Mollie Sugden et al

[TheKeysOfMarinus 390]

On 19/07/2021 at 00:31, YoungWillz said:

Felicity Kendal and Robert Lindsay starring in a stage production of Anything Goes (pics): https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9710343/Felicity-Kendal-74-displays-impressive-flexibility-rehearsals-London-show.html

 

Now I've done that show, and I am guessing they are not playing the young leads - because if they are, I want the cast list of the other characters who should be nearing their nineties!

 

Amazing how really truly rough they look, compared with the mocked up picture promoting the show. That says nothing about their health, but Flic in particular I personally think looks older than her age.

Do they really look rough? They look pretty great for two people in their early 70s to me.

[YoungWillz 21,062]

By chance, I caught a 1976 episode of George And Mildred this morning. It's the one where Mildred finds out George isn't insured for his death - bitter sweet, as there's lines in it in which Mildred makes it quite clear that George is going to die first. 

 

Anyhow, of interest, Brian Murphy gave an interview a couple of weeks ago: https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/brian_murphy/interview/brian-murphy-on-george-mildred/

 

Sheila Fearn I think is the next oldest regular cast member still alive - 81 this year. 

 

What surprised me was that Peter Frazer-Jones is apparently still going - so many comedy show credits it's painful to pick out any one - he's about to turn 91, unless he has died off radar.

[Ulitzer95 12,654]

39 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

By chance, I caught a 1976 episode of George And Mildred this morning. It's the one where Mildred finds out George isn't insured for his death - bitter sweet, as there's lines in it in which Mildred makes it quite clear that George is going to die first. 

 

Anyhow, of interest, Brian Murphy gave an interview a couple of weeks ago: https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/brian_murphy/interview/brian-murphy-on-george-mildred/

 

Sheila Fearn I think is the next oldest regular cast member still alive - 81 this year. 

 

What surprised me was that Peter Frazer-Jones is apparently still going - so many comedy show credits it's painful to pick out any one - he's about to turn 91, unless he has died off radar.

I don't think he is.

His last credit on IMDb was an appearance in a 2001 documentary. 

Death Index has this record:
 

Name	Peter Frederick Frazer-Jones
Birth	10 Oct 1930 [Brentford, Middlesex, England]
Death	Nov 2005 Surrey, England

Spouse is given on Ancestry as "Mary Ward". 90% sure this is him. If we could get a date of birth, middle name or a spouse name linked to the director-producer, we could confirm beyond doubt this is him.

[YoungWillz 21,062]

16 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

I don't think he is.

His last credit on IMDb was an appearance in a 2001 documentary. 

Death Index has this record:
 

Name	Peter Frederick Frazer-Jones
Birth	10 Oct 1930 [Brentford, Middlesex, England]
Death	Nov 2005 Surrey, England

Spouse is given on Ancestry as "Mary Ward". 90% sure this is him. If we could get a date of birth, middle name or a spouse name linked to the director-producer, we could confirm beyond doubt this is him.

Interesting.

 

If I look here, the chap referred to seems to have been born 10 January 1930: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1030/?name=Peter_Frazer&name_x=s&pcat=42&spouse=Mary_Lynch&qh=RowpNtl%2FFWObm3kHjdDU7A%3D%3D

 

I don't know how Ancestry works though, ha!

 

Offspring of the union perhaps we could search about the net for?

[Ulitzer95 12,654]

5 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

Interesting.

 

If I look here, the chap referred to seems to have been born 10 January 1930: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1030/?name=Peter_Frazer&name_x=s&pcat=42&spouse=Mary_Lynch&qh=RowpNtl%2FFWObm3kHjdDU7A%3D%3D

 

I don't know how Ancestry works though, ha!

 

Offspring of the union perhaps we could search about the net for?

I saw the family trees and tried to ignore them. Some of them had him born on 10 Jan, others on 1 Oct and or 10 Oct. Looks like people have copied info from elsewhere and got 1/10, 10/1 mixed up.

