Posting on Tony Hendra's Past Scandals

I subscribe to Publishers Weekly online, and when yesterday I found a link to reviews of former Monty Python performer, National Lampoon writer, and author Tony Hendra's new fiction offering, I made the following comment.

Talk Back Tuesday: Tony Hendra's Past Scandals
-- 4/4/2006

Talkback » Reader Comments


Submitted by:
Roseanne Sullivan (roseannesullivan@sbcglobal.net)
4/4/2006 8:24:35 PM PT
Location:
San Jose CA
Occupation:
writer

You can find out about the accusations, substantiated by psychiatrists and Hendra's first wife by following links at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hendra.

After Tony's daughter said he abused her as a child, an article surfaced that Tony had written about that time (1971) or the National Lampoon called "How to Cook Your Daughter." It was all about a daughter as a tasty dish. It had pornographic precision about it that no one who hadn't deep thoughts about sex with a beautiful compliant little girl would not have been able to write. It is horrifying that he wrote it, and horrifying that it was published. But those were the days.

I remember in the 60s the obscene Mr. Natural comics showing Mr. Natural pursuing little girls with his tongue hanging out.

Hendra’s article, which you can still find by googling a little is damning. I had a link here, but I took it out. I don't want to point anyone to such rot. [Hendra’s daughter wrote a book with the same title, so the first 3 or 4 pages of search output give you links to discussions about her book.]

Before I found out about the allegations, I chanced upon Hendra's Father Joe book at the library. I loved it at first, because I love conversion stories, but gradually Father Joe's watered down "feel good" affirming method of spiritual direction palled with continued reading. Father Joe also counseled Princess Diana. If he had pointed out to her that sex outside of marriage was a sin, she might still be living and maybe even with her husband Charles.

Hendra at the time he was being counseled by Father Joe was living a wild life using lots of women. Father Joe had nothing to say except reassurances that sexual sin wasn't really important. The problem with sex outside of its God-ordained place in a committed, faithful, and fruitful marriage is that sex for its own sake leads to the seeking of more sex for its own sake. And why stop with women? Why not anyone or anything that turns you on?

Unfortunately Tony Hendra didn't stop for anything, even incest. Even child porn about his daughter.