Comedy Smörgåsbord

It's time to tie up a lot of loose ends and put some odds and sods onto discs.

Comedy Smörgåabord - Disc 1:

It's A Square World - 27 - Montreux Entry Special (4-19-63)
It's A Square World was a BBC comedy sketch program that aired from 1960 to 1964 for a total of 56 episodes. Many familiar faces were part of the cast. Ronnie Barker, Clive Dunn (Bootsie & Snudge, Dad's Army), Frank Thornton (Are You Being Served, Last of the Summer Wine), and Dick Emery.....to name a few. This particular surviving episode is a compilation of skits from the program put together as an entry into Montreux's Rose d'Or Festival.
The Dick Emery Show - Episode 3.2 (10-9-65)
Dick Emery was in the cast of The Army Game during its final series and following that program was given his own comedy sketch show by the BBC which aired, off and on, from 1963 to 1981, just shortly before his death.
Scene - Terry (sometime in 1969). Scene was a BBC anthology program geared for teens that made its debut in 1968. This particular episode featured a young Dennis Waterman (The Sweeney, Minder, Stay Lucky, On The Up, New Tricks) with familiar faces Bill Owen (Compo of Last of the Summer Wine) and Reginald Marsh (Terry & June, George & Mildred, The Good Life).
Curry & Chips - Episodes 1-2-3 (1969) was a notorious Johnny Speight-penned sitcom starring comic legends Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes, Norman Rossington (Cupcake in The Army Game), singer Kenny Lynch and even a young Geoffrey Hughes (Keeping Up Appearances, The Royle Family). Only 6 episodes were broadcast before being pulled off the air for being too politically incorrect. Rumor has it all 6 episodes may be released on DVD sometime this year.....hopefully unedited!
Oh In Colour - Episode 6 (11-1-70) was a shortlived (6 eps) Spike Milligan sketch show.
Dick Emery Show - Episode 10.3 (1-15-72)
Dick Emery Show - Episode 10.5 (1-29-72)
The Best Of Dick Emery (1972)
It's Your Move (10-18-82) is an Eric Sykes film with legends such as Richard Briers, Tommy Cooper, Jimmy Edwards, Andrew Sachs (Manuel of Fawlty Towers), Bernard Cribbins and Brian Murphy (George & Mildred, Last of the Summer Wine).
The Jewel In The Crown, Southall, Middx (1985) Not sure if this was a pilot or what. An old black & white tape with a time clock but featuring Eric Sykes and Spike Milligan (an 80's version of Curry & Chips?) and Josephine Tewson (Hark At Barker, Keeping Up Appearances, Last of the Summer Wine, Clarence, Shelley, Odd Man Out).
Tracy Ullman: A Class Act (1993) I put this on to fill out the disc.
Comedy Smörgåsbord - Disc 2
City Lights - Episodes 1-2-7 City Lights was a long running BBC Scotland sitcom that lasted 6 series (37 episodes) from the 1984 pilot to December 1991. http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/lights/index.html
Comrade Dad - Episode 1 (Pilot): Don't Feel Bad, Dad (12-17-84) and Episode 2: 1999 (1-13-86). Comrade Dad was a single series (8 eps) BBC sitcom in 1986. http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/comrade/index.html
Stalag Luft was a 1993 comedy one-off starring Geoffrey Palmer (The Army Game, Butterflies, Executive Stress, Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, As Time Goes By), Nicholas Lyndhurst (Butterflies, The Two Of Us, Only Fools And Horses, Goodnight Sweetheart, The Piglet Files, After You've Gone) and Stephen Fry (Alfresco, Happy Families, Blackadder, Jeeves And Wooster, A Bit Of Fry And Laurie, Absolute Power, Kingdom).
True Love (2-25-96) was the pilot for what would become the TV show My Wonderful Life starring Emma Wray (Watching, Minder, Boon, Stay Lucky) which ran for 3 series (23 eps) from 1997 to 1999 and has remained very elusive to collectors for some reason.
Never Mind The Horrocks (1996) was a one-off comedy special starring Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous, Amazing Mrs. Pritchard, Gracie).
Hunting Venus (1999) is a TV movie starring Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey of Men Behaving Badly fame and Jane Horrocks.
Comedy Smörgåsbord - Disc 3
The Flint Street Nativity (1999) a lot of well known actors take on the roles of kids preparing for their school Christmas play. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0228306/
Von Trapped! (2004) Caroline Quentin (Men Behaving Badley, Life Begins, Blue Murder, Kiss Me Kate, Life Of Riley, Jonathan Creek) and Una Stubbs (Till Death Us Do Part) star in this one about "Hairdresser Maria is fixated by the Sound of Music (1965), it was the film she saw the night she was jilted 18 years ago. In a bid to confront her demons, Maria decides to travel to Salzburg, but with her mother and teenage offspring in tow she gets more than she bargained for!"
King Of Fridges (2004) Richard Wilson (Only When I Laugh, A Sharp Intake Of Breath, One Foot In The Grave, Merlin) stars in this one.
You Can Chose Your Friends (2007) Anton Rodgers and Julia McKenzie (Fresh Fields) reunite for this one.....with Claire Skinner. It was the final performance for Anton.
Torn Up Tales: Beauty And The Beast (2008) " reminiscent of The Mighty Boosh, Father Ted and Steve Coogan's work amongst others. Wriiten and Directed by Rebecca Papworth and Darren Dutton (Mark's Home Videos). Starring Tony Way (TittyBangBang, Blunder) , Emma Fryer (Ideal, Love Soup) and Tim Brooke-Taylor (The Goodies)."
The Site (2009) a pilot on BBC Three An estranged man who returns to his family’s pig farm when informed of his father’s death finds it has been turned into a struggling caravan site. However, he soon realises he has stepped right back into the madness he spent his whole life trying to escape.
Brave Young Men (2009) another BBC Three pilot Owen and Jamie are very average twenty-somethings with the not-so-average responsibility of saving the world. While locking up school one day, Owen Malloy is approached by Melvin, a time-transient civil servant from the future, and offered the position of Caretaker of the World and all its Population. All global disasters have relatively small initial triggers. Owen would be given details of these triggers and deal with them as and when they arise. He just needs a sidekick. His best friend Jamie, though reluctant at first, eventually accepts the position on the promise of Owen's scooter and so their adventures begin.
Albert's Memorial....this film with David Jason http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Jason hasn't even been shown on TV in the UK yet, but it was shown on ABC Australia a few weeks ago. Albert is dying and his final wish is to be buried in the meadow where, as a young soldier, he joined forces with the Russians during World War II. His old comrades in arms set out to fulfil his wish.