Watching Fawlty Towers before I worked in hospitality: “wow, Basil is so angry and unreasonable” Me watching now: “give him a break you bastards, he’s trying his best!!”
Agreed. I work in a shop and some of the customers drive me around the bend. It seems like every day I relate to Basil Fawlty and Bernard Black from Black Books more and more lol.
What I'm suggesting is that this place is the... the crummiest, shoddiest, worst-run hotel in the whole of Western Europe. No! No, I won't have that! There's a place in Eastbourne. 🤣
John Cleese based Basil on a real hotel owner he met. Customer was loud and brash, but being british I’ve been abroad and heard my fellow countrymen talking, then I’ve tried to hide under the table. Haha
When foreign people can’t understand what an English person said, so English person yells it louder and slower it’s cringe. I’ve seen people I know do it in the past 🤡🤣🤣
Former staff of the hotel have verified that said hotel owner was an arsehole who hated his guests and serving people in general. Apparently he was ex-Navy. His wife refused to though LOL.
His name was Donald Sinclair. He ran a hotel called Gleneagles in Torquay. Some of the Pythons stayed there when they were doing location shoots for Flying Circus. Eric and John have recounted the story of Eric leaving his briefcase behind before the day's work. When he went to retrieve it and couldn't find it, he asked Sinclair if he knew where it was. Sinclair said it was outside, behind a wall that ran alongside the hotel pool. Eric asked, "Why did you put it there?" Sinclair said, "I thought it might be a bomb." Eric, incredulous, asked, "Why would you think it was a bomb?" to which Sinclair replied, "We've had a lot of staff problems lately." The other Pythons changed hotels. But John stayed, because he saw Sinclair as a potential comedy gold mine. He was proven correct.
I'm almost 47 and have been watching FT since I was a kid. A friend of mine quotes the whole series word for word. I will always watch episodes if I flick on them. Imo this is the benchmark of comedy!
Hi Mate...I just want to say you have rejuvenated British comedy which is the best I'm sure you would agree. Ive watched everything that you put up over the years myself and laughed....but your contagious laugh makes me laugh even louder. Keep up the good work my friend, i love it.
The comedy of discomfort is a real thing. You can do it right or do it wrong, and John Cleese knows how to do it. This episode also illustrates one of his precepts of comedy - that while it can be funny to watch someone behaving foolishly, it's even funnier to watch someone who is watching someone behaving foolishly. And Bruce Boa ( the rude American ) was a long time friend of John Cleese.
13:18 Could've fooled me; I thought that accent was nearer to Oklahoma. 28:09 A can of worms? The Diet of Worms was less trouble. 33:20 A la carte isn't the standard in restaurants stateside, right?
I always find myself trying to give Basil the benefit of the doubt. I mean sure, he is a horrible Hotel Manager but you are right, his wife does very little and stands around talking too much. She is better at the job than he is, but she leaves him to do everything. And as for the American. He is potentially ruder than Basil. Maybe it's normal in America, but in Britain, no one would ever dare walk into a restaurant, bribe the management to stay open, order something not on the menu and then give the management grief because they don't make something that's clearly not on the menu. I get he's angry, but that doesn't excuse being a wanker.
i went to a local Mexican place near where I live. The food is great and they have live music on weekends and my wife loves the margaritas. One time we went in and i was in the mood for civiche. I was looking for it on the menu but couldnt find it. So i asked the waitress and she said yes she can make me civiche. So i put the menu away and she brought me civiche she made with her own hands in the kitchen and broght it too me. I tell you ive never had shrimp in my civiche. Im allergic to shrimp. I told her thank you and told her it looks really good. after she left the table my wife knowing i couldnt eat it swaped dishes with me. I ate her fajitas and she ate my civiche. The waitress came back and looked disappointed that we swapped dishes. My wife explained to her in spanish and about 10 minutes later she brought me another civiche with fish and she brought my wife another round of fajitas at no charge. Amazing service...we tipped really big that night. For her to go to the kitchen twice and make me something twice that wasnt even on the menu. Now we have become so close to that little cafe that we get invited to weddings and all sorts of after parties. Fun fun stuff. I got another story about a place with excelent service.
