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BENNY HILL SHOW: complete and unedited! (3 Viewers)

David Lambert

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Chris, that's exactly what it is. I'll have news up this weekend sometime about it. I already have the materials; I simply ran out of time this morning.
 

William B.

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Sep 6, 2004
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101
As I have Benny Hill: The Lost Years on VHS, it is very likely the DVD will be a reissue of that set. In other words, it's very likely to be a compilation of sketches from different shows, rather than of his complete (remaining) BBC shows a la A&E Video's Complete & Unadulterated sets of his Thames programs. And I remember in the last years of its availability on VHS, Warner Home Video distributed BH:TLY, so they must handle anything BBC at this point; prior to that, CBS/Fox handled BBC material.

There is a view amongst some of those who've seen shows from all eras that Mr. Hill's BBC years were his Golden Era; the first years of Thames being his Silver Era; and the last 25 Thames editions (produced and directed by Dennis Kirkland), particularly from the early '80's on, constituted his Zinc Era.

One barometer of this may be his W.C. Fields/Mae West parody, which he first did on his April 20, 1968 show, playing both parts; when he revived that parody on his Feb. 7, 1974 special (as in C&U Set 2), there are those of the opinion that the later version didn't have the power or effectiveness of the earlier, given as Mr. Hill had Cheryl Gilham play Ms. West that second time 'round. I think both have their advantages, but at least one critic thought the 1974 remake was indicative of a creeping laziness on Mr. Hill's part.
 

William B.

Stunt Coordinator
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Sep 6, 2004
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101
Info on BBC Video's upcoming DVD release of Benny Hill: The Lost Years can be found here. What'll be nice will be comparing the "BBC" versions of many of his famous routines (which I've seen via the VHS compilations) to the versions done in The Thames Years.
 

Mark Lx

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
328
But how much BBC stuff is there. Did he do a special a few times a year like in the 70s. I'll probably get this release, having not seen much of the the material before (other than snippets in biographies and remakes). I think the Naughty years releases are great though.
 

Will_B

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Mar 6, 2001
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Do you all think that A&E will release any of the episodes from the Hill's Angels era? I'm a big fan of Benny's, but I'm a bigger fan of the Angels. Especially Sue!
Yeah! In fact it would be nice if they'd release a disc with just the Angels. I mean Benny was ok, but he surely wasn't why I watched the show.
 

William B.

Stunt Coordinator
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Sep 6, 2004
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It appears, given that the DVD release of Mr. Hill's shows has every indication of being ongoing, that the Angels' first appearance will be somewhere in Set 4 (which I reckon will cover the years 1978-81) -- and Ms. Upton's, in Set 3 (likely 1975-77; her first appearance on TBHS was Jan. 26, 1977 [Episode 29], while the first Hill's Angels appearance was Feb. 6, 1980 [Episode 36]). And based on the gap between Sets 1 and 2 in terms of when released, it appears Set 3 may come out (at the earliest) in June, but I wouldn't want to be held on that. . . .
Which leads to this query: What will be the subheading of the post-'78 show sets - The Naughty Later Years, or The Hill's Angels Years? I guess we'll all have to stay tuned, folks . . .
 

Randy*S

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 7, 2004
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Real Name
Randy
Thanks William B. for the dates and info on the Angels and Sue.
Actually, I love all of the Angels. :D
In fact it would be nice if they'd release a disc with just the Angels.
I've been wishing for a single disc or maybe even a set that would be all Angels. Dance performances, appearances etc. And maybe some interviews.
 

Gary->dee

Screenwriter
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Feb 14, 2003
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Well I've had the chance to properly digest Set 2 and I give it a big :emoji_thumbsup:
I prefer Set 2 over Set 1 because I like the evolution of Benny's Thames show in the 70's. He pumps up the humor... and the brief flashes of nudity! I love the majority of the stuff he filmed as opposed to the studio stuff, also Benny impersonating more TV anchors/hosts, which to me shows off more of his acting range when he dons the wigs, beards and/or alters the scope of the image to make him appear thinner(which is genius and very funny). Sometimes it's hard to believe it's Benny underneath all the makeup.
bennyhillset2vol213kq.jpg

bennyhillset2vol3119co.jpg

I also like the fact that he allows the players more room to show their talents. Little Jackie Wright stepping up and singing is a key example of this, simply hilarious! Overall these are the episodes that I fondly remember the most from having grown up in Australia in the 70's, and no doubt that feeling will grow with Set 3.
Oh and it's so good seeing the beautiful Diana Darvey again. She's a sight for sore eyes.
bennyhillset2vol317fv.jpg

bennyhillset2vol3127by.jpg

God I missed those dresses! :D
And speaking of beautiful women, I can finally see the lovely Cherri Gilham(who posted in this thread on page 4) and her wonderful portrayal of Mae West. :)
bennyhillset2vol358fr.jpg

bennyhillset2vol378ka.jpg

Granted there's a bit of repitition in some of the humor that carries over from Set 1, but it's not a big complaint. Actually it's not a complaint at all just an observation. Oh and I'm glad I got a couple of skits with Benny as Ironside. Side-splitting stuff! I'm really looking forward to the gathering of detectives in the one sketch which I believe William suggested would likely be in the next set?
Out of five stars I'd give Set 2 :star: :star: :star: :star:
Whereas for me Set 1 garnered :star: :star: :star:
As I sit here drinking my Australian wine(Deakin Estate's Shiraz) and reviewing Benny Hill's second DVD set I realize things have come full circle.
And it feels good. :)
 

William B.

