This is possibly where Benny Hill started to appeal to United States audiences in this satire of the American Western. Benny probably got this idea from one of John Wayne's great Classic Western films, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance", which was released earlier in April 1962.
It all starts when the titled character of, "Willie the Kid" (played by John Bluthal, who we know better as "Frank Pickle" in the "Vicar of Dibley") comes into town, terrorizing the towns folk and frightening everybody. I remember Benny playing three parts in this show. One character is: "Whitaker T. Wildfoot", the saloon owner; the second character is: "Deputy Dan" - I cannot remember what happens to him - but I do remember a third character. He is Whitaker's twin brother, called: "Clarence", a naïve, good natured, country boy, who is duped into challenging Willie the Kid into a gunfight.
Another character who is significant in this story is the undertaker (played by Graham Stark) who, whatever the odds, stands to benefit financially from the outcome of the dual between Clarence and Willie the Kid, even though he is a good friend of Clarence and his brother, Whitaker.
So, a plan is hatched: Clarence will face Willie the Kid in the street, and as soon as they reach for their guns, Whitaker, armed with a rifle, from a bedroom window at the top of the saloon, overlooking the street, will himself shoot Willie the Kid, before the bad guy can even fire a single shot.
At the fateful moment, the women and children look on, and the men all timidly poke their heads over the swing doors leading into the saloon. Among the men in the saloon is the town undertaker (played by our ubiquitous actor, Graham Stark).
Two shots are fired, and the townsfolk, along with the men in the saloon all shout out in relieved joy.
'He shot Willie the Kid! Clarence killed Willie the Kid!' the men rejoice, before going back to the bar for a celebratory drink.
The only one who does not rejoice and does not go back to the bar for a celebratory drink, is the town undertaker. Instead, he looks out of the saloons swing doors in a despondent manner. He is saddened by the scene before him. I remember wondering why the undertaker looked so sad.
The scene then changes to upstairs in the top bedroom of the saloon, where Whitaker is putting away the rifle. Someone else is in the room with Whitaker, I think it might have been Lulubelle (played by Maggie Fitzgibbon). This is where we find out why the undertaker looks so sad after the gunfight.
'Why did you fire two shots, Whitaker?' shouts Lulubelle.
Whitaker turns around and laughingly says:
'Unfortunately, the first shot hit Clarence.' (This gets the laugh)
He says this so lightheartedly, that it looks as if he thought it was just a simple mistake and very little harm was done.
It was a bit of "black humour", but even at 11 years old, I knew it was only pretending, because Benny Hill was not only playing the part of Whitaker, but he was also playing the part of his twin brother, Clarence.
It all starts when the titled character of, "Willie the Kid" (played by John Bluthal, who we know better as "Frank Pickle" in the "Vicar of Dibley") comes into town, terrorizing the towns folk and frightening everybody. I remember Benny playing three parts in this show. One character is: "Whitaker T. Wildfoot", the saloon owner; the second character is: "Deputy Dan" - I cannot remember what happens to him - but I do remember a third character. He is Whitaker's twin brother, called: "Clarence", a naïve, good natured, country boy, who is duped into challenging Willie the Kid into a gunfight.
Another character who is significant in this story is the undertaker (played by Graham Stark) who, whatever the odds, stands to benefit financially from the outcome of the dual between Clarence and Willie the Kid, even though he is a good friend of Clarence and his brother, Whitaker.
So, a plan is hatched: Clarence will face Willie the Kid in the street, and as soon as they reach for their guns, Whitaker, armed with a rifle, from a bedroom window at the top of the saloon, overlooking the street, will himself shoot Willie the Kid, before the bad guy can even fire a single shot.
At the fateful moment, the women and children look on, and the men all timidly poke their heads over the swing doors leading into the saloon. Among the men in the saloon is the town undertaker (played by our ubiquitous actor, Graham Stark).
Two shots are fired, and the townsfolk, along with the men in the saloon all shout out in relieved joy.
'He shot Willie the Kid! Clarence killed Willie the Kid!' the men rejoice, before going back to the bar for a celebratory drink.
The only one who does not rejoice and does not go back to the bar for a celebratory drink, is the town undertaker. Instead, he looks out of the saloons swing doors in a despondent manner. He is saddened by the scene before him. I remember wondering why the undertaker looked so sad.
The scene then changes to upstairs in the top bedroom of the saloon, where Whitaker is putting away the rifle. Someone else is in the room with Whitaker, I think it might have been Lulubelle (played by Maggie Fitzgibbon). This is where we find out why the undertaker looks so sad after the gunfight.
'Why did you fire two shots, Whitaker?' shouts Lulubelle.
Whitaker turns around and laughingly says:
'Unfortunately, the first shot hit Clarence.' (This gets the laugh)
He says this so lightheartedly, that it looks as if he thought it was just a simple mistake and very little harm was done.
It was a bit of "black humour", but even at 11 years old, I knew it was only pretending, because Benny Hill was not only playing the part of Whitaker, but he was also playing the part of his twin brother, Clarence.