Customer Reviews

Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is Series 3 from the delightfully warm and funny British sitcom about three old men from Yorkshire.

Here are the episodes from this series:
1. The Man From Oswestry
2. Mending Stuart's Leg
3. The Great Boarding House Bathroom Caper
4. Cheering Up Gordon
5. The Kink In Foggy's Niblick
6. Going To Gordon's Wedding
7. Isometrics And After

Special Features will be:
Interview with Brian Wilde (Foggy), Peter Sallis (Clegg) and Frank Thornton (Truly - Who doesn't appear in this series! His first appearance was Dec. 1997 - Series 18 Ep. 11!)

In this series we have Compo, Clegg, and new man Foggy (perhaps the best of the "3rd" men throughout the series) bringing us their schoolboy adventures in the picturesque village of Pennine up in the Yorkshire Dales. If you've not seen any of the episodes before don't be suprised if you are lukewarm to the program upon first viewing. This is a show that grows on you with each episode.

Now if Warner/BBC would only see fit to bring the remaining series out on DVD. After all this is the longest running sitcom in the world with 28 series!

Great , Wonderful show !!!!!!
It's not difficult to get hooked on this sitcom.
But why Warner/BBC here in America is releasing these shows like this I
will never know. Why don't they start at the beginning ??? There are lots
and lots of people here that would love to see this series released here,
maybe in box sets ???????
It's better to invest in a code free dvd player and buy them
from Amazon UK, at least they are releasing them in order as they were shown on BBC.

I got this vintage 1976 set last week and I've already watched each episode at least twice. The boys are at it again with their usual antics. The more I watch this show the more I like everything about it - the writing, the characters, and of course the beautiful Yorkshire setting.

I have one confession. I truly miss Michael Bates not that I don't like Brian Wilde, he is perfect. But I miss the rapier like delivery of Bates. Another drawback of this and the other sets that I own is that there are no inserts in the DVD packaging giving some more information like dates when the episodes were shot etc.

When is BFS Video going to wake up and produce a full set of DVDs for the American market akin to say the sets for "Are you being served?". Please guys get to it!

An absolutely delightful series.

Last of the Summer Wine is the longest running British sitcom and it is true to say that over the years it's quality has been uneven. The basic premise is that a trio of pensioners roam the Yorkshire countryside getting into comic adventures. The trio has changed over the years but has always included Clegg, played by Peter Sallis (The voice of Wallace in Wallace and Gromit) and Compo played by Bill Owen until his death. Clegg is a timid widower who only wishes for a quiet life yet gets dragged into all sorts of scraps. Compo is a workshy scruff who lusts after his next door neighbour, the fearsome Nora Batty. Completing the trio there is always a bossy one played by different actors at various times. This series introduces the longest running third man, Walter 'Foggy' Dewhurst played by Brian Wilde. Foggy never ceases to tell people about his exploits fighting the Japanese during World War and how he is an expert at silent killing. In fact Clegg and Compo know that his military career consisted of being a corporal signwriter and that Foggy is a complete coward.. Foggy even has a collection of hand painted army doorsigns.

The episodes in this collection are part of the shows golden age and start with the introduction of Foggy following the death of Michael Bates who played the bossy one in the first two series. Watch as Foggy gets into trouble and has to be rescued by Clegg and Compo and how the three go to Scarborough (A English coastal resort) for their vacation.

Expect gentle Northern English humour which sometimes drops into slapstick. I expect that most Americans will either love or loath it depending of if they 'get it.' With luck you will love it.

Last of the Summer Wine (LotSW) is my very favorite tv comedy of all time and space, at least in this universe. (Anyone for string theory?) BUT, as Howie says in his excellent review, this is series (season) 3, and is available at Amazon UK in a box set of series 3&4. Of course, you'll need an all region code dvd player with a built in PAL to NTSC converter to play it. What fan of British comedy with one or two hundred dollars to spare doesn't already have one? Several companies sell players through Amazon, but some customers have had problems that were not resolved by the seller or the manufacturer. Read the reviews. It's not like a Google search for "code free dvd player" is difficult, now is it? Look for the Better Business Bureau logo and a guarantee. Some companies sell many brands but recommend only a few (like 220-electronics). Believe this advice. I'm still happy with the JVC I bought from them 5 years ago. Some players play all regions but don't convert PAL to NTSC. You want one that does both. But back to the dvd itself. You'll meet Foggy in the first episode. He's an arrogant, pompous jerk who sometimes stops bragging about doing things he's never done, or complaining about everyone, long enough to come up with some insane idea for an activity. He loves to take charge of everything, always in the most incompetent manner possible. Clegg recognizes him at once as "a genuine, 14-carat, gilt-edged barmpot" (crazy, stupid, foolish). Foggy gets his comeuppance twice in the first episode. Sweet. Despite already having it on a PAL dvd, it's nice to have a disc that I can take to a friend's place without unplugging and moving my dvd player. If you enjoy laughing, or think you might if you ever found something funny enough to laugh at, order Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976 right now! But read Howie's excellent review first. Anyone enough of a hacker to tell me how to give it ten stars out of five?

xYour best bet is to have a region free player and get the Uk discs. They're up to season 8.
One day the complete series will be available here and there, so best bet is to wait.

Brilliant DVD's ---When you are feeling low get out one of these DVD'S and soon your spirits will soar. Laugh until your sides hurt.

Anyone who likes British comedies will enjoy "Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976. If you like watching something that isn't filled with sex and other crud, but would rather have something "good" to watch, get this video.

This is a one-disk collection of episodes beginning with the arrival of Foggy Dewhurst as Cyril Blamire's replacement. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Vintage 1995 collection, but it has it's moments. The quote "It'll be dark by nightfall" is one of Peter Sallis' throwaway lines that returns to the mind like a boomerang.

Last of the Summer Wine is the soft, amusing tale of a whole world of characters living out the end of life in a childish search for meaning. They exist and wander in a lush, colorful world of a government financed time warp that was England before anyone had to work at living. The memories of a childhood interrupted by a war they "won" are interlaced with an endless supply of frustrations from the peace they "lost", and the daily attempts to find some form of solace in the Yorkshire hills. The characters are timeless, the fun surprising yet gentle on the mind. It is obvious why this televison show has lasted so long.