Article summary

In "The Builders," John Cleese proves there are no limits to what lengths Basil Fawlty will go to save a few quid. Enlisting a resistant Polly in his plot, he quietly fires the respectable carpenters hired by his wife, Sybil, and brings in a cheap crew with a history of disaster. Sure enough, they wind up walling up the entrance to the dining room, sending an insanely outraged Basil into a frenzy as he tries to correct the blunder before Sybil returns. Davis Kelly (Waking Ned Devine) costars as the genial but incompetent O'Reilly. Basil smells hanky-panky in the air in "The Wedding Party" when he signs in an unmarried couple and soon sees foreplay in every innocent kiss and embrace. Meanwhile, a sexy French antique dealer sends Basil into red-faced vexations with her flirtations and Manuel's birthday results in a drunken binge and a morning-after hangover that only adds to the bellhop's usual incompetence at the morning breakfast service. Basil's prudish hypocrisy gets a workout in "The Psychiatrist" when a handsome young chap sneaks a girl into his room. Compounding Basil's strange behavior is the discovery that another guest is a psychiatrist, sending Basil into a tizzy as he is sure the man is analyzing his every utterance. As his attempts to catch the adulterers in the act turns into a bedroom farce, Basil finds himself caught in a position both compromising and absurd--his duck walking climax has to be seen to be believed. --Sean Axmaker

Customer's review

Television genius

John Cleese once remarked that he did as much with "Fawlty Towers" in 12 episodes than Lucille Ball did in several years of "I Love Lucy". When I first heard that, I thought Cleese was being as crass as Basil Fawlty. But you know something? He came darn close.

Fawlty Towers, Volume Two, contains the episodes "Builders", "Wedding Party", and "Psychiatrist". My God, what a triple play. If comedy is the pleasure we take in watching other people's sufferings, then John Cleese wrote nothing but perfect comic scripts. "Builders" centers on Basil's constant efforts to save money which, of course, leads to constant frustration with the bumblers he winds up hiring. "Wedding Party" and "Psychiatrist" are perfect examples of Basil's inability to avoid the temptation of interfering in his patrons' affairs. And I use "affairs" quite literally.

Volume 2 of the "Fawlty Towers" series is a laugh riot. I recommend it, along with the other volumes in this series!

More And More Laughs...

The first episode on this tape is »The Builders« which provides the average level of »Fawlty Towers« craziness & chaos climax. As usual, it is Basil Fawlty's lies who mainly cause all the trouble. Where would we be without him...

»The Wedding Party« as a story is maybe the funniest episode of »Fawlty Towers«. Just think of what situations Basil's 1920s view on sexuality, combined with his snobbish paranoia, can produce...

And »The Psychiatrist« is the episode of all »Fawlty Towers« episodes that produces the best laughs! In the beginning, it's a bit light - but the more Basil's hormones and personality in general burst out on the screen, beware! You might get a laughter stroke!

More And More Laughs...

»The Wedding Party« as a story is maybe the funniest episode of »Fawlty Towers«. Just think of what situations Basil's 1920s view on sexuality, combined with his snobbish paranoia, can produce...

Sheer Bloody Comedy Heaven

In terms of sheer laughs, Fawlty Towers is rivaled by few shows. Even those that could be considered rivals are still far behind. After leaving Monty Python, John Cleese found in this show a perfect vehicle for his ability to write comedy in longer segments, rather than just brief sketches.

I have seen all the Fawlty Towers episodes on video, but I own only this volume. It was a while after I bought it (at a library book sale for $1.00!) that I began to watch it, but once I started to do so, I became unbearably hooked. These shows were not just something for John Cleese to do with his free time. These were brilliantly cleverly-constructed escalations of frustration, and perfect opportunities for Cleese to display his unequaled ability to fly off of the handle without being a ham.

The annoying wife, the poor help, the obnoxious guests, Basil Fawlty's "best laid plans": they all fit together to form a series every bit a good as Monty Python, and far beyond that show in many respects.

Do yourself a favor -- buy this (and all the other) Fawlty Towers videos.

A glorious festival of sheer lunacy

Fawlty Towers managed to be the funniest comedy series in the history of the world, thanks to its excellent writing and the glorious comic talents of the amazing John Cleese. Second to him is the clueless Manuel, a waiter from Barcelona who only understands SOME English and whose head is Basil Fawlty's squeezie ball. Also present are the shrewish Sybil Fawlty and the brainy waittress Polly.

"Builders" involves Basil ordering O'Reilly's builders to do something with a door-but when he returns to the hotel, he discovers that Polly fell asleep and Manuel was the one directing the builders. There's going to be a lot of weirdness involving a garden gnome, screaming, architectural hazards, and the memorable scene where Basil spanks himself.

In "Wedding Party" the promiscuities of the hotel guests are getting Basil down. A pair of newlyweds arrive, along with an older couple -- and Basil sees the older husband embracing both a young blonde and Polly. Meanwhile, a Frenchwoman is trying to seduce Basil, and Manuel's drunken behavior embarrasses Basil further.

"Psychiatrist" brings out the worst of Basil's idiosyncracies, when he is determined not to let a visiting psychiatrist pry into his love life and ends up making an idiot of himself. Meanwhile, a hotel guest is smuggling his girlfriend into the hotel, and Basil is determined to toss her out. Watch for the "headless frog" imitation.

This is less nutty than Monty Python, but still there are parts to fast-forward for the kiddies. Besides that, it's a ridiculous laughfest that twists and turns in a way Seinfeld never could. I wish I could award SIX stars!

Fawlty Towers

Article summary

Customer's review

Television genius

More And More Laughs...

More And More Laughs...

Sheer Bloody Comedy Heaven

A glorious festival of sheer lunacy

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