This was the first collection of programs released on DVD by HBO Video. There are six programs in this 2 disc collection and you'll find the links for each program in the right hand column of this page. There's also a link for the bonus features.
Golden Greats DVD Review
Golden Guffaws
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Golden Guffaws
(May 1, 1989)
[50:44]
- Where Is Granny Now?
- Peeping Tom
- Sex Life Of A Tiger
- Eye Of The Beholder
- Pepys's Diary
- Can You Lend Me $5
- The Morgue
- The Window Cleaner
- The Good Guys
- Making Your Marriage Work
- Why I'm Not Married
- TV Show Titles
- Tales Of The Unexpected
- Happy Days
- The Bill
- Boon
- The Barber Shop
- The Professor
- Babysitting
Cast: Benny Hill, Henry McGee, Bob Todd, Anna Dawson, Jon Jon Keefe, Johnny Hutch, Derek Deadman, Jerrold Wells, Lorraine Doyle, Sue Upton, Mike Mulloy with Hill's Angels and Hill's Little Angels: Joanna Kirkland, Jade Westbrook, Richard Whatling, Adam Johnstone, Louise Whatling
Review
"Golden Guffaws" starts with the sketch "Where Is Granny Now?" which has Benny playing a country "hick" to Henry McGee's priest. "Peeping Tom" has Benny's wife giving him a headache for girl watching out the window. "Sex Life Of A Tiger" takes place in a bookshop. Benny is a produce seller offering fruit to a woman because people think her baby is ugly in "Eye Of The Beholder"
"Pepys's Diary" is the "opener" for this program as Benny reads from a diary with the cast, singing backup. Some recycled jokes here. There is also a Victorian motif to the costumes, music and sets.
"Can You Lend Me $5" features Bob asking Benny for money. "The Morgue" has Henry McGee showing the remains of a dead man to a woman and "The Window Cleaner" is another recycled idea with Benny out the window pretending to clean it while hiding from his lover's husband. "The Good Guys" features the 'A-Team' theme and has Benny and the gang in an extended police drama style sketch. Bob Todd is the chief inspector Benny must pick up. Benny of course messes things up and the inspector is abducted. The gang sets out to rescue him.
"Making Your Marriage Work" is another sketch that goes on too long with Benny and his wife going to see Henry McGee as the Marriage Counselor. The gag in this one is that the Marriage Counselor talks to his wife on the phone and his marriage is even worse than the couple that visits him. "Why I'm Not Married" features Benny talking to the audience and eventually introducing Hill's Angels. "TV Show Titles" is anything but "Hill's Angels". All the girls in the show are wearing spandex body suits and carrying large signs with letters on them. The gag here is that Benny (also dressed this way) is trying to get the girls to spell out the names of TV shows. Instead they almost spell "naughty" words and phrases. Even Jackie Wright's replacement is in this, dressed up with a wig.
"Tales Of The Unexpected" features Benny and two other cast members in black silhouettes against a mustard yellow background. Perhaps someone out there can explain the joke here.
Next, is a moment in the series that could possibly be the very worst "Hill's Angels" segment of all time. "Happy Days" is excruciatingly bad and features a group of girls in Poodle skirts in a 1950's style soda shop dancing (and very badly I might add) to the song made famous by the series of the same name. Their outfits are terribly corny, the music is horrid and, who's that dancing with them? GUYS?!? Hill's Angels never had men in it before. Once again, the producers of the show decided to become more politically correct by adding males into the segment to appeal to angry viewers. I wish I could say something positive about this segment.
"The Bill" is another police style sketch with more lame sight gags. Sue and another police girl actually lose their skirts but it doesn't provide enough sexual fun to make up for the rest of this program. "The Barber Shop" is a breastfeeding joke between Benny and Sue. "The Professor" has Benny talking about the English Language. Lots of word plays, but not very funny. Sue comes out at the end in a Tennis uniform.
"Babysitting" is another long sketch that seems to last forever, featuring the "Little Angels". Benny wanted to go fishing but his wife sticks him with minding a group of toddlers. The kids of course laugh at Uncle Benny as he is the butt of several silly sight gags throughout. He makes them lunch and then takes them fishing. While fishing, a police vehicle is caught by Benny's fishing line and the convicts in the vehicle escape. There is the usual ensemble cast chase at the end of this sketch, where they all wind up on a "Ghost Train Ride". This sketch appears to be an actual day out for Benny, the kids and the cast and I'm sure this is exactly what they did; they simply brought the cameras along and started rolling and shot whatever gags they could think of. As we all know, Benny would spend time with Sue every year and play at being father to Sue's children. Although this may have been great fun for Benny, it does not make for an interesting skit.
Overview
It's quite apparent by this point that the Benny Hill Show was running out of steam and Benny was simply going through the motions of producing his show. This is obviously the worst program on the first disc of this 2-disc collection and it shows just how bad things were getting. I also believe that it wasn't long after this program that the Benny Hill Show was finally cancelled. It's a pity that Benny's last years with his show couldn't have been more memorable.