Tommy Cooper was one of those people who was born with that magic laughter gene. I mean, Tommy could just stand there on stage, look into the audience and he would have them roaring without even saying a word.
Look at this short piece from one of his TV shows as an example:
Watch Tommy Cooper "Magic Cloak" video:
Tommy Cooper still makes me laugh when I look at him, and I mean that in a good way, not in a freak show way. He had it in spades. All he did was walk on stage and do what came naturally to him.
His act would comprise of performing magic illusions and messing them up. He did this on purpose. Tommy Cooper was a member of "The Magic Circle", so he could get these tricks right if required, but for him it worked better if he got it wrong.
As a child, Tommy grew up in Exeter, England, and sometimes worked on the family's ice cream van. At around eight years old one of his aunts bought him a magic set, which he fell in love with, and he perfected all the tricks. Magic ran in his family. His twin brother ran a magic shop in Slough High Street called "Coopers Magic Shop".
During World War II Tommy was called up as a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards regiment of the British Army. He became part of the NAAFI entertainment party and developed an act around his magic tricks and a bit of humor. One night he forgot his uniform hat, so grabbed a fez off the head of a passing waiter to the hilarity of the audience. So the fez stuck.
Tommy enjoyed a long and successful career as an entertainer right up to the end when he died on stage at Her Majesty's Theatre in Haymarket, Westminster, London, on 15th April 1984 aged 63.
In respect to Tommy Cooper (one of my top favorite comedians of all time) and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death, here are some more clips of the man at work.
The Very Best Of Tommy Cooper - Split Personality Sketch:
Tribute to Tommy Cooper by YouTube user
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Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper
By: Dave Tommo
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Good pictures plus the good article certainly made this segment amazing. Keep it up!
Great job! This one is an instant classic!