A trifecta of
anniversaries makes 2012 the year of the Brit. The Olympics returned to London
after 64 years, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 60 years of ruling the British
Empire, and the classic Britcom (and
public television mainstay) “Are You Being Served” premiered 40 years ago this
September.
The vital statistics
are that “Served” aired 69 episodes over 10 series (my people call them
seasons), spawned a movie and a spin-off series, and likely will continue
airing on public television for the next 40 years.
“Served” had the same
perfect recipe that transformed the similar ‘70s workplace comedy “The Mary
Tyler Show” into a classic that is still hilarious several decades later. Both
shows had excellent writing, a talented ensemble that clearly enjoyed
performing together, and actors who deeply understood their characters.
John Inman and Molly
Sugden owned the parts of the effervescent and flamboyant Mr. Humphries and the
blustery Mrs. Slocombe as much as Ted Knight and Ed Asner owned the roles of buffoonish
anchorman Ted Baxter and gruff news producer Lou Grant. Also, thinking of
Harold Bennett’s dirty old man Young Mr. Grace evokes as much of a smile as
thinking of Moore’s spunky Mary Richards.
“Served” substituted “Moore’s”
WJM newsroom for the sales floor of London’s Grace Brothers department store.
“Served” also created slightly more of an edge by working amusing and gentle
conflict directly into the program’s underlying concepts.
The gentlemen’s and
ladies’ department battled for space in their shared environment, the clerks in
both departments competed for commissioned sales, and employees on every tier
conflicted with their immediate supervisors.
Much of the humor
revolved around how each distinct character responded to the conflict. One
could expect Mrs. Slocombe to utter the phrase “I am unanimous in that” in
response to virtually every harsh decision from above or other “mistreatment”
around which an episode revolved. Mr. Humphries would keep his toothy grin
intact. Floor overseer Captain Peacock would defend his dignity and try to
maintain discipline, and junior men’s clerk Mr. Lucas would play the role of
the bratty little brother.
The aforementioned
writing and acting were what kept that formula entertaining for an entire
decade and has had me and my friends asking each other “are you free” for much
longer.
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