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Footlights!: A hundred years of Cambridge comedy
Traces the long history of the Cambridge comedy club, describes the highlights of its reviews, and looks at famous alumni
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 11, 2022
Hewison's book is old, however it is a seminal text for anyone who wants to know about the Footlights club, and by association the 'golden generation' of Cambridge comedians, from Miller and Cook to Fry and Laurie. Whilst those who rose to prominence in this period are key to the history, Hewison spends more than two thirds of the book looking at the earlier periods of the club. Therein lies part of the problem with 'Footlights...'; the average reader will find the pre-1950s information arcane, parochial and somewhat trivial. Yes, there were some significant members in that period, including the likes of Jack Hulbert, Cecil Beaton, Jimmy Edwards and Leslie Bricusse. However they do not resonate with the casual reader as much as John Cleese, David Frost, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Clive James, Griff Rhys-Jones et al.
The somewhat narrow focus of the pre-WW2 Footlights productions, including the numerous references to Cambridge as an institition and as a social locus are not terribly interesting for most, and Hewison notes this. He is also aware of and discusses the status of Footlights as a (for a long time) misogynistic elitist club. It might be argued that he could've done more in this area however this is almost certainly not part of his remit.
Where this book certainly succeeds is in how it combines Hewison's historical narrative, the extracts from past Footlights productions, and the copious illustrations. No one except for a completist would be unhappy with what 'Footlights...' delivers. There are some fascinating photos, particularly of those members who rose to prominence in the period from the late 1950s, and the drawings and programmes reproduced herein are often fascinating from a graphical perspective. It needs to be noted that accompanying this is a substantial appendix of Footlights ofice holders and revue productions.
What would be most useful considering how aged this book is would be an updated and expanded edition, perhaps by another author. In the near 40 years since Hewison's book has been published there has been several major new 'graduates' of the club's comedy 'course' and it would be interesting to see how they fit in with their predecessors.
In summary 'Footlights: A Hundred Years of Cambridge Coemedy' is a worthy and informative study of an institution that has had, for at least the last 60+ years, an inordinate amount of influence on popular culture both in Britain and perhaps globally as well. Oh, and Eric Idle's preface is worth the read in and of itself.
The somewhat narrow focus of the pre-WW2 Footlights productions, including the numerous references to Cambridge as an institition and as a social locus are not terribly interesting for most, and Hewison notes this. He is also aware of and discusses the status of Footlights as a (for a long time) misogynistic elitist club. It might be argued that he could've done more in this area however this is almost certainly not part of his remit.
Where this book certainly succeeds is in how it combines Hewison's historical narrative, the extracts from past Footlights productions, and the copious illustrations. No one except for a completist would be unhappy with what 'Footlights...' delivers. There are some fascinating photos, particularly of those members who rose to prominence in the period from the late 1950s, and the drawings and programmes reproduced herein are often fascinating from a graphical perspective. It needs to be noted that accompanying this is a substantial appendix of Footlights ofice holders and revue productions.
What would be most useful considering how aged this book is would be an updated and expanded edition, perhaps by another author. In the near 40 years since Hewison's book has been published there has been several major new 'graduates' of the club's comedy 'course' and it would be interesting to see how they fit in with their predecessors.
In summary 'Footlights: A Hundred Years of Cambridge Coemedy' is a worthy and informative study of an institution that has had, for at least the last 60+ years, an inordinate amount of influence on popular culture both in Britain and perhaps globally as well. Oh, and Eric Idle's preface is worth the read in and of itself.
April 7, 2007
Fascinating reading for anyone interested in the history of British comedy up to the early Eighties.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews