As expected, a good turnout was seen at the Comedy Cenotaph in remembrance of those comedians who died on stage over the past century. This year’s remembrance also marked the continued charity work of groups supporting comedians, script writers, satirists who have been badly wounded by critics’ reviews as well as those cut down in the savage years of tough theatre audiences
Only a few survivors of one particular massacre, the Edinburgh Fringe of 1958 are able to pay homage these days. One, Albert Hislop, 84, remembers that time as three days of needless sacrifice.
“It was awful, guys fresh off the train from London, prepped and ready with their material, clambered up onto the stage to find the warm-up barrage had failed and they became bogged down by a stutter and then mown down by hecklers, sniping comments and long periods of silence from a heavily defensive audience. One after the other, wave after wave they fell. We got off a few one-liners to cover the retreat but in the end we were grateful for the sanctuary of the dug-out green room
Those that survived the night didn’t survive the morning papers. Those reviews provided the coup de grace. At least these days, young wounded comics are helped by charities such as Help For Humour but those days we had nothing. It was that feeling of helplessness that drove strong, fit comics into submitting dodgy one-liners to Ted Rogers, Roy Castle and the like. Such desperate times ...”
Modern day audience warfare means that comedians need to be better prepared through The Footlights, and then moving into better training at Jongleurs and The Comedy Club, but those stretching out on their own have often found themselves unable to cope when they reach outposts like Croydon Clocktower where resistance is still claiming comics today
Following the service conducted by Lenny Henry as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the traditional 21 whoopee cushion salute rang out over London. Veterans filed proudly passed the Cenotaph displaying their own Silly Walks as granted by the Ministry, the eldest one, Billy Trimble now 102 was pushed passed in a highly polished clown car until the doors fell off and the bonnet flew open
Floral tributes were laid at the grave of the Unknown Comedian. A comic, once with a billing of his own but lost on stage and never identified again
As each year goes by fewer veterans attend and the memories of jokes gone by need to be remembered by those who remain