Fawlty Towers (TV Series) Waldorf Salad (1979) User Reviews

You feel sorry for Fawlty in this one

[glenn-aylett · 9/10 · 16 December 2017]

Normally Basil Fawlty is someone you love to hate in Fawlty Towers, as he's arrogant, rude, snobbish and devious, but in Waldorf Salad you feel sorry for him.

The plot in Waldorf Salad concerns an American couple, the Hamiltons, who have the misfortune to choose Fawlty Towers for a weekend after a long drive on a " sidestreet called the M5". Unfortunately, Mr Hamilton believes he is still in America, not a seventies British hotel in Torquay, and decides to order a Waldorf salad. something which would be unknown at the time over here. Also his overbearing nature and moaning about Britain make him an unsympathetic character and you do feel sorry for Fawlty trying to please him.

True to form, though, Waldorf Salad descends into pure farce. Mr Hamilton is adamant that he will have a Waldorf Salad, even though Fawlty is clueless, and a hilarious scene develops where the chef has gone out and Fawlty pretends to berate the chef for not knowing how to make a Waldorf salad. Mr Hamilton, by then irate, storms into the kitchen and rumbles Fawlty.

Other scenes that stick in the memory are where a very hungry and furious Mr Hamilton gets all the guest together in the lobby and pays for them to get taxis, telling Fawlty his hotel is the worst in Europe, only for Major Gowan to say he stayed in a worse one in Eastbourne. Then Fawlty, deciding to hit back at his guests, refers to them as layabouts with nothing better to do and the sort of people who started the Third Reich and decides to force them to leave, yelling" raus, raus" at them. Only the intervention of Sybil stops Fawlty being lynched and Fawlty himself decides to announce he is leaving for good after 15 years.

On the whole, Waldorf Salad is one of the stronger Fawlty Towers episodes as you do feel rather sorry for him for once. He's clearly eager to please a wealthy American couple, snob that he is, but Mr Hamilton demands too much and comes across as loud and patronising, with a downer on Britain. Also keeping Manuel out of the way for most of the episode works well as I could imagine Mr Hamilton making the episode unpleasant and possibly racist for modern audiences.

9 out of 10 for Waldorf Salad from me as I don't think it's as hilarious as The Germans or The Pyschiatrist but better than The Anniversary and The Builders.

It's Meant As Parody Not As A Documentary

[Theo Robertson · 9/10 · 14 July 2013]

An American couple come to stay at Fawlty Towers . Being Americans they expect the best service possible . It goes without saying that they're not going to get it at this hotel

I'm somewhat surprised at some of the comments on this page regarding this episode . On its initial broadcast I thought it one of the very best episodes from the show an opinion that hasn't been diminished by time and multiple viewings . Its agenda is probably not so much satire but parody and this it does perfectly

There's probably a perception in Britain in the 1970s that most Americans are loud philistines only interested in money . This probably a hang-over from the war when the Yanks were over paid over sexed and over here . The British perception amongst the general public is probably even less complimentary with the only people defending Americans being British soldiers who have served in recent war zones . Their praise for Americans is boundless so stop taking things so seriously guys

The episode revolves around the constant premise of the show that Basil finds himself in a tight spot and tries to dig himself out only to dig himself in to a deeper hole . Like Mrs Richards from the season debut and Mr Hutchinson from season one it involves a very difficult guest a Mr Hamilton who is portrayed as a parody of a loud mouthed American philistine . Again it could have descended in to farce but there's an air of reality about the differences between British and American culture and it's the show that made the Waldorf Salad a much better known dish in the British Isles

Those Mickey Mouse Americans and their Mickey Mouse Money

[oceanave · 7/10 · 14 May 2006]

"Waldorf Salad" is funny, like the rest of them, but it's just a bit too uptight on the whole. The character of Mr. Hamilton (played acidly by Bruce Boa) is just too much of a jackass and even though Basil, at long last, gets a wake-up call when dressed down in front of a room full of guests, Hamilton doesn't ever get what HE deserves. It's obvious from the beginning that Basil isn't going to beat The Hamiltons with the hotel's usual low standards - they want their screwdrivers made with FRESH orange juice, they want their steak done rare...and they want their Waldorf salad. The usual quota of humorous lines is there (Basil: "What is a Waldorf, anyway? A walnut that's gone off?!") The bit where Basil rifles through a box of potatoes and other vegetables in order to find the right ingredients is quite a hoot. In short, it seems like "Waldorf Salad" underscores what was patently obvious about the hotel from the beginning...that it's a house of problems!

typical!!!! it's all bottoms with you isn't it??

[hand2handyman · 12 January 2008]

For anyone who has ever wondered how the world sees Americans, this episode should answer that question. Brilliant, biting and with writing as crisp as a well tied bow tie, this is one of the true classics of this classic series.

