Talk:Benny Hill - Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Reedy Bot (talk | contribs) at 20:59, 16 May 2007 (Bot (FAQ) (Plugin) Tag Category:20th century deaths. living=no.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 20:59, 16 May 2007 by Reedy Bot (talk | contribs) (Bot (FAQ) (Plugin) Tag Category:20th century deaths. living=no.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Benny Hill article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Misplaced Pages? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Archives: 1

Biography: Arts and Entertainment Start‑class

	Biography portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Misplaced Pages's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography
Start	This article has been rated as Start-class on Misplaced Pages's content assessment scale.
	This article is supported by the arts and entertainment work group.
	An appropriate infobox may need to be added to this article. Please refer to the list of biography infoboxes for further information.

I have yet to see credit given to Benny Hill for the bit part he played in the 60's movie The Russians are Coming. Part wasn't very big, but it was well played.--Mike White

I don't think he was in that one, but I do think you're probably confusing that film with Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, in which he actually did appear. -Wbwn 22:46, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Is the doggrel quoted here actually a Benny Hill composition? If not, I think an actual lyric should be used like one of the jokes from "Gather in the Mushrooms" perhaps. 23skidoo 21:21, 2 Nov 2004 (UTC)

It may be just rumor, but I've heard that Benny Hill donated his sperm to a clinic in Christchurch and is the father of dozens of children, including Jude Law, Minnie Driver, Chris Martin, and Noel but not Liam Gallagher. Has anyone else heard this? I'm just dying to know if it might be true.

 Geez, if it is, I hope Jude and Minnie don't get together...

I've heard that Benny Hill died a virgin. This would be quite interesting considering the use of scantily clad women on the show. I haven't found anything that can confirm or deny this.

--Twintone 16:42, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

The claim that the reason for the show's cancellation was pure political correctness is pretty egregiously not NPOV. I've edited it to give Thames' official reason, and cite two competing theories for why the show was killed. Metamatic 17:46, July 31, 2005 (UTC)

Brilliant

A number of English people with whom I've spoken over the years have spoken derisively of Benny Hill; they seemed almost appalled that foreigners might associate their country with him. That's unfortunate. Benny Hill was a wonderfully talented, creative comedian. His doggerel and faux-poetry ("Ted," for example) are absolutely hilarious. He was a master craftsman of the English language, too, exploiting its possibilities to the fullest. And to top it all off, Hill's humor was never malicious or cruel. The politically correct among us who would condemn him simply don't understand the gentle, innocently lecherous nature of his characters. How could any Anglophone not smile at lines like "Three 'hole weeks of fun and sun, sir. Three hundred and fifty pounds." "I'd hardly call that a popular price." "I like it, sir." Or: "Some girls are like Cairo, mysterious and hot/Other girls are like Paree with all the charm she's got/But my girl she is like Tibet with all its ice and snow there/'Cause everyone knows where it is, but no one wants to go there." Benny Hill, you are one of England's greats, and many of us across the pond miss you still. Bamjd3d

How could anyone with half an ounce of wit raise even a smirk at pedestrian lines like those?? 62.6.139.11

The English people you talked to much be off their heads. I'm English and love Benny Hill, as do many others. He was the biggest star on Televsion in the UK for 34 years! 152.163.100.68 20:27, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

"The biggest star on television in the UK for 34 years"??? What a pile of crap! What planet are you on?

This is a funny story. My nephew was visiting London and asked several locals if there was a Benny Hill museum. He was constantly told "why would anyone want to visit such a place". It seems that people in the UK did not seem to appreciate Benny's humor. Piercetp 02:45, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

As an American, what I've noticed is that in Britain, many of the Benny-haters are more preferential towards the likes of Monty Python, which I've noticed has a more mean-spirited and strident tone to it in spots (or, to put it another way, "malicious and cruel"), not to mention some sketches pushing a certain kind of socio-political agenda. These hypocrites think that sketches like what Mr. Hill did such as looking at a beautiful woman is verboten, but blood gushing freely on a countryside as Python did (the "Salad Days" sketch) or an undertaker proposing to eat a potential customer's dead mother (also from Python) are perfectly okay. And of course the constant "Benny Hill bad" brainwashing and drumbeat over the last two decades in the U.K. - no wonder there are those across the pond who have such a low opinion of this comic genius. –Wbwn 18:33, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

reordering

have done some major reordering. hope the article is better organised now. i think that the benny hill show needs an article of its own (too much detail about its broadcast history, etc, to fit into this article on benny hill). i think the life section can also do with a little less personal information. thoughts, anyone? Doldrums 14:17, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

billions?

Isn't billions a rather large estimate? I haven't heard of him. Maybe you could cite come sources. 134.250.72.181 23:09, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

morbid biography

most of the "life" section is about his death.

