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If you were
to ask me who I thought was the funniest
of the British comics over the years, I
would not hesitate to say Benny Hill. I
grew up watching a lot of the British comedies
and nobody made me laugh as hard or as long
as Benny. As much as I love Monty Python,
Rowan Atkinson, or even (Australian comic)
Paul Hogan (back when he used to be funny),
Benny Hill will always be at the top of
my list. I still remember catching episodes
of his sketch comedy shows on Sunday nights.
The familiar theme music would start and
I knew it was time for a good laugh.
I had been keeping my eyes and ears open
for any news that there would one day be
a DVD release of “The Benny Hill Show”,
and though there had been a couple of compilations
out there, it wasn't until about 2 years
ago that full volume collections began to
be released. The first set (other wise known
as ‘Set 1’) was released in
2004 by A&E Home Entertainment and included
the 11 episodes that aired between 1969
and 1971 (The series ran from 1969-1989).
This month “Set 5” is finding
its way out onto DVD store shelves with
even more episodes, this time those that
aired between 1982 and 1985.
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Each episode features numerous sketches and songs,
many of which pushed the envelope of what was
allowed on TV back then. What always got me was
how ‘innocently’ the sketches were
presented, even though they were often very bawdy.
Never one to shy away from taboo subjects, Hill’s
antics often gave a slap in the face to history
and politics, sex and religion. Extremely satirical
in nature, the Benny Hill Show never failed to
raise the ire of the ‘powers that be’,
but he became a comedy icon to millions and to
this day (even years after his passing) is unsurpassed
in terms of popularity. Of course, it didn’t
hurt that the series often featured a bevy of
scantily clad beauties!!
What’s interesting, at least to me, is that
I used to watch this series with my parents when
I was a kid. Considering how ‘bawdy’
it was, there was never anything offensive enough
about it to put anyone off, even my parents. You’d
have to be pretty thin-skinned (or just not too
bright upstairs) to be offended by anything Hill
did on his show.
If you’ve never heard of Benny Hill, think
again. I’d say the chances are pretty good
that you’ve at least seen “Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang” at some course of your
life. If you haven’t, you need to. Think
back to the toymaker in the film. I’ll give
you three guesses who that was…
This fifth set, like the previous four is presented
complete and unadulterated, and if you don’t
laugh your tail off watching these episodes, you
have no sense of humor (or perhaps you might be
dead… check for a pulse…). Each episode
has a ton of sketches, all of which are listed
on the cases for the disc. Even better, the menu
selection on the disc itself allows you to not
only choose a particular episode, but also lets
you skip to a particular sketch. This is a really
nice feature considering the format of the show.
“Benny Hill: The Naughty Early Years –
Set 5” is a 3-disc set that includes not
only the various episodes, but also some new interviews
a few of Hill's Angels. If you’re not familiar
with Hill's Angels, they were the aforementioned
bevy of beauties that Benny Hill surrounded himself
with in order to make up for any of the skits
that fell flat. Let's just say none of these girls
ever fell… flat. The quality of the episodes
is also quite surprising considering the fact
that they were filmed so many years ago. They’re
not perfect, but not hard to watch at all.
If you’re at all a fan of shows like “Saturday
Night Live” or “Mad TV”, I highly
recommend picking up this set. Don’t let
the fact that it is labeled as British Comedy
from the 1970s or 1980s stop you. I guarantee
it’s a darn sight funnier than either of
those shows has ever been. I’m really looking
forward to the possibility of more and more sets
coming out. I can never get enough of Benny!
Extras: Hill's Angels Off the Record Featurette,
The Benny Hill Cheeky Challenge, Trivia Quiz #5
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: A&E Home Entertainment
Release Date: 9/26/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Benny Hill: Set 5 a B.
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