Gentle Comedies

Seymour Upperthong said:
How about 'As Time Goes By', starring Geoffrey Palmer and Dame Judy Dench? There is no vulgarity, edginess or daft. It is a very pleasant, easy on the eyes and ears, light comedy, highly recommended at bedtime.
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That airs on the weekend here on public television. I catch it when I can. As much as I love SW, this one is hard for me to "get".
 
ferret said:
I reckon you still can’t beat Only Fools & Horses, especially up to the episode where they eventually became millionaires.
Watching it certainly makes me feel like I’m in the company old old friends.
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agree... I have the whole lot on VHS...

ferret said:
I meant to say I only enjoyed it up to the millionaire episode. For me Jolly Boys Outing, To Hull and Back, The Frogs Legacy, Danger UXD, Chain Gang, Cash n Curry, Second Tine Around are up there with the best.
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Theres noway to pick a favorite... too many. Uncle was every bit as good as Grandad in his own way. :)

but hard to beat
or
 
Onslow said:
That airs on the weekend here on public television. I catch it when I can. As much as I love SW, this one is hard for me to "get".
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What is there to get?? As Time Goes By is a romance! The episode where Lionel is shouted down by the Elephant lovers and (oh my) caught by Jean with his main squeeze. That night at bedtime, he gets dressed and leaves after realizing that the main squeeze won't accept separate bedrooms.

As for Summer Wine, there seems to be magic in a threesome. There were the Three Stooges and then there were the Three Musketeers. And now for the Trio. Let's look at the Trio. Foggy was the Superego, Clegg was the Ego, and of course Compo was the Id. For the women, there was Pearl, Ivy, Edie, Marina, and Nora. And they handled all sorts of small town situations, often remembering old school antics which sort of served to cement the idea that they were acting like adolescents.
 
Bora Natty said:
The Green Green Grass, came from Only Fools and Horses, correct? I find Green Green Grass very funny..
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Yes and it was set in my home county of Shropshire, the largest inland county and sparsely populated in England probably agriculture is the main industry here. Don't know the US that well but perhaps Kansas may be similar!? :)
 
Barrychuckle said:
Yes and it was set in my home county of Shropshire, the largest inland county and sparsely populated in England probably agriculture is the main industry here. Don't know the US that well but perhaps Kansas may be similar!? :)
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Compared to Kansas a lot more hills like The Wrekin though, maybe similar to the inland parts of the New England states.
 
Adanor said:
What is there to get?? As Time Goes By is a romance! The episode where Lionel is shouted down by the Elephant lovers and (oh my) caught by Jean with his main squeeze. That night at bedtime, he gets dressed and leaves after realizing that the main squeeze won't accept separate bedrooms.
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Warning: if you haven't seen the series, don't read this as I give away bits of the plot.

In ATGB there were many romances of sorts. Jean and Lionel, Alistair and Judy, Alistair and Mercury (who we never saw), Judy and the school teacher who had two children, Rocky and Madge, an imaginary romance between Mrs. Bale and Rocky, and of course the one real budding romance that just can't seem to get there between Sandy and Harry. There were probably others that I can't remember tonight.

What made this sitcom funny were the awkward moments, ie. when Lionel and Jean came home to find the teacher, who they had never met and Jean was concerned about his suitability as a mate for Judy, first thing in the morning, after an obvious pajama party with Judy. I could feel the lump in the teacher's throat but he was smooth as silk as he offered to make them coffee in their own home!

When Lionel was going to Norridge to speak on his book, he took advantage of the situation to hook up with what I took to be an old squeeze, not an active main squeeze (a process called recycling, btw) the awkward moments ensued with the unexpected arrival of Jean and Judy. I could feel the lump in Lionel's throat as he was making the introductions. Another awkward moment came later in the old squeeze's bedchamber when Lionel discovered the stack of other paramours' photos conveniently located in the bedside table, ready to for rapid deployment. As I mentioned in another posting, recycling is not for the feint of heart.

So was it a romance, or a soap opera, or a comedy of errors? I don't know, but it certainly meets Barrychuckles criteria for a gentle comedy. I liked it. When it was offered daily at 11PM on Rhode Island PBS, I watched it every night and slept like a baby.

I like your Freudian assessment of the LOTSW characters. I never liked Foggy. I was distantly related to a paramilitary type who took himself altogether too seriously, who acted like Foggy, so I am pre-disposed. I was pleased when my Cousin sent him packing. I might suggest that the one true authority figure, or superego, was Blamire.
 
Could anybody shed light on the tv series "Bloomers"?, I remember watching a few episodes, but, it seemed to recede into the back ground, have never been able to find a Dvd release, I seem to remember it starred Richard Beckinsale, and David Swift.
 
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I think you are correct all way to soon for such a talent . It took many years to console Ronnie Barker he was crestfallen by the loss of his co star from Porridge I believe he never got over it like losing a son , very very tragic and so so sad.
 
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