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Post by Shrink Proof on Aug 13, 2015 19:40:44 GMT
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Post by ripper on Aug 14, 2015 10:24:52 GMT
That's very sad news. He was instantly recognisable to anyone growing up in the late 60s and 70s from 'On the Buses' and its short-lived sequel 'Don't Drink the Water' in which Blakey and sister (Pat Coombs) retire to Spain. Also, of course, he was in some later episodes of 'Last of the Summer Wine.' His Blakey character was a staple of professional and amateur impressionists up and down the country for decades. RIP Stephen Lewis.
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Aug 14, 2015 11:57:16 GMT
That's very sad news. He was instantly recognisable to anyone growing up in the late 60s and 70s from 'On the Buses' and its short-lived sequel 'Don't Drink the Water' in which Blakey and sister (Pat Coombs) retire to Spain. Also, of course, he was in some later episodes of 'Last of the Summer Wine.' His Blakey character was a staple of professional and amateur impressionists up and down the country for decades. RIP Stephen Lewis. Sad days. He certainly made me laugh as a kid.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 14, 2015 13:42:57 GMT
For some reason I couldn't bear to watch the TV series On The Buses, but am fascinated by the big screen versions (possibly because they were made by Hammer and the second one was set near where I lived - certainly where I went to school i.e. Windsor.)
Here's a little piece what I wrote about the third film - the only one I actually saw on the actual big screen
Holiday On the Buses.
Good lord. Time has been much kinder to this uproarious celebration of British Working Class culture than I expected. Back then the working class were able to work, even if they had no money, and sought solace in alcohol, sex and having a good time - usually by means of a holiday. Seaside postcard comparisons are almost obsolete, and it's fascinating to compare the different sex lives of the four male leads. Arthur is married and despite having a randy Olive ready and waiting eschews the pleasures of the flesh via various cowardly excuses such as his operation and a bad back (contrasting with chalet neighbours Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts shoehorned in from Chesney & Wolfe's other sitcom Yus My Dear, where Arthur seeks gratification, only to be rebuffed). Blakey has an almost platonic relationship with Holiday Camp nurse Kate Williams who is seeking marriage from him, and satiation from Jack, that 'shark on laughing gas', the only man to succeed in the sexual stakes. Eternal everyman Stan spends virtually the entire film seeking release only to be thwarted at the point of consummation every time by family members (his own and the 'young' ladies) or even seasickness, which Jack takes advantage of. The scene is set in the pre-credits sequence which features yer actual ladies bosom exposure (in an A certificate film! Lord Longford damaged the British psyche so much the year before) followed by a spectacular (for this sort of film) bus crash and ending with Reg Varney wearily turning to look straight into the camera, breaking down the fourth wall and inviting us into his world. There's precious little Hammer about this, apart from 'Hammer ' in the opening titles, along with the names Philip Martell and Roy Skeggs, although there is a bizarre scene where Blakey discovers he's being cuckolded and sets out to exact his revenge upon Stan - although Jack was the culprit. After glimpsing Kate Williams in her undies (a double -edged sword), Inspector Cyril Blake with a symbolic castration bandaged foot lurches across the holiday park like an unholy cross between The Mummy and the Frankenstein Monster in pursuit of his nemesis. A back pedalling Stan and gawking onlookers give this the quality of nightmare. The Nurse (still in a post-Jack state of deshabille) flings herself between them, and falls to the floor as Blakey tears at her clothing in an effort to continue his pursuit. She's saved by camp manager Henry McGee but we're left with the impression of a monstrous rape. Further horror is provided by Wilfred Brambell romancing Doris Hare. This should have been a huge miasma of embarrassment, but somehow avoided this by being so relentlessly cheerful. The worst of disasters is greeted with an 'Oh no!' and then everyone mucks in to help. There's so much laughter, and scenes of people enjoying themselves without desperation despite their straitened circumstances. I wonder if Pontins bookings went up or down after this?
Not much of a tribute (and I may have put this up here before) but Stephen Lewis was somewhat of a unique talent.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 14, 2015 15:35:07 GMT
For some reason I couldn't bear to watch the TV series On The Buses, but am fascinated by the big screen versions (possibly because they were made by Hammer and the second one was set near where I lived - certainly where I went to school i.e. Windsor.) Other way around for me. Can handle the TV show, though the final series, hit by the desertions of first Arthur and then Stan, makes for grim viewing. Stephen Lewis and Bob Grant even collaborating on scripts to keep the sinking ship afloat a little longer. The movies, especially Holiday On The Buses, make me queasy, though, as ever, you've revealed hidden depths. Reg Varney the vampyre was apparently jealous of Mr. Lewis for upstaging him, though no doubt they'll soon be up to their old tricks at the great depot in the sky. R.I.P.
