The Best of Benny Hill (1974) User Reviews

Perhaps Not The Best

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 11 March 2003]

Benny Hill is Britain`s greatest ever TV comedian but this TVM compilation of his television show isn`t perhaps the best tribute . My complaint isn`t so much with what`s included but more with what`s not . For example what about the oft used sight gag of someone doing an intricate martial arts move only to have Benny pull out a gun and shoot them ? ( Indiana Jones does the same gag in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK ), or the legendary " Flashdance " where a bunch of flashers do a dance routine with raincoats ? What about the classic sketch of a man with a goose stuck down his trousers that keeps sticking its head out of his flies ? And how can you miss out send ups of WORLD OF SPORT or SALE OF THE CENTURY ? I guess the send ups are missing because this film has its eyes on an American/ international market and no one outside of Britain would know about the shows getting the Hill treatment.

Anyway let`s concentrate on what we did get .... A hilarious chatshow spoof called TUPPERTIME where chatshow host Tommy Tupper invites Britain`s oldest man , a footballing Vicar , a pipe smoking hellraising actor and a drunken singer onto his show with shocking results . Steve Coogan made a career out of the same idea . And we get to see Mr Chinaman arrive at immigration to be greeted by Bob Todd`s Indian immigration officer : " Why you broody repleat evelything ? You got clopped eels ? I`ll give you broody clumbs " . And of course we get Hill`s angels in various states of ( Un)dress

Entertaining enough but not too representive of the comic genius of Benny Hill

Benny's Sketchbook!

[ShadeGrenade · 8/10 · 6 June 2008]

British cinemas in the '70's were full of features based on popular television sitcoms such as 'Bless This House', 'Please Sir!', and, of course 'On The Buses'. When Benny Hill was asked by Thames to make a movie, he opted for a compilation of his top-rated sketch show. He had probably been inspired by 'Ten From Your Show Of Shows' which had been released the year before to great success.

Unlike the Monty Python film 'And Now For Something Completely Different', 'The Best Of Benny Hill' showcased the original television sketches, not a single item was remade for the big screen.

These included 'Tribute To The Lower Tidmarsh Ambulance Brigade', 'Garden Of Love', 'The Short Life Of Maurice Dribble', 'The Messenger', and 'Wishing Well' amongst others.

Benny's old gang - Bob Todd and Jackie Wright - are in evidence, and the wonderful Patricia Hayes appears in several items.

I saw this in the seaside resort of Tenby in South Wales and it perfectly rounded off an afternoon of fish and chips, crazy golf, sun and candy floss. Despite the fact that the material was directly taken from television, no-one felt cheated or left the theatre in a mood other than happy.

My only complaint was that in the transference to the big screen, the picture quality had noticeably deteriorated, giving the movie a washed-out look.

Fellow reviewer Theo Robertson wonders why the 'Sale Of The Half-Century' sketch was not used. Benny had yet to come up with the idea. 'Hill's Angels' were not formed until 1980.

The movie's success led to Thames making similar compilations for I.T.V., these would be mainly be screened on Bank Holidays. Network has released all of Benny's early Thames work on D.V.D. now, so I could not really recommend purchasing this. Besides, the picture quality on 'The Annuals' is far better.

Funniest moment - 'Tuppertime', Benny's spoof on 'Dee Time' ( a popular '60's B.B.C. chat show starring Simon Dee ). Over the course of the sketch, Benny's 'Tommy Tupper' struggles to interview a bored, pipe-smoking Henry McGee, the country's oldest man, an inebriated actress, and a vicar ( Michael Sharvell-Martin ) who has gone on air with his flies undone!

Good old Benny Hill

[Maziun · 7/10 · 23 February 2014]

I can't say I'm a big fan of Benny Hill. I do however like him and his sense of humor. There's a big difference between Benny Hill and Adam Sandler. Both don't use sophisticated humor , yet Hill never was so vulgar like Sandler. His comedy was always lighthearted , cartoonish in style , but always enjoyable. In some ways he continued humor that was evident in silent era movies. Benny Hill was a classic comedian and I doubt that even the most stuck up person haven't laughed at least once at one of Hill's jokes.

What we have here isn't really a movie , but more of a collection of jokes from "The Benny Hill show". It's similar to Monty Python's "And now for something completely different". There is no plot here , just longer or shorter jokes. The whole movie is short ( not even 1 hour 30 minutes) and fast paced.

I'm not quite short is this is really the best of. The level of the jokes is uneven. Some jokes are rather unfunny and boring – The musical in boutique , the Chinese guy at airport , boring song "Garden of love" , "Passengers of love" , The life of Maurice Dribbe… The jokes also have tendency to repeat themselves . I mean how many times does Hill dress up as woman here ?

