The Bounder (TV series)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: D Episodes: B-
British TV Comedy is often considered either lightweight
or innovative, with not much in between, including many American classics that
are remakes of British series. The
Bounder began in 1982 and is in a sort of zone in between the two. It is doing light situation comedy, but has
an exceptional intelligence most virtually all U.S. sitcoms are currently void
of.
The great British character actor Peter Bowles is Howard
Booth, a conman just getting out of prison for a financial scandal. He will be staying “temporarily” with his
sister Mary (Rosalind Ayres), but her husband Trevor (George Cole) rightly
thinks he is a crackpot. Add a neighbor
(Isla Blair) Howard tries to seduce, despite her not knowing the truth about
him, made worse by her losing a fortune in that scandal, and you can see where
the madness is “bound” to come from in this two DVD set, featuring seven
half-hour shows.
Eric Chappell wrote these shows, while Vernon Lawrence
produced and directed. They should be
given credit for knowing what to do with an exceptional cast and especially
exceptional talent like lead Bowles.
Though not outrageously funny, I really enjoyed the subtle level the
show worked on and stayed with throughout.
It is a mature sitcom, even if it is not politically savvy (All In
The Family, The Jeffersons), or trying to go for explicit laughs every
minute.
The full screen image comes from the PAL tapings of the
show, which show there are for 1982, not unlike the many music videos to come
out of Britain at the time form the likes of Adam Ant and Duran Duran. They are just fine for their age, with few
flaws outside of the limits of the analog technology of the format at the
time. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound
is the original sound from the show and is not bad either. Only Disc One has extras, very limited to
just brief biography/filmography text.
I first saw Bowles in the full color Diana Rigg/Emma Peel
episode of The Avengers entitled “Escape In Time” form 1967, and
his timing and panache have not only stayed in tact, they have grown. He alone is reason enough to catch The
Bounder. If you like British TV
comedy, this is a must-see show. I
wonder if there are more episodes?
- Nicholas Sheffo
