In honor of Great English Entertainment

[martin wilson]

Q.I is brilliant, Alan Davies on Mr Benz going around issuing the first driving licences cracked me up.
Have I Got News For You is probably the show that has made me laugh the most over the years, Would I Lie To You has its moments,but I'm not keen on 8 out of 10 Cats, I dont get Keith Lemon either.
The Americans have The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy and American Dad,which I got into when my daughter watched them, Family Guy can be very offensive sometimes though.
All the best.

[Magpie]

The last couple of days I've been watching episodes of "Q.I." and although I've heard of it before, I had no idea it was so funny. This morning there was a bit that made me laugh so hard I got a wicked muscle cramp right under my breastbone, and even though I was in agony, I still couldn't stop laughing.

The Americans could never create something like this, more's the pity.

[martin wilson]

I think that's right,there was maybe a sense about him of a complete pro moving through the gears, other comedians had more of the harmless idiot about them, and you felt comfortable in their company because of their essentially benign worldview.
I used to like Les Dawson on Blankety Blank 'Let's take a look at the prizes we got from the fire and salvage'.
You have to see a comedian live though I think, to appreciate how good they are.
All the best.

[Robert]

I remember Bob Monkhouse telling the story of how Max Miller saw his act when he was first making his way as a performer, and gave him a very useful master class in standup comedy. One of Miller's observations was that Monkhouse's saucy material, or his delivery of it, was "too knowing" for such a young man - which was a very shrewd observation.

[Robert]

Yes, too many comedians waste their time on game shows. The only one who gets away with it in my book, is Forsyth. He's been the games master going all the way back to "Beat The Clock."

[martin wilson]

Monkhouse,too many game shows and a criminal waste of a great talent imho,I cant remember when I saw it but he presented an award show once and he was wonderfully acid and funny.
There was a piece in the Independent years ago about the circuits that entertainers used to go on as their bread and butter away from telly, I remember the writer saying something like 'no matter where you go,nobody has a bad word to say about Bob Monkhouse'.so it seems he was a decent bloke as well.
Tommy Cooper of course, and Morecambe and Wise, timeless,my daughter loved watching the repeats,she thought they were brilliant, if you dont find the Andre Preview sketch funny I feel sorry for you.
'The introduction is too short,by about 3 feet'
And thats old fashioned in a country where comedy consists of sitcoms which are all swearwords and crude sexual references,or panel shows where comedians are just snarky,and unfunny.
All the best.

[Phil H]

I disliked Monkhouse for YEARS.

Then I heard him talk about his approach to comedy and my opinion totally changed.

He was a VERY remarkable comedian/actor/writer.

I'll add more tomorrow. Too tired now.

Phil H

[Rubyretro]

I liked Bob Monkhouse ! (I don't have time to read back all the thread to see if someone has quoted him already )

my fave : "People laughed when I said that I wanted to be a Comedian....well, they're not laughing now.."

[Phil H]

Laughton had problems with Claudius.

Mind you, he agonised over every role - Bligh, Quasimodo etc. (Simon Callow did an excellent, sympathetic biography of him some years ago.)

He found his inspiration for Claudius in a recording of Edward VIII's abdication speech, of all things.

It is a very sympathetic performance, from the surviving scenes. The stammer is made much of - those blubbery lips fitting exactly; and the limp is quite pronounced.

One scene, in the Senate has the line: " I Clau...Clau...Claudius (pause) will teach you (pause) how to fra...me your laws" (last two words almost in a rush). I think Laughton must have studied a real person with a stammer.

The sets were huge - Dirk Bogarde says that, as an art student at the time, he was taken to see the sets.

Emlyn Williams played Gaius Caligula, and there is a scene in the Seanatewhere he introduced his horse, Incitatus(?) as consul. the horse is out of shot, but Williams plays the part as quietly sinister and threatening.

Phil H

[Beowulf]

I kind of like Copper, on BBC. Was wondering if anyone else is watching this?

Find it interesting that Charles Laughton was married to Elsa Lancaster. Even though both were committed there were no congugal visits

Both great actors. How he would've play Claudius intrigues me. Very different from Jacobi's I guess. I really loved the way John Hurt portrayed Caligula, sympathetic, made you love Caligula, and that's saying a lot.

[Robert]

"Brief Encounter" as a love story wasn't really my cup pf tea, but I seem to remember a lot of Rachmaninov in there, so that helped.

"The Third Man" was great stuff. I don't normally have a very good visual memory but Wells's first appearance, and then later his fingers grasping at the night air, are firmly imprinted.

[Phil H]

I was sure I'd heard the gag either in a clip of MM doing it or in a re-enactment by a modern actor. I have always thougfht it genuine.

Personally i don't think there was any need to disect the joke in such explicit terms either - the original used NO dirty words.

If you didn't understand the references, it still made perfect sense.

Moving on...

To mention a few other British classics

What about BRIEF ENCOUNTER (Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard). Another David Lean, Noel Coward project. IMHO an almost perfect film.

Anyone else like Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN (Orson Welles, Trevor Howard - again)? VERY atmospheric.

Phil H

[Robert]

Maybe it was the whole joke that Roy Hudd denied took place. I think he denied the block passage/toss off version at least.

[louisa]

I have to disagree with the idea that Max Miller would include this kind of smut in his act.

The expression to 'toss off' wasn't even part of the English language until comparatively recently. Nobody in those days would have understand what he meant.

I think you are doing old English comedy an injustice, and Max Miller in particular. What was considered 'risque' in those days would be classed as very tame by today's standards and for anyone to refer to masturbation (even obliquely) on stage would have been taboo, in the extreme. It would have meant the end of his career. Remember - ladies made up part of the variety audience too.

[Robert]

Yes Phil, I think it was always desirable to have the innocent interpretation as one option. It was actually funnier that way.