A bit cringeworthy?

Blue summer

Blue summer

Dedicated Member
Before i start, this isn't in any way meant to be a negative thread, i'm just interested if anyone else has this "problem" with some of the episodes?

I've just been watching series 1 & 2, Disc four on the DVD box set that i've had for a while now.
The one episode that i really struggle to watch, is "Northern flying circus".
I find some of Compo's scenes in it not really funny, a touch overdone if you will.
I don't know why it affects me in this way, i just find i have to turn it off and watch another episode.

"Spring fever" is also not one of my favorite episodes, simply because of Compo overdoing it a bit.
95% of the episodes have me in stitches, although i have noticed that the ones that really bring tears to my eyes, are usually down to Clegg or Foggy, some of their expressions don't need any words but i find some of their one-liners are pure quality.

Am i on my own here, or have some of you also got the odd episode that just doesn't do it for you?

G ; )
 
That happens with all shows. I understand what you mean. Some of the early ones are a bit rough around the edges, but again it was the first couple series. Otherwise, it's like a lot here and on the other forum says, it's easier to name these episodes than to name favorite episodes. Pate and Chips comes to mind for me, BUT the volume DVD I have for the first 2 series has "Short Back and Palais Glide", "Inventor of the 40-Foot Ferret" and "Pate and Chips" as one whole episode. I didn't realize this till later, and even then "Pate and Chips" was so-so.

Now if anyone wants me to list some favorites, I would be happy to name about 10 handfuls. LOL
 
Funnily enough, "Short Back and Palais Glide" and "Pate and Chips" are actually two of my favorites from that compilation set.

It was early days as an actor for Tony Haygarth (Compo's cousin Chip) and i think he did fairly well in that episode, although his Yorkshire accent left a bit to be desired in my opinion, a bit too posh for rural Yorkshire.

I've mentioned this before in a previous thread but i find the scene where Ivy gives the baby back to Chips missus quite endearing "we never had children" she says.
She gives the impression that deep down, maybe she regrets not having had any.
Those are the sort of performances that make you feel closer to the character.

Although you mention that some of the earlier episodes can be a bit rough around the edges, i'm not sure if that roughness is possibly what made some of the performances stand out a bit more from others.
The ones i mentioned in my previous post, of not being too keen on, well i would say that they were more like "wooden" performances, rather than rough-edged ones.

"Here's to the lady that works in the Naafi in Oswestry, the one with the glasses".
I suppose we shouldn't expect perfection like that all of the time really, eh?

G ; )
 
BluprintZ said:
I've mentioned this before in a previous thread but i find the scene where Ivy gives the baby back to Chips missus quite endearing "we never had children" she says.
She gives the impression that deep down, maybe she regrets not having had any.
Those are the sort of performances that make you feel closer to the character.
Click to expand...

I agree!....That's a wonderful scene.
 
It's been a while since I watched those episodes but I do remember that scene. It was very touching. I will have to watch them again and will let Blueprintz know my opinion.
 
BluprintZ said:
Before i start, this isn't in any way meant to be a negative thread, i'm just interested if anyone else has this "problem" with some of the episodes?

I've just been watching series 1 & 2, Disc four on the DVD box set that i've had for a while now.
The one episode that i really struggle to watch, is "Northern flying circus".
I find some of Compo's scenes in it not really funny, a touch overdone if you will.
I don't know why it affects me in this way, i just find i have to turn it off and watch another episode.

"Spring fever" is also not one of my favorite episodes, simply because of Compo overdoing it a bit.
95% of the episodes have me in stitches, although i have noticed that the ones that really bring tears to my eyes, are usually down to Clegg or Foggy, some of their expressions don't need any words but i find some of their one-liners are pure quality.

Am i on my own here, or have some of you also got the odd episode that just doesn't do it for you?

G ; )
Click to expand...

I totally agree. I am probably going to get people disagreeing with me on this one, but in the early series I rarely found Compo to be funny, he was more like obnoxious to me.
 
To me the first series´are like a different show and that´s how I watch them, I don´t compare them to the Foggy era or anything else. It´s true what you say, it´s less funny and more... I can´t find the right English words for that, maybe more rough, more gritty. But I can enjoy them too in a way, I just don´t compare them to the rest. The characters hadn´t "found" themselves yet and I can see why there were too many swear words in the show at first, I disagree with the common opinion "good clean family fun", at any rate at the beginning ;D.
 
**** said:
To me the first series´are like a different show and that´s how I watch them, I don´t compare them to the Foggy era or anything else. It´s true what you say, it´s less funny and more... I can´t find the right English words for that, maybe more rough, more gritty. But I can enjoy them too in a way, I just don´t compare them to the rest. The characters hadn´t "found" themselves yet and I can see why there were too many swear words in the show at first, I disagree with the common opinion "good clean family fun", at any rate at the beginning ;D.
Click to expand...

****, you are so right, especially on the 'good clean family fun'. If you had read the paperback book that was released around the time of the first series it would have made many people blush. Clegg wasn't against using the 'F' word on more than one occasion.
 
That´s true, stewpot!! LOL, I actually have read one of the paperbooks, the Getting Sam Home book, and I couldn´t believe what I was reading and had to look up several words... I better hadn´t ;D!
 
I must admit I can't think of a particular episode I don't like but there are a few scenes from various episodes that put me off a little.Funnily enough quite a few of them are from the Seymour era which is strange because I did not dislike the Seymour years.I can only think it's a coincidence.
 
