To admit you like Benny Hill is like saying "I'm a sexist dinosaur". Sadly, his naughty humor came to be frowned on by the 1980s. Oddly enough, once his show was rerun in syndication it became fairly popular in the US, but still was basically blackballed from the UK. A lot of actors and actresses who've appeared on the show have disowned it, and several have demanded that their episodes not be played ever again. WTF?
I like Benny Hill, and I find nothing offensive about it. Call me an ass, but I think folks should lighten up. Spend a little less time being offended, and a little more time enjoying life. Life is too short to be so damn sensitive.
Anyway, rather than just thrust a set of sexy Benny Hill images at you, I thought it might be interesting to give you a few facts on his ladies - what became of them, interesting trivia, etc. And then thrust a set of sexy Benny Hill babe images at you. Enjoy!
Diana Darvey (Hill's Angels)
After Benny Hill, Diana didn't do a whole lot beyond a few cheeky British comedies like Carry On Behind after. She and her husband toured the globe doing a cabaret act, then she settled down and opened a pub. Tragically, she died from a fall at the age of 54.
Louise English (Hill's Angels)
Louise has gone on to enjoy a pretty respectable degree of success in the theater. What I found most interesting (and most disturbing) is that she later revealed that she was only 16 when she started on the show.
Jane Leeves (Hill's Angels)
We all know Jane went on to star on Frasier as Daphne.
Sue Upton (Hill's Angels)
Sue was the closest to Benny, and several of the cast thought she could've been Mrs. Hill under different circumstances. No one knows what became of Benny Hill's vast fortune - perhaps it went to Sue?
Jenny Lee-Wright (Hill's Angels)
Amazingly, Jenny became a highly regarded Foley artist. What's a Foley artist, you ask? From Wikipedia:
Foley is the reproduction of everyday sounds for use in filmmaking. These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best Foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience. It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene. Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and uncomfortable.
Sue Bond
Sue began her career in the 1960s in soft core sex movies by the well-known Harrison Marks - in one she gets it on with a big teddy bear. She's even on the cover of the X-rated 1972 record `Rugby Songs'. Quite a resume.
Bettina Le Beau
During WWII, Bettina was separated from her parents and held in a concentration camp; she later escaped and was taken by a family and hid from the Nazis.
Cherri Gilham
In the 1960s, Cherri worked as a private detective and gained notoriety as a Page 3 Girl. In 1972, she was nearly the wife of a wealthy Arab Prince, but the marriage was cancelled when his family threatened to disown him. Cherri is quoted as saying, "If a little thing like three million pounds worries him then I don't think I'd want to marry him anyway". Cherri has also admitted to "pleasuring" Benny Hill.
Of course, there's many others, but I don't have time to get to them all. Here's a few group shots of Benny and his girls. Enjoy!
I LOVE Benny Hill!! I grew up with him,and never did,never will,find him or that sexist humour offensive!
ReplyDeleteOne of my father's favorite shows...when I was a (gasp) pre-teen I watched it with my parents when it aired in syndication and would still LMAO if I watched it today. Like Helga, I never found it offensive. We were very surprised to hear that when Hill died he had pretty much lived like a recluse in his last few years.
ReplyDeleteOne of my fondest memories is watching Benny Hill on ITV, Weds nights with my parents - Dad used to laugh his arse off. These days I own a few Benny DVDs and am still hopelessly in love with Lousie English.
ReplyDeleteGilligan - any chance of a special on Frankie Howerd and Up Pompeii ..?
Loved Benny Hill in the early 70s, he was must see TV here in the UK, a real set-piece family view. Perhaps some of it hasn't dated so well, but let's not overlook the gold contained therein..
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm with K on the Frankie Howard theme..the James Bondus episode is the place to start
The biographies of all those girls is so varied, I almost think you made them up, but I'm sure you didn't. Here are some I made up. Of the girls you didn't mention, one became a lion tamer but had a tragic accident. Another was in training as an astronaut but was disqualified because she was afraid of heights. And then there was the one who married a Russian industrialist who had fallen in love with her when she was on the show and spent millions tracking her down.
ReplyDeleteMy dad and I loved Benny Hill. We had a blast watching him. I wish to hell I could remember what episode it was, but the punchline of the song was "excuse me, your monkey's on fire". We were laughing so hard we can't remember anything else.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about watching Benny Hill (from the perspective of a 13 year old boy at the time) was that occasionally the censors wouldn't be paying attention and some bare breasts would slip by. And this was generally late afternoon/early evening not late at night where you might think they'd be. How about a bio on the little old bald guy? He ruled!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Jane Leeves was one of Benny Hill's babes. She looked smokin' hot as well.
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud the moment this page opened on my screen! How did I forget about Benny Hill? I bet I haven't seen this show in 30 years! This is going to sound warped, but as a preteen kid in the 70s, I think I enjoyed that little old man with the glasses more than anyone else--especially when he was in drag!
