table were meticulously prepared and set out.Tommy could come onto a stage and not say a word, and still have the audience in hysterics
The tragedy of Tommy Cooper was that he simply made you laugh. Jimmy Tarbuck told a story of how he and Tommy went to the bar after a round of golf and he said"What you having Tom?" and Tommy Cooper said,"I'll have a whiskey and soda" and everyone was in hysterics laughing which annoyed Tommy who said "Whats so funny about wanting a whiskey and soda?" With his gags you knew what they were (he always cracked the "I backed a horse at 20 to 1 ,it came in at half past five") and you always laughed. I imagine it was a curse as much as a gift.
A workmate went to see him on a club in Liverpool .. said Tommy was backstage and talking to someone and the conversation was accidentally on purpose picked up on his live microphone .. workmate said the audience was in tears before he had even come on stage ... and when he did .. for no reason whatsoever - there was a gate, just a gate, in the middle of the stage and he kept on opening it and walking back and forth through it and closing it too...
I saw him get up to speak at a celebrity lunch at a very smart function. He just stood up, looked around, said nothing and in just a minute had everyone in stitches. That was all he needed to do. I was laughing and I just saw it on TV!🤣🤣
Tommy cooper the legend. I watch him sadly pass away on stage and we all laughed. He said he wanted to die making people laugh. He did. What a fantastic bloke
Tommy Cooper was in the Royal Horse Guards and joined Montgomery's dessert rats, already a gifted magician (at some point he joined the magic circle) he joined NAAFI entertainment party and added comedy to his act. One time he was doing his routine and forget his pith helmet which he needed so he pinched a fez from a passing waiter and used that and it was so successful he n ever stopped wearing it for his act. My Dad was a massive fan and told me all that.
Thanks for that info. Tommy Cooper in a pith helmet just wouldn't be the same. Windsor Davies would have some trouble with his 'Lofty' bullying wouldn't he?
I remember watching Tommy on Tv with my Dad, he would be roaring his head off laughing on the sofa. I never got it then with only being a youngster. Tommy cooper was hilarious 🤣🤣👍
The man just had funny bones. He only needed to walk out on stage or enter a room, without saying or doing anything, and the audience would be in total collapse. One of my favourite routines is his monologue with the hats. Has me in stitches 🤣!
Tommy cooper the greatest comedian/magician and showman I've ever seen. I just wish he was still around nowadays. He'd was truly brilliant and one of a kind.
I was watching the live TV show when Tommy died. At first, when he fell down mid-routine, everyone thought it was just part of the act, despite him not being a 'slapstick' physical comic. After 30 seconds or so, when he was still lying there, the TV cut to a commercial break. Nobody was sure of what had happened until much later that night. RIP Tommy
Bill Bailey is one of those odd ball comedians that doesn't use obscenities yet leaves packed theatres howling. He's extremely clever and musically gifted. x
I remember watching a video (I mean a real vhs type one) a looooong while ago and Tommy did a show but the lights failed even before he got on stage. Everything is total pitch black, his first words "its dark in here...." the laughs start and he carries on, there's a sigh just at the end of that sentence and everyone just collapses helpless with laughter, he makes a few sound effects of a door opening and closing, foot steps etc, another pause, a sigh "its dark in here too....?" and it goes on, the audience are in pieces. Just from listening to him..... Just think abut this though, he was a very good magician and to make tricks go bad while getting laughs knowing you can do the trick properly..... that takes a lot more skill than you may think. His classic song ball trick with Micheal Parkinson is brilliant. It's just sleight of hand and everyone expects it to go wrong, yet he still has people in fits of laughter including the host Micheal. But when the trick works.....
One British comedian who has a similar silly style is Harry Hill. I saw him live in the mid 90s and I took my daughter to see him live last year. He is well worth checking out if you like Tommy Cooper.
Brilliant sentiment and words EB about his clean family fun , it’s rare nowadays and he was unique , he died on stage of a heart attack on live tv , very sad day 🙏 👍🏴
I love everything you do EB but I'm especially loving your return to this older comedy. Your recent reaction to Jethro had me absolutely roaring with laughter.
Tommy Cooper was actually a member of the Magic Circle. He was in fact an accomplished magician.
ay, like Les Dawson on the piano, you need to be good to be that bad
He was in the inner magic circle I believe !!
He was one of the first (at least in Britain) to do magic and make it seem like things were going wrong before the big reveal. By all accounts he used to enjoy the laughs he got from it and in the end he decided to chase the laughs and have the magic side act.
