Television programmes

I enjoy the word play of Abbot and Costello.
Heres one of their most famous examples (no doubt the Americans will have seen it over and over!)-

Fancy you digging that one up !!! But, no wonder, it is iconic of them now & rightly so    That sketch is brilliant in the way Abbott slowly drives Costello right round the bend ! It looks SO improv ! they couldnt have surely rehearsed that ???!! I say "wow" as that IS my fav skit & the fact my bloody infuriating "younger than me" family havnt even HEARD of Abbott & Costello  

Its no surprise one of my favourite UK comedy writers Ronnie Barker- was greatly inspired by those two and the way they play with words.





I got into a lot of old comedy, a lot of end of the pier stuff from th elate 1800's onwards through working in old folks homes. To start with it was just something to have in common with residents, topics to spark discussion and memory, but I quickly just fell in love with the humour and above all the skill and dedication to comedy as a serious art and the history that connects all the ages of comedy together.

Im also a big fan of Buster Keaton and Harold Loyd, who pioneered physical comedy in film-

both of them are brilliant.

I had the pleasure of going to a performance by the last of the silent movie organists. they used to not have sound tracks of course, so it was common to have an organist play along. I saw a Buster Keaton movie - this was back in the 80's and the guy was about 80 years old. He just watched the screen and played. Had a whistle around his neck to blow when the cops showed up.

I would love to see that Halfy.
About ten years ago I took my grandfather to Blackpool shortly after my Gran died. They had holidayed there together every year for decades and he wanted to say good bye to all their favourite places but one of the things we went and saw was a show at the oldest theatre in Blackpool where they had recreated a bill from the golden days of what Americans would call vaudeville- all the acts were authentic recreations of the original show that ran there over 100 years before. I loved it, from the costumes to the use of period lighting.

The British comedian Paul Merton did an excellent tv series on early silent comedy, well worth a watch, he has a genuine love and passion for the art that comes across well-

he's a cheeky Cockney chappie that Merton. He tried to trip me up once outside Marks and Spencers in Tooting high Street.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:I would love to see that Halfy.
About ten years ago I took my grandfather to Blackpool shortly after my Gran died. They had holidayed there together every year for decades and he wanted to say good bye to all their favourite places but one of the things we went and saw was a show at the oldest theatre in Blackpool where they had recreated a bill from the golden days of what Americans would call vaudeville- all the acts were authentic recreations of the original show that ran there over 100 years before. I loved it, from the costumes to the use of period lighting.

That's cool. As I've grown older I've become ever more appreciative when I see especially young people reviving arts of the past. This is how klezmer got resurrected.

Mrs Figg wrote:he's a cheeky Cockney chappie that Merton. He tried to trip me up once outside Marks and Spencers in Tooting high Street.

really?

The things you hear about celebrities on Forumshire!

 

They did an interesting thing on silent film in Paul Mertons last apperance as host on Room 101. Ian Hislop was the guest and basically tried to put all Paul Mertons favourite things in. Like the Beatles, Charlie Chaplin and silent films and Paul Merton himself.  

Peter Wyngarde nearly ran me over in his sports car & I told Danny La Rue to fook off, (he nudged me off the pavement & I didnt know who I was 'speaking'to)

 There seems to be a remarkable number of Forumshirians whom celebrities have tried to hurt or maim!   

I just ran into one of those Ylvis guys at the store the other day.

Though he seemed perfectly friendly.

  George Best elbowed Mr Figg #1 outside a disco in Manchester once. But then he was very very drunk.

I fell out of Peter Hook's waterbed once and sprained my wrist, although he wasnt in it at the time.   

fook,she had a 'Hook'!
By the bed she took,a look,
But now her wrist is crook
she should now write a book,
And we'd all take a snook
At Figgy's fooking Hook  

Watching 'Live from Space'.... its awesome!

azriel wrote:fook,she had a 'Hook'!
By the bed she took,a look,
But now her wrist is crook
she should now write a book,
And we'd all take a snook
At Figgy's fooking Hook  

  

Watched Cosmos tonight. Another great episode.

I'm going to be watching Cosmos in a minute.
In the mean time I've looked up a couple classic "Andy Griffith Show" episodes for Petty, and others unfamiliar with how our legal system works.
This is American rural law enforcement at it's finest!  
(BTW that's Ron Howard as a little boy. He learned a lot of his director's chops growing up on this show, long before "Happy Days". )

Thanks David, Ill give those a watch later today.

Finished the BBC House of Cards. Now I really want to read the books.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

- Bungo

Spoiler:

bungobaggins wrote:Watched Cosmos tonight. :DAnother great episode.

I could only watch about 10 minutes, it was annoying me too much. All about graphic artists and cheesy sets and special effects, precious little science. Just show the stuff directly, if clearly presented it doesn't need all the damn ribbons and trappings.   

While I agree that there were parts that had me yawning, I thought in the balance it did a fair-to-good job of giving open-ended facts thatwould challenge a curious mind to ask bigger questions on its own. In this case about climate change past and present, and what would happen to us   .
My favorite part was the tardigrades. I kinda knew they were wriggling around down there, but  to be able to survive temperatures from -270C to 150C, to survive dehydration for a decade or more, impossible levels of radiation and toxic compounds, to survive in outer space....That's one damn cool little beastie!   



I did find it strange that when they wanted to show us DNA and chose to look inside a female polar bear's egg, they flew us all the way in through her mouth, lungs, and a mile of pulmonary system. It's a lot closer if you just go in the other door!