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Post by ripper on Aug 14, 2015 15:48:05 GMT
Nice review of 'Holiday on the Buses', Franklin. I also saw it on the big screen as well as the earlier 'Mutiny.' Agreed that the film versions were funnier than the TV series. I read somewhere that the big screen 'On the Buses' gave a big boost to Hammer at a time when they were in financial decline. They sure milked it, with 2 sequels and a host of other cinema productions of then current sitcoms--all ITV I think. Kate Williams would have been seen at the time in 'Love thy Neighbour.' The films are gloriously un-PC and of their time, with lots of cultural references. On the JTR museum thread there were several comments about the documentary 'The London Nobody Knows' showing a London that has now changed so much, but I think that films such as the Buses trilogy can also be valuable reminders of how the country used to look, particularly as they have a fair few location shots.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Aug 14, 2015 18:58:11 GMT
The films are gloriously un-PC and of their time, with lots of cultural references. On the JTR museum thread there were several comments about the documentary 'The London Nobody Knows' showing a London that has now changed so much, but I think that films such as the Buses trilogy can also be valuable reminders of how the country used to look, particularly as they have a fair few location shots. Cheers, Rip. I agree with the above. Apparently On The Buses was a box office smash, and possibly Hammer's most successful film of all time - unless The Woman In Black has changed things. I have the three films in a boxed set. Haven't got around to Mutiny yet, but... On The Buses. The only one of the Butler(stein) trilogy I'd never seen, despite rave reviews from schoolmates, mainly concerning ladies going the toilet (we were an all-boys Grammar school - it fucked us up royally). A sociologists dream - a bizarre all white Britain populated almost solely by the middle-aged and elderly (apart from a couple of clippies and, at the end, Olive and Arthur's offspring). An austerity Britain reliant on overtime and living on HP, resistant to change (prices are in new pence but also records the old money value as well (7 1/2 p (1/6)). All women (when not elderly) are gasping for it crumpet or harridans. All men are hideously ugly but think they're God's gift to women, and can treat them like dirt. Welcome to that other planet - 1971. I did laugh a couple of times. Does Roy Skeggs appear as several extras? The bus station also has a huge Lambs Navy Rum poster outside - surely featuring Caroline Munro? The dreadful pub singalong theme tune also features a rather weird couplet that goes something like 'It's a gay old time On The Buses, don't forget to leave your crumpet behind' - the next lines explaining that there's plenty (of crumpet) On The Buses - phew - no proto-Gay Liberation message there. David Lodge and his pipe should be ashamed, but bonus points to Wendy Richards for calling Blakey ' a dirty-minded filthy swine.' Every cloud and all that. I'm rather glad I went to see Diamonds Are Forever twice now, elitist bastard that I am
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Post by dem bones on Aug 14, 2015 21:40:42 GMT
The dreadful pub singalong theme tune also features a rather weird couplet that goes something like 'It's a gay old time On The Buses, don't forget to leave your crumpet behind' - the next lines explaining that there's plenty (of crumpet) On The Buses - phew - no proto-Gay Liberation message there. ".... There's always gay life on the buses, make sure you leave your bird at home/ You'll see so many on the buses, you won't be sitting on your own/ It's so romantic on the buses, you'll find it thrilling when you ride/ and you can get it on the buses, upstairs or down inside." Don't know who sung/ performed it, but they should have done time.
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Post by mcannon on Aug 15, 2015 1:07:33 GMT
For some reason I couldn't bear to watch the TV series On The Buses, but am fascinated by the big screen versions (possibly because they were made by Hammer and the second one was set near where I lived - certainly where I went to school i.e. Windsor.) Other way around for me. Can handle the TV show, though the final series, hit by the desertions of first Arthur and then Stan, makes for grim viewing. Stephen Lewis and Bob Grant even collaborating on scripts to keep the sinking ship afloat a little longer. The movies, especially Holiday On The Buses, make me queasy, though, as ever, you've revealed hidden depths. Reg Varney the vampyre was apparently jealous of Mr. Lewis for upstaging him, though no doubt they'll soon be up to their old tricks at the great depot in the sky. R.I.P. Ah, I was about to mention my fond memories of that scene in which Stan and Jack trick Blakey into posing for a photo in front of a "Son of Dracula" advert, but you've beaten me to it with that lovely still, Dem! I have fond memories of the show, though I haven't watched an episode in decades. I suspect I wouldn't find it anywhere as entertaining these days, but I still think of Stephen Lewis' performances as the show's highpoint. Even as a pre-teen I found Stan and Jacks' attractiveness to smashin' dolly-birds to be completely unbelievable. Perhaps _they_ were vampires - it's the only possible explanation for their mesmeric charm..... Mark
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Post by pulphack on Aug 15, 2015 5:09:03 GMT
The TV spin-offs started by On The Buses kept Hammer afloat for a few more years, and lest BFI crits forget (Matthew Sweet exempted) kept the British film industry afloat in the seventies and paid for all the arty stuff that people rave about now but no-one watched at the time. And as you say, Rip, it's the incidentals in these films that are sometimes the most fascinating - the lost world of a Britain that wasn't choked by cars for instance, or where flats and houses were a decent size not the smallest room sizes in Europe (apparently). A time before central heating, mobile phones, and computers (except in a funny, sci-fi way)... God, it makes me feel old that I can remember it. I am.
