Do Not Adjust Your Set
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Movie Reviews of Do Not Adjust Your Set
Movie Review: The Bonzo's in all their Absurd Magnificence
Summary: 5 Stars
I gave this video five stars because it is the only thing I've seen yet that has actual moving pictures of the Bonzo Dog Band. Being that they weren't on TV in the US at all during the 60's, it is quite amazing to be able to see them here in all their original glory. I was completely open mouthed amazed with all of them. Vivian of course was a major howl, but the rest of the lads were right up there with him. Roger Ruskin Spear in particular was a major scream. Rodney Slater was a real oddity as well and Legs Larry was hilarious. So was Neil. It was just so amazingly great to come upon this. Like coming upon a time capsule. There is quite a bit of the Bonzos throughout these shows. Unfortunately, most of it is not done live, however it is fascinating to hear a lot of their songs in developmental stages. There is almost an hour and a half of Bonzo material on these disks. There are no chapter stops except for the beginning of each show. There is no copy guard either, so it is possible to assemble all the Bonzo clips on your own disc. This is what I did using a hard disc DVD recorder. It all worked out beautifully and made the purchase of these DVD's very much worth it. As for the comedy bits with all the others on the show, well, there are a few things but it really is truly amazing how much improved things got when the Pythons became the Pythons. I bought this for the Bonzos and it did not disappoint.Movie Review: Pre- Python gold
Summary: 5 Stars
The waits over for you Python completests. At last "DNAYS" is on DVD, something I thought would never happen. It seems that material was found of the episodes, but maybe not complete episodes. You see, the BBC used film with already recorded show over again. This was the cause of the loss of priceless footage of what would be in a short time, in my opinoin probably the greatest television show of all time, Monty Python's Flying Circus. Palin, Jones, Idle and Gilliam from that team are here, already performing sketches that seemed to echo into Python. Also included on the DVD are interviews with Terry Jones of Python. Since according to the information, there's only two hours of material here, we'll only have to wait for more sets, possibly a Don't Adjust Your Stocking DVD too. Keep em' comin'.
Of course, the Bonzos are amazing. Viv Stanshill is up there with Mick Jagger as the best showman. I picked up "Cornology" and I love it.
Note: As another voter mentioned, there are songs here that aren't on any Bonzo album. They are:
Love is a Cyndrical Piano (the one with Eric Idle fil;ling in for Innes)
Metiphorically Speaking (the one that ends in a Who-like fashion)
Movie Review: Do Not Adjust Your Set Pre-Python show Bonzo Dog Band appearances
Summary: 5 Stars
It was great to find this DVD to see what the pre-Pythons were doing before their groundbreaking show, Flying Circus, and to see the Bonzo Dog Band since there aren't many videos of them since there weren't camcorders in the 60's. This really gave the Bonzos some exposure they needed. I think it was said that even grown-up tuned in to this children's show because of the Bonzos. Let's just hope the BBC will finally release The Innes Book of Records. You'll never see Rutland Weekend Television on DVD. Eric Idle won't approve it.Movie Review: Better than Python
Summary: 5 Stars
The acting sketches are equal to the Python ones. What makes this funnier is the musical satire provided by the Bonzo Dog musical group.Movie Review: Cute and funny, if not hilarious, offering from Idle, Jones, & Palin
Summary: 4 Stars
In 1968, one year before "Monty Python's Flying Circus," Eric Idle & Terry Jones were approached by producer Humphrey Barclay (who knew Idle from Cambridge revues & Jones from Oxford revues) to do a kid's TV show which would also feature the abrsurdist Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Band (featuring Neil Innes of future "Rutles" fame). Desperate to gain exposure as performers as well as writers (having previously written for, among other shows, "The Frost Report"), they hastily agreed. Jones automatically brought in his writing partner, Michael Palin (another Oxford revue alum), and, at Barclay's suggestion, the cast was rounded out with two non-University performers, Denise Coffey and David Jason (who would go on to the classic series "Only Fools & Horses). The writers of the show (Idle, Jones, & Palin) agreed not to specifically write for children but to simply write what they found funny. And, thus, "Do Not Adjust Your Set" was born and quickly developed a following among adults as well as kids. At the end of it's first series (there would be two in all), an American animator/writer, Terry Gilliam, would join the fold. Among the show's many admirers were two writer/performers of "At Last the 1948 Show," Graham Chapman & John Cleese, who knew the Idle, Jones, & Palin as fellow "Frost" writers. The following year, the two camps got together and "Python" was created.
Unfortunately, as was the standard practice at the time, after being broadcast, the video for the programmes were erased and the show was lost to time. Or so was the belief until recently, when a handful of the shows were rediscovered and, now, released on DVD. So, now that the history of the show is out of the way, the question remains, "Is it funny?"
The answer for me is, "Yes," but it's not as funny as Python or Chapman & Cleese's "'48 Show" (which has also rediscovered and released on DVD concurrently with this title). Being for kids, many of the items are more cute than side-splitting and certainly a lot less harder edged than Python would be. Noticeably missing is the darkness and savagery of Python, which was clearly brought to the table by Chapman & Cleese (and is visible in the "'48 Show"). The pieces tend to be on the juvenile and zany side with quick blackouts abounding. All in all, it's very much like "Laugh In" but with a more English sensibility.
All of the performers are very good and mesh well together. The Bonzos especially stand out with their oddball musical numbers. There are 9 episodes here and they are all of a consistent quality. I very much enjoyed them but can't say that I was doubled over in laughter. And, much to my disappointment, there are no Gilliam cartoons on this release, despite him being listed in the credits of one episode.
The main problem is that all of the performers are rather diminutive and cuddly and, thus, there are no real authority figures for them to play off of. Idle is the most authoritarian of the bunch but no one is near as upright, straight, or fearsome as Chapman & Cleese could be. This X factor gave Python much of its strength, where, for example, putting an irritating Palin together with an exasperated Cleese could produce a "Dead Parrot" sketch. "At Last the 1948 Show" does not suffer from this problem as Chapman & Cleese's co-stars, Tim Brooke-Taylor & Marty Feldman, were smaller in stature and played a different range of characters from Graham & John.
David Jason & Denise Coffey have a running serial, "Captain Fantastic" that is reminiscent of silent films that is amusing but overdone. From a historical viewpoint, of course, the show is fascinating... you can see Idle, Jones, & Palin developing the characterizations and ideas that they would later polish to perfection in "Python." Don't get me wrong, every once in a while, there will be a great scene and the tone for the whole show is light and fun. It's just not as hysterical as "'48 Show" or "Python."