It's certainly not racist. It denigrates the British sensibilities of the era and mocks the uptight format, approach and lack of understanding and that was often seen in the '60s. It's extemely well observed and cleverly written, not to mention DM's great playing. These 2 were years ahead of their time which is why we can find interest and humour in it decades later.
I absolutely love this and all the other race-referencing D&C sketches. But it most definitely is racist… they’re having their cake and eating it. The more important question is whether certain types of racism are permissible (or at least tolerable) or whether even the slightest, most naively conceived instance must be penalised.
Plus, at the end, satire on leaden but well-meaning attempts to save the improvident from the results of their lamentably chosen actions. It also has besides funny ha-ha elements, actual wit.
It was during my college days (late 1960s). After many hours of study on the day before an examination, I decided to relax a bit and happened to see this sketch on TV. Next morning, half-way through the exam, I suddenly remembered it - and spent the rest of the time trying to suppress laughter. The invigilator must have thought I had gone round the bend! I did pass the exam though.
this is exactly how I feel when told to analyse some poems and stuff at school..from now on I will always start to sing that song and then turn out my best cook impression explaining it!...plus, I love how peter nearly corpses at some point
I absolutely loved it. I had no idea Peter Cook was so funny. Saw him beside Stephen Fry a couple of times on Whose Line is it Anyway and he often appeared a little sullen
This is sooooooo funny! It knocks the establishment, wonderfully observed, beautifully played ... it also shows how far we have come as a nation in our understanding of other cultures. Yes we have a long way to go but branding everything to do with race as racist makes it more and more difficult to move forward and have honest debate. "Irony is wasted on the unintelligent " - who said that? Me!!!! Hahaha
It does not knock the Establishment, rather it knocks the debasing of our language, and the encouagement of a half-baked comprehension od it, from which we have suffered since 1945!
@@AdrianBarnes-o6w language has always been fluid. The establishment in the 60’s was all about racism and Britain is best. Getting immigrants to do the jobs they felt beneath them, so yeah it deffo knocks the establishment and established norms.
Some of the terms used might make us wince now (correctly), but God it’s funny. Python is great, but Pete and Dud were often even more brilliant! It mocks the pundit and white singer, not the song.
Glad that some of these episodes survive . Not just the BBC but alot of other TV Stations had that practice of re-using video tapes back in the day . I was told by someone that the BBC even wiped the original Monty Python shows and it was only by chance that someone made copies that the show survived . Maybe it was the accountants that made the decision to tape over shows , but of course if they had preserved the whole series they could have made alot of money from them.
I saw this at the time brilliant stuff. This was the time before video recording that technology didn't exist here. The only way to record programs the broadcasters had was to use cine film. The BBC didn't bother to record light entertainment shows, expecting viewers to watch them live. Any that were recorded were wiped or played over, that's why there is so little material available from great TV shows like these.
@@barrycross2585 No, video recording existed by the mid 60s but the tape was very expensive, so was often reused. Also, videotape was at the resolution of the TV camera, (in most countries either 480i or 576i or thereabouts, in the UK only 377i), while a film camera had much higher quality.
There is nothing wrong with Steve's post, as this is an accurate description of what the sketch was about, and by making a sweeping judgement about all "you Brits" you are merely highlighting the kind of blanket stereotyping you are guilty of yourself. Sorry if you are unable to deal with the idea of British people mocking the negative behaviors of the time, when you would clearly rather believe that they (and indeed all British people) were all the same. Sorry to disappoint you.
"you and most 'tolerant' Brits talk these days". You said that. As for Cook been the type of guy who'd complain the Right are the cause of all problems were he still alive, you do know he was the son of a diplomat, went to the best university (in the days when this was in most cases still the reserve of the elite) and used to write a column for the famously politically "Right" Daily Mail? In fact he was more of an everyman, who could see over both sides of the fence and laugh at everyone.
@angrysamoan666 Do you watch the clips to be offended? BTW, if you knew anything about the era that this sketch was actually set against, Dudley Moore could have been mocking any number of white, middle class Brits who treated this music like it was their own (Lonnie Donnegan and Georgie Fame spring to mind) So there's no `hook`. Were it not for middle-class Brits from this era the music would have had an even smaller audience. Usually the people who scream racism are the ones with the problem.
you are a very welcome voice of reason and common sense - couldn't have put it better myself - the PCs don't get the sophistication of these kind of jokes.....
Peter just about starts to loose it in or about 4:56 when Dud sings -"Your burning up now baby!" Too funny! God bless the the late Bedazzleds' Peter Cook, and Dudley Moore!
It's very funny, English white chaps not getting it ! A lot of 60's English musicians were trying to play rhythm and blues, so it is a very clever satirical comedy.
