Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated - The Naughty Early Years, Set One (1979)

Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated catches the boyish, British comedian just after he ended a long association with the BBC (where he was a busy star) and leaped to the commercial Thames Television in 1969, where he enjoyed creative control and successful syndication in America for 20 years. The premiere episode of The Benny Hill Show made television history as one of Thames' first color broadcasts, though a mid-season strike by technicians forced the show to revert to black-and-white, resulting in several "lost" episodes that have reemerged in this boxed set. (They offer some of the best material in this batch.)

Hill is an interesting, internationally popular figure in British comedy, his act more rooted in vaudeville and smooth, lowbrow innuendo than the surreal or topical. He gets a lot of mileage out of a mere roll of his eyes or knowing grin, but he is never short of energy during elaborate sketches or his trademark chases at the end of each episode. The Benny Hill Show, with its emphasis on scantily clad women and endless jokes about getting/not getting sex, never pushes the comic envelope, exactly, but Complete and Unadulterated demonstrates that Hill, who died in 1992, had more ingenuity and diverse originality than his reputation might reflect. Hill is just as comfortable gracing the opening of every show with a silly, risque ditty ("She wouldn't let me marry Jean / She said it was because she thought I was Effeminate / And compared to her, I was") as mocking television itself (in a clever, "Top of the Pops" send-up), skewering suburban swingers ("Henry and Alice and Bob and Mary"), or mounting a Cold War farce (in which an East-West border, running through a honeymoon suite, causes havoc for a newlywed couple). Luckily, this set allows one to select individual sketches or songs (Kiki Dee turns up for a go at "You've Made Me So Very Happy") within all 11 episodes, and to access each episode without having to go back to the disc's main menu. A repeat viewer can easily glide around the full season and cobble together the perfect, best-of program. There's certainly plenty of good material to go around; check out the lengthy "European Song Contest" for a true classic. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

Laugh till you cry

If you want a good laugh, this is the one. Benny Hill is one of the best comedy guys around and you will split your sides laughing at this dvd. Good old fashioned humour. We love him. May 15, 2007

Great entertainment !!!!

So far, I have bought the first three sets, and plan to buy the rest. It is very nice to be able to go back in time and see TV shows without the too often gross scenes of today. Video and audio quality is excellent. I wanted to rate it 5 stars, but unfortunately the commercial prompting markers were left in these DVD's, marring the upper corners from time to time. Thankfully, the commercials are missing. If you have an old TV, which cuts off the top, bottom and sides,you will never see these distractions. April 7, 2007

Classic humor continues

Once again, this set proves why Benny Hill was the king of 70's baudy humor. The classic bits contained on this set, in their entirety rather than the abbreviated versions I've seen on so many syndicated programs, still bring a smile to my face and that of my father. March 8, 2007

Excellent Naughtiness

These DVDs are a very nice collection. Any fan will enjoy these. January 15, 2007

Just great slapstick.

If you enjoy classic slapstick and great British humor this is the set for you. It is a great watch, as the shows are shown complete even with the musical interludes. If you have seen any Benny Hill this is a great set or if you like British humor this is right up your alley.
July 14, 2006

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