Occasionally a role and actor are perfectly matched. Since Rumpole of the Bailey was created by John Mortimer specifically for Leo McKern, it's no surprise that this is one of those times.
Rumpole is a brilliant barrister dedicated to seeking justice for the downtrodden, and that's what most of his clients are, downtrodden. All the small-time crooks know his name, and he's defended various members of one family, the Timsons, who know who he is from birth.
Rumpole at home has to answer to "she who must be obeyed," his wife, Hilda. She's not happy about his lowly job and wants him to move up, but Rumpole isn't interested. In his daily work life, Rumpole deals with all kinds of people: Claude Erskine-Brown, usually in trouble of some kind; his wife Phylida, whom Rumpole calls Portia, who adores Rumpole; Judge Guthrie Featherstone, a judge who at one point is involved in a sex scandal when someone sends him to a massage parlor for his bad elbow; and junior clerk Liz (played by McKern's daughter Abigail). Rumpole sees through pomposity and his quiet asides are hilarious.
Sloppy, contemptuous of authority, enterprising, Rumpole is fantastic, usually coming up with a last minute save for his client. One of my favorites was when he had to stay with Portia and Claude Erskine-Brown, and his habits drive them insane. Going up against Portia in court, when they reach a point where she could object, Rumpole says under his breath, "I'll be out tomorrow." In another episode, while defending one of the Timsons, the judge asks if the young boy was prodigo vicis per amicitia (spending time with friends), to which Rumpole says, "Ah, prodigo vicis per amicitia. Yes, that's something he says all the time, prodigo vicis per amicitia. I'm prodigo vicis per amicitia." He's the best.
Highly recommended for the cast, the writing, and most of all, for Leo McKern as Rumpole.
Rumpole is a brilliant barrister dedicated to seeking justice for the downtrodden, and that's what most of his clients are, downtrodden. All the small-time crooks know his name, and he's defended various members of one family, the Timsons, who know who he is from birth.
Rumpole at home has to answer to "she who must be obeyed," his wife, Hilda. She's not happy about his lowly job and wants him to move up, but Rumpole isn't interested. In his daily work life, Rumpole deals with all kinds of people: Claude Erskine-Brown, usually in trouble of some kind; his wife Phylida, whom Rumpole calls Portia, who adores Rumpole; Judge Guthrie Featherstone, a judge who at one point is involved in a sex scandal when someone sends him to a massage parlor for his bad elbow; and junior clerk Liz (played by McKern's daughter Abigail). Rumpole sees through pomposity and his quiet asides are hilarious.
Sloppy, contemptuous of authority, enterprising, Rumpole is fantastic, usually coming up with a last minute save for his client. One of my favorites was when he had to stay with Portia and Claude Erskine-Brown, and his habits drive them insane. Going up against Portia in court, when they reach a point where she could object, Rumpole says under his breath, "I'll be out tomorrow." In another episode, while defending one of the Timsons, the judge asks if the young boy was prodigo vicis per amicitia (spending time with friends), to which Rumpole says, "Ah, prodigo vicis per amicitia. Yes, that's something he says all the time, prodigo vicis per amicitia. I'm prodigo vicis per amicitia." He's the best.
Highly recommended for the cast, the writing, and most of all, for Leo McKern as Rumpole.