Product Description

Every British comic actor that followed Will Hay owes Hay a debt of gratitude - for it was Hay who defined the modern essence of British comedy. Working closely with Hay's family, Graham Rinaldi's definitive tribute to the respected comic actor, takes a close look into Hay's on-screen and off-screen personae. Drawing upon Hay's own writings - newspaper articles, notes from his astronomy observations and pilot's logbooks and extracts from his unfinished and previously unpublished autobiography "I Enjoyed Every Minute" - the book gives a unique insight into Hay's childhood, his continuous thirst for knowledge and his passion for aviation, astronomy and comedy. The book is illustrated throughout with previously unpublished photographs from Hay's family albums including a rare photograph of Hay with Amy Johnson, plus memorabilia from his performing career. Extensive research into Hay's stage work includes extracts from his original "Fourth Form" at St Michael's sketches, "The Will Hay Radio Programme" and, for the first time, from all of his revue and variety shows including "Nosey Knows" and "Moonstruck for Fred Karno". Each of Hay's 18 films is examined, with insightful information regarding their production, written extracts from deleted scenes (including for the first time in their entirety the missing sequences from Ask a Policeman,) previously unpublished stills and interviews with those who worked with him from Val Guest, Leslie Gilliat and Roy Ward Baker to Dame Thora Hird, Barry Morse and Googie Withers. Did you know that in addition to creating the mould for British comedy, that Hay was an accomplished astronomer, linguist and pilot? No? Then you must read this book about one of British film's most fascinating characters!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87829 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
"An overdue salutation to this forgotten hero of English comedy, the overlooked link between music hall and Ealing Studios. There's a satisfying depth, cynicism and ambiguity about Hay's character, and an absence of sentiment, that wears well. It's time his talent as the true genius of inter-war comedy was unequivocally celebrated." The Telegraph, February 2009 "Meticulously researched and richly entertaining biography of one of the most popular and influential comedians Britain has ever produced." -- The Express

Customer Reviews

Will Hay - is there more we don't know?
Graham Rinaldi has written a good book, hardcore fans are rightly pleased. But there are some strange omissions. For example at the start of the book the familiar "Acknowledgments," "Preface," "Foreword" are there BUT no listing of "Content". Why?

That minor curiosity aside there was no mention of Hay's role in the German race to develop atomic weapons. Hay was an accomplished astronomer becoming a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1932. He discovered a white spot on Saturn in 1933 with a modest 6" refractor telescope winning international recognition. What theories did Hay formulate on planetary alignment? Gravitational calculations are serious science, immensely complex and still the stuff of supercomputers. But in the 1930s they were more fiction than fact. Theories were developed that the earths' axis was vulnerable to comets and meteors colliding but also man made explosions that could push the earth out of alignment. Even very minor fluctuations would end life on the planet. Hay had serious expertise on comets.

Hay was an pioneering private pilot (he gave lessons to Amy Johnson) who would have been able to fly anywhere in Europe even after 1934 when he is reported to have lost interest in aviation (page 119). Flying is a passion, not something you just give up on. He was able to write in reverse, the sort of mind that can manage complex codes. He was polyglot, a translator and a fluent German speaker. The German intelligence and scientific communities would have taken an interest in any off Hay's theories. Hitler had a love of British films and the slapstick / astronomer / comedian's movies would have been available for him to view. Would Hitler have enjoyed meeting Will Hay? How sophisticated was the British Secret Service in creating "back channels" to top Nazi scientists (See Christopher Andrew: Defence of the Realm) is a matter for research if the records are ever made available. Interestingly Hay spoke Norwegian, Norway being crucial as a source of heavy water needed for atomic fusion.

Hitler interfered in, and had deep fears about, the development of certain technologies, rockets in particular and he did not support the development of atomic weapons. How did Hitler arrive at these opinions, which would have produced war-winning weapons? The "nightmare dreams argument" looks like crude intelligence service disinformation. Was he was warned about possible consequences and if so by whom? Intelligence operations are never clear cut, typically ragged. The "defection" of Rudolf Hess begs many unanswered questions. Hess and Hay were from the perspective of astrology (Hess) and astronomy (Hay) both fascinated with Saturn. Frank Foley and two other MI6 officers were given the job of debriefing Hess as was the psychiatrist John Rawlings Rees who worked at the Tavistock Clinic. That is where the connections are to be found. Who got access to Hitler and formed his views on atomic weapons?

Then Val Guest comes into the story. Working on film screenplays for Gainsborough Pictures he became a close colleague of Hay. In 1961 he co wrote (with Wolf Mankowitz) and directed the film "The Day the Earth Caught Fire." The premise was atomic weapons tests impacted on the Earth's stability, shifting the rotational axis propelling us towards the sun. Humanity was to endure an agonising death. Was this the stuff of Hitler's nightmare? Certainly there is no doubt at all Will Hay would have been very interested in this film.

Well worth the wait!
At long last, a new book about Will Hay, and what a book it is too! Packed full of useful information with some great photos, it is the book all of his fans have been waiting for. A fantastic talent criminally overlooked, it is finally time for Will to take a bow and for others to realise how important he is to British comedy.

Not to be, err, ahem, sniffed at. Get your copy before the next book's gone!

A really good read on a comic genius, but not the definitive text!
Will Hay was a comic genius. His films still stand out today as some of the funniest from the 30's and 40's; with classic moments aped less well by many comedians since.

So, he deserves a great biography. Is this it? Well, yes and no. It has really interesting information about Hay and tells it in an engaging way, but it's not the definitive text on Will Hay. For that I'd strongly recommend "Good Morning Boys: Will Hay, Master of Comedy" by Ray Seaton and Roy Martin - which has interviews from people still living at the time, and which has a more 'there at the time' definitive feel to it. Now rare to find, it's better than this, although this is still a decent read, and therefore a welcome addition to the Hay cannon.