I’ve had the beginnings of a blog post in my drafts for over a year. It is about the 1970s English comedy series, Two’s Company. I’ll get around to writing about it sometime, but now it will be after one of the stars, Elaine Stritch is dead. She died today at 89 years old. She is renowned for her roles in the theatre, and perhaps for an American television series 30 Rock. But for me Elaine Stritch will now and always live in my heart as Dorothy McNab, American writer of spy stories and employer of an English butler, Robert, played by the equally wonderful Donald Sinden.
I first saw a couple episodes on dvd years ago, and loved it so much I bought the full set. I have yet to finish the series because I parcel the episodes out, as you might good chocolates, so that they last longer.
If you’d like to sample the show, there is a video here. That same site had this to say about the series.
Dorothy McNab, a prickly American authoress needs domestic help for her new Chelsea townhouse. When Robert, an irrepressibly posh British butler applies, he takes an instant dislike to her.
A true Gentleman's Gentleman, Robert is stubborn and constantly frustrated by his employer's lack of decorum and sophistication. But in Dorothy he has met both his match and his adversary; equally stubborn and with a coarseness to match his impeccable manners, her indifference to all that is important to Robert is a constant source of friction between them.
Our Review: This culture clash comedy, owing to its inherent themes, may have dated a little since its mid-/late-1970s production but its humour has not suffered accordingly. Riotously funny throughout, the contrast between loud, new-money American authoress Dorothy McNab and her terribly posh, stiff-upper-lip butler Robert Hiller could not be greater.
Whilst the premise does sound somewhat predictable, there is plenty of mileage in the execution. The consistent quality of the four series (both in the scripts and the excellent performances) keep the show fresh, and a great-fun, joy-to-watch programme all these decades on.
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