[Philheybrookbay1 247]

Funny George and Mildred gets a mention  of Avril Elgar was done on Twitter as having died yesterday. But Wiki has her still going at 89. 
 

To be fair- this is a fan of Yootha Joyce and a pretty extreme one at that! 
 

Edit- not just this Twitter confirming it now. She was Mildred sister Ethel in G and M. No qualify obit yet.

[YoungWillz 21,062]

Not seemingly corroborated anywhere else, but reported that Gerard Ryder, best known as bespectacled Private Matthew Lilley in Get Some In, died back in June (maybe there's something on the Book of Face or elsewhere?): 

 

[YoungWillz 21,062]

I wonder if this is the death for Gerard Ryder: https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/funeral-notices/16-06-2021-gerard-stephen-ryder/

[Ulitzer95 12,654]

On 08/10/2021 at 00:54, YoungWillz said:

I wonder if this is the death for Gerard Ryder: https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/funeral-notices/16-06-2021-gerard-stephen-ryder/

This is definitely him. This Gazette page reveals a match. I'll try and submit to IMDb.

[YoungWillz 21,062]

2 hours ago, Ulitzer95 said:

This is definitely him. This Gazette page reveals a match. I'll try and submit to IMDb.

Well, for someone who gave up the acting game a long time ago, it's still sad to learn of Gerard Ryder's death. Almost everyone involved in Get Some In! went on to have fairly successful careers. Selby and Ryder in the same year...so sad. I loved that show.

[Vinegar Tits 606]

Jack Smethurst dead. Confirmed on Twitter by his son

[time 8,618]

1 minute ago, Vinegar Tits said:

Jack Smethurst dead. Confirmed on Twitter by his son

I concur

 

[Vinegar Tits 606]

I was about to post the same screenshot!

[time 8,618]

4 minutes ago, Vinegar Tits said:

Jack Smethurst dead. Confirmed on Twitter by his son

I concur

 

Bloody Nora!

[YoungWillz 21,062]

Never understood why there was such a problem with Love Thy Neighbour, Smethurst's character was just as much a fool as Alf Garnett, Rigsby and Sgt Major Williams. I remember loving it as a child. Of course, he was a very good character actor outside of that show, but that will be what he is remembered for.

 

RIP.

[YoungWillz 21,062]

2 out of 3 in this picture gone already this year - can Biggins survive?

 

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,689]

1 hour ago, YoungWillz said:

Never understood why there was such a problem with Love Thy Neighbour, Smethurst's character was just as much a fool as Alf Garnett, Rigsby and Sgt Major Williams. I remember loving it as a child. Of course, he was a very good character actor outside of that show, but that will be what he is remembered for.

 

RIP.

Like Til Death, there wasn’t really a problem with it at the time, although that’s probably due more to the institutionalised racism of the day than a better developed sense of ironic humour. LTN has aged worse of the two because it’s not as well written or funny, I’d imagine. Not that I’ve seen it in 40 years. 

[YoungWillz 21,062]

1 minute ago, harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy said:

Like Til Death, there wasn’t really a problem with it at the time, although that’s probably due more to the institutionalised racism of the day than a better developed sense of ironic humour. LTN has aged worse of the two because it’s not as well written or funny, I’d imagine. Not that I’ve seen it in 40 years. 

The thing was you either found stuff funny because of the racism or in spite of it (I was in the latter category).

 

Rigsby's almost flagrant racism is breath taking at times, and yet Rising Damp is still beloved. Rudolph Walker's character was just an ordinary guy trying to get on with his life, however, he did reverse the racism showing it to be a waste of time and breath. And actually both living together and working together, they had no option to be reconciled at the end of every show. I recall there was a Union show where they united against the imminent loss of jobs. The difficulty of integration of societies could be overcome with common cause and humanity. 

 

I dislike Til Death intensely - I've always thought it an outlet for Sullivan's deep seated personal racism.

