Well, how do you like that ... nearly pissed myself. I'd completely forgotten what brilliant humour was like (I'm nearly 80) ... took me quite by surprise. Truly inspired.
Ustinov’s explanation for this routine was brilliant. I remembering him saying at the time to Parky that he and Dudley were fooling around yes, but even though it was utterly improvised the key was they were both listening very carefuly to one another and taking their cues from how each responded to one another as they basically pratted about in a humorous way. Only two comic geniuses could do this.
The real high class actors and comedians I miss them, our time is missing them and today nobody can match their level. You happy and smiley watching them and hear them. Nothing what can make you sick, hurting your ears, no rudeness, no unmoral behavior, no stupidity just perfect acting and so funny.
No. These are not run of the mill comedians but highly intelligent, well educated, Ustinov at least spoke several languages I believe and grew up in an environment where opera etc was the normal level of entertainment. Moore studied organ and music and at Oxford university and was one of a gifted group of students including Peter Cook. They were different from the normal run of comedians even then.
@@helenamcginty4920 You are right, Ustinov wasn't just a comedian, he was an artist of the highest caliber. It is true, however, that it is only now, for the first time in recorded history, that someone can became famous and rich as a "singer" without being able to sing at all (rap "music", they call it) - this would have been utterly inconceivable back then.
@@raphaelklaussen1951 its easy to sing in tune if you almost whisper. But apart from having no depth to their voices most modern popular singers can only sing 4 or 5 notes. So boring. Recall seeing the late Dame Kiri Te Kanawa singing a show song at some sort of concert. She had to stand way back from the microphone.
@@helenamcginty4920 I know what you mean. In fact, many of the popular singers today haven't even taken a basic class in music theory, which they don't need anyway. I had the fortune to see Montserrat Caballe in San Francisco when she was in her prime. No microphones, she almost peeled the paint off the walls in the theater. It remains as my most unforgettable experience.
Oh Gawd, here we go again: everything was better, smarter, etc in the Good Old Days. There was shit then and there’s shit now. Also the opposite. I’m in my seventies now and I can tell you it wasn’t all beer and skittles.
In our increasingly artificial and ‘manufactured’ world, how wonderful to celebrate open and natural genius. Two men who were both gifted and unimpressed with themselves, possessing true humility and humanity and seemingly limitless gifts. When now our screens are dominated by self-important, shallow and talentless narcissists - Farage, Musk, Truss, Trump and Johnson and more, we can truly give thanks for Dud and Peter. 💚🌈🌹🦋
Both were brilliant in their own right. They each had such a rich resource to call upon so one could never be bored listening to them. I would've LOVED to see more of them together; there is nothing comparable today in my opinion. Thank you for posting.
Ustinov's italian singing is almost gibberish, so when Dudley Moore knocks and he replies with a perfect "avanti!" ("come forward") I wasn't expecting that and it really got me 🤣This is wonderful, I wish we had the full clip with better audio!
I have a very rare audio recording (possibly the only one in existence) of the first time they met and did this....playing two made-up cockney characters discussing and coming up with a mock-opera of Lady Chatterley's Lover. My Dad recorded it live off the telly in the 1960s. Moore is at the piano suggesting musical styles, they vocalise a few ideas with lyrics on the spot in French, then dismiss each one as not good enough. It's amused me immensely since I was a boy. I have still have it and I believe the BBC haven't as it will have surely been wiped. If anyone at the BBC sees this, please reply. PS It's WAY better than what we see here. You can see by their smiles that they're doing it like a party piece whereas the original meeting and improvised 'sketch' was a new exciting thing for them.
Never saw this before right now, two favorites of mine teaming up so brilliantly, I exploded laughing, both great and talented ! Dudley, an excellent pianist and comedian, and Sir Peter, a poliglot artist who, among his multiple talent was also a composer, 1-derful combination !!!
I remember watching Peter Ustinov play Socrates when I was just a small child. It's one of my earliest memories. It was on black & white TV of course, but it made a tremendous impression on me and began a lifelong fascination with the Greek classical philosophers. Ustinov for me was the definitive Socrates. What a wonderful performer he was! A true artist.
