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Rhubarb (1969 Film)
''Rhubarb'' is a 1969 British short film written and directed by Eric Sykes, starring Sykes, Harry Secombe and Jimmy Edwards. The dialogue consisted entirely of repetitions of the word ''"rhubarb"'', all the characters last names were "Rhubarb", and even the number plates on vehicles were "RHU BAR B". A baby "spoke" by holding a sign with the word ''"Rhubarb"'' written on it. "Rhubarb" is a radio idiom for unintelligible background speech. Typically extras would mutter the word over and over to provide ambience for a crowd or party scene. In ''The Goon Show'' the cast was usually only the three principals, who would pretend to try to sound like a larger group by repeating "rhubarb" very quickly but clearly, with outbreaks of "Custard!" for good measure. Sykes was a close collaborator and friend of the Goons. He remade the piece in 1980 for Thames Television, as ''Rhubarb Rhubarb''. Plot A police inspector and a vicar play a round of golf. The inspector has a constable help ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes (4 May 1923 – 4 July 2012) was an English radio, stage, television and film writer, comedian, actor, and director whose performing career spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Tommy Cooper, Peter Sellers, John Antrobus, and Johnny Speight. Sykes first came to prominence through his many radio credits as a writer and actor in the 1950s, most notably through his collaboration on ''The Goon Show'' scripts. He became a TV star in his own right in the early 1960s when he appeared with Hattie Jacques in several popular BBC comedy television series. Early life Sykes was born on 4 May 1923 in Oldham, Lancashire; his mother died three weeks later, leaving him and his two-year-old brother Vernon motherless. Their father was a labourer in a cotton mill and a former army sergeant. When Sykes was two, his father remarried and he gained a half- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor, (6 June 1918 – 28 November 1993) was a British stage, film and broadcasting actor, who rose to national prominence with his appearances in the ''Carry On'' films. Early life Connor was born in Highbury, Islington, London, the son of a naval petty officer who organised concert parties. He first appeared on the stage at the age of two as an organ-grinder's monkey in one of his father's shows, in Portsmouth. By the age of 11 he had his own act. He attended the Central School of Speech and Drama, where he was a Gold Medal winner. Connor made his professional debut in J. M. Barrie's ''The Boy David'', at His Majesty's Theatre, London, in December 1936. During the Second World War he served as an infantry gunner with the Middlesex Regiment, but continued acting by touring Italy and the Middle East with the Stars in Battledress concert party and ENSA. Earlier in the war, in 1941, he was apparently performing as a comedic entertainer in a concert party named the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1969 Films
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events, with '' Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' dominating the U.S. box office and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time and ''Midnight Cowboy'', a film rated X, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1969 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 14 - Louis F. Polk Jr. becomes president and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer * February 23 - Madhubala dies due to a congenital heart disease, at age 36. * June 22 - American singer and actress Judy Garland dies at age 47 of an accidental barbiturate overdose in London. * July 8 - Kinney National Services Inc. acquire substantially all of the assets of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. * July 13 - Al Pacino's film debut (''Me, Natalie''). * Summer - Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980. From 1969 to 1979, the festival is non-competitive. * A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, distribution, and education. It is sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and partially funded under the British Film Institute Act 1949. Purpose It was established in 1933 to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and the moving image generally, and their impact on society, to promote access to and appreciation of the widest possible range of British and world cinema and to establish, care for and develop collections reflecting the moving image history and heritage of the United Kingdom. BFI activities Archive The BFI maint ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walla
In American radio, film, television, and video games, walla is a sound effect imitating the murmur of a crowd in the background. A group of actors brought together in the post-production stage of film production to create this murmur is known as a walla group. According to one story, walla received its name during the early days of radio, when it was discovered that having several people repeat the sound ''walla'' in the background was sufficient to mimic the indistinct chatter of a crowd. Nowadays, walla actors make use of real words and conversations, often improvised, tailored to the languages, speech patterns, and accents that might be expected of the crowd to be mimicked. Rhubarb is used instead in the UK where actors say "rhubarb, rhubarb", in Italy, in Germany, ''rabarber'' in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) as well as Denmark, Sweden, and Estonia, ''gur-gur'' (''"гур-гур"'') in Russia, and in Japan, perhaps in part reflecting the varying textures of crowd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking countries, especially during the Christmas and New Year season. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing. It employs gender-crossing actors and combines topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale.Reid-Walsh, Jacqueline. "Pantomime", ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature'', Jack Zipes (ed.), Oxford University Press (2006), Pantomime is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is encouraged and expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers. Pantomime has a long theatrical history in Western culture dating back to the era of classical theatre. It developed partly from the 16th century c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sight Gag
