This is a great book - as well researched as the TV programme it covers.
Yes Minister was one of the truly great BBC sitcoms - it was a worthy contestant for best sitcom, where it came 6th. It works on TV on radio, in the magnificent books, and also as recent events show, as a stage show. Few comedies can cope so well with different mediums.
I think the thing that stops Yes Minister being the funniest is that it is bound by reality and is perhaps too serious.
What is interesting is that not only was a lot of the comedy based on real events, even comedy the writers thought they had invented turned out to have real life counterparts !
One strange thing highlighted is the episode where the Health Minister proposed to clamp down on smoking with a variety of suggestions that seemed funny then but which pretty much became Government policy 20 years later.
Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comedy. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Liz Fraser and other characters
Liz Fraser and other Characters - my autobiography
I really liked this book - it is very candid, although not sensationalist.
Liz Frazer had an absolutely prolific career - she did masses of live TV in the 1950's , became a film star in the 1960's and had a varied set of parts in the theatre.
At one time she had cornered the market is portraying a certain type of sexy and comic blonde, so much so that directors would ask for a "Liz Fraser type",
but there was clearly a lot more to her talents than just comedy. As one of her neighbours said to her - "I didn't know you could act"
As in all lives, there is the unexpected - born in 1930, she was evacuated to Kent, next door to Winston Churchill ! who used to sit her on his knee and allow her to collect acorns for his pigs. Then of course people realised evacuating children to the part of England nearest Nazi occupied Europe was not entirely wise - so she was moved to another family in Devon.
Her father died when she was just 11 :-(
Liz has worked with almost anybody who was anyone, a veritable A-Z. I counted 36 famous people just in the b section of the Index - but it is never done in a name dropping way - just little pen portraits of what they were like to work with. Liz's huge affection for Tony Hancock and Sid James is very touching. She doesn't hold back from the less pleasant side of Peter Sellers or a few others, but never in a nasty way.
Ironic is too weak a word, it is truly unfair that someone who was sought by so many men had two unhappy marriages. The first to someone who was a thief and a liar, a fantasist :-( the second was to a TV producer who was also a womaniser and an alcoholic. He dropped dead aged 41.
Who would guess Liz Frazer was a volunteer for the Samaritans charity for years fielding calls form wold be suicides ? Or her battle with breast cancer? Her love of boxing, football, playing bridge and investing in the stock market ? her Conservative politics ? That she wanted to have children but was unable to or that she wrote poems and her own lines for pantomines.
I haven't mentioned the Carry On films, as I hope she will be remembered for much more than that.
I really liked this book - it is very candid, although not sensationalist.
Liz Frazer had an absolutely prolific career - she did masses of live TV in the 1950's , became a film star in the 1960's and had a varied set of parts in the theatre.
At one time she had cornered the market is portraying a certain type of sexy and comic blonde, so much so that directors would ask for a "Liz Fraser type",
but there was clearly a lot more to her talents than just comedy. As one of her neighbours said to her - "I didn't know you could act"
As in all lives, there is the unexpected - born in 1930, she was evacuated to Kent, next door to Winston Churchill ! who used to sit her on his knee and allow her to collect acorns for his pigs. Then of course people realised evacuating children to the part of England nearest Nazi occupied Europe was not entirely wise - so she was moved to another family in Devon.
Her father died when she was just 11 :-(
Liz has worked with almost anybody who was anyone, a veritable A-Z. I counted 36 famous people just in the b section of the Index - but it is never done in a name dropping way - just little pen portraits of what they were like to work with. Liz's huge affection for Tony Hancock and Sid James is very touching. She doesn't hold back from the less pleasant side of Peter Sellers or a few others, but never in a nasty way.
Ironic is too weak a word, it is truly unfair that someone who was sought by so many men had two unhappy marriages. The first to someone who was a thief and a liar, a fantasist :-( the second was to a TV producer who was also a womaniser and an alcoholic. He dropped dead aged 41.
Who would guess Liz Frazer was a volunteer for the Samaritans charity for years fielding calls form wold be suicides ? Or her battle with breast cancer? Her love of boxing, football, playing bridge and investing in the stock market ? her Conservative politics ? That she wanted to have children but was unable to or that she wrote poems and her own lines for pantomines.
I haven't mentioned the Carry On films, as I hope she will be remembered for much more than that.