All replies above are what I was going to say, thanks everyone 👏 He was a huge man also I believe, minus the fez of course!
Tommy, after getting out of a taxi, would pay the fare then slip something into the drivers shirt pocket saying ' here, have a drink on me'. Latet when the driver pulled it out, it turned out to be a tea bag.
I saw someone else telling that one on Tv, only it was about Ken Dod.
My dad met him in the bar at the London Palladium.
@@stephensmith4480 Doddy rarely took a taxi, his wife (well, partner at the time) tended to drive them most of the time.
@@madabbafan It was actually a Liverpool Taxi Driver that told the story. I think he was getting a Taxi from the Liverpool Empire back to his house.
😅😅😅
Tommy Cooper.. was one of the rare comedy who could walk on stage..cough, people would be crying with laughter 😂😂😂
I heard once that he had an audience rolling in the isles before he even appeared on stage as he was messing around behind the curtain.
@johnsmith-es7zk that was true,he was heard saying...I can't get out...when Tommy did..he shook his shoulders, went hmmm and laughed...that was it!! Audience in a fit of laughter/ tears
A friend of mine was Musical director at the London Palladium and Tommy came on stage. Didn't utter a word for 20 minutes and everyone (including the orchestra) were helpless. The man was a genius
@theeclecticBeard-ON-TE-LE-GRAM you could give Tommy Cooper the most crap jokes in the world...he have you( us) in fits of laughter
Guy in our village is a really good Tommy impersonator, he walks on stage and the audience laughs.
That's how good Toomy was, people laughed in anticipation of what was to come.
I grew up watching Tommy Cooper - what a treasure he was. I loved your genuine laughing at his silliness too, glad you found him.
Twenty years after his death he was voted the funniest British comedian ever, that was how well loved he was. He was staying with Tom O'Connor in Liverpool one December and had gone into the city to do his Christmas shopping. He was going into shops and then taking his purchases back to his car. Merseyside Police rang Tom O'Connor to ask him to get Tommy out of the city because people were helpless with laughter just watching him walking about, everything he did was almost dangerously hilarious
I can confirm his being hilarious, off duty?
I am in Leeds, a few decades ago, I was walking in what then, were known as the dark arches, they run under the main railway, near City Station.
I saw Tommy on the other side of the road, he was directing a Railway porter, who had a pair of wheels for moving trunks and luggage.
Seriously, I stopped, and had two minutes of unadorned entertainment. There are several side tunnels run off the main tunnel that forms the road, Tommy kept badgering this poor bloke , and directing him as to how to do his job, and getting it all wrong.
Sadly I suspect the Porter will have had a tea bag slipped into his top pocket, thinking Tommy was giving him a large tip?
With the words, "Here have a drink on me"
I had two minutes + free entertainment, a true comedian.
At the time with Radio & TV Times the whole nation was well aware and ready days in advance. People would remind other people he was going to be on. Adored by all.
He was hated by his mad ex
I remember going to see Tommy and the lights were turned off before he came on. Next we heard his laugh in the pitch black; the audience just fell about laughing
That's exactly what my Dad said about seeing him. He didn't do anything for half an hour until the audience stopped laughing. My Grandparents said the same when they saw Laurel and Hardy live.
Being present at a theatre or sports ground is always special even today, but I think we've lost a bit of the magic with the ease of watching virtually anything at home in seconds.
@@jimb9063 well anywhere. You have these youngsters now watching it on the tube! It does diminish the "special" event it is. Plus the exclusivity of it. If I went to see a live event in the 70s, something may happen that no one else (except who was there) would see other than me. And to you, you could watch the same live act (or whatever) on a different night and have a total utter other expierence. Nowadays, camera's are immediately out and taped for all to see online with a click of a button.
Apparently, when he first went on stage, he was so paralyzed by stage fright, that he couldn't get out his prepared routine. Instead, he just stuttered & fumbled. And the audience laughed even more - because they thought that WAS his act. Same with his magic tricks. He was an accomplished magician, but the audience loved it more as the tricks 'went wrong'. So he built it into his act. And just when you thought that the trick had gone totally off the rails, he would pull out something totally astounding. You now see others copying the form.
It was often said that he could just walk onto stage, say nothing, but just stare out at the audience like a rabbit in the headlights [ that stage fright again ] - and the audience would howl with laughter.
