Obscure sitcom facts Page 13

As a follow-on from the preceding post:

Sanford and Son was hailed by millions as America's first "real" black sitcom.

Prior to its arrival on the scene, there had been black sitcoms but the problem (for black audiences) was that the black characters tended to speak like white people.

Sanford and Son changed that and the show was a hit with Americans of all ethnicities.

The series was enjoyed by all ethnicities but it was absolutely adored by black Americans, mainly due to killer jokes like this in the first five minutes of episode 1.

The son wants to better himself and is telling Sanford he fancies trying his hand at ship-building.

SON: With what I know about iron and steel I could be a millionaire, just like that Greek cat that married Jackie Kennedy. And you know something? He started out poor - just like me.

SANFORD: Only one difference.

SON: What's that?

SANFORD: He started out a Greek.

And with that simple line, 20-odd million black Americans realised they were at long last watching people on TV who spoke their language - in every sense!

Jason Watkins, co-star of sitcom Hold the Sunset and soon to play Harold Macmillan in The Crown is a graduate of RADA.

Nothing unusual about that but when, as a young man, he received his letter of acceptance from that venerable institution, he literally jumped for joy.

Unfortunately, as he returned to earth, he landed on his cat and killed it.

Sounds like one of those actor anecdotes that could be true but could equally be a load of shite that nets some publicity with no proof needed. Not sure why someone would share a story of them accidentally killing their pet anyway unless he just wanted to remind everyone he went to RADA.

Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 18th August 2019, 7:24 PM

Sounds like one of those actor anecdotes that could be true but could equally be a load of shite that nets some publicity with no proof needed. Not sure why someone would share a story of them accidentally killing their pet anyway unless he just wanted to remind everyone he went to RADA.

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Quote: Firkin @ 13th August 2019, 10:05 AM

Steptoe and Son was bought by America but remade using a black father and son, called Sanford and Son (1977). It was considered unpalatable to have a white family down on its heels. Roseanne broke that taboo in 1988.

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Interesting and just been reading about it. I'll have to check it out because it sounds like it could be very funny.

Scrubs was filmed in a decommissioned hospital and one of the floors was for the actor's dogs. They had to spend a long period filming on location so rather than leave them at home they could bring them along and drop them off upstairs every day. A doggy créche.

Ok, not particularly sitcom derived but certainly obscure (unless you already know this) but where else can I share this gem of a fact?

Prior to going to see the play Murder, Margaret and Me on Thursday night about Margaret Rutherford's relationship with Agatha Christie after her interpretation of Miss Marple in the series of films, I read Margaret Rutherford's biography and learned that:

Margaret Rutherford's father murdered Tony Benn's great grandfather.

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 5th October 2019, 9:25 AM

Margaret Rutherford's father murdered Tony Benn's great grandfather.

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Yes, I did know that, but not the Tony Benn bit; but cannot remember where I read it and her mother committed suicide I seem to remember and THAT is why she had no children herself, despite being a lover of kids, as she feared there maybe an unstable gene in the family.

In The Young Ones, SPG is not a real hamster. An uncannily realistic puppet was used.

Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 6th October 2019, 1:14 PM

In The Young Ones, SPG is not a real hamster. An uncannily realistic puppet was used.

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You utter bastard, Monkhouse!

You're just jealous because I know so many interesting facts about sitcoms and the Spice Girls.
On a related note, I always wished they hadn't used a puppet rat at the end of Fawlty Towers You laugh for the wrong reason.

Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 6th October 2019, 2:13 PM

On a related note, I always wished they hadn't used a puppet rat at the end of Fawlty Towers

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To train a real rat to do that.................now that would have been clever.

It's the wrong style of humour for the show. Shows work best when they're totally off the wall (Young Ones) or totally credible (Porridge). My prob with series like Two Broke Girls or The (US) Office is they wanna have their cack and eat it - they wanna be proper sitcoms with proper characters, but then they just do crazy shit for laughs.