My favourite episode. Just an FYI when the Americans wanted a Waldorf salad, it was actually because Basil explained upon their arrival that the kitchen closed at 9pm but he would able to make something cold, hence why he was asking for a salad which isn't on the menu
On my first visit to the USA in the 1960's, my sister who lived there, took me to a nice resturaunt near the Niagra Falls. During our Lunch, a guy across the room, started bellowing out loud about the food or the service, which shocked me, while nobody else even looked up. My sister said, oh it's nothing, that's what they do here, to get service or have their complaints adressed. The owner's will do whatever, to shut them up.
This is probably the most successful TV cookery programme of all time. In 1970s Britain I should imagine that only a handful of people outside of the higher end of the restaurant business could have told you what went into a Waldorf salad. The day after this was broadcast the whole country could have made one.
Honestly, as bad as Basil is, I'm on his side in this episode. The dude checks in late, gets pissed off that the chef has finished his shift for the night, bribes the owner to keep the kitchen open and orders something that's not even on the menu. I mean, how entitled can you get?
It's always easy to feel sorry for Basil - but he always takes normal and screws it worse. Normal person would say "chef's gone - I can do you stuff but it's limited"... Several episodes do the "we can't but we'll try"
This was a bit of the American tourist stereotype from back in the 1970s. When Americans travelled around Europe and expected everything to be exactly the same as it was in the US. Complaining loudly and making no allowances for local culture.
Well… …Wealthy Americans from “the greatest generation”. They simply were accustomed to a harsher service culture and didn’t take any crap. They’d lived through the depression and many had served during the war.
To continue - ‘and had served during the war’. The rest of the world lived during the depression and France was invaded and Britain bombed during the 2nd World War - which did not happen in the USA. So it sounds like US citizens had a very exaggerated understanding of what they had gone through and showed it when thy travelled abroad. This description of behaviour is correct and sill goes on today to some extent. S
Series 1 Episode 6 of One Foot In The Grave is the first properly good episode, it was the turning point in the series and it only gets funnier from there.
I think this episode is unique because you kind of feel sorry for Basil. As usual, he does himself no favours but still, he had a lot of petty customers to deal with that day.
you need to watch this John Cleese interview 'How real madness inspired a comedy legend | Fawlty Towers' John Cleese on Parkinson - BBC' its really funny
you summed up this episode perfectly, been watching Fawlty Towers for years and this is probably my least favourite episode, your reaction was spot on.
its below The Young Ones, Bottom, Red Dwarf (Series 4-6), New Statesman, Porridge, Peep Show, Derry Girls, The Inbetweeners, IT Crowd, The Office, I'm Alan Partridge, desmonds, Blackadder (II-IV), The Royle Family, Spaced, Drop The Dead Donkey and Father Ted i could go on to be fair
Personally, I never could stand that guy who was portraying an American tourist. He played that part too well. I imagine he was short-tempered like that in real life.
Haha, thanks for remembering! Yes, my favourite episode, and enjoyed this. A wee bit disappointed he didn't like it as much as me, but I guess the UK/ US culture clash bits (which were hilarious) in this episode probably made more sense to a brit.
I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but at the time, many Brits were not surprised by the man's attitude. Many too took this as a norm and began to be more demanding about the service and products they received.
Basil Faulty usually never lets it go, until he’s caught out and blames someone else, as you said in your comment review, and he also did in this series Re the Waldorf salad. You’ve laughed through the previous Basil one’s re his staff and customers, I was surprised at your longer comments at the end of the video. Basil is rude and arrogant to everyone, that’s the humour of the show as you’ve laughed at before with the others you’ve watched . Curious what was so different about this one you didn’t find funny.
This ep is more limited in focusing on Basil & the American guest. The other characters aren't involved as much, so I can see why this is one of the less popular eps.
Watching Fawlty Towers before I worked in hospitality: “wow, Basil is so angry and unreasonable”
Me watching now: “give him a break you bastards, he’s trying his best!!”
LOL so true!
Agreed. I work in a shop and some of the customers drive me around the bend. It seems like every day I relate to Basil Fawlty and Bernard Black from Black Books more and more lol.
We had this episode on audio cassette when I was a kid, we used to listen to it in the car all the time. My parents still quote it a lot to this day 🤣
What I'm suggesting is that this place is the... the crummiest, shoddiest, worst-run hotel in the whole of Western Europe.
No! No, I won't have that! There's a place in Eastbourne. 🤣
My parents always quote the Eastbourne line!
