R I P Sir Ken Dodd (90)

[Cyril Haearn]

I think Sir Kens humour was of its time and place
As most members of these fora seem to come from Wigan and thereabouts, plus a few from Yorkshire, it is understandable that he is popular

I encountered Charles and Diana once when cycling in the Principality (I was cycling, C+D were not)
Their escort vehicle forced me to pull over and wait

[JohnW]

I did once meet Doddy - about 1957/58 I'd think - I was still a schoolboy. We were at Blackpool for holiday (please don't hold that against me - Blackpool was different then) and we'd been to his show at one of the piers (Central Pier, I think).

Whilst we're on the 'hobnobbing' topic - that takes me back to exactly the same year - 1957. We were also enjoying a seaside holiday - not at Blackpool but at either Saundersfoot or Tenby in South Wales. While I was playing on the beach one day, a middle-aged, rather academic-looking gentleman came up to us and introduced himself, and chatted to me for a while. I should point out that I have no recollection of this event, it's what my parents told me long after.

It turned out that the gentleman was Sir Julian Huxley, the eminent biologist, brother of novelist Aldous, and grandson of Darwin's associate T.H. Huxley. I still wonder whether I gave him a 'biology lesson' about the creatures and shells I'd found on the beach.

Someone who may not have been quite so well-known as Doddy, perhaps, he moved in somewhat more exalted circles.

Apart from that, my encounters with the rich and famous have been few and far between...

What a pity you don't recall it for yourself Pete.

[irc]

I saw him in Glasgow maybe 5 years ago. AS I was working the next day I left at the half time break. That was 10.30pm after a 7:30 start. A decent act, well worth seeing. I think he just loved being on the stage. Nobody would do 5 and 6 hour shows night after night if they didn't.

[Cyril Haearn]

I have done storyteller courses, it is hard to memorise a text that takes 10 minutes to recite (in German mind )
How did Sir Ken remember 1501 jokes, did he note key words or prompts?
Did he tell cycling jokes (apart from the one about his teeth)?

[mercalia]

well he had a good innings. I didnt like his type of humour though. made me cringe, seemed very dated when current.

Yes - he was more irritating than funny.

If Doddy made you cringe or you found him irritating,you'll have to be content with being in a very small minority,and if you didn't personally like his humour at least admit that he made the vast majority happy.
His talent didn't stop there either,he was quite a talented singer too or aleast his many hits testify.

You can't please all the people all thetime but at least he tried

hmm he did have a good voice but not his songs I think. I think his appeal was to the middle aged mums at home. He belonged to the London Palladium times. If he was better in live shows then thank goodness for that

[pwa]

Very little comedy dates well. I'm not sure why. Doddy did come over as a bit dated. Eric Morecambe doesn't seem as funny to me as he once did. But I recently watched a bit of Laurel and Hardy for the first time in ages and it still worked for me. I was surprised by that. Something about the timing, the quiet meaningful looks to camera, and the pathos mixed with comic mishap all combines to keep it fresh, at least for me.

[mercalia]

Very little comedy dates well. I'm not sure why. Doddy did come over as a bit dated. Eric Morecambe doesn't seem as funny to me as he once did. But I recently watched a bit of Laurel and Hardy for the first time in ages and it still worked for me. I was surprised by that. Something about the timing, the quiet meaningful looks to camera, and the pathos mixed with comic mishap all combines to keep it fresh, at least for me.

what about Benny hill? Though not PC by modern standards? Or that magian who used to laugh alot and got all his tricks wrong, wore one of those turkish hats thingies? Tommy Cooper " Just Like That" far funnier. I dont think he has dated?

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[pete75]

Very little comedy dates well. I'm not sure why. Doddy did come over as a bit dated. Eric Morecambe doesn't seem as funny to me as he once did. But I recently watched a bit of Laurel and Hardy for the first time in ages and it still worked for me. I was surprised by that. Something about the timing, the quiet meaningful looks to camera, and the pathos mixed with comic mishap all combines to keep it fresh, at least for me.

