Jokers Wild

No thread surprisingly.

Started to watch the first of my Jokers Wild DVDs with the pilot episode from April 1969 and what an eye opener.

All smoking, which was not usual of course, but the humour left a bit to be desired and the racist and sexist jokes a bit of a shock...............with the very unfunny Ray Martine and a couple of comedians I had never heard of - Bobby Pattinson and some fat cigar chomping bloke whose name escapes me at the moment.

As this was the unscreened pilot episode there is little detail to be had anywhere, which is a shame as I rather fancied one of the hostesses Ann Coates.

Taking this all with a pinch of salt though, as I did read somewhere years ago that a lot of it was scripted, especially the one minute stand up routine/round.

Really interesting series. Definitely incredibly dated in places, but there are some good laughs too. I really hope Network release further series.

Quote: Aaron @ 15th June 2016, 11:24 PM BST

Really interesting series. Definitely incredibly dated in places, but there are some good laughs too. I really hope Network release further series.

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Barry Cryer (how weird is that, seeing him with black hair) makes it for me, and yes let's hope some more are released, but it has been some time since these first two which doesn't augur well if they didn't sell well?

Forgot to mention I watched the first prog. last night and what a delight it was to see David Nixon, especially as I am reading his biog. at the moment where it mentions his appearance on this series.

What a lovely charming man he was.

Is there the one with John Cleese on?

Quote: Paul Wimsett @ 16th June 2016, 2:04 PM BST

Is there the one with John Cleese on?

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I haven't watched the second series yet, but I don't think JC is on either of them as it looks like he made an appearance during/after 1971 - what we need is for the rest of them to be released!

Anyway, to certain things..................further observations as I progress through Series One.

My main comment is that the only person to come out of this with any credit is Barry Cryer as he is as funny in this as he is today and always has been, with a warm glow for Ted Ray who I have always liked ("Rays a Laugh" on radio) and Charlie Chester who I used to enjoy with his "Sunday Soapbox" on Radio 2, which ran for over 20 years from the mid 70s; BUT Charlie cracks an identical joke in the 23/7/69 prog. and the 30/7/69 programme - so what is going on there?!?! The mind boggles that no one made a comment on this, even if they are shown out of recording sequence.

Also, what the point of the hostess Isabella Rye is, is anybody's guess as she bring nothing to the party, apart from her ample figure and she seems to have had one to many sherbets as she lolls over the desk next to Barry and sometimes doesn't make an appearance at all, so again what the hell is going on there?
As for everyone else................well regular (unfortunately) Ray Martine is a waste of space as he tries desperately to be funny and fails miserably, but to his credit he looks as though he accepts that he is not a patch on the others when it comes to comedy, and there is a bitterness in his eyes and demeanour, which he takes out on Les Dawson who you can see is early days for him, having not yet developed his confidence.

But apart from all that some of the jokes are......................well, not even jokes and of very poor standard, especially considering that it is rehearsed anyway.
Plenty of "who the hell is that?" comedians and this one took me by surprise................(Hint:- pre perm)

Continuing to watch this DVD and sorry to go on about it but am at a complete loss as to why Ray Martine was called a comedian.........the man is f**king useless - the "jokes" he cracks, when he gets one right are simply not funny, and then he has the gall to criticise other comedians on the panels.

Would love to hear what the likes of Ted Ray and Barry Cryer really think about him, as they do "comment" on his poor performance.

Now finished the two vids. on this series (I'm a slow viewer) and am going to bang on again about Ray Martine, who unfortunately was in every programme - I have never seen anyone so unfunny in all my life.

His jokes are, if not puerile, not even jokes - just some mush he has in his head.
He cannot tell a joke.

And then he has the utter gall to show contempt for the other comedians and their jokes.
How that man was ever taken on anywhere as a comedian is beyond me - he is was a f**king useless, gormless twat, and the only light to come out of him being on there is the regular poking fun at and making jokes about him by the other professional comedians, which is all very well but why have him on there in the first place.

However, on a lighter note, it is well worth viewing for the now sadly no longer alive stalwarts of British comedy from that pre/post war period, (I'm sure Barry Cryer, the chairman, is the only one left living today) with last few having a captain change with Alfred Marks coming on (have fond memories of his "Alfred Marks Time" comedy sketch series), Clive Dunn who must have then been coming to people's notice with "Dad's Army" at the time and the likes of "Professor" Stanley Unwin - Oh deep joy.

I always loved Professor Stanley Unwin and I have read his life story.
He got the idea for the mixed up English from his mother. (who often got her words mixed up)

She came in to the house one day crying and he asked her what was the matter

She said she had just follolloped down and hurt her knee clappers. (that is a funny line - I laughed when I just wrote it)

I used to have a friend that could 'do' Stanley Unwin off pat and everytime he did it I would be helpless with laughter.
He didn't rehearse the impression, any situation and he went right into it.

For instance, a girl with a low cut top walked by one day
He immediately started (and I am writing a poor imitation here)
'oh, tittley tittley wobbly, fall out of the dressaload, The glorymost and deep joy.

I love Stanley.

Me too.

I vaguely remember this series although I didn't see it much. Was it like a quiz?

Two teams of three had to tell a joke in turn on a subject selected by chairman Barry Cryer from a card drawn from his desk.
If one of the opposing team knew the joke they could buzz in and take it over, either scoring 5 or 10 points decided by Barry.
More of a joke fest (if you exclude the useless twat that is Ray Martine) and the way I read it many moons ago was that it was all rehearsed and little more than say "The Comedians" but in the form of a so called quiz, and when you see how it pans out you can see that it is quite cleverly put together as a quiz with each giving the impression that they were recalling a joke on a subject they had never seen before.

I enjoyed all the DVDs........................apart from the unfunny turd RM.

What's your opinion on Mr Martine Herc?

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 2nd May 2017, 7:26 AM

What's your opinion on Mr Martine Herc?

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Ooooooh >_<

The man hasn't one endearing quality. You know how you may not like a certain comedian but they do tell a good joke now and then and you forgive them - well, that is NOT the case with Ray Martine
To put it mildly he is f**king useless and whoever told him he was funny needed taking a out and shooting.
ONE he cannot even tell a joke properly
TWO his "jokes" are childish shit
and
THREE he then has the bloody cheek to criticise all and sundry on BOTH panels, implying that their joke wasn't funny or they are useless as a comedian.

I really don't know why he was allowed to continue on the show - complete loss to me. All the others take the piss out of him but he sits there with a stupid grin on his face as he thinks they are being ironic. He is that stupid.

I wish I could speak to Barry Cryer and get his take on it.

From Ray Martine's obit in The Guardian.

Later, he diversified into after-dinner speaking. In 1999, when asked, "Whatever happened to Ray Martine?", his former television co-host Barry Cryer replied that Martine had retired from performing, and was running an antiques business in Newcastle, adding, "he always did work with antiques".

The inference is there...