"Barefoot in Athens", 1966. With a very young Christopher Walken as Socrates' eldest son! Lousy video quality, unfortunately: th-cam.com/video/vQIDhGOVcHg/w-d-xo.html
That kind of spontaneity is rare today, as is the genuine craft behind it. Peter Ustinov of course blessed with all manner of gifts and Dudley a pianist who seemed never to truly show his keyboard mettle as he struck out into comedy and acting. I have two LP's from the 1960's which are unique to his style of playing and simply wonderful easy listening.
There is also a wonderful Ustinov "singing lesson", where he guys all the silly stuff voice teachers used to come out with: "Breaeaeathe with your eyebrows". I wish I could find it. And what a loss to the world was the passing of Dudley Moore!
I saw Peter Ustinov live in Sheffield. He was hilarious. At one point he stopped his anecdotes and started singing opera. I laughed so much people were giving me dirty looks until they realised he was actually being silly. Great evening out! X
I saw him live in London decades ago, but can still remember the glorious evening of having him just ramble on for 2 1/2 hours while we all laughed so much our sides ached
Peter Ustinov was so great. Far and away the best thing in SPARTACUS. Without him it wouldn’t be worth watching. In fact he was the only actor in it who got an academy award for his part in it (best supporting actor).
Thanks so much for this, only just this moment stumbled on this, had no idea it had ever happened! Peter Ustinov's voice is a wonder and amazing how he listens and they follow each other, and Dudley Moore, well he has ALWAYS been my go to musical and comedy genius, the world is bereft without such as these! Dr M
This reminds me of some of Victor Borges routines. I met Peter Ustinov in Belfast in about 1992. Was one of the scariest trips I ever took because of what was going on at the time.
Even better than this, in the late 1960s my father recorded the audio of Ustinov and Moore as two 'Pete And Dud'-style voiced characters improvising on the idea of coming up with an operatic version of Lady Chatterley's Lover. An UTTER classic of comedy. Incredible wit, incredible musical resource and MUCH funnier, I have to say, than what you see here where they are reminiscing and recapturing rather than being at the top of their game. I used to literally wet myself as a child listening to my Dad's recording. As an adult I couldn't believe how Moore could deliver one genre and musical period after another on the piano just like that. Of course the original was never preserved by BBC. If it was ever committed to tape it was certainly wiped very soon after. A really terrible loss among what must be a whole host of other classic losses.
Such a shame they have to take content down - not that long ago there was the whole thing on TH-cam - what harm it was doing I don't know - it couldn't have been depriving anyone of any revenue.
There is an actual conversation being had here and it revolves around how dudley is playing the piano. If you are a classically trained musician, listen carefully and you will laugh your ass off. This is god-tier comedy!
If you're an artist like those acters, you can even that!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bravo, it's great, also the singing, no question about that too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What’s worrying is that ‘young people’ probably wouldn’t enjoy this as they don’t have the knowledge needed to understand how good this made up parody is let alone appreciate a level of comedy that we don’t get anymore.
I absolutely agree! I love going to opera, am myself a musician, and this knocked me out! You have to really be comfortable with the genre to be able to "artfully destroy" as these two geniuses did! And I knew that Moore was classically trained but his improv was superb!
As a “young person” who grew up with decent exposure to European classical music, I can happily say I still find this funny. But I wish we didn’t have to dispel this myth of “declining culture” all the time. Art like everything else evolves with each generation. I highly doubt the average person of your generation would find the stilted ramblings of some 13th century court jester funny in the same way someone from the 13th century would. Does it mean their comedy is on a higher level of complexity or brilliance? I love Dudley Moore, and his comedy, were I to label it, is just musical slapstick. Similar to Bernstein or the Marx brothers of his time, and similar to someone like Hans Teeuven or even Bo Burnham nowadays. Why put down our generation to make you feel good about your tastes?