Yes, and it also works the other way round! My parents in the Forces came back to the UK in 1954 and struggled (well no, gave up on!) Rock n roll lyrics, so would have loved this bit of non woke, non pc, comedy on the crap language, coming commonplace even then, that they could not understand. Peter Sellers did some non woke satire in the sixties laughing at early attempts at the dumbing down of classical music!!! Of course this wasnt PC even then, so it hardly ever got broadcast...
You may need to look into the history of that paper a little more. Plus he played characters of various types, in fact some of the most famous sketches (Pete and Dud pub chats) were based on ordinary blokes down the pub telling increasingly exaggerated stories about their exploits or trying to talk with authority about subjects they know little about. Were he alive today and showed such bias that would be different, but to assume he would based purely on his background? That is stereotyping.
That's your opinion. MsCatamaran said she'd lived in both countries and has one British parent. Having lived in both countries is different from visiting there. There's a lot you can't tel about a nation just by visiting. And that wasn't what you were saying, you were challenging her by saying that England is the more progressive when it clearly isn't. I think she made a valid point in that America is the younger nation and has gone much further for social rights in a briefer span of time.
@FOARP love that comment !!! i think it takes longer than 200 years to understand irony sarcasm and wit, one day maybe the yanks will learn , until that day we`ll all just keep laughing at them.
England's had a history of social class barriers preventing people from any social mobility and up until about twenty or so years ago, there weren't that many blacks in England, so where you get this information about it being "very mixed", eh-hum not exactly. I lived in England for five years in the '80's ,enjoyed my life there, and attended school, however as far as "mixed" , no, there were only two blacks in the entire school. My husband has lived there also and had a similar experience.
I've lived in both nations I think I'm aware of their history. The topic was about race not gender. And the point was in the relatively brief amount of time in America's history (say 400 years) in comparison to England's over 1000 years history, America has actually covered more territory for democracy. This isn't a competition.
OMG Dud and Pete are groovin in this one. Real hip cats, looks like Ray Charles doing a Stevie wonder impression. Also Foarp, I get it. Some Americans may not get some of this British humor, but there are some of us who get it. I'm American with British mom, American dad. These two are definitely England's best comedy duo. Could use some of this humor on TV now instead of the crap reality shows.
Peter Cooks speaking voice is as funny as Dudley's stuff here. ....."And so the bag is grooved by the mother ....its a long prO-cess".....funny how he says "process"! Haha English!
MsCatamaran40 makes many valid points. It doesn't matter really whether your english or not, except you seem to be off track. Indian slavery was rampant during colonialism in 17 and 1800's as was African slavery by the English. I've read all of MsCatamaran40's posts. It seems she was just posting a well known fact. It was your initial post that came across as accusatory.
No one mentioned Australia because it wasn't the topic at hand. And I believe it was you that made it a contest. MsCatamaran was simply stating a fact. America is the younger nation and has come further in a shorter span of time. You chose to make it an issue or controversy.
i'm sorry if it came across that way, but it just read that way to me, slavery has been rampant since ancient times and sadly still goes on, is it a case of who abolished it first? who's country is more inclusive? it's hard to pat anyone on the back, nation-wise when racism still exists everywhere. i've been to the states 5 times and currently live in england, i think both countries have racism problems. but both governments have been making big strides for a lot of years to eradicate this.
Great video davidon30! And for some equally good pieces of film watch some of the American directed films , one's by Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Huston and Martin Scorsese. "Space Odyssey 2001" , sheer genius.
In answer to your question justbeforedusk, no. You're reading way too much into the comment. Simply this: America has had a very diverse and progressive racial history in comparison to Britain's (not counting the recent surge of Arab population in England), such as a la Martin Luther King, and a black President (Obama), while in your over 1000 years of history, all white people governing of European descent. I'm white by the way, not that that matters. Just stating a fact.Cheers.
Also, I thought it might be useful if I correct two glaring errors above: 1) This isn't jazz but in fact soul , blues music (created by us "dumb" Americans. haha and 2) saying or rather ASSUMING that all Americans sit around viewing Happy Days is like saying that all British people sit around viewing Last of the Summer Wine and Benny Hill re-runs. lol Wow , some people will try to insult anyone just for attention. Next time please guys do some research. Have a nice life. Next! ;)
Actually my first post WAS addressing their post on this, what else? And that's why I said I was tired, because people like to keep coming back with same old comments. I wasn't commenting on other posters here, so your point about how they're not all from the UK is relevant how? You bore me. If you don't like my 'hijacking' the comments with my reply to someone who was talking about the same subject YOU don't have to reply. Stop berating other people and then calling them negative, clueless man
