Futtocks End

Aug 21 This comedy short has just had a blu ray release, and its well worth checking out, with Ronnie Barker playing the crusty old Major. A few years later Ronnie Barker teamed up with Ronnie Corbett to do 2 more similar themed shorts, "The Picnic" and "By The Sea". Ronnie Barker basically plays the same character in all 3. They are a lot of fun, although this one is slightly below the level of the other 2 for me. 8 out of 10.

Watched it last night having previously seen it 20 years or so ago - sheer bliss! This is yet another example of Ronnie Barker's genius. His passing is a major loss to the world of comedy as he has stood head and shoulders above all the much over-praised second raters such as Morecombe & Wise, Cleese, etc. His imagination, skill and verbal dexterity have never been anywhere near matched by anyone else. It seems current day comedy is restricted to crudities thrown in for their shock value rather than being based on any intrinsic ability of making an audience laugh through pure wit, and imagination. I fear there will never be another comic of Ronnie Barker's calibre - I hope I'm wrong.....

A weekend get together at an English Country Manor House. It's a "silent" comedy in that nobody says anything, but that doesn't stop the soundtrack being over loaded with wheezes, grunts, groans, and the whole gamut of sound effects. This is the first of three such outings from Ronnie Barker (followed later by The Picnic and By the Sea). It has the advantage over these later efforts in that it is much ruder and lacks Ronnie Corbett, and does have Michael Hordern. Barker's lecherous, befuddled dyspeptic Lord of the Manor staggering from Quail shoot to drunkenness to attempted amorous liaison is a genuine comic masterpiece matched by Michael Hordern's equally lecherous butler. The Morning After breakfast is a gem with amplified Rice Crispies upsetting the delicate heads of the revelers. Can someone release it as an antidote to "Gosford Park" please?