sammyusa123

I first saw him in Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" and I thought he was insanely funny.

I remember when I was quite inebriated in my hotel room I saw a black and white picture of Hamlet and i thought that Polonius in the film looked like Marty feldman.

Can anyone confirm if Feldman ever played Polonius in Hamlet?

Moor Larkin

He became enormously popular on British television and then disappeared into some questionable movies and then he died, ridiculously young. His TV shows I recall as touching on comic genius, but it was all a long time ago. I have an impression he was another in the 'Hancock' mould of tortured genius, but tended towards slapstick rather than intellect.

sippog

Marty was another unique individual, like David Rappaport, who became a victim of the Hollywood machine. At his best, his material was brilliantly surreal and funny; like nothing else being done at the time: the tramp who believes he's god, the innocent OAPs at the funeral of a screaming queen. Pity he didn't believe more in that talent

Loose_Cannon

If he ever appeared on TV in our house his name would be met by a furrowed brow from my ever-so-correct mum and a not-in-front-of-the-children glance to my dad. Was he involved in some sort of "scandal" way back when (which presumably wouldn't register on the scale now)???

Harleybloke

I remember him doing a spoof radio footy commentary, England v Argentina, so un-pc but just fantastic!

Such a sad loss, as Moor Larkin says, out of the Hancock mould!

kelp

Also an excellent writer of scripts of course, being a member of London Scripts along with Eric Sykes, Peter Sellers, Barry Took, Galton & Simpson, and the boss...
Spike Milligan. They all worked out of a small set of upstairs rooms over a Greengrocers in Goldhawk Road. I lived in Upper Addison Gdns at the time, and I used to see them often, either on the Green or around Shepherds Bush Market.

Marty was on the team that gave us Brits "Round The Horne" and "Beyond Our Ken". Brilliant off the wall talent.
"What Hump"???

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...YOU MAY GET IT!

Steve Crook

They probably heard him say what they considered to be a rude word and never forgave him

Steve

D Cairns

He wrote an episode of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN DEADLY SINS, in which Harry h Corbett, as a lovelorn and unattractive man, moons around after the girl of his dreams. Imagining it as autobiography, it's utterly heartbreaking (and not in the least funny).

smudge

Yes - I have to agree. Mind you, I find a lot of the SINS skits have a harder edge very close to the surface ; probably simply because they are 'sins'....

SMUDGE

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

merryowen

It may have had something to do with the Oz trial in 1971

Over to John Mortimer who was one of the barristers for the defence...


"Audience Question: What's your favourite legal case that you've attended?

John Mortimer: Well, I suppose the longest, funniest one was the Oz trial, which was the Australian editors of a little magazine called Oz. And that had really every funny thing about it, which drove the judge absolutely insane. The three Oz editors appeared dressed as schoolgirls at the beginning of the thing. We called the most extraordinary witnesses. We called George Melly. He have his evidence about oral sex. And I said, 'Is oral sex all right?' and he said, 'Yes. When I was in the navy we called it, "yodelling in the canyon, by the way."' And the judge said, 'For those of us who haven't had a classical education, what do you mean by 'cunnilinctus?' as though it was a sort of cough mixture.

And then I called a comedian called Marty Feldman, who had rolling eyes. I don't know why we called him. Geoffrey though I should call him. And he gave evidence, he called the judge a 'boring old fart.' Strictly true, but not the sort of thing you're meant to say in the witness box. And the judge affected not to notice this boring old fart business. And then Marty Feldman came across the court and he put his hand on my arm and said, 'Great to be working with you at last.'

stevie boy

I used to live near the Goldhawk Road, never knew that is where they were based. I met Barry Took once a very nice man

torinfan

I loved his role in Young Frankenstein. He had a very natural comedic talent. He died way too young.

penfold

Not Marty's Autobiography....he was married for 23 years, until his death, to this very beautiful woman....

Marty's eye thing happened to him in adulthood, as a result of a thyroid operation....he hadn't always looke that way...and it obviously didn't bother Lauretta....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

yorkist

I always remember Marty when he played the golfer in the "Loneliness of the long distance golfer",it took him all day to go from the first tee to the putting green,via peoples bathrooms freight trains etc and he was still putting in the dark.I also enjoyed the episode when he was in bed with wife and then he remembered he had something to do he used to rush out to his car and race to the airport and fly off to some exotic place into the arms of some beautiful woman,and then race back home to his wife who was still in bed,brilliant!!.



Yorkist

Marky B

His place was television and radio,where he was without a doubt a genius,but the cinema proved to have limitations for him (except for Young Frankenstein). I think the same could be said for Spike Milligan.
That scene in The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins with Harry H Corbett was more of a tragedy than a comedy,so poignantly played. The girl who was the object of HHC's desires was Cheryl Kennedy.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know