I've seen every Fawlty Towers episode 10 times by now, but for me the "HE PUT BASIL IN THE RATATOUILLE?" scene still cracks me up!
It's spelled Raymond Luxury Yacht, but it's pronounced 'Throat-Warbler Mangrove'
On the phone to O'Reilly....
"Yes, about the wall. Rather than drop them in a pile on the ground I was hoping you would cement them together in the traditional fashion. I mean, I've been waiting longer than Hadrian...... Hadrian! Oh, never mind."
No cash here!! Here, no cash!!! Cash, no!!!! Robbo? No Cash!
Also on "The Builders"
When Basil is trying to instruct Manuel to "clean the windows" while they're away, Manuel doesn't understand so Basil ends up carrying him into the dining room and demonstrating-- it looks so ridiculous but it's still funny!!
Physical comedy is always fun. John Cleese is rather tall, and Manual rather short statured. What's so funny with that scene is the ease with wich Basil just picks Manuel up and walks away with him, like Manuel was a life size paper stand.
Favorite lines:
"You got a Mrs. Richards staying here?"
"Yes, you did. You invaded Poland."
"She go crazy. I tell her you climb on ladder to look at girl in room, and she go crazy."
"We have meat here in ze building."
Favorite scenes:
Basil rushes out to retrieve the plate of veal from the health inspector that he thinks is poisoned or something. He tells the guy it's not hot enough. The inspector says it's fine. Basil says it could be hotter as he picks it up, then drops it because it burns his hands. Then says "Well, not much!"
In the Germans, Manuel sets the kitchen on fire. Basil, only interested in appearances, locks Manuel in the burning room. Then, instead of just telling people to get out, he has them all gather around and gives them a long-winded explanation about how such a thing could happen there at the hotel. After all that, he winds up just screaming "Fire!" in their faces, and they all run for the door.
Not so much a scene as such but rather the plot of half the episode "The Germans."
Sybil is in hospital for an operation but Basil shows hardly ANY consideration towards her at all.. From the first scene, when she asks him to get her bed jacket "Oh, I thought slavery had been abolished..." to at least one occasion when Sybil rings the hotel and Basil says, "Oh what is it now, can't you leave me in peace?"
So, your wife is in hospital- normally you'd want to do anything for her and be pleased to hear from her, when she rings from her hospital bed.... "Hi love, how're you feeling??"... Not Basil!
So funny though!
Another one that gets me is from Communication Problems.
Due to a misunderstanding with Manuel and her bad hearing, Mrs Richards is under the impression that Basil's name is actually C K Watt.
Later on in the episode, she's complaining about her room and says to Basil, "I'm talking to you, Watt" causing Basil to answer, confused and frustrated "What???" to which she answers (and this is ironic, considering) "Are you deaf... I said I'm talking to you."
Again, later in this same episode Basil is on the phone at reception and Mrs Richards comes marching down the stairs and abruptly yells "Watt!" to which Basil says to her "I didn't say anything!"
Absolute classics!
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When Basil finds the two house bricks in the conman's briefcase. He holds one up to his ear and shakes it!
Also when Basil is so distraught after failing to catch the guest who he suspected of having a woman in their room, does this weird crouching hop with his arms over his head before keeling over, right in front of the two Welsh guests! As a kid i could not stop laughing for days after seeing that!
Was it a millionaire who said "Imagine no possessions"?
Looking for the duck in the trifle and you can see Prunella scales doing her best not to laugh while Connie Booth has clearly already corpsed.
share"These chips are the wrong shape" "These eggs look you laid them"
IS THIS A PIECE OF YOUR BRAIN?
WANTED: LOVING HOME FOR ENORMOUS SAVAGE RODENT.
[ANSWERS TO THE NAME OF SYBIL]
THE GERMAN WALK.
YOU SNOBS!
ANY VALUABLES, SIR RICHARD, ANY BRICKS???
I was in London right before 9/11 and there was a spot of bother one day with a bomb threat. that night, we must have been the only americans in the country who laughed out loud when the news reporters said:
DON'T MENTION THE WAR!
Reading the paper can really be depressing. Mr. Dithers fired Dagwood again.
The Kipper and the Corpse,
Shortly after they call the Dr up and find out Basil delivered the breakfast and didn't realised he was dead, following the "This is a hotel not the Burma railway" line and Sybil's Basil retort I always laugh at the next line
BASIL - Well, I mean, it does actually say "Hotel" outside. You know, perhaps I should be more specific: "Hotel for people who have a better than 50% chance of making it through the night."