At Last the 1948 Show
Encyclopedia
At Last the 1948 Show is a satirical
TV show made by David Frost
's company, Paradine Productions (although it was not credited on the programmes), in association with Rediffusion London
. Made for Britain's ITV
network during 1967, it brought Cambridge Footlights
humour to a broader audience.
The show starred Tim Brooke-Taylor
, Graham Chapman
, John Cleese
, Marty Feldman
and Aimi MacDonald
. Cleese and Brooke-Taylor were also the programme editors. The director was Ian Fordyce.
The series bridged the radio series I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
and television's Monty Python's Flying Circus
and The Goodies
. It also led to Feldman's television series Marty
(which included Tim Brooke-Taylor). The convention of comedy scenes interspersed by songs was abandoned.
The shows had no relationship to 1948; the title referred to the BBC's habit of letting shows sit for months before broadcasting them. The cast also recorded an LP of sketches from the show, as well as releasing a book of some of the sketches.
The show was made shortly before colour on ITV. There were two short series totalling 13 25-minute episodes (six in the first series, seven in the second). Thames Television
wiped the material once they had acquired the Rediffusion London archive, and all but two episodes were destroyed. John Cleese rescued two episodes when he became aware of what was happening. Five compilation episodes for Swedish
television also survived. Much missing material has been recovered in video or audio recordings from the series, or from the LP version, and surviving video has reportedly been restored by the British Film Institute
.
Out of an original total of 14 episodes, four episodes are currently missing, five exist complete, and five are incomplete.
Those that are incomplete consist of footage recovered from five compilation tapes returned from Sweden. Audio recordings of all 14 episodes exist.
The majority of a previously missing episode (tx 31.10.67) was returned to the BFI in May 2010.
Only the five Swedish compilation episodes have been released on DVD. This includes the Four Yorkshiremen sketch
, written and performed by Cleese, Chapman, Brooke-Taylor and Feldman. The original sketch can be viewed on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDaSvRO9xA The DVDs were issued by Pinnacle Vision in the UK (Region 2) and by Tango Entertainment in the US
(Region 1). The DVD incorrectly states these as "recently recovered episodes", titles them as "episodes [1-5]", and also presents them in the wrong series order. There is no mention on the DVD that the content is a compilation.
Several sketches were revived by Monty Python
for two German
TV specials (Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
) and for stage shows, including the "Four Yorkshiremen sketch
", which was performed on Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
. Another, "Bookshop Sketch," was recorded in modified form for Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album
.
The series was filmed at what is now Fountain Studios, Wembley
.
Footage of John Cleese and Tim Brooke-Taylor from At Last the 1948 Show was shown on the documentary special Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyers Cut)
.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
TV show made by David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
's company, Paradine Productions (although it was not credited on the programmes), in association with Rediffusion London
Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion, London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 1954 and 29 July 1968. Transmissions started on 22 September 1955.-Formation:...
. Made for Britain's ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network during 1967, it brought Cambridge Footlights
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
humour to a broader audience.
The show starred Tim Brooke-Taylor
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
, Graham Chapman
Graham Chapman
Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...
, John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
, Marty Feldman
Marty Feldman
Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman was an English comedy writer, comedian and actor who starred in a series of British television comedy shows, including At Last the 1948 Show, and Marty, which won two BAFTA awards and was the first Saturn Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Young...
and Aimi MacDonald
Aimi MacDonald
Aimi MacDonald is a British actress. She is best known for her role as "The Lovely" Aimi MacDonald in the television sketch comedy show At Last the 1948 Show ....
. Cleese and Brooke-Taylor were also the programme editors. The director was Ian Fordyce.
History
Frost approached Cleese, Chapman and Brooke-Taylor to star in a sketch series. They suggested Marty Feldman, until then a comedy writer.The series bridged the radio series I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again was a BBC radio comedy programme which originated from the Cambridge University Footlights revue Cambridge Circus...
and television's Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
and The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
. It also led to Feldman's television series Marty
Marty (TV series)
Marty is a British television sketch comedy series, with Marty Feldman, Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Junkin, Roland MacLeod, Mary Miller and Peter Pocock which was made in 1968...
