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Post by Arthur Pringle on Mar 24, 2017 17:54:04 GMT
Recently I've been watching clips of Harry Worth on youtube. His shows are rarely repeated on tv, making him something of a forgotten comic performer, though it's very obvious where Harry Hill got much of his act from & the character Count Arthur Strong is a blatant rip off of Worth.
As big a tv star as Tony Hancock in the 60's, he later appeared in several sitcoms such as 'My Name Is Harry Worth' & 'How's Your Father?'. Watching episodes of 'My Name Is Harry Worth' I realised that I'd seen them in the 90s on UK Gold, since then I don't think any of his shows have been shown again. It struck me how so many talented performers are simply forgotten about if their work is not repeated & what a travesty this is given the rubbish we're served up today.
I think the only release of his tv work is a dvd containing the 3 series of '30 Minutes Worth' & 'My Name Is Harry Worth' which lasted 8 episodes.
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Vienna
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Post by Vienna on Mar 24, 2017 18:44:35 GMT
My parents, like many people of their generation, often tuned in regularly in the Sixties to watch Harry Worth. Apparently 100 episodes were made of his show at the time, although I imagine most of them no longer exist and were wiped.
I have seen the opening titles, where he stares and does a trick in front of the glass shop window, but I haven't seen any of the episodes.
Vi
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Mar 24, 2017 19:41:38 GMT
The humour follows a very simple formula in all of the episodes of the various shows I've seen, with Worth playing a well meaning 'little man' character whose misunderstanding gets him into scrapes. Closest comparison would be 'Some Mothers Do Ave Em'.
The shop window gag has probably put people off investigating his comedy further, I think it gives the impression of a juvenile slapstick comedian though it's just a moment long in the opening titles to one of his series. There's a clip of the Small Faces doing it, I expect everyone in the 60s who went past a shop window did it at one stage. Funny how these moments in time come to define a person.
A regular character in 'How's Your Father?' is Fanny Carby, the woman who is 'always in except when I'm out' in The Sweeney, she plays Worth's interfering neighbour.
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Post by Charles Bronson on Mar 24, 2017 20:16:49 GMT
As I watch YouTube quite a lot,I've noticed the Harry Worth videos but not watched any of them yet. I do remember him myself and as you say Arthur he was very popular at the time. It's a shame he has been totally forgotten. I don't know how much of his stuff has survived, and why they're not repeated at all.
Another forgotten TV comedy actor from that era is a guy called Arthur Haynes who was also enormously popular in those days. Paul Merton has done some programmes on him. I might get some of Arthur's DVD's in the future. I have seen some of his stuff on Youtube and I quite like him.
Charles.
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Post by Sam Tyler on Mar 24, 2017 22:43:28 GMT
I do recall when I was very young sitting with my parents watching Harry Worth. Sadly the reflection trick in the shop window is about all I can remember of him or his shows. I hope some of his work survives as I'd be interested to give some a viewing again after so long.
Another forgotten artist from the time was Hugh Lloyd. I've always associated the two but I think that they were in different shows entirely. Perhaps they were on TV on the same evenings? If I recall correctly I think Hugh Lloyd worked more with Terry Scott?
Sam.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Mar 25, 2017 19:08:01 GMT
The programme Paul Merton did with Nicholas Parsons was the first time I'd seen any Arthur Haynes, Michael Caine makes an early appearance in one of the episodes. Hugh Lloyd is a familiar face, he did a long running sitcom with Terry Scott.
The picture quality of these programmes probably prevents them being broadcast on tv, as well as the now dated humour & references. Another reason that Worth & others are less remembered is because they lived private or uninteresting lives & so have no 'back story', unlike Tony Hancock for instance. I wonder how well remembered the likes of Sid James & Kenneth Williams would be if there had never been any Carry On films?
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Mar 26, 2017 13:50:40 GMT
Yes, I remember Harry Worth from the 60s when I was quite young, he was a sort of well meaning but bumbling idiot who got very confused.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Mar 26, 2017 15:13:37 GMT
Initially a ventriloquist act, he supported Laurel & Hardy when they toured the UK & was apparently advised by Oliver Hardy to ditch the dummies & concentrate on being a comedian. What struck me looking at this photo was Finsbury Park, this was the name of one of Harry Hill's sidekicks on his tv show, on which he also had a vent act with a cat.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Mar 28, 2017 8:27:57 GMT
The shop window sketch at the start of Harry Worth's programme was filmed in St Annes Square, Manchester. I do remember him a bit, some of his programmes are coming back to me a bit as this thread has got me thinking about him. Apparantly, he was a miner in Yorkshire before joining the RAF, then he went into show business after his Air Force service.
Arthur Haynes I just about very vaguely remember
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Mar 28, 2017 16:12:08 GMT
Funny how the memory works, for years I've refered to cat's fur as 'feathers' but couldn't remember where I'd first heard it, then I was watching an episode of 'My Name Is Harry Worth' last week & there it was. Worth plays a brush salesman & there's a scene where he scatters some feathers in order to demonstrate a 'brush for cat's feathers'.
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