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Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated - The Naughty Early Years, Set One (1969-1971)

starring: Samantha Stevens (III), Penny Meredith, Fiona Sloman, Suzy Mandel, Corinne Russell (II)
directed by: John Robins, Benny Hill

: Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated - The Naughty Early Years, Set One (1969-1971)
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780767065870
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
ISBN: 0767065875
Label: A&E Home Video
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
Number Of Items: 3
Publisher: A&E Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: August 24, 2004
Running Time: 550 minutes
Sales Rank: 7227
Studio: A&E Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1979-01



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Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated catches the boyish, British comedian just after he ended a long association with the BBC (where he was a busy star) and leaped to the commercial Thames Television in 1969, where he enjoyed creative control and successful syndication in America for 20 years. The premiere episode of The Benny Hill Show made television history as one of Thames' first color broadcasts, though a mid-season strike by technicians forced the show to revert to black-and-white, resulting in several 'lost' episodes that have reemerged in this boxed set. (They offer some of the best material in this batch.)

Hill is an interesting, internationally popular figure in British comedy, his act more rooted in vaudeville and smooth, lowbrow innuendo than the surreal or topical. He gets a lot of mileage out of a mere roll of his eyes or knowing grin, but he is never short of energy during elaborate sketches or his trademark chases at the end of each episode. The Benny Hill Show, with its emphasis on scantily clad women and endless jokes about getting/not getting sex, never pushes the comic envelope, exactly, but Complete and Unadulterated demonstrates that Hill, who died in 1992, had more ingenuity and diverse originality than his reputation might reflect. Hill is just as comfortable gracing the opening of every show with a silly, risque ditty ('She wouldn't let me marry Jean / She said it was because she thought I was Effeminate / And compared to her, I was') as mocking television itself (in a clever, 'Top of the Pops' send-up), skewering suburban swingers ('Henry and Alice and Bob and Mary'), or mounting a Cold War farce (in which an East-West border, running through a honeymoon suite, causes havoc for a newlywed couple). Luckily, this set allows one to select individual sketches or songs (Kiki Dee turns up for a go at 'You've Made Me So Very Happy') within all 11 episodes, and to access each episode without having to go back to the disc's main menu. A repeat viewer can easily glide around the full season and cobble together the perfect, best-of program. There's certainly plenty of good material to go around; check out the lengthy 'European Song Contest' for a true classic. --Tom Keogh



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Laugh till you cry
If you want a good laugh, this is the one. Benny Hill is one of the best comedy guys around and you ... Read More


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Great entertainment !!!!
So far, I have bought the first three sets, and plan to buy the rest. It is very nice to be able to ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Classic humor continues
Once again, this set proves why Benny Hill was the king of 70's baudy humor. The classic bits contained ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Excellent Naughtiness
These DVDs are a very nice collection. Any fan will enjoy these.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Just great slapstick.
If you enjoy classic slapstick and great British humor this is the set for you. It is a great watch, as the ... Read More

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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.