Wit vs slapstick

Don

Don

Dedicated Member
I think the thing that has brought me around to liking the first few series of the show as compared to the later work is the black humor, backhanded compliments and overall dialogue of the Blamire /early Foggy years. A lot of witty back and forth that really had you paying attention to what was being said compared to the later years where you had the visual clues building up to the forthcoming physical altercation that characters would find themselves in. The blue collar feel of those early shows really resonated with me, reminding me of growing up in the row houses of Chester, Pennsylvania, with the neighborhood barbershops, and five and dime shops with their penny candy; a lot of old timers retired from different industries having a chat in the barber or a few drinks at the Fire station's bar. It's definitely the nostalgia that attracts me.
How do you feel? Do you prefer the darker humor of the early years or the more action oriented shows, especially when Mr. Bell came aboard.
 
Hello Don,I personally would choose the earlier series over the latter every time...But that's not to say i don't enjoy them all,The early series series just had an earthier feel to them and was mainly based on what the three main characters got up to,I loved the verbal squabbles they had with each other more than the latter series where it was more as you pointed out Slapstick comedy. But perhaps it lasted as long as it did because it changed over the years and offered more scope for Roy Clarke to work his magical skills.
 
I prefer wit over slapstick any day, but other than Eli I didn't find much slapstick. When I think of slapstick I think of Keystone Cops and 3 Stooges which I don't find funny at all.

I found the dialogue of the early years very funny and there are a lot of great one liners in the later years but found some of much later episodes a little hard to swallow ie: Throwing Howard though the window and scenes like that but the dialogue was always great in my opinion.

I always loved and found the scenes with individual characters like Ivy and Sid, Nora and Wally, Edy and Wesley and Compo and Nora very realistic with banter and insults flying and some wonderful one liners. Ivy and Nora had some great one liners and no one could chuck an insult like Pearl. The ladies coffee mornings were hilarious.
 
Wit every time for me. I have watched and liked every program, even the last few with Hobbo, but the early ones with Cyril Blamire are special. Roy Clarke really should have been Knighted. Who else could have kept the jokes coming for so many episodes. I know he repeated some of the situations, but they were usually worth repeating.
 
I enjoy both the wit and the physical humour with the wit just ever so slightly ahead.There were some cracking good exchanges between the trio,Wally and Nora and Sid and Ivy,etc.I also prefer the programme up until the end of the second Foggy era where it concentrated more on what our three heroes were up to.

Hector
 
I have to say the wit is what I enjoy most. I actually enjoyed how when Foggy and Seymour would brag on themselves and usually Cleggy would put them in tfeir place without hurting them too much. Cleggy also would stand up for Compo. I thought that was the best parts of the show. They showed true friendship with each other.

:)
 
I believe something else that changed over the years was Clegg's demeanor towards Nora, Ivy and women in general. The first five years of the show, Norman had no problem taking little jabs at the ladies in a passive-aggressive sort of way. I'm not sure what triggered the change for him to become this quivering figure of manhood in front of the opposite sex. Was it being stuck in the lift with Marina? Even that wouldn't really be a satisfactory reason for him to become more frightened or uneasy around all women IMO.
 
The remarkable thing about LOTSW is that the early series were far more gritty adult in terms of dialogue and the exchanges between the characters than the more gentle comedy of the later series.

In many ways it was a series that reflected the political and economic upheaval of the time, but wasn't in your face about it. Blamire is a Tory, whereas Compo is a Socialist. This reflected their real life position as Michael Bates, and later Brian Wilde, were more right wing/traditional/tory in their political outlook, often getting into arguments and apparently heated debate with the left wing Bill Owen. There is that story about Bates and Owen having to be taken aside early on and being told that if they didn't sort out their political differences they would be off the show. Fortunately they did. I sometimes find it funny and prophetic that the man in the middle of these two, holding the balance of power, just happens to have the name Clegg.

Let's also not forget that the lecherous librarian Wainwright was a Marxist, who occasionally mentioned, "when the revolution comes".

I've recently been watching the first two series again and if you want a good example of the difference between the original LOTSW and what came later, there is an episode where they are in the library and Compo is looking at a black and white photograph of 2 women nudists. The photograph isn't hidden and I do wonder if back then the series went out after the watershed of 9pm? Nothing gratuitous about it, but you would never see anything like that in the later series.