I don't care if young people don't get it. Culture has been doomed ever since the internet took over (and made it so that it wasn't 'quality of content' but 'maximisation of brand exposure' that prioritised what would be consumedmore than anything else). This isn't the complaint of a baby boomer. It's just simply a devastating fact. So if young people don't 'get' history or 'get' music or 'get' art or 'get' any quality of any content whatsoever, it's not their fault...it's the very nature of how 'the information age' has ruined their chances for them. Fortunately there IS a STORE here of what is historically 'worthwhile' for those who know what's what. Whether or not it will be selected for posterity in the future is in the lap of the gods.
I have movie DVDS of Peter Ustinov and Dudley Moore Peter Ustinov with Michael Caine and Omar Sharif in Ashanti with Robert Powell Michael York Donald Pleasance Ian McShane Christopher Plummer James Forentino and Rod Steiger in Jesus Of Nazereth I have got movie DVDS of Dudley Moore Julie Andrews Robert Webber and Bo Derek in 10 with Liza Minnelli and John Gielgud in Arthur I am dedicating these movie DVDS to my old school friends who are both sisters as I hope to see them both again very soon to Chris and Hester from Billyxxxxx
Ron wood the RollingvStone was a good friend of dudley moore. At one hilarious performance , ron wood said’hes so brilliant and musically gifted, he can make you laugh wuth his music! Just playing. And i think its his very expressive face that is part of his comedy
They don't make them like that any more..................................brilliant, wonderful, especially because imrovisation is one of the most difficult skills. Bless them both. Now, what's on this evening ? Yes, the usual dross.
Utter genius, both of them. They were having as much fun as the audience was.
Well, how do you like that ... nearly pissed myself. I'd completely forgotten what brilliant humour was like (I'm nearly 80) ... took me quite by surprise. Truly inspired.
Ustinov’s explanation for this routine was brilliant. I remembering him saying at the time to Parky that he and Dudley were fooling around yes, but even though it was utterly improvised the key was they were both listening very carefuly to one another and taking their cues from how each responded to one another as they basically pratted about in a humorous way. Only two comic geniuses could do this.
and musical geniuses
Two years after I watched this for the first time and laughing even more than then !!! 🤣😆😂
Yes a bygone era of brilliance with many great comedian raconteurs such as these two, just too good. Thanks for this.
The real high class actors and comedians I miss them, our time is missing them and today nobody can match their level. You happy and smiley watching them and hear them. Nothing what can make you sick, hurting your ears, no rudeness, no unmoral behavior, no stupidity just perfect acting and so funny.
Quality television, a privilege to watch, long since disappeared
Two great brilliant and improvisational actors. Dudley left us much too soon!
Comedians in those days not only had impeccable timing and highly humorous they also had class.
No. These are not run of the mill comedians but highly intelligent, well educated, Ustinov at least spoke several languages I believe and grew up in an environment where opera etc was the normal level of entertainment. Moore studied organ and music and at Oxford university and was one of a gifted group of students including Peter Cook. They were different from the normal run of comedians even then.
@@helenamcginty4920 You are right, Ustinov wasn't just a comedian, he was an artist of the highest caliber. It is true, however, that it is only now, for the first time in recorded history, that someone can became famous and rich as a "singer" without being able to sing at all (rap "music", they call it) - this would have been utterly inconceivable back then.
@@raphaelklaussen1951 its easy to sing in tune if you almost whisper. But apart from having no depth to their voices most modern popular singers can only sing 4 or 5 notes. So boring. Recall seeing the late Dame Kiri Te Kanawa singing a show song at some sort of concert. She had to stand way back from the microphone.
@@helenamcginty4920 I know what you mean.
In fact, many of the popular singers today haven't even taken a basic class in music theory, which they don't need anyway.
I had the fortune to see Montserrat Caballe in San Francisco when she was in her prime. No microphones, she almost peeled the paint off the walls in the theater. It remains as my most unforgettable experience.
Oh Gawd, here we go again: everything was better, smarter, etc in the Good Old Days. There was shit then and there’s shit now. Also the opposite. I’m in my seventies now and I can tell you it wasn’t all beer and skittles.
Their facial expressions alone bring tears to my eyes. Utter riot.
We shall never see TRUE COMEDIC GENIUS like this again. BRILLIANT
Ustinov ! A great actor and the greatest raconteur. Moore ! A fine musician and a talented, funny man.