 

Look at today. Is it worse in real life? I'd say yes, more ghettoisation of ethnic backgrounds where white and others are distanced from each other in living accommodation and attitudes. Yet the PC crowd would have us believe we are more diverse and multi-ethnic than ever, living in harmony like Ebony and Ivory by McCartney/Wonder. Maybe there is more a need for these type of shows than ever.

[msc 18,479]

Rising Damp is pretty good TV whereas the little I've seen of Love thy Neighbour was incredibly mediocre. That may also play a role. 

[YoungWillz 21,062]

4 minutes ago, msc said:

Rising Damp is pretty good TV whereas the little I've seen of Love thy Neighbour was incredibly mediocre. That may also play a role. 

No doubt about it. 

 

Many shows of that era were - Bless This House for example is incredibly poor. Terry And June is voraciously upper middle-class twaddle, give me George And Mildred every day over that shite. To The Manor Born was never really that good, try re-watching that pile of steaming crap today.

[Bibliogryphon 9,588]

3 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

No doubt about it. 

 

Many shows of that era were - Bless This House for example is incredibly poor. Terry And June is voraciously upper middle-class twaddle, give me George And Mildred every day over that shite. To The Manor Born was never really that good, try re-watching that pile of steaming crap today.

 

Many of these sitcoms were essentially written as vehicles for a specific actor. Terry and June is almost the archetype of the suburban British sitcom but relies on the undoubted charisma of the two leads but is not that demanding. The ensemble pieces such as Hi-De-Hi and Allo, Allo probably have more longevity because of the range of characters that are on display. Audrey from TTMB is actually a very unpleasant person but Penelope Keith imbibes her with just enough pathos to keep the audience on her side. 

 

With regard to In Sickness & In  Health it was Speight not Sulliven and I am sure both Speight and Mitchell were adamant that the racism on display was there to be laughed at not with. The presence of Tony Booth would also support that. Not a fan myself though.

[YoungWillz 21,062]

1 minute ago, Bibliogryphon said:

 

Many of these sitcoms were essentially written as vehicles for a specific actor. Terry and June is almost the archetype of the suburban British sitcom but relies on the undoubted charisma of the two leads but is not that demanding. The ensemble pieces such as Hi-De-Hi and Allo, Allo probably have more longevity because of the range of characters that are on display. Audrey from TTMB is actually a very unpleasant person but Penelope Keith imbibes her with just enough pathos to keep the audience on her side. 

 

With regard to In Sickness & In  Health it was Speight not Sulliven and I am sure both Speight and Mitchell were adamant that the racism on display was there to be laughed at not with. The presence of Tony Booth would also support that. Not a fan myself though.

Of course I meant Speight. Doh! Alzheimers setting in I'm afraid...

 

It's only my opinion, but actually it had the same problem as Love Thy Neighbour. I remember at the time Alf Garnett was an absolute hero to a lot of people. So they fucked that right up right there.

[Bibliogryphon 9,588]

3 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

Of course I meant Speight. Doh! Alzheimers setting in I'm afraid...

 

It's only my opinion, but actually it had the same problem as Love Thy Neighbour. I remember at the time Alf Garnett was an absolute hero to a lot of people. So they fucked that right up right there.

 

Same problem with The German episode of Fawlty Towers but John Cleese is very much of the opinion that you should not be writing for the stupidest member of the audience

[Ulitzer95 12,654]

The media seem to be in no rush to report this...

... odd given there's fuck all else happening today.

[YoungWillz 21,062]

1 minute ago, Ulitzer95 said:

The media seem to be in no rush to report this...

... odd given there's fuck all else happening today.

I stopped picking Smethurst for my Comedy team.

 

Whilst there is no doubt he should obit, it might take a while to frame a suitable one - if at all. Been burnt before. Yeah, the BBC have gone a bundle on PJ O'Rourke (who I have vaguely heard of, so most people won't care) and some Bollywood star (who the fuck?). 40 years ago, breaking news, now? I mean the show is nearly 50 years old and he did theatre work after that, rarely anything else.

 

Smethurst was a huge star back in the day - fingers crossed eh?