The 1977 film version of David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd's hit B.B.C. sitcom set in the fictional London department store of 'Grace Brothers' has acquired notoriety for all the wrong reasons. A poll a while back listed it as the worst ever film based on a television show ( what? Worse than 'Sex & The City 2'? Surely they jest? ). Some twit who shall henceforth remain nameless ( and deserves to be ) wrote on a blog devoted to old horror paperbacks: 'The 70's was a time when the film of 'Are You Being Served?' was regarded as the ultimate in hilarity'. It goes to show just how some will brazenly distort facts in order to make a cheap point. I was around then, and it was not regarded as the 'ultimate' in anything, just the latest in a long line of British sitcoms to make a fair-to-middling transfer to the big screen. Critics poured scorn on 'Served?' and the cinemas in which it played were barely full.
The cast are all present and correct; Mollie Sugden as bossy 'Mrs.Slocombe', John Inman as camp-as-a-row-of-tents 'Mr.Humphries', Arthur Borough as grumpy 'Mr.Grainger', Frank Thornton as urbane 'Captain Peacock', Wendy Richard as sexy 'Miss Brahms', Trevor Bannister as randy 'Mr.Lucas', Arthur English as 'Mr.Harmon' the janitor, Nicholas Smith as pompous 'Mr.Rumbold', and, last but by no means least, Harold Bennett as 'Young Mr.Grace', who despite being of pensionable age is still going round lusting after pretty girls. The film has the gang off to the Costa Plonka ( groan! ) where, after encountering the usual stereotypes - including Andrew Sachs as the hotel manager - they become involved in a revolution in a scene reminiscent of the climax of 'Carry On Up The Khyber', only to be saved from annihilation by Young Mr.Grace at the controls of a tank. What can one say? Its cheaply made and full of corny - even for those days - jokes and is on the whole pretty appalling, yet somehow manages in its own cock-eyed way to be rather endearing. The original theme tune has been wisely retained, and overall 'Served?' has the feel of a long episode rather than a film. There's something very British about it - and that's no bad thing.
Sadly, Borough died a year later, making this one of his final appearances as 'Grainger'. Bob Kellett also directed the film of 'Up Pompeii' which made 'Served?' look like 'The Importance Of Being Ernest' by comparison.
It is a sad man who does not laugh when 'The Emir' ( Derek Griffiths ) has his inside leg measured with a tape stuck to a balloon, which then deflates noisily ( like a colossal fart ), causing Mrs.Slocombe to remark: "Its supposed to be a sign of good manners in their country!".
The cast are all present and correct; Mollie Sugden as bossy 'Mrs.Slocombe', John Inman as camp-as-a-row-of-tents 'Mr.Humphries', Arthur Borough as grumpy 'Mr.Grainger', Frank Thornton as urbane 'Captain Peacock', Wendy Richard as sexy 'Miss Brahms', Trevor Bannister as randy 'Mr.Lucas', Arthur English as 'Mr.Harmon' the janitor, Nicholas Smith as pompous 'Mr.Rumbold', and, last but by no means least, Harold Bennett as 'Young Mr.Grace', who despite being of pensionable age is still going round lusting after pretty girls. The film has the gang off to the Costa Plonka ( groan! ) where, after encountering the usual stereotypes - including Andrew Sachs as the hotel manager - they become involved in a revolution in a scene reminiscent of the climax of 'Carry On Up The Khyber', only to be saved from annihilation by Young Mr.Grace at the controls of a tank. What can one say? Its cheaply made and full of corny - even for those days - jokes and is on the whole pretty appalling, yet somehow manages in its own cock-eyed way to be rather endearing. The original theme tune has been wisely retained, and overall 'Served?' has the feel of a long episode rather than a film. There's something very British about it - and that's no bad thing.
Sadly, Borough died a year later, making this one of his final appearances as 'Grainger'. Bob Kellett also directed the film of 'Up Pompeii' which made 'Served?' look like 'The Importance Of Being Ernest' by comparison.
It is a sad man who does not laugh when 'The Emir' ( Derek Griffiths ) has his inside leg measured with a tape stuck to a balloon, which then deflates noisily ( like a colossal fart ), causing Mrs.Slocombe to remark: "Its supposed to be a sign of good manners in their country!".