Rhubarb Rhubarb
Encyclopedia
Rhubarb Rhubarb is a 30 minute television comedy special made by Thames TV and transmitted in 1980
. The special is a re-make of Eric Sykes
' 1969 film, Rhubarb
.
" repeatedly and out of step with each other, to cause the effect of general hubbub. It was this use which inspired Sykes to use it as the only word in Rhubarb Rhubarb.
†Hattie Jacques
died between the making of Rhubarb Rhubarb and its screening.
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
. The special is a re-make of Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes, CBE is an English radio, television and film writer, actor and director whose performing career has spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and/or performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter...
' 1969 film, Rhubarb
Rhubarb (1969 film)
Rhubarb was a 1969 British short film written and directed by Eric Sykes, starring Sykes and Harry Secombe. The dialogue consisted entirely of repetitions of the word "rhubarb", all the characters last names were "Rhubarb", and even the license plates on vehicles were "RHU BAR B"...
.
Plot
A police inspector is so intent on winning a round of golf against a vicar, despite his lack of ability at the game, that he employs his constable to furtively disentangle his ball from the odd spots in which it usually comes to rest - while his opponent looks for help from a higher power...Dialogue
The word "rhubarb" is the only one uttered, many times over, in this film. In the United Kingdom it is or was common for a crowd of extras in acting to shout the word "rhubarbWalla
In American radio, film, television, and video games, walla is a sound effect imitating the murmur of a crowd in the background. A group of actors brought together in the post-production stage of film production to create this murmur is known as a walla group...
" repeatedly and out of step with each other, to cause the effect of general hubbub. It was this use which inspired Sykes to use it as the only word in Rhubarb Rhubarb.
Cast
- Eric SykesEric SykesEric Sykes, CBE is an English radio, television and film writer, actor and director whose performing career has spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and/or performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter...
.... Police Inspector/Groom - Jimmy EdwardsJimmy EdwardsJimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
.... Police Officer - Bob ToddBob ToddBob Todd was an English comedy actor, mostly known for appearing as a straight man in the sketch shows of Benny Hill and Spike Milligan. For many years he lived in Tunbridge Wells, Kent....
.... Vicar - Charlie DrakeCharlie DrakeCharlie Drake was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer.With his small stature , curly red hair and liking for slapstick he was a popular comedian with children in his early years, becoming nationally-known for his "Hello, my darlings" catchphrase...
.... Golf Club Pro - Bill FraserBill Fraser-External links:* *...
.... Golf Club Secretary - Hattie JacquesHattie JacquesJosephine Edwina Jaques was an English comedy actress, known as Hattie Jacques.Starting her career in the 1940s, Jacques first gained attention through her radio appearances with Tommy Handley on ITMA and later with Tony Hancock on Hancock's Half Hour...
† .... Nanny - Roy KinnearRoy KinnearRoy Mitchell Kinnear was an English character actor. He is best remembered for playing Veruca Salt's father, Mr. Salt, in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.-Early life:...
.... Home Owner - Beryl ReidBeryl ReidBeryl Elizabeth Reid, OBE was a British actress of stage and screen.-Early life:Born in Hereford, England in 1919, Reid was the daughter of Scottish parents and grew up in Manchester where she attended Withington and Levenshulme High Schools.-Career:Reid applied for and was accepted in a revue in...
.... Home Owner's Wife - Norman RossingtonNorman RossingtonNorman Rossington was an English actor best remembered for his roles in The Army Game, the Carry On films and the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night.-Early life:...
.... Church Organist - April Walker .... Lady Golf Pupil/Bride
- Nicholas Bond-Owen .... Little Boy
- Robert CarterRobert CarterRobert Carter or Bob Carter may refer to:*Robert Carter I of Corotoman, aka King Carter , Virginia colonist*Robert Carter III, United States founding father*Robert Carter , Canadian illustrator...
.... Baby
†Hattie Jacques
Hattie Jacques
Josephine Edwina Jaques was an English comedy actress, known as Hattie Jacques.Starting her career in the 1940s, Jacques first gained attention through her radio appearances with Tommy Handley on ITMA and later with Tony Hancock on Hancock's Half Hour...
died between the making of Rhubarb Rhubarb and its screening.
See also
- RhubarbRhubarb (1969 film)Rhubarb was a 1969 British short film written and directed by Eric Sykes, starring Sykes and Harry Secombe. The dialogue consisted entirely of repetitions of the word "rhubarb", all the characters last names were "Rhubarb", and even the license plates on vehicles were "RHU BAR B"...
the 1969 film remade for television as Rhubarb Rhubarb (1980) by Thames TV. - Other Eric Sykes short silent films in similar style: The Plank (1967) which was a remake of the b/w TV episode 'Sykes and A...Sykes and A...Sykes and a... is a black-and-white British sitcom starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques that aired on BBC1 from 1960 to 1965. It was written by Eric Sykes, Johnny Speight, John Antrobus and Spike Milligan...
Plank' (1964), The PlankThe Plank (1979 film)The Plank is a popular 30-minute, 1979 British slapstick comedy, which was a remake of an earlier 1967 version of the film which was written and directed by Eric Sykes. The 1967 version of "The Plank" was, in turn, based on an episode called "Sykes and A Plank", which Eric Sykes wrote for his...
(1979 television remake of the 1967 film), and other TV specials such as It's Your MoveIt's Your Move (1982 film)It's Your Move is the title of two short films written and directed by Eric Sykes . The story of both films involves a married couple moving into a new home and enduring the ineptitude of removal men. As with most other films directed by Sykes, the action unfolds in a style echoing the silent,...
(1982), Mr. H Is Late (1988) and The Big FreezeThe Big Freeze (1993 film)The Big Freeze is a featurette-length film written and directed by Eric Sykes. The action centres around mishaps involving a father and son plumbing team attending to business in sub-zero temperatures at a retirement home in Finland. Like other Sykes directorial vehicles, the piece is a silent...
(1993).