More OT than usual...

[pelmut]

...but well worth watching.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/amandapar ... 114176554/

(Thanks to Amanda Parnell on Angelsforum)

[Sinned]

A modern slant on the John Cleese/Ronnie Barker/Ronnie Corbett sketch from oh so long ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2k1iRD2f-c

[skirted_in_SF]

A modern slant on the John Cleese/Ronnie Barker/Ronnie Corbett sketch from oh so long ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2k1iRD2f-c

Is that the Two Ronnies that I used to watch on public television here so many decades ago?

[Sinned]

The very same. They started out in the sixties in a satirical programme called "That Was The Week That Was" ( nicknamed TW3 ) along with David Frost and others. The format was sketches and comment on the week's news. It was the springboard for many now famous names ( at least here in Britain ) including Millicent Martin, Peter Cook, Graham Chapman, Bill Oddie and so on. There was a spin-off programme called "The Frost Report" presented by David Frost. I used to watch it but I was very young and don't remember much about it.

[skirted_in_SF]

I think of the Two Ronnies every time a NPR (National Public Radio for those not in the US) news broadcast ends with one host saying "I'm xxxx" and the other saying "and I'm yyyy" I remember the end of the Two Ronnies (at least as shown here) where one would say "I'm Ronnie Barker (or was it Corbett?)" and the other would say "And I'm not".

[Sinned]

The two Ronnies would end their show by Ronnie Corbett ( the short one with glasses ) saying "And now it's goodbye from me." and Ronnie Barker ( the taller one with glasses ) saying "And it's goodbye from him." Ronnie Barker was actually a genius at wordplay and language manipulation ( particularly spoonerisms and pismonounciation ) and he wrote a lot of comedy material based on that. It probably reached its zenith in his "Four candles" skit ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaGpaj2nHIo ) but there was also the one about "Mastermind - answering the question before last" ( [/url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvmRI6K8TS8[/url] ). Some of his sketches involved quite intricate spoken monologues which he would do in a single take. He always said that he wasn't a comedian but a character actor. One of their frequent spots was to music when they would perform within a dance ensemble or an orchestra or marching band and sing new words to familiar music ( google Two Ronnies musical sketches ). Another is a monologue given by Ronnie Corbett seated in an over large chair on some meandering topic or other. The world is somehow diminished by his demise. If you can spare the time and watch some of their sketches or shows on such as YouTube then do so. Your time will be enriched by it. Their humour is clean, doesn't really date and is of the highest quality. The word genius doesn't really describe his talent sufficiently and he was most modest about his accomplishments often submitting material under the pseudonym of Gerald Wiley so that it was considered on it's merits. There's a good career summary at http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/462765/

[skirtingtoday]

I always loved the Two Ronnies sketches over the years.

One thing that was unknown at the time, was that he was very dismissive of his own talent and wrote many of his sketches under the pseudonym of Gerald Wiley.

This was only uncovered when "Gerald" received a Life Achievement award and Ronnie had left the room to escort "Gerald" in to pick up the award. The only person to return was of course Ronnie himslef who confirmed that he was in fact Gerald.

[pelmut]

One thing that was unknown at the time, was that he was very dismissive of his own talent and wrote many of his sketches under the pseudonym of Gerald Wiley.

Years before he appeared on television, Ronnie Barker did his own radio programme: "Lines from my grandfather's forehead", the sketches were credited to "Gerald Wiley" and it was generally assumed, then, that this was Barker's pseudonym.

Unfortunately, when some of the material was transferred to television, they used a studio audience whose laughter drowned-out the wittiest bits of dialogue and even killed some of the punch-lines. The original dead-pan radio production with no audience or music and only minimal sound effects, was even funnier than the television version if you were prepared to sit quietly and pay attention to it.


By the way, Amanda Parnell has a few more interesting videos on YouTube, including one where she describes going through customs "en-femme".

[Sinned]

It has been said that there was considerable debate as to who Gerald Wiley was and it was even thought to be someone like Dennis Norden. But Ronnie Barker organised a dinner in the early 1970s where it was announced that Gerald Wiley would be attending. To which were invited ( some self-invited ) the comedy writing circle, friends of Ronnie and those having a vested interest as they all wanted to know this mysterious person was. Ronnie B stood up and announced that it was himself and he wasn't believed. He had to stand up a second time before he was believed. Before he "came out" he even rejected some of his own sketches to maintain his anonymity. He used one or two other pseudonyms throughout his lifetime.

[skirted_in_SF]

It has been said that there was considerable debate as to who Gerald Wiley was and it was even thought to be someone like Dennis Norden.

Dennis Norden! of My Word and/or My Music. My local NPR station ran the pair for decades until last summer when it was no longer distributed in the US. I listened to it for most of those decades.

[dillon]

Two marks....