From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxa!mhuxh!mhuxm!pyuxjj!rlr
Newsgroups: net.tv
Title: Fawlty Towers:  Americanized clone(s)
Article-I.D.: pyuxjj.423
Posted: Tue Feb 15 12:37:46 1983
Received: Fri Feb 18 03:59:06 1983
References: unc.4613

I am very curious about viewer reactions to the new ABC series "Amanda's",
(based on John Cleese [MONTY PYTHON] and Connie Booth's British comedy series
"Fawlty Towers") starring Beatrice Arthur (Maude) as the hotel proprietress.

How many Python/Fawlty fans watched it, even if only to see how bad a job
	American TV would do to in 'interpreting' Fawlty Towers?  What did
	you think?

Do any of you out there remember /another/ attempt to bring Fawlty Towers to
	American TV, in the form of a pilot called "Snavely" starring Harvey
	Korman and Betty White (as American sitcom talent goes, probably a
	fairly good choice to play Basil and Sybil)?  I've heard that John
	Cleese was very disappointed in Korman's performance, saying that if
	Korman had been a good deal nastier (something he is eminently capable
	of doing), Cleese would be collecting royalties on a successful
	American TV series today.

Did anyone who /did/ watch "Amanda's" notice Tony Rosato (ex-SCTV and ex-Sat.
	Night Live) playing the part of Aldo (read, "Manuel")?  I thought he
	spoke too much English too well to accurately convey the character.

To those of you who were spared the ordeal of seeing great comedy butchered:
both "Snavely" and "Amanda's" liberally stole from two or three episodes of
Fawlty Towers (hotel inspector, deaf lady-----both of which are on the now
available F.T. record album) and mucked them up completely.  From the sparse
memories I have of "Snavely" (it was a few years back), I remember that it
was much better than "Amanda's", though I think the Manuel part was a bit
underdone.  "Snavely" was somewhat closer to the original in spirit, but the
producers still seemed to see a need to add some sort of American touch (??)
to their series, thus, for me, spoiling it totally.  Much more of this "touch"
was added to "Amanda's", unfortunately.

I am interested in hearing what people who saw "Amanda's" without ever having
been exposed to "Fawlty Towers" thought of the show.		Rich