Genius.
true fact I saw it first hand the guy was clever
@@paulgreen758 'Paul GREEN' ? ..I saw it first hand too. In a park Park. Tommy Cooper had a weekend house down on the south east coast of the UK at Motcombe in Eastbourne where I grew up. He would feed the Ducks with his wife in the Park with all these youngsters with their parents staring at him. I was one of them in the 1970s. The Parents would say - 'Leave Mr. Cooper alone' & he would reply with that bewildered expression on his face - 'Yeah, leave Mr. Cooper alone',,,& with that face we would all burst out laughing...lol (Paul)
@@walterevans2118 at Bailey’s in Watford when he performed the whole week, he also loved a beer and vodka, used to take it to his dressing room, as I said the guy was a genius
This got me thinking. t first saw Tommy Cooper on TV nearly 70 years ago. Boy am I getting old!
My Dad was renovating a theatre where Tommy was performing, they were trying to replace the seating before his gig and Tommy was on stage practicing his bits, they couldn't work for laughter. At one point my Dad was back stage and Tommy was just sitting on a chair, poking the closed curtains with a broom handle, when my Dad asked him what he was doing, he asked my Dad to look out the side and see if the others were laughing, my Dad told him they were in histerics as it looked like he was trying to get through the curtains and was trapped, Tommy's reply was just "That'll do then" And when my Dad went to see the show that night, he opened with him not being able to get through the curtains, everybody in histerics, and then Tommy comes bursting through the curtains looking like he'd just had the fight of his life. Everybody crying with laughter, and it was just non stop through the show. The man could bring the house down with just a broom handle.
England has a long tradition of
entertainer.
English actors and comedians are the best in the world.
Who can e.g. bring about a series like foulthy tower?😂😂😂😂
🇬🇧!!
'Foulthy'?
@@leec6707
Fawlty towers
Tommy Cooper was the funniest comedian I've ever seen live.
I once saw Tommy at Night Club, he just walked on the stage never said a word and the audience where laughing their heads off. A naturally funny man 😂!
I was lucky enough to see him live. He just walked on stage and had the whole audience in fits of laughter without uttering a word. He was a comic genius
This brought back memories of my childhood in the 70s and my late father laughing hysterically at Tommy on tv…….happy days
Definitely!
Every move every prop and gag was laid out and timed with military precision,had the pleasure to see him live twice.He was able to have a crowd crying with laughter just walking on stage-through an old wooden fence gate just sat in the middle of the stage MAD but just so funny.By the end of his act the stage would look like a bomb had gone off with stuff everywhere,.A sadly missed comedy great.
Me and my mum watched him during a Royal tv performance die on stage in front of the royals. Everyone was laughing as he collapsed on stage thinking it was part of the act. It was shocking to find out he was dead.
I was on the same aeroplane as Tommy and his wife in the 1970s and he was on the table next to us in a breakfast restaurant he joked around with people around him. Lovely guy
Tommy Joke.... " I went to Buy some Camouflage Pants today.... I Couldn't Find Any "
Mr. Tommy Cooper was such a hard worker & perfectionist. He had to make what he did look natural. Bless him. He died on live TV
You can still find that clip on UA-cam
Tommy Cooper was and still is a national treasure over here in the UK! Sad he had a heart attack and died on stage! Glad you liked his work EB! He is hilarious haha.. Like button smashed! :)
I grew up watching Tommy. My ribs would hurt from laughing so hard, my shirt wet from tears.
Tommy was a legend ! and was actually a member of the " Magic Circle " !! Despite all his clowning around, he could carry off the magic tricks ! He didn't even have to open his mouth, he was just a naturally funny guy !
Yeah , I'm not sure if everyone caught it but he drank from the glass dropped it in the paper bag and screwed it up lol
Even when he just said the word"seriously" BEFORE a joke I was in stitches😂😂😂😂😂😂 x 1,000
Simpler times... so true... Thanks for appreciating a British classic... :-)
Growing up Tommy Cooper was my favourite comedian on TV. The night he died on stage I was in the house alone.. I was an older teenager. Everyone in the live audience was laughing when he collapsed.. I did too.. then it went on just a few moments too long.. They brought the curtain down. So Tommy Cooper famously died on stage being televised live to the nation.
Thanks for a great reaction. They don't make legends like him any more. I remember reading a book of facts many years ago and one of the stories describes how a young aspiring magician went on stage in front of a large audience & all his tricks messed up. He did that thing where you put a bit of cardboard over a glass of milk, turn it upside down and the vaccuum is supposed to hold the cardboard in place. It didn't work & spilt all over him. Other tricks were just as disasterous. He walked off stage thinking his career was over before it began & heard cheering and cries for 'more' from the audience. The story finished with the sentence 'Tommy Coopers career had just begun'. That then kind of became his act. So sad that he died on stage making people laugh, but he went out doing what he loved. I guess not everyone goes out on such a high.