John Cleese is 82 today. Happy birthday 💕
John Cleese based Basil on a real hotel owner he met. Customer was loud and brash, but being british I’ve been abroad and heard my fellow countrymen talking, then I’ve tried to hide under the table. Haha
When foreign people can’t understand what an English person said, so English person yells it louder and slower it’s cringe. I’ve seen people I know do it in the past 🤡🤣🤣
Former staff of the hotel have verified that said hotel owner was an arsehole who hated his guests and serving people in general. Apparently he was ex-Navy.
His wife refused to though LOL.
His name was Donald Sinclair. He ran a hotel called Gleneagles in Torquay. Some of the Pythons stayed there when they were doing location shoots for Flying Circus.
Eric and John have recounted the story of Eric leaving his briefcase behind before the day's work. When he went to retrieve it and couldn't find it, he asked Sinclair if he knew where it was. Sinclair said it was outside, behind a wall that ran alongside the hotel pool. Eric asked, "Why did you put it there?" Sinclair said, "I thought it might be a bomb." Eric, incredulous, asked, "Why would you think it was a bomb?" to which Sinclair replied, "We've had a lot of staff problems lately."
The other Pythons changed hotels. But John stayed, because he saw Sinclair as a potential comedy gold mine. He was proven correct.
I'm almost 47 and have been watching FT since I was a kid. A friend of mine quotes the whole series word for word. I will always watch episodes if I flick on them. Imo this is the benchmark of comedy!
You must have been a very advanced child as the first episode was aired when you were one year old.
@@Megavector2022 Since I was a kid not since I was born! But you're correct I was very advanced as a child.
Hi Mate...I just want to say you have rejuvenated British comedy which is the best I'm sure you would agree. Ive watched everything that you put up over the years myself and laughed....but your contagious laugh makes me laugh even louder. Keep up the good work my friend, i love it.
“Breakfast in bed please, Eggs Bacon and Tomatoes with a Waldorf Salad”. 😂😂
“And lashings of hot screwdrivers”
@@Jay92925 my car prefer lashings of tempered birchwood.
The comedy of discomfort is a real thing. You can do it right or do it wrong, and John Cleese knows how to do it. This episode also illustrates one of his precepts of comedy - that while it can be funny to watch someone behaving foolishly, it's even funnier to watch someone who is watching someone behaving foolishly. And Bruce Boa ( the rude American ) was a long time friend of John Cleese.
13:18 Could've fooled me; I thought that accent was nearer to Oklahoma.
28:09 A can of worms? The Diet of Worms was less trouble.
33:20 A la carte isn't the standard in restaurants stateside, right?
Happy 82nd Birthday John Cleese (Oct 27).
I wish he'd retire.
@@fasteddyuk Nice Ed.
I always find myself trying to give Basil the benefit of the doubt. I mean sure, he is a horrible Hotel Manager but you are right, his wife does very little and stands around talking too much. She is better at the job than he is, but she leaves him to do everything. And as for the American. He is potentially ruder than Basil. Maybe it's normal in America, but in Britain, no one would ever dare walk into a restaurant, bribe the management to stay open, order something not on the menu and then give the management grief because they don't make something that's clearly not on the menu. I get he's angry, but that doesn't excuse being a wanker.
i went to a local Mexican place near where I live. The food is great and they have live music on weekends and my wife loves the margaritas. One time we went in and i was in the mood for civiche. I was looking for it on the menu but couldnt find it. So i asked the waitress and she said yes she can make me civiche. So i put the menu away and she brought me civiche she made with her own hands in the kitchen and broght it too me. I tell you ive never had shrimp in my civiche. Im allergic to shrimp. I told her thank you and told her it looks really good. after she left the table my wife knowing i couldnt eat it swaped dishes with me. I ate her fajitas and she ate my civiche. The waitress came back and looked disappointed that we swapped dishes. My wife explained to her in spanish and about 10 minutes later she brought me another civiche with fish and she brought my wife another round of fajitas at no charge. Amazing service...we tipped really big that night. For her to go to the kitchen twice and make me something twice that wasnt even on the menu. Now we have become so close to that little cafe that we get invited to weddings and all sorts of after parties. Fun fun stuff. I got another story about a place with excelent service.
Tell us more stories.