ReplyDeleteI have to pick my jaw up from the floor now, since the first episode of Frasier (in my top 5 all-time favorite shows), I ALWAYS had a nagging feeling I knew Daphne. I had no idea I'd seen her years before on BH. Gilligan, this was one of your best yet, thank you.
Thanks for the positve words, apachedoug. Much appreciated!
ReplyDeletecapewood - all these bios are legit. And I think it's still unresolved where Benny's millions went.... as I said, my bet is with Sue.
"Life is too short to be so damn sensitive."
ReplyDeleteDamn straight! Thanks for saying it like it is. BTW, did somebody actually believe your Jane Leeves comment?
She was in the show. In one scene she was a maid that had to hold hot plates with her skirt, thus showing her underwear, because Benny had hidden her oven gloves.
DeleteHere's what Producer Dennis Kirkland said about the allegations of sexism, "Of course it was a sexist show. In every sketch with the ladies Benny always lost, the Girls always won. Now that's what I call a sexist show!"
ReplyDeleteI am completely in sync with you on this subject. Benny Hill was one of the great television series in the 1970s. It has been sadly, badly, misunderstood, underrated, and misread. It is a beautiful example of CLASSICAL comedy and its view of sex is rather innocent and positive: it understands it as a part of life, however mischievous. Also that type of comedy depends on a basic acceptance of at least minor sexual difference (which has nothing to do with inequality) and in a more androgynous, indeed, denatured time people might not get the joke. (As they too often don't in the case of SOME LIKE IT HOT, for example).
ReplyDeleteArmpit- Glad to lay it on the table any day of the week. Political correctness is boring.
ReplyDeleteBTW Jane Leeves did start on Benny Hill, and later played Daphne Moone on Frasier. True story actually, as are all these bios.
K- Can't forgive Frankie for playing Mr. Mustard in the Sgt. Pepper fiasco. Still working through the pain.
ReplyDeleteThe early Benny Hill shows featured more of Benny's very clever use of language. He was a very clever man and a brilliant performer.
ReplyDelete@armpitstudios, not only is the Jane Leeves information correct Sarah Brightman started her career as a raunchy dancer in Hot Gossip. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Gossip
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ReplyDeleteAs webmaster of Sue Upton's official site and a friend of hers, I can categorically state that Benny's fortune did not go to Sue.
ReplyDeleteThe only will Benny ever made, in the early 1960s, left everything to his parents. They had predeceased him by the time of his death, therefore his fortune went to his surviving relatives - a group of nieces and nephews in Australia, whom he hardly knew.
A piece of paper was found among Benny's effects after his death. This listed names of his performing "family" presumably including Sue, with a sum of money next to each name. However, this piece of paper was never signed, dated, or witnessed, therefore had no legal effect.
The saddest thing about all this is that Benny had often promised those people close to him, that they were in his will - and so they were all greatly disappointed to find out this wasn't actually true.
Also, when I last saw Sue, she told me that the Hill heirs (who own the copyright to the Benny Hill Show scripts) were blocking the show from being repeated, therefore neither she nor any of the other surviving performers could earn any residual fees.
Thank you for clearing that up, larsen. Very interesting. That's just plain awful about the relatives blocking the re-airing of the show! I presume his TV family at least gets something from the DVD releases.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. I emailed Sue a link to this page, so hopefully she'll also read and enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteWell I'll be dipped. I didn't think it was the same one because when I think Benny Hill, I think early '70s (I had no idea they were still in production in the '80s), and I didn't think a girl young enough to be one of Benny's bimbos would still look as young as Jane Leeves does now. Have you seen her gams on Hot in Cleveland? Yowza.
ReplyDelete"I learned about sex for the first time from Benny Hill." - Said by a construction worker while talking about the girls on Benny's show.
ReplyDeleteWe knew what he meant but it just didn't come out right.
That just frosts my bacon, about Hill's nieces and nephews blocking repeating the shows in syndication. They MUST be thinking they'll make more money in dvd, blue ray, download for money, whatever the hell....
ReplyDeleteI also always laughed at Benny Hill...but then again, I always laughed at Married with Children. HOWEVER--I never thought Three's Company was funny. (You have to draw the line somewhere).
My dad and I spent many hours chuckling in front of the TV watching Benny Hill. My mom disapproved, so she didn't watch. It was a little raunchy, but rather tame by today's standards. Loved the little bald guy...he always cracked me up! I think he passed away at some point during the series because they replaced him with another guy in later episodes.
ReplyDeleteI love Benny Hill.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I thought it was weird that he was so into butts (always patting them).
As I got older I found him funnier.
I even bought his record!
(though now I do not have a turntable).
LOL, he patted the old bald guy's head even more. What does that mean?
Delete8^D
Here you go, a Who's Who of Hill's Angels.