I was age 16 in 1970 and can remember that quite a few sit-coms of the early 70's used the word "Bl**dy", in the dialogue.
Anyone remember "Nearest and Dearest"? http://www.sitcom.co.uk/nearest_dearest/characters.shtml

Featuring Hilda Baker, with a certain Joe Gladwin (Wally Batty) playing the part of Stan Hardman, who delivered pickles all over Lancashire, for the company "Pledge's Purer Pickles".
Check out some of the Youtube episodes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL1NKzqYWc0&feature=related

Joe gladwin is a scream in it, although as i mentioned above, there was quite a bit of swearing going on. although no worse than in some of the earlier episodes of Summer Wine.

It was a bit of a phase that Brit sit-coms were going through at " That time", it seems rather course to hear it nowadays, even though many programmes on TV today, have much worse swearing dialogue in them.

G ; )
 
BluprintZ said:
I was age 16 in 1970 and can remember that quite a few sit-coms of the early 70's used the word "Bl**dy", in the dialogue.
Anyone remember "Nearest and Dearest"? http://www.sitcom.co.uk/nearest_dearest/characters.shtml

Featuring Hilda Baker, with a certain Joe Gladwin (Wally Batty) playing the part of Stan Hardman, who delivered pickles all over Lancashire, for the company "Pledge's Purer Pickles".
Check out some of the Youtube episodes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL1NKzqYWc0&feature=related

Joe gladwin is a scream in it, although as i mentioned above, there was quite a bit of swearing going on. although no worse than in some of the earlier episodes of Summer Wine.

It was a bit of a phase that Brit sit-coms were going through at " That time", it seems rather course to hear it nowadays, even though many programmes on TV today, have much worse swearing dialogue in them.

G ; )
Click to expand...

I used to Love Nearest and Dearest with Walter too ("Have you been?" ;D) refering to his incontinence.
I think sit-coms then were actually based on comedy, rather than what passes today - maybe that's me turning into Mr. Grumpy - I still see some of them on DVD.
I have two of the most anti PC one's, Rising Damp (Which would have had the PC brigade up in arms these days) and even more so 'Love Thy Neighbour' which I am surprised was ever released on DVD at all, given the racist jokes that it contained.
Bless this house, and of Course Selwyn Frogget were Two more of my favourites.

It's also think it's no coincidence that Roy Clarke featured some of these fine actors in SW.

How many can you name. and no it's not a quiz :D
 
The swearing tended to be taken out in later series as the transmission time was earlier - the first ones were I believe, after the watershed (2100 hours if I recall correctly).

The comedy did become more visual later on with the rolling down hills in various contraptions - but the dialogue has always been excellent especially, as I have often stated, much of Clegg's one liners.

As regard less favoured episodes I am sure that as we look at the results of the polls prepared by Terry we shall see that some episodes did not hit the mark as well as others.
 
BluprintZ said:
Funnily enough, "Short Back and Palais Glide" and "Pate and Chips" are actually two of my favorites from that compilation set.

It was early days as an actor for Tony Haygarth (Compo's cousin Chip) and i think he did fairly well in that episode, although his Yorkshire accent left a bit to be desired in my opinion, a bit too posh for rural Yorkshire.

I've mentioned this before in a previous thread but i find the scene where Ivy gives the baby back to Chips missus quite endearing "we never had children" she says.
She gives the impression that deep down, maybe she regrets not having had any.
Those are the sort of performances that make you feel closer to the character.

Although you mention that some of the earlier episodes can be a bit rough around the edges, i'm not sure if that roughness is possibly what made some of the performances stand out a bit more from others.
The ones i mentioned in my previous post, of not being too keen on, well i would say that they were more like "wooden" performances, rather than rough-edged ones.

"Here's to the lady that works in the Naafi in Oswestry, the one with the glasses".
I suppose we shouldn't expect perfection like that all of the time really, eh?

G ; )
Click to expand...

These early shows have a certain zing and freshness because cast and crew were still unsure if the show was going to be popular and probably some of the scenes were done on the fly. And the times were different. Doing laundry was a cooperative effort and every time the threesome sat down, the cigarettes would come out and the ritual of lighting up was often also a cooperative effort.
 
Yes I believe all concerned were on a learning curve, this was the very early seventies when smoking was still generally acceptable and still I think advertised on Television. I agree with **** those first episodes were gritty and different and I love them, but they were not as you say "Good clean family Fun" I also have to confess I think Compo is great but in small doses , I much prefer an episode when the action is spread out between all three a good example I think is perhaps "Cheering up Ludovic" (this is no reflection on Bill Owen who played the character brilliantly) or and I am biased here, when Clegg takes the lead as it were for example "when you take a good bite Yorkshire tastes Terrible"
 
I think the earlier episodes hit a warm spot for me because they felt a bit more true to life.
Living in the States, The barber shops in the early 70s were always full of old smokers killing time, telling tales. I remember being sent to the five and dime to go buy penny candy on more than one occasion when the stories starting really getting interesting. ;D
I used to spend afternoons with my retired Uncle who was a volunteer fireman. Back then in the smaller towns a lot of Fire stations had built in pubs/ club houses to help raise funds for various causes and things. Lots of cigar smoke, colorful language and what not, even at 12 noon on a weekday and no one was gonna run you out as long as you were with an adult.
Even though it was an ocean away, those episodes with Blamire had a lot of similarities with what want on in the small Blue Collar Pennsylvania towns that I was raised in during that time period. Those episodes awaken a lot nostalgic moments in my memories.
 
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