August 2014 ask Codfanglers
- Thread starter maltrab
- Start date
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
Thanks Terry,
Hello fellow Yanks and my Brit Brethren,
I am happy to be in the hot seat. I will ask for a little patience at times, because my wife, my two boys, and their activities keep me occupied so I might not get to respond to everyone's questions right away. For exapmle, I will be in downtown Washington DC for most of tomorrow as my son has a big Kung Fu tournement. However, I will get to everyone's questions eventually.
You may ask away. I am a high school teacher. My policy on answering personal questions here will be the same as when one of my students asks me a personal question (or if they ask me for a favor). That is, "you may ask me, but there is no guarantee that I will answer."
Anyway, don't worry, I am not easily offended, but I may kindly choose to responding by writing "pass". However, I am pretty open.
Hello fellow Yanks and my Brit Brethren,
I am happy to be in the hot seat. I will ask for a little patience at times, because my wife, my two boys, and their activities keep me occupied so I might not get to respond to everyone's questions right away. For exapmle, I will be in downtown Washington DC for most of tomorrow as my son has a big Kung Fu tournement. However, I will get to everyone's questions eventually.
You may ask away. I am a high school teacher. My policy on answering personal questions here will be the same as when one of my students asks me a personal question (or if they ask me for a favor). That is, "you may ask me, but there is no guarantee that I will answer."
Anyway, don't worry, I am not easily offended, but I may kindly choose to responding by writing "pass". However, I am pretty open.
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
In the Spring of 2006 my soon to be wife moved in with me. I requested that she record Keeping Up Appearances for me in the afternoon while I was at school. She did and she started watching the show, Summer Wine, before KUA. She told me I have to see the program "with the crazy old guys". She recorded an entire episode and we watched it together. It was "In Which Gavin Hinchcliffe loses the Gulf Stream." (I recognized the actor from Fawlty Towers) I wasn't in love with it right away but I was very intrigued and started watching more. That era of the Truly years, had a bit of a fantasy feel to it. Here were a collection of older barmpot characters, doing a bunch of wacky stuff (ex. skiing on a van), combined with the picturesque (almost dreamlike) background. Like KUA, Summer Wine gave me a chance to escape from reality for a while.
We then discovered that Summer Wine also aired on Saturday evenings. I turned it on to discover different characters. The episode was Why Does Norman Clegg Buy Ladies Elastic Stockings? The first memory I have of that era, was the "meter reader" or "utility provider" entering Seymour's compound with all the warning signs.
So it took a while for me to actually discover Foggy and even longer to discover the other third men.
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
You have the two stars on your avatar picture , which do you consider yourself to be most like??Cleggy or Truly?
Ohhhhh, so that is what an avatar picture is! I am really clueless with these terms.
First of all, I chose that picture because Sallis and Thornton are like royalty to me. They are of core of the post-Compo era which I am a fan of, and I chose the picture to honor them a bit. As I wrote about this before, I think part of Summer Wine's greatness is the dedication of actors such as Sallis, Thonrnton, and Freeman by working so late in their career keeping the show going for so long and giving us great memories (not to mention Bill Owen working near to his passing because he was so dedicated). OK so, I got a bit side tracked again.
I am not necessarily like Clegg nor Truly, but I am definitely not "leader-like" so I would be closer to Clegg. Plus, I do ponder a bit and make unusual observations at times like Clegg around Series 8 and 9. However, I am not as soft-spoken and meak as the older Clegg. So I would be closer to the younger Clegg.
I will be out of town for a good portion of the weekend (son's Kung Fu tournament on Saturday and visiting myt parents in Pennsylvania on Sunday). However folks, keep asking away and I will get to your questions.
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
I am sure a will miss a few.
For me the absolute funniest shows are the ones produced by Larry David; Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Two good current ones are Modern Family and The Middle.
Older ones I have watched that are really good are....
Malcolm in the Middle (not related to the Middle)
Third Rock From the Sun
The Office (the earlier half of the show)
All in the Family (from the 70's)
Frasier
I know I am missing a few. However, I don't even watch American sitcoms anymore. I am not one of those to say they are far inferior to British ones, because the are very good, it is just that there is a certain charm to most of the British sitcoms that our PBS station plays. If I sit down and decide to watch the current ones, The Middle and Modern Family, I will really enjoy it. However, I tend to watch sports or various cable programs instead.
brendalovescompo
Dedicated Member
A high school teacher. Do you teach a specific subject? Also, had you introduced anything from Summer Wine to your students?
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
I teach art, drawing and painting, on all levels, from beginning to advanced. I teach 9-12 grades. Unfortunately I don't see my students connecting to Summer Wine at all. I keep those two worlds separate.
