Monday 28 September 2009

Tutti Frutti


Tutti Frutti is finally available to buy (or chorie) on dvd and, as it's in my top 5 tv progs ever, i watched all 6 episodes in 2 sittings over the last coupla weekends. There's a wee scene which reminded me of a bit o daftness my maw got up to when i was 6 or 7.

We'd no long moved to Kent and one long hot summer day there was a chap at the door. Rather than just answer it, my maw shooed me through to the kitchen and under the table, with a "wheesht" finger at her lips. I hadnae a clue what was goin on but was fair enjoyin the game til there was a sharp rap on the kitchen window and this posh voice went "I say, are you alright in there, i can see your leg under the table." We were rumbled and out crawled my maw to make a false confession to the local vicar.

She telt him we were "lookin for something under the table". Chat was then reasonably pleasant if a little stilted til, after inviting us to next Sunday's service, our man o the cloth went on to suggest that Vote Labour posters wouldnae go down well in the area and should be removed from the window as soon as poss. To her shooge credit, my maw lost it at this point and told the rev we were athesits who'd never attend his stupid church and we'd put up whatever posters we fancied. Get it right up ye, Mr vicar (she didnae add).

So it's been 22 years since Tutti Frutti first hit the screen and judging by the nick o sound and picture quality on the dvd, the tapes have been festering away in a dusty old cupboard since then. Thankfully the writing, direction and outstanding cast make up for this shortcoming and after a while it's like watchin a great subtitled film, you stop noticing and just enjoy.

I'll no say too much about Tutti Frutti. If you've seen it before, you'll ken what i'm on about and enjoy it again. If you've never seen it, do yirsel a massive favour and track it down. For my dosh it's easily the best telly or film work ever done by Robbie Coltraine, Emma Thompson and Richard Wilson (pictured above wi Katy Murphy), all 3 of whom made it big on the back o this.

A wop bop a loo lop, a lop bam boo!

14 comments:

  1. Twenty two years...the suicide using vodka externally...guid stuff.
    I left an erudite, insightful and precise critique of Banks latest on Scunnerts blog for your delight and edification.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I never heard of this movie...I wonder if I would enjoy it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was just a bairn when Tutti Frutti came oot so dinnae really remember it. But if it's at least as good as Looking after Jojo, which you loaned me years ago and i got stoned and watched whilst pulling a three day sicky I look forward to checking it oot.

    I read somewhere recently that the american company that owns the rights to That Sinking Feeling, the barry Bill Forsyth movie, are releasing it but with Edinburgh accents dubbed over the weegie ones because they don't think americans will be able to understand it in its original state. Thats a shit state of affairs.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good man, Conan, ta fir that.

    Jelly, Tutti Frutti's a wonderful slice of Scotish 80's tv. As good as it gets and i'm sure you'd love it. But you might have trouble watching it if this is anything to go by:

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=tutti+frutti&x=13&y=26

    If you can get a US compatible version or have a fancy dan dvd player (and a spare 50 bucks) go for it. Seems a bit pricey to me though - try chorin it.

    Johnny, i heard a snippet o the new That Sinking Feeling on the radio tother day. If they're Embra accents then i'm fae fuckin Surrey (nae offence to Surrey). It made my blood boil. The bairns even talk aboot cheese and onion chips instead o crisps. Tis an utter disgrace that the original is unavailable. I think we should start a campaign. Whatever happend to Bill Forsyth by the way? I like to think it was something sensible like too much drink and drugs but twas mos probs summat mundane like the shitey production system in Hollywood. The gym teacher fae Greg's Girl (Jake Darcy)'s in TF by the way, as bassist Fud O'Donnell. Beautiful performance. They all are. I'll chuck it your way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I watched it at the time but mainly because my two big brothers did. I was just that wee bit young for it. Would like to see it again though.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Never even heard of it - is it on You Tube or something? My favorites: Fawlty Towers, Ab Fab, The Young Ones, The Britas Empire, One Foot In The Grave.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Never heard of it before, being more into gordon the gopher and edd the duck in the 1980s. ;)

    However - Kent - so, is the Scottishness all a front and you're secretly a southern softie! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. J, TF was only repeated once on BBC2 about a year after the original broacast and was never released on video or dvd until August this year. It was right good and well rated (6 baftas i think) but, cos it was Scottish, us old sweaties remember it very well. If we'd ever won the World Cup, the rest of the world would never hear the end of it cos we do like to blow our own trumpet on the odd occassion that we get the chance.

    Kent though? Yep, spent 2 very happy years living in Sittingbourne while my dad worked at Sheerness docks. I've still got a soft spot for Gillingham (the fitba team) and the Canterbury Crusaders (speedway outfit). And i like fruit. It's often been said that i'm a softie but i don't blame the south for that. I'm just soft.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great story. Now i am going to have to track that damn video down....amazon here I come.....

    ReplyDelete
  10. Okay I will have to check it out.

    Oh, Naldo I have a lovely post in your honor today, you need to check it out!

    Have a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Katy Murphy was just brilliant in that role.

    Great T.V.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Naldo... I'm a little late at commenting!

    This sounds like some cool tv. I loved Robbie Coltrane in Cracker and will watch anything he's in (cept the Hairy Potter stuff).

    So I searched and I found the DVD on the American Amazon.com (the Canuck amazon.ca is pathetic). Alas, it's only available in region 2 format and another alas, my multi-region dvd player has recently passed away (sniffles)...

    But! I've learned a new word and I will figure out some way to chorie it off the internet. I suspect my grammar there is a bit off but I've a new favourite word! Ta!

    ReplyDelete
  13. P, aye, man it's well worth trackin doon. Right up ma street and probly yours anaw.

    Jelly, i'm gonna be out of bakin action for about 10 days (muchos gardening on the go then a free week in Spain - ya beauty!) but will update you on ma return.

    J.J.Katy pulls some of the best faces ever seen on the wee box in TF. Considering it was written by a man and is ostensibly about middle aged, failed male rockers and their dodgy manager on tour, the female leads are really well fleshed out. Or somethin.

    Ms TB, taint never too late to rock n roll. Tis a bummer the dvd's no use in North America. We've been enraged that it was never available in any format til a coupla months ago cos it was a big hit back in 87. I think chorie derives from the Hindi word "chore" = thief. There's also a Hindi word meaning better than expected which sounds a lot like "barry". Reckon Embra cats musta been over represented in the Raj. Or somethin.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Miss Toner is so incredibly like an old girlfriend of mine (at that period) that I got myself in quite a tragic state watching these DVDs. Shit, some women you never get over. I thought senility was supposed to cut in and protect us from these terrible remembrances...

    ReplyDelete