My favourite episode. Just an FYI when the Americans wanted a Waldorf salad, it was actually because Basil explained upon their arrival that the kitchen closed at 9pm but he would able to make something cold, hence why he was asking for a salad which isn't on the menu
The guy at 1:39 is the guy from episode 1 who ordered those drinks at the end isn't he? I'm surprised he came back!
That guy will probably come back until he gets what he ordered.
A gin & orange, a lemon squash and a scotch and water PLEASE
@@anthonycameron😂
He also had a regular part in a British sitcom called 'Fall & Rise Of Reginald Perrin'
On my first visit to the USA in the 1960's, my sister who lived there, took me to a nice resturaunt near the Niagra Falls. During our Lunch, a guy across the room, started bellowing out loud about the food or the service, which shocked me, while nobody else even looked up. My sister said, oh it's nothing, that's what they do here, to get service or have their complaints adressed. The owner's will do whatever, to shut them up.
That guy from Star Wars visits Fawlty Towers, hilarity ensues.
This is probably the most successful TV cookery programme of all time. In 1970s Britain I should imagine that only a handful of people outside of the higher end of the restaurant business could have told you what went into a Waldorf salad. The day after this was broadcast the whole country could have made one.
General Rieekan taking a short holiday from battling the Empire.
Actually he's the guy from Full Metal Jacket, taking a break from battling the VC
@@anthonynesbitt3011 Battling an Empire and then battling the VC??? That must be a Jungian thing... like the duality of man
Honestly, as bad as Basil is, I'm on his side in this episode. The dude checks in late, gets pissed off that the chef has finished his shift for the night, bribes the owner to keep the kitchen open and orders something that's not even on the menu. I mean, how entitled can you get?
It's always easy to feel sorry for Basil - but he always takes normal and screws it worse. Normal person would say "chef's gone - I can do you stuff but it's limited"... Several episodes do the "we can't but we'll try"
Nobody does madness like an Englishman and no Englishman does madness like John Cleese.
That american actor stars in The Empire strikes back and Full Metal Jacket for those who are interested
He was great in star wars as the fish dude.......Great up load by the way
Have you ever tried ‘On The Buses’ it was a classic British comedy from the 70’s and 80’s.
I’ve always thought a Waldorf salad sounds disgusting
Agreed. How would that go together? 🤢
Yes, it's a strange combination of ingredients. For a start, nuts in a salad?!
Agreed I don't really like those types of salads.
@@davidz2562 Yes, nuts in a salad! Mind you, walnut is not my fave nut.
I hadn't ever heard of a Waldorf salad before this episode and now I'd totally like to have one. I think it sounds really good
We're all on the side of the American, and we're British.
12:45 This was too real for Josh working in retail.
Yay! My favourite episode! 💕
I have probably watched 100 videos with you, really funny!
Excellent shirt. I love resi 2
Never realised Mr Hamilton was in Octopussy, The empire strikes back as well as Full Metal jacket.
Bruce Boa.
The Omen as well.
❤️ Big like . Big support , I enjoyed . you are perfect my dear friend , 😍😍😍😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
This was a bit of the American tourist stereotype from back in the 1970s. When Americans travelled around Europe and expected everything to be exactly the same as it was in the US. Complaining loudly and making no allowances for local culture.
Well… …Wealthy Americans from “the greatest generation”. They simply were accustomed to a harsher service culture and didn’t take any crap. They’d lived through the depression and many had served during the war.
I think that last reply shows exactly what the original reply was saying.
@@BP-kx2ig Who says I was disagreeing with anything?
I don’t think you were disagreeing.
However, the comment that Americans lived through the Great Depression
To continue - ‘and had served during the war’.
The rest of the world lived during the depression and France was invaded and Britain bombed during the 2nd World War - which did not happen in the USA.
So it sounds like US citizens had a very exaggerated understanding of what they had gone through and showed it when thy travelled abroad.
This description of behaviour is correct and sill goes on today to some extent.
S
Series 1 Episode 6 of One Foot In The Grave is the first properly good episode, it was the turning point in the series and it only gets funnier from there.
The Return of the Speckled Band is great, but so is the previous ep, The Eternal Triangle.
Thanks bud!
I think this episode is unique because you kind of feel sorry for Basil. As usual, he does himself no favours but still, he had a lot of petty customers to deal with that day.
Excellent
It's a fairly common saying but when i was younger this was the first time i heard the expression ' mickey mouse ' and i have used it since.
