Peter Cook (1937--1995) started out his career in show biz as one of four members of a satirical comedy revue "Beyond the Fringe" which debuted in Edinburgh in 1960 and "broke out big", playing for years afterward in London and New York. Even John Kennedy went to see their show on Broadway. The others three comedians/writers were Dudley Moore--a major film star in the 1980's, of course (much to Cook's reported envy), Johnathan Miller a medical doctor and stage director, and playwright Alan Bennett, who wrote "The Madness of King George" amongst other works. Miller in an interview called Cook the best improvising comic actor he ever saw. The last part of Mr. Cook's life was not very happy (not unusual for a comedian) but he was a brillant comic who worked right up to the end and was both an inspiration and a hard act to follow. Here he is sounding off on the "joys" of being a miner in a stage routine from something called "Pleasure at Her Majesty's" . Next as the lead singer of "Dwinble Wedge and the Vegetation's" (aka Mr. Spiggott aka Lucifer) from the 1967 comedy "Bedazzled". (A far sight better than the more recent remake with Liz Hurley and The Guy In All The Mummy Films) Cook's long-time partner from "Beyond the Fringe" , Dudley Moore, is the upset pop star and Eleanor Bron is the starstruck young lady.
And here is Cook and Moore one more time, from their 1970's stage show "Behind the Fridge" 's
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore what a great comedy duo. Good ol Pete n Dud. Some of their skits were literaly ROFLMFAO. Thanks Doug for the memories
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it Rod. Saw "Bedazzled" recently and was reminded how great they were as a team. Luckily You Tube has quite a few clips of their "Pete n Dud" routines.
ReplyDeleteThat top pic does George Harrison justice
ReplyDeleteI remember Beyond the Fringe well... from the days when Saturday Night TV was a cultural event. I was always a great admirer of Eleanor Bron (and not just for her comedic skills) as well of course as Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. The 60s were a golden age of British comedy, well British everything really and I was fortunate to be of an age when I could stay up late enough to see a lot of it.
ReplyDeleteIt all went down hill after that and it is still doing so today.... so at least there's consistency.
Sometimes I think every generation says things like that, but the Beatles, the Stones and all these comics and satirists did make some sort of mark I think and some of that stuff stands the test of time... as your video choices here demonstrate only too well Doug.
This comment shot off and I found myself at the inbox, but couldn't get back until now;-)
ReplyDeleteThose videos show his droll style, they gave me a laugh! Thank you, Doug.
Hahaha, Peter Cook was a hoot! At Cambridge University he was one of the "Footlights" crowd, who entertained the students and the wider Cambridge population. It certainly put out many great comedians. Shame he died so young...
You may find this" Footlights" link interesting. There are pictures of Peter Cook
http://footlights.org/history.html
Cassie
You're right, Cook does look a lot like Harrison--although I suppose Harrison would have been in his Ha ri Khrisna gear at about that time.
ReplyDeleteShe is a certainly a woman who didn't have only one skill--I first saw her in The Beatles film "Help!"" In the mid-Sixties, Bron apparently turned down the roll of Mrs. Emma Peel on "The Avengers" television show. Much as I think future-Dame Diana Rigg more than suited that role, I think Ms. Bron could have brought beauty, brains and talent in spades to the show.
ReplyDeleteI agree the 60's were a remarkable time in British popular culture. Perhaps because many young people were tired of the austerity and the encoded deference to institutions that were a backward-looking part of "Empire Day" Britain.
It was also I gather the first generation that set out to redefine itself from the rest of the culture. This happened in the 1950's to a degree in America, but we were still behind the curve when BTF and other movements in comedy broke out, hence the eagerness for groups like The Beatles and the Stones, et al, and later Monty Python. These groups that probably seen in the UK as talented people in a cycle of many other talented groups over at your end but they were daring brand-new phenomenon to folks in the USA.
Anyway good points AA. Thanks.
Wow, a great site with a lot of good background! I'll have to take my time perusing this when I got a break. We owe a lot over here as far as humor to the folks from Cambridge. (Perhaps Oxford, too, as well, but, of course, less so. ;-) Thank you Cassandra.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Doug, enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCassandra