Warren Mitchell, famous for his role as Alf Garnett has died aged 89.
I was at West Ham a couple of times in the sixties when he appeared in character (Mitchell was a Spurs supporter in real life) and the roof nearly lifted off the stadium with the reception he got.
Sadly, the character created to lampoon racists backfired and rather than being laughed at he was laughed with and helped foster the attitudes he and writer Johnny Speight wanted to eliminate.
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"Sadly, the character created to lampoon racists backfired and rather than being laughed at he was laughed with and helped foster the attitudes he and writer Johnny Speight wanted to eliminate."
I don't think so ...... can you really imagine someone sitting on the sofa, listening to an Alf Garnett rant and shouting "Yeah, right on, mate!" at the telly?
At the time, people were appalled by Alf Garnett; I didn't watch it, but then I've never watched much t.v. anyway.
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>> >>
>> At the time, people were appalled by Alf Garnett; I didn't watch it, but then
>> I've never watched much t.v. anyway.
>>
Far from it. I worked in a couple of factories in the East End from the late sixties to the early eighties and the sayings of Alf Garnett passed into common usage in the casual racism that was the norm at the time. People realised he was a joke character, but in an affectionate sort of way. And thirty thousand West Ham fans bellowing his name as he lapped the pitch weren't appalled either.
Different times.
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His character was an exaggerated but accurate portrayal of many individualsat the time and indeed, in a less open way, of many today.
The real star of the show in my opinion was Dandy Nicholls who played his long suffering wife. An instantly recognisable East End character.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sat 14 Nov 15 at 13:31
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People realised he was a joke character, but in an affectionate sort of way.
Creators sometimes do credit audiences with too much understanding. Garnett was before my time but we saw it again ten years ago with Gene Hunt - created as a cartoon monster but mistakenly embraced as a role model by some.
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>> At the time, people were appalled by Alf Garnett; I didn't watch it, but then
>> I've never watched much t.v. anyway.
Some people were appalled and saw it as perpetuating rather than mocking. Many others, as RR says, lapped it up.
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"Some people were appalled and saw it as perpetuating rather than mocking."
I can't work out from Wiki how long the series lasted, but it seems to have fizzled out some 30 years ago. Would this be affecting attitudes today? Most folks under 40 wouldn't know who Alf Garnett was, surely?
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I once came across him in a professional capacity. Very pompous, and clearly had a very high regard for himself. We were a bit too common for him, so he didn't become a client.
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>> I was at West Ham a couple of times in the sixties when he appeared
>> in character and the roof nearly lifted
>> off the stadium with the reception he got.
I too was at West Ham when he rocked up from time to time, and the quick witted ribald humour, only available on the old fashioned terraces of a football ground were much in evidence.
>>
>> Sadly, the character created to lampoon racists backfired and rather than being laughed at he
>> was laughed with and helped foster the attitudes he and writer Johnny Speight wanted to
>> eliminate.
I dont think so. True the writing and character acting was wickedly accurate of a typical white working class Londoner of the time, which in the east end is strange because its been an area of immigration for centuries, but I think it truly lampooned and brought to the fore the stupidity of blind racism, often shown up by his scouse git son in law.
As far as being a spurs supporter goes, yes he was, ironically being an atheist jew, the best sketch he ever did was lauding the fact that Hitler ignored the floodlights at west ham, and bombed the "four be twos" at White Heart lane..
However, how apt was this - Alfs views on Jimmy Saville.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yv4Nmrwtg4
Mitchel was a great actor in all roles, sadly missed.
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>> Mitchel was a great actor in all roles, sadly missed.
Very true that. He was typecast as Garnett to point that some though the latter to be the real person.
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He had a small role in the Manchester fillum ' Hell is a City ' with Stanley Baker.
Mitchell played a salesman travelling along the A635 over the Yorkshire moors in his white '56ish Morris Oxford. He came across the body of a murdered girl at the side of the road.
He had hair then...1959. A good film...well worth watching.
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It is, downloaded and watched it on your recommendation Ted.
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Till Death Us Do Part was funny in its day, coarse and pretty simple though. Times have changed and TV sitcoms were quite broad and music-hallish in those days.
The Alf Garnett character seems a pretty innocent sort of racist by today's slimy, hypocritical standards. A simple fellow who told it as he saw it, none of this nudge nudge wink wink stuff.
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Warren Mitchell Has Left The Building - Haywain
