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Post by Steve Austin on Oct 1, 2019 8:24:46 GMT
There is one Play For Today on iplayer, Mike Leigh's 'Nuts In May' starring Roger 'I swear he's got a thing about Australians' Sloman & Anthony O'Donnell from 'Trust Red'. I've got this on the fantastic "Mike Leigh At The BBC" box set. It's well worth getting if you can. As well as "Nuts In May", it also has the brilliant "Home Sweet Home" featuring Timothy Spall among others. There are also some short films (5 mins long) and not forgetting "Abigails Party". I did not realise that Mike Leigh was married to Alison Steadman, I think she was his muse for a while.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Oct 1, 2019 12:55:12 GMT
I'll add that to the Shopping list!
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Oct 1, 2019 19:28:27 GMT
We got our first colour TV in September 75, from radio rentals. Think we got ours (from Radio Rentals!) around 1979. My Grandfather beat us to it, and got one around 77-78.
Most of those TV rental shops disappeared, think there's still a few around.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Aug 2, 2020 21:22:17 GMT
Double Bill- 'The Compartment' & 'Playmates' 1969
These two plays written by Johnny Speight & starring Marty Feldman were shown in The Wednesday Play spot. 'The Compartment' was first shown on tv in 1961 in a version starring Michael Caine, it is 'missing believed wiped', something Caine himself discovered when he asked to see a copy whilst writing his autobiography, Caine considers it the most important acting job he had as apparently it got him noticed as a young actor. In it he plays a young working class man with a chip on his shoulder who shares a train compartment with a middle class businessman who he pesters, leading to a violent conclusion.
The Marty Feldman version is played as a black comedy. The second play 'Playmates' is in a similar vein with Feldman's 'Bill' character turning up at a young woman's home & demanding a room for the night in the mistaken belief that her house is a hotel.
'The Compartment' has been re-made for French, Dutch & German tv. The picture quality is quite poor but both plays are well worth watching. I read an interview with Johnny Speight & he summed up his work by saying that it comes from a thought he had- 'I've always wondered what would happen if you went up to a stranger & threw a glass of water in their face'.
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Post by Dirty Epic on Aug 3, 2020 7:42:13 GMT
Seems interesting Arthur, I think the scene with Jimmy on the train in Quadrophenia maybe ripped some of that off too?
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Aug 6, 2020 16:01:58 GMT
Noticed that there's a BFI blu ray set of Play For Todays being released in October, £45 is pricey for 7 plays, especially when the BFI released a massive Alan Clarke blu ray set containing over 30 plays & a book for £90.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Aug 6, 2020 20:17:51 GMT
Thanks for the info Art. 7 plays out of series that ran over a 14 year period really isn't much but I suppose if they are restored better than nowt. A tad pricey as you say.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Oct 5, 2020 17:21:49 GMT
Not watched this yet but here is a panel of people discussing PFT including Kenith Trodd who produced 30 of them. Also a trailer for the blu ray release.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Oct 5, 2020 18:07:22 GMT
Not watched this yet but here is a panel of people discussing PFT including Kenith Trodd who produced 30 of them. Also a trailer for the blu ray release.
Great to see the old opening titles. Of all the various titles they used, these were my favourite - as they would change the stills to suit a particular series.
Trying to spot the faces in the titles; I found:
Colin Welland and I think John Hurt so far!
Great clips Arthur.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Oct 5, 2020 19:35:06 GMT
That set of titles Sparky are from the 7 plays in the blu ray set. Colin Welland is in one, 'A Passage To England' & wrote another, 'Your Man From Six Counties' & his mate Brian Glover is in 'Shakespeare Or Bust'. 'A Photograph' is directed by John Glenister, dad of Philip & stars George Carter's wife. Of the 7 I've seen 'Shakespeare Or Bust', the second in a trilogy of plays featuring the escapades of 3 miners played by Brian Glover, Ray Mort & Douglas Livingstone & 'A Photograph' which is a horror-ish story.
Just shows how quickly things change, a few years ago the BBC were offering low bitrate PFT's for streaming at £4 each until that venture went belly up, now they've been given the HD treatment. With over 300 different plays it must be a job deciding which to restore & release.
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