Perfectly captured that all-American trait of humility---no wait, I mean hubris---and the all-British trait of 'go along to get along.' The casting, as always, is immaculate and John Cleese illustrates why he is one of the true comedic geniuses of his time--combining the physicality of Chaplin with the scorching wit of Groucho.

In all honesty, I have held off my entire life from having a Waldorf Salad until such time as I visit the UK--with the express desire to see the reaction when I order it.

I am sure it will be---as Basil might say---"TYPICAL". And I will make a point to bring some extra 'Mickey Mouse money' so I don't have to bust "an ass" to get it.

Right!

An American In Torquay

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 20 January 2010]

It is dinner time at Fawlty Towers and the guests, as always, are not terribly co-operative. One ( June Ellis ) complains her prawns are off. Basil points out she ate half of them before noticing. A couple ( Stella Tanner and Norman Bird ) grumble about the poor service, only to receive a grumble in return from Basil about how good staff is hard to find nowadays.

A brash American, Mr.Hamilton ( Bruce Boa ), and his wife ( Claire Nielson ) show up, having driven from London. They are keen to have a meal, and bribe Basil £20 to pay the chef overtime. He fails, and attempts to cook the food himself, all the while pretending Terry is still in the kitchen. Mr.Hamilton wants a curious dish known as a 'Waldorf Salad'...

It was a stroke of genius on John Cleese and Connie Booth's part to have an American stay at Fawlty Towers. Unlike your average Brit, who will tolerate poor service, your typical American, if she or she, finds fault with anything or anyone, will forcibly say so. Bruce Boa's 'Mr.Hamilton' is on a par with Bernard Cribbins' 'Mr.Hutchison' and Joan Sanderson's 'Mrs.Richards' for the title of Basil's worst-ever customer. He is clearly sparring for a row as soon as he steps into the building, invoking the war to register his displeasure at the service. Harold Robbins? He looks more like a Robert Ludlum reader. Great performance by Boa. Clare Neilsen was a frequent guest on 'The Two Ronnies', and was in the long-running B.B.C. Scotland sketch show 'Scotch & Wry'. Terence Conoley was the man who wanted orange juice ( and other drinks besides ) in 'A Touch Of Class' from Season 1.

Basil errs in trying to assert his authority by blaming the non-existent chef for not knowing what a 'Waldorf Salad' is ( I used to love them, incidentally. You could buy them ready-made in Tesco's ). You find yourself yelling at the screen: "Let it go, Basil!", but, of course, he does not. He digs his own grave with both hands.

Funniest Moment - Mr.Hamilton, tired of the racket coming from the kitchen, wanders in, and finds Basil arguing with himself. "Maybe he went to get something to eat!", quips the American.

Second funniest moment - Basil letting loose a tsunami of rage on the guests, who are gathered in the foyer. "Let me tell you, this is exactly how Nazi Germany got started!".

My Favourite

[robertstewart-92296 · 10/10 · 15 February 2021]

I won't say this is the best episode of Fawlty Towers because everyone has their favourite. But it is the one I enjoyed most. Bruce Boa is just brilliant here, a great foil for Basil. When I reach for my DVD of Fawlty Towers, this is always the first one I watch. In 2002, I went to a buffet restaurant and there was a Waldorf salad with the ingredients described in the episode: celery, apples, walnuts and grapes in a mayonnaise sauce. Although I was reluctant to taste it, it turned out to be delicious. So far, I have never found Basil's dubious Old English salad! I doubt that it exists.

Yanks

[bevo-13678 · 10/10 · 9 April 2020]

I like the bit where he hit the fridge with a hat and pretended he was angry

Funny, but frustrating.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 28 January 2019]

I personally left reviewing this episode til last, as I hate to say it, it's my least favourite episode, I guess solely down to the fact that I feel sorry for Basil, and I'm a fan of his.

I think the criticisms about The Brits classing Americans as brash and overbearing is unfair, Harry is just one demanding, loud, obstinate man, regardless of nationality.

Canadian Bruce Boa plays the role of Harry very well, you can't argue with that, but poor Basil gets it from all angles. Normally Fawlty Towers has a few charming guests, not this time, he has a hotel full of complainers.

I find parts funny, and parts rather frustrating to watch. I really enjoy the part where Sybil is talking to her American guests about California, gives us a different slant on Sybil's character, I enjoyed. The part though where Basil is arguing with his imaginary Chef I find hard work.

It is funny, it's Fawlty Towers, but even great shows have ranking order of episodes, and sadly for me this one sits at the bottom. 7/10

Simpler episode than usual

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 1 November 2020]

Two guests arrive late and ask Basil to keep the kitchen open for an evening meal after the chef has finished cooking.

