UP POMPEII

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pompeii1I noticed that someone dropped in on my blog site after googling the following: Funny skits about the Roman Empire.  One place to go to if you are looking for such entertainment is the 70s TV show: UP POMPEII.  No,  you would not find this on commercial American television, for it was far too bawdy, but it was right in keeping with the tradition of ancient Roman theater.   Believe it or not, it used to be on American Public Television usually running late at night.  It was a good show starring Frankie Howerd (correct spelling).  He played the part of Lurcio (prononced LURK-IO).  Now what you got to remember many Roman names had meanings, so a common joke is to give characters names that reflect their character.  “A slave that lurks…thus LURK-IO” get it?  He is owned by a master named Ludicrus Sextus (I suppose having sex with him would be ludicrous?) and a daughter named Erotica (who can’t get enough?).  And you can’t forget the son Nausius (another way to say nauscious?) who is in a continual state of virginity.  I think by now you caught on.  If you wonder what kind of show it was, it was probably right in line with the tradition of Roman Comedy.  There were lots of double entendres and many risque gags.   What influenced this show were the plays of Plautus for one thing, and during the 70s there was a hit broadway musical and film: A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM. 

Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 254-184 B.C.) Writer of comedy, wrote bawdy and swift moving plots.  His plays were vulgar in the attempt to appeal to the uneducated classes.  Shakespeare borrowed his plot from the play THE TWIN BROTHERS for his comedy A COMEDY OF ERRORS.   The 70s stage musical and movie A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM was also based on his works.  

Up Pompeii was made into a movie.  Below is the opening credits.  It is not high brow stuff, but why would you want your comedy to be high brow when you can  have scantily clad women, and off color jokes.  If  you don’t approve of such things, that’s OK!  The action of the TV show all took place in a town that would meet its fate soon enough at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.   Divine justice, right?

 

Comments

  • rwmg · July 25, 2010 · 11:49 pm

    I loved the TV version of Up Pompeii when it was first broadcast, but the film version was pretty dire. Of course one’s taste in comedy at 13 and 50+ are probably going to be different, but I have heard that even the TV version hasn’t worn all that well. Woe, woe, and thrice woe!

  • Rob · July 26, 2010 · 7:34 am

    I have been searching for copies of this show for quite awhile. The last time I saw this show — I believe was in the 70s. The snippets on YOUTUBE are pretty basic vaudeville stuff, but I do think its a good attempt to recreate a form of comedy. Have you ever seen A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM?

  • rwmg · July 26, 2010 · 4:49 pm

    Last time I looked amazon.co.uk was selling the BBC DVDs, but they were horrendously expensive so I didn’t bother.

    I have seen A FUNNY THING, but apart from a few set pieces was rather disappointed. Of course it might work better if there’s a group of you watching it at the cinema, rather than just me watching it on DVD at home.

  • Rob · July 26, 2010 · 5:22 pm

    I do admit that A FUNNY THING ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM is a secret pleasure of mine. I saw it in the 70s on the Chicago stage with Phil Silvers (Sgt. Bilko). I seem to remember someone saying that the role of Pseudolus in the movie was offered to Phil Silvers but he passed it to Zero Mostel. The theater company production in the Chicago Theater was fantastic, and I agree with you…see it with friends…and I would add a few beers on that prescription as well.

  • rwmg · July 26, 2010 · 9:21 pm

    BTW, have you seen CARRY ON CLEO? It’s a very similar sort of humour to UP POMPEII, and has what one poll proclaimed as the funniest movie line ever.

  • Rob · July 27, 2010 · 7:43 am

    And that line was?

  • rwmg · July 27, 2010 · 4:50 pm

    As brought to you by youtube.

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