My favourite Tommy Cooper gag is the one where he's interviewed at the jobcentre: 'Mr Cooper, we notice you've been out of work for a long time, would you consider doing voluntary work?'
Tommy Cooper: ' I wouldn't do voluntary work if you paid me'.
Many years ago, a friend of my Dad's went to see Tommy Cooper live. He said that for the first 15-20 minutes, Cooper was pretending he was locked in the dressing room, then couldn't find his way to the stage. The audience was in hysterics before he'd even walked out. When he finally appeared, he was given a 10 minute standing ovation.
Its the most simple jokes and one liners that made him one of the most beloved English comedians ever. Long live Tommy Cooper ❤❤
Making people laugh is the hardest thing to do. But making people cry with laughter is even harder.😂 Pure genius. Remember when he passed away live at the London Palladium live on TV . everyone thought it was one of his gags.
There was this child like innocence in Tommy Coopers comedy.
Tommy always was hilarious, growing up watching him on TV I never missed when he was on. A definite comedy legend for sure.
Tommy Cooper was a legend even in Portugal, although the tv at the time only showed very few clips. You are right, Allan. Very few comedians, if any at all, do stuff like this. It's like watching the old Looney Toons cartoons, I just can't stop laughing because they were so silly. And that was the beauty of it.
My favourite Tommy Cooper joke was;
"I went on the whiskey diet last year. I lost fourteen days" 😂🤡😂
Mine was ,piece. Of furniture ,stick of rock ,snap ! Snap ! Snap ,THREE PIECE SUITE(sweet)
@@mariaefelices6543 🤣
He held up a painting and a violin-' a Rembrandt and a Stradivarius....unfortunately in this case the violin is by Rembrandt and Stradivarius couldn't paint to save his life
As a kid in the UK in the 60's and early 70's me and my family used to love his weekly TV shows. Sadly missed
My mother loved Tommy,I was too young but now I find him funny.bless him.
You should watch the documentary about his life. Although his act would look haphazard and mostly adlib, Tommy would rehearse each act meticulously until it was as near to perfection as it could be. He was also a member of the Magic Circle and a very accomplished magician! His act was and still is unique! 😆😂
I saw Tommy live, we were in tears laughing, my chest hurt by the end of his show from the constant laughing. My favorite moment was the 'gate' skit.
i remember watching him live on TV pass away, everybody was laughing and didnt realise he was dead, but with laughter in the air , thats probably the way he wanted to go, class act
Loved your reaction to this. For British silliness, you should watch Shooting Stars. Best British comedy ever
There will never be another Tommy Cooper. One of a kind and sorely missed
The whole thing about Tommy was that all his tricks went wrong, all though they didn't, he usually ended with a great trick that you thought went wrong, but he would turn it around at the last minute. As others have said he was actually a great magician and very accomplished, but he tended to err on the side of comedy more. He was a comedy legend in the UK, and is still sadly missed. (He passed away many years ago). If you can watch his trick with duck who plucks cards, or the one where he keeps pulling bottles out a bag, they are hilarious. Cheers
It's like Les Dawson on the piano. You have to be really accomplished at what you're doing, in order to do it badly with such elegance.
I met Tommy Cooper at the airport when I worked there, I assisted him with his luggage, after with a straight face he handed me a tea bag and siad, "Here, get youeself a drink," Then he gave me £1 and laughed. He used to ne on TV a lot and my dad loved him, he was so corny he was funny, he did lots of magic tricks then shown how they were done by accident.
He was great just plain good fun
Even his death was funny. He died on live TV, everyone thought it was part of the act and wet themselves. He collapsed, the stage crew realised that there was a problem so pulled the curtains across. His legs were still sticking out and twitching, his mike was still on and he was making gurgling noises in a very Tommy way. Hilarious. Then it suddenly cut to commercials. He always said he wanted to die on stage, good for him !
Saw it too 😢
I remember as if only yesterday. He had just put a dressing gown on then collapsed. Jimmy Tarbuck did really well to hold the rest of the show together
Watched it happen with my dad. Everyone laughed, thinking it was his act.
Such a clear memory it seems like yesterday
It was quite tragic looking back, but also very, very him. I like to believe he was looking down on the event as St Paul said ' yes, just like that'. Then they shared that laugh and grin that was pure Tommy.
