4 ms·

Not so sure about Benny Hill. As an American, I couldn't see what the Brits found so funny about him. The keystone cop sequences of naked women chasing him, etc

Not so sure about Benny Hill. As an American, I couldn't see what the Brits found so funny about him. The keystone cop sequences of naked women chasing him, etc. and the silly situations he concocted (which required spoken language). Whereas Mr. Bean was truly universal situations and effectively no spoken words.

mbg721 4y ago
To appreciate Benny Hill, you have to recognize both time and space. It's not 1965 anymore.
- lostlogin 4y ago
  However… put the music on and I expect to see a fiasco play out.
  - mbg721 4y ago
    I would expect a similar result if someone had a record of the "The Price Is Right" theme music.
  - DyslexicAtheist 4y ago
    Yakety Sax[1] :) but everybody knows it as the Benny Hill theme song. Benny Hill helped popularize it but it was there earlier, and itself inspired by Yakety Yak (which is a name of Ubuntu release 16.10 - now we're full circle :)) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakety_Sax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakety_Sax
  - mattkevan 4y ago
    There were amazing scenes just the other day when someone blasted Yakety Sax outside of Parliament as the government was collapsing. Made for some wonderful TV - and apparently was due to a suggestion by Hugh Grant, no less. https://mobile.twitter.com/nickfthilton/status/1544992559692480512 https://mobile.twitter.com/nickfthilton/status/1544992559692...
    - mbg721 4y ago
      I was going to say something snarky about Hugh Grant and Pierce Brosnan and other charming Englishmen in suits getting to embrace the full national experience with Benny Hill, except evidently Pierce Brosnan is actually from Ireland. Today I learned.
mrwh 4y ago
Not sure if you'll find many Brits under the age of 60 trying to defend Benny Hill or make a case for his comedy. I'm in my 40s and I don't remember a time when he wasn't seen as naff, and from some distant time before comedy got clever...
- Jaruzel 4y ago
  Sad fact: Benny Hill died penniless in a shabby council flat, his body wasn't found until two weeks after he died. Naff or otherwise, no-one should go like that. :(
  - mrwh 4y ago
    According to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hill https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hill, he died alone, which is indeed terribly sad. (But not penniless, far from it.)

mbg721 4y ago

To appreciate Benny Hill, you have to recognize both time and space. It's not 1965 anymore.

lostlogin 4y ago
However… put the music on and I expect to see a fiasco play out.
- mbg721 4y ago
  I would expect a similar result if someone had a record of the "The Price Is Right" theme music.
- DyslexicAtheist 4y ago
  Yakety Sax[1] :) but everybody knows it as the Benny Hill theme song. Benny Hill helped popularize it but it was there earlier, and itself inspired by Yakety Yak (which is a name of Ubuntu release 16.10 - now we're full circle :)) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakety_Sax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakety_Sax
- mattkevan 4y ago
  There were amazing scenes just the other day when someone blasted Yakety Sax outside of Parliament as the government was collapsing. Made for some wonderful TV - and apparently was due to a suggestion by Hugh Grant, no less. https://mobile.twitter.com/nickfthilton/status/1544992559692480512 https://mobile.twitter.com/nickfthilton/status/1544992559692...
  - mbg721 4y ago
    I was going to say something snarky about Hugh Grant and Pierce Brosnan and other charming Englishmen in suits getting to embrace the full national experience with Benny Hill, except evidently Pierce Brosnan is actually from Ireland. Today I learned.

mrwh 4y ago

Not sure if you'll find many Brits under the age of 60 trying to defend Benny Hill or make a case for his comedy. I'm in my 40s and I don't remember a time when he wasn't seen as naff, and from some distant time before comedy got clever...

Jaruzel 4y ago
Sad fact: Benny Hill died penniless in a shabby council flat, his body wasn't found until two weeks after he died. Naff or otherwise, no-one should go like that. :(
- mrwh 4y ago
  According to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hill https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hill, he died alone, which is indeed terribly sad. (But not penniless, far from it.)