Why not cheer up your Dad on Father's Day and give him the best laugh of his life with the 6th June 2005 release of THE GOLDEN YEARS OF BRITISH COMEDY, a stunning 3 DVD collection from Universal Pictures that proves beyond doubt that laughter is definitely the name of the game. Featuring highlight performances from 'the comedy greats' of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, THE GOLDEN YEARS OF BRITISH COMEDY is not only guaranteed to entertain but will also demonstrate the influence the comedians of yesteryear have had on today's comedy icons. With its rare footage, THE GOLDEN YEARS OF BRITISH COMEDY will also delight fans of the comedy genre.
With the tradition still firmly planted in the music halls, the highlights from the 1940s document some of the classic routines from the period, from names that are still known today due to re-runs of films and radio shows along with some who did not enjoy such a high profile and have passed to relative obscurity but are very much worth watching. The 1940s section also also encompasses the period of World War II where entertainment and morale of the troops and those on the home front was hugely important.
Including clips of Tommy Trinder, Tommy Handley (It's That Man Again), Max Miller (There'll Never Be Another), Sandy Powell (Can You Hear Me Mother?), Flanagan and Allen, Arthur Askey (I Thang Yew) and Richard 'Stinker' Murdoch, 'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, George Formby (Turned Out Nice Again), Sid Field and Jerry Desmonde, Will Hay as his famous schoolmaster (with a very young Charles Hawtrey as a pupil) and The Prime Minister of Mirth, George Robey, this proves to be an entertaining hour and in true music hall style there is an intermission half way through containing a few public information films of the era, and the whole lot is interspersed with interviews and comments from Brian Johnston, Jack Douglas, Warren Mitchell, Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine, Max Bygraves and Beryl Reid. As Tommy Trinder would say, 'You Lucky People'.
By the 1950s the halls were on the wane and a new type of comedian was taking over. Gone were the days when a few routines would see you through your working life, many aspiring performers had been de-mobbed, and radio and TV (in its infancy) promised to offer the performer stardom by reaching a much larger audiences than the theatre circuits, and it is in this decade that the names begin to become more familiar.
Harry Worth, Peter Sellers, Mike and Bernie Winters, Jimmy James, Max Wall, Hylda Baker (She Know's, You Know), The Goons (favourites of HRH Prince Charles) Arthur Haynes, Richard Hearne (Mr Pastry), Jewell and Warriss, Bob Monkhouse, Charlie Drake, 'Professor' Jimmy Edwards, Norman Evans, Norman Wisdom (Mr Grimsdale)… the list is almost endless. Many learnt their trade at the famous Windmill Theatre in London; all had made the transition to radio or TV, and the assortment of clips and comments from Roy Castle, Max Bygraves, Beryl Reid, Warren Mitchell amongst others endorses the brilliance of their performances.
The last in the trio of DVDs, covers the 1960s, when television had found its place as the most important performance medium. Although radio shows had transferred to film in the past, many more made the leap to TV, and with the rise in the number of TV sets, the performers became stars. The roots of many are often forgotten, but there are few who don't know of Morecambe and Wise, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Tony Hancock (Stone Me, What A Life), Benny Hill or Eric Sykes, or the shows that sometimes became more well known than the stars in them: Steptoe and Son, The Rag Trade, On The Buses (I'll Get You Butler), The Frost Report, Till Death Do Us Part, and Dad's Army (Don't Panic, Mr Mainwaring). With clips and contributions from Mike Reid, Warren Mitchell, Roy Castle, Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine, and Dudley Moore among others, this rounds off three decades that became The Golden Age of British Comedy.
This 3-disc set is priced at £19.99 and is a worthy addition to any collection, but if you have overspent this month, or just want something for nothing. I have 3 copies to give way courtesy of Universal.
All I would like to know is 'Max Miller is linked to which British seaside resort?'
To enter, simply send the correct answer and your name and address via this form with GOLDEN in the header - remember, if this is missing, the email will be lost among the spam filters - you have been warned! The giveaway competition is open to UK residents only, there is no cash alternative, and the judges decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into and the closing date is Monday 20th June 2005.
