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Worst Acting In A Sitcom

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

Previous topic - Next topic

dr_christian_troy

Quote from: St_Eddie on June 09, 2019, 11:20:57 PM
Oh, in that case, fair do's.

Brian Glover was smashing! A fun An American Werewolf In London reunion for him and Mayall in that episode.

But yeah, Skullcrusher was not great.

Rolf Lundgren

Quote from: dr_christian_troy on June 09, 2019, 08:06:10 AM
"Skullcrusher Henderson" in Bottom. The freeze frame ending with him banging Richie and Eddie's heads together suggests that they only did one take for it because they were scared of the bloke, who stares blankly into space rather than perhaps make the most of playing a psychopath who had said seconds before "It's skull-crushing time!" in an OTT panto hammy kind of way.

Bloody hell yes. God, I haven't thought of that in years but can still remember his completely vacant expression and slow motion sped up effect.

Mark Steels Stockbroker

Quote from: EOLAN on April 29, 2019, 10:43:53 AM
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.


She was meant to be a parody of Sinead O'Connor.

Mark Steels Stockbroker

Christopher Ryan was a fine actor struggling with a script by people who couldn't decide if Mike was supposed to be a wide boy or a trendy, and couldn't write either character anyway.

Dusty Substance


Without wishing to de-rail the thread again by taking it back to Pollygate, I'm another one who never ever considered Polly to be an American in 30+ years of watching Fawlty Towers. So, here's the back story I've come up with which explains Basil's mimicking of her accent......

Polly worked at the hotel as a maid, became "friends" with the Fawltys (as close to friends as the stick insect and piranha fish could ever have), she got the chance to go to America for a couple of years, returned with a bit of an accent (we've all met people who went traveling, even for half a year, and picked up a teensy vincy bit of an accent), which is why Basil mocks her in that scene and why she occasionally slips into American.

Anyway, what about Harry Enfield in season one of Men Behaving Badly? He's a fine comic performer doing his own material with Whitehouse et al, but his acting in that first season was pretty bad for a lead role.


dr_christian_troy

#305
Quote from: Dusty Substance on June 11, 2019, 12:40:24 AM
Anyway, what about Harry Enfield in season one of Men Behaving Badly? He's a fine comic performer doing his own material with Whitehouse et al, but his acting in that first season was pretty bad for a lead role.

I always thought he was underrated as Dermot in MBB, to be honest. I'm aware from interviews that he felt quite uncomfortable about acting and essentially underplaying his natural talent of a caricature performance (and as legend has it the reason he got the part was because he was involved with Beryl Vertue's daughter(?) at the time), but personally I thought the downtrodden cynicism of the character fitted in perfectly with his delivery. I suppose for the most part they needed someone less similar to Gary. I loathed the character of Tony in Series 2 but warmed to him in over time.

I must re-read the original MBB novel at some point in the near future, as well as the hugely underrated Drop The Dead Donkey 2000 novel...

Which reminds me, I really couldn't get behind the performance of the character of Helen in DTDD. I'd love to see a reboot (I suspect this is a deeply unpopular opinion), but I've no idea how that would work.

Quote from: Mark Steels Stockbroker on June 10, 2019, 08:21:34 PM
Christopher Ryan was a fine actor struggling with a script by people who couldn't decide if Mike was supposed to be a wide boy or a trendy, and couldn't write either character anyway.

Did it matter as long as he was a bit of an everyman and Joe Average, compared to the other three, thus grounding the show?

Dusty Substance

Quote from: dr_christian_troy on June 11, 2019, 11:13:02 AM
I always thought he was underrated as Dermot in MBB, to be honest. I'm aware from interviews that he felt quite uncomfortable about acting and essentially underplaying his natural talent of a caricature performance (and as legend has it the reason he got the part was because he was involved with Beryl Vertue's daughter(?) at the time), but personally I thought the downtrodden cynicism of the character fitted in perfectly with his delivery. I suppose for the most part they needed someone less similar to Gary. I loathed the character of Tony in Series 2 but warmed to him in over time.

You might be right. It's been a good 20 years since I watched that first season.

Yeah, Tony was a dick when he first turned up but became more likable as the seasons went on (except that time he knobbed Dorothy when Gary went away).

Captain Z

Quote from: Dusty Substance on June 11, 2019, 02:20:56 PM
Tony was a dick when he first turned up but became more likable as the seasons went on (except that time he knobbed Dorothy when Gary went away).

You might say he was a...

Cuellar


dr_christian_troy

Quote from: Dusty Substance on June 11, 2019, 02:20:56 PM
You might be right. It's been a good 20 years since I watched that first season.

Yeah, Tony was a dick when he first turned up but became more likable as the seasons went on (except that time he knobbed Dorothy when Gary went away).

Series 1 has some great moments too.

DEBORAH:I've got you a present. Chocolates. They're Belgian.
GARY: Oh never mind, that's lovely.

GARY: Hello Graham. We've all been drinking some wine. Can I offer you a glass of urine?

GARY: HOW DARE YOU NOT PLAY CHESS WITH MY DOROTHY? GET OFF TO YOUR POXY HOSPITAL, AND DON'T PLAY CHESS TOGETHER

Tony Yeboah

Quote from: Shaky on June 05, 2019, 04:11:50 AM
Cleese doesn't even know London is English so you can't expect him to get it right about Polly....

These Fawlty Towers characters are not really English any more

Virtually all my friends from abroad have confirmed my observation

So there must be some truth in it...

St_Eddie

Quote from: dr_christian_troy on June 11, 2019, 11:13:02 AM
I always thought he was underrated as Dermot in MBB, to be honest.

I'm glad that someone else said this, as its how I feel too.  I've been too afraid to poke my head above water and admit as much, up until this point, because everyone else on this site always slags off Enfield's performance in the first series.  Now that I'm speaking my mind, I'm going to lay all my cards on the table; the first series of Men Behaving Badly is by far my favourite out of all of them and my second favourite is the final 3 part special.  Shall I hand in my comedy club card now or later?

kalowski

Quote from: dr_christian_troy on June 11, 2019, 02:52:31 PM
Series 1 has some great moments too.

DEBORAH:I've got you a present. Chocolates. They're Belgian.
GARY: Oh never mind, that's lovely.

GARY: Hello Graham. We've all been drinking some wine. Can I offer you a glass of urine?

GARY: HOW DARE YOU NOT PLAY CHESS WITH MY DOROTHY? GET OFF TO YOUR POXY HOSPITAL, AND DON'T PLAY CHESS TOGETHER
Series one had a great gag. Harry Enfield was trying to have a romantic dinner, but instead of hiring a spanish guitarist he hired a man with a keyboard playing in "spanish guitar" mode. Even though the sound didn't change, at one point the musician said, "Ooops, slipped into flugelhorn there"

Menu

Quote from: Menu on May 05, 2019, 12:42:42 AM
I know it sounds like I'm being contrary, but I genuinely love Enfield's performance in this. I think for the same reason I like Jerry's performance in Seinfeld. He looks like he's enjoying himself doing it. This opinion notwithstanding the fact that Harry Enfield has specifically stated that he was not enjoying himself doing it. I just think there's something about his louche delivery that works perfectly with Simon Nye's turn of phrase. He was a handsome devil in them days too.

I said all this ages ago, St Eddie! AGES AGO! Glad you think the same way though.