Customer Reviews

Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated - The Naughty Early Years, Set Three (1975-1977)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 3rd Benny Hill set distributed by A&E Home Video is very likely the best of the "The Naughty Early Years" series. Not only are some of the skits included in this set are the most remembered (and most aired on American TV in the late 70s/early 80s), but there is plenty of material that has never been shown stateside.

Many of my personal favorites are here: "Mastermind", "Sale Of The Half Century", "Bionic Baby", "Husky and Starch", "Murder On The Oregon Express", "Supersonic", "The Bamboo Curtin", "Girls Girls Girls", "Cabaret With Diana Darvey (You are a bit of twits)", "Deep In My Heart in TV Widescreen" and "The Family". (You might not recognize the name of these skits - but trust me, you have seen them and have laughed).

Of course, any Benny Hill set would not be complete without the commercial bloopers, the "1 liner jokes" on the dance floor, and Fred Scuttle. They are all here.

What is most surprising is how the unedited 50 minute shows were cut and chopped up for the American broadcast 30 minute timeslot. Some of the 2-3 minute skits were actully part of an entire 10 minute segment, so people who are looking for their personal favorites might not realize they are included in this set. Its a great way to see the entire episode the way it was intended.

Episode 7 (from disk #2 on this set) is one of the funniest and greatest 50 minute episodes I think Benny and clan have ever done. Also, the DVD transfer is first rate. This is the set to own (if not all 3).

This 3rd installment of the Benny Hill Show Complete and Unadulterated The Naughty Years Dvd set has more of Benny's humour and classic charaters imbecile lovable Fred Scuttle,verbally challenged Chinese Chow Mein and the commercial bloppers.The new skits parodies American Tv series such Columbo,Starky & Hutch,Ironside,McCloud,Bionic Woman,The Six Million Dollar Man,Kojak and the British classic Crossroads.

The gang is at its best and even Jackie Wright slaps Benny's head in one sketch.Also talented British voice Eddie Buchanan joins the show and the lovely Diana Darvey whose innuendo was too much sexy for the show.

Set 4 is due to hit the streets next month.I'll be wait to see Hill's Angels.

If you like Benny, this collection is for you.. Especially, if one is an American, as there are several extended skits, and productions that never made it to the States...

Your sides will be hurting, be warned.... It is too funny...!

This third DVD collection of the original British versions of the Benny Hill shows may be the best. These shows, from the 1975-77 time period, focus a bit more on "skits" and less on songs, and include some hilarious material. The Ladybirds are gone (which is OK) -- but there's lots of Jackie Wright, who is funnier than ever, especially playing off of Benny as his sidekick in the various skits. Personal favorites in this collection are the Lower Tidmarsh Fire Bridgade (which includes the great "Robin Hood" sketch), Murder on the Oregon Express (with Benny playing Kojak, McCloud, Ironsides, etc. in the same sketch), and Sale of the Half Century. Also classic is the Diana Darvey song with Benny and Jackie as her bumbling backup musicians ("a couple of twits"). There's lots more great stuff as well.

As with all of the British episodes of the shows, which are about an hour each, I find there is some material that I just skip over. So I can't give a five-star rating. But with a DVD, where you can just push the "next" button to get to the bits you want, it's no big deal. And the laughs are well worth it.

By the time of this third DVD series of the Thames Television era of the Benny Hill Show, you can detect the trend which eventually undid Benny as the jokes become more salacious and the girls get closer to nudity. Thankfully, the clever imitations and TV send ups still dominate so the DVD is still hilarious and the print quality is like new.

Has any consideration been given to issuing a CD of some of the singers on the show? Eddie Buchanan sings a fantastic song called "Going Nowhere" and blows the audience away.

I love Benny Hill humor. I remember Benny's shows from the eighties that were broadcasted on mexican TV, but here in Mexico they cut everything to half an hour plus commercials and it was almost impossible to see the early seventies stuff. With this dvd I have hours of laughs and good comedy. You can watch this set over and over and never get bored. Really, this is the best comedian of all time.

This is quite possibly the best of the Benny Hill sets. When the show was syndicated & crossed over to America in the late 70's, I was watching many of the sketches seen in set three. Benny was definitely at his creative peak during this period. Sketches which stick out in my mind as the funniest are: "Victorian Scandals", "Bionic Baby", "Murder On The Oregon Express", "The Flash" number, and the "Fire Brigade" (with "Robin Hood"), as well as the recurring Fred Scuttle bits & countless impersonations.
Set Five is due to be released in a few days; it will be interesting to compare the quality & content of these sets to each other.

If you like British humor, you'll love this! My only complaint is there is no closed captioning (even though the Amazon description indicates 'Closed Captioning').

Benny Hill was amazing. He was so talented and funny. Now I don't know how widely viewed this was in America, but overseas this was extremely popular and it's not hard to see why millions across the globe tuned in to this guy. His style of humour is rude, crude and shrewed, but hillarious. I loved the old man in the skits.

They certainly don't make comedy like this anymore and there is something to be said about British humour. This is really worth taking a look at and I promise you'll laugh out loud all the time.

I've been watching Benny Hill for almost 30 years. My brother and I would sit and laugh at this funny man with the accent that liked to head slap the little old man. Nearly 30 years later I am able to watch these jems anytime I want. What a treasure it is to own all of these wonderful episodes of a comic genius and his cast. Thanks Mr. Hill