I cry every time I watch this…… yet I keep watching
I haven't laughed like this for ages. These 2 brilliant people bowled me over!
Dudley Moore's expressions are hilarious!
You can't look without laughing!
This is comedy gold.
Thank you so much for posting!
Truly brilliant and much missed
Two geniuses! I love them both!♥️♥️♥️
Two comical and musical geniuses! I would have adored to watch the whole thing!
In our increasingly artificial and ‘manufactured’ world, how wonderful to celebrate open and natural genius. Two men who were both gifted and unimpressed with themselves, possessing true humility and humanity and seemingly limitless gifts. When now our screens are dominated by self-important, shallow and talentless narcissists - Farage, Musk, Truss, Trump and Johnson and more, we can truly give thanks for Dud and Peter. 💚🌈🌹🦋
Dud was a brilliant pianist, just another of his endless talents.
Both were brilliant in their own right. They each had such a rich resource to call upon so one could never be bored listening to them. I would've LOVED to see more of them together; there is nothing comparable today in my opinion. Thank you for posting.
Ustinov's italian singing is almost gibberish, so when Dudley Moore knocks and he replies with a perfect "avanti!" ("come forward") I wasn't expecting that and it really got me 🤣This is wonderful, I wish we had the full clip with better audio!
I have a very rare audio recording (possibly the only one in existence) of the first time they met and did this....playing two made-up cockney characters discussing and coming up with a mock-opera of Lady Chatterley's Lover. My Dad recorded it live off the telly in the 1960s. Moore is at the piano suggesting musical styles, they vocalise a few ideas with lyrics on the spot in French, then dismiss each one as not good enough. It's amused me immensely since I was a boy. I have still have it and I believe the BBC haven't as it will have surely been wiped. If anyone at the BBC sees this, please reply.
PS It's WAY better than what we see here. You can see by their smiles that they're doing it like a party piece whereas the original meeting and improvised 'sketch' was a new exciting thing for them.
You should digitise and upload!
Indeed, please upload it!
Never saw this before right now, two favorites of mine teaming up so brilliantly, I exploded laughing, both great and talented ! Dudley, an excellent pianist and comedian, and Sir Peter, a poliglot artist who, among his multiple talent was also a composer, 1-derful combination !!!
That was brilliant, many thanks for posting. What a shame there’s no comedians like these two today.
I remember watching Peter Ustinov play Socrates when I was just a small child. It's one of my earliest memories. It was on black & white TV of course, but it made a tremendous impression on me and began a lifelong fascination with the Greek classical philosophers. Ustinov for me was the definitive Socrates. What a wonderful performer he was! A true artist.
"Barefoot in Athens", 1966. With a very young Christopher Walken as Socrates' eldest son! Lousy video quality, unfortunately: th-cam.com/video/vQIDhGOVcHg/w-d-xo.html
That kind of spontaneity is rare today, as is the genuine craft behind it. Peter Ustinov of course blessed with all manner of gifts and Dudley a pianist who seemed never to truly show his keyboard mettle as he struck out into comedy and acting. I have two LP's from the 1960's which are unique to his style of playing and simply wonderful easy listening.
Comedians? Actors? People often miss just what a talented musician Dudley Moore was. His ability to adapt on the keyboard in that sketch was amazing
There is also a wonderful Ustinov "singing lesson", where he guys all the silly stuff voice teachers used to come out with: "Breaeaeathe with your eyebrows". I wish I could find it. And what a loss to the world was the passing of Dudley Moore!
Brilliant absolutely brilliant!!! Comedy gold….
This is fascinating, because they both work much better improvising musically than they did with language, which is lovely to see. Thanks!
Pure genius. Peter Ustinov also did a memorable impression of a lady 'cellist - maybe somewhere in the archives?
Yes he did an air cello impression of a cellist playing Le Cygne by Saint-Saëns.
I saw Peter Ustinov live in Sheffield. He was hilarious. At one point he stopped his anecdotes and started singing opera. I laughed so much people were giving me dirty looks until they realised he was actually being silly. Great evening out! X
Simialr to a concert with Victor Borge. He could just walk on stage and people wept with laughter.
