Jack Yan on Vox

Asians in the media, before political correctness

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:27:42 +1200

The politically correct camp will say this is racist toward Chinese. I find it bloody funny and, PC thugs, I don’t need you defending me and implying that I can’t do so myself. I am perfectly capable of doing so if I need to—and with Alf Hill, I don’t need to.
This is an early Chinaman gag; later ones were cleverer with the puns, but it’s still fun to see the genesis of Mr Chow Mein. It’s also funny because Hill doesn’t put Chow into a stereotypical vocation, so I would say few Chinese will think: ‘Here we go again—another Chinaman working in a laundry.’
I would hope south Asians will think similarly of Bob Todd’s character.

Benny Hill - Cookie Boy

Racial politics aside: enjoy!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Is this another British remake?

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:48:54 +1200

Interesting commentary on ABC’s brand-new hit shows for 2008 in the American TV Week:

Buzz projects: Game show “Opportunity Knocks,” which takes the game show out of the studio and into contestants’ front yards, is gaining steam. An adaptation of British crime drama “Life on Mars” is virtually on the air, although producer David E. Kelley’s involvement is in doubt.

   We know Life on Mars is a remake, but Opportunity Knocks? Talk about reviving something very, very old.
   It began on BBC Radio in 1949 and the Hughie Green TV version on ITV began in 1960 in the UK.
   While this version sounds a bit different (‘contestants’ front yards’?) I can’t help but think it’s somehow the same show—it certainly sounds like a talent show with everyday contestants, as with the original.
   The original was infamous for having a young Su Pollard beaten by a dog and some dude called Gerry Dorsey (Engelbert Humperdinck to most of us) getting rejected at auditions. But it was a solid ratings’ hit for ITV and Thames in its day.
   It was so famous that Benny Hill did a parody of it in 1971, pretending it was on German television:

Benny hill-opportunity knocks

Again, I shall be interested to see what transpires, and I mean that most sincerely, folks.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Call me Newt for short

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:05:12 +1200

You know how spammers regularly put a fake name next to your email address that’s somehow compiled from their database?
   It’s been a wonderful filtering tool because somewhere along the line, one spammer decided my name is Newton Singewald. Evidently that spammer had sold on that list with the alias intact, so I now receive emails addressed to Newton. Bingo—the name is in my filters now.
   How very cooperative!
   As Christians know, Newt was one of the first five disciples: Matthew, Mark, Olivia, Newt and John.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Benny Hill’s original gag

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:15:19 +1300

benny hill - gangsters

Among his later shows, Benny Hill claimed that he was inspired by other acts which he adapted to his programme, which probably led to his many parodies. This one, however, was considered to be fully original, so much so that the day they shot it, the cast and crew celebrated.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The forgotten Nouvelle Vague director

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:46:15 +1200

We’ve run an article on the Lucire website about a Chanel campaign directed by Bettina Rheims, in the spirit of Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris, a Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) film from 1963 starring Brigitte Bardot. I still rank Pierre de Terre as the best of the genre, with his Lavabo en Face, Le Jambon Triste and the classic Ne Touchez Pas Le Poof. (For those who do not know, M. de Terre was a fictional French avant-garde director played by Benny Hill and yes, this entry was a pisstake.)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Tribute to Benny Hill

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:48:32 +1200

Benny Hill - Hospital

As we head toward the 15th anniversary of Alf ‘Benny’ Hill’s passing on April 20, here’s a little sketch from his show, with the whole regular cast of Benny Hill, Jackie Wright, Bob Todd and Henry McGee, sadly all deceased. At least they are all reunited, doing the same sketches in Heaven.
By today’s standards, most of these sketches are tame and not politically incorrect—though sadly, Hill remains less loved in his home country than, say, in the United States.
The bed-bath scene in the above video is a classic. My own favourite was his Australian-filmed Ned Kelly sketch, albeit without his usual supporting cast. The Dave Allen spoof below is rather good, too.

Benny Hill's Answer to the Rabid Politically Correct

Read and post comments | Send to a friend