They were visitors to pubs near me. Stan's sister kept the Plough Inn at Barkston in the 1940's and teh pair visited when they were touring in England. She then moved to The Bull at Bottesford and again they went to see her there. http://www.loveden.org.uk/Laurel.html



This is a good one

Oliver: Didn't you once tell me that you had an uncle?

Stanley: Sure, I've got an uncle. Why?

Oliver: Now we're getting somewhere. Is he living?

Stanley: No. He fell through a trap door and broke his neck.

Oliver: Was he building a house?

Stanley: No, they were hanging him.

[Ben@Forest]

Very little comedy dates well. I'm not sure why. Doddy did come over as a bit dated. Eric Morecambe doesn't seem as funny to me as he once did....

I think the funniest sketch ever is Morecambe and Wise with Andre Previn, with Morecambe (supposedly) playing Greig. It's great partly because Previn is a great stooge who manages to look genuinely irritated and irascible even though the musicians in front or behind him are in stitches, for someone who isn't a comedian he plays it brilliantly. I've seen it 100 times and it still makes me laugh every time.

[pete75]

Very little comedy dates well. I'm not sure why. Doddy did come over as a bit dated. Eric Morecambe doesn't seem as funny to me as he once did....

I think the funniest sketch ever is Morecambe and Wise with Andre Previn, with Morecambe (supposedly) playing Greig. It's great partly because Previn is a great stooge who manages to look genuinely irritated and irascible even though the musicians in front or behind him are in stitches, for someone who isn't a comedian he plays it brilliantly. I've seen it 100 times and it still makes me laugh every time.

I remember that but wasn't the chap called Andrew Preview?

[Cyril Haearn]

Very little comedy dates well. I'm not sure why.
..
...

Because society does change and evolve, more than we realise, gets better too, some 'humour' becomes unacceptable
Radioactive on r4 was my favourite but some of the 'jokes' would not be used now
Most of the presenters were called Mike (stand, channel, flex), a travelling programme was called 'Round your parts'

[pwa]

A few days ago I was watching a bit of Till Death Us Do Part with the monstrous bigot Alf Garnett as the central character. I could see why in these (overly?) sensitive times much of the content could not be aired now, but it was still very funny. I was doing what the writer intended, laughing at a ridiculous bigot and his petty prejudices. Even his own family laugh at him and his wife calls him a "pig". Very clever, very relevant and very funny. Dated only in that we have become afraid to portray bigotry as funny, which I understand but I also think is a shame. We used to regard laughing at Alf Garnett or comedy portrayals of Hitler as a way of countering the poison, but now we have to silence that sort of humour because some might not understand that the central character is being mocked by the writer.

[661-Pete]

Very little comedy dates well. I'm not sure why. Doddy did come over as a bit dated. Eric Morecambe doesn't seem as funny to me as he once did.

Comedy which 'works' for some people evidently doesn't for others. I used to loathe Morecambe and Wise (and have upset some people by voicing that opinion), even in its heyday. I can't really explain why. On the other hand I enjoyed The Two Ronnies, which was a fairly similar act.

Another act that I recall splitting my sides over, was Dick Emery. Especially his recurrent catchphrases and multiple personas. Very un-PC by today's standards, of course - especially 'Clarence' (the camp "Hello Honky-Tonk" one). If I seek him out on Youtube I still laugh, but with a touch of embarrassment. The famous 'Driving Test' sketch is especially cringe-worthy. But it worked - in its day.

Perhaps to some, the same might be said of Doddy. Comedy indeed doesn't stand the test of time.

[pete75]

Dave Allen stuff from years ago is still funny.
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[pwa]

Dave Allen stuff from years ago is still funny.
[youtube]jxo81Ok9Urk[/youtube]

Indeed. Loved him then and love him now.