{"product_id":"9781529450316-the-man-who-was-private-widdle","title":"The Man Who Was Private Widdle","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCharles Hawtrey 1914–1988\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is a small masterpiece of biographical investigation, and fitting testament to a comic genius whose place in British cultural history is now assured.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCharles Hawtrey, the skinny one with the granny glasses, was everybody's favourite in the Carry Ons - but who exactly was he? \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUp to now the man has remained a mystery. Examining Hawtrey's origins as a child star and as a performer in revue and the Will Hay films, this wonderful little book also looks at his career in radio and television, and then to the sad and slow decline of a belligerent recluse in Deal, on the Kent coast. The high camp exuberance of his acting gave way to bitterness and alcoholism - if you asked Hawtrey for an autograph he'd be more likely to call the police instead.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Man Who Was Private Widdle\u003c\/i\u003e, Roger Lewis conjures this sense of doom and acute melancholy which is at the same time hysterically funny. The book opens out like a Chinese box to address such issues as the nature of fame, neglect, loss, sexual confusion, Drambuie, betrayal, Royal Marines bandsmen, and fine cambric knickers trimmed with lace and blue ribbon. Its moral would seem to be that you don't necessarily turn out as the person you thought you'd become. Hawtrey, born to play Shakespearean clowns or Restoration fops, ended up sacked from the Carry On films, wandering about the stage drunk on a provincial tour of Stop It Nurse!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIncorporating extensive research and exclusive interviews with the major players, \u003ci\u003eThe Man Who Was Private Widdle\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterpiece of biographical investigation and a fitting testament to a quirky comic genius whose place in British cultural history is now assured.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor this new edition, Roger Lewis has written A Widdling Afterword, bringing the story and his reflections up to date, and Sir Stephen Fry has contributed an insightful and characteristic Preface, placing both Charles Hawtrey and Roger Lewis in the context of light entertainment and the biographical genre.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56585176023414,"sku":"9781529450316","price":12.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_41162370_bb019698-a3d0-45a1-b9ae-8134597653d7.jpg?v=1778128153","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781529450316-the-man-who-was-private-widdle","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}