(which included Tim Brooke-Taylor). The convention of comedy scenes interspersed by songs was abandoned.
The shows had no relationship to 1948; the title referred to the BBC's habit of letting shows sit for months before broadcasting them. The cast also recorded an LP of sketches from the show, as well as releasing a book of some of the sketches.
The show was made shortly before colour on ITV. There were two short series totalling 13 25-minute episodes (six in the first series, seven in the second). Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
wiped the material once they had acquired the Rediffusion London archive, and all but two episodes were destroyed. John Cleese rescued two episodes when he became aware of what was happening. Five compilation episodes for Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
television also survived. Much missing material has been recovered in video or audio recordings from the series, or from the LP version, and surviving video has reportedly been restored by the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
.
Out of an original total of 14 episodes, four episodes are currently missing, five exist complete, and five are incomplete.
Those that are incomplete consist of footage recovered from five compilation tapes returned from Sweden. Audio recordings of all 14 episodes exist.
The majority of a previously missing episode (tx 31.10.67) was returned to the BFI in May 2010.
Only the five Swedish compilation episodes have been released on DVD. This includes the Four Yorkshiremen sketch
Four Yorkshiremen sketch
The "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch is a parody of nostalgic conversations about humble beginnings or difficult childhoods. Four Yorkshiremen reminisce about their upbringing, and as the conversation progresses, they try to outdo one another, their accounts of deprived childhoods becoming increasingly...
, written and performed by Cleese, Chapman, Brooke-Taylor and Feldman. The original sketch can be viewed on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDaSvRO9xA The DVDs were issued by Pinnacle Vision in the UK (Region 2) and by Tango Entertainment in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Region 1). The DVD incorrectly states these as "recently recovered episodes", titles them as "episodes [1-5]", and also presents them in the wrong series order. There is no mention on the DVD that the content is a compilation.
Several sketches were revived by Monty Python
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
for two German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
TV specials (Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus consisted of two 45-minute Monty Python German television comedy specials produced by WDR for West German television...
) and for stage shows, including the "Four Yorkshiremen sketch
Four Yorkshiremen sketch
The "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch is a parody of nostalgic conversations about humble beginnings or difficult childhoods. Four Yorkshiremen reminisce about their upbringing, and as the conversation progresses, they try to outdo one another, their accounts of deprived childhoods becoming increasingly...
", which was performed on Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a 1982 concert film in which the Monty Python team perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl. The show also included filmed inserts which were mostly taken from two Monty Python specials, Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus, which had been...
. Another, "Bookshop Sketch," was recorded in modified form for Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album
Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album
Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album is an album released by Monty Python in 1980, a mixture of songs, new sketches and some rerecorded pre-Python work. As the title suggests, the album was put together to complete a contract with Charisma Records...
.
The series was filmed at what is now Fountain Studios, Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
.
Footage of John Cleese and Tim Brooke-Taylor from At Last the 1948 Show was shown on the documentary special Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyers Cut)
Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyers Cut)
Monty Python: Almost the Truth is a 2009 television documentary series in six parts that cover the members of the surreal comedy group Monty Python from Flying Circus to the present day. The series highlights their childhood, schooling and university life, and pre-Python work...
.
External links
- Comedy Guide - At Last the 1948 Show at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
(Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
copy) - British Film Institute Screen Online
| At Last the 1948 Show |
|---|
| Tim Brooke-Taylor Tim Brooke-Taylor Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964... — Graham Chapman Graham Chapman Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:... — John Cleese John Cleese John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report... — Marty Feldman Marty Feldman Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman was an English comedy writer, comedian and actor who starred in a series of British television comedy shows, including At Last the 1948 Show, and Marty, which won two BAFTA awards and was the first Saturn Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Young... — Aimi MacDonald Aimi MacDonald Aimi MacDonald is a British actress. She is best known for her role as "The Lovely" Aimi MacDonald in the television sketch comedy show At Last the 1948 Show .... |