For me this is a solid episode that shows Basil at his most outrageous and at times pathetic after being partially driven to it by the demands of a customer who suffers no fools. He spends the majority of the plot trying to hide the absence of the chef with a series of farcical behaviours before turning on everyone.

The performance of John Cleese is for me the best aspect of the episode as you both cringe and have sympathy for him. I don't think the plot is as intricate or loaded with coincidental comedy as some of the other episodes, but still makes for an entertaining 30 minutes of BBC comedy.

I like the notion of Basil being pushed to breaking point before confronting the guests and Cybil with a rant about life in general. I think this would have made a good ending for the show if his final act was to tell the whole world what he thinks before storming out and never coming back.

hateful man

[Buddhafella · 5/10 · 19 August 2008]

I used to have the box set of both series and I always fast forwarded past this episode.

I cannot stand Bruce Boa in this episode. He seems to be portraying all that is wrong about foreign visitors to any country. Their insistence of having something they always have at home is irritating in the extreme.

Fawlty's guests are usually treated badly for no good reason (other than they made the mistake of staying in his hotel), the problem with this episode is that Bruce Boa's character DOESN'T get treated badly and he really, really should.

Watching it again on DVD for the first time in about 5 years, I found the episode didn't grate as much as it used to, but Bruce Boa is still extremely annoying.

Something of a Controversial Episode

[CalvinValjean · 31 August 2010]

Let me start off by saying I love Fawlty Towers and consider it one of the greatest shows in history. If you're reading this, you're probably already a fan and don't need me to say much about the show. However, I wanted to comment on this episode because I notice it tends to polarize fans. So I wanted to analyze it a little bit.

Many people, including myself, dislike this episode because of how unpleasant the Mr. Hamilton (Bruce Boa) character is. On the other hand, I've met many who love the episode for exactly the same reason. I can't help but wonder if there are cultural reasons for this; if we were to poll the fans, would it be mostly Americans who had a problem with the character and non-Americans who didn't? It's an interesting point to consider; Hamilton represents every horrible American stereotype there is, and I suppose Cleese deserves credit for being so merciless. But I think the result is uneven and the episode would've been better had the character not been so mean and vicious.

Many of us leave the episode feeling angry at Hamilton and feeling bad for Basil. Hamilton is different from just about every other guest character on the show. Mrs. Richards, the semi-deaf guest in "Communication Problems," was also a guest from hell, but she was annoying in a funny way. Put Mrs. Richards in any other situation outside of Fawlty Towers and she would've brought her humor with her. You can apply this to all the guest characters: most of them are eccentric and irritate Basil in a humorous fashion. But Hamilton is simply a bully and he starts pushing Basil around literally the moment he enters the hotel and even threatens violence when things go badly. Basil, ever the kiss-up to this apparently wealthy guest, just takes it. The problem is that this set-up does not automatically invite humor; Hamilton is not funny and Basil squirming and making wisecracks becomes the source of the comedy. Compare this to the situation in "The Hotel Inspectors" where Basil, believing the guest might be a hotel inspector, initially kisses up to him, only to fail in various funny/embarrassing situations, and then upon learning the guest isn't, turns vengeful. That was funny. Here, Basil just gets bullied and continues to take it.

It doesn't help that Polly and Manuel are barely in the episode, and thus Basil must carry all of the humor himself. I won't deny that there's a lot of humor in the middle-section of the episode, as Basil struggles to make the dinner amidst confusion, and says the classic line: "I'm afraid we're out of Waldorfs." But again, I find myself feeling bad for Basil (even though I know the character is traditionally a jerk and deserves what he gets) because Hamilton is simply being unfair in making unreasonable requests (ordering dishes that aren't on a menu, saying "What the hell is this?" when he gets canned orange juice even though he never asked for it to be freshly-squeezed) and showing rage at any conflict. I just rewatched the episode and was taken by how much anger he shows just in placing his order; he yells "I want a Waldorf Salad" like a child throwing a tantrum and grabs the table knife as if it were a violent weapon! Later he threatens violence against a chef he's never even met!

Finally, it all climaxes with a scene where Hamilton cruelly humiliates Basil in front of all the guests. It's one thing to have all the guests comment on their dissatisfaction, but even then Hamilton orders Basil to stay put and listen to them or else he will "bust his arse." Man, he's showing an unusual level of sadism and even peanuts Basil's tie afterward to laugh at him like a schoolyard bully. Of course, Basil deserves this since he generally treats his guests horribly (the first 5 minutes of the episode do a great job of showing what horrid service Fawlty Towers gives its guests), but watching him get it from Hamilton seems cruel and, worst of all, not funny. It should be mentioned that almost every episode ends with Basil "losing" in some way. Who can forget the wonderful comic endings of "Gourmet Night," "The Wedding Party," and especially "Communication Problems," all of which end with Basil left in frustration, made funnier by all the efforts he has been making to the contrary. Again, those situations create comedy because of how they've been set up. But just watching Basil (no matter how much deserves it) be humiliated by another mean character in a very cruel way simply isn't funny. What makes it funny is Basil going off on a rant about Nazi Germany and then checking himself in as a guest, but this only further proves my point: the Hamilton character is unpleasant and does not invite humor, and it is only Basil on his own that brings in the joke.