Thankfully most of the jokes are good. Some even are brilliant – parody of TV commercials , parody of interview with French movie director , training in the gym , evening with Tommy Tupper or the hospital bit.

For every fan of Benny Hill it's a must see. Those who are mildly interested in Hill or just looking for good comedy should check it out too. I give it 7/10.

Wonderful Fun for Fans of Benny Hill !

[aesgaard41 · 14 November 2000]

In 1974,Benny Hill,the Crowned King of British Comedy heard that one of his comic allies had peiced together all of their best stuff to run in theaters.Not to be outdone,Benny did the same thing and was a big success.Having conquered stage and the small screen,it was inevitable that his success would spread to movies.The Best Of Benny Hill contains much of his trademark humor from making men look like idiots to his sophisticated lectures mangling and contorting the English language.Anyone who can call Benny dirty old man hasn't seen him do an Irish accent and completely befuddle and confuse Henry McGee, the straightman's straightman.He's on this tape too along with Bob Todd, little Jackie Wright and all of the beautiful Hill's Angels.This tape is a must for pure die-hard Benny Hill fans !

A fitting enough tribute of a true comedy great!

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 15 March 2010]

Benny Hill was a true comedy great, evident in this fitting tribute of him, shown here as a compilation of his very best shorts. His comedy is admittedly quite bawdy, as Benny makes men look like idiots and lectures mangling the English language, but I like bawdy and particularly it suits Benny to a tee. The quality is a little grainy and washed out, but the shorts are still a lot of fun, Tuppertime especially is priceless particularly with the vicar who comes on the air with his flies undone, and Benny is as wonderful as ever. Jackie Wright and Bob Todd do their usual selfless stooging to perfection, and Patricia Hayes is delightful in her appearances. The scripting is also top notch and the music is well done. Overall, I truly enjoyed myself, a really nice 83 or so minutes to spend your afternoon. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Dated humour compilation

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 24 December 2015]

If this is the best of Benny Hill then I hate to see the worst of him! Like with the Monty Python vehicle AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, THE BEST OF BENNY HILL is a compilation of various clips from his long-running TV series, added together to form a feature-length film.

I suppose this kind of humour isn't bad if you're in the right forgiving mood, but I quickly tired of Hill's constant mugging and cross-dressing and I have to say that I didn't find much of it very funny. There are some truly witty and clever moments here, and the life and death of the guy in five minutes is hilarious and very well portrayed. But many of the other clips consist of obvious jokes and strained, repetitive humour.

Hill is certainly an energetic performer and some of that enthusiasm comes across here, but not enough. Too many of the jokes consist of women stripping but that kind of thing was funnier in the CARRY ON films, I reckon. Still, if you're a fan of the comedian then you'll enjoy this anyway, and that theme tune IS classic. It's just that for me, Benny Hill is better in short doses.

Mostly tired seaside postcard humour but sufficient moments of humour and imagination to make it worth watching

[bob the moo · 9 May 2005]

In a collection of the best jokes, characters and sketches from several series of his television series, Benny Hill presents his usual brand of humour. Dressed as a woman he delivers all types of innuendo and confusion, his attempts at serious acting are frustrated by costars, is in an old film that is badly edited, is a doctor in a rather unusual hospital and many other hilarious sketches.

When I look back to the comedy from the UK in the 1970's too often I see it being infested with a crude sexual humour that can be seen in the downward slide of the Carry On series, the Confessions Of series, On The Buses and plenty of other comedies that rely on shapely young ladies, "dirty old men" and innuendo in place of real wit or imagination. Thinking back with hindsight over the comedies that I watched that influenced the sense of humour I have today, it tends to be stuff like Woody Allen, Spike Milligan, the Goons, Morecambe and Wise and perhaps the likes of Frankie Howerd – the humour I like tends towards the acerbic, cynical, darker and perhaps even a little tragic; sadly few of these words spring to mind when one is discussing Benny Hill. For that reason I must admit that I laughed only two or three times during this "Best Of" compilation.

It is also telling that when I think of Benny Hill, nothing really comes to mind other than THAT music and the speeded up saucy chase sequences. Typically this show has a few such sequences and they are basic and as unfunny as I remember them to be – showing little in the way of unique touch or imagination. However there are a few moments where Hill does show imagination that does go beyond saucy postcard antics and show a genuine creative touch – many of these are actually quite funny and almost made the film worth watching. Overall though many viewers will find this to be mostly badly dated seaside postcard humour although enough of the humour works for non-fans to enjoy, although for my money Benny Hill doesn't really stand out among the crowd of comedians who influenced me as I was growing up.