Best Scenes From 'British TV Comedy Spin-off Films of the 1970s'.

[Mad Koala Bear]

Originally Posted by Foxbark

ALBERT: Harold, I'm dying, get me out of this place, take your poor old Dad home wiyh you.
HAROLD: But I've arranged for the Doctor to come round and see you.
ALBERT: The Doctor's no good, he's a w*g Doctor.
HAROLD: But your own Doctor's a Pakistani!
ALBERT: But yer Pakistani is yer British sort of w*g.

Yes, in those resolutely un-PC days this was what 'classic British comedy' was all about.

If that lazy term 'PC' means that it isn't now acceptable casually to use terms like 'wog' in that context then thank goodness for it. And if 'classic British comedy' meant the continual demeaning of minority groups, races, those unable to give back, then it certainly isn't missed by me. It was sad that even quality writers like Galton and Simpson felt it nescessary to include such material in their scripts.

[Foxbark]

No.
In many ways Galton & Simpson were writers with a social conscience and Steptoe can be seen as a tragi-comedy manly centring on the fact that poor Harold's life has been blighted by being trapped in a relationship with Albert that he cannot escape.
Also G&S used their comdy as a vehicle to high-light, expose and mock many of the faults of British society of that time, this is shown in 'w*g' remark in which the absurdity of Albert's bigotted, little-Englander, high-Tory, Empire worshipping mentality is exposed.Like in Alf Garnett, we don't laugh with Albert but at him.

Originally Posted by damp-patch

If that lazy term 'PC' means that it isn't now acceptable casually to use terms like 'wog' in that context then thank goodness for it. And if 'classic British comedy' meant the continual demeaning of minority groups, races, those unable to give back, then it certainly isn't missed by me. It was sad that even quality writers like Galton and Simpson felt it nescessary to include such material in their scripts.

[Foxbark]

Apart from the excellent 'Up Pompeii', there were acouple of other spin-offs, less well remembered, namely the 'medieval romp' 'Up the Chastity Belt' and the First World war satire 'Up the Front'.
- And what about that strange 'Tom Jonesesque' (no, not the singer, the Fielding novel), 'Lock up your Daughters', sarring Arthur mullard as the town crier?

[Mad Koala Bear]

Originally Posted by Foxbark

No.
In many ways Galton & Simpson were writers with a social conscience and Steptoe can be seen as a tragi-comedy manly centring on the fact that poor Harold's life has been blighted by being trapped in a relationship with Albert that he cannot escape.
Also G&S used their comdy as a vehicle to high-light, expose and mock many of the faults of British society of that time, this is shown in 'w*g' remark in which the absurdity of Albert's bigotted, little-Englander, high-Tory, Empire worshipping mentality is exposed.Like in Alf Garnett, we don't laugh with Albert but at him.

Sadly, despite the impeccable credentials of G & S and Johnny Speight (Til Death..) as well of course, such worthy intentions were generally to no avail. The audience at the time weren't for the most part laughing at Albert's bigotry, they were laughing at a 'wog' joke. Writers should have realised this long before they did, and not have used such lazy writing.

[Foxbark]

The spin-off of 'Man About The House' was quite good - especially humorous was a classic vignette filmed inside Thames TV studios in which Jack Smethurst and Rudolph Walker ( of 'Love Thy Neighbour' fame, yes there was a spin-off that too), are heatedly debating the outcome of a chess match.

[Bazza23]

Agree Porridge was best overall spin-off. However my favorite scene was in the Likely Lads spin-off.
Terry is fishing and Bob says to him mournfully-"in the chocolate box of life the top layer has already gone, and someone has pinched the orange creme from the bottom"

A link to some other quotes from the film attached

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074799/quotes

[Foxbark]

The first Alf Garnett spin-off film was great (classic scene of Alf in the toilet during an air-raid with Hitler toilet paper).
However there are two other little known follow ups that have disappeared down the memory hole.
I seem to remember a scene with Alf Garnett and Roy Kinnear shouting 'bollocks' at each other in an argument over a whisky bottle.

[Greenman]

Originally Posted by Foxbark

- And I must give a mention to the late, great Dick Emery's 'You Are Awful', which gave Emery a great opportunityto showcase his impressions whilst involving a very funny plot centred on the need to inspect tattoos of bank account numbers written on the arses of some very lovely birds.
The cene with the nude bird on the arse-wobbling exercise-belt machine is a classic!

Oh nooooo I disagree Foxbark old bean-the best scene has to be at the policewomans quarters when Charlie(Dick) disguised as the policewoman needs to check which girl has the tattoo he is after and he turns up the heating-whereupon the girls appear in various states of undress including nude as they throw back the bedclothes-lots of naughty girls in that methinks

[maxedout]

Originally Posted by Foxbark

- And what about that strange 'Tom Jonesesque' (no, not the singer, the Fielding novel), 'Lock up your Daughters', sarring Arthur mullard as the town crier?

There's a reason it seems 'Tom Jonesesque' - It was based on another of Fielding's works "Rape Upon Rape" (a comedy apparently ) or rather it was based on the Lionel Bart musical version with all the songs removed.

Check out the cast list on IMDB - it's a who's who of British character actors of the late 60's.

[gunner]

Originally Posted by damp-patch

If that lazy term 'PC' means that it isn't now acceptable casually to use terms like 'wog' in that context then thank goodness for it. And if 'classic British comedy' meant the continual demeaning of minority groups, races, those unable to give back, then it certainly isn't missed by me. It was sad that even quality writers like Galton and Simpson felt it nescessary to include such material in their scripts.

Sorry, but those were totally different times, when those sorts of jokes WERE acceptable, if only because, there werent that many people from different cultures in Britain. it would not be acceptable today, as they would undoubtably cause offence but please dont say it wasnt funny at the time because you dont like it. Thats the same mentality as having to call Christmas lights 'Winter Lights' to avoid causing offence.