The Dad's Army film recycled several scenes from the early episodes "The Man and The Hour", "The Armoured Might of Lance-Corporal Jones" and "Battle School".
Wasn't part of that to provide context and background? Many of the films were designed to be stand-alone and were released abroad so the Dads Army film for example needed to show how the platoon formed.
Cashing in at the Cinema Box Office. Not a lot more to it than that.
Yes although of course there were other advantages - the extended running time and bigger budget.
I've never understood how they worked in terms of the TV companies, what did the BBC and ITV companies get out of it? I know the idea of a 'brand' or a 'franchise' were very different back then but it seems odd they'd just give their intellectual property away to a film company.
I believe the intellectual rights rested with broadcasting only, and any publication notably by BBC Publications was arranged separately with the authors. In the 1970's the broadcasters really didn't have the facilities to produce film versions of anything technically worth showing in a cinema. I suspect the broadcasters were happy to see their series get an outing in the cinema, seeing it as promotion of their product and not to it's (or their) detriment.
AYBS also had one or two "films" made as well, in which Slocombe, Humphries, Peacock and Brahms all headed off to the continent. I have to say, I've never enjoyed any of the feature length films of these sitcoms. The absence of canned laughter, ironically, made them appear a bit flat, IMO.
AYBS also had one or two "films" made as well, in which Slocombe, Humphries, Peacock and Brahms all headed off to the continent. I have to say, I've never enjoyed any of the feature length films of these sitcoms. The absence of canned laughter, ironically, made them appear a bit flat, IMO.
AYBS also had one or two "films" made as well, in which Slocombe, Humphries, Peacock and Brahms all headed off to the continent. I have to say, I've never enjoyed any of the feature length films of these sitcoms. The absence of canned laughter, ironically, made them appear a bit flat, IMO.
AYBS didn't have canned laughter, in fact I don't think many, if any British sitcoms have ever had canned laughter.
I agree they do feel very different without an audience, but not sure why that's ironic. Audience laughter is mainly there to provide atmosphere so without it they will feel flat.
And of course there was the 1971 film And Now For Something Completely Different from Monty Python, which consists of re-filmed sketches from the TV show but (it is claimed) done on a much cheaper budget than the TV show.
One other thing about some 70's sitcoms being adapted as movies was about the sets. They often looked totally
different from the sets used in the TV series. Typical examples of this were Steptoe & Son, and Rising Damp.
While it might not have been possible to re-use the actual TV studio sets for the movie versions, most likely due
to various logistical reasons, you'd think the movie people could've at least tried to recreate the original sets.
AYBS also had one or two "films" made as well, in which Slocombe, Humphries, Peacock and Brahms all headed off to the continent. I have to say, I've never enjoyed any of the feature length films of these sitcoms. The absence of canned laughter, ironically, made them appear a bit flat, IMO.
AYBS didn't have canned laughter, in fact I don't think many, if any British sitcoms have ever had canned laughter.
I agree they do feel very different without an audience, but not sure why that's ironic. Audience laughter is mainly there to provide atmosphere so without it they will feel flat.
AYBS was recorded before a live audience, as were all of David Croft's sitcoms and indeed all BBC comedy output of that period. Several feature-lengh episodes of LOTSW and OFAH in the mid-80s were presented as films and therefore had no laughter track, although in the case of the OFAH episode "A Royal Flush" it was because of the very tight production schedule which meant there was no time to run it in front of an audience to record the laughter track (and this has subsequently been edited with a laughter track added). The later OFAH feature-length episodes such as "The Jolly Boys Outing" all had laughter tracks.
I seem to remember hearing that the early BBC Kenny Everett outings were recorded with no studio audience - the completed shows were all shown to an audience prior to transmission.
The Dad's Army film recycled several scenes from the early episodes "The Man and The Hour", "The Armoured Might of Lance-Corporal Jones" and "Battle School".
Wasn't part of that to provide context and background? Many of the films were designed to be stand-alone and were released abroad so the Dads Army film for example needed to show how the platoon formed.
I think you're right, although Perry and Croft weren't happy with the finished film IIRC.
As DVBCornwall said, it's a cash-in. And don't forget in those days there were no video recorders or players, and limited repeats, so a feature film release would be an ideal tool to widen the "brand". The resulting 90-minute movies also served as useful pilots in attempts to penetrate the USA market.
Also it wasn't just sitcoms. Don't forget
> the two AAP Doctor Who movies in the 1960s,
> the two Thunderbirds movies (Are Go and 6),
> Batman (with Adam West and Burt Ward)
>
Incidentally, many feel it was the George and Mildred spinoff film that killed the sitcom-film genre. However, it's still going on today - just check the list:
Several feature-lengh episodes of LOTSW and OFAH in the mid-80s were presented as films and therefore had no laughter track, although in the case of the OFAH episode "A Royal Flush" it was because of the very tight production schedule which meant there was no time to run it in front of an audience to record the laughter track (and this has subsequently been edited with a laughter track added). The later OFAH feature-length episodes such as "The Jolly Boys Outing" all had laughter tracks.
Yes, 'To Hull and Back' and the second part of 'Miami Twice' also had no laugh track. The latter had a first part shot in the normal way and the second as a film, which made the brief scenes in the flat and pub look very odd.
Quote:
I seem to remember hearing that the early BBC Kenny Everett outings were recorded with no studio audience - the completed shows were all shown to an audience prior to transmission.
That would make sense as he would have been getting used to the BBC way of doing things. His earlier Thames shows had no audience and all the laughter was from the crew.
The later years of Last Of The Summer Wine were filmed, edited and then shown to an audience for their laughter.