Bobj

On the subject of Leonard Rossiter does anyone remember a one off TV film featuring him as a rather seedy and cowardly private detective. I think it was called ' The Machine Gunner ' and it was shown on ITV.

Steve Crook

It was called just Machinegunner (1976).
IMDb plot summary: A 'machinegunner' (West Country slang for a debt-collector), turns amateur sleuth but finds himself in hot water with local criminals.

Steve

Hackett

He was great as Mr.Sowerberry in "OLIVER" 1968 perfect casting.

Nanook of the North

I admired Rossiter and saw him two nights before he died as the lead in Joe Orton's Loot.

Recently read a biography which confirmed what I had heard from others - nobody in the industry liked him although they all respected his professionalism but certainly not the fact that he was a domineering, humourless control freak.

I remember Richard Beckinsale's obit. in the Guardian: "Richard Beckinsale's death is just too heartbreaking for words" - and so it was

samkydd

I read David Nobbs' book The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin on a long train journey as a youngster, and the first series was terrific. I had this image in my mind of what it must be like to be a commuter and working in a place like Sunshine Desserts, trying to take seriously something as ridiculous as a new product called a Cumquat Surprise! This stood me in good stead because since leaving school I've never taken any job very seriously and no matter how important and fantastic the product is in whatever industry, it all just another Cumquat Surprise with unimaginative people in identical suits trying to seriously believe in it!

I've done the train commute to London a few times over the years with its stereotypical Reg Perrin passengers. I used to get on in the morning when the train was fairly empty, and after a few days I realised that some people sat in the same seats and did the same things every morning. Just for fun I'd deliberately sit in an empty seat that I knew someone at the next stop would usually sit in, and the look of absolute panic and terror in their faces that someone had broken their routine was incredible.

The letters in the Sunshine Desserts sign which kept falling off reminds me now of a hotel not far from here, and they have a similar sign stating BALLROOM. Over the months some of the bulbs have gone and now it's just B R OM! I mean why bother, just take the thing down!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

ollie

Leonard Rossiter ;
" Getting your head down darling "
"Good idea"

cheers Ollie.

"Bullseye !!"

Jackdaw

Put me down as a schoolboy too,Decks.Loved that film.
By the way have you seen the British Petomane white hope,Mr.Methane?
An act so bad, it's good.Part of the act involves having talc tipped over his green Lycra-clad nether regions,thus serving as an indicator of the air turbulence.
As Mark Radcliffe once said,"When it comes to a Nativity concert,it's always a toss-up between the Coventry Choristers and Mr.Methane".

Jacky

ollie

nice visual reminder

cheers Ollie.

"Bullseye !!"

Marky B

What is that?
Ta Ta
Marky B

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

Haystack

I loved La Petomaine .. there's a scene where I think his sergeant is walking up and down in front of the squad .. and the "sound effect" is of his squeaking shoes .. really hilarious ...

I'm gonna repeat myself here though .. and relate to an earlier post .. The Waterloo Bridge Handicap .. was just exactly about the commuter journey into London on a train .. and the "race" across the bridge ... anyone remember it ???? .. I managed to record the second half of it .. would love to get the whole film..

Cheers

Haystack

samkydd

On BBC7 Listen Again there's a radio sitcom in 9 parts from the 1970s starring Richard Beckinsale as a single dad cosmetics salesman. The series is called Albert and Me. That must have slipped through the radar back then so I'll look forward to listening to it.

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Steve Crook

It's what you get if you use too many of Micro$oft's strange characters that nobody else recognises.

Steve

MarcMorris

I just picked this obscurity up on VHS, will give it a watch soon.

Nucleus Films:
DVD Releasing + Extras Production

Captain Casper

In all honesty, I think Porridge would have worked with a lot of other actors because the script and supporting cast were superb.

The finest sitcom was without doubt, Reggie Perrin. Rossiter was born to play that role.

bhowells

Mr Cook, you are absolutely right about Michael Bates being in Last of the Summer Wine and It An't Half Hot.

I thought that Anton Rogers was in Fresh Fields at the same time as May to December, just did a quick check in Radio Times comedy guide, this was not the case, but he did appear in a sequel to Fresh Fields entitled French Fields which was aired on ITV in 1989 the same year as he was in May To December. But the two programmes were transmitted at different times in that year.