The
lowdown: 'George and the Dragon' is a British comedy series
that ran on ITV1 between 19 November 1966
and 31 October 1968. A total
of 26 episodes were made in glorious black and white over four seasons.
It stars the
late, great Sid James as
George Russell, the chaffeur to Colonel Maynard (played by John Le Mesurier
of Dad's
Army fame), and Peggy Mount
as the formidable housekeeper, Gabrielle Dragon. The series begins with
Maynard
being forced to hiring a
new housekeeper, as the lecherous George's amorous advances had driven
the previous 16
to resign. Due to a typical
sitcom twist, Gabrielle Dragon is hired as both a cook and housekeeper,
much to the
horror of George. However,
over the course of the series the two become allies and develop a certain
amount of
grudging respect for each
other.
The
episode: 'The 10:15 Train' was the third episode of the second
season, and was broadcast on 6 March 1967.
George and travel to London
on their day off, but their plans are thrown into turmoil when they arrive
at the station
and find that the 10:15
to London has been cancelled - permanently. They resolve to wait for the
next train and
complain to the head office
of British Rail, and their only companions on the platform are a very unco-operative
booking office clerk and
a porter with a rather warped sense of humour (in a brief but memorable
performance by
Tom Baker in one of his
very earliest acting roles). Needless to say, George and Gabrielle get
their way, and the
train is reinstated, but
they soon discover that it was a hollow victory.
The
verdict: 'George and the Dragon' is still
an entertaining and sometimes amusing comedy from a bygone era.
Sure,
it has dated somewhat, but given that it was made 40 years ago you cannot
expect any less. However, the
writing
is sharp and witty, and the acting is excellent. Sid James and Peggy Mount
are both superb and really play
well
off each other. Watching this show, it is clear that they enjoyed filming
it. Apart from Tom Baker, it featured a
number
of other British actors early in their career, who went on to be well-known
in
other comedy shows, including
Geoffrey Palmer and Yootha
Joyce. With so much British TV history from this era missing and probably
never to be
seen again, it is marvellous
to be able to see 'George and the Dragon' in its entirety, and anything
featuring the great
Sid James is worth watching
at least once.
Trivia:
Sid James had a massive heart attack during the live filming of an episode
of series two. Filming of the series
was completed some five
months later, when Sid had recovered sufficiently to return to work.
Video
Clip: The rail porter
8.6mb (divx avi) |
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