Slapstick has its place and can be good when well done, preferably not overdone, but I prefer wit and good dialogue, the early series and for many of the golden years LOTSW had this aplenty.
 
Agree the first two series were very much thoughtful and especialy Cleggs comments were brilliant ,even the Shiny Glo episode was less slapstick than later shows.When they went down the river by canoe was a gentle episode especialy when the chap floated by asking if anyone had seen a canoe.Blamire liked his belief that he was superior and frequently said how disgusting Compo was(true)and that he would raise the standards if he could.Its good to see these episodes and see how Compo and Clegg developed ,didn't Compo get cleaner as the show went on and Clegg lost his hair but not his mac.
 
In a sense Compo got cleaner. I think this was where, off-camera, the canoe overturned and Peter Sallis, who couldn't swim, was able to save himself by putting a foot on Bill Owen's head.
 
Don said:
I believe something else that changed over the years was Clegg's demeanor towards Nora, Ivy and women in general. The first five years of the show, Norman had no problem taking little jabs at the ladies in a passive-aggressive sort of way. I'm not sure what triggered the change for him to become this quivering figure of manhood in front of the opposite sex. Was it being stuck in the lift with Marina? Even that wouldn't really be a satisfactory reason for him to become more frightened or uneasy around all women IMO.
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I don't think it was anything the viewer was supposed to see as character deveopment; it was more just a change in how Clegg was portrayed. There were the odd exceptions to him becoming more timid as late as the Seymour years. "When You Take a Good Bite Yorkshire Tastes Terrible" you see a very confident Cleggy that his really the driving force in the episode. But after that he was pretty much always timid in general and very afraid of women.
 
Philosopher Clegg said:
I've recently been watching the first two series again and if you want a good example of the difference between the original LOTSW and what came later, there is an episode where they are in the library and Compo is looking at a black and white photograph of 2 women nudists. The photograph isn't hidden and I do wonder if back then the series went out after the watershed of 9pm? Nothing gratuitous about it, but you would never see anything like that in the later series.
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I don't remember when it happened, but up to a point LOTSW was viewed as a comedy aimed at adults, not the "family friendly" show it became later. The BBC specifically wanted it to appeal to the generation it portrayed, i.e. those who had been young adults when WW2 started.
 
Hello everyone,
I have been consumed with job and family demands as of late, but expect to return to the forum in full force one of these days. I take a peek at what’s going on here once in a while. Despite being busy, I couldn’t help but to take part in this thread.
Like Susan, I don’t know if the latter years of Summer Wine are actually pure slapstick. Yes, there are elements of slapstick but I found bits of the overly silly humor started quite early, Season 4. The more dialogue driven humor is still there but the more edgy humor and ties to the era and culture they were in kind of left with Blamire. It became more family oriented and more for more general audiences with the introduction to Foggy in Series 3. Then, I believe much of the silly humor started with Season Four episodes such as Ferret Come Home, Sid’s Wire, and Greenfingers. Perhaps, the first time we see really poutlandish humor is with Compo in the Wild Blue Yonder episodes.
I first discovered Summer Wine during the Truly years, with much more than three guys in crazy predicaments. I had a bias toward the Truly years for quite some time, however, as I kept watching the Series from beginning to end I found myself enjoying all eras equally. Also, in watching the full series for the last time I came to a realization. The biggest change with Summer Wine (other than Compo’s passing) isn’t with any character changes, but with the switch from Lotterby to Bell.
Now, what era to I prefer the most? Not necessarily the early years or the later years, but the middle. Series 8-12 is my own golden era of the show, from the last year of Foggy’s first run to the start of his second. Perhaps there is a perfect balance of the older years with the new.
 
Don said:
The blue collar feel of those early shows really resonated with me, reminding me of growing up in the row houses of Chester, Pennsylvania, with the neighborhood barbershops, and five and dime shops with their penny candy; a lot of old timers retired from different industries having a chat in the barber or a few drinks at the Fire station's bar. It's definitely the nostalgia that attracts me.
How do you feel? Do you prefer the darker humor of the early years or the more action oriented shows, especially when Mr. Bell came aboard.
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I grew up in Lancaster City, PA in the 80's. Pretty close geographically but quite a bit later. The old Italian barbers had the market cornered though.
 
