I loved 'Some Mother's Do 'Ave 'Em' as a child. The escapades of walking disaster area Frank Spencer in his trademark beret and MacKintosh raincoat used to crack me up no end. Now, as an adult, I don't find his antics anywhere near as amusing as I once did.
Frank is the loser's loser. Everything he touches falls to bits, anyone who meets him ends up on the verge of a nervous breakdown afterwards and he cannot hold a job down for more than a few hours. He is married to the lovely Betty, a woman who, though constantly frustrated by his cack-handed nature, stands by him through thick and thin. Why she never walked out on him from the start was a big mystery.
One scene that sticks out in my mind featured Frank skating on an ice rink, only to end up out onto the streets, onto a bus, under a lorry and then right through a shop window. Michael Crawford, who played Frank, performed all of his own stunts.
Crawford, a classically trained actor, certainly brought much energy to the role. Norman Wisdom and Ronnie Barker were initially offered the role but they declined. Wisdom may well have been able to carry it off but Barker I feel would have done it less well. Michele Dotrice was one of the most beautiful women on television at the time ( Edward Woodward was married to her, the lucky bugger! ) and her performance as Betty was superb. Later, Frank became a father ( if you can believe it ) when Betty gave birth to Jessica.
Raymond Allen wrote the series alone and to date it remains his only sitcom writing credit. Michael Mills produced and directed. As I mentioned previously, I don't dislike 'Some Mother's Do 'Ave 'Em' now as such, it just doesn't rock my boat anymore like it once used to.
Frank is the loser's loser. Everything he touches falls to bits, anyone who meets him ends up on the verge of a nervous breakdown afterwards and he cannot hold a job down for more than a few hours. He is married to the lovely Betty, a woman who, though constantly frustrated by his cack-handed nature, stands by him through thick and thin. Why she never walked out on him from the start was a big mystery.
One scene that sticks out in my mind featured Frank skating on an ice rink, only to end up out onto the streets, onto a bus, under a lorry and then right through a shop window. Michael Crawford, who played Frank, performed all of his own stunts.
Crawford, a classically trained actor, certainly brought much energy to the role. Norman Wisdom and Ronnie Barker were initially offered the role but they declined. Wisdom may well have been able to carry it off but Barker I feel would have done it less well. Michele Dotrice was one of the most beautiful women on television at the time ( Edward Woodward was married to her, the lucky bugger! ) and her performance as Betty was superb. Later, Frank became a father ( if you can believe it ) when Betty gave birth to Jessica.
Raymond Allen wrote the series alone and to date it remains his only sitcom writing credit. Michael Mills produced and directed. As I mentioned previously, I don't dislike 'Some Mother's Do 'Ave 'Em' now as such, it just doesn't rock my boat anymore like it once used to.