Off: Faulty Towers question

Can someone give a sort of summary of what was great about this show. It's one I never saw. I guess they are not shown in repeats. I heard how great it was but have no idea why or what it was about. IT came up in the UK thread. Was this produced in the UK? Which channel showed it in the US? Cynth

On 22 Nov 1998 17:44:48 GMT, [email] (Raining900) wrote:

The show is about an hotel in a resort on the south coast of England called Torquay, run by a husband and wife team called Basil and Sybil Fawlty. Basil was played by John Cleese of Monty Python fame and Sybil by Prunella Scales, a fine classical actress. The other main characters were a Spanish waiter called Manuel and the chambermaid/waitress called Polly (played by John Cleese's ex-wife, Connie Booth, an American who was also in Monty Python).

It's not easy to explain why the show has become a classic, at least in the UK, but here goes. Virtually all the humour revolves around Basil who combines nearly every cliched British trait you can imagine. He's unbelievably uptight, snobby, scared stiff of his wife, and in need of intensive therapy! But above all, it's about the plotlines and the intricate way that all the strands weave into each other and reach a comedy crescendo at the end of each episode. This, I think, is the similarity with Seinfeld - the sheer quality of the writing and acting.

If the show hasn't travelled well, it's probably because it was designed to appeal to the British sense of humour with no cultural references for anyone else to recognise. Has anyone outside of the UK heard of Torquay? Even if someone in say America has, would you know the place of Torquay in British culture? Yet that knowledge is IMHO essential to the show's success. Compare FT with another one of John Cleese's offerings - A Fish Called Wanda - which was written with both the UK and US markets in mind. As a result, it was very successful, but it had none of the comedy "bite" of FT. The best writing is based on personal experience or recognition and that's why both FT and Seinfeld are so good (and so similar in many ways). One show is quintessentially British and the other is deeply rooted in American urban/singles life. However, what gives Seinfeld the edge for me is that the writing/acting is strong enough to cross over the Atlantic and keep us Brits happy too!

BTW, FT is available here on BBC video. Log onto the BBC's website and perhaps you'll be able to buy some. The address is www.bbc.co.uk. There are also lots of FT sites. Here's a good one http://welcome.to/fawltytowers

Here's one American who likes many of the British sitcoms I have seen. I don't understand all of the cultural references, but I do get enough of them to find the shows enjoyable. I think Fawlty Towers is one of the funniest shows ever produced anywhere. It's been on our local PBS station from time to time, although I haven't seen it lately. I think one of the cable channels bought the rights to show it in the U.S.

I've also enjoyed Only Fools and Horses, Goodnight Sweetheart, The Thin Blue Line, and Blackadder. I'll also watch anything with the gorgeous Helen Baxendale. However, I don't find shows such as Benny Hill or Keeping Up Appearances to be very entertaining.

Just my opinion.

Mike

I don't recall Connie Booth as a member of Monty Python (not even a supporting member). Are you sure you're not thnking of Carol Cleveland?

The legnth of each episode of Faulty Towers varies greatly. Some are about 25 minutes long, and some are more than thirty. This makes it difficult for American commercial TV to schedule them; therefore when we do see episodes, it's usually on public television (often during pledge weeks).

IMO John Cleese is one of the greatest comic actors ever...Faulty Towers is a gem.

On Sun, 22 Nov 1998 21:07:43 GMT, [email] (Neil) regurgitated the following:

Just in case someone misunderstood that sentence: the resort is called Torquay, and the hotel is called Fawlty Towers.

Neil wrote in message [email]...

(snip)

I don't totally agree. I believe that the show does travel well. I remember as a teenager watching Fawlty Towers on PBS some 20 years ago when I barely understood a word of what was being said (the accent and my english was still very primitive)but even then John Cleese's performance was so manic and visually powerful that I don't think I had ever seen anything as funny as FT was back then. I still have about 5 or 6 of the original 13 ( I think) on a tape somewhere and if I meet people who have never heard of FT (it's easy in Quebec) I take out my old tape and enjoy it all over again. I have no idea of Torquay's place in British culture but that hasn't affected my enjoyment of it.

Like Art said ,Cynthia just check out your Tv guide once and while for those PBS pledge drives and it never misses you'll find a Fawlty Towers marathon sooner or later.

Mo

On Mon, 23 Nov 1998 02:08:02 -0600, "Mohamel" wrote:

Yes, the visual comedy in FT is superb. Who can forget Basil thrashing his broken car with a branch and (in the same episode) digging into the pudding looking for the "Duck Surprise" and then telling the guests "duck's off"! Or Basil hitting himself on the backside and shouting "who's a naughty boy then!" The list is endless..

Point taken, but if you knew Torquay's place on the British cultural map I think you'd enjoy the show even more.

Enjoy!

Thanks for all these responses. I'll keep my eye open for a PBS marathon Cynth

[email] (Neil) wrote:

Basil restrains his emotions, especially anger. So instead of outward violence, he exhibits sarcasm, hyperbole, insults, veiled threats, self-flagellation, and other bizarre behavior.

In addition, Basil is cheap and short-sighted. He cuts corners on staffing and maintenance, or just gets too distracted to do what's needed. When parsimony and procrastination catch up with him at the most inopportune time, he panics and exacerbates the misfortune.

Finally, Basil is a pretentious social climber. He condescends to middle-income tourists and fawns over people he believes are rich or titled. It's laughable when he tries to market his ordinary, mismanaged hotel to the upper crust.

Yes, the laughs come fast and hard, from novel directions. It's so fresh that it holds up under repeated viewing. (By contrast, poorly-written shows seem like stale leftovers the first time you see them.)

The low-pressure British production schedule must help. Producing 12 half-hour shows in a season doesn't promote the exhaustion that seems commonplace in Hollywood. Europeans tend to prefer quality over quantity. Much of American TV seems to be directed at adolescent boys (or directed by them) who want more and more junk (witness the success of "Home Improvement").

Assuming the show is accurate, German, French, and American tourists must. I hope to see Rick Steves visit there someday.

Thanks for the interesting attempts to explore the humor of this series. I look forward to sitting down with my sister and watching it over Christmas (I'm giving her the series as a present). She told me years ago how much she loved this show. After I've seen it, I'll add to this thread.

Hmm, maybe I should give this as a present to my other sister and her husband, who is from England. He has a great sense of humor.

Cynth

Fawlty Towers shows up often on PBS during pledge drives. Comedy Central also runs them on occasion. They are available in the U.S. on VHS (3 tapes with a total of 12 episodes - the entire UK run) These shows are probably from the mid to late 1970's. I believe there was an attempt in the U.S. in the early to mid 1980's to make a make an American version on ABC called 'Hot l Baltimore' ('Hot l' being 'Hotel' on a neon sign with a burned out 'e'). From what I remember, it was horrible.

I believe all of the above to be true. I could be wrong.

Raining900 wrote in message ...

one

was

I recall HOT L Baltimore being on in the early 70's, and I believe it was based on a movie or a play.

I always thought the "Americanized" version of Fawlty Towers was Newhart. It was a funny show, but it didn't have anywhere near the edge FT had.

I'd thought John Larroquette was supposed to be starring in the true Americanized version of Fawlty Towers sometime this season - anyone know?

Do any of you know who sells the videos in the US?

I've seen the videos at many record/video stores -- The Wiz, Sam Goody, Tower, etc. You can either buy them as a four video set, or individually. I have the whole set and I love every episode!

Thanks!