MarkA-21 Reviews

Q5 (1969–1980)

Ground-breaking, but often unpleasant, comedy

[7/10 · 4 January 2008]

Spike Milligan's "Q" series was certainly ground-breaking. His Goon Show on radio, more than a decade earlier, was very innovate, extremely funny (except for some patches where Spike was stressed and lacked the support in writing or production that he needed), and suitable for all the family (well, the bits that weren't were w-a-y over the heads of the kiddies). But Q5 went further - further than Goon Shows, further than other other television comedy anywhere in the world at that time, and further even than Monty Python in pure silliness. As a result, it went nowhere nearly as far in wide appeal nor, it has to be said, in fun. But not all comedy is fun or funny or pleasant. Spike knows black, absurd comedy, and being pleasant is not what it's about.

One gift Spike had was to see life as it is, and not just ask "why are people like that?" and poke fun at them - as satire does - but to imagine what life would be like with some changes. Often those changes involve people acting or talking the way we might find ourselves thinking at times - we laugh at the outlandish scenarios, but we are really laughing at our innermost thoughts and reaffirming life the way it is, the civilized way we choose to maintain it. Sometimes the story involves something so "wrong", like the idea of a Dalek married, coming home from work, and we must extend our minds long enough to think about the possibilities, setting aside the incongruities, until we again find ourselves laughing at what is wrong with the idea, and subconsciously understanding normal married life (and curries) a little more.

Q isn't always rude, but it sometimes is; be warned. Like some other comedians who use crudity, it can seem that (for example) racist comments, or denigration of women is promoted by the scripts; rather the opposite is true: those who do this are ridiculed, but it remains an unpleasant experience on many counts, for many types of viewer. Although funny in many places, this is primarily art, and a form where the viewer may suffer for the art more than the artist.

At Last the 1948 Show (1967)

Worth a Ten just for the 4 Yorkshiremen sketch!

[10/10 · 4 January 2008]

Okay, it is black-and-white, but that is what we had in those days. We considered ourselves lucky to have pictures! We were happier then, despite being poor. BECAUSE we were poor! Not long before The 1948 show, this zany British humour could only be found on the radio, in ISIRTA (I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again) or the Goon Show. (Thinks! Did not mention Telegoons! Thinks again... should not think aloud). Afterwards came Monty Python, admittedly zanier and more polished, but At Last The 1948 Show has some advantages for being early in the learning process of translating weirdness to television: it has a warmer touch to it, partly because the actors are more candid, and partly because they are not trying to out-do what Spike Milligan nor Do Not Adjust Your Sets is up to (in fact there is friendly interaction with DNAYS).

Some of the skits here were re-workings of material from radio or live performances, or would be repeated later, elsewhere. Yet these were often the best, the definitive versions. The acting isn't amateurish, it is more like a live performance; they are obviously comfortable with ad-libbing and everyone works well together. By not taking themselves too seriously, even the "lovely" female link between segments, they break molds and the viewer cannot help feeling this is something revolutionary, even today.

But mostly this series is great because it has plenty of extremely funny moments in it, funnier than Monty Python, in my opinion, and done with great style. Pure, clean, unadulterated fun.

Thunderbirds (1965–1966)

Brilliant Imagination, The only SciFi that kept well all these years!

[10/10 · 4 January 2008]

Thunderbirds evolved from a series of puppet TV shows, with the quality improving at each step, from "Torchy" on to "Stingray". But it wasn't simply a matter of clever model-making that made Thunderbirds stand out; they obviously thought about a possible future, and what could be done. The concept of International Rescue is now something that could be implemented in real life, not exactly as in the series, but many aspects of the show are now realistic. Individual ideas from the show have come about in real life - something like the "Hackenbaker device" for ejecting fuel from a plane before a dangerous landing, the "ground effect" aircraft like TB2 with the wide flat base for efficient heavy transport was built by Russians I believe, the swing-wings of TB1 and the forward-angled wings of TB2 are not Science Fiction any more.

The tape drives in TB5 might be a bit old-fashioned, but the general concept of a space station, of automated scanning for distress calls, and the importance of satellite communications was smart thinking back then. Did Derek Meddings and friends have a Tardis to predict the future so well? Other SciFi from this era does not age nearly so well.

The sad part is that an International Rescue system is still fiction, still something far in the future. Interchangeable pods, each ready for a different type of rescue, is what should be Science Fact by now. I recall a spokesperson for a big aid agency interviewed recently talking of a planning meeting two weeks after a disaster, to work out what they were going to do to respond the the emergency! Thunderbirds does what good SciFi aspires to, it shows us what could be possible, and should make us dissatisfied with anything less!

George of the Jungle (1997)

The TV-to-movie that worked!

[9/10 · 4 January 2008]

This is one of the very, very few cases of a TV series being translated into a movie that worked well; it was sympathetic to the original, and was good viewing in its own right. The translation from cartoon to real-life action succeeded because the spirit of the original, the sense of fun (without taking itself too seriously) - and even the theme music - was maintained.

Movies based on popular television series made a generation ago almost always flop. Thunderbirds, Lost In Space, Bewitched, and especially The Avengers, prove that people making modern movies to cash in on popular old TV shows keep making the same mistakes. Before another producer rolls out another bastardization of a good old TV series, would it be too much to ask that they consider why so many fail, and why George of the Jungle succeeded? This movie appeals to those of us who remember the old TV cartoons; it doesn't change more than it has to, it does not rest heavily on expensive effects, nor does it change the style of the original. But it also is popular with a new generation - my sons enjoyed it without knowing the original, because it has good (over)acting, innovative gags, and a deep-rooted sense of fun that comes from people who know what they are doing and can resist the temptation to rely on a known name to grab an audience. In particular, some of the best parts of the movie are slapstick - like slapstick of old, it must have talented actors and perfect timing, which this movie does.

Z Cars (1962–1978)

Essential viewing; a treasure of the era.

[9/10 · 4 January 2008]

In many respects, a landmark TV series - changing the image of police as seen on TV, changes in real policing (from bobby-on-the-beat to patrol cars), bringing serious social problems to the screen for the first time - this series captured a time and place with clarity, making these episodes a very valuable treasure - I hope they haven't been dumped or let rot somewhere! The series was also valuable in the opportunities it gave many brilliant writers to develop their skills.

The show succeeded in its two goals, exciting police action drama, and gritty social drama (with just a drop of humour when needed); the best of the police action thread followed Barlow (played by Stratford Johns) into the spin-off series Softly, Softly - Task Force, and later: Barlow at Large. Unforgettable music. The forgettable bit was why the car numbers all started Z - V; I think Zed (not Zee; this was British) was for (Ford) Zephyr.

(With apologies to Toody and Muldoon) I wonder: Zed Victor One, where are you, now? I suspect few episodes survive.