The Best Pair of Legs in the Business
- Episode aired Dec 28, 1968
- 1h
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
17
YOUR RATING
A dull vacation at a holiday camp becomes interesting when the holidaying teenagers bump into 'Sherry', a female impersonator.A dull vacation at a holiday camp becomes interesting when the holidaying teenagers bump into 'Sherry', a female impersonator.A dull vacation at a holiday camp becomes interesting when the holidaying teenagers bump into 'Sherry', a female impersonator.
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Did you know
- TriviaWas turned into a film in 1973 with some of the same cast.
- ConnectionsRemade as The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1973)
Featured review
Reg Varney shines in a non-comedy role...
This is a TV adaptation of a play by Kevin Laffan - the creator of the popular UK soap opera - EMMERDALE (originally EMMERDALE FARM).
I am not a fan of the soap opera in question, and with Reg Varney appearing in this TV play in a non-comedy role, I was unsure of what to expect.
The story is simple. A caravan park entertainer, whose act is very much in the music hall tradition, has delusions of grandeur. He has grand ambitions but doesn't succeed. His world is shaken when he comes to the realisation that things are not going well in his life, and that he seems to be losing everything he has got - the popularity of his act, the love from his wife, security of employment, among other things. I won't say more about the plot since to do so would ruin the experience of watching this TV play.
The first time I saw THE BEST PAIR OF LEGS IN THE BUSINESS about 13 years back, I didn't like it. I think at the time I was not ready to see Reg Varney playing anything other than a comedy role, preferably his Stan Butler character from ON THE BUSES.
Also, it felt to me that the comedy and drama didn't really mix all that well.
Having seen it for a second time today, my view has totally changed.
Earlier this week, I also saw the 1972 film version of the same production. I prefer that version because there is more comedy and the film seems to revolve much more around Varney, which is really the point of the original story.
The TV version is more drama than comedy. The comedy routines as part of Varney's act in this TV version are not as funny as those in the film version. And sometimes the drama elements feel a bit too much like a soap opera. The shorter running time leads to a tighter pace, and it feels like the conclusion is reached far too soon. Perhaps a two-part play might have been better. The film version escapes this problem.
This is not to say that the TV version is lousy because it is not. Varney's performance is absolutely magnificent, albeit a little restrained during the conclusion when compared to the film version. The scene in the film version when Varney hangs around the swimming pool seems much more poignant, and I think better for it.
The TV version also manages to mix the comedy and drama elements well, as the film version does also. Kudos to writer Kevin Laffan and director Christopher Hodson for achieving this, because it is not easy to do. I remember for example when I watched Norman Wisdom in the film, WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE?. He was playing a role that was a combination of half comic and half serious, and the drama just didn't mix well with the comedy. One scene in the film is very depressing too much. THE BEST PAIR OF LEGS IN THE BUSINESS avoids this pitfall.
The actors other than Varney are all competent in their roles, although some are played by better actors in the film version.
In short, this TV play is well worth watching, if only for the excellent performance of Reg Varney in a role about as far departed from Stan Butler as you could imagine.
I am not a fan of the soap opera in question, and with Reg Varney appearing in this TV play in a non-comedy role, I was unsure of what to expect.
The story is simple. A caravan park entertainer, whose act is very much in the music hall tradition, has delusions of grandeur. He has grand ambitions but doesn't succeed. His world is shaken when he comes to the realisation that things are not going well in his life, and that he seems to be losing everything he has got - the popularity of his act, the love from his wife, security of employment, among other things. I won't say more about the plot since to do so would ruin the experience of watching this TV play.
The first time I saw THE BEST PAIR OF LEGS IN THE BUSINESS about 13 years back, I didn't like it. I think at the time I was not ready to see Reg Varney playing anything other than a comedy role, preferably his Stan Butler character from ON THE BUSES.
Also, it felt to me that the comedy and drama didn't really mix all that well.
Having seen it for a second time today, my view has totally changed.
Earlier this week, I also saw the 1972 film version of the same production. I prefer that version because there is more comedy and the film seems to revolve much more around Varney, which is really the point of the original story.
The TV version is more drama than comedy. The comedy routines as part of Varney's act in this TV version are not as funny as those in the film version. And sometimes the drama elements feel a bit too much like a soap opera. The shorter running time leads to a tighter pace, and it feels like the conclusion is reached far too soon. Perhaps a two-part play might have been better. The film version escapes this problem.
This is not to say that the TV version is lousy because it is not. Varney's performance is absolutely magnificent, albeit a little restrained during the conclusion when compared to the film version. The scene in the film version when Varney hangs around the swimming pool seems much more poignant, and I think better for it.
The TV version also manages to mix the comedy and drama elements well, as the film version does also. Kudos to writer Kevin Laffan and director Christopher Hodson for achieving this, because it is not easy to do. I remember for example when I watched Norman Wisdom in the film, WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE?. He was playing a role that was a combination of half comic and half serious, and the drama just didn't mix well with the comedy. One scene in the film is very depressing too much. THE BEST PAIR OF LEGS IN THE BUSINESS avoids this pitfall.
The actors other than Varney are all competent in their roles, although some are played by better actors in the film version.
In short, this TV play is well worth watching, if only for the excellent performance of Reg Varney in a role about as far departed from Stan Butler as you could imagine.
helpful•10
- manchester_england2004
- Oct 12, 2019
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