THE MELIÁ WHITE HOUSE JOURNAL Nº006
ALBANY ST, LONDON NW1 3UP
APRIL 13, 2017
Did you know…?
`The Punch & Judy Man’ was created at the White House Its creator was a high-end English actor with major success in the BBC The 60s saw many prominent socialites visit and stay. It was the case of Tony Hancock who rented a flat in 1961 and it was here with his co-writer, Philip Oakes, where they worked on the script of The Punch and Judy Man.
The Punch and Judy Man is a gentle but bitter-sweet comedy movie, Hancock's second and last starring role in a film, following The Rebel (1961). It provides some considerable insight into Hancock himself and appears to be based partly on Hancock's own life and marriage. As a big comedy star as it was possible to be in Britain in 1963, Hancock decided to pull a "Charlie Chaplin" with this film. The Punch and Judy Man film poster Hancock's efforts to establish himself as a man of importance, ended in disappointment and despair. Hancock in real life ended up committing suicide in 1968.
At the time one of the The White House services was the provision of milk machines in the corridors. Hancock & Oakes would regularly stock up on milk whenever they felt they needed nourishment. When they left there were 144 cartons of milk in the refrigerator! The Punch and Judy Man movie scene
IN THE NEXT ISSUE… The Profumo Scandal, the scandal that rocked the nation and led to the collapse of the government.
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