Ultimately, I watch Fawlty Towers to laugh, not to feel angry at the characters afterward. I'm relieved to find others feel the same way and comment that Hamilton brings a certain "darkness" to the episode. I also saw a comment on the Wikipedia article for this episode that summed up the problem perfectly: "The episode makes it ambiguous whether Basil or Hamilton is the antagonist." In any case these criticisms of this one episode do not overshadow the greatness of a fantastic series that will live on.

Episode 203

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 8 May 2023]

"Waldorf Salad" appears to be a bit of a controversial episode of the beloved sitcom known as Fawlty Towers.

I found it to be quite funny and engaging and it really made you root for Basil Fawlty. I usually do, but against this rude guest who seemed entitled to get anything and everything that he wanted, it heightened those feelings.

The back and forth and wild scenes coming from the kitchen made for really good TV. This show excels at the slapstick style and few have done it better in the last 50 years. This highlighted that style, even if the writing did end up being a little bit uneven at times.

Basil Had it Coming.

[hemily-12351 · 3/10 · 5 October 2023]

Basil was rude throughout the episode. When the guests had legitimate complaints he argues with them.

Meanwhile Sybil is being lazy and just chatting with one guest.

When the American guest and his English born wife arrive they are tired and hungry and are used to being able to order dinner much later than 9:00 pm. Basil tries to explain that the kitchen will be closing so so Mr. Hamilton offers 20£ for the kitchen to stay open longer. Had Basil paid Terry the Chef the 20£ in the first place there would have been ni problems. But Basil was greedy and didn't want to use the entire 20.

So Basil pocketed the 20£ and cooked the meal himself.

Basil had no clue that a screwdriver was a popular drink with Orange juice and Vodka.

The Hameltin's didn't like the taste of concentrated orange juice as they were use to freshly squeezed.

They then ordered a Waldorf salad which Basil had never heard of. Instead of admitting this he decided to pretend the kitchen didn't have the ingredients. Luckily Sybil knew what a Waldorf salad was and prepsred it.

Basil kept trying to protect his pathetic ego and proceeded to grab the salad 🥗 and pretend to yell at Terry. Sybil retrieved the salad for Mr Hamilton.

Finally Basil's deceit catches up with him and he is caught out by Mr. Hamilton who is understandably upset at the deception so he and his wife decide to leave the hotel.

While Mr and Mrs Hamilton are in the process of leaving Badil starts a laughable diatribe about how "only an American" would complain about his hotel only to discover that several English guests were also very dissatisfied with the horrible service they were getting at the hotel.

Afterwards Basil tells them that they all have to leave. Sybil demands to know what is going on and Badil says "That either the guests goes or he goes"! Sybil glares at Basil and he quickly figures out that HE should be the one to leave. He walks out the door a few feet in the pouring rain so he decides to go back inside and register as a guest.

A slightly weaker episode than usual.

[BA_Harrison · 9 December 2017]

Not one of the series' strongest episodes, Waldorf Salad features yet another obnoxious guest, a brusque American (Bruce Boa) who insists that he and his wife (Claire Nielson) are served dinner even after the kitchen has closed, the gruff yank paying Basil £20 to keep the chef on for a while longer. But with his chef leaving on time for a date, it is up to Basil to perform kitchen duties, with the inevitable disastrous results.

Watching the loud-mouthed American bully poor Basil just didn't seem all that funny to me—one actually feels a little sorry for the hotel owner, who is simply trying his best to accommodate his guests. Of course, the deception is eventually rumbled in a hilarious scene where Basil is conducting an argument with his 'imaginary' chef only for the American to walk in and witness the debacle. A great moment, but getting there isn't quite the unforgettable comedic ride that other episodes offer.

Boa was no American

[oxbridgeup · 5 April 2011]

When I first saw this episode I (being an American) wondered just what they were playing at. He may fool non-Americans but I doubt that any of us would be taken in. (In a way it's like the phoney Aussie accents on Month Python; people that weren't familiar with authentic Aussie accents were probably fooled; real Aussies weren't.

I notice from his credits that he made a career of playing Americans, which says something for British production values.

The only Brit I can recall who would have fooled me completely had I not known better was Sid James in "Orders Are Orders" in which he played a big-mouthed movie producer.