Hancock's Half Hour Page 3

As The Lad is such a part of British comedy, anyone mind if I post a random jotting here and there as I work my way through the radio series?

Some of the early ones are quite far fetched in terms of plot (e.g The Monte Carlo Rally, The Rail Strike) and unlike the ones mentioned above (The Last Bus Home and Sunday Afternoon At Home) wouldn't have transfered to television.

I would have loved to see SAAH on TV! 'Squint man, squint!'

But the characters are developing into those we know from later series.

So, just finished The Chef That Died of Shame.

Spooky.

Young man gains wealth and fame which he can't handle, falls from the pinnacle of his profession into a drunken haze, loses everything.

Just bought this from this site . . I've only recently found these cheap, new book sites.

See Amazon product listing

That really is a wonderful book. Great read and a great reference.

I heard not to long ago that a new DVD would be coming next year featuring lost episdodes of this great comedy, anyone have any knowledge of this.

A few sound recordings have been recovered of late, but I think only of radio shows, not audio from TV episodes. Certainly no footage. There are some CDs newish/to come IIRC, so perhaps someone got confused in relaying the information to you?

https://www.comedy.co.uk/shop/?search=Hancock

You might be thinking of these?

[h=491699]
[h=964431]

And while we're on, this has to be worth £4.99 of anybody's money !

Blimey, that is a right bargain and a half.

I've meandered my way into series four now and the characters are nicely settled into the 'classic' radio shows.

Snide is well established and Sid is still out to fiddle The Lad viz Back From Holiday

Tony and Bill have been to France, should have been two weeks but spent all the money on car repairs after a couple of days and only made it to three miles outside Calais.

Returning to the house early, the key doesn't fit and, to cut a long story short, Sid has let the property to Snide for two weeks.

After pleasantries, Snide says that H can come round any time . . . 'What a nice man: says to pop round anytime . . . . . (beautiful pause . . . )'

BANG BANG BANG

'Whaty'd mean pop round any time . ? It's my house!'

I was watching the first episode of my boxset yesterday ('Alpine Holiday'). I think it'll take a few episodes for me to get into that show. It was a lot more cartoonish than Steptoe & Son. Hancock speaks out loud (or even shouts it out) what he's thinking and the other characters (especially Kenneth Williams' playing was über camp) are exaggerated as well. They didn't try to make it look realistic. In comparison, Steptoe & Son is a lot more realistic and even dramatic and moving at times. Am I right or was it just this episode?
But on the whole I was enjoying it...not a dull moment.

Nope, that's very much the style of Hancock's Half Hour. Steptoe And Son is far more of drama than comedy in some episodes; they're completely different beasts.

The Alpine Holiday is by no means one of the better surviving TV episodes, but if you enjoyed it as you say, you should delight in the series as a whole.

I'd advise giving some of the original Hancock's Half Hour radio series a go first though. That'll give you a better grounding in the 'world' and style of the programme, and introduce you to the characters.

Quote: Aaron @ February 1 2013, 4:24 PM GMT

Nope, that's very much the style of Hancock's Half Hour. Steptoe And Son is far more of drama than comedy in some episodes; they're completely different beasts.

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Could HHH be better described as a menagerie? Hancock's role (okay, not his character) changed week to week.

Interesting question. Sort of. I think it's less of a sitcom and more of a charcom. Where we'd usually expect to see the same cast of characters in the same couple of locations - from My Family to Are You Being Served? and Peep Show - each week, simply faced with a new set of comic problems, Hancock's Half Hour keeps the core couple of characters only, putting them both in wildly differing situations, and against an ever-changing array of challenges. It's an ever changing world into which Tony is flung on a weekly basis to maximise the comic potential.

Alpine Holiday is not much like what was to follow in my opinion hence KW not appearing in all that many - his character was a bit too extreme for TV which you could get away with on radio.

Galton & Simpson told me as much themselves so while some of the crew made the transition from radio it became clear that it worked better with Sid alone. The old chalk and cheese idea I guess.

Quote: Aaron @ February 1 2013, 4:24 PM GMT

The Alpine Holiday is by no means one of the better surviving TV episodes, but if you enjoyed it as you say, you should delight in the series as a whole.

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The second episode was much better. Where he was a flight steward and Sid James a crook.

Quote: Aaron @ February 1 2013, 4:58 PM GMT

Hancock's Half Hour keeps the core couple of characters only, putting them both in wildly differing situations, and against an ever-changing array of challenges. It's an ever changing world into which Tony is flung on a weekly basis to maximise the comic potential.

View original

This approach can make single episodes more memorable...or distinguishable. It's like the sitcom version of the "Carry on..." concept. Same cast with more or less constant characters but different situations. It's easier to say : "The one in the...-jungle, -hospital, -war etc. Quite Interesting!

Quote: Tuumble @ February 1 2013, 5:17 PM GMT

Galton & Simpson told me as much themselves so while some of the crew made the transition from radio it became clear that it worked better with Sid alone. The old chalk and cheese idea I guess.

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You really met them???

Quote: Gordon Bennett @ February 3 2013, 9:24 AM GMT

You really met them???

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I did.

The background is quite bizarre and just proves if you don't ask you don't get. If I hadn't asked Nasher to come on my radio show last night he wouldn't have been there either - he drove up from London to speak and wouldn't even accept payment for a copy of his book.

Anyway, the full G&S story has been told on here before so I'll link to that rather than type it again.

https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/6261/