I don't understand the point of this video

I think you'll find that WAS on the BBC, it was a Two Ronnies sketch

clunkfish said:

severedsolo said:

I think you'll find that WAS on the BBC, it was a Two Ronnies sketch

I'm afraid it's a well known hoax

Ronnie Barker did a lot of wordplay-type stuff, but not this.

I will take your word for it :) I actually don't know I wasn't born til 87 so don't know first hand.

smarteyeball said:

The UK of today is completely alien to the UK of 30+ years ago. It would be like, totally uncool nowadays.

Realistically, it was just a repetitive sexual innuendo laden low brow T@A comedy movie franchise. Not exactly intellectually stimulating, but it was stimulating in other areas

Similarish to 'Are you being Served' in regards to non-stop sexual innuendo.



But just like most UK comedies from that era, the premise and catch phrases did wear thin towards the end of their runs. "My pussy jokes etc" are a prime example. Still good for a leave your brain at the door' laugh though :)


But some original modern US sitcoms are fantastic as they aren't too formulaic like most US sitcoms are. There are varying degrees of originality.

A lot of popular US sitcoms survive and rate well due to better writing and the appeal and calibre of the actors, but are still essentially template based. <insert 90% of current sitcoms>


Shows like Seinfield, Curb your Enthusiasm (both largely successful due to the originality of Larry David - who created some of the new templates now in use), Boston Legal (the first few seasons before it became a boring and preachy political platform), Arrested Development and 30 Rock are successful because they deviated from the sitcom mould.



Traditionally US comedies of the yesteryear were more 'visually' orientated, rather than dialogue which can be traced back to it's vaudevillian roots. Shows like "I love Lucy/ Lucille Ball Show / I dream of jeanie / bewitched et al" just a few quick examples.

Most successful UK based shows that are ported and 'tweaked' for US audiences tend to fail miserably. Usually because the humour is very different and during the process of adaptations to suit a US audience, they ruin the essence of what made the originals so appealing.

The only current successful UK port I can think of atm is 'The Office'. The format to the original UK version is very close and is successful largely because of Steve Carell's appeal and that of the other supporting actors. Plus by and large, audiences can 'identify' on some level with the workplace environment.

In the past, the other was Sandford and Son based on Steptoe and Son. Sanford and Son was successful due to strong performances from Red Foxx and some of the other ancillary characters.

Although towards the end of Sandfords run, Red Foxx's vaudevillian roots started to turn it into more a 'variety hour' format.



But that's not to say UK comedies were exempt from the 'slapstick' style. There's plenty of those of those too.


Basically, there is both comedy gold and comedy travesties from both continents.


Australian comedy is unique in it's own way, but is still largely UK influenced rather than US.

Good analysis and a good read. Well done.

BrightBlessings said:

It was even better before Political Correctness left it's filthy stain and diluted it.

Ronnie Barker did this in the 70's on the BBC and not one complaint.
A sample of word based humour that would be screamed down today by the political correctness mob.

This was originally shown on BBC TV back in the 70's. Ronnie Barker
could say all this without a snigger.
The irony is, BBC received not one complaint.
The speed of delivery must have been too much for the whining herds. Try
getting through it without converting the spoonerisms as you read.......
This is the story of Rindercella and her sugly isters.

Rindercella and her sugly isters lived in a marge lansion. Rindercella
worked very hard frubbing sloors, emptying poss pits, and shivelling shot.
At the end of the day, she was knucking fackered. The sugly isters were
right bugly astards. One was called Mary Hinge, and the other was called
Betty Swallocks; they were really forrible huckers;they had fetty sweet
and fatty swannies.
The sugly isters had tickets to go to the ball, but the cotton runts
would not let Rindercella go.
Suddenly there was a bucking fang, and her gairy fodmother appeared. Her
name was Shairy Hithole and she was a light rucking fesbian. She turned
a pumpkin and six mite wice into a hucking cuge farriage with six dandy
ronkeys who had buge hollocks and digbicks. The gairy fodmother told
Rindercella to be back by dimnlight otherwise, there would be a cucking
falamity.
At the ball, Rindercella was dancing with the prandsome hince when
suddenly the clock struck twelve. "Mist all chucking frighty!!!" said
Rindercella, and she ran out tripping barse over ollocks,so dropping her
slass glipper.
The very next day, the prandsome hince knocked
on Rindercella's door and the sugly isters let him in.. Suddenly, Betty
Swallocks lifted her leg and let off a fig bart. "Who's fust jarted?"
asked the prandsome hince. "Blame that fugly ucker over there!!" said
Mary Hinge.
When the stinking brown cloud had lifted, he tried the slass glipper on
both the sugly isters without success and their feet stucking funk.
Betty Swallocks was ducking fisgusted and gave the prandsome hince a
knack in the kickers. This was not difficult as he had bucking fuge
halls and a hig bard on. He tried the slass glipper on Rindercella and
it fitted pucking ferfectly.
Rindercella and the prandsome hince were married. The pransome hince
lived his life in lucking fuxury, and Rindercella lived hers with a
follen swanny!

Political correctness is just disguised censorship.