In 1978. there was a school trip to see the film 'Grease', and the only person not to go was yours truly. Why? Well, I've never liked musicals, and this one had John Travolta who, at that time, I despised ( only later did I come to respect him as an actor ). I saw the film out of curiosity years later on television, but cannot claim to have been impressed. The 'Happy Days' television series was more entertaining, and some of the songs the film could have done well without. The ending also struck me as odd - in order to keep the man she loves, Sandy ( Olivia Newton-John ) dresses like a ten-dollar hooker? Great message to give to the kids, eh? And what was the flying car at the end all about? A homage to 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'?
In 1980, 'The Goodies' took a pop at the film, along with 'Saturday Night Fever' and the result was one of their very best episodes. Tim has caught Disco Fever, and is dressing like his hero ( his trousers are so tight he speaks falsetto whenever he zips up ). He has replaced The Queen's portrait in the gang's office with one of the girl he calls 'Livvy' ( Newton-John, of course ). There is a snag - he cannot dance so Grahame teaches him the 'Disco Heave'. Tim is subsequently arrested for breaking the cardinal rule - no mixed dancing. To get the money to free him, Bill and Graeme try to fix the outcome of a disco dancing contest ( which is going out on television as part of 'Panorama', and is hosted by one Robin Yad, who seems to be Robin Day with a cloth over his head )...
If I had the money, I would do what Bill does here - open a disco and then refuse entry to as many famous people as possible. The 'Disco Bilius' is like New York's 'Studio 54' in that it caters for the famous, or would do if Bill actually decided to let them in.
An uncredited Susie Silvey is one of the disco dancers. She appeared in the 'Terry & June' episode in which the Medfords attempted to master the art of disco dancing.
This episode is a nice nostalgic trip for those of us who recall '70's discos. Before you ask, no I did not dress like Travolta. Many of us tried to ape his coolness but wound up looking like the late Sir Norman Wisdom.
Funniest moment - the entire first five minutes which mocks the opening of 'Saturday Night Fever' by having Tim dress in front of a mirror. Off comes the Union Jack shirt and wig and on goes a Travolta hairpiece ( topped by a dollop of grease which makes him look like Pepe Le Pew ). His underpants bear a carrot motif and apparently upset Mrs.Whitehouse ( good thing Mary did not see the pants I wore to Brighton in 1984. They bore the epithet: 'Never Mind The Length, Feel The Quality!' ). I wish I'd been on the street the day they filmed Tim strutting along, carrying a pail with a big comb in it.
Second funniest moment - the climactic chase is one of the gang's best. Policemen are after the Goodies, and here we get almost every famous cinematic dance routine, including those from 'Singing In The Rain', 'West Side Story' and 'The Wizard Of Oz'. It ends with the cops punching seven bells out of our heroes to the strains of 'Can Can'. No matter how often I watch this, I always applaud as the end credits roll. It is nothing less than the team at their peak.
In 1980, 'The Goodies' took a pop at the film, along with 'Saturday Night Fever' and the result was one of their very best episodes. Tim has caught Disco Fever, and is dressing like his hero ( his trousers are so tight he speaks falsetto whenever he zips up ). He has replaced The Queen's portrait in the gang's office with one of the girl he calls 'Livvy' ( Newton-John, of course ). There is a snag - he cannot dance so Grahame teaches him the 'Disco Heave'. Tim is subsequently arrested for breaking the cardinal rule - no mixed dancing. To get the money to free him, Bill and Graeme try to fix the outcome of a disco dancing contest ( which is going out on television as part of 'Panorama', and is hosted by one Robin Yad, who seems to be Robin Day with a cloth over his head )...
If I had the money, I would do what Bill does here - open a disco and then refuse entry to as many famous people as possible. The 'Disco Bilius' is like New York's 'Studio 54' in that it caters for the famous, or would do if Bill actually decided to let them in.
An uncredited Susie Silvey is one of the disco dancers. She appeared in the 'Terry & June' episode in which the Medfords attempted to master the art of disco dancing.
This episode is a nice nostalgic trip for those of us who recall '70's discos. Before you ask, no I did not dress like Travolta. Many of us tried to ape his coolness but wound up looking like the late Sir Norman Wisdom.
Funniest moment - the entire first five minutes which mocks the opening of 'Saturday Night Fever' by having Tim dress in front of a mirror. Off comes the Union Jack shirt and wig and on goes a Travolta hairpiece ( topped by a dollop of grease which makes him look like Pepe Le Pew ). His underpants bear a carrot motif and apparently upset Mrs.Whitehouse ( good thing Mary did not see the pants I wore to Brighton in 1984. They bore the epithet: 'Never Mind The Length, Feel The Quality!' ). I wish I'd been on the street the day they filmed Tim strutting along, carrying a pail with a big comb in it.
Second funniest moment - the climactic chase is one of the gang's best. Policemen are after the Goodies, and here we get almost every famous cinematic dance routine, including those from 'Singing In The Rain', 'West Side Story' and 'The Wizard Of Oz'. It ends with the cops punching seven bells out of our heroes to the strains of 'Can Can'. No matter how often I watch this, I always applaud as the end credits roll. It is nothing less than the team at their peak.
