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Worst Acting In A Sitcom

Started by Satchmo Distel, April 28, 2019, 09:26:23 PM

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Quote from: chveik on April 28, 2019, 10:35:58 PM
jerry seinfeld

One of my favourite things in all of comedy is Jerry's consistent semi-corpsing when he's meant to be angry.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: bigfatheart on April 28, 2019, 11:30:38 PM
100% agree; he's limited, especially in comparison to his castmates, but he works well within his range and, particularly after the first three seasons or so, they find a way to play to his strengths without exposing his weaknesses. Can absolutely understand people saying he's not on a par with his castmates, but can't understand anyone thinking he's detrimental to the show or one of the worst performers of all time.

Quote from: Menu on April 29, 2019, 03:03:09 AM
One of my favourite things in all of comedy is Jerry's consistent semi-corpsing when he's meant to be angry.

Jerry enjoying his own show never comes across as annoying or self-indulgent, which is a remarkable feat in itself. He knows he's not a great actor - they even make jokes about that during season 4 - but, as bigfatheart says, he gradually learned how to work within his limitations while capitalising on his strengths.

I love his performance in Seinfeld. Those earlier episodes notwithstanding, his lines are beautifully timed and delivered. There are few things in comedy more joyous than Jerry either delivering a dry riposte or becoming childishly hysterical.


Lisa Jesusandmarychain


DrGreggles

Quote from: St_Eddie on April 28, 2019, 10:36:11 PM
Bit unfair to nominate a child actor bbbuuuuutttt... I'm gonna nominate a child actor.

There's a wee lass in series VIII of Red Dwarf who plays a de-aged Kochanski.  Having been transformed into a kid, she asks Kryten "why do I suddenly feel like a rim toad?".  I spent years wondering what exactly a rim toad was, figuring that it must be the world's smallest amphibian or something.  Many years later, I purchased series VIII on DVD (one of my least watched DVDs, it must be said) and via the subtitles, learned that the line was in fact "why do I suddenly feel like a Vimto?", which makes a lot more sense.

Aside from the terrible pronunciation of the word 'Vimto', it's the way that the line is delivered.  It's delivered as "why do I suddenly feel like [I'm this thing]?", as opposed to "why do I suddenly feel like [I could drink this thing]?".  This is more than likely because the child actress has absolutely no concept of what a Vimto is.

All children in sitcoms are dreadful though.
I share Sean Lock's opinion on them.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Karen from Outnumbered was brilliant, but that's because she never really had a script as such. An actual rambling child saying actual rambling child things will always be so much funnier than some little shit delivering rehearsed zingers.

Yes, she was technically a child actor working within certain preordained parameters, but for the most part she delivered an improvised performance.

thenoise

The young dinner lady in Dinnerladies pretty much stank up every scene she was in.  I wonder who she was and how she got the gig?  I like Victoria Wood and really wanted to enjoy this, but it doesn't quite work, partly because of the wildly inconsistent acting styles.

EOLAN

Quote from: Danger Man on April 28, 2019, 11:32:29 PM
Clare Grogan in Red Dwarf.   Fucking dreadful.

Was never really sure of her performance in Fr. Ted. On one hand it felt very stilted and not fitting in with sit-com; but then the character was effectively who didn't like the world of Fr. Ted; so in that case her uncomfortable presence and performance could make sense.

studpuppet

Quote from: thenoise on April 29, 2019, 10:14:24 AM
The young dinner lady in Dinnerladies pretty much stank up every scene she was in.  I wonder who she was and how she got the gig?  I like Victoria Wood and really wanted to enjoy this, but it doesn't quite work, partly because of the wildly inconsistent acting styles.

You mean Twinkle? My parents went to a taping of dinnerladies and Victoria Wood introduced her as a 'much better actress than any of us - she's been to training and everything'.

She managed to eek out a living afterwards.

Utter Shit

Haha yep, Maxine Peake is one of the most respected actors in the country!

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: studpuppet on April 29, 2019, 11:28:27 AM


She managed to eek out a living afterwards.

She must feel a bit stereotyped though, constantly playing women who react in a frightened way when they see a mouse.

sponk

Graham Linehan's cameos were always woeful. I often thought  it was a running joke and he was being intentionally awful to satirise cameos in general but I'm not so sure now.

phantom_power

Maxine Peake is a fucking brilliant actor. I haven't seen Dinnerladies so maybe she can't do comedy but she is phenomenal in everything else I have seen her in and some of those have had comedic elements

Jockice

Quote from: Bennett Brauer on April 29, 2019, 01:27:14 AM
Gunner Sugden is Croft & Perry's Private Doberman (another bad actor), only less endearing.