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Misconceptions about Tony Hancock
Tony Hancock has been chosen as one of the new Elizabethans - one of the notable figures in the reign of Elizabeth II.
The first misconception is that Hancock got rid of his co-stars from the radio series. Although it is true that Hancock was unhappy about the 'snide' character played by Kenneth Williams, it was Williams himself who left the series a couple of episodes into the 6th radio series. He was unhappy about the number and quality of the lines he was getting - but perhaps it was more Kenneths ego here than Tonys which caused the problem.
Another myth is that only Sid James from the radio series made the move to TV with Hancock - actually both Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams appeared in the television version, although as supporting characters rather than as the same character each week . Writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson say it was they who made the decision to cut down the regular supporting cast as Television is a much slower medium than radio. Hancock can hardly be said to have blocked the appearance of Hattie and Kenneth in the TV Series. Hattie in fact appeared with the Hancock film the Punch and Judy Man, which shows they were still friends after the TV series.
True Hancock blocked Sid James being in his films, but James made dozens of films without Hancock, and no one complains about that.
In fact Hancock had often gone out of his way to get parts for his friends as Dick Emery, Graham Stark, Hugh Lloyd, Mario Fabrizi and others attest. Hancock felt most comfortable working with people he knew.
Another myth is that Hancock fired writers Galton and Simpson, in truth they did fall out over a Film script which Hancock rejected without even reading, but, Hancock never intended the split to be final and on several occasions approached Galton and Simpson to ask if they could provide scripts. For example before his series for ATV, but Galton and Simpson were too busy with other projects like Steptoe and Son. They almost worked together again on a musical "Noah" but this never got off the ground - perhaps thankfully in view of Hancock aversion to long stage shows.
Another myth is that Tony died in a hotel room in Australia, this is probably due to the play Hancock's last half hour, in fact he was staying in a basement apartment linked to the house of the director of the TV series he was working on at the time.
Perhaps the strangest myth is that Hancock was never as funny solo as when he was with Sid James - Galton and Simpson rebut this - they say look at the Radio Ham, The Blood Donor, the Lift - the shows indelibly associated with Hancock and for a time British Comedy and the British Way of life - Sid James wasn't in any of them, neither was Kenneth, Hattie or Bill Kerr.
Tony strove to make his comedy 'realistic' that is if a policeman called at the door, he wanted the audience to beleive it was a real policeman, not Kenneth Williams doing a funny voice. I think Tony was right, that is why so much of his comedy stands the test of time, even though the context has dated some of it.
The first misconception is that Hancock got rid of his co-stars from the radio series. Although it is true that Hancock was unhappy about the 'snide' character played by Kenneth Williams, it was Williams himself who left the series a couple of episodes into the 6th radio series. He was unhappy about the number and quality of the lines he was getting - but perhaps it was more Kenneths ego here than Tonys which caused the problem.
Another myth is that only Sid James from the radio series made the move to TV with Hancock - actually both Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams appeared in the television version, although as supporting characters rather than as the same character each week . Writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson say it was they who made the decision to cut down the regular supporting cast as Television is a much slower medium than radio. Hancock can hardly be said to have blocked the appearance of Hattie and Kenneth in the TV Series. Hattie in fact appeared with the Hancock film the Punch and Judy Man, which shows they were still friends after the TV series.
True Hancock blocked Sid James being in his films, but James made dozens of films without Hancock, and no one complains about that.
In fact Hancock had often gone out of his way to get parts for his friends as Dick Emery, Graham Stark, Hugh Lloyd, Mario Fabrizi and others attest. Hancock felt most comfortable working with people he knew.
Another myth is that Hancock fired writers Galton and Simpson, in truth they did fall out over a Film script which Hancock rejected without even reading, but, Hancock never intended the split to be final and on several occasions approached Galton and Simpson to ask if they could provide scripts. For example before his series for ATV, but Galton and Simpson were too busy with other projects like Steptoe and Son. They almost worked together again on a musical "Noah" but this never got off the ground - perhaps thankfully in view of Hancock aversion to long stage shows.
Another myth is that Tony died in a hotel room in Australia, this is probably due to the play Hancock's last half hour, in fact he was staying in a basement apartment linked to the house of the director of the TV series he was working on at the time.
