A forty-year-old error

and7barton

and7barton

Dedicated Member
Just discovered that in "The Flag and further snags", I hadn't been laughing at Ronald Frazer at all - It was some bloke called Robert Lang. All this time, I've been mistaken. Was it only ME, or has anyone else made this mistake ? - I should have read the credits back in the 70's.
 
Imagine that established star Ronnie Fraser would have cost significantly more than was in the budget for guests so they opted for a minor actor [although he was in the biggest "soap" of its time Emergency Ward Ten] who had the aristocratic bearing that Ronnie Fraser, Terry Thomas , Leslie Phillips all portrayed throughout their career.
 
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Ronnie Fraser was basically a support Actor in many many films starting way back in the fifties like Crooks in Cloisters , The Punch and Judy Man [with Tony Hancock] Flight of the Phoenix, Killing of Sister George and Wild Geese. It is a similar story in terms of TV he was again a support actor in some big shows Avengers, Danger Man, The Invisible Man and his real starring role was in the Misfit early 1970 for which you will know the writer , our very own Roy Clarke . Here is an old photo which may help

ronnie.jpg
 
captain clutterbuck said:
Ronnie Fraser was basically a support Actor in many many films starting way back in the fifties like Crooks in Cloisters , The Punch and Judy Man [with Tony Hancock] Flight of the Phoenix, Killing of Sister George and Wild Geese. It is a similar story in terms of TV he was again a support actor in some big shows Avengers, Danger Man, The Invisible Man and his real starring role was in the Misfit early 1970 for which you will know the writer , our very own Roy Clarke . Here is an old photo which may help

View attachment 1972
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Oh him! I know him, he's definitely not Robert Lang.
 
I think the voices are similar, and Ronald Fraser specialised in playing well spoken yet seedy roles, so there are similarities.

Ronald was also in Minder, Rentadick and Ooh... You are Awful.

In later years he found fame again as the Lord of Love in TFI Friday.
 
I remember him in a truly awful movie - Rentadick. There was another LOSW actor in that movie with him - Kenneth Cope.
 
and7barton said:
I remember him in a truly awful movie - Rentadick. There was another LOSW actor in that movie with him - Kenneth Cope.
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Rentadick is an excellent film. Great cast in that. Ronald Fraser was great as the seedy owner of security company.
 
To me Ronald was always the slightly more rotund version of Leslie Philips - v similar castings but perhaps a little more seedy than caddish. He was always watchable even if the overall film wasn't.

Amazingly it hasn't been mentioned yet that he sparred against a demonic version of our very own Smiler in the truly wonderful chock full of 70s talent 'The Magnificent 7 Deadly Sins' in the 'Wrath' segment.
 
wstol said:
Rentadick is an excellent film. Great cast in that. Ronald Fraser was great as the seedy owner of security company.
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Didn't know the film wont be purchasing me thinks but if it is excellent or otherwise the script has come from John Cleese and Graham Chapman who wrote a lot of the Python material and the former of course the classic Fawlty Towers
 
Er, well actually, John Cleese and Graham Chapman were so embarrassed by the film they had their names removed from the credits.

Apparently so much of their script was altered they disowned the film.

I think only the 'additional material by John Wells and John Fortune' credit exists.

As bad as some people think the film is, it's definitely worth a watch. The story is quirky, but has many treasurable scenes and is great fun.

The outstanding cast of James Booth, Richard Briers, Ronald Fraser, Donald Sinden, Kenneth Cope, John Wells, Richard Beckinsale, Michael Bentine, Spike Milligan, Derek Griffiths and Penelope Keith ensure fine performances.
 
I didn't want to start a new thread but wanted to mention that it is the 50th Anniversary of the death of the comedic icon that was Tony Hancock which is tomorrow 25th June . I know there are quite a few fans of his work on the forum so may be telling the initiated but feel its worth a mention . I still listen to the old episodes on the radio [currently 4 on the IPlayer] and they are just so well written and acted out by Tony , Sid James and Kenneth Williams each one of them are legends .

I also read on the TH Appreciation society site that someone has done the decent thing and cleaned up the statue of Tony in Birmingham in time for this significant date. I haven't seen it [along with Captain Mainwairing in Thetford ] so adding both here for our members abroad who may not have seen .

tonyh.jpg

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