Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Sticky Moments

For some bizarre reason, while I was standing in the shower this morning, letting the Aveda Pure-fume Volumizing [sic] Clay Conditioner work its magic on my locks (as you do), I was thinking about Julian Clary's '80s game show "Sticky Moments".

Anyone? Dr Freud?

Oh how I loved this show. Sure it became somewhat formulaic after a while, but oh how I laughed when it was all so young, so fresh, so thoroughly and camply outrageous. How I loved the super-sized sidekick Mr Hugh Jelly, and Fanny The Wonderdog. How I laughed at Julian's outfits!



Best of all the way he good naturedly turned the contestants into 'straight men' and foils for him to say the most outrageous things. Two examples immediately jump to mind, from the game where contestants were asked to complete the sentence:
Julian: Complete this sentence, "Cupid, draw back your..."?

Contestant: Bow?

Julian: No, sadly. Foreskin.

Or, this classic:
Julian: Complete this sentence, "The similarity between a roll of lino and my friend Kevin is..."?

Contestant: Um?

Julian: Time's up I'm afraid. They can both be used to line your back passage.

They just don't make comedy like that anymore.

19 comments:

Bodhi said...

I absolutely heart Julian Clary, he is the total Queen of Camp, par excellence.

And those outfits - oh my brad! Do you remember the time that Julian was on the (I think from memory) Steve Visard show, and he was seated next to Rex "The Moose" Mossop (a rugby league football boofhead and sports commentator). Rex stormed off in an absolute huff, while Julian took it all in his stride and joked away. Classic!

Just like I later came to love and appreciate Graham Norton, and his hysterical camp humour on his late night adult themed chat show, V Graham Norton. The Kid and I could not get enough when it was televised regularly on Foxtel here (pay/cable TV).

Should probably come as no suprise that I lurve these two actually. The Kid even often accuses me from time to time of having a "Graham Norton moment" when my double-ententre campness takes over. It just comes naturally, I don't find it hard ...

The Other Andrew said...

Thinking about this has made me want to find Sticky Moments on DVD, but sadly none of the Australian DVD companies list it. Maybe it was never released?... I need to keep searching.

Bodhi said...

I have never seen any Julian or Sticky Moments on DVD, so I don't think that anythings been released. Hopefully, they will do so at some time.

V Graham Norton Series 1 Volume 1 and Series 1 Volume 2 (each two disc sets) are available though. About $40 each at most places. They are on my DVD wishlist.

Miss Eudoxia said...

TOA you are taking us on a trip down memory lane this week aren't you?
I am afraid, very afraid. Bodhi and I seem to have the same memories of the same show......

Julian is a wonder boy...may need to look for VHS recordings hon :-) or Beta!

The Other Andrew said...

Google is not turning up any useable results for a DVD, so maybe its never been released or is off the market now? Shame, I'd love to see it again.

I do have my moments of nostalgia, don't I!?

Bodhi said...

Oh Miss E ...

Memories light the corner of my mind.
Misty water color memories
Of the way we were.

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind,
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were.

Can it be that it was all so simple then,
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again,
Tell me? would we? could we?

Memories may be beautiful and yet,
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget.

So it's the laughter
We will remember,
Whenever we remember
The way we were;
The way we were.

Miss Eudoxia said...

it is on video, give me a few minutes and I will dig up the details for you..may behard to order now but it is doable.

and don't stop the nostalgia....i love it! My staff groan when they hear me start a sentence with "When I was a young lass....."

Anonymous said...

Here's a link to a _deleted_ VHS copy of "The Best of":

http://www.sendit.com/video/item/7000000019659

It was released in 1991 and deleted in 1995, well before DVDs became popular (were they even available?).

There's an option for the company to hunt for a second hand copy.

Anonymous said...

From the VHS cover spiel:

Whereas traditional gameshows leave the vague impression that the contestants have been humiliated, 'Sticky Moments' removes any vagueness altogether.

Class.

Anonymous said...

Second hand copies at Amazon.co.uk here and more expensively here

Just trying to remember if they had colour TV back then ;)

The Other Andrew said...

Hah! Sweetie, you're only a couple of years younger than me so if that's a coy 'I'm too young to remember' routine then it won't wash. :-) It was definately colour, I mean I can remember how colourfull those outfits were. Don't you?

Thanks for the info on the tapes!

Anonymous said...

What's worse is that I remember seeing JC and the Wonder Dog live before he was on the telly.

Looking at the videos after posting the link, they only ship to a UK address, do you know any locals?

The Other Andrew said...

I saw Julian and Hugh Jelly in a gay bar in Adelaide once back in the '80s, they were really pleasant and friendly. Do you remember the sitcom "Terry & Julian" as well? Bit patchy, but funny at times.

I have some relatives in England still (I was born there), but not anyone I speak to regularly. I'd probably prefer DVDs in hindsight, because tapes deteriorate. Thanks for the info though!

Miss Eudoxia said...

if you can only do it in the UK my nurses's sister is over there and nurse is going to visit next month and can pick it up (that's the DVD addict nurse...she understadns your needs). Let me know and it can be done.

Michael said...

I've never heard of Julian Clary or that show. Definitely would have pinged my interest, so I imagine we didn't have it here.

Do love Graham Norton, though. Last year (I think) Comedy Central had a short run of a US version of The Graham Norton Effect. It was a scream but I guess it didn't have the effect CC was looking for. He's kind of odd-looking and tacky and filthy nasty. I'd love all over him.

The Other Andrew said...

Mike, it would probably be too outrageous for the US even now, let alone 20 years ago! :-) It was immensely funny. You know, to my shame I have never seen Graeme Norton. Call my self a homo? (I do)

Mikey (TLE) said...

Might I suggest you also try The Bookshop (you know, on Oxford St... THE Bookshop). They would know or could find out and they have a lot of stuff on DVD there that you can't get at HMV...
I too remember the Steve Vizard episode. The highpoint was teh following exchange:

Vizard: Rex, what do you think of homosexuals.

Rex: I don't think about homosexuals.

JC (leaning across Rex to Vizard and archly placing a hand on Rex's knee) We don't think about Rex, either.

Ahh, such panache.

Michael said...

I was just thinking that when you open a post with words like "shower" and "Aveda" it's like you're tossing chum in my waters. I'm not implying you're aiming it specifically at me or anything, but you could. Aim it at me, I mean.

The Other Andrew said...

Michael, you know that if there was you, a shower and the aroma of Aveda Pure-fume in the air, that I'd be aiming like crazy, right? Right at ya.