Bob Monkhouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bob Monkhouse | |||||||
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| Born | Robert Alan Monkhouse 1 June 1928 Beckenham, Kent, England |
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| Died | 29 December 2003 (aged 75) Eggington, Bedfordshire, England |
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| Occupation | Actor, Comedian, Writer, Presenter | ||||||
| Years active | 1952-2003 | ||||||
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth (1949-72) Jacqueline Harding (1973-2003) |
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Robert Alan Monkhouse OBE (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was an English entertainer in the traditional sense, though primarily known as a comedian and game show host.
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[edit] Biography
Monkhouse was born in Beckenham, Kent, the son of a prosperous Methodist businessman who owned Monk and Glass, which made custard. He was educated at Dulwich College, from which he was expelled, then worked briefly as an animator before national service. On leaving the RAF in 1948, he was one of the first comedians given a contract by the BBC.
His career began as a scriptwriter for radio comedy in partnership with Denis Goodwin, who also attended Dulwich College and with whom he also compéred Smash Hits on Radio Luxembourg. Monkhouse moved to television, hosting such programmes as Candid Camera in the early 1960s. In addition he was gag-writer for American comedians including Bob Hope when they wanted jokes for British tours. He appeared in comedy films, including the first of the Carry On film series, Carry On Sergeant. One of his television successes was as host of The Golden Shot during the late 1960s. He went on to host quiz shows, including Celebrity Squares, Bob's Full House, Family Fortunes and Wipeout. In 1979 he starred in a sketch comedy television series called Bonkers! with the Hudson Brothers. In the late 1980s he hosted two series of the revival of the talent show Opportunity Knocks which aired as Bob Says Opportunity Knocks.
An expert on the history of silent cinema and a movie collector, he presented Mad Movies in 1966, in which he presented clips from comic silent movies, some of which he had helped to recover and restore. His film collection was the cause of a court case at the Old Bailey in 1979 after he was charged with attempting to defraud film distributors, but he was acquitted.
A genius at ad-lib, Monkhouse became a sought-after speaker for dinners and similar events. In 1976 he was the speaker at the Mars Ltd (Mars confectionery) sales conference held at what was then the Excelsior Hotel on Bath Road opposite Heathrow airport. He had been appearing in a television advert for Polaroid cameras, and he told the joke, 'I am the only man ever allowed to say on television "you take it out and hold it in your hand, and in only 20 seconds it develops - or a minute if you want it in colour."'
Monkhouse became a favourite with impressionists, and, as his style fell out of favour, was mocked for his slickness and accused of insincerity. He came back into fashion during the 1990s, and appearances on Have I Got News For You restored his popularity. In July 1995, Monkhouse appealed for the return of his joke book which had been lost or stolen. The book, which contained notes on sketches and one-liners, for which Monkhouse was most famous, was returned . He was appointed an OBE in 1993.
In 1996, he presented the National Lottery show on Saturday evenings on BBC One. The opening to each show would see him deliver several minutes of topical jokes, and on one occasion where his Autocue failed, he improvised a new and still topical routine. This talent was used in Bob Monkhouse On The Spot, a return to pure television comedy, in which audience members suggested topics and Monkhouse came up with a routine.
Monkhouse married twice, to Elizabeth in 1949 (divorced in 1972), and then to Jacqueline in 1973, for the rest of his life. He had three children from his first marriage, but only his daughter Abigail survived him. His son Gary, who had cerebral palsy, died in 1992, his son Simon, from whom he had been estranged for almost a decade, died of a heroin overdose in a Bangkok hotel in 2001.
Monkhouse succumbed to prostate cancer on 29 December 2003.
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedians' Comedian, he was voted among the best 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
[edit] Posthumous advertisement
On 12 June 2007, Monkhouse appeared posthumously on a British TV advert promoting awareness of prostate cancer for Male Cancer Awareness Week. Monkhouse was seen in a graveyard next to his own gravestone talking about the disease seriously, combined with a humorous side to the advert which included trademark one-liners, like "What killed me kills one man per hour in Britain. That's even more than my wife's cooking". He ended by saying "As a comedian, I've died many deaths. Prostate cancer, I don't recommend. I'd have paid good money to stay out of here. What's it worth to you?" before walking away from his grave and disappearing. The advert was created by computer technology, by using archive of Monkhouse, combined with a body-double looking at the grave and walking around the graveyard, and an actor who imitated his voice. The advert was made with the support of Monkhouse's family and supported by poster campaigns.