Perhaps the strangest myth is that Hancock was never as funny solo as when he was with Sid James - Galton and Simpson rebut this - they say look at the Radio Ham, The Blood Donor, the Lift - the shows indelibly associated with Hancock and for a time British Comedy and the British Way of life - Sid James wasn't in any of them, neither was Kenneth, Hattie or Bill Kerr.
Tony strove to make his comedy 'realistic' that is if a policeman called at the door, he wanted the audience to beleive it was a real policeman, not Kenneth Williams doing a funny voice. I think Tony was right, that is why so much of his comedy stands the test of time, even though the context has dated some of it.
Monday, 9 July 2012
Private Godrey
Was Arnold Ridley - best known as Private Godfrey in Dads Army like the character he portrayed?
Godfrey's Ghost is written by his son, Nicholas and is an affectionate portrait of a father. More of a memoir than a biography, it is usual is style.
Arnold Ridley was formerly known as a playwright - his most successful and well known being "The Ghost Train." When he was through no fault of his own, in financial difficulties - he sold the amateur right to the play for £200. With hindsight that was a very bad move, as the play went on to earn hundreds of thousands of pounds, but Ridley was never bitter or resentful and accepted that neither he nor other could have foreseen the play being so successful. The book in fact sets out how even being a hit in the first place was down to chance, luck and some sharp promotion.
The book recounts how the idea for the ghost train came to him after seeing a particularly bad play ! and how he had spent hours on a deserted station in the middle of nowhere at 3.30 -5.30 in the morning waiting for the connecting train to take him to his girl friend.
As his son asked - why didn't he write books, they seem so much more reliable than plays.
Other snippets - Ridley was called up for WW1 and had a dreadful time in battles like the Somme. He and a group of soldiers were recommended for a military medal but his commander recommended him for an even higher award. In the end the others all got medal and he didn't get one. That kind of luck seem to typify his life. He suffered from nightmares for years after WW1 and then was called up for WWII.
Ridely wrote his autobiography, but his son says it was not good and was repeatedly rejected by publishers. Partly because his recollection of events (apart from his early life) was hazy and partly because despite spending so many years in dads Army he covered that in just 3 pages !
The book dwells a lot on the relationship between father and son and being the son of a pretty famous dad. Nicholas seems clear that his dad wasn't to him "Private Godfrey" but that is the way he was often treated by the public.
Arnold Ridley won the football pools - only £1200, but enormously welcome to him at the time.
The world of repertory companies is now gone, but the often precarious nature of the actors profession remains - while some gain great wealth, for every Tom Cruise, there are those that never get beyond the bit parts and chorus, in between, are what John Le Mesuier called the jobbing actor - mostly in work, mostly not highly paid, but making a living.
Godfrey's Ghost is written by his son, Nicholas and is an affectionate portrait of a father. More of a memoir than a biography, it is usual is style.
Arnold Ridley was formerly known as a playwright - his most successful and well known being "The Ghost Train." When he was through no fault of his own, in financial difficulties - he sold the amateur right to the play for £200. With hindsight that was a very bad move, as the play went on to earn hundreds of thousands of pounds, but Ridley was never bitter or resentful and accepted that neither he nor other could have foreseen the play being so successful. The book in fact sets out how even being a hit in the first place was down to chance, luck and some sharp promotion.
The book recounts how the idea for the ghost train came to him after seeing a particularly bad play ! and how he had spent hours on a deserted station in the middle of nowhere at 3.30 -5.30 in the morning waiting for the connecting train to take him to his girl friend.
As his son asked - why didn't he write books, they seem so much more reliable than plays.
Other snippets - Ridley was called up for WW1 and had a dreadful time in battles like the Somme. He and a group of soldiers were recommended for a military medal but his commander recommended him for an even higher award. In the end the others all got medal and he didn't get one. That kind of luck seem to typify his life. He suffered from nightmares for years after WW1 and then was called up for WWII.
Ridely wrote his autobiography, but his son says it was not good and was repeatedly rejected by publishers. Partly because his recollection of events (apart from his early life) was hazy and partly because despite spending so many years in dads Army he covered that in just 3 pages !
The book dwells a lot on the relationship between father and son and being the son of a pretty famous dad. Nicholas seems clear that his dad wasn't to him "Private Godfrey" but that is the way he was often treated by the public.