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Sep 6, 2004
Messages
101
A little pointer about the following pic:
bennyhillset2vol3119co.jpg

This was Benny's second impersonation of British sports anchor Jimmy Hill -- the first, as "Jemmy Hill," being in the "Holiday Sport Spectacular" sketch on his second Thames special in Set 1; ironic that both sketches had the red-wigged Ginger Tompkins. Even more amazingly, the real Jimmy Hill went on to appear in the third-last episode of Monty Python later that same year.
Now, is it my imagination, or on the last two shows with Nicholas Parsons was his involvement more and more marginal compared to his involvement in the show in Set 1? I detected Mr. Parsons on for all of nine minutes (out of a total c.50 minutes) of the Dec. 27, 1972 show (Ep. #15; numbered #4 on A&E Set 2) - eight of which were as Scuttle's straight man in the Fun Boy Club sketch, the other minute as the man in the bowler hat in the "Common Market Square Dance" number. His receding involvement, I know, dovetailed with his burgeoning run as host of the British version of the Sale of the Century game show, which commenced in 1971 and ran to the mid-'80's. Not to mention the fifteen months between his next-to-last show for Mr. Hill and his very last.
As for the repetition: It was palpable during this period, because he had all the panache of someone showing it off for the first time. It was only by the '80's, when he got heavier and older (and grayer 'round the hair) and the level of his (and his supporting players') performances accrued a "been-there--done-that" quality that one would associate with, say, Dean Martin post-1970 or Jackie Gleason after he moved from New York to Miami Beach in 1964, that the "complaints" began a-pourin' in.
Also, is it my imagination (again), or in the "Film Time: Director Sam Speiler" sketch, was Lesley Goldie (despite using her own name, unlike in the "Uplift with Humphrey Bumphrey" sketch in Set 1) doing what amounted to a Diana Rigg impression whilst playing straight woman to Mr. Hill as said director?
 

Gary->dee

Screenwriter
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Feb 14, 2003
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As for the repetition: It was palpable during this period, because he had all the panache of someone showing it off for the first time.
Palpable and yet Benny still had a plethora of fresh(? wanna be careful suggesting that considering I haven't seen any of his early BBC programming) ideas. I think at this point in his career, 1972-74, he was still ascending whereas in the 80's he was on the decline in terms of his humor. He did the about face from featuring a lot of sketches with pretty scantily clad girls/risque humor to quite a few sketches with children/safe humor.
Speaking of the range of his career, I almost completely forgot to comment on the 3rd disc's bonus feature which is the documentary I believe is an A&E biography on Benny Hill.
I thought it was fantastic and I was quite moved by it. A wonderful inside look at the way he lived and died. Among other things I was very touched by the fact that Benny maintained relationships with handicapped women.
 

Gary->dee

Screenwriter
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Oh hey before I forget(seems like I'm almost forgetting a lot these days!) I saw a very interesting commercial on TV today.

It's a new ad for Dr. Pepper and it features a very familiar tune. The commercial takes place in a restaurant where a young couple are sitting at a table. The guy talks to the girl across from him but she tunes him out to the sound of a song that's heavily featured in the Benny Hill show. Unfortunately I don't know the name of the song, it's not the yakkety yak sax, but almost as popular. I definitely recall hearing the tune in a sketch on Set 2, but I believe it was more often used in the latter years of the BH show.

Anyway it brought a smile to my face and confirmed something: Americans are infinitely more appreciative of Benny Hill than the Brits because it's Benny's signature tune.
 

Gregory V

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Joined
Mar 15, 2004
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203
I just love the Benny Hill sets I got from DDD. I got the Emma Peel Megaset of the Avengers there too, as well as the Monty Python, Are You being Served, Black Adder, Mr. Bean, Keeping up Appearances, all the Coupling releases, Only fools and Horses, to the Manor Born, (cant wait for the rest of the Good Neighbors series, I love Penelope Keith) and so many more. EVERYONE should shop there. The prices are GREAT!!!!!!!
 

William B.

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Sep 6, 2004
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101
And speaking of Cherri Gilham . . . I thought I also detected her in the Oct. 25, 1972 show, as one of the (uncredited) extras in the "Woodstick" sketch, as well as in the closing runoff. As far as Woodstick was concerned, I thought it was her as the third lady (after Sue Bond and another woman whose name I wasn't able to discern since there were so few credited at show's end) who was groped by Benny who appeared to have his arm in a sling, followed by little Jackie Wright getting slapped in the face, all this during the first band's musical number (i.e. Hugh Paddick as the mandolin player whose hands shake even when not playing, Verne Morgan as the keyboardist with werewolf's hands).
 