But anyway, Stephen Lewis: great comic actor and also under-rated as a writer - let's not forget he was the pen behind 'Sparrows Can't Sing', coming out of the work at Stratford East when Joan Littlewood was in charge and Stratford really was a sinkhole (despite 2012 and the claims made, it's still not great). The film of 'Sparrows...' has Mr Lewis playing a caretaker who was obviously Blakey's brother, and also has Queenie Watts in full voice, filmed at the pub she ran.
I note that he passed in a nursing home in Wanstead - I often get the W13 past a number of those, and was probably within speaking distance of Mr Lewis, who I would have liked to shake by the hand for 'Sparrows...' alone.
As an aside, only the other week my mate Tone was recalling a conversation where he noted the resemblance between Blakey and Hawkwind's Dave Brock... which makes Jack a decent Lemmy, Olive obvious Stacia, and Arthur a similarly tonsured DikMik... but who would Stan be? Nik Turner?
Rip Mr Lewis.
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Post by ripper on Aug 15, 2015 10:13:19 GMT
The title song to the On the Buses film: music by Geoff Unwin, lyrics by Roger Ferris, sung by Quinceharmon.
I'm not sure if the song was released as a single at the time, but I found a version on Youtube that sounded different to that included on the film soundtrack. Sorry, I'm not sure how to paste links but if you search for 'its a grand life on the buses film theme' then you should find it...and yes it is 'grand' in the Youtube title, though 'great' in the song itself.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 15, 2015 12:55:24 GMT
Other way around for me. Can handle the TV show, though the final series, hit by the desertions of first Arthur and then Stan, makes for grim viewing. Stephen Lewis and Bob Grant even collaborating on scripts to keep the sinking ship afloat a little longer. The movies, especially Holiday On The Buses, make me queasy, though, as ever, you've revealed hidden depths. Reg Varney the vampyre was apparently jealous of Mr. Lewis for upstaging him, though no doubt they'll soon be up to their old tricks at the great depot in the sky. R.I.P. Ah, I was about to mention my fond memories of that scene in which Stan and Jack trick Blakey into posing for a photo in front of a "Son of Dracula" advert, but you've beaten me to it with that lovely still, Dem! I have fond memories of the show, though I haven't watched an episode in decades. I suspect I wouldn't find it anywhere as entertaining these days, but I still think of Stephen Lewis' performances as the show's highpoint. Even as a pre-teen I found Stan and Jacks' attractiveness to smashin' dolly-birds to be completely unbelievable. Perhaps _they_ were vampires - it's the only possible explanation for their mesmeric charm..... Mark I've still not seen that episode (anyone know the title?). The grab is from a trailer for the box set. Soon as I saw it, it was "that will do Vault." You could be right about the vampire aspect. Voracious sexual predator Jack certainly had something of the night about him.
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Post by Shrink Proof on Aug 15, 2015 16:16:56 GMT
Voracious sexual predator Jack certainly had something of the night about him. Well Bob Grant, who played Jack, certainly did, though it was in no way of his choosing, it was visited upon him. He suffered from a bipolar disorder. After several thwarted attempts, it finally killed him - he committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Tragic.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 15, 2015 16:58:40 GMT
It was very tragic with Bob Grant. Seem to remember the overnight collapse of the series really hit him bad.
Sadly, I think that's all bar Olive have boarded their last bus to the Cemetery Gates? (I met Anna Karen at a Barbican Hammer season once. She was absolutely charming. Sir C. Lee was a touch grouchy, mind. Could never understand why he attended these events if he loathed his "Dracula" audience so much).
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Post by ripper on Aug 15, 2015 19:53:44 GMT
I remember that when Bob Grant disappeared for 5 days in 1987 there was some very cruel talk that it was a publicity stunt. The poor guy was actually contemplating suicide and it took a public appeal by his wife to make him return.
In 1975 he appeared in a pilot called 'Milk-O' about a milkman, and it sounds very similar in concept to 'On the Buses' and the later 'Bottle Boys.' Sadly it wasn't commissioned as a series and that was the end of his TV career.
Dem, I think you're right about Anna Karen being the last surviving cast member. I thought that Pat Ashton, who was in a couple of episodes and also the first two films was still with us but sadly she passed away in 2013. Pat was the busty blonde who was Arthur's clippie in 'Mutiny'. There was a cat-fight between her character (Nymphy Nora) and Olive at the darts match over the affections of Arthur.
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