ReplyDeleteSome good news: "The Benny Hill Show" is due to return to American TV starting New Years Day 2011, courtesy of Antenna TV, a new digital subchannel by Tribune Broadcasting in Chicago. I've emailed Sue to tell her the news.
ReplyDeleteI think Benny's Aussie relatives must have spent all the money they inherited from him, came to their senses, and realized that unless the shows actually aired, they wouldn't make any more money, either. "Crikey! We want to trouser some more dosh!"
I was surprised to see Benny hill back on TV and it feels fantastic to relive those childhood moments, sure takes me back, I always found this show to be extremely enjoyable, a definite natural high, it's a shame that he spent most of his life alone and never had his own family like I'm sure he thought of sometimes, but that's life, thanks for the endless laughs
ReplyDeleteIs it me or are most of these women actually not that extrordinary looking?
ReplyDeleteI've always loved THE BENNY HILL SHOW and own most of the sets on DVD. The Hills Angels years are probably my favorites. Regarding Sue Upton, I often wondered if she weren't closer to Hill than some of the others as you specified. She seemed to get a lot of the close ups and the camera was seemingly on her more than some of the others.
ReplyDeleteEven though his act became terribly repetitive, it never ceased to make me laugh. Some of his schtick became so identifiable, that if he wasn't grabbing some girl under the table, or smacking that old man on top of his head, you almost felt cheated.
I started watching Benny as a teen and have yet to stop. I don't own many videos but I keep Benny close at hand.
ReplyDeleteWhat many feminist critics fail to realize is that he always got the short end of the stick, the women always won. His perverted character never got the better of women. I think he was underrated and misunderstood.
Anyway IMO he is one of the most talented and creative comics / musicians ever.
I too grew up on Benny Hill. In the late '70's/early 80's I would watch the program late Friday nights on CBS! then later on, HBO. When the "THAMES" logo came on, I knew I was in for some great comedy. My mom even liked it! I was able to rediscover it again on a regular basis on Antenna TV (what a wonderful network!) after years of obtaining it on DVD and Netflix. Corinne Russell was my favorite Hill's Angel. Yummy! Benny Hill was incredibly talented and under appreciated.
ReplyDeleteCorinne was, indeed, one hot girl. I always liked finding a new nude shoot of her.
DeleteWatching the benny hill show right now. Its great
ReplyDeleteI love The Benny Hill show, and his girls too, of course!
ReplyDeleteFrom Argentina
José Luis
I liked Benny as a kid. Yet the opening sentence is wrong: To admit you like Benny Hill is like saying "I am not a modern soft-totalitarian priss".
ReplyDeleteHow the hell people do not realize that 'sexism' is not a name of moral shortcoming;but an IDEOLOGICAL term, similar to what 'jewlover' was during Third Reich, or what 'reactionary' was during communism. [To be labeled a reactionary in a communist country meant to be harassed and bullied, even if you did nothing wrong in the eyes of a non-communist. Silly isn't it?] You shouldn't need to call someone 'sexist' no more than to call him 'reactionary'.
So why, instead of trying to feebly 'defend' Benny Hill by saying 'he got the short end of the stick with the girls and the women won' etc. people don't say to the feminists to keep their stupid ideology to themselves, and stop censoring the media?
http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/1982/11/14
ReplyDeleteseems appropriate. :-D
I think my absolute favorite girl of his was a young, unnamed, tall, leggy, and far from flat-chested brunette in "The Streaker's Ball" routine (I believe it's in S8E3, but can't find any videos of it to be sure). He keeps "inadvertently" lifting her skirt as they dance in circles, and I think it ends with it getting pulled off. Never known who she was but WOOF!!
ReplyDeleteBenny Hill was one of my favourite TV shows from the 70's. Always great for a laugh. 2 of my favourite sketches were one in which the entire dialog was using just a letter for each syllable and on of the end sketches were Benny was walking around seeing signs and following what they indicated. He ended up in a cafe where the waitress was wearing a name badge over the breast. The name of course was "Pat"! Benny gave his famous leering grin, then you see him outside being chased by the waitress to the tune of Yakkdy Sax.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite by far was a girl named Debbie Linden, not sure how many times she may have appeared with Benny Hill but she also appeared on Are you being served as Mr Grace's secretary, and was also a Page 3 girl.
ReplyDeleteShe unfortunately died at a relatively young age from a drug overdose.
there's not a lot of other decent quality pics of her around on the net which is a great shame.
Stumbled upon this page and it sure brings back memories. I began watching The Benny Hill show in the late-seventies when I was a grad student living in the college dorm. Everyone else was watching SNL and thought I was crazy for missing John Belluchi, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd doing their thing. That was until they got a look at Hill's Angels. I believe the Miami PBS station carried Benny's show back then.
ReplyDeleteWhy yes I am a "I'm a sexist dinosaur." Love his girls.
ReplyDelete