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

Foxbark · July 28th, 2009, 04:44 PM

Greetings Friends,
At risk of hi-jacking his forum and turning it in to something else (one of my other obsessions apart from porn), I would like to cast readers' minds back to the golden age of the 'TV spin-off' films of the 1970s, which as you may recall gave the big-screen treatment to favored TV sit-coms of the period.
The most famous, of course, are the hysterical 'On the Buses' series of films, but virtually all the popular comedy shows had one ranging from Please Sir!, Bless This House, Man About The House, Love thy Neighbour(!), Porridge, Rising Damp, Likely Lads etc etc.
The all seem to date from 1972 and seem to be made by Hammer studios.
My own favourite is the first Steptoe movie.The scene involves Albert imposing himself on Harold's honeymoon (with a busty stripper), and Albert noisily and disgustingly munches a lobster at the dinner table slurping loudly and picking at the claws with his teeth, giving the immortal quote 'There's more meat in the claws' when reprimanded.The morning afterwards, Albert is violently sick and ruins the holiday, pathetically tellling Harold he is dying.THe conversation goes thus:
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.

mark1970 · July 28th, 2009, 08:29 PM

I'm afraid I have always found the Man about the House movie quite amusing. Particually the VW beetle ending up in the water...

Jamfortea · July 28th, 2009, 08:41 PM

The best TV spin-off movie for me is Porridge.

Great script. Great acting.

"Where's the nearest town?" "Oh, there isn't one."

**haldane4** · July 28th, 2009, 09:16 PM

Well, I have to agree the first Steptoe film and Porridge were the best of the big-screen spin-off's.

My favourite scene in the Steptoe movie is at Harold's wedding when he's marrying the stripper (delectable Carolyn Seymour) and, as she begins her wedding march up the aisle, Albert whispers, 'it's a wonder she isn't taking her clothes off,' which is rewarded with a punch in the goolies from Harold.

jawbone · July 29th, 2009, 06:56 AM

The best film spin off movie has to be Up Pompeii

Much better girls than the TV series - Julie Ege & Madeline Smith and even a smattering of good character actors to support Frankie Howard

Foxbark · July 29th, 2009, 09:58 AM

Yes, the late, great Michael Hordern always seemed to pop up in these films playing a fumbling, pompous old duffer - no aspersions on Sir Michael of course.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jawbone

The best film spin off movie has to be Up Pompeii

Much better girls than the TV series - Julie Ege & Madeline Smith and even a smattering of good character actors to support Frankie Howard

**eelcat** · July 29th, 2009, 11:18 AM

Too bad they made a vastly inferior movie spin off of Are You Being Served. Unfortunately all I can recall of this movie is that "animated" caterpillar crawling up a tent flap and that Spanish guy from Mind Your Language as the leader of the revolution.
The George and Mildred movie was lame as well which was very sad because of Yootha Joyce pegging out not long after that

**haldane4** · July 30th, 2009, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxbark

Yes, the late, great Michael Hordern always seemed to pop up in these films playing a fumbling, pompous old duffer - no aspersions on Sir Michael of course.

Michael Hordern stole everything he ever appeared in from its stars - witness his amazing musical turn in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.

Everybody Ought To Have A Maid - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahqu1nd3Zu8

**crazybikerme** · July 30th, 2009, 10:55 PM

Jones on sentry duty challenges a member of the public, 'Halt! Who goes there?'. He insists on seeing the mans id card. Can't read it, so hands the bloke his rifle so he can hold the card up to the light. Lets the guy go on his way and shouts after him, 'I'll send Raymond round with the sausages in the morning'

Not as good as the TV shows but an easy way to while away a hour or two!!

Foxbark · July 31st, 2009, 07:59 AM

What about the first Alf Garnett spin-off film and the scene in which Alf is trapped inside an outside toilet during an air-raid, and he (naturally) is drawn to the nail holding square sheets of cut-up newspapers on the wall.
And Alf lovingly licks his lips as he sees a picture of Adolf Hitler on the sheet of newspaper.
I believe thre was a second Alf Garnett film that wasn't so good - all I seem to remember of it is a scene where Alf and Roy Kinnear, comung home from the docks shout 'Bollocks!' at each other loudly over an argument concerning a bottle of whisky.
One of Spike Milligan's humorous war memoirs was made into a film around about the same time (1972), and featured the classic scene of the Irishman giving the 'meat and potatoes' impression during 'lights-out' in the barracks.
- 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!

