According to Sam Kelly, when 'Hans Geering' did his Nazi salute, what he said was 'tler!', yet some thought it was 'clop' or 'clip'. Good to know things like that.
I have to admit I was not the world's biggest 'Allo, Allo' fan. I liked some of the early episodes, but when it ended after nine years ( a period considerably longer than World War 2 ) I had waved the white flag well before then. The show went out in the middle of 'the alternative comedy revolution', and it was not seen as cool for a twenty-something to watch, not when 'The Young Ones', 'Filthy, Rich & Catflap' and 'Black Adder' seemed so right on the pulse. I didn't even bother with the repeats. I tuned in to 'The Return Of Allo, Allo' mainly out of curiosity. Following the pattern established by 'The Return Of The Goodies' in 2005, it was part-reunion special, part documentary. The war long over, Rene Artois is putting the finishing touches to his memoirs, only to be distracted by familiar faces from the past wandering into the café. The studio audience was composed of rabid 'Allo, Allo' fans - many were in costume - and the arrival of the old favourites was greeted by thunderous applause. Jeremy Lloyd's script showed that he has not lost the ability to conjure up vulgar puns, and the cast threw themselves into the whole thing with commendable enthusiasm. Gorden Kaye, in particular, was on fine form, and it is perplexing why this talented actor is not on our screens more often.
It was interesting to see the cast as themselves, particularly Arthur Bostrom, who played the British agent 'Crabtree', a man whose mangling of the French language rivals Inspector Clouseau's command of English. You don't often get words like 'farters' and 'bummers' on peak-time television. But where, I wonder, was the lovely Kim Hartman a.k.a. 'Helga'? And whatever became of Francesca 'Maria' Gonshaw?
Amongst 'Allo, Allo''s celebrity fans was, surprisingly, director Ken Russell, who once dismissed the 'Carry On' films as 'crap'. I would have thought 'Allo, Allo' would not have been to his taste, but there you go. T.V. critic Charlie Catchpole stated ( rather oddly ) that 'Gruber' was 'the first openly gay character in a sitcom'. He obviously does not remember 'Lukewarm' from 'Porridge'. Jan Francis, who played 'Lisa Colbert' in 'Secret Army' ( the inspiration for 'Allo, Allo' ) claimed to have been unhappy when she heard about the show, but changed her mind on seeing it. A Robert Kilroy-Silk discussion programme from 1986 showed that many ( particularly war veterans ) regarded the sitcom in poor taste. 17 million people thought otherwise. Yes, the show was riddled with racial stereotypes, but you could say the same about 'Father Ted'. What's the difference between stupid Frenchmen and stupid Irishmen?
Funny though it was, 'The Return Of Allo, Allo' was tinged with sadness, as many of the cast are no longer with us. Carmen Silvera, who played Rene's wife 'Edith', was perhaps the most noticeable absentee. As the end credits rolled, and that accordion theme played one more time, I was left with a nice, warm feeling. You don't get that from many comedies these days ( of course, it could have been caused by the hot chocolate I was drinking! ).
I have to admit I was not the world's biggest 'Allo, Allo' fan. I liked some of the early episodes, but when it ended after nine years ( a period considerably longer than World War 2 ) I had waved the white flag well before then. The show went out in the middle of 'the alternative comedy revolution', and it was not seen as cool for a twenty-something to watch, not when 'The Young Ones', 'Filthy, Rich & Catflap' and 'Black Adder' seemed so right on the pulse. I didn't even bother with the repeats. I tuned in to 'The Return Of Allo, Allo' mainly out of curiosity. Following the pattern established by 'The Return Of The Goodies' in 2005, it was part-reunion special, part documentary. The war long over, Rene Artois is putting the finishing touches to his memoirs, only to be distracted by familiar faces from the past wandering into the café. The studio audience was composed of rabid 'Allo, Allo' fans - many were in costume - and the arrival of the old favourites was greeted by thunderous applause. Jeremy Lloyd's script showed that he has not lost the ability to conjure up vulgar puns, and the cast threw themselves into the whole thing with commendable enthusiasm. Gorden Kaye, in particular, was on fine form, and it is perplexing why this talented actor is not on our screens more often.
It was interesting to see the cast as themselves, particularly Arthur Bostrom, who played the British agent 'Crabtree', a man whose mangling of the French language rivals Inspector Clouseau's command of English. You don't often get words like 'farters' and 'bummers' on peak-time television. But where, I wonder, was the lovely Kim Hartman a.k.a. 'Helga'? And whatever became of Francesca 'Maria' Gonshaw?
Amongst 'Allo, Allo''s celebrity fans was, surprisingly, director Ken Russell, who once dismissed the 'Carry On' films as 'crap'. I would have thought 'Allo, Allo' would not have been to his taste, but there you go. T.V. critic Charlie Catchpole stated ( rather oddly ) that 'Gruber' was 'the first openly gay character in a sitcom'. He obviously does not remember 'Lukewarm' from 'Porridge'. Jan Francis, who played 'Lisa Colbert' in 'Secret Army' ( the inspiration for 'Allo, Allo' ) claimed to have been unhappy when she heard about the show, but changed her mind on seeing it. A Robert Kilroy-Silk discussion programme from 1986 showed that many ( particularly war veterans ) regarded the sitcom in poor taste. 17 million people thought otherwise. Yes, the show was riddled with racial stereotypes, but you could say the same about 'Father Ted'. What's the difference between stupid Frenchmen and stupid Irishmen?
Funny though it was, 'The Return Of Allo, Allo' was tinged with sadness, as many of the cast are no longer with us. Carmen Silvera, who played Rene's wife 'Edith', was perhaps the most noticeable absentee. As the end credits rolled, and that accordion theme played one more time, I was left with a nice, warm feeling. You don't get that from many comedies these days ( of course, it could have been caused by the hot chocolate I was drinking! ).