At Last the 1948 Show
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Movie Reviews of At Last the 1948 Show
Movie Review: Aimi much better than some say
Summary: 4 Stars
I first saw At Last the 1948 Show when it was first screened, and it was a revelation then. At the time, Tim Brooke-Taylor and John Cleese were much better known than the other players. Brooke-Taylor's 'automatic hospital visitor' is, even now, a gold classic sketch. I remember some other great sketches, now unfortunately lost.
At the time, many people did not understand what Aimi Macdonald was doing, and it's plain many still don't. This probably included the male actors. What she is doing is very subtle and is true art. She is sending up and questioning the whole concept of the show itself. Brooke-Taylor says in his interview that he now thinks she deserves much more credit than she ever got. I agree. While pretending to be an airhead who thinks the whole show is about her, she actually made the whole show revolve around her. And her version of the 'Black Bottom Stomp' (now lost) is a hilarious sendup of 1920's camp.
Movie Review: Some gems, but some cubic zirconium too
Summary: 3 Stars
Would any one want to see this if the careers of John Cleese and Graham Chapman had ended here? Mostly, I think not. There are some good laughs, and a one hour package could be made that would be tremendously amusing. But having to watch the lovely Aimi MacDonald over and over, feeling as if her inanity and tedium is sucking the oxygen right out of my room, is painful. And like Monty Python, sometimes the boys don't seem able to distinguish between a funny idea and a funny sketch. The Nazi game show host probably sounded wildly funny, watching it is excruciating.
So, an early incarnation of the Four Yorkshiremen, one-upping each other with tales of their miserable childhoods, is possibly funnier than the later MP version. Marty Feldman, playing Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Woody Allen, is often brilliant, demonstrating a breadth unseen elsewhere. The Chartered Accountant Dance with a previously unknown to me Tim Brooke-Taylor is glorious. Several clever sight gags show up unexpectedly, providing surprising mirth. And a genuinely clever skit of Scotsmen at the ballet is well executed. I liked much of this, and don't regret seeing it. But comedy for the ages? Nooooo, I think not. I'll share my copy with friends, but if it somehow never finds its way back, I'll not be terribly disappointed.
Movie Review: At last, at last
Summary: 3 Stars
I greatly enjoyed At Last The 1948 Show when it was on the air in the late 1960s but, forty years on, could recall only a couple of sketches and then just dimly. Would it stand up? How significant was it really in the evolution of British comedy?
Well, after watching the DVD set, I can say it was a mixed bag but a mixed bag that is well worth seeing. Some of the sketches are not only a bit weak and silly but come across as amateurish in comparison to, say, Monty Python's Flying Circus. The best bits are however absolute gems that deserve to stand as classics. My favourite is a sketch in a train compartment done by John Cleese and Marty Feldman -- it is side-splittingly funny. I am tempted to say that it was largely Marty who made At Last The 1948 Show as good as it was although the lovely Aimi MacDonald is also mighty memorable.
Movie Review: less funny than Python
Summary: 3 Stars
These five half hour programs are not as funny as Monty Python, but still amusing. The production budget was low and so most of the material is people wearing suits in office environments. Many of the sketches are too long and drawn out which reduces their amusement level.Movie Review: Weak stuff
Summary: 2 Stars
Here are five old half hour television shows that are important only to those interested in the subsequent histories of the participants. The material is very weak. And the bits with women, namely one Aimi Macdonald, are so bad they are embarrassing. It's great to see Marty Feldman, and he does more than his share to keep things afloat. Mostly these programs point to the genius that soon inspired the Monty Python series and, later, several humorous films.