Interested in old comedy films?

I was searching on Sky today to find a certain film and I found it on a TV channel called Talking Pictures which I had never heard of.

Took me a while to find it on the Sky planner but in the end found it in the Movie section, right at the end, on Channel 343. Not sure if it is on any other TV platforms (Freeview, Virgin etc.)

It is a strange channel and seems to be run by "film buffs" who rescue old TV shows and films and sell them on DVD, however there are a few interesting old comedy films and TV shows on there.

They have a web site here: http://www.renownfilms.co.uk/

On the TV channel there is an amazing "hotch potch" of films and TV shows, ranging from the 1920s through all the decades (30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s even 90s).

They seem to specialize on rescuing British films from the 50s and 60s (or later) so a great history of British films on there.

There are films and TV shows on there that I have never heard of, some of them featuring comedians or pop groups who probably forgot they ever made them. People like Arthur Lowe, Tommy Cooper. Sid James and many others.

It does look as though there is some "crap" on there as well (very dated films from the 20s and 30s) but if you hunt through the crap there is some interesting stuff, particularly for comedy historians.

I have set about 30 things to record (honestly) over the next week or so, from TV shows to films, and some other obscure things (documentaries and so on).

While I accept it won't interest everyone, for someone who wants to see a film Tommy Cooper made in the 1950s it may be a gold mine.

Sounds very interesting! Wouldn't say about 20s & 30s films being crap though as I have quite a few on DVD and love watching them if only for the external shots of how it used to be (cars, houses, fashions etc.) and a lot of them are very good stories too. The short Inspector Hornleigh series for example.

Thanks for the link.

Sorry Perhaps "crap" was not the best phrase.

There is one on right now, a British film from 1934 (Broken Blossoms) and the sound is terrible (you can hardly hear what they are saying) and the "sets" are also rather laughable (it starts off in China and it is so obvious when the camera pans across the China countryside and villages it is a model).

The acting is also VERY over dramatic.

Also not very "PC", for example when the Chinaman comes over the UK to "preach" the crowd shout out "go home you chinky").

However in terms of outdoor shots, there are two films coming up, one set in Brighton and another in Dover where they point out that there are some great historic shots of both those towns.

Well, there you go and we have to accept that it was a different world then. No good denying it and sweeping it under the carpet, pretending it never happened.

Love old British B&W films.

Talking Pictures TV is indeed just on Sky at the moment (343), but they're hoping they may be able to launch on Freeview later this year.

Brilliant!

Quote: Guilbert @ 19th June 2015, 10:46 AM BST

Also not very "PC", for example when the Chinaman comes over the UK. . .

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I was once told by a member of the PC Brigade that 'Chinaman' is unacceptable as a term to describe a man from China.

I was also once told by some bird from Channel 4 that 'ethnic minority' is unacceptable as a term to describe a group within a community that has different national or cultural traditions from the main population.

What a life!

Is this going to turn into "wasn't it nice when we were all racist?" threads?

I dislike the term 'PC brigade' as too often it's just used to dismiss things that aren't actually 'politically correct' but merely 'things we used to say years ago that were sort of not on, really.'

Having said that I can't see how 'Chinaman' is any different than 'Englishman', even if it's not commonly used any more.

Quote: GallonOfAlan @ 30th June 2015, 1:39 PM BST

I dislike the term 'PC brigade' as too often it's just used to dismiss things that aren't actually 'politically correct' but merely 'things we used to say years ago that were sort of not on, really.'

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Anyone accused of racism need only claim he was merely being satirical.

It worked for Johnny Speight, and if you think his 1966 "Till Death" series was essentially satirical and didn't pander intentionally and hugely profitably to the racist views of the far right, have a look at his follow-up 1969 series "Curry and Chips" and you might change your mind.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 30th June 2015, 2:23 PM BST

Anyone accused of racism need only claim he was merely being satirical.

It worked for Johnny Speight, and if you think his 1966 "Till Death" series was essentially satirical and didn't pander intentionally and hugely profitably to the racist views of the far right, have a look at his follow-up 1969 series "Curry and Chips" and you might change your mind.

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Till Death was basically taking the piss out of the type of person Garnett was.

Quote: Chappers @ 30th June 2015, 7:47 PM BST

Till Death was basically taking the piss out of the type of person Garnett was.

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That was certainly Speight's claim when Alf's views became unfashionable.

Quote: Rood Eye @ 1st July 2015, 8:22 AM BST

That was certainly Speight's claim when Alf's views became unfashionable.

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Come on. Everyone was laughing at him. His wife, his daughter, his son-in-law (who committed the most heinous crime EVER!).

Quote: Chappers @ 1st July 2015, 5:49 PM BST

Come on. Everyone was laughing at him. His wife, his daughter, his son-in-law (who committed the most heinous crime EVER!).

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What about the son-in-law's son-in-law then?

Hi. I'm a new person here. Is there anyone who can commend me some good, old comedy ?