"Being British in this part of the century meant living in the country that had Peter Cook in it. There are wits and there are clowns in comedy, I suppose. Peter was a wit, it goes without saying, but he was funny in an almost supernatural way that has never been matched by anyone I've met or even heard about. It wasn't to do with facial expression or epigrammatic wit, or cattiness or rant or anger or technique: he had funniness in the same way that beautiful people have beauty or dancers have line and grace. He had an ability to make people gasp and gasp and gasp for breath like landed fish."Here are a couple comedic scenes featuring one of the great comedians of the pre-Monty Python era. Peter Cook (1937--1995) starred with Dudley Moore in the 1967 film "Bedazzled". Here he plays Lucifer who comes to earth to try and take the soul of a hapless and love sick short-order cook played by Dudley Moore. To me this is one of the best comedies of that era. Cook was a member of the celebrated "Beyond the Fringe" group that included Dudley Moore, his more famous but not more talented comedic counterpart. This theatrical program was a major hit in the early 60's on stage in London and New York. He also was a founding member of the satirical magazine "Private Eye". Here is a skit from his "Fringe" period called "The Miner" recreated for a 1970's performance film.