I enjoyed the physical comedy. It reminds me of the crazy stunts my cousins, my brother and I did on grampa's farm in Kentucky.
;D
We are luckyto be alive. V ;)
 
codfanglers said:
Hello everyone,
I have been consumed with job and family demands as of late, but expect to return to the forum in full force one of these days. I take a peek at what’s going on here once in a while. Despite being busy, I couldn’t help but to take part in this thread.
Like Susan, I don’t know if the latter years of Summer Wine are actually pure slapstick. Yes, there are elements of slapstick but I found bits of the overly silly humor started quite early, Season 4. The more dialogue driven humor is still there but the more edgy humor and ties to the era and culture they were in kind of left with Blamire. It became more family oriented and more for more general audiences with the introduction to Foggy in Series 3. Then, I believe much of the silly humor started with Season Four episodes such as Ferret Come Home, Sid’s Wire, and Greenfingers. Perhaps, the first time we see really poutlandish humor is with Compo in the Wild Blue Yonder episodes.
I first discovered Summer Wine during the Truly years, with much more than three guys in crazy predicaments. I had a bias toward the Truly years for quite some time, however, as I kept watching the Series from beginning to end I found myself enjoying all eras equally.
Also, in watching the full series for the last time I came to a realization. The biggest change with Summer Wine (other than Compo’s passing) isn’t with any character changes, but with the switch from Lotterby to Bell.
Now, what era to I prefer the most? Not necessarily the early years or the later years, but the middle. Series 8-12 is my own golden era of the show, from the last year of Foggy’s first run to the start of his second. Perhaps there is a perfect balance of the older years with the new.
Click to expand...



Welcome back Cod, I knew you would enjoy this thread, I find sometimes that I have to view the whole range of era's has different show's because they take you very slowly from a great comedy to a great but different comedy over the 35 years. It can't be easy to write for the same show with roughly the same characters in for 35 years and still leave the audience shouting for more. I to feel the difference in atmosphere with the 2 directors and its hard to say which I prefer but the adding of the " Slapstick" physical comedy was a milestone in my opinion which lead to some of the funniest scenes on TV. I think your right about In The Wild Blue Yonder it did seem to by a bit of a turning point but some of the dialogue is belly rollingly funny. Nora" Compo's gone flying"Ivy " The birds will think the scarecrows have come up after them" That has me rolling on the floor every time. I found some of the later scenes a bit hard to swallow but I could always rely on the dialogue for laughs. All in all great show great cast and a great 35 years.
 
Wit is my preference.

The earlier shows were later screenings in the evenings and definitely more adult.

Some of the later physical stuff such as Howard falling through windows seemed too much to me, as I think Susan has already commented.

The dialogue is best - often two or three quite disjointed discussions continuing with classic one liners which we often repeat here!

Some of the physical stuff was almost unrealistic in my view, funny but lack that grittiness which I prefer.

However others will have their view - and with nearly 300 episodes to choose from we are all going to have some we enjoy less.
 
barmpot said:
Wit is my preference.



Some of the later physical stuff such as Howard falling through windows seemed too much to me, as I think Susan has already commented.
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Yes, there was the one scene where it was implied that (I think) Truly and Clegg threw Howard up through the second floor window. That is one scene that is certainly overboard.

I mentioned that the Blamire years touched more on culture and politics of the time. However, there were bits and pieces of that in the early Foggy years. I am especially thinking of the Flag and Its Snag episodes. Now I was a toddler in the US at that time so I don't fully understand all the references. The Flag and Its Snag episodes had things like Foggy showing so much honor and prestige to the Commodore, who seemed like an apathetic womenizer, his grand plan to display the Union Jack and the guy at the post office saying "What Union Jack?", and the image of the Union Jack being replaced by "Bullocks".

Those episodes always stick in my head. Sometimes when I see a Union Jack flag displayed somewhere, I think of Foggy. Sorry Big Unc, that is probably not what you want to hear.
 
I agree how Clegg character changed after the first few seasons. Mentioned to my husband how he spoke openly and more sure of himself. Almost making him a wimp, in a way in the later episodes. . Either way ,I love Clegg. This should probably be a new thread. The only ones that had children were Edie and Wesley. Was this done so that Clark could concentrate solely on the main characters and not get away from their lives and playful acts?
 
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