Benny Hill: Merry Master of Mirth [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ Robert Ross (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Tracks Hill's career through the landmark Independent Television specials, early parody sketches for the BBC, film appearances, radio shows and recordings. The ultimate guide to the most widely recognized funny man since Charlie Chaplan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: B.T. Batsford; illustrated edition edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713484225
• ISBN-13: 978-0713484229
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,858,246 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ingrid Knows Vampires!, April 21, 2000

By	Kelly J. Barnett "black_magic_7" (Metropolis, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benny Hill: Merry Master of Mirth (Paperback)

Ingrid Pitt has starred in Hammer Films as one of the most alluring vampires to ever glide across the screen! Who better to write a book on vampires and vampire movies? This is a highly entertaining book, full of humour, but that's not all---you can tell Ingrid has done a lot of thoughtful research. If you are an Ingrid Pitt fan, or you just want to enjoy a fun, intriguing take on vampires, real or on screen, you will want this book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A BIIIIIG disappointment:, September 10, 2001

By	Joel L. Gandelman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm really SURPRISED at my reaction to this book. I LOVE Benny Hill (I have some of his videos and watched his syndicated show for years). I am now a fulltime ventriloquist and read and collect books on comedians and comedy. I have re-read many of the comedy/comedian books in my collection. I could not WAIT until I got this book!

But I found this book incredibly tedious.

At first I thought it was due to the fact that I'm American and Americans haven't seen as much of Hill's work as his British audiences. But I've read bios of comedians that detail work they did that I never viewed and I loved those books. This is a book crammed with research, whether it's about his early years -- how his comedy style came together -- or his years as the King of British TV, then American syndicated TV...and his sad fall as a victim of the relentless armies of political correctness.

The book reads like a collection of detailed research notes and staid business articles. There seems to be little passion (and when there seems to be passion it's a weird dispassionate passion!) for the subject, unlike the GREAT books done by authors on Laurel & Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Chaplin, and most certainly, The Three Stooges. Those books make you want to go out and see more of their work, even if you don't like them. This book summarizes and informs -- and can bore a diehard fan.

It's so very sad because Hill was so incredibly funny. As an American I didn't like many of his verbal skits -- and certainly NOT his songs -- but his silent segments bordered on comedic genius a la Ernie Kovaks or (I know some will be furious at this) Chaplin.

This book is so clinical it took me a LONG TIME to finish it. I'm talking about MONTHS where I had to read other books to get back to and through it. Ross, who wrote a critically acclaimed book on Monty Python's Fying Circus, certainly did excellent research. There's a ton of info you can't get anywhere else -- inside information about each step of Hill's career and why he did what he did at pivotal times; who was in his corner, keeping him on t.v., and who didn't like him.

But I can only recommend this to die-hard Hill fans who want every single thing available on him -- NOT to anyone seeking a book that tells about Hill and communicates the joy and (until the end)uncensored craziness of his comedy. Today his comedy lives on in video tape, despite the enemies that ended his career and, some say, finally broke his heart.

2.0 out of 5 stars I was disappointed too, November 23, 2004

By	Peter Stines (Anahuac, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like one of the previous reviewers of this book, I was disappointed. I found it tedious and repetitious. It's a sad let down for fans of Benny. Key players in Hill's shows, like Jackie Wright were all but ignored. But if you must have everything about this beloved British comic, go for it.