Iconic British comedian Benny Hill was a master at lively slapstick, burlesque and double entendre. He saunters into the lighter side of life with a variety of skits with fellow comics Henry McGee, Lorna Nathan, Eddie Buchanan and Jackie Wright in this episode of the Benny Hill Fan Consortium.
While it appeared that Shemp, Larry and Curly were receiving the majority of the pounding in the Three Stooges episodes, it was actually Moe that was the real punching bag. Tune in to this “whacky” visit to the lighter side of life and watch Moe take his lumps.
Enjoy some film snippets from the archives of legendary British comedian Benny Hill, including his interaction with a blonde bombshell or two. And come on back here to LOL next Tuesday for another sojourn through the lighter side of life. — The Wickel
Today’s Trillion Dollar Movie, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, helped transform an upstart 24-year-old actor into the world’s most recognized martial arts star. The performer: Jackie Chan. While the film Drunken Master was Chan’s first huge breakout hit, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow — shot immediately before Drunken Master in 1978 — gave Chan his first genuine opportunity to define his acting style and create the screen persona that his legions of fans would come to cherish.
Here, he begins to experiment with all of the signature elements of his style — the slapstick gags, the self-effacing humor, the exuberant fight scenes choreographed with pinpoint precision. The stuntwork is perhaps more rudimentary than in Chan’s most eye-dropping features, but this role still puts him through his paces, involving plenty of agility and physical stretching as a performer.
He plays a naive, bullied janitor, Chien Fu, who serves as a sort of a human punching bag at a local martial arts academy. His life is miserable until he’s accepted as a protege by Pai, a crafty old master trained in the Snake Fist fighting style. Pai’s motives aren’t entirely altruistic. He’s one of the last of his breed, as a rival school, the Eagle Claw, has waged a protracted war against the Snake Fist fighters and nearly wiped out the entire society. Pai sees Chien Fu as perhaps the last hope to defend the Snake Fist clan and prevent its extinction.
Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow not only established Chan as a rising star, but also burnished the reputation of first-time director Yuen Woo-Ping. On the basis of his work here and in Drunken Master, Woo-Ping enjoyed a long career as one of Hong Kong’s most successful action filmmakers, sought out by Hollywood to stage the fight scenes in The Matrix as well as Kill Bill. Enjoy, and do return again next Friday for another Trillion $ Movie.
Benny Hill takes his show on the road to the Big Apple in search of New York’s most beautiful, voluptuous, bosomy women. Hill employs a variety of schemes in an attempt to solve the age-old conundrum: How to Meet Beautiful Women. More from the Benny Hill Show. Come on back to LOL next Tuesday for another journey through the lighter side of life. — The Wickel
English comedian and actor Benny Hill shows off his signature brand of slapstick comedy–with an ample touch of burlesque–in “Hill’s Angels,” a dance troupe of sexy, young women. The stage act became an instant hit and a staple on The Benny Hill Show in the 1980s. Please check in with LOL every Tuesday for a leisurely stroll through the lighter side of life. — The Wickel