Thursday, December 7, 2017

Throwback Thursday: A Look Back at The Good Old Days with British Comedian Bernard Spears



The Good Old Days was a BBC television light entertainment program which ran from 1953 to 1983 in the United Kingdom.

It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day performers in the style of the original artists.  


British music hall was similar to American vaudeville, featuring rousing songs and comic acts, while in the United Kingdom the term "vaudeville"' referred to more working-class types of entertainment that would have been termed "burlesque" in America.

The audience dressed in period costume and joined in the singing. In the course of its run it featured about 2,000 performers. Each show was up to an hour long. All acts were in the style of late Victorian/Edwardian stage acts.


One of the stars of The Good Old Days was Jewish comedian Bernard Spear. Here is one of his performances from 1980. Spear tells a few jokes and sings You Gotta Have a Little Mazel. Notice the elaborate Victorian hats and fancy dresses worn by the women attending the show.


Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.
 



#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

4 comments:

  1. the sound is awful.... hardly hear what is being said.

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    1. Sorry about the sound quality, but I thought it was worth posting for the nostalgia value, and to give you a glimpse of what attending a live vaudeville show was like. Try to listen again with headphones or earbuds.

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  2. i wish the sound was better. and i love that song about mazel. any chance we can get the words?

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    Replies
    1. Sorry about the sound quality, but I thought it was worth posting for the nostalgia value, and to give you a glimpse of what attending a live vaudeville show was like. Try to listen again with headphones or earbuds.
      Here are the lyrics to "Mazel Means Good Luck."
      http://metropolitanklezmer.com/Mazel-Means-Good-Luck/Mazel-Means-Good-Luck-booklet-excerpt.pdf

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