Doberman was brilliant! According to Phil Silvers he thought he was like Clarke Gable playing the part of a short ugly bloke. And he's responsible for the greatest line in sitcom history ever. I'm still laughing at I'm still laughing at mahogany.

I also always thought that Christopher Ryan was the best actor in The Young Ones. The others were just acting badly at acting badly.


Virgo76

Connie Booth in Fawlty Towers.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: Virgo76 on April 29, 2019, 11:59:14 AM
Connie Booth in Fawlty Towers.

" Oh, you dago dodo! " * half-heartedly grabs Manuel by the lapels *
Not the best actress in the world was our Connie, it hasta be said.

Virgo76

Quote from: Lisa Jesusandmarychain on April 29, 2019, 12:03:54 PM
" Oh, you dago dodo! " * half-heartedly grabs Manuel by the lapels *
Not the best actress in the world was our Connie, it hasta be said.

Exactly the bit I was thinking of!

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: Virgo76 on April 29, 2019, 12:05:09 PM
Exactly the bit I was thinking of!

Hee! That is a noticeably bad bit of acting in that particular scene; maybe she's not too bad most of the time. She doesn't do a bad job of hiding her American accent , for instance ( is she meant to be English, though? When John Cleese imitates her accent in that self- same episode, cos he's having a go at her for her lying about having a rat- loving friend, he puts on a full on American Girly accent )

Bennett Brauer

Quote from: Jockice on April 29, 2019, 11:54:14 AM
Doberman was brilliant!

Yes, he was. I'm just saying that I think that was the sort of hapless sap role in the Ain't Half Hot ensemble that Lofty Sugden was meant to fulfil.

QuoteAccording to Phil Silvers he thought he was like Clarke Gable playing the part of a short ugly bloke. And he's responsible for the greatest line in sitcom history ever. I'm still laughing at I'm still laughing at mahogany.

Credit where it's due. Private Whitley was the genius behind that.

bgmnts

There is that one character in Red Dwarf season 2, who is engaged in a chess game with Holly, who is absolutely abysmal, but it works.

Quote from: phantom_power on April 29, 2019, 11:49:40 AM
Maxine Peake is a fucking brilliant actor. I haven't seen Dinnerladies so maybe she can't do comedy but she is phenomenal in everything else I have seen her in and some of those have had comedic elements

All of the acting in Dinnerladies is awful. Just broad, scenery-eating performances of northern working class tropes for Victoria Wood's character to play the wise, straight man to.

Virgo76

Quote from: Lisa Jesusandmarychain on April 29, 2019, 12:09:21 PM
Hee! That is a noticeably bad bit of acting in that particular scene; maybe she's not too bad most of the time. She doesn't do a bad job of hiding her American accent , for instance ( is she meant to be English, though? When John Cleese imitates her accent in that self- same episode, cos he's having a go at her for her lying about having a rat- loving friend, he puts on a full on American Girly accent )

Yes, in fairness, she's not that bad usually.
Surely Polly's supposed to be American though?


studpuppet

Quote from: Lisa Jesusandmarychain on April 29, 2019, 11:32:30 AM
She must feel a bit stereotyped though, constantly playing women who react in a frightened way when they see a mouse.

Myra 'stood on a chair like the cleaning lady in Tom & Jerry' Hindley, for example.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: The Lurker on April 28, 2019, 11:53:36 PM
Yeah, I remember that show. There was a laughing track put in after every fucking line too.

guuuuuh - the dying embers of BBC sitcom shite here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ocjaT05cI

beanheadmcginty


jimboslice

Quote from: BlodwynPig on April 29, 2019, 03:27:44 PM
guuuuuh - the dying embers of BBC sitcom shite here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ocjaT05cI

I've read that the second series was better than the first, but I never bothered with it at the time and I can't track it down anywhere.

Cuellar

Tony Hancock in Hancock's Half Hour - he could barely remember his lines!!

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: Cuellar on April 29, 2019, 04:01:03 PM
Tony Hancock in Hancock's Half Hour - he could barely remember his lines!!

I know you're only joking, and making reference to "The Blood Donor", but I always thought Tony Hancock was an excellent actor. He was always really endearing when he occasionally corpsed during the recordings of the tv shows as well, and a cheeky little smile would cross his normally lugubrious features. There's one episode (which has been refereed to before on'ere, poss. by non-capisco ) , where one over enthusiastic audience member is giving it a really raucous "HAW-HAW!" type laugh, and at one point you can see, just for a split second, the lad himself smirking at the overly enthuastic chuckle, but he doesn't allow it to put him off his stride.

*Is* Polly supposed to be American in "Fawlty Towers"? It does sound like an understated American accent, but with loads of English influence. No reference is made to her being a Sherman , is there? Apart from Cleesie's "American Girly" accent, as mentioned before. Maybe she's from BarcelonaBoston.