They don’t make ’em like this anymore. 3 entertainment heroes: Morecambe, Borge & Dawson, all passed on, but all wonderful in their different ways. And they had impeccable timing, comedic and musical.
Enjoy.
The immortal Morecambe & Wise with the illustrious Andrew Preview
- “Believe me, you’re in for a surprise, Mr
Preview, Privet.” - “In the 2nd Movement, not to heavy on the banjos, please”
- “Would you jump up in the air?… Do that for me?”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7GeKLE0x3s&w=720]
The unlimited genius of Victor Borge
Where on earth do you start with Borge? There’s so much out there of his. Once heard, never forgotten: e.g. his Mozart Opera or his Phonetic punctuation. It takes incredible technique and musicality to play badly with such delicacy, accuracy and aplomb.
Here is a little selection of his things on youtube:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJgUz_RwRcw&list=PL8716ED6AEA5B679B&w=720]
The musical accomplishments of Les Dawson
I’ve searched in vain on youtube for much of Les Dawson‘s piano comedy – but you get a sense here. Just keep an eye on the band leader & keyboardist in the background almost completely losing it.
He was a remarkably sensitive musician and writer – but he loved to play the northern buffoon with abandon.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMOrsWxh5mg&w=720]
4 responses
hilarious… ‘that’s the band?’ ahahaha
– what about Gerard Hoffnung, Stan Freberg or even Peter Schikele a.k.a P.D.Q. Bach?? One of my favourite is his ‘new horizons in music appreciation’ thoroughly side splitting.
I wondered about both Hoffnung and Schikele – don’t know Freberg, so will have to check him out
Do you know the Dudley Moore sketches where he sends up Britten, Beethoven, Weil and Schubert?
I do indeed – they’re blissful.
One of the biggest things I’ve kicked myself over is that he came and gave an organ recital at Magdalen (where he’d been organ scholar) while I was at oxford (next door at New College) – but I never got my act together to go… grhghgh