A
amos hames
Guest
Ok easy one this. Your two favourite episodes and why.
I loved Frasier and Modern Family is great, I also love Third Rock. We do get Malcom and the Middle I have watched them but have enjoyed the others more.
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
WOW, I now have to narrow this down to a top two! The smaller the list, the harder it is to come up with. Let me ponder that for a bit and get back to you. I am off for my weekend events.
Which of the Summerwine ladies is your favourite and why?:wink:
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
hmmmmmm, Edie was awfully good. Ms. Davenport actually added a lot to the later years. I would have a bias towards Nora because I had a grandmother very similar to her. Then again, I am about to start a thread about Ivy and the cafe, because throughout the 37 year running of Summer Wine, I don't think Ivy gets enough praise and lately as I have revisited the Series 6-9 era, I find I am enjoying the cafe scenes more than ever.
So I believe these four ladies would fluctuate back and forth as my favorite. When Wally was around, it definitely had to be Nora. However, ewith Nora as a widow, Edie, Ms. Davenport, and Ivy would be the top three.
Sorry for not giving you a definite answer.
Also, I haven't forgotten about your question Amos, that just requires more preparation. I will get an answer to you soon.
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
You have the two stars on your avatar picture , which do you consider yourself to be most like??Cleggy or Truly?
OK, I have come up with a top six, and then an honorable mention for seven more. I have a slight bias towards Series 8 because I just finished watching it. Also, most of these 13 are early Foggy episodes. It is not because I think Foggy is superior to the other third men, it is just because that seems to be the time that the real classics were made. Having said that, I believe there are many great Truly and Seymour episodes, however they are just one step behind these 13.
The runner ups are…..
Short Back and Palais Glide
The Flag and Snags episodes
Set The People Free
Three Men and a Mangle
Destiny and Six Bananas
Lair of the Cat Creature
Follow that Bottle
OK, top Six are…..
Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper- simply because it was great to see the trio together on a trip and Foggy and Compo were a great mix back then. The hotel room scene and the dining room scene are great.
Full Steam Behind- Foggy is at his best as a train enthusiast. The train mishaps and Clegg and Compo’s lack of enthusiasm are great.
Mysterious Feet of Nora Batty – I believe this is Wally most prominent episode. The scenes at the Batty residence and the ladder and shoe measurer at the end are great.
Keeping Britain Tidy- It is just one great scene after another. From the ladder and bicycle scene, to the café scene and the Batty residence scene. The episode is hilarious from beginning to end.
Who’s Looking After the Café Then- The entire time the trio takes over the café, along with the single customer and mishaps with the ladders, scaffold, and Wally’s van, are great. Compo was hilarious with his “waiter skills”.
The Empire that Foggy Built- The scenes where they are in town trying to attract customers and the awkward driving scenes are great.
brendalovescompo
Dedicated Member
What is your least favorite episode? or episodes? 
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
One of my favorite Frasier's is when Frasier is on the Public Television Pledge Drive and has to sing a song he is totally unprepared for,
My favorite Malcom in the Middle is when the father, Hal, starts a feud with the trash collection company and ends up with a landfill in the back yard.
My favorite Malcolm in the Middle is when the one guy is at the Colombian restaurant and orders the spicy "Diablo" shrimp and runs out of the restaurant and finds the cars wheels have been stolen. In that same episode his boyfriend is sprayed by the skunk and the only change of clothes available is the expensive dress in the trunk of his father's car.
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
OK, let me give you a more specific answer....
Favorite ladies
1. Nora with Wally
2. Ivy
3. Edie
4. Misses Partridge
5.Nora without Wally
6. Auntie Wainwright
Nora is part of the funniest couple ever with Wally.
Ivy, Edie, and Misses Partridge are actually pretty equal but I ranked them in order of time with the show
Nora without Wally became a little redundant with the Compo/Alvin scenes out of her window.
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
I am sorry, I meant "My favorite Modern Family" is the one with the Colombian restaurant.
codfanglers
Dedicated Member
What is your least favorite episode? or episodes?
Some Enchanted Evening - for me the mood was a bit off for a Summer Wine episode
A quiet Drink - too much emphasis on characters that didn't fit the show
Sweet Smell of Excess - pretty far-fetched idea and after a while, the raggedy image of Compo becaem too much (adding that unsightly mattress spring was just too much
Hermione (The Short Course) - that is the one with the fruit cake and the silly serenade at the end, correct? -the stroy line was just a bit too off and the serenade was annoying
And Perhaps, Eva's Back in Town - she was not a good character for Summer Wine and killed the mood for that episode