Smoking In Comedy

[Excellent_Biscuits]

I've just been watching all the old Only Fools And Horses programmes and noticed how good David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst are at smoking.

As an avid and passionate smoker, I always notice when actors can't really do it naturally.

Obviously David Jason is caining cigars and does it beautifully, like when he hides under the covers in the back of the diamond heist lorry. You can tell his pretend coughing is that of a man who knows how to control a cigar.

Nicholas Lyndhurst is also a natural smoker. Between the correct fingers, and also talented at leaving it resting in the mouth whilst talking, (also see Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters)
.
The thing is, I can't imagine either of them smoking in real life for some reason, so it's heartening to see such wonderful acting talent from our very own homegrown British actors.

I also forgot how much I fancy Tessa Peake-Jones*







*Yes that's right men are talented and women are sexy**



**I would have spoken of Tessa Peake-Jones' smoking skills but I did not witness it***



***Because phwoarrrrrrrr

[Dewt]

The Smoking Room, starring a good handful of celebrities who spent their middle ages trying to destroy the left

[magval]

Worst smoker I've ever seen was Megyn Price in Grounded For Life. Probably not worth looking up but it just looked like a how a child would pretend to smoke.

[Dewt]

I also forgot how much I fancy Tessa Peake-Jones*

I had to read this on her Wikipedia entry about five times:

"Peake-Jones' partner was Douglas Hodge, who played her son Damien Trotter"

My brain wouldn't let me continue
because Damien Trotter is a baby

[famethrowa]

(also see Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters)

One of the best moments of comedy tabs:

[Replies From View]

The thing is, I can't imagine either of them smoking in real life for some reason, so it's heartening to see such wonderful acting talent from our very own homegrown British actors.

I can't tell how much of your post is ironic, so apologies if I'm missing your tone, but surely anyone who can inhale smoke without their body fighting against it is simply someone who has smoked enough that they'd be considered a seasonal smoker or whatever.  There's no "acting" involved; you've either subdued your body's natural efforts to reject cigarette toxins or you haven't.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Maybe slightly off-topic, but I'm sorry, Tessa Peake- Jones was always the poor man's Sally James.

I have certainly never regarded her as " smokin'" !!

[BeardFaceMan]

I can't tell how much of your post is ironic, so apologies if I'm missing your tone, but surely anyone who can inhale smoke without their body fighting against it is simply someone who has smoked enough that they'd be considered a seasonal smoker or whatever.  There's no "acting" involved; you've either subdued your body's natural efforts to reject cigarette toxins or you haven't.

Not really. I know it's not comedy, but every time I see John Travolta smoke on screen it always takes me out of it because all i can think of is how unnatural he looks, he looks like he's never held a cigarette before in his life. It's not just about inhaling the smoke, it's the way you handle the fag in your hands and mouth that makes all the difference. He holds it all wrong, a smoker would never do what he does with a cigarette, hence, terrible smoking acting.

Similarly, it's annoying when you see a character light up a fag, take a few puffs and then throw three quarters of the fag away without even bothering to look for a wall to chippy it on. Never happens.

[Alberon]

[Fried Egg Sandwich]

[Wet Blanket]

This isn't in comedy but there's a distracting scene in Reservoir Dogs where Harvey Keitel fails to light his cigarette but carries on anyway as if he has.   

[Replies From View]

Not really. I know it's not comedy, but every time I see John Travolta smoke on screen it always takes me out of it because all i can think of is how unnatural he looks, he looks like he's never held a cigarette before in his life. It's not just about inhaling the smoke, it's the way you handle the fag in your hands and mouth that makes all the difference. He holds it all wrong, a smoker would never do what he does with a cigarette, hence, terrible smoking acting.

Similarly, it's annoying when you see a character light up a fag, take a few puffs and then throw three quarters of the fag away without even bothering to look for a wall to chippy it on. Never happens.

Handling the cigarette a certain way, and studying how people put them out, I'll agree that's acting, but when it comes to things like fully inhaling without coughing - surely the "talent" of not seeming to be a non-smoker in that regard is just "being a smoker".

[Wet Blanket]

It's not that hard to inhale cigarette smoke. Shit, even kids can do it.

They often use herbal fags in TV shows anyway.

[Dewt]

Yes, the cigarette is just full of water.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Her Who Plays Villanelle did some good " pretending to smoke by asking other character they've only just met for a cigarette in order to get talking to them, but they don't actually smoke, so have to suppress a cough " acting , in the second series of "Eve And The Killing Thereof". She coupled this with some impressive " wearing glasses to look a bit soppy and scholarly" acting, which I think is grounds enough for turning over this entire thread to what a good actress she is.

[BeardFaceMan]

This isn't in comedy but there's a distracting scene in Reservoir Dogs where Harvey Keitel fails to light his cigarette but carries on anyway as if he has.

