Ann Way Season: Fawlty Towers - Gourmet Night, and Conclusions
I'm afraid this series of posts on roles played by actress Ann Way is coming to a rather abrupt halt because I have found that I really don't fancy blogging about two appearances I had on my list. One is an episode of Lovejoy in which I was revolted by the depiction of Jews to the extent that I just turned it off, and the other is an episode of Two's Company, a show which I do like very much, but unfortunately I just found I really didn't have anything to say about it except that Ann Way appeared in it.
Of course you could well say the same about Fawlty Towers, in that what is there to say about this legendary series that hasn't already been said? Probably what I'm going to have to say is a bit peripheral to the subject of the episode, but surely everyone reading this knows the Fawlty Towers script backwards at this point, and if you don't you jolly well should.
It tickles me no end that the inspiration for Basil Fawlty was a real hotel proprietor, Donald Sinclair, the owner of the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, where the Pythons stayed at one point:
'In May 1970, the Monty Python comedy group stayed at the now-demolished Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon while filming on location in Paignton.[7] John Cleese was fascinated with the behaviour of the owner, Donald Sinclair, later describing him as "the rudest man I've ever come across in my life".[8] Among such behaviour by Sinclair was his criticism of Terry Gilliam's "too American" table etiquette and tossing Eric Idle's briefcase out of a window "in case it contained a bomb".[9] Asked why anyone would want to bomb the hotel, Sinclair replied, "We've had a lot of staff problems".[10] Michael Palin states Sinclair "seemed to view us as a colossal inconvenience".[10] Rosemary Harrison, a waitress at the Gleneagles under Sinclair, described him as "bonkers" and lacking in hospitality, deeming him wholly unsuitable for a hotel proprietor. "It was as if he didn't want the guests to be there."[11] Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth stayed on at the hotel after filming, furthering their research of its owner.' (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawlty_Towers)
I would strongly recommend getting the box set of the remastered version of Fawlty Towers because it's got lots of commentary, and the one by John Cleese on this episode is particularly interesting. It turns out Sinclair wasn't the only real person who inspired Fawlty Towers and the guests who cancel for gourmet night at the last minute are also named after some people who were supposed to be going to dinner with Cleese and Connie Booth and cancelled at the last minute, so their name has been immortalised on the telly!
Ann Way's role is as the diminutive Mrs Hall, whom Basil tells not to get up when she is actually standing!
Just as an aside, I must mention a modern actor who I think is on a par in terms of acting ability and derangement with John Cleese/Basil Fawlty. It is Henry Shields, a member of the Mischief theatre company. As the put-upon director of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, he does genuinely reach levels of despair of desperation which match Basil's despair over the dinner in this episode, and I would recommend readers to watch The Goes Wrong Show for this among so many other reasons.
Conclusions
Unfortunately I would estimate that I have only been able to see Ann Way in about half of the TV roles she played, so I can't tell whether what I've seen is representative of her work, because it's all been rather minor roles. I have seen her in a couple of films and so think that probably she played larger, although not starring, roles in films than she did in TV, although as say I can't be sure of this. I think it a pity that she was confined to minor roles, if she was, because her acting shows a real versatility, well beyond the dotty old lady she is largely remembered for.
Nonetheless this viewing of the shows that are available to me has awakened a new appreciation for her acting ability.
As before, watching the output of a particular actor has obliged me to see shows I have never seen before, and I have particularly appreciated discovering Lollipop Loves Mr Mole (which I had no idea existed, and unfortunately only has two surviving episodes) and discovered Dr Finlay's Casebook. I honestly have no idea how I have managed to watch old TV for so long and managed not to see this show, which I now appreciate for its gentle, although perhaps somewhat didactic treatment of big issues that a GP would come across in his practise. It's also brought shows to my attention which I probably won't be following up but it's nice sometimes to be reminded that there is television outside my own interests. Sergeant Cork is one of those series which I've just never fancied, but have now seen one episode of, and to this series of posts I owe my discovery of the 1964 series Detective and the discovery that there are several of its episodes online.
As before, blogging through the output of a particular actor has been an interesting and broadening experience.
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