[edit] Partial Career Summary
[edit] TV
[edit] As a performer
- Bob's Your Uncle UK 1990s
- Fast And Loose UK 1954
- Christmas Box UK 1955
- The Bob Monkhouse Show UK 1956
- Beat Up The Town UK 1957
- My Pal Bob UK 1957
- The Bob Monkhouse Hour UK 1958
- The Big Noise UK 1964
- Mad Movies UK 1966
- Friends In High Places UK 1969
- The Bob Monkhouse Comedy Hour UK 1972
- I'm Bob, He's Dickie UK 1977
- Bonkers! UK 1979
- The Bob Monkhouse Show UK 1983
- An Audience With Bob Monkhouse UK 1994
- Bob Monkhouse On The Spot UK 1995
- Bob Monkhouse - Over The Limit UK 1998
- Bob Monkhouse On Campus UK 1998
- Rex the Runt (1998, cameo)
- BBC New Comedy Awards UK 1999
- Aaagh! It's the Mr. Hell Show UK/Canada 2001
- $64,000 Question (UK version of The 64,000 Dollar Question)
- All or Nothing
- Celebrity Squares (UK version of Hollywood Squares)
- Family Fortunes (UK version of Family Feud)
- The Golden Shot UK 1967
- Wipeout (1998-2002)
- Bob's Full House (Later remade as Lucky Numbers in the UK and Trump Card in the US)
- Opportunity Knocks
[edit] As a writer
- Fast And Loose UK 1954
- Cyril's Saga UK 1957
- Early To Braden UK 1957
- My Pal Bob UK 1957
- The Bob Monkhouse Hour UK 1958
- The Big Noise UK 1964
- The Bob Monkhouse Comedy Hour UK 1972
- I'm Bob, He's Dickie UK 1977
- Marti UK 1977
- Bonkers! UK 1979
- An Audience With Bob Monkhouse UK 1994
- Bob Monkhouse On The Spot UK 1995
- Bob Monkhouse - Over The Limit UK 1998
[edit] As an author
- Book of Days, 1981, ISBN 0099271508
- Crying with Laughter: My Life Story 1994 ISBN 0099255812
- Over the Limit: My Secret Diaries 1993-98, 1999 ISBN 0099799812
- The World of Jonathan Creek with Steve Clark, 1999, ISBN 0563551356
- Just Say a Few Words 2004 ISBN 0753509083
[edit] As a singer
- You Rang, M'Lord? 1988
[edit] As a voice actor
- Rex the Runt 1998 (Johnny Saveloy in "Johnny Saveloy's Undoing")
- "Aaagh! It's the Mr. Hell Show 2001" (Mr. Hell in all 13 episodes)
[edit] Films
- Carry On Sergeant 1958
- The Secret People 1952
- Dentist in the Chair 1960
- Dentist on the Job 1961
- A Weekend with Lulu 1962
- She'll Have to Go 1962
- Thunderbirds 1966
- The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom 1968
- Simon, Simon 1970
[edit] Quotes
- "Dulwich College takes me back after seventy years: My Mum must have written one hell of a sick note!"
- "They laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian. They're not laughing now."
- "Personally, I don't think there's intelligent life on other planets. Why should other planets be any different from this one?"
- "Silence is not only golden, it is seldom misquoted."
- "Marriage is an investment which pays dividends if you pay interest."
- "I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my father. Not screaming and terrified like his passengers."
- "Bernie.... the bolt!" - catchphrase on The Golden Shot.
- "Growing old is compulsory - growing up is optional."
- "As a comic, you need every wrinkle. Having a facelift would be like asking a tap dancer to have his feet lopped off."
- "I came home and found that my son was taking drugs - my very best ones too!" (on Have I Got News For You)
- "I'm rather relaxed about death. From quite an early age I've regarded it as part of the deal, the unwritten guarantee that comes with your birth certificate."
- "Bingo numbers clickety-clicks its time for us to mix the six"- catchphrase on Bob's Full House.
- "So you are half Welsh and half Hungarian, that means you are well-hung!" (on V Graham Norton)
- (on stage as a veteran comic)"You'll be glad to hear, I can still enjoy sex at 74 which is great because I live at 75"
- "I can remember when safe sex meant a padded headboard."
- "It got up to 94 degrees today - that's pretty good at my age."
- "People often think I'm from Kent. I hear them whisper it as I walk past."
- On his visits to Princess Grace Hospital for treatment after being diagnosed with prostate cancer--"I've been in and out of Princess Grace more often than Prince Rainier."
- "Should you wish to piss...." (an infamous blooper when presenting The $64,000 Question in which he mispronounced the word "pass") [1]
[edit] External links
- Bob Monkhouse at the Internet Movie Database
- Bob Monkhouse at Find A Grave
- BBC Obituary for Bob Monkhouse
- Television Heaven
- Give a few Bob for the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation
- Bob Monkhouse on Chortle
| Preceded by First Host |
Host of Family Fortunes 1980–1983 |
Succeeded by Max Bygraves |
| Preceded by Paul Daniels |
Host of Wipeout 1998 - 2002 |
Succeeded by series ended |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Monkhouse, Bob |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Monkhouse, Robert Allen |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Comedian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1928-06-01 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Beckenham, Kent |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2003-12-23 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Eggington, Bedfordshire |