In comedy, a visual gag or sight gag is anything which conveys its humour visually, often without words being used at all. The gag may involve a physical impossibility or an unexpected occurrence. The humor is caused by alternative interpretations of the goings-on. Visual gags are used in magic, plays, and acting on television or movies. Types The most common type of visual gag is based on multiple interpretations of a series of events.Carroll, page 148 This type is used in the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film '' The 39 Steps''. Lead actor Robert Donat was kidnapping actress Madeleine Carroll and they were handcuffed. When they checked into an inn, the innkeeper assumed that they were passionate lovers because of the handcuffs. The film used dialogue that could be interpreted both ways. Another visual gag is a switched image, often at the beginning of a film. A subsequent view of the scene shows something not viewed before.Carroll, page 152 Switched movement may be the gag, such as Cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allmovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-culture archivist Michael Erlewine, who also founded AllMusic and AllGame. The AllMovie database was licensed to tens of thousands of distributors and retailers for point-of-sale systems, websites and kiosks. The AllMovie database is comprehensive, including basic product information, cast and production credits, plot synopsis, professional reviews, biographies, relational links and more. AllMovie data was accessed on the web at the AllMovie website. It was also available via the AMG LASSO media recognition service, which can automatically recognize DVDs. In late 2007, TiVo Corporation acquired AMG for a reported $72 million. The AMG consumer facing web properties AllMusic.com, AllMovie.com and AllGame.com were sold by Rovi in August 2013 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Speight
Johnny Speight (2 June 1920 – 5 July 1998) was an English television scriptwriter of many classic British sitcoms. He emerged in the mid-1950s. He wrote for radio comics Frankie Howerd, Vic Oliver, Arthur Askey, and Cyril Fletcher. For television he wrote for Morecambe & Wise, and Peter Sellers, as well as '' The Arthur Haynes Show''. Later, he began to write ''Till Death Us Do Part'', which included his most famous creation, the controversial bigot Alf Garnett. His shows often explored the themes of racism and sexism through satire. Life and career John Speight was born into an Irish Catholic family in Canning Town, West Ham, Essex (now Greater London). He left school at 14, and after a series of odd jobs, tried his hand at writing, looking to George Bernard Shaw as inspiration. He began contributing scripts to comedy shows in 1955, starting with ''Great Scott - It's Maynard!'' He later contributed to ''Sykes and a...'' (1960–65), which starred Eric Sykes, Hattie Jacques ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gordon Rollings
Gordon Charles Rollings (17 April 1926 – 7 June 1985) was an English actor who mainly appeared on television, but also appeared on-stage and in feature films. He was born in Batley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England in 1926 and started his career in radio in Palestine. It was in Palestine while serving in the British Army during the Mandate that he was shot by a sniper of the Stern Gang. He later trained as a clown in Paris, appearing in the Medrano Circus. Rollings made an uncredited screen appearance in the Beatles' film '' A Hard Day's Night''. He played the man in the pub who is shocked to find that Ringo has thrown a dart into his lunch. Director Richard Lester later used him in both ''Superman'' films he directed: in the first, he plays a fisherman who is stunned to see General Zod walking on water and in the second, he appears as a pedestrian in a flat cap who upsets a display of toy penguins that triggers the slapstick chaos in the opening credits scene. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheree Winton
Shirley June "Sheree" Winton (''née'' Patrick; 4 November 1935 – 29 May 1976) was an English actress, and the mother of television presenter Dale Winton. Early life Winton was born on 4 November 1935 in Sheffield, England. Career Winton was often referred to as "the English Jayne Mansfield" and appeared in many films and television shows throughout her career. Her film appearances included '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1959), ''Dentist in the Chair'' (1960), ''The Road to Hong Kong'' (1962) and '' Rhubarb'' (1969). She was also known for her TV show appearances with Frankie Howerd and Terry-Thomas. She was chosen Queen for a Day by the Oldham Charity Carnival in 1957. Among her film and TV appearances, she played herself in the series ''That Was the Week That Was'' (1962–1963) and ''Kindly Leave the Stage'' (1968). She had an uncredited bit part in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' (1965). Personal life She married Gary Winton, a furniture salesman, in 1954, and con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Graham Stark
Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director. Early life The son of a purser on transatlantic liners, telegraph.co.uk, 31 October 2013 Stark was born in New BrightonRobert Seller "Graham Stark: Actor, author and director who graduated from music hall to the big screen" ''The Independent'', 31 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
