Tilting at Tony Hendra

It wasn’t that long ago, but still I can’t recall what in particular it was that motivated me to take note of Tony Hendra (1941-2021) with the purpose of writing a post on him. It may have been because I saw that he was one of the editors and creators of one of my favorite humor books when I was a teenager: The ’80s — A Look Back (1979, also mentioned here). Or I may have noticed, in working on my upcoming book or the recent post about The Hollywood Palace, that he and his comedy partner Nick Ullett (b. 1941) were among the more frequently booked acts on that variety show. Or it may have been obituaries published at the time of his death, which was a little over two years ago, at this writing. Hendra has many other claims to fame besides these, across a wide variety of fields, and also some very worrying controversy. His Zelig-like knack for being in all the right places to make history is unfortunately not the only thing he had in common with Woody Allen.

From Hertfordshire (just outside London), Hendra was educated at Cambridge, where he participated in Footlights revues with future Monty Python members John Cleese and Graham Chapman. Nick Ullett became his partner in a comedy two-act, and they worked popular nightclubs and tv variety shows in the U.S. from 1964 to 1969. Hendra and Ullett appeared on live bills with the likes of Lenny Bruce and the aforementioned Allen at clubs like the hungry i in San Francisco. In addition to those appearances on The Hollywood Palace, they were also on The Ed Sullivan Show,Kraft Music Hall, The Merv Griffin Show, The Dean Martin Show, and others.

In 1970, Hendra left the act with Ullett and began working for National Lampoon, his primary platform through 1978. Initially a writer, he was elevated to editor within months. With Michael O’Donoghue he created the first Lampoon LP record Radio Dinner (that’s him doing the John Lennon impression on “Magical Misery Tour”). He also co-wrote, directed and created the Lampoon‘s off-Broadway show Lemmings, starring Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Christopher Guest. The Lampoon connection to Guest is of course the reason Hendra was cast as the manager in the 1984 film This is Spinal Tap. That same year, he was one of the original creators of the British satirical TV show Spitting Image. As an actor, he was also in the Whoopi Goldberg comedy Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986), and did guest shots on Miami Vice, Suits, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. He co-wrote the boxing satire film The Great Hype (1997)

In addition to The ’80s — A Look Back, Hendra was also instrumentral in creating the media parodies Not the New York Times,Off the Wall Street Journal, The Irrational Inquirer, Playboy: the Parody and Not the Bible. He also wrote for Spy Magazine, and was its editor-in-chief 1993-94. He also wrote the non-fiction book Going Too Far: the Rise and Demise of Sick, Gross, Black, Sophomoric, Weirdo, Pinko, Anarchist, Underground, Anti-establishment Humor 1955–1980 (1987), a memoir Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul (2004), and a novel The Messiah of Morris Avenue (2006).

Speaking of going too far…in 2004 The New York Times published an article in which Hendra’s daughter Jessica alleged that he had molested her as a small girl. There was no other evidence besides her testimony (and the testimony of others whom she had informed of the incidents). She published a book the following year wherein she reiterated the claims. No one but Jessica Hendra will ever know the truth with empirical certitude.

Lou Gehrig’s Disease took Hendra in 2021, during the depths of the Covid pandemic.

To learn more about show biz history, please see my book No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, and stay tuned for my next book Electric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety, coming November 2023.