In my recent musings on British television, I have come to realize just how much of an impact Brits have had on my television taste level. Two of the shows on my top ten all time faves-"Sanford and Son" and "All in the Family"- are Britcom remakes, which I mentioned in a previous post. Both shows-although re-mixed for American audiences-offered the same unique sense of comedic timing, interwoven with clever dialog and well formatted plots as their British predecessors. I tend to gravitate towards shows, particularly from British television, that have these same elements, because they seem to exemplify the art of compelling storytelling.
Oh, who am I kidding-I really just like to listen to how they talk. For some reason, everything sounds somewhat more dignified when done in a British accent, even crude humor. Case in point- "The Benny Hill Show".
"The Benny Hill Show", starred Benny Hill, and was a British sketch comedy that was best known for smutty humor. It ran from 1969 until 1989. The comedy offered on this show ran the gamut, from slapstick, to Hill's celebrity impersonations, parodies of American movies, or extravagant musical routines. The show was often criticized for its sexism, by showing skits with women in scantily clad outfits acting as bimbos, or husbands beating their wives. It was definitely not noted for being the least bit political or correct.
"The Benny Hill Show" was my father's guilty pleasure. It was broadcasted on PBS very late at night, and I remember, sneaking up at night and peeking behind his lazy boy chair to secretly watch along with him. I also remember being slightly worried by the fact that I actually understood some of the adult themed jokes and double entendres. And so was Dad when he caught me one night, unable to hold in my laughter.
Benny Hill in "The Benny Hill Show" circa late 60s.
"Birds and Bees Poem"
One of the hallmarks of the show was the way some of the skits were shown in time lapse, meaning it was filmed at a way to make time appear as if it were moving faster than normal. These time lapsed routines included mime and parodies, reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin, who was reportedly a fan of the show. Go figure.
No comments:
Post a Comment