I too loved the show as a kid, and their acting seemed perfectly suited to the material. I'm not sure minimalistic Flight of the Conchords style acting would have worked with those scripts.
Bad actors that ruin shows Page 2
Quote: Jon Rob @ June 15 2009, 2:47 PM BSTThe guy who played the verger in Dad's Army surely tops (or bottoms) all these?
You're joking. Edward Sinclair was a good actor. He just happened to be in the same show as one of the best actors ever to grace a British TV screen in Arthur Lowe, who made everyone look just that bit worse than him.
Quote: chipolata @ June 16 2009, 3:22 PM BSTI too loved the show as a kid, and their acting seemed perfectly suited to the material. I'm not sure minimalistic Flight of the Conchords style acting would have worked with those scripts.
Yeah, but there's a limit... Never The Twain outdoes Croydon for incidences of senseless and brutal mugging.
Quote: Tim Walker @ June 16 2009, 3:29 PM BSTYeah, but there's a limit... Never The Twain outdoes Croydon for incidences of senseless and brutal mugging.
But sometimes that's no bad thing. Especially when you're ten.
Quote: Jacob Loves Comedy @ June 16 2009, 3:25 PM BSTEdward Sinclair was a good actor. He just happened to be in the same show as one of the best actors ever to grace a British TV screen in Arthur Lowe, who made everyone look just that bit worse than him.
In 1978 Arthur Lowe starred with Sir Laurence Olivier in the Laurence Olivier Presents television anthology series, in Daphne Laureola - and acted Larry right off the screen - compared to the Legendary Lowe, Larry was shit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Lowe#Later_career
Mind you Sir Arthur was total crap at Irish accents.
https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/bless_me_father/
Edited by Aaron.
Mind you Sir Larry was actually a dreadful screen actor.
Quote: Timbo @ June 16 2009, 3:58 PM BSTMind you Sir Larry was actually a dreadful screen actor.
Thought he was pretty good in Marathon Man. And in the film version of The Entertainer he was ruddy brilliant.
I recall that when Larry was complimented on his performance as a bad stand-up comic, he replied that actually he had approached the part by performing stand-up comedy as well as he was able.
He has of course had his moments, and he certainly does not spoil Marathon Man, but I find a lot of his performances, particularly in Shakespeare, too mannered for the screen.
I took a film class entitled Legends of the Golden Age of Film and each week was devoted to a different actor. Larry came up a couple of months into the class and it was slow death awful watching him. We saw Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and of course Hamlet. We also saw bits of his TV work, which were kind of spotty. To this day, however, I can't watch him in anything.
There is only one supreme champion in this category -
Daphne's brother in Frasier. Without a doubt the worst British accent since Keanu Reeves.
We would just walk onto the set and make noises like some sort of brain damaged Dick Van Dyke character.
F**king awful.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ June 17 2009, 3:15 AM BSTThere is only one supreme champion in this category -
Daphne's brother in Frasier. Without a doubt the worst British accent since Keanu Reeves.
We would just walk onto the set and make noises like some sort of brain damaged Dick Van Dyke character.
F**king awful.
Think about it Renegade - Daphne (from Salford) with a 'Mancunian' accent; one brother 'Cockney'; the other (mumbling) Scottish. Come on, this has got to be deliberate! Paramount could take their pick of authentic Mancunian comic actors - and they'd come running! But they've obviously gone for the outrageously ridiculous - and I think it's hilarious.
Quote: AndreaLynne @ June 17 2009, 2:28 AM BSTLarry came up a couple of months into the class and it was slow death awful watching him... To this day, however, I can't watch him in anything.
He was good in Spartacus and not bad in Rebecca, though he was a bit ropey as Zeus in Clash of the Titans (where the real stars were the monsters).
Michael from My Family - that's another.
Abi from My Family - and another.
Jed from The Green Green Grass - Oh, guess what, another.
The entire cast from Coming of Age - no wait, and the scripts. (The writer, director, cast, studio audience, viewers, everyone involved in this crime should be shot.)
Quote: Morrace @ June 16 2009, 3:41 PM BSTMind you Sir Arthur was total crap at Irish accents.
There was nothing wrong with it!
Quote: Kenneth @ June 17 2009, 7:19 AM BSTHe was good in Spartacus and not bad in Rebecca, though he was a bit ropey as Zeus in Clash of the Titans (where the real stars were the monsters).
He was great in Sleuth too. That was a perfect role for him - able to go theatrically over the top. Caine on the other hand was a bit iffy there. Never saw the remake.
Barbara Windsor can't really act - she was quite bad in One Foot In The Grave.