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Post by Dirty Epic on Sept 28, 2018 10:01:13 GMT
Seems interesting so I'll have a butchers on YT if I can. Got so much stuff to watch at the moment...
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Sept 28, 2018 17:15:47 GMT
'Root Into Europe' was the only time Henry Root made it to tv or film which is a pity, would've been great to see more. I was reading an obituary of the writer of these letters, William Donaldson, & it mentions that he got a visit from the police in connection with attempting to bribe a judge as he was in the habit of sending a £1 note, sometimes a £5 note to the people he wrote to. He did write to Brian Clough ( letters below ), also Laurie McMenemy of Southampton FC & the chairman of Derby County. He sent a few to Michael Parkinson, one of the few people who replied saying 'I find your letter offensive'. The book is also an interesting time capsule of that period, people who were in the news at the time but who are now forgotten.
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Post by Gene Hunt on Sept 28, 2018 17:43:14 GMT
I just can't help but imagine George Cole reading those out loud Like the one of many he sent to Thatcher... "Dear Prime Minister,
So - It's honours for big business" Nothing wrong with that! You were voted into office to promote the interests of your own class - the lower middles on their way up - and this is what you're doing. Well done! The wets and have-nots may bleat, but they have no one to blame but themselves. They were stupid enough to vote for you!"The part was made for Cole to play and no one could have done it better. Gene.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Sept 28, 2018 20:06:11 GMT
It is hard not to hear George's voice in your head when you read them, particularly when Root writes 'here's a pound' as he does in most of them. Reminds me of the Tommy Cooper anecdote when he'd say 'have a drink on me' as he put a tea bag into a taxi driver's top pocket. Here's a video of the letters being auctioned & another clip from Cambridge tv- archive.cambridge-tv.co.uk/henry-root-letters/
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Oct 4, 2018 13:01:16 GMT
I got a copy of a biography of William Donaldson, there is a little bit about the making of 'Root Into Europe'. Donaldson's prefered actor to play Root was John Challis. Donaldson was present whilst the series was being filmed, apparently he wasn't happy on the shoot, likening it to being back at school, he also had a crack cocaine habit & apparently discovered that one of the crew did as well ( probably not George Cole ). It says there was talk of a further series but 'no one's heart was really in it'.
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Post by Brown Granada on Jan 27, 2019 11:38:18 GMT
I watched Root into Europe when it was first shown and loved it. As some have said a bit cringy in places but mostly very funny and George Cole never disappoints . I have started watching it again via You tube too.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Feb 14, 2019 14:32:09 GMT
Came across this entry in the Dictionary Of Slang-
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Oct 6, 2019 15:49:28 GMT
I know Gene is fan, but I wonder how many have seen this brilliantly funny 5 part series starring George Cole as Henry Root, a retired fish merchant who, with his long suffering wife, embarks on a fact finding tour of Europe? Originally shown on ITV, it has not been released on dvd but there was a VHS of it from which the copies on youtube are taken. I only first saw it a few years ago & didn't expect much from it, the first episode I thought was pretty good but some of the others, particularly the episode where Root visits Germany are hilarious. If you haven't seen it & you're a fan of George Cole, who is brilliant in it, you need to watch it. The writing is not unlike Minder at its best & Henry Root, a Conservative Eurosceptic, is like a relative of Arthur Daley. What makes the series unique is that many of the people Root encounters on his trip are actual people, including local politicians, police & tv personalities, rather than actors. Quite ahead of its time, it struck me that it is not unlike what Sacha Baron Cohen does. The series is based on a character created by William Donaldson, the book 'The Henry Root Letters' appeared in 1980 & various sequels followed. Donaldson was a satirical writer who led a debauched life & at one time had an affair with singer Carly Simon. I've not read any of his books but by the sounds of them I think I will have to. You can see all 5 parts on youtube. Given where we are this would probably get great ratings if shown again!!
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