Dave Allen at Large

Nice review from Rosabel - but it does seem that people from north America have a distorted view of Dave Allen. Yes, he started out telling traditional jokes, but his material evolved over the years and became increasingly observational, drawing on his own life. He was probably the first comedian to say on British television "Have you ever noticed that...?" Much as you may dislike modern comedians, he was a major influence on them - whether they realise it or not. He was certainly unique in that he straddled that gap between old and new. As for Benny Hill - it's an insult to Dave to even mention him in the same sentence. Dave was gentle - but he could be savage too, and his targets were usually people who deserved it. Much missed for his integrity and compassion. And for being funny!

IN MUCH THE same manner that the "Fab Four" from Liverpool, the BEATLES' arrival on the shores of our folks here in "the Colonies" spawned a full invasion of British Pop Stars, so too the appearance of MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS over Public Broadcasting System's affiliated stations had a similar effect.

ONCE WE Americans had acquired a taste for "the Lumberjack Song", the Dead Parrot Sketch" and "Silly Walks", the PBS big shots were chomping at the bit for more. Soon we were treated to THE GOODIES, THE TWO RONNIES, NO HONESTLY and, of course, BENNY HILL.

IN THE MIDST of this, we found DAVE ALLEN AT LARGE, a half hour hosted by an Irishman, whose preference seemed to be the somewhat lost art of the story. In short, he was good at telling jokes. That surely was his strong suit; although he did participate in the show's sketches.

DRAWING ON HIS own life experiences, the show features a lot of "Catholic Funnies", as well as a liberal dose of situations involving the Age Old Irish-English feud.

OTHERWISE, WE FOUND this Dave Allen guy to be a fine host, who made us feel right at home in front of our TV sets, right in that time slot that followed MONTY PYTHON on Channel 11, WTTW,PBS in Chicago. It was on Sundays at 11:00 PM.

The best damn show to watch to make you just laugh so darn hard at all the jokes and the skits you feel like coughing up a lung. I miss watching this show and wish that I could find it somewhere on video.

Gosh, I loved this show! It came on Canadian TV when I was a kid, and it was one of the highlights of my week. Dave Allen was an extremely skilled raconteur, and his show mixed comedy skits with standup (or, in his case, sitdown) comedy monologues. Unlike most present-day comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Allen mostly did not do self-referential humour. He told regular *stories* and typical jokes, but he did it so well, he leaves many modern, trendy comedians looking thin and cramped. His were stories about little old ladies going to mass, boozy men down at the pub, village priests and country gossips, all delivered in a captivating Irish brogue that could just keep you enchanted for hours. He's the sort of fellow you wish you had for a favourite uncle, who you could imagine holding forth after family dinners, leaving everyone in stitches with his mimicry and crazy tales. His stories and skits making fun of Catholicism and the Church were some of the best things he did, and remind me of a more innocent time, when the laughter wasn't as bitter as it is today.

Dave Allen was one of the best storytellers I have ever heard. He would draw an audience into a tale, then zap them with a witty ending. I miss seeing this show on public TV. Someone needs to put this out on video! Today's comedians could take excellent notes from Mr. Allen.