Comments on: It’s Turned Out Nice Again

By: harry b

harry b — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 21:12:00 +0000

Black and white seemed to stay on British tv for many years after colour was introduced, perhaps because all the second world war films were made in black and white (and they had to be shown over and over again lest we forget our finest hour). The happy consequence—lots of George Formby, Gracie Fields, Norman Wisdom, etc, on Sunday afternoons.

My understanding is that Formby fans fall into two camps—those who think Beryl dominated him and those who think she was a vital contribution as it were. The latter certainly are those one hears most from; when the BBC does its periodical radio shows commemorating him they tend to find mostly nice things to be said about her, and they usually sound fair. She doesn’t, to me, sound any more domineering than Laurel was over Hardy or Morecambe was over Wise… (which is to say, it sounds as if she played a management role which Formby realised was necessary, had no interest in performing, and was happy to have her perform).

By: john h

john h — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:36:18 +0000

#7 Students of Formby call it a banjolele – a cross between a uke and a banjo.

By: kid bitzer

kid bitzer — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:13:15 +0000

ukelele?
doesn’t look like it to me, or sound like it.
more like a banjo with a shortened neck.
but the tuning is the real question—if it’s tuned like a uke i’ll be willing to call it a uke.

By: astrongmaybe

astrongmaybe — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 11:28:17 +0000

Couldn’t see Britney throwing in a subjunctive: “Although the skies be dreary…”

By: tom hurka

tom hurka — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 10:32:40 +0000

Those are lovely clips. When I was a kid the local TV stations, or maybe U.S. ones just across the border, would sometimes play Formby movies, as they also played Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, etc. I guess that all came to an end when the TV schedule went fully to colour, and anything black and white seemed passe. But it was great while it lasted.

Re Beryl, didn’t she rather run everything in George’s career, to the point of dominating him? I remember reading that somewhere.

By: josh

josh — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 07:33:33 +0000

According to IMDB, at any rate, that is indeed Beryl in the last clip. They’re really awfully cute together.

By: Guest

Guest — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 05:08:51 +0000

How could I never have heard of this guy? He’s brilliant.

By: grackel

grackel — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 04:42:55 +0000

Well, now at least Tiny Tim makes sense. Thanks for solving that mystery.

By: Kieran Healy

Kieran Healy — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 21:53:59 +0000

And he has a ukelele in his hand.