The recent post about Monty Python made me nostolgic for my other favorite British comedy show: Dave Allen at Large. I have many great memories of growing up in Dallas, Texas watching Python (quick quiz: What U.S. tv station was the first to show Python in the states?, yes, the PBS station in Dallas, TX) and Dave Allen at Large, which I sometimes rate as superior to Python for laughs!
I have managed to find a couple of videos on the web, but nothing very lengthy. Anyone know if there are any Dave Allen DVD’s or anything?
Favorite Dave Allen sketch: the one where some of King Arthur’s knights are trying, without success, to batter down the door of some Castle. Finally one of the knights suggests that they ask King Arthur to bring his wonderous sword “Excalibur.” “Yes!” they all agree, that would do the trick. next scene, here comes King Arthur weilding a sword with a large rock stuck on the end!
I can remember the TV shows from way back. A very funny man whose strength lay in his ability to see the humour in the most banal and everday occurrences. Alas he would never survive in todays politically correct world ,as Martin referred to earlier.
He really gave the Pope and all that crowd a hammering and my favourite sketches were the ones featuring Dave dressed up as the Pope.
Bear in mind, Tres, that these vidoes are in Pal, not NTSC format, and the DVD is for region 2, not region 1. If you have a multi-regional DVD no worries.
I think these videos are pure standup (or in Dave’s case often sitdown), and not the sketch shows we remember. Nonetheless well spotted Gary, I was scanning the BBC site, I never thought of Amazon.
I do have a NTSC format video of some of the best of Dave Allen at Large and I have the “Dave Allen on Life” video which is standup, not from his TV show. These are the only things I have been able to find, either in PAL or NTSC or DVD (whatever region). Its a darned shame as you can buy the complete series of so many other inferior programs, but zippo on Dave Allen at Large, one of the best series ever!
Great comedian!
I remember him mainly from the 70’s,when I was a teenager,yes he was a bit anti-religious(and very funny with it).
I remember him sat on his trade mark stool,with a whiskey in hand.
He probably wouldn’t have made a great whistler-he had the end of one finger missing,if memory serves me right!
As an aside,BBC radio 2 had three hours of the late,GREAT, Tony Hancock on last tuesday-did anyone apart from me tune in? any fans of ‘The lad from East Cheam’?
