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Post by petrolino on Oct 13, 2019 1:14:00 GMT
Some people believe Benny Hill was a comic genius while others find his humour deeply offensive. It's doubtful Hill could get away with dressing as Mr T nowadays, and his bawdy humour drawing from saucy seaside postcards would be strongly condemned by huge swathes of society. Here in the U K, self-styled alternative comedian Ben Elton became famous for his attacks on Hill, who was taken off the air. With his show gone, Hill sank further into depression and he died shortly afterwards. Novelist and musician Anthony Burgess gave an address at his memorial service.
Barbara Windsor believes Hill's a genius. She helped to launch a campaign in 2006 to get a statue of Hill erected in his home city of Southampton.
Hill's debut in film came with 'Who Done It' (1956) which is available on dvd.
Do you like Benny Hill?
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Post by marianne48 on Oct 13, 2019 21:43:41 GMT
I loved Benny Hill when his show first appeared on U.S. television and it consisted mainly of silly songs and bawdy slapstick comedy bits. But I stopped watching as later seasons focused more on sleazy female dancers instead of comedy.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Oct 13, 2019 22:34:22 GMT
Watched maybe part of a show and that was apparently more than enough.
Must not have found him funny at all.
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Post by mstreepsucks on Oct 13, 2019 23:09:56 GMT
found him funny
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Post by Sulla on Oct 13, 2019 23:22:03 GMT
I enjoyed Benny Hill. I never thought he was offensive.
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Post by llanwydd on Oct 13, 2019 23:27:56 GMT
Probably on his neck.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Oct 13, 2019 23:32:14 GMT
This was recently suggested as a particularly sticky earworm … play it if you dare  |
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Post by sostie on Oct 14, 2019 13:14:25 GMT
Some people believe Benny Hill was a comic genius while others find his humour deeply offensive. It's doubtful Hill could get away with dressing as Mr T nowadays, and his bawdy humour drawing from saucy seaside postcards would be strongly condemned by huge swathes of society. Here in the U K, self-styled alternative comedian Ben Elton became famous for his attacks on Hill, who was taken off the air. With his show gone, Hill sank further into depression and he died shortly afterwards. I think he had the capacity to be very funny, but now some of his work does seem dubious - not just how he portrayed women, but also racially. Perhaps some double standards by me as I'm sure some people whose work I still love - Spike Milligan and Carry On, could also be frowned upon now. To an extent at the time I did agree with Elton (as irritating as he was), and I do think the public perception of comedy had changed drastically at that time due to the Comic Strip, Young Ones etc - it really was a bit of a revolution at the time. Elton did seem to rail against the whole old school of British comedy - and whilst some deserved criticism - Jim Davidson, Bernard Manning, there was also the genius of Morcambe & Wise, Tommy Cooper etc which were both hilarious without being offensive or alienating. Hill got lumped in with the former group, but I don't think he was ever as mean spirited as them and just pushed the old fashioned bawdiness as far as he could. Hill does appear in two of my fave 1960's films - Italian Job and Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines - I wish he did more comic acting in his later years.
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Post by sostie on Oct 14, 2019 13:27:56 GMT
That is such a great pic. I recognise most of the front row L-R : Hill, A Horse, Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Danny LaRue, Jack Smethurst (I think, with I think Hughie Green behind him). But that lady on the right and the guy on the horse look very familiar but I can't place them. Horse guy might be Robin Askwith.
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Post by kijii on Oct 14, 2019 15:41:48 GMT
Extremely original comedy---But, a bit TOO much for my taste (at least at the time).
Benny Hill had a way of finding comedy in everyday life that was totally original.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 15, 2019 17:06:58 GMT
Some people believe Benny Hill was a comic genius while others find his humour deeply offensive. It's doubtful Hill could get away with dressing as Mr T nowadays, and his bawdy humour drawing from saucy seaside postcards would be strongly condemned by huge swathes of society. Here in the U K, self-styled alternative comedian Ben Elton became famous for his attacks on Hill, who was taken off the air. With his show gone, Hill sank further into depression and he died shortly afterwards. I think he had the capacity to be very funny, but now some of his work does seem dubious - not just how he portrayed women, but also racially. Perhaps some double standards by me as I'm sure some people whose work I still love - Spike Milligan and Carry On, could also be frowned upon now. To an extent at the time I did agree with Elton (as irritating as he was), and I do think the public perception of comedy had changed drastically at that time due to the Comic Strip, Young Ones etc - it really was a bit of a revolution at the time. Elton did seem to rail against the whole old school of British comedy - and whilst some deserved criticism - Jim Davidson, Bernard Manning, there was also the genius of Morcambe & Wise, Tommy Cooper etc which were both hilarious without being offensive or alienating. Hill got lumped in with the former group, but I don't think he was ever as mean spirited as them and just pushed the old fashioned bawdiness as far as he could. Hill does appear in two of my fave 1960's films - Italian Job and Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines - I wish he did more comic acting in his later years.
I saw a documentary on Ronnie Barker where they spoke about his senior position at the BBC and some of the 1980s alternative comedians' criticisms of his work.
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 16, 2019 1:00:52 GMT
I remember one show where he was dressed as a stewardess with a giant chest region and he says something like "Fly British Airways. We got jumbos!"
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