;.; he is missed along with Les Dawson, Ronny Barker, R Corbet, Spike Milligoon, H Segoon .. too too many
He was a natural funny man. His jokes were silly but good clean, fun. xx
I met him. 1975 Gibraltar Main street. I o'clock in the morning. Just me, my mate him and his wife.
The rest of the crew got hold of him the next day. He had to be lifted out of the Main Hatch. His wife was livid. He liked a small refreshment.
I grew up watching Tommy Cooper on TV. He was a genius, as far as I’m concerned. Combined sight gags, puns, absurdity, anecdotes, miming etc etc - and all that was just interruptions of his main act, which was magic tricks that artfully failed - until they didn't. As natural and spontaneous as he comes across, there was painstaking planning & preparation behind his act - plus decades of sheer grind. He still cracks me up.
Note: the act shown here was clearly performed on Irish TV - probably the Late Late Show. That's why the audience cheers when he gets on the phone to "the GPO" - the General Post Office. Firstly, the audience would have been delighted that Tommy "localised" his act for them. Secondly, the GPO is a site of cultural & historical significance.
Tommy was a national treasure. Sadly he died on stage whilst filming a show. Gone but not forgotten ❤
Tommy was a naturally funny man.....totally unique !
I appreciate your appreciation of Tommy, he is a true legend of here in GB. Nice to see you enjoying him.
Your take on British comedy is a breath of fresh air and as always your laugh is just a day brightener - even better than Tommys laugh and thats saying something.
Still remember when I was watching him on the tv when I was a kid and he passed away on the stage and everyone thought it was in the act...terrible!
I was ironing when he passed away on stage and the audience thought it was part of the act as I'm sure we all did. Sad day that was.
Every fucking Tommy Cooper video….
Tommy Cooper what a legendary comic clean fun just a laugh a minute sadly missed R.I.P Tommy gone never ever forgotten total respect 🙏🤝🫶
Alan try & find one of tommy coopers routines that he keeps on making wine bottles appear it's comedy gold & it's amazing how he does it,I bet he could of gone on for ages..
I love the the one when he takes the dog to the Vet. Vet says "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to put him down." Tommy replies "Oh my God! Terminal then?" Vet says "No. He's heavy!"
Artist, producers, and directors of his shows, also personal friends. All say the same thing, there was nothing haphazard, about his act. Everything, from the script, and the props on the table were meticulously prepared and set out.Tommy could come onto a stage and not say a word, and still have the audience in hysterics
Children of all ages from 3 to 103 loved Tommy.
He had impeccable comic timing ,the jokes were silly, but it was all in his delivery.
These old performers spent a lifetime perfecting their craft....something you don't see now. Their timing was spot on.
Tommy was a national treasure. Everyone of my age loved him!
It's hard to believe that he was once an officer in a Guards regiment.
I never knew he had been an officer in the guards, and I remember the night he died on stage 😢bless him.
The tragedy of Tommy Cooper was that he simply made you laugh. Jimmy Tarbuck told a story of how he and Tommy went to the bar after a round of golf and he said"What you having Tom?" and Tommy Cooper said,"I'll have a whiskey and soda" and everyone was in hysterics laughing which annoyed Tommy who said "Whats so funny about wanting a whiskey and soda?" With his gags you knew what they were (he always cracked the "I backed a horse at 20 to 1 ,it came in at half past five") and you always laughed. I imagine it was a curse as much as a gift.
TOMMY COOPER is legend! And agree, we need more purely silly comedy.
A workmate went to see him on a club in Liverpool .. said Tommy was backstage and talking to someone and the conversation was accidentally on purpose picked up on his live microphone .. workmate said the audience was in tears before he had even come on stage ... and when he did .. for no reason whatsoever - there was a gate, just a gate, in the middle of the stage and he kept on opening it and walking back and forth through it and closing it too...
I saw him get up to speak at a celebrity lunch at a very smart function. He just stood up, looked around, said nothing and in just a minute had everyone in stitches. That was all he needed to do. I was laughing and I just saw it on TV!🤣🤣
His timing is impeccable. He worked really hard to be that unrehearsed.
Great video 👍 This guy was a great magician and he appealed to your aunty and uncles type of humour 😊
Great to see you appreciate the legend that is Yommy Cooper 👍 comedy genius
I remember watching him as a kid, so funny. Nice to watch comedy you don't have to think to much about, just silliness!
He had a heart attack on stage and collapsed into a chair. Audience thought it was part of the show so Tommy went out to applause and laughter.
