Last Of The Summer Wine: The Complete Collection [DVD]

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This group consisted of Russ Abbot as Luther Hobdyke, known as Hobbo, a former milkman who fancied himself as a secret agent, Burt Kwouk as the electrical repairman, "Electrical" Entwistle, and Murphy as Alvin Smedley. It was more of the same, gradually getting further and further away from reality and more and more characters were added until I gradually lost the ability to suspend disbelief and switched off. Which is just what you'd expect from Britain's oldest, if not wisest adolescents, and their equally eccentric fellow townspeople. Ballad for Wind Instruments and Canoe’ (warning: no wind instruments involved) is shot mainly on location.

The announcement came following rumours initiated by Bell that the corporation would not commission another series of episodes following the 30th series and their indecision regarding a possible one-off special. Blamire is the working class Tory, more-Tory-than-thou, adamant as to his superiority (apparently, Michael Bates was an arch Conservative anyway, with political opnions ‘to the right of Thatcher’ that caused arguments with Bill Owen that nearly wrecked the show before it started). Television so desperately wishes to be edgy and would really rather that those for whom edgy is unwelcome and unpleasant might disappear into their bland little holes and, well, die.An effort had gone into re-creating the period, most effectively, and the boys’ concerns in their youth echoed the early series in being more directly connected to real concerns: and with war looming, especially over the second series, First of the Summer Wine dealt with a more pressing reality. Clarke switched back to his original preference shortly before production began, [6] a title that was shortened to Last of the Summer Wine after the pilot show. Cyril Blamire, who has never married, has retired from a post at the local Water Board which he believes makes his superior, from being a civil servant. Norman Clegg, recently widowed, has been made redundant from his job as a linoleum salesman at the local Co-Op. Last of the Summer Wine was set and filmed in and around Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England, and centred on a trio of elderly men and their youthful misadventures; the members of the trio changed many times over the years.

But should a young audience be sought at the expense of turning your back upon, and disenfranchising your existing older audience?The opening episode features here under its original title, ‘Short Back and Palais Glide’, though it’s since been re-named ‘The Lost Key’, which is appropriate for the meat of the episode, the original basicaly eliding the opening scene, at the Barber’s, and the closing scene, at an Old-Tyme Dancing evening. Composing the score for each episode until his death in 2007, [29] Hazlehurst spent an average of ten hours per episode watching scenes and making notes for music synchronisation. I have the complete series as well but mine is Region 4 and I had to get mine a couple of series at a time. Gilbert and Clarke then travelled to Holmfirth and decided to use it as the setting for the pilot episode.

Actually, given that in later series, Compo was treated as being on his own, it was interesting that at this stage he was constantly referring to relatives. Clarke nearly turned the job down as he felt that the BBC's idea for a programme about three old men was a dull concept for a half-hour sitcom. Blamire (Michael Bates) had retired from his job as a clerk with the local Water Board, Clegg (Peter Sallis) had been made redundant from his job as a lino salesman at the Co-op, and Compo (Bill Owen) (later named as William Simmonite) was a lifelong layabout. The show used actual businesses and homes in and around Holmfirth, and Nora Batty's house, which is actually a Summer Wine themed holiday cottage where members of the public can stay in a replica of Nora Batty's home.

W. Bell, Last of the Summer Wine became the first comedy series to do away with the live studio audience, moving all of the filming to Holmfirth.