AndyMcKinney

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Now, is it my imagination, or on the last two shows with Nicholas Parsons was his involvement more and more marginal compared to his involvement in the show in Set 1? I detected Mr. Parsons on for all of nine minutes (out of a total c.50 minutes) of the Dec. 27, 1972 show (Ep. #15; numbered #4 on A&E Set 2) - eight of which were as Scuttle's straight man in the Fun Boy Club sketch, the other minute as the man in the bowler hat in the "Common Market Square Dance" number. His receding involvement, I know, dovetailed with his burgeoning run as host of the British version of the Sale of the Century game show, which commenced in 1971 and ran to the mid-'80's. Not to mention the fifteen months between his next-to-last show for Mr. Hill and his very last
From what I remember of Mark Lewisohn's fine Hill autobiography, McGee was intended to be Benny's "usual" straight man from the outset, and that when he was unavailable (he did quite a bit of work for "the other side" - BBC - in the early '70s), Hill found Parsons a fine replacement. This is no slight to Parsons. Indeed, I found him to be a refershing change of pace from just having McGee all the time, it's just that Benny's liked to have a core of "regular" performers, and when Henry couldn't make it, he arranged to have a really strong "regular substitute".

It was probably a combination of sorting out work schedules that kept Parsons' appearance in his last couple of shows to a minimum. Perhaps he was only available for one studio session per show, who knows? As Hill planned his shows in advance, perhaps he knew that McGee wasn't available and Parsons only had a small amount of time free, so he just planned those shows to be less reliant on straightmen?

As for the single episode with Paul Eddington playing the straightman rather than Henry or Nicholas: perhaps one of them was originally scheduled to be available but something came up, so Hill would then have had to get somebody to do the work, as the shows may have already been written at that point?

After that one, I guess McGee's "outside" commitment either slowed down, or he was better able to work them around Benny's schedule to avoid any conflicts, avoiding the need to employ another straightman.
 

Gary->dee

Screenwriter
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Feb 14, 2003
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I like Parsons but I have to admit to liking Henry McGee much more. Not only could McGee play straight man to Benny but he's a good character actor too. Parsons struck me as a one note actor. I don't know whether it's because Parsons didn't have much of a range or wasn't given much of a chance, but McGee seems to be the more versatile actor and a perfect fit with Benny's troupe.
Along with the increase of Jack Wright's role in the show, Set 2 also features McGee in more character roles and funny ones at that. He had the ability to virtually disappear in his character like Benny.
henrymcgee7gn.jpg

"My life. It shouldn't happen to two dogs. One dog couldn't handle it."
:laugh:
 

William B.

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Sep 6, 2004
Messages
101


Since Parsons apparently hadn't been "available" since 1974, indeed would never be on the show again, the main factor could've been McGee's schedule. Alas, I seem to recall that the schedules of Mr. Hill's two straight men may have been why Hugh Paddick filled in on the Oct. 25, 1972 telecast (and Hill himself, offscreen, introduced the program).

That shot of McGee with Hill from "The Minstrel Boy" sketch, though: In that sketch, he played impresario "Sir Lew"; in the March 5, 1980 Court Jester sketch he played another impresario named "Lord Belfont." Obviously the names were in-jokes . . .

But I also saw he often recycled props as well as material; the "Ted and Harold and Enoch - The Westminster Funsters" sign in the Fun Boy Club sketch, previously in the Punch-and-Judy - style puppet sketch of March 24, 1971, for example, or the fact that in the "Lulubelle" sketch of Feb. 7, 1974 where Cherri Gilham played Mae West to Benny's W.C. Fields, one of the "Wanted" posters from his March 29, 1973 "Deputy" sketch was on the wall of the saloon.
 

Gary->dee

Screenwriter
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Feb 14, 2003
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You wanna talk about recycled props, what about those coke bottle glasses with the thin frames? They have small holes in the lens. I first noticed them in Set 1 and they're also in Set 2, I bet they're the same ones too. Likewise I bet they'd fetch a hefty sum in an auction if someone still has them.
 

William B.

Stunt Coordinator
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Sep 6, 2004
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101


Oh, that was "Mah-Na, Mah-Na" (that is, the rendition as from the Muppets), which on TBHS was part of the four-song medley (the others being an obscure early Giorgio Moroder composition called "Doo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Doo," a 4/4 rendition of Beethoven's "Für Elise," and "Gimme Dat Ding" whose co-writer, Albert Hammond, was later famous for "It Never Rains In Southern California, as well as writing "The Air That I Breathe" which was a hit for The Hollies in 1974) in use starting with the "Cruising on the S.S. Rumpo" sketch as in A&E's Set 1, and used to near the end. I can say this with authority, since I saw the commercial myself tonight.
 

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