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How To Deal With Rigsby's Racism...
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Like all the "racist" sit coms of this era the real target of ridicule is the racist himself so do we really need to censor the stage version of Rising Damp?
Like all the "racist" sit coms of this era the real target of ridicule is the racist himself so do we really need to censor the stage version of Rising Damp?
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Why not leave it as it was it did no harm to anyone, Don Warrington survived unhurt, and has gone on to become a fine actor in his own right.
/// "At the time, I was aware of sensitivities," Chappell says. "But I always made Philip the winner and I was determined right from the start, that's how I saw it. ///
The question that must be asked is why was Philip always made the winner, surely that is not equality, and even now would they ever make the black guy the subject of humiliation?
/// "At the time, I was aware of sensitivities," Chappell says. "But I always made Philip the winner and I was determined right from the start, that's how I saw it. ///
The question that must be asked is why was Philip always made the winner, surely that is not equality, and even now would they ever make the black guy the subject of humiliation?
Surely the point is that, at a time when Racism was still common, it was exposing the ignorance of such casual racists. So Rigsby had to be made the fool of for the joke to work. Otherwise it's just a black man getting bullied every episode.
There are comedies in which people from other cultures are the subject of fun -- Kumars at No. 42, perhaps? -- but when it happens the fact that they are black, or Indian, or anyway of a different race, is incidental to the joke.
There are comedies in which people from other cultures are the subject of fun -- Kumars at No. 42, perhaps? -- but when it happens the fact that they are black, or Indian, or anyway of a different race, is incidental to the joke.
This scene is always deleted whenever The Young Ones is repeated, but is it right? The script is extremely offensive yet it is highlighting the perception of the Metropolitan Police at the time (early 80's) as being institutionally racist, something they were accused of years later.
The relevant section starts at 1.28 but be warned, the terminology is offensive, which includes one word regularly used by rappers, if you get my drift!
The relevant section starts at 1.28 but be warned, the terminology is offensive, which includes one word regularly used by rappers, if you get my drift!
AOG
"The question that must be asked is why was Philip always made the winner"
It's because like Captain Mainwaring and Alf Garnet, Rigsby was essentially the fool. In Dad's Army, Sergeant Wilson was always cleverer than Captain Mainwaring, and Alf Garnet's wife Else was cleverer than him.
The same is true of Basil/Sybil Fawlty.
Essentially in these comedies the main character is the loser, not the supporting cast.
"The question that must be asked is why was Philip always made the winner"
It's because like Captain Mainwaring and Alf Garnet, Rigsby was essentially the fool. In Dad's Army, Sergeant Wilson was always cleverer than Captain Mainwaring, and Alf Garnet's wife Else was cleverer than him.
The same is true of Basil/Sybil Fawlty.
Essentially in these comedies the main character is the loser, not the supporting cast.
AOG
"and even now would they ever make the black guy the subject of humiliation?"
Yes.
In '30 Rock', 'The IT Crowd', 'Malcolm In The Middle', 'Family Guy' and 'The Cleveland Show'.
In all these shows, there are black characters who are the subject of jokes and humiliation...and all of them are pretty well written, without resource to the kind of humour that doesn't make sense any more (surely no-one really thinks that all Africans live in the jungle now, although there WOULD have been people who thought that back in 1976).
"and even now would they ever make the black guy the subject of humiliation?"
Yes.
In '30 Rock', 'The IT Crowd', 'Malcolm In The Middle', 'Family Guy' and 'The Cleveland Show'.
In all these shows, there are black characters who are the subject of jokes and humiliation...and all of them are pretty well written, without resource to the kind of humour that doesn't make sense any more (surely no-one really thinks that all Africans live in the jungle now, although there WOULD have been people who thought that back in 1976).
no one generally changes the texts for the stage, and if you read Shakespeare, he was certainly a rude old boy, many of his terms are lewd and quite crude, Baz Luhrman is just playing at it, the actual text of the Bard is pretty un pc. As to Dickens, he uses some choice words, and no one need change things to suit our pc world, after all if black blokes can use n***** to one another, which they do, then i don't see why the so called racism in the programme should be altered. As some have already pointed out the butt of the joke is Rigsby himself, the clever and educated one was Don Warrington who generally ran rings around him.
Depends which era they are setting it in? I'm not sure the "then" Rigsby exists today, so much would have to be very different.
The show worked in it's time and showed Rigsby as the real fool.
All that's really happening here is they are using Rising Damp as a basis. Much has changed since the original programme aired.
The show worked in it's time and showed Rigsby as the real fool.
All that's really happening here is they are using Rising Damp as a basis. Much has changed since the original programme aired.
Its funny to me and people of my generation and older,mostly because of nostalgia and familiarity. I can see such a revival being a moderate success, rather like the recent re-write of Yes Prime Minister which I went to see on stage, and a stage version of Porridge. These will all find audiences, and they will generate anticipatory laughter as fondly remembered situations and lines are retold.
Where it might fall down though would be to attempt to stage it as a modern day re-telling, because I just don't think Rigsbys attitudes to Phillip and on race would seem either credible or especially funny - although his lusting after Miss Jones might still work :)
So - not so much censorship - more applying modern day attitudes to a classic is called for....
Where it might fall down though would be to attempt to stage it as a modern day re-telling, because I just don't think Rigsbys attitudes to Phillip and on race would seem either credible or especially funny - although his lusting after Miss Jones might still work :)
So - not so much censorship - more applying modern day attitudes to a classic is called for....
lots of things are shown on tv that are bad and wrong and the world is full of people who are bad and wrong, and it is the job of films and tv to reflect reality where possible and when necessary
if a character is a killer, we show them killing people, if someone is a violent person, we show them acting violent etc.
there are racist people in the world, extreme ones and mild ones and merely showing them being that way should not be censored.
as someone else mentioned, the joke was always on rigsby - philip never ended up looking abused or downtrodden
it was the same with alf garnett
only those sitcoms whose humour was at the expense of the black, asian, or chinese etc characters were stopped and rightly so.
if a character is a killer, we show them killing people, if someone is a violent person, we show them acting violent etc.
there are racist people in the world, extreme ones and mild ones and merely showing them being that way should not be censored.
as someone else mentioned, the joke was always on rigsby - philip never ended up looking abused or downtrodden
it was the same with alf garnett
only those sitcoms whose humour was at the expense of the black, asian, or chinese etc characters were stopped and rightly so.
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