Monday, 4 February 2019
Frankie Howerd.
I was listening to a 'repeated' radio interview recently, with David Croft.
Croft was responsible for either writing or producing Dad's Army, Are You Being Served, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Allo Allo, Hi-Di-Hi, etc, etc. A remarkable life's work.
When talking about Frankie Howerd, Croft claimed that he was a devil to work with. He hated rehearsals, was always late, and never seemed to learn his lines. Yet, when time came to record the shows 'live', Howerd was always totally professional, and word-perfect.
My own favourite of Howerd's shows was, without question, Up Pompeii (produced by Croft). Here is a very small extract. I apologize for the quality of both sound and picture.
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18 comments:
I remember how much we enjoyed Are you being served, years ago.
David Croft was responsible for most of the UK's favourite TV comedy shows; he had an amazing career.
I'm more of the Ray Galton and Alan Simpson era of comedy writing and know less of Croft and the shows he was involved in. Had left home by then and mostly didn't have a tv. I remember watching Frankie Howerd occasionally at my mother's. She liked him.
Frankie Howerd always made me laugh.
I was never a big TV person, but have seen bits and pieces of all Croft's productions. Of course all comedians are only as good as their scripts, but Howerd certainly had a 'way' about him.
Mee too.
Mee?
Comic genius and king of the double entendre. I love all the comedians who make us laugh so much.
So camp. Did he not die here in Melbourne?
I enjoy comedy and I detest canned laughter. Many a series ruined by it.
I preferred Frankie Howerd before Up Pompeii - the way he handled an audience in stand-up routines with all the asides and pauses - no you mustn't laugh - no really - oh please - well suit yourself. Visited Blackpool a couple of years ago and could hear it all in my head in reading his stuff on the Comedy Carpet.
Those looks to camera were brilliant too.
I don't know. So many of our comics worked a lot in Oz, so it wouldn't surprise me.
If it's discreet it can go unnoticed, but if it's done in the American way, it is disastrous. Awful.
He was a great comic, we don't seem to produce them like him any more.
He was funny in his day and made me laugh but alternative comedy has taken over .... some of that makes me laugh as well. Actually, it takes a lot to make me laugh. Tommy Cooper only had to walk on and I would laugh but, when you see it now,it isn’t so funny and is showing it’s age. XXXX
I'm a 'laugher'. I find most things funny; even if they're not. If we watch a comedy show together, I'm always laughing hy head off whilst Lady M stays stony faced. It must be the Swedish way.
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