The enigma that is ....alvin !!!

M

MoodyBlue

Dedicated Member
Good afternoon one and all,i hope each and everyone is well !!!
Now then,having mentioned "the mystery of ivy's vanilla slices" in my previous post, i wish to talk about our favourite hanglider.....alvin.
Alvin is quite a mysterious character.....we first meet him crashing down to earth outside cleggy's and howard's,and whilst he is still lying crumpled on the floor manages to flirt with pearl [whilst howard is watching !!!!!!].
We know he has been a "velvet tongued lothario" in the past,i mean,just at "eva" ,a previous old flame !!!!!.
He is obviously a very brave man !!.........just look how he went,single handed into "the green wood" to tackle "the cat creature".
But......how did he manage to buy "compo's" old house off tom ??????? .
And,if i'm honest,i think nora had a bit of a soft spot for him !!!!,i mean who else could smooth talk nora into a bout of "public line dancing" ?????
I would love to hear my fellow members opinions about this man,whose glass was always more than half full !!!!!!
Best wishes to each and everyone on our wonderful site !!!
Keith.
X!
 
Good questions! I haven't seen enough of the later series stuff with Alvin to make a call on most of them, but I agree there is some mystery around him. For example, in his first appearance (the glider crash) it seems like he is from the area, and I believe he mentions a wife. Then a few episodes later he is now living in Compo's old house without much explanation.

However, regarding Compo's house, I don't think Tom sold it to Alvin. Remember, Compo's house was a council house, so once he passed it would have gone back to the council. Tom and Mrs. Avery moved in, but presumably that was a coincidental development where the council assigned them that house when they applied for council housing. Tom later is kicked out by Mrs. Avery and lives with Smiler. Presumably Mrs. Avery left at some point and the house went back to the council, who ended up assigning it to Alvin.
 
Alvin is fabulous Keith,he's one of my favourites,only trouble is he always wears a Huddersfield Town FC scarf !
 
P.S They beat us in a play off final at Wembley,but then so have half the football league,apart from that,Love Alvin !!!
 
MOODYBLUE said:
Good afternoon one and all,i hope each and everyone is well !!!
Now then,having mentioned "the mystery of ivy's vanilla slices" in my previous post, i wish to talk about our favourite hanglider.....alvin.
Alvin is quite a mysterious character.....we first meet him crashing down to earth outside cleggy's and howard's,and whilst he is still lying crumpled on the floor manages to flirt with pearl [whilst howard is watching !!!!!!].
We know he has been a "velvet tongued lothario" in the past,i mean,just at "eva" ,a previous old flame !!!!!.
He is obviously a very brave man !!.........just look how he went,single handed into "the green wood" to tackle "the cat creature".
But......how did he manage to buy "compo's" old house off tom ??????? .
And,if i'm honest,i think nora had a bit of a soft spot for him !!!!,i mean who else could smooth talk nora into a bout of "public line dancing" ?????
I would love to hear my fellow members opinions about this man,whose glass was always more than half full !!!!!!
Best wishes to each and everyone on our wonderful site !!!
Keith.
X!
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I have always liked Alvin. He bought a new spin to the series . In a way he was a sort of Compo type but not scruffy but the way he set about Nora and some of his antics. The interplay between Brian Murphy and Kathy Staff was great. Alvin could have fitted in in any era of the show. In my opinion anyway.
 
Sarkus said:
Good questions! I haven't seen enough of the later series stuff with Alvin to make a call on most of them, but I agree there is some mystery around him. For example, in his first appearance (the glider crash) it seems like he is from the area, and I believe he mentions a wife. Then a few episodes later he is now living in Compo's old house without much explanation.

However, regarding Compo's house, I don't think Tom sold it to Alvin. Remember, Compo's house was a council house, so once he passed it would have gone back to the council. Tom and Mrs. Avery moved in, but presumably that was a coincidental development where the council assigned them that house when they applied for council housing. Tom later is kicked out by Mrs. Avery and lives with Smiler. Presumably Mrs. Avery left at some point and the house went back to the council, who ended up assigning it to Alvin.
Click to expand...



One thing we do know about Summer Wine over the years is that there are a lot of loose ends. I don't imagine Roy Clarke ever imagined each storyline of the show being scrutinized so much. How many years were in between the time we saw Tom and Ms. Avery living in that home and the time we see Alvin living in there? Ms. Avery is one of those many characters that just "went away without explanation. Why? It was just conveniant for his scripts.


Keith, to be hones, Alvin was never one of my favorites. I always "liked" him but never "loved" him. Having said that, he does own one of my very favorite Summer Wine lines ever! Believe it or not, I might not even have it correct word for word. But it is his introductory scene where he crashes his hang glider. "Greeting from England!!! Love it!
 
The one thing I am glad they did not do was to keep the exact same character , certainly the main characters, and just change the actor which I have seen on countless occasions in other shows and it just detracts from the programme . I am comfortable when Roy Clarke has maintained an established plot relationship such as Nora/Compo, Nora/ Alvin , Stella/Alvin with the battleaxe vs barmpot neighbour .

I think the attrition rate for actors [in terms of them quitting] in later episodes was so low because where else was there in UK Television for comic actors to go. Brian Murphy is a case in point having endured great success with George and Mildred , pre LOTSW he ended up in a kids TV show which is demeaning, from my perspective, for an actor of his status . It is a very similar case with Trevor Bannister/Frank Thornton after Are You Being Served , Russ Abbot after his own shows, Cannon and Ball after cabaret and end of the pier shows started to disappear[I suppose June Whitfield is the exception she seems to have plenty of work] . I think mainly because of their age , with no Producers from any shows paying any attention to their experience and craft, LOTSW was a boat-hole for these actors because the cast are from their age group.

For all the pleasure they have given over the years I for one am pleased they extended their career by appearing in this great show.
 
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