A few years ago someone boldly declared that John Cleese is not funny. What planet is she living on? John Cleese has the acrobatics of Jim Carey, Buster Keaton, and Roberto Benigni. Witness his goosestepping in front of the German guests. John Cleese has the fastest timing imaginable. Witness when it turns out that "the little crumpette" is really the guest's 76 years old mother. (P.S. - I noted that the guest and the older gentleman psychiatrist next door were real life father and son). Fawlty turns from scorn to politeness with complete ease and spontaneity. The jokes on the show are completely ridiculous and hilarious. Cleese plays Fawlty. He is an extremely unpolitically correct manager of a hotel in Torquay, England. Torquay (near Cornwall) is in the southwestern part of England. There are real palms trees at the ocean level. Fawlty is a nasty man, who says exactly how he feels. This is probably how most hotel workers feel after 15 years, but don't usually say how they feel outloud. Fawlty is supposed to represent the rural Tory mentality of the 1970s. There is a great supporting cast. Connie Booth, co-writer of the episodes, plays English enough to not realize that she is from Indianapolis, Indiana. Andrew Sachs plays a very convincing Spaniard. Of course, Fawlty treats Manuel like absolute dirt, representative of how lowly regarded EU workers are in England. The only fault of this show is that there were only 12 episodes. I would have loved to be rolling on the floor at many more episodes. Instead, I just roll on the floor when the Major says "you silly Moose".
Review of Fawlty Towers
