Genre – Comedy Series (British)
Movie Total Runtime – 8 Hour 19 Minutes
Spoilers: No
This was an “I meant to watch it, serious” purchase. So much so that I ended up with two other items to acquire it. For some odd reason early 1970s BBC Sitcoms are not widely available, and I only got a copy of Up Pompeii in a three pack of Frankie Howerd comedies. I keep wanting to misspell his name Howard, but that’s not his name. Anyway, we’re not talking about the other two pieces of that box set yet.
Up Pompeii is a zero budget early seventies episodic low-brow sitcom. That probably tells you a lot about whether you want to watch it already. The humor (or humour if you’re being authentic) tends towards the ribald and the risqué, but the euphemisms are a bit dated and British. So, a number of jokes which had the soundtrack in an uproar did nothing for me. I could have sat there and tried to reverse engineer the funny, but by that point, the laugh would have been drained from it anyway.
As a sitcom it has two features – first it is perfectly episodic, meaning that with the sole exception of the last episode of season 2, you can watch them in any order and not have any impact on the appreciation or lack thereof of the remainder. I made the exception for that one episode because it was the end of the series and they did a finale. Then they did a follow-up special “Further Up Pompeii” which could go anywhere in the series after the fact. Several characters were played by several different actors over the run of fifteen episodes (including the aforementioned “Further Up Pompeii”). The pater familia, Ludicrus was played by no less than three different men, none of whom looked like the others.
The show loved the absurd not really Roman names, Senator Ludicrus had a wife Ammonia, a son Nausius, and a daughter Erotica. Frankie Howerd played the household slave, Lurcio. Lurcio had no fourth wall and continually addressed the audience. None of the other characters spoke to the audience nor reacted to him stating that he was talking to said audience with any indication that this was odd. Each episode would start with Lurcio attempting to do a prologue directly speaking to the audience about something to do with myth and legend but would be constantly interrupted. Never once did he finish a prologue, despite trying to throughout many an episode. This dead horse gag is an example of one of the failings of the show – it didn’t realize when it had killed a joke by dragging out the gag for too long. This and the dated euphemisms did diminish my appreciation of the work.
The other thing which bugged me, but which may not cause others issue was the flagrant disregard for chronology. We have one episode explicitly set in 79 BC (how these Pompeiian Romans knew it was BC is not mentioned), Another episode where Julius Caesar appears as “Our Emperor” (a post he never held), another where Ludicrus waxes nostalgic about serving in Caesar’s legions in Gaul, another where Spartacus’ slave revolt reaches the city (which did happen and was close to that original 79 BC date) but whose suppression is wrongly credited to Caesar rather than Crassus. But worst of all was an episode where a scheme required Lurcio to imitate a Caliph – a title some seven centuries away.
Historical liberties aside, the biggest barrier to my enjoyment is that it is a sitcom – a great many of the plots are easily solved if the characters acted like normal humans and communicated. I cringe at these sorts of plots and contrivances. This was likely the biggest reason it had ended up spending so much time on the shelf.
There was some amusement in an “The only thing on at 3am” kind of way. I can’t go into a plot recap because the episodic nature makes it pointless. The status quo is king, and they return to it at the end of all but the finale. I lamented that there was no form of character development for anybody. Some of them were poised to do so but never did. Logically, they are meant to be nothing but caricatures and buffoons. That was the intent, and they succeeded.
It was not really meant to be binged episode after episode, so that might have worked against it in my viewing. At least it did wrest the occasional chuckle.
How did you ever even hear of this series? Could the PBS station in your hometown not even afford the obligatory late-night reruns of Tom Baker-era Who? [Disclaimer: I was never able to stay awake during “classic” Who episodes, despite my best efforts.]
Could the PBS station in your hometown not even afford the obligatory late-night reruns of Tom Baker-era Who?
We had Blake’s 7 for late night PBS reruns.
Doctor Who was during the day.
At the risk of being branded a heretic, you didn’t miss much. Dr Who is the most overrated series in a world of overrated series. The late movies were my bane, especially the low budget British psychological horror ones.
Agreed, although I haven’t seen the movies. We had OG Mr. Who when I was a kid and I didn’t see what the big deal about it was.
We also got The Prisoner, Yes Minister, and a few others.
I was a fan of the slow burn kind of horror, where nothing much happens at first but the villain (usually a stern housekeeper or governess, or sometimes stepmom) just gives off a menacing vibe, and since you joined the movie in progress you don’t know anything about it and are hoping it is actually horror and not something lame like a romance. (Hey I was 12 and watching a 12 inch black and white TV at midnight lol)
I made an antenna by stringing together staples and hanging it out the window. It worked surprisingly well.
Val Lewton did that sort of stuff well at RKO back in the 1940s. The original Cat People and The Seventh Victim are both excellent examples of it.
The series quality varies and it is not for everyone. I like old Doctor Who.
NuWho? Forget it. I saw one episode. I think Tennant was the Doctor? Can’t remember. I remember I hated it and never watched another NuWho episode.
I am with (((Jarflax on Drwho. Never understood the love it gets, either old or new.
I can’t even with you people.
I heard of it from reading a Wikipedia article on “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which Frankie Howerd did a rendition of that became the inspiration for this series.
Ah! The classic Broadway musical with the only memorable (or at least remembered) song at the very beginning! [Disclaimer: I have never seen the show.]
Relevant for GT
Sorry to repeat myself, but all here is I know about Dr Who (FF to 4:35 to skip the permissions apologies):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=062W4erLTd0
Also, that Paul McGann (I from Withnail and I) was himself for a while.
There is a Doctor Who review in Season two of this review series.
