“Someone once told me that every minute a murder occurs, so I don’t want to waste your time, I know you want to go back to work.“
“The paperback is very interesting but I find it will never replace the hardcover book – it makes a very poor doorstop.“
— Both are from Alfred Hitchcock
Okay, there have already been lots of posts and articles on the current writers’ strike, so I’m not going into the details of it. (Here is one article that can give you a general idea about what the strike is about). You can also check out the United Hollywood blog.
As a writer, I am in full support of what the WGA is asking for for it’s members. It only seems right that writers should collect on their work.
However, some of my sympathy does lie with a third party, and they’re not really directly involved with the strike. The production people: The make-up artists. The hairstylists. The Wardrobe people. The sound and light techs. The set designers and builders. The….Well, you get the idea. True, the great stories and characters created by the writers are the reason there are television shows and movies. However, the people behind the scenes work just as hard putting the production together. They too depend on the residuals from the productions.
So, I hope the negotiations take a positive turn, mostly for the writers, but also for the production people who rely on the ongoing production to support themselves and their families.
“Every writer is a frustrated actor who recites his lines in the hidden auditorium of his skull.”
— Rod Serling
While reading the Cape Cod Times this past Friday I ran across this article talking about one of my favorite shows of all-time: Are You Being Served?
Big laughs in store when you watch this sitcom
By Debbie Forman
December 14, 2007
“Are You Being Served?” is so old that the opening credits begin with the ring of the cash register. But the British TV sitcom, which began in the early ’70s, is still being served up on eternal reruns (I hope) on local PBS stations. And I am hooked.
I don’t watch American sitcoms, but this one leaves me laughing even when I’ve seen the episode two or three times. I try to fit it into my schedule on weeknights as a release from the day’s occupations. I find myself laughing (it is the best medicine) at even the most repetitive phrases.
For those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of being served this show and might be interested in watching it, here’s a rundown. It is set at Grace Brothers, a London department store, and focuses on the characters in the ladies’ and gents’ departments. And they are characters, brilliantly drawn and allfunny in their own way. There’s floorwalker (not a job in today’s economy) Captain Peacock (Frank Thornton), who struts just like his namesake, and in deadpan style perfectly captures the pompous, class-conscious Brit. The workplace is very formal. No one uses first names, and if there is sometimes a slip, Captain Peacock raises his eyebrows over bulging eyes.
So it is Mr. Humphries (John Inman), Mrs. Slocombe (Mollie Sudgen), Miss Brahms (Wendy
Richard), Mr. Rumbold (Nicholas Smith), Young Mr. Grace — as old as the hills — (Harold Bennett), Mr. Lucas (Trevor Bannister), Mr. Grainger (Arthur Brough), Mr. Harmen (Arthur English) and an assortment of other characters
One of the funniest is Mr. Humphries, who plays the effeminate salesman in the men’s department. Before “gay” was a common reference to anything but happy, Humphries represents the still in-the-closet” homosexual, with his high-pitched “I’m free” when asked by Captain Peacock to help a customer. Then when he answers the phone, he deepens his voice to pronounce “Menswear.” Inman was (he died earlier this year) a versatile actor who loved to don top hat and glitzy tails and dance Fred Astaire-style, or slip on tights and waistcoat as the “Nutcracker” prince.
And he isn’t the only one. The costumes his colleagues wear for store promotions and other events are wild, in garish colors and designs, full of feathers and sequins. You just gotta laugh.
Mrs. Slocombe, whose beehive hairstyle takes on different (what are now) punk colors (pink, purple and green are just the more sedate shades), has her own shtick. As the senior (middle-aged, but she won’t admit it) saleslady in the women’s department, she objects to selling risqué underwear, talks endlessly about her adventures in the local pub and loves to put down her “junior,” Miss Brahms. The show’s writers, Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, fill the dialogue with sexual innuendoes and double entendres, which hardly meet the PC requirements of today. But it’s all in great fun.
Arthur Brough, the stuffy Mr. Grainger, looks and sounds like Winston Churchill, and regularly tells his customers that the too-long sleeves of the sweater or jacket “will ride up with wear.” Mr. Harmen, who works below in the packing department, talks a mile-a-minute and is always being shooed out of the department by Peacock (pardon me, Captain Peacock — after all he fought against Rommel in the desert) because he is not up to the status of the sales staff. Much of the comedy relies on satirizing the British class system.
Trevor Bannister’s sharp-talking Mr. Lucas is a ladies’ man with numerous stories about his escapades, which usually end up with a door slammed in his face. Wendy Richards’ cockney accent captures Miss Brahms’ working-class status. She’s the “babe” Lucas is always making passes at, but to no avail.
And there’s so much more, which I never seem to tire of. I still can’t figure out why I’ve become so attached to this show and why it makes me laugh, because I am not a fan of comedy shows in general. Searching the Internet, I found quite a few sites for the show, and one was all about people who are “addicted” to it (which I suppose I am). Obviously, it has an audience, because 30 years later, they’re still running them.
And, as long as they do, I’ll be watching.
I’m going to completely agree with Debbie Forman and her love for the show. The first time I saw the show was my sophomore year of high school. We were supposed to be watching a movie adaptation for a book that we had just finished in English class. The teacher brought the wrong tape. So instead, we wound up watching an episode Are You Being Served? and I was hooked ever since.
What should be understood about this show is that it was made during different times, so to some, yes, it is outdated. And being British Humor, there is a bit more sophistication to it. It’s not like “SLAP! Hello I’m funny!” Some of the jokes are subtle and you need to be quick to pick it up. Now I’m not saying I got all of it right away either. But once you do, you’ll keep laughing, no matter how many times you see it.
So with the writers strike in full swing, I say check your local PBS listings, settle in and get ready to laugh.
The above question often refers to the assassination of former president John F. Kennedy.
How about this now: Do you remember where you were when John Lennon was assassinated?
It was twenty-seven years ago yesterday when former Beatle John Lennon was gunned down outside The Dakota in New York City by Mark David Chapman.
Following his death there have been all sorts of theories about it. One of them was that Mark David Chapman was a brainwashed assassin for the government because they saw Lennon as a threat to “the establishment.” (You can read a more detailed article on that theory here)
As for myself, I don’t dwell too much on the theories of political assassination. It can be a real headache sometimes. I instead just think about how Lennon was able to touch so many people with his music and non-violent activism.
I am reminded of a story that my girlfriend told me once: She and her father were in The Hard Rock Cafe in Boston when “Imagine” came on. Everyone there, stopped what they were doing to sing along. After the song was over, it went back to business as usual. That one moment shows just how influential the power of Lennon’s words still is.
I thought this was really funny.
