'Allo 'Allo !

Welcome to the Cafe Rene, in the French village of Nouvion, where you can get fine wines, paintings by Van Clomp (not all originals) and a selection of German and British officers. The owner, Rene Artois, who may have his mind on other things - like his waitresses, Yette and Maria - will look after you. Just don`t tell his wife!

David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd's sitcom 'Allo 'Allo started life in 1982 as a modest one-off spoof of the classic 1970s drama series Secret Army. A throwback to an earlier era during the 1980s heyday of alternative comedy, the show's decidedly un-PC mix of bedroom farce and crudely drawn national stereotypes was subsequently stretched over nine series in all (1984-1992), making it TV's successor to the long-running Carry On series. 'Allo 'Allo was not only similarly preoccupied with seaside postcard humour, it was also blessed with a cracking ensemble cast (including Carry On veteran Kenneth Connor) whose sheer energy eked out comic gold from even the laziest jokes about humourless Germans, cowardly Italians, "Tally ho!" Brits and onion-selling Frenchmen. Like Croft & Lloyd's Are You Being Served, it was the cast interaction more than the material itself that produced the laughs. Despite its determination never to vary the formula from week to week, the show had at least one virtue--it wasn't afraid to offend anyone

'Allo, 'Allo! was a wildly popular British sitcom making unlikely humour of the German occupation of France, succeeding because of its sheer lunacy, and the amiable performance of veteran character actor Gordon Kaye, as café owner René Artois. René finds himself surrounded by buffoonish German officers, who are easily duped yet still keep René on his toes, and sometimes in hot water. He also must juggle the imperious French Resistance leader, Michelle DuBois (recurring gag: Michelle says, "Listen very carefully. I shall say this only once"--but never manages to get out the urgent message), his jealous wife (Carmen Silvera), and all his staff waitresses, who find the doughy René sexually irresistible. It is all très French, n'est-ce pas? Yet also very British in its broad slapstick tone; and TV buffs will see more than a hint of Hogan's Heroes, M*A*S*H, and even the old spy series Get Smart. This chunk of season 5, with 13 episodes on two discs, features as many crazy sight gags as ever, including a special "spy camera" disguised inside a potato. Why a potato? wonders René. "Because," drones Michelle in a fake French accent you could drive a Citroën through, "you cannot get carrots that beeg." But of course. Extras include cast biographies and trailers.

'Allo, 'Allo! was a wildly popular British sitcom making unlikely humor of the German occupation of France, succeeding because of its sheer lunacy, and the amiable performance of veteran character actor Gordon Kaye, as café owner René Artois. René finds himself surrounded by buffoonish German officers, who are easily duped yet still keep René on his toes, and sometimes in hot water. He also must juggle the imperious French Resistance leader, Michelle DuBois (played by Kirsten Cook; in a recurring gag, Michelle says, "Listen very carefully. I shall say this only once"--but never manages to get out the urgent message), his jealous wife (Carmen Silvera), and all his staff waitresses, who find the doughy René sexually irresistible. It is all très French, n'est-ce pas? TV buffs will see more than a hint of Hogan's Heroes, M*A*S*H, and even the old spy series Get Smart. Season 5 features as many crazy sight gags as ever (including a special "spy camera" disguised inside a potato), very silly accents, lots of cross-dressing (did you know female German officers were "allowed" to grow mustaches of "tasteful length"?), and over-the-top plots to foil the Nazis. One particularly memorable episode in this series involves disguising explosives in 500 Christmas puddings that René is asked to house at his café. How, he pleads, is he to explain the presence of 500 Christmas puddings at his tiny bistro? Resistance leader Michelle, exasperated: "Just say you have cornered ze market!"