Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Cracker.



ALTHOUGH THIS IS A TRIBUTE
TO THE GREAT ROBBIE COLTRANE,
OTHER ACTORS WHOM I ADMIRE,
WHO ARE RADIANT AND RIOTOUS IN
both comedy and drama, will pop up
to receive accolades.
X
What brings this up is an article in the Times
about the series, "Crackers", starring Robbie Coltrane,
which is now being issued on DVD. Hurray for that!
x
For those of you not as fanatical about British Police
Procedurals as I, let me explain. Fitz, Eddie Fitzgerald,
Coltrane's character, is a plump, arrogant, masterful,
penetrating, harsh, sharp, forensic police psychologist.
Solves them all, of course, and receives spiritual as
well as physical bruises.
x
I place this series just slightly below "Prime Suspect",
Helen Mirren's masterwork. On the level with
"Inspector Morse", with the late, great John Thaw.
And almost side by side with the esoteric,"Wire In the Blood",
with the riveting Robson Green.
x
Coltrane's been Hagrid in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerers
Stone", in recent years. But started and was trained In
Glasgow. Was a partner to Emma Thompson with a
comedy troupe, appeared in Kenneth Branagh's "Henry V",
added to the mayhem of Black Adder, as did the original
Bertie Wooster, Hugh Laurie, (opposite the inimitable
Stephen Fry as Jeeves), who is presently wasting
his time as the dissipated and misogynistic "House", when
he should just shave, wash his face and do a bit of song,
a bit of dance, a bit of seltzer down his pants.
But I digress.
x
What put Robbie Coltrane's name above the title was "Nuns
on the Run", with the "wacky" Eric Idle, who needs no
introduction here. I admit, I'm a complete sucker for
ridiculous drag and silly Nuns. Quite a transition then to
"Cracker", but my deep preference for comedy doesn't
erase Coltrane's personification of the super sleuth,
Eddie Fitzgerald. Ready for another round of that.

















21 comments:

Raph G. Neckmann said...

How wonderful - 'Nuns on the Run' is one of my very favourite films! It is so funny and so clever and so entertaining. And Robbie Coltrane is a marvellous actor. I think he's great as Hagrid too. (Haven't seen the other films.)

'Radiant and riotous'. What a glorious expression! Rather aspirational too - I'd love it if people said that about me!

Anonymous said...

Raph-
I don't know what "people" will say, but I will..your work is radiant and riotous..so there!!
"Nun"...definitely a
favorite..thanks!

Natalie said...

Yay for Robbie!

Yay for Lyn and her beautifully worded love of Robbie!
Thanks.xx♥

Kristina Eyre said...

LOVE British comedy!!! Will keep an eye for the DVD for sure.

Anonymous said...

Natalie-
Thanks, Nat..I know there are many who just love Robbie!

Krissy-
British comedy, thank you, yes! And detectives..I'm in heaven!!!!

Unknown said...