Arnold Ridley won the football pools - only £1200, but enormously welcome to him at the time.
The world of repertory companies is now gone, but the often precarious nature of the actors profession remains - while some gain great wealth, for every Tom Cruise, there are those that never get beyond the bit parts and chorus, in between, are what John Le Mesuier called the jobbing actor - mostly in work, mostly not highly paid, but making a living.
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
A Bob for Bob - More Book Reviews
The unpublished Bob Monkhouse - A interesting memoir about comedian Bob Monkhouse by his friend and fellow comedian of whom I have never heard. Bob comes across as incredibly hardworking and professional, kind and thoughtful in all he did. His friend doesn't come across so well, which at least shows commendable honesty ! There are plenty of Monkhouse jokes to make you laugh and interesting insights into his professional and private life.
On the Way Home is the diary of Laura Ingalls Wilder - of Little House on the Parie fame. It records a trip that she made in 1894 with her husband and daughter moving from South Dakota to Missouri. It is basically a day to day commentary on who they have met that day, the local crops, land prices, where they camp etc. Nothing much happens, quite often they meet people in waggon going from Missouri to South Dakota seeking a better life ! It must have been a strange time in the history of the USA. The native Americans had been almost obliterated, there was no longer a frontier or new territory to settle. Years of bad harvests meant real hardship for many. In all a historic record of interest to few I guess.
On the Way Home is the diary of Laura Ingalls Wilder - of Little House on the Parie fame. It records a trip that she made in 1894 with her husband and daughter moving from South Dakota to Missouri. It is basically a day to day commentary on who they have met that day, the local crops, land prices, where they camp etc. Nothing much happens, quite often they meet people in waggon going from Missouri to South Dakota seeking a better life ! It must have been a strange time in the history of the USA. The native Americans had been almost obliterated, there was no longer a frontier or new territory to settle. Years of bad harvests meant real hardship for many. In all a historic record of interest to few I guess.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
The Ladykillers
The Ladykillers is one of the most famous ealing comedies. It help propell a young Peter Sellers to Stardom.
As a film, it is pretty flawless - there is black comedy, menance and fine acting, a great plot a moral tale and social observation.
Recently there has been a stage version of the Ladykillers, written by Graham Lineham, best know for co-scripting the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.
The play as a fascinating insight into how to transfer a film to the stage.
Largely, Lineham has rewritten the film, partly because of the limitations of the stage and partly i feel, because that is what is needed for it to work well.
The play is fantastically performed and I would say that even though at the performamnce I saw, two of the main charecters were played by understudies - if one hadn't been told, you would never have known.
Professor Marcus was played to perfection by Peter Capaldi -
Ben Miller (of Armstong and Miller) asd Loius and James Fleet (Vicar of Dibley) as the Major, were obviously still having enormous fun playing the parts well into a long run. The other members of the gang, Harry and One Round got loads of laughs - more than in the film. Running gags were execlelntly incorporated into the performance.
As a film, it is pretty flawless - there is black comedy, menance and fine acting, a great plot a moral tale and social observation.
Recently there has been a stage version of the Ladykillers, written by Graham Lineham, best know for co-scripting the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.
The play as a fascinating insight into how to transfer a film to the stage.
Largely, Lineham has rewritten the film, partly because of the limitations of the stage and partly i feel, because that is what is needed for it to work well.
The play is fantastically performed and I would say that even though at the performamnce I saw, two of the main charecters were played by understudies - if one hadn't been told, you would never have known.
Professor Marcus was played to perfection by Peter Capaldi -
Ben Miller (of Armstong and Miller) asd Loius and James Fleet (Vicar of Dibley) as the Major, were obviously still having enormous fun playing the parts well into a long run. The other members of the gang, Harry and One Round got loads of laughs - more than in the film. Running gags were execlelntly incorporated into the performance.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Books
Comedy Rules - From the Cambridge Footlights to Yes Prime Minister by Jonathan Lynn. ISBN 978-0-571-27795-7
150 essential rules of comedy.
Probably the best book on writing comedy ever. It is not a how to do book, not a practical guide, it is part memoir, part stories and part 150 views on what makes people laugh.
150 essential rules of comedy.
Probably the best book on writing comedy ever. It is not a how to do book, not a practical guide, it is part memoir, part stories and part 150 views on what makes people laugh.
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