I saw him live in London decades ago, but can still remember the glorious evening of having him just ramble on for 2 1/2 hours while we all laughed so much our sides ached
What happens when funny men are together,this stuff happens. So brilliant and talented.RIP to them Both. Dud2002 and Pete2 2004. Bless them.🤩
There you go. Opera fans don't even know the difference. Nor do I, I think actual opera is nearly as ridiculous as this.
The two of them were incredibly funny, and Dudley was a very good musician as well.
Peter Ustinov was so great. Far and away the best thing in SPARTACUS. Without him it wouldn’t be worth watching.
In fact he was the only actor in it who got an academy award for his part in it (best supporting actor).
Thanks so much for this, only just this moment stumbled on this, had no idea it had ever happened! Peter Ustinov's voice is a wonder and amazing how he listens and they follow each other, and Dudley Moore, well he has ALWAYS been my go to musical and comedy genius, the world is bereft without such as these! Dr M
Oh my God!! What utter genius! So brilliantly clever, so quick - SO funny. Nothing could equal this - not then, and certainly not now.
This reminds me of some of Victor Borges routines. I met Peter Ustinov in Belfast in about 1992. Was one of the scariest trips I ever took because of what was going on at the time.
Improvisation like a a thing of wonder! I was so dazzled when I saw this on the show, never forgot it.
Even better than this, in the late 1960s my father recorded the audio of Ustinov and Moore as two 'Pete And Dud'-style voiced characters improvising on the idea of coming up with an operatic version of Lady Chatterley's Lover. An UTTER classic of comedy.
Incredible wit, incredible musical resource and MUCH funnier, I have to say, than what you see here where they are reminiscing and recapturing rather than being at the top of their game. I used to literally wet myself as a child listening to my Dad's recording. As an adult I couldn't believe how Moore could deliver one genre and musical period after another on the piano just like that.
Of course the original was never preserved by BBC. If it was ever committed to tape it was certainly wiped very soon after. A really terrible loss among what must be a whole host of other classic losses.
I take it you no longer have your father's recording ...... ?
You will never see the likes of these legends again God bless their soul thank you for making us laugh
My sister and l used to play play opera in the shower. We had such fun. Hysterical!!!
Wish I could have been there …….🤔
@@rapido2963 Doing what?
What wonderful stuff! I have watched this over and over.
And there’s more my friends ! Eddy
Peter was such a wonderful Poirot, divine to watch!!
I loved them both! Incredible talent.
Such a shame they have to take content down - not that long ago there was the whole thing on TH-cam - what harm it was doing I don't know - it couldn't have been depriving anyone of any revenue.
Point taken & I agree. Why not be nice again?
Now that’s entertainment
In a class of their own.. Just Brilliant!
Pure, unadulterated talent. Miss them both
I can’t understand a word their are saying but the fact they can makes it funny.
Remember it well. Unfortunately they don't make em like that anymore.
Peter Ustinov was endlessly entertaining. Brilliant raconteur!
There is an actual conversation being had here and it revolves around how dudley is playing the piano. If you are a classically trained musician, listen carefully and you will laugh your ass off. This is god-tier comedy!
They days of talent.
Yes folks, comedians were funny in them days.
'Those' days you semi-literate oik..
@@Tinker1950 Ha ha! It was deliberate. Oxfordshire dialect.
@@archiebald4717 You mean it was deliberately illiterate?
@@martinedwards9921 Whatever you wish to think, is alright with me.
Miss them both!!!!! So civilized!!! What else???👍👍👍👍👍💐💐💐😎😎😎
Prima Donnas like these come around only once in a millennium...😂 Requiescant In Pace.
Absolutely brilliant!
If you're an artist like those acters, you can even that!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bravo, it's great, also the singing, no question about that too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
brilliant
Fantastic, so unbelievably funny xx
Incredible talented musicians and comedians. As Italian, I find hilarious how they choose random Italian phrases to mimic a true opera...
Ah, Dudley......Good looking, cute and funny. A dream.
There are no entertainers like that anymore
Crying with laughter!
Two incredibly talented men.
Dudley Moore at times has the same facial expressions as Rowan Atkinson, I never noticed that before...
