For those of you who have a Blackberry or Apple then this might prove useful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI

Thanks for the link Henry. Harry Enfield (the shop keeper) is really struggling to keep a straight face in that clip . That is the one TV program on over Christmas that I really want to see.

I have never seen or heard of this show before, but a Brit friend (well formerly British -- he has been an American for 2 or 3 decades) showed this video clip to me.

The Two Ronnies (starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbert) was a very popular TV show in the 70s and 80s in the UK. Their humour involved a lot of clever word play. My favourite sketch must be the "Four Candles" one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz2-ukrd2VQ.

Sadly Ronnie Barker died some years ago. This 'Christmas Special' of the One Ronnie features the surviving Ronnie performing with the succeeding generations' comics who probably, like me, grew up listening to the Two Ronnies on a Saturday night.

Before I read the rest of your post I thought you were saying that the video I posted was made in the 70s and 80s. Darn prescient they were.



Thanks for posting one of their older classic bits.



These days so much comedy is harder and more profane. Too bad.

I recall an interesting experience I had a few years ago. I was having dinner with some people, mostly Australians. One woman about 60 years old was an Australian citizen, but she had emigrated from England about 30 years before and married an Australian man. I had met her before so sort of knew her personality. She was a snobbish, haughty know-it-all and effortlessly would shift her allegiance from Australia to England and then back depending on which she felt put her in a better light. I am sure it was annoying to the Australians and it certainly was to me too. She was often critical about Australia and Australians and at those times she would always remind people that she was actually British, but then when she was critical of American and Americans she would often suddenly be an Aussie so she could feel the backup and support of the Australians. Anyway, that is just the lead up to the point of this little story.

At that dinner somehow the topic of conversation got around to comedy and comedians. As was her way, she lifted her nose in the air and declared that American comedy was just so juvenile, sophomoric, low-brow compared to the much more intelligent, thoughtful English comedy. Since the target was America the Australians at the table all agreed with her, glad that she hadn't said anything about Australian comedy. I readily agreed with her too about American comedy and told her that is why we so much enjoyed the wonderful, intelligent English comedy from Mr. Bean and Benny Hill. Oh my, you should of seen her face as it turned red and the Australians all burst out laughing at her.

Well I don't think American humour is so bad, there's been some really good stuff over the years, how about this guy http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ace_ventura_pet_detective/trailers/10906570/
or this classic show http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=f+troop&sk=&pq=f+troop&sp=1&sc=8-7&docid=282933985467&mid=E633263552D18CD393CBE633263552D18CD393CB&FORM=LKVR32#
and this guy actually blended the two types of humour in this movie very well http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=a+fish+called+wanda&sk=&pq=a+fish+called+wanda&sp=1&sc=2-19&docid=282861175433&mid=8AFBDB2E94518940B5828AFBDB2E94518940B582&FORM=LKVR9#
And who can forget the dry humour of Walter Matthau, even Jack Lemmon was funny now and then, but I don't think Steve Martin is as funny as 'goon' Peter Sellers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPyDY5aZyXs&feature=related
Greg

Actually, Jim Carrey is a Canadian.

I only agreed with her as the set up to my mentioning Mr. Bean and Benny Hill. Nothing against either one of them, by the way. There are all sorts of comedy and they are of one type, you know the type that she said didn't exist in England comedy.

This is Shimura Ken, a famous comedian in Japan. He does sort of low-brow physical comedy. Sort of a Japanese Benny Hill. The first time I lived in Japan 1990-93 I would often watch his TV program because even without understanding the words I could get a lot of the comedy.

Here he is a security agent at the airport (don't worry, you don't need to understand Japanese for this comedy skit):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejq--eIJkgE

And here he is an English teacher:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic53hhFllPM

Oops didn't know that, I always thought he was an American.

Yeah I thought that was quite cleverly done, myself I can only take Mr. Bean in very small doses.

That was clever, he sure was making sure that the hot chicks were ok ha ha.

I didn't get it right away, he was acutally teaching 'them' how to speak Ingrish

In Japan everyone studies English for 6 years from grade 7 to grade 12 when they are in school. Unfortunately, the English teachers are Japanese who usually don't speak English well at all. That is why most Japanese can't speak English much either, although their reading and writing is often much better. Since the teachers don't speak English well they tend to emphasize studying grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing. This skit is very funny to Japanese because they know that their English teachers can't speak English. Part of the joke was that this was a class of high school students (note the uniforms), but they are actually all foreigners who speak English well, but the teacher (Shimura Ken) doesn't recognize the proper pronunciation and is helping them to pronounce the words "properly."

I have two Japanese old friends I met back in the 1980s and they are English teachers in Japanese schools. They regularly went to the U.S. and their English was better than most English teachers in Japanese schools. Even so, their English is not what one would expect for an English teacher.

Yes Tom I think the Texan accent is distinctive, but for myself, I like it better than the NY one where they place a fair amount of emphasis on the letter 'R'.
Greg

ps. Anyone who can speak French good enough to receive complements from native speakers has my respect.

Thank you

Oh boy, don't let a Canadian hear you say that! Canadians are very sensitive and thin-skinned about this sort of thing. I spent several years there and know.

Maybe none of the Canucks present noticed? I might have gotten away with it....phew
Greg

ps. Anyway, if you go on the amount of movies he did and WHERE he shot them, it'd be an easy mistake to make....for an Australian that is.

Michael J. Fox, Neil Young, Pamela Anderson, and some others are Canadian. When I lived in Canada I noticed that Canadians would for some reason usually somehow work that info into unrelated conversations. Happen once you don't think about it, but it happened countless times so I noticed. Lots of very talented Canadians....or in the case of Pamela Anderson surgically sculpted.



Yes, most of the famous Canadians you know achieved their fame and fortune in the U.S., but I think they go back to Canada for visits sometimes. Actually, for many of them I wouldn't be aware that they were Canadian either if I hadn't spent time in Canada and been informed.