Tommy was one of the best stage acts of comedy. Great act😂
Tommy cooper the legend. I watch him sadly pass away on stage and we all laughed. He said he wanted to die making people laugh. He did. What a fantastic bloke
Tommy Cooper was in the Royal Horse Guards and joined Montgomery's dessert rats, already a gifted magician (at some point he joined the magic circle) he joined NAAFI entertainment party and added comedy to his act. One time he was doing his routine and forget his pith helmet which he needed so he pinched a fez from a passing waiter and used that and it was so
successful he n ever stopped wearing it for his act. My Dad was a massive fan and told me all that.
Thanks for that info. Tommy Cooper in a pith helmet just wouldn't be the same. Windsor Davies would have some trouble with his 'Lofty' bullying wouldn't he?
I remember watching Tommy on Tv with my Dad, he would be roaring his head off laughing on the sofa. I never got it then with only being a youngster. Tommy cooper was hilarious 🤣🤣👍
The man just had funny bones. He only needed to walk out on stage or enter a room, without saying or doing anything, and the audience would be in total collapse. One of my favourite routines is his monologue with the hats. Has me in stitches 🤣!
You've summed it up sir - "good clean fun".
He could just walk on and that's it, the audience in his palm, and me.
Very few people could do that
Proper clean comedy, I miss it too
You are correct in what you say about good, clean silliness, that is actually funny.
Tim Vine is of the same school of sillyness and worth a watch .
I Absolutely love this guy! so so funny!
i was Tommy Cooper daft growing up, loved him and the now legendary Les Dawson who was a genius at playing piano badly
What comedian these days can stand on stage not say a word and the audience roaring with laughter there will never be another Tommy bless him ❤
I loved Tommy Cooper had me in stitches 😊
Tommy cooper the greatest comedian/magician and showman I've ever seen. I just wish he was still around nowadays. He'd was truly brilliant and one of a kind.
I was watching the live TV show when Tommy died. At first, when he fell down mid-routine, everyone thought it was just part of the act, despite him not being a 'slapstick' physical comic. After 30 seconds or so, when he was still lying there, the TV cut to a commercial break.
Nobody was sure of what had happened until much later that night.
RIP Tommy
Brilliant great reaction pal... Love Tommy cooper 👍 👍
Bill Bailey is one of those odd ball comedians that doesn't use obscenities yet leaves packed theatres howling. He's extremely clever and musically gifted. x
I remember watching a video (I mean a real vhs type one) a looooong while ago and Tommy did a show but the lights failed even before he got on stage. Everything is total pitch black, his first words "its dark in here...." the laughs start and he carries on, there's a sigh just at the end of that sentence and everyone just collapses helpless with laughter, he makes a few sound effects of a door opening and closing, foot steps etc, another pause, a sigh "its dark in here too....?" and it goes on, the audience are in pieces. Just from listening to him.....
Just think abut this though, he was a very good magician and to make tricks go bad while getting laughs knowing you can do the trick properly..... that takes a lot more skill than you may think.
His classic song ball trick with Micheal Parkinson is brilliant. It's just sleight of hand and everyone expects it to go wrong, yet he still has people in fits of laughter including the host Micheal.
But when the trick works.....
One of my Heroes Tommy Cooper ❤ thanks for this still makes me laugh 😅X
many thanks for the vid TEB, please other ones too 🙏 I reckon anyone can enjoy a half hour with Tommy
One British comedian who has a similar silly style is Harry Hill. I saw him live in the mid 90s and I took my daughter to see him live last year. He is well worth checking out if you like Tommy Cooper.
Brilliant sentiment and words EB about his clean family fun , it’s rare nowadays and he was unique , he died on stage of a heart attack on live tv , very sad day 🙏
👍🏴
I watched Tommy Cooper for a whole week when I worked in a nightclub in Watford, I laughed at ever joke he was a genius
I got a bunch of Tommy Cooper videos up, i got a playlist. he does sketches too. Have a look at
"Tommy Cooper - Cooking with duck - 1973"
True words Sir! I try to have a balance of the new and the old, be it in TV, movies, documentaries, music, comedy etc
Cheers as always!
Spoon jar is my favourite Tommy😂
He was brilliant and like you say need more of this these days
I loved that guinea pig joke😂
I love everything you do EB but I'm especially loving your return to this older comedy. Your recent reaction to Jethro had me absolutely roaring with laughter.
that laugh of urs 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 BEST CHANNEL EVER