Hilarious...more please.
The ranconter and the wit, in perfect harmony.
Fantastic! Dudley looks a lot like Rowan (Atkinson) ...
Two incredibly talented people. They would have been stifled today.
Yes they were and, no, they wouldn't.
I loved Peter Cook and dudley Moore....good to see them again
Norma and Adalgisa/Clotilde auditioning for the roles of Leonora and Ines... Brilliant!
real comedy real talent real brilliance.
Fabulous. Totally.
GLORIOUS!!!!!
so great!
Love it man
Brilliant!
This is even funnier than real opera.
Outstanding
Hilariously hilarious
Another time they did impromptu madrigals.... that time Dudley won.
Not enough people have seen this
Rest in peace…
Comedy greats with class
The whole thing used to be here in sequence without the interruptions, where has it gone?
Brilliant ❤️👏
I don't think a contemporary audience would 'get' this
Brilliance.
This is gold
Magnificent!
In those days comedians were actually genuinely funny. Sadly this is often not the case with many of todays comedians!!🙄
Enjoy as we all do !!!!
AMAZING TO HAVE TWO SUCH TALANTED MEN TOGETHER.
What’s worrying is that ‘young people’ probably wouldn’t enjoy this as they don’t have the knowledge needed to understand how good this made up parody is let alone appreciate a level of comedy that we don’t get anymore.
I absolutely agree! I love going to opera, am myself a musician, and this knocked me out! You have to really be comfortable with the genre to be able to "artfully destroy" as these two geniuses did!
And I knew that Moore was classically trained but his improv was superb!
As a “young person” who grew up with decent exposure to European classical music, I can happily say I still find this funny. But I wish we didn’t have to dispel this myth of “declining culture” all the time. Art like everything else evolves with each generation. I highly doubt the average person of your generation would find the stilted ramblings of some 13th century court jester funny in the same way someone from the 13th century would. Does it mean their comedy is on a higher level of complexity or brilliance? I love Dudley Moore, and his comedy, were I to label it, is just musical slapstick. Similar to Bernstein or the Marx brothers of his time, and similar to someone like Hans Teeuven or even Bo Burnham nowadays. Why put down our generation to make you feel good about your tastes?
It would have been good to have Pete,Dud and Peter. Such great entertainers. RIP.🇬🇧🤗
I don't care if young people don't get it. Culture has been doomed ever since the internet took over (and made it so that it wasn't 'quality of content' but 'maximisation of brand exposure' that prioritised what would be consumedmore than anything else). This isn't the complaint of a baby boomer. It's just simply a devastating fact. So if young people don't 'get' history or 'get' music or 'get' art or 'get' any quality of any content whatsoever, it's not their fault...it's the very nature of how 'the information age' has ruined their chances for them.
Fortunately there IS a STORE here of what is historically 'worthwhile' for those who know what's what. Whether or not it will be selected for posterity in the future is in the lap of the gods.
@@brucekilby9957 My mind is blown by the concept of just both Peters together doing something. Wow that would be bordering on art.
I have movie DVDS of
Peter Ustinov
and Dudley Moore
Peter Ustinov with
Michael Caine
and Omar Sharif in
Ashanti
with Robert Powell
Michael York
Donald Pleasance
Ian McShane
Christopher Plummer
James Forentino
and Rod Steiger in
Jesus Of Nazereth
I have got movie DVDS of
Dudley Moore
Julie Andrews
Robert Webber
and Bo Derek in
10
with Liza Minnelli
and John Gielgud in
Arthur
I am dedicating these movie DVDS to my old school friends who are both sisters as I hope to see them both again very soon to Chris and Hester from Billyxxxxx
Ron wood the RollingvStone was a good friend of dudley moore. At one hilarious performance , ron wood said’hes so brilliant and musically gifted, he can make you laugh wuth his music! Just playing. And i think its his very expressive face that is part of his comedy
There's always a knock halfway through the recitative 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤪🤪🤪
They don't make them like that any more..................................brilliant, wonderful, especially because imrovisation is one of the most difficult skills. Bless them both. Now, what's on this evening ? Yes, the usual dross.