Almost, but not quite. Keitel does the cool guy thing of taking his Zippo out and clicking his fingers to open it, and then clicking his fingers again to light it. Only he can't light it but keeps clicking anyway, then gives up and lights it the normal way. I fucking love that scene, it's hilarious.

[studpuppet]

I love the bit in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, where Steve Martin makes his cigarette disappear and reappear for Rachel Ward* **

*who out-phwoars Raquel and Villanelle even if you crushed them together into a kind of phwoar-paste and stuck it on toast.
** and she's also an ace smoker in it (and very funny, too).

[Wet Blanket]

Almost, but not quite. Keitel does the cool guy thing of taking his Zippo out and clicking his fingers to open it, and then clicking his fingers again to light it. Only he can't light it but keeps clicking anyway, then gives up and lights it the normal way. I fucking love that scene, it's hilarious.

He does have trouble with schoolboy Zippo flick but it is in full flame when he fails to light the fag

[BeardFaceMan]

He does have trouble with schoolboy Zippo flick but it is in full flame when he fails to light the fag

Ah, I forgot about that bit, I was thinking of the bit just after that, when he lights his next fag, fails with the clicking and then lights it normally.

Edit - just watched the scene and it looks like he lights his zippo by clicking (8 fucking times), then lights Mr Pinks cig but not his own, he then puts his cig back in its pack, goes to the sink to wash and comb his hair, then takes the cig back out of the pack, tries to light his zippo by clicking it, can't, gives up, then lights it normally. Some shit-tier smoking acting right there.

[Annie Labuntur]

**I would have spoken of Tessa Peake-Jones' smoking skills but I did not witness it***



***Because phwoarrrrrrrr

I don't think she has time to smoke in What the Butler Saw.*  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Q8btlQLfE

* see above

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I love the bit in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, where Steve Martin makes his cigarette disappear and reappear for Rachel Ward* *

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

I always notice when an actor takes a drag and pretends to inhale the smoke by breathing through their nose*. When they blow the smoke out it's obvious that it's just been held in their mouth as it's too "cloudy" rather than a fine vapour.


*Former mate Stuart Hill used to do this with his Lambert & Butlers back in the 80s.

[dissolute ocelot]

According to old press stories, David Jason used to smoke but gave up before playing Frost (1992-) who is a chainsmoker in the books despite the fact that in real life cigarettes melt frost. I'd like to imagine Lyndhurst's laid-back demeanour derives from marijuana but as yet haven't persuaded anyone to add it to his Wikipedia page.

[Jockice]

The Smoking Room, starring a good handful of celebrities who spent their middle ages trying to destroy the left

I liked The Smoking Room. Apparently Paula Wilcox had to learn how to smoke to appear in it. I don't know if it was true to life though. Even as an occasional smoker I never set foot in my work's version. Not even once.

I'm sure someone mentioned him who played Clint in another thread recently but can't remember where. So here's my chance to say I saw him play the starring role in a stage production of Stuart: A Life Backwards and didn't even realise where I'd seen him before till afterwards.

In Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps two of the girls (Sheridan Smith and Natalie Casey) were obvious real life smokers but the other (Kathryn Drysdale. Just had to look that up) was also obviously not a smoker despite appearing in the title sequence with a fag between her fingers. In the shows (or the ones I watched at least) she'd occasionally be holding an unlit cigarette but never lit it or took a drag.

[Brundle-Fly]

According to old press stories, David Jason used to smoke but gave up before playing Frost (1992-) who is a chainsmoker in the books despite the fact that in real life cigarettes melt frost. I'd like to imagine Lyndhurst's laid-back demeanour derives from marijuana but as yet haven't persuaded anyone to add it to his Wikipedia page.

I read in an old interview with Lyndhurst saying that for a long time he was a heavy smoker but managed to kick the habit entirely through hypnotherapy.

[Replies From View]

Little fact for you:  Lyndhurst's eyes have actually been moving closer together throughout his life in order to become a cigarette of some kind.

[Jockice]

Maybe slightly off-topic, but I'm sorry, Tessa Peake- Jones was always the poor man's Sally James.

I also remember reading about Sally James having to be taught how to smoke for a TV show she was in after Tiswas. I wonder how much the lessons cost.  Or why she just hadn't learned behind the bike sheds like everyone else.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Blimey, I wonder what Post- Tiswas career Sally James attempted to follow , if she had a go at playing rugged smoking types? Maybe she was playing a female gumshoe, or something, you know like Kathleen Turner played in that film.

Anyway, I probably still would.

( soz for going a bit OT again.)

[Brundle-Fly]

Forgetting the whole Leary ripped off Hicks thing, if that's possible, I still enjoy both of these routines.

Hicks on smoking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsGNLsDodc0

Leary on smoking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHIT2or-F9o

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Peter Cook puffing away on " Parkinson",  Barry Cryer and Les Dawson having a right old go on the ol' coffin nails on " Jokers Wild", they were different times.