More nostalgia.
I recently purchased the A&E box set, Benny Hill, The Naughty Early Years - Complete and Unadulterated set one, 1969-1971. It's a three disc set that contains the first 11 50 minute episodes of his Thames television series. These episodes were syndicated in the U.S. as a half hour (24 minutes without comercials) program back in the mid to late seventies. There's also a documentary at the end (from the early nineties?) that includes a few clips from his BBC series from the fifties to the sixties.
The first episode was a bit of a letdown. Yes, I'd remembered all these skits and routines, but they weren't as funny as I recalled. The more I watched, though, the more I enjoyed. Either the show got progressively funnier with each episode, or I was finding myself being drawn deeper into the semi-juvenile mindset which made this nonsense acceptable. Maybe a little of both, but more of the former than the latter, I think. I look forward to future volumes.
There are other Benny Hill sets on the market, but I've not seen them yet. I think they're shows from the eighties, which if I recall correctly, don't represent Mr. Hill at his funniest. I will eventually get that material as well, once I've got all his classic stuff. I'd also like to see his early BBC material.
Labels: DVD, fun, Heroes, nostalgia, tv
# posted by Edshugeo The GodMoor : 7:30 PM