If you want truly mad British humor in what purports to be (and won awards as) a sitcom, check out The League of Gentlemen. It’s beyond description.
I don’t think there’s any relation, but the Jack Hawkins movie The League of Gentlemen is excellent.
Almost certainly no relation as the show was named after the 4 British comedians who worked under that name. They played most of the roles in the series. It transcends absurdism into a whole new level of ‘British weird.’
Are you telling me there are non-fans of that??
Good news from the college football world: James Franklin will not be losing to tOSU this year.
“…the biggest barrier to my enjoyment is that it is a sitcom – a great many of the plots are easily solved if the characters acted like normal humans and communicated.”
…thoughts on Seinfeld? Were Costanza *not* inherently insecure and actually communicated, well, his *life* may be better, but bye-bye to The Funny. My fave episode, the Marine Biologist, the ending with the golf ball in the whale’s blowhole was written the day before filming in a late night write between Larry David and Jerry. Apparently, they hadn’t tied the two plots together before that. I’m not sure many ‘solved’ that one.
Damn. What a well-written, Perfect Episode. Damn damn. (I’m quite sure you get Seinfeld.)
“Titleist?”
“A hole in one!”
Right up the ol’ Pompeii
“flagrant disregard for chronology”
You must have really loved the invented history of the Black Adders then.
They did a better job of distracting me with the funny.
Wow, when you’ve lost the WaPo….
So like the subways already are. And BTW, why are we not making those “free” too?
That’s for Stage II, when NYC shifts to ‘strengthening’ the Morlocks.
Stage I is well-underway, demoralizing Normies into ‘accepting’ the C.H.U.D. (They’ve given up on the subways, yeah? Stage I magic!)
So, like the Twin Cities light rail. It ain’t supposed to be free but gate jumpers don’t care.
https://www.americanexperiment.org/met-council-finally-looks-to-fare-turnstiles-to-deter-light-rail-crime/
Yeah, the honor system only works in high-trust societies. The U.S. is not a high-trust society.
Fun fact: In Germany, where the honor system was routine when I lived there, fare-beating was called “schwarzfahren”. Lit. “riding black”. I never figured out the etymology there but still… so problematic.
“The U.S. is not a high-trust society.”
Not any more. As a kid in a small Texas town in the 60s into the 70s, people didn’t lock their cars or even their houses (unless they were gone for days at a time). I doubt that’s true anywhere now.
I doubt big cities were ever high trust to that level, but even so, society has notably degraded in my lifetime. Second world status is definitely in view. Practically here, in some ways/places.
I grew up in a mid-size city in the 80s and the thought of leaving anything unlocked was unheard of. To the point where I hear tales of leaving shit unlocked in other times and places and I don’t believe them.
I think my mom locked the doors to keep us out and then was mad at us because we were outside.
Finished Callan on BritBox. Only Season 3 & 4, but excellent. Fantastic classic British actors and late 60’s/early ’70s.
Very much agree.
I think the first two seasons are floating around on YouTube.
Edward Woodward before Wicker Man and The Equalizer.
LOL I’m watching more baseball than ever because bored, and I’m amused at some of the culture. Like… what is up with all the chains??
Biden tried to warn them about chains.
Are you rick rolling us?
I only post music I like. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It was a dark and not so stormy night… Everything was very quiet.
Suddenly, a pizza with candied jalapenos cried out for wings covered in Habenero garlic sauce.
Not very Glibfit, but it was a rough day.
Whoah!
It’s national kick butt day. Just like any other Monday for you Glibs.
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-kick-butt-day-second-monday-in-october
🥾🍑😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YIIihW89Ac
🎶🎶
Raining here, but we need the rain.
suh’ fam
whats goody
Mornin’
“…I think Im serving a youthful porpoise”
/trying to remember that joke
I would have thought that only underage French princes would meet that criteria… the Dolphin always serving to prepare for the throne…
Monrin’
MOAR COFFEE
Well, my 4:38 comment didn’t go through. I hope your Monday goes as well as my Friday. It has been, remarkably chill, as expected.
Injury on the aisles! (Sarc) Short Fry got an “Oversized Team Lift” by himself. A 65″ ONN tv from a ‘high’ shelf. According to one hilariously precise medical measurement, I am 5’6.35″. So, that was a bit of a stretch. But successful.
A few fun, small welp-‘cuts,’ but it just itched a bit from the cardboard.
Solid job apps sent, so the start of the normal week coinciding w my time off is quite positive.
Be well and prosper.
Heh… queue my Four Yorkshiremen moment — back when I was (much) younger and worked in WallyWorld Electronics… I had to get 36 inch TVs down off the riser by myself all the time (key was to balance on your head until you could get a step down, balance on the ladder, then ease your way down and bring the TV down the ladder).
Given modern TVs (even 65″ ones… given I had to buy one for the parents a couple of months back) are featherweights… just awkward to hold onto… I’m very much in a “Kids today don’t know how good they have it!” response mode here. Those TVs in the late 80s were heavy.
And now 4×20 will chime in about lifting one of those RCAs in the wooden cabinet in the early 70s over his head somehow… I know, I know… 😉
Look at the comments here if you want to appreciate this place even more this morning… “Free speech only if I agree with it” mixed with “The First should only protect literal speech.. not thoughts or non-verbal expression!” (that one really astounds me.. but I think I’m extra sensitive to it after the COvax saga with “I shouldn’t need a religious sign off for not wanting to take this” — freedom of conscience (and conscious) is just self evident to me in the First.. that’s why it is speech, press, religion, etc…
So thanks to all the rest of ya reprobates.
Apparently one has to be a subscriber to read the comments.