Knighthood

Shouldn't there be something about his being knighted? I believe this is a fairly major biographical point that the article totally omits. The fact that they were knighted is of course prominantly included in the write ups of Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, etc.

Are you sure he was knighted? I can't find any record of it anywhere reliable chrisboote 14:10, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

How'd the Rumor Originate . . .

. . . about Carol Cleveland being part of The Benny Hill Show? Unless she was in at least one of his 1960s BBC shows. However (and needless to say), Ms. Cleveland did not appear in any of the 58 editions produced at Thames Television. Nor is the program listed in her resumé (though The Two Ronnies, listed in her biography on Misplaced Pages, is shown on her official website as part of her overall credits). Wbwn 18:25, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Kirkland's obituary

"Dennis Kirkland died on 16 February 2006, aged 63, after a short illness." Sorry for him, but it had to go. Nothing to do here. 200.55.126.124 03:04, 16 September 2006 (UTC) Nahuel

A new entry for Dennis Kirkland has been started up in response to these concerns. –Wbwn 00:12, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Year of birth

Quite a few sources give his year of birth as 1925 . Is there any reason why only 1924 is mentioned in the article? --Dtcdthingy 20:49, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

Every Hill bio I know of, has given 1924 as his year of birth, including the book his former producer/director Dennis Kirkland wrote, Benny: The True Story (later re-released as The Strange and Saucy World of Benny Hill). Apparently Hill, early in his career, took a year off his age for whatever reason. However, according to another source, anyone who would have been in a position to know exactly which year he was born is, like Benny himself, dead. –Wbwn 02:55, 13 October 2006 (UTC)
- That would suggest we leave it as 1924 with a footnote discussing the disagreement. It's not right to not mention it in the article. --Dtcdthingy 23:18, 13 October 2006 (UTC)
  - The UK's GRO (Births, Marriages and Deaths) have his DoB as 1924 on his death index entry. Ian Cairns 07:02, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
  - I've now found his Birth index entry as: Alfred H. Hill MAR 1924 2c 52 SOUTHHAMPTON mmn = Cave so, I think 1924 is definite. I'll remove the dubiousness Ian Cairns 07:15, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Paul Hogan

I recall back in the 1980s, before Crocodile Dundee Paul Hogan had a quite good comedy sketch program. His humor was quite similar to Benny Hill's and I recall reading at the time that he was a great fan of Benny Hill. I can't find any sources for this at the moment, sadly. I'll keep looking. --Tony Sidaway 11:51, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

Please clarify the chart in the see also section

I do not understand the chart in the see also section. What information is being presented there? Does it even belong with this article? Please remove or reformat the chart so it is more easily understood. Thanks Jerry lavoie 01:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

Stupid Iriot

As I recall Benny, in his guise as a squint-eyed Japanese caricature would actually use the term "sirry iriot" (silly idiot). If ok I will edit the page to this effect. MichaelGG

You can expect someone to ask for a citation other than your memory. Wahkeenah 15:25, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

You are correct, the phrase was "sirry iriot". That's the joke, "L" becomes "R". There are web pages that quote "sirry iriot" such as http://sagaalt.blogspot.com/2005/11/puerile-humour-makes-my-day.html and http://www.thebladder.com/content/news/displayContent.asp?CID=3440&EID=349 . The character's name was "Chow Mein" http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/b/bennyhillshowthe_7773365.shtml . I'm adding this to the now separate article The Benny Hill Show. 75.33.75.106 10:20, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Then a possibly subliminal (or else ignorant) part of the joke is that "Chow Mein" suggests Chinese rather than Japanese. Chinese have no trouble saying L's, that's a Japanese thing. Wahkeenah 18:42, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

You're right. The character was a "Chinaman", not Japanese.

The movie A Christmas Story has a scene with waiters in a Chinese restaurant singing in the same manner (fa ra ra ra ra instead of fa la la la la).

75.35.248.181 14:47, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

It's pretty sad when they can't even get the stereotypes right. Unless that was the point. Wahkeenah 17:29, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

The man vs. the show

Right now, The Benny Hill Show redirects to Benny Hill. Shouldn't there be separate articles for the man and his programme? —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 05:38, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. There's already enough information here to have two articles. I'm going to be bold and separate the articles. 75.33.80.150 14:42, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

Calypso songs?

Does anyone know anything about the (Caribbean-style) calypso songs Hill sang (including the one he sang early in his career, as well as the ones he sang on his show)? Badagnani 02:25, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Benny Hill / Benny Hinn

Does anyone really get confused like this? I am going to delete the 'disambiguation' comment again. CanOfWorms 13:35, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

Categories: