Peter Cook & Dudley Moore: The Best of... What's Left of... NotOnly... But Also...

In the early to mid-90s, I purchased the VHS cassette of the same name simply because I recognized the names of both Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. I played the tape seemingly endlessly; in fact, I keep my VCR because the tape is irreplaceable, as are several others in my collection.But when I finally saw there was a DVD, I jumped at the chance (although 12-13 years after its release) to buy it and was relieved to find most (not all) of the sketches and openings from the tape were there, along with material I had either never seen before or had only discovered recently.I was however, a bit disappointed with a pair of omissions and one edit. The DVD omitted the new sketch made to open the VHS tape with Pete and Dud reuniting after 20 years, showing they hadn't lost their comedic brilliance. Also omitted was "The Glidd of Glood", a sketch about a cruel, miserly king who kept all his wealth on his person wrapped in brown paper and string until "God" warned him to give away his wealth or suffer damnation, only to find it was his court jester in disguise who runs off to the south of France. One last disappointment was the editing of the sketch of the French travel guide giving his report on London's North Circular Roadway, likely edited out due rights issues over use of The Beatles' "I'm A Loser" and, in other countries, rights over Richard Myhill's "Girl It's You". Disappointing, but that's the way things work nowadays.Otherwise, it's a fantastic DVD with some favorites, such as Pete and Dud's first appearance (a.k.a. "Bloody Greta Garbo"), Pete's talk to Dud on how babies are made and "Poor Uncle Bertie", the hilarious Thunderbirds parody "Superthunderstingcar", The report on the leaping nuns from "The Order of St. Beryl" and much more. The tape was a starter pack, the DVD is the compliment. Excellent purchase, excellent comedy.

"Not Only (Dudley Moore) But Also (Peter Cook)" was a Beeb televised revue that apparently bridged the gap between the London/Broadway revue Beyond the Fringe, some films by this pair or Cook alone (seek and find The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer), and their return to the world stage on tour (known on Broadway simply as Good Evening, for which they won a Special Tony Award).So of course I knew of them but had not seen a stitch of this show 'til recently...and it was supposed to have been "Not Only Dudley Moore, But Also His Guests," but he asked Cook along, so "Not Only Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, But Also Their Guests," and you can pretty much figure out the rest...A most odd feeling came over me in viewing these six episodes, some undoubtedly cobbled together from others' extant videos: I wanted to return to those years. (Their parody of the Supermarionation "Thunderbirds" made me split my sides.)Attempt something like this today? I can hear the short answer from where I sit, but suffice it to say the talent had better be there from the get-go...Moore is not just talented but gifted, and you can somehow guess what he'll do next. I like to think that's done more out of hindsight, for Stateside we're more acquainted with his later film work.Cook, on the other hand, may remind you of Bill Murray in that you can't guess what he'll do next, though with one major distinction: When he chooses to, Murray quickly sloughs off his persona in the hope of remaining funny, while Cook simply will not let you get that close while he delivers a line or two that nails you (or, occasionally, Moore, with you the third-party beneficiary) to the wall. You see more than a little of that skill demonstrated here..."We'd like to be blasphemous," says Moore in an extra BBC documentary (ca. 1974). The pair came close in the film Bedazzled, but I'm frankly glad they didn't. That wouldn't have posed as much of a challenge to them. Besides, Monty Python's Flying Circus were only too willing to pick up that gauntlet...Pay homage to a pair of funny, funny gents whom we still miss, and very much should.(UPDATE: Catch them both in the feature film Those Daring Young Men in their Jaunty Jalopies. I can't help but think they were allowed to "riff" ever so much, keeping entirely in character of course.)

I loved Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, especially together. This DVD showcases the beautiful black and white [and some color] program they were well known for, not so much here in America back in the mid 1960's, but mostly in England. Being a John Lennon fan since 1964 it is wonderful to see a near mint copy of the visualization of the poem from his first book, In His Own Write, that being, Def Ted,Danoota and Me. For fans, old and new alike, it breaks your heart when you read in the enclosed booklet that the BBC erased [wiped is the technical term] the master video tapes in the early 1970's due to some silly notion that they, the BBC, couldn't afford new reels of videotape and Peter Cook himself offered to BUY NEW REELS in order to keep the BBC from wiping the tapes, hence, the program, Not Only..But Also, would be eliminated like it never had been in the first place. I don't really know how the material on this DVD survived, it must have hidden itself in a warehouse somewhere under the title "BBC Documentary:How To Tell When It's Raining".Shame on them for destroying the masters of this funny, funny, series.Now, with both men gone forever, if you enjoyed their unique humor as I have, buy this DVD and enjoy what once was. We'll never see their likes again. Darn it!

Sadly not compatible to my DVD player

I don't know if I laughed more or sat in greater awe at Dudley Moore's serious chops as a jazz musician. Not Only were the BBC a bunch of skinflints for erasing the master tapes of Cook and Moore, they were Also cultural vandals for robbing us of more of this stellar material.

Pretty amazing stuff for its time. It doesn't always work, and Dudley Moore's musical interludes get somewhat tiresome, but it's fascinating history and often quite amusing.

Great humour .... makes you hate the BBC even more for its short sightedness!

Not playable on British DVD players