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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2012 22:16:50 GMT
Some of Hill's best work for me is in his '60s BBC shows (a selection from which has only been released on an R1 set so far). Some of it is quite surprising coming from who it does and subtle in comparison to his later Thames work, which is more formularised / slapstick. Yes, that was an American DVD containing three compilations of his BBC material... it's pretty good stuff. Some of it is quite innovative for it's time including a classic kitchen sketch predating the famous Morecambe and Wise Kitchen stripper routine by a decade. His Rolling Stones send up is deadly accurate suggesting he'd studied some TOTP clips of them. A pity none of his BBC shows have been released complete and apart from that, all there is kicking around is that offair recording of one of, if not his last BBC show of all from 1968. His Jimmy Savile impression in the black and white episode from 1971 is indeed pretty uncanny... as is his Tony Blackburn! A very entertaining 10 minute send up of TOTP that I always enjoy.
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Post by Peter Stirling on Nov 30, 2012 22:41:07 GMT
Some of Hill's best work for me is in his '60s BBC shows (a selection from which has only been released on an R1 set so far). Some of it is quite surprising coming from who it does and subtle in comparison to his later Thames work, which is more formularised / slapstick. Ah Yes Pat Hayes IIRC was one of his stooges then. I seem to recall a sketch of her keeping him locked in a room for some reason? I think ATV grabbed him when their prize Arthur Haynes died? I hope one day those ATV shows get released as they I think contain some of my favourite stooges like Rita Webb,Nicholas Parsons and Bettine Le Beau.
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Post by Nathan Dickel on Dec 1, 2012 4:47:36 GMT
To go off topic a bit.
I really enjoy what's released of the BBC stuff, which I wish was properly released, but I also think his 1970's shows are quite underated.
I am one of the biggest Hill fan's you'll ever likely hear of. I am obsessed with the man (almost unhealthily) I do think his Thames shows were great (and inventive, genius) up untill 1978 ish when the Hill's Angels started creeping in. I mean they honestly don't do anything for me, and just come across as a poor man's Hot Gossip (which they honestly are historically). There were still moments of brilliance in the 80's though, such as the "investing for the 90's" sketch, and the foreign sex film where he goes out to play golf (can't remember the name of it, but it's the one highlight of 1986).
His mid 70's shows were the best concerning long and lenghthy sketches with tv and movie parodies, and he actually nicely mixed them in with short dance numbers by Love Machine, which is how the 80's shows should of been.
Also, and i'm unsure why, but around 1983 ish, he started to age and gain weight rapidly, in which prior to this, he was still looking relatively young (compared to him age 58 in 1980 and the Ronnies at the same time, they looked like old men compared to him).
In watching all the material availible (including that 1968 bbc episode curculating) I think 1986 was his weakest year by far. I also dislike the addition of Anna Dawson to the cast. I mean, she was comedy gold in Kenny Everett's live action Captain Kremmen sketches, but she comes across as a very bad actor fumbling through lines on hill's shows.
And I think i'm in an extreme minority, but I personally think Nicolas Parson's was a better straightman for scuttle than McGee. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy McGee, but Parson's just seemed to fit in so well with those sketches, more so than McGee, that and Parson's always pops up on Documentaries which talk about hill and he's always got something nice to say (even giving great advice on a horrible documentary "50 Questions of Political Incorrectness" in which he said if you don't like the humor, don't watch Benny Hill".
Right, I better shut up now, I've gone way off topic.
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Post by markg on Dec 1, 2012 22:59:10 GMT
I believe the moral is:
Keep your quality control high, for you will end up being judged by your worst productions...
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