July 28th, 2009, 04:44 PM	#1
Foxbark Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 275 Thanks: 372 Thanked 2,020 Times in 259 Posts	Best Scenes From 'British TV Comedy Spin-off Films of the 1970s'. Greetings Friends, At risk of hi-jacking his forum and turning it in to something else (one of my other obsessions apart from porn), I would like to cast readers' minds back to the golden age of the 'TV spin-off' films of the 1970s, which as you may recall gave the big-screen treatment to favored TV sit-coms of the period. The most famous, of course, are the hysterical 'On the Buses' series of films, but virtually all the popular comedy shows had one ranging from Please Sir!, Bless This House, Man About The House, Love thy Neighbour(!), Porridge, Rising Damp, Likely Lads etc etc. The all seem to date from 1972 and seem to be made by Hammer studios. My own favourite is the first Steptoe movie.The scene involves Albert imposing himself on Harold's honeymoon (with a busty stripper), and Albert noisily and disgustingly munches a lobster at the dinner table slurping loudly and picking at the claws with his teeth, giving the immortal quote 'There's more meat in the claws' when reprimanded.The morning afterwards, Albert is violently sick and ruins the holiday, pathetically tellling Harold he is dying.THe conversation goes thus: 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 wg Doctor. HAROLD: But your own Doctor's a Pakistani! ALBERT: But yer Pakistani is yer British sort of wg. Yes, in those resolutely un-PC days this was what 'classic British comedy' was all about.

July 30th, 2009, 10:55 PM	#9
crazybikerme Vintage Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,246 Thanks: 0 Thanked 30,578 Times in 2,344 Posts	Dads Army Jones on sentry duty challenges a member of the public, 'Halt! Who goes there?'. He insists on seeing the mans id card. Can't read it, so hands the bloke his rifle so he can hold the card up to the light. Lets the guy go on his way and shouts after him, 'I'll send Raymond round with the sausages in the morning' Not as good as the TV shows but an easy way to while away a hour or two!!

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July 28th, 2009, 08:29 PM	#2
mark1970 Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 Thanks: 400 Thanked 125 Times in 22 Posts	I'm afraid I have always found the Man about the House movie quite amusing. Particually the VW beetle ending up in the water...

July 28th, 2009, 08:41 PM	#3
Jamfortea Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 163 Thanks: 386 Thanked 3,389 Times in 147 Posts	The best TV spin-off movie for me is Porridge. Great script. Great acting. "Where's the nearest town?" "Oh, there isn't one."

July 28th, 2009, 09:16 PM	#4
haldane4 Vintage Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: 1977 Posts: 598 Thanks: 3,187 Thanked 7,055 Times in 592 Posts	Well, I have to agree the first Steptoe film and Porridge were the best of the big-screen spin-off's. My favourite scene in the Steptoe movie is at Harold's wedding when he's marrying the stripper (delectable Carolyn Seymour) and, as she begins her wedding march up the aisle, Albert whispers, 'it's a wonder she isn't taking her clothes off,' which is rewarded with a punch in the goolies from Harold.

July 29th, 2009, 06:56 AM	#5
jawbone Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: UK Posts: 251 Thanks: 18,515 Thanked 2,943 Times in 246 Posts	The best film spin off movie has to be Up Pompeii Much better girls than the TV series - Julie Ege & Madeline Smith and even a smattering of good character actors to support Frankie Howard

July 29th, 2009, 11:18 AM	#7
eelcat Vintage Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 660 Thanks: 2,389 Thanked 6,300 Times in 648 Posts	Too bad they made a vastly inferior movie spin off of Are You Being Served. Unfortunately all I can recall of this movie is that "animated" caterpillar crawling up a tent flap and that Spanish guy from Mind Your Language as the leader of the revolution. The George and Mildred movie was lame as well which was very sad because of Yootha Joyce pegging out not long after that

July 31st, 2009, 07:59 AM	#10
Foxbark Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 275 Thanks: 372 Thanked 2,020 Times in 259 Posts	What about the first Alf Garnett spin-off film and the scene in which Alf is trapped inside an outside toilet during an air-raid, and he (naturally) is drawn to the nail holding square sheets of cut-up newspapers on the wall. And Alf lovingly licks his lips as he sees a picture of Adolf Hitler on the sheet of newspaper. I believe thre was a second Alf Garnett film that wasn't so good - all I seem to remember of it is a scene where Alf and Roy Kinnear, comung home from the docks shout 'Bollocks!' at each other loudly over an argument concerning a bottle of whisky. One of Spike Milligan's humorous war memoirs was made into a film around about the same time (1972), and featured the classic scene of the Irishman giving the 'meat and potatoes' impression during 'lights-out' in the barracks. - 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!