Another cameo actor from Empire strikes back
Amazing shirt.
20 pounds to keep the chef on in 1975 is around 150 pounds today.
you need to watch this John Cleese interview 'How real madness inspired a comedy legend | Fawlty Towers' John Cleese on Parkinson - BBC' its really funny
I will check that out thank you for the recommendation!
Surprised to hear that Josh and a few commenters didn't like this episode so much. This is my favourite one.
No! No! I won't have that! That was a place in Eastbourne...
you summed up this episode perfectly, been watching Fawlty Towers for years and this is probably my least favourite episode, your reaction was spot on.
Lashings of hot screwdriver.
LOL
Mrs Hamilton is fine.
Classic !
One of the less popular & less good eps because of its limited focus. However, all eps of FT are better than the best eps of most sitcoms.
its below The Young Ones, Bottom, Red Dwarf (Series 4-6), New Statesman, Porridge, Peep Show, Derry Girls, The Inbetweeners, IT Crowd, The Office, I'm Alan Partridge, desmonds, Blackadder (II-IV), The Royle Family, Spaced, Drop The Dead Donkey and Father Ted i could go on to be fair
@@sockey9940 I agree with some of those (I said most), but you're seriously saying that Red Dwarf, Desmond's & The Royle Family are better than FT?!
I hope you put Rat Race on your list. Made by one of the Airplane/Naked Gun guys and starring Rowan Atkinson and John Cleese and a bunch of others.
Any sign of" The Guard " hitting a poll in the near future.
Yes the guard!!
If that's Brendon Gleeson then yes a great watch.
I will add it to my list!
Personally, I never could stand that guy who was portraying an American tourist. He played that part too well. I imagine he was short-tempered like that in real life.
Scotpak100 I know this one must have been for you… ask and ye shall receive 🤣👍
Haha, thanks for remembering! Yes, my favourite episode, and enjoyed this. A wee bit disappointed he didn't like it as much as me, but I guess the UK/ US culture clash bits (which were hilarious) in this episode probably made more sense to a brit.
😂😂❤
There are only 12 eps of FT because Connie Booth wouldn't do any more.
I’m not surprised weren’t they divorcing during the making of this?!
@Dave Gilmour I've seen & heard him say that he wanted to do s3, but she refused to.
@@littlemy1773 They divorced in 78, the year before s2 was shown.
@@davidz2562 thanks for the info!
Yet we, we’ll I and many others have watched each episode so many times. Always seemed like there were so many episodes, but there wasn’t.
Was that a young Nigel Hawthorne as the man married to the woman in the green dress? I think it might have been.
No it's not him, can see the likeness though. This was originally aired the year before Yes Minister started.
Thanks for the correction.
Do you recognize Mr. Hamilton?
It’s General Rieekan form The Empire Strikes Back.
you need to react to brassic its one of the most realistic depiction of being a british criminal ever. plus its just really funny! :)
Have you watched the English version of the office - cringe on another level …
Not so much the English version but the original version!
@@markp1081 In that case, "original version" is a bit of an oxymoron.
😂
As an American, I’m more frustrated by his character
He's Canadian.
@@michaelayling8855 so why did Basil refer to him as American if he’s Canadian?
@@Esl1999 He was PLAYING an American.
I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but at the time, many Brits were not surprised by the man's attitude. Many too took this as a norm and began to be more demanding about the service and products they received.
Basil Faulty usually never lets it go, until he’s caught out and blames someone else, as you said in your comment review, and he also did in this series Re the Waldorf salad. You’ve laughed through the previous Basil one’s re his staff and customers, I was surprised at your longer comments at the end of the video. Basil is rude and arrogant to everyone, that’s the humour of the show as you’ve laughed at before with the others you’ve watched . Curious what was so different about this one you didn’t find funny.
This ep is more limited in focusing on Basil & the American guest. The other characters aren't involved as much, so I can see why this is one of the less popular eps.
@@davidz2562 oh ok, thanks, I can see why now from another view point.
Why do you have the video in a circle for and not just watch it normally?
Check out “ on the buses” it’s old but hilarious and still stands up today💯🔥🔥🔥😂😂😂
@@deanlearner1565 on the buses is hilarious
My Dad couldn't watch this. Like doesn't attract like! Just saying
Actually the most toe curling episode and not that funny
I'd be interested to know why that was. Are you from USA?