Porridge, Rising Damp and Open All Hours
Posted: June 21st, 2008, 3:35 pm
Porridge is British slang for life in prison. It was also the title of an all-time great sit-com and it's classic spin-off feature film. It was daring in the sense that it was a sit-com about life in Prison, but also retaining a bit of realism. it's simaliar in many ways to Peter Sellers Two Way Stretch. Porridge also inspired a sequal Going Straight
It starred Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher, a thief, trying to keep his nose clean during a five yr prison sentence. His cell mate Lenny Godber, played by Richard Beckinsale, was an innocent in jail for the first time with Fletch taking him under his wing. in the sequal Going Straight, Godber gets romantically involved with Fletch's daughter Ingrid, played by Patrica Blake.
Fulton Mackay played hard nosed Scottish chief Prison Officer Mackay with Brian Wilde as the more understanding Mr. Barrowclough. Peter Vaughan made rare. but great appearences in the series and the film as Harry Grout, the gang leader, who unoffically ran the Prison.
In the feature film during a football match on Prison grounds, a jailbird makes an escape, but is forced, at gunpoint, to take a reluctant Fletch and Godber with him. After a while he releases Fletch and Lenny, who have to find a way of breaking back into prison without being missed.
Ronnie was one of Britain's greatest comedy actors. He made his name on David Frost's The Frost Report where he met stand up comic Ronnie Corbett. Soon after The Two Ronnies were form and IMO next to Morcambe And Wise were the UKs top double act. As a comedy actor he created Arkwright, the money-mean grocer an Open All Hours with another legend David Jason as his middle-aged errand-boy nephew Grandville and Lynda Baron as Nurse Gladys Emanuel, the great love of Arkwright's life. The show also had a great supporting cast with a young Barbara Flynn (Miss. Potter) as the milk woman, who Grandville carried a torch for with two battle-axes Mrs. Featherston, played by Stephanie Cole, who in reality was much younger than her character, and Kathy Staff as Mrs. Blewitt.
Richard Beckinsale was a great talent, who looked like he was going to be a massive star, but he died of a fatal heart attack at 31. Richard made his name in The Lovers, a nice little sit-com with Paula Wilcox. He also played the tennant Alan, who rented a room from the slimey Rigsby, played by Lenoard Rossiter in Rising Damp, which was also turned into a popular film.
Richard's legacy after his death continued with his acting widow Judy Loe, their daughter Kate, who's an International star and another child from his first marriage Samantha, who played a fire-woman in London's Burning
It starred Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher, a thief, trying to keep his nose clean during a five yr prison sentence. His cell mate Lenny Godber, played by Richard Beckinsale, was an innocent in jail for the first time with Fletch taking him under his wing. in the sequal Going Straight, Godber gets romantically involved with Fletch's daughter Ingrid, played by Patrica Blake.
Fulton Mackay played hard nosed Scottish chief Prison Officer Mackay with Brian Wilde as the more understanding Mr. Barrowclough. Peter Vaughan made rare. but great appearences in the series and the film as Harry Grout, the gang leader, who unoffically ran the Prison.
In the feature film during a football match on Prison grounds, a jailbird makes an escape, but is forced, at gunpoint, to take a reluctant Fletch and Godber with him. After a while he releases Fletch and Lenny, who have to find a way of breaking back into prison without being missed.
Ronnie was one of Britain's greatest comedy actors. He made his name on David Frost's The Frost Report where he met stand up comic Ronnie Corbett. Soon after The Two Ronnies were form and IMO next to Morcambe And Wise were the UKs top double act. As a comedy actor he created Arkwright, the money-mean grocer an Open All Hours with another legend David Jason as his middle-aged errand-boy nephew Grandville and Lynda Baron as Nurse Gladys Emanuel, the great love of Arkwright's life. The show also had a great supporting cast with a young Barbara Flynn (Miss. Potter) as the milk woman, who Grandville carried a torch for with two battle-axes Mrs. Featherston, played by Stephanie Cole, who in reality was much younger than her character, and Kathy Staff as Mrs. Blewitt.
Richard Beckinsale was a great talent, who looked like he was going to be a massive star, but he died of a fatal heart attack at 31. Richard made his name in The Lovers, a nice little sit-com with Paula Wilcox. He also played the tennant Alan, who rented a room from the slimey Rigsby, played by Lenoard Rossiter in Rising Damp, which was also turned into a popular film.
Richard's legacy after his death continued with his acting widow Judy Loe, their daughter Kate, who's an International star and another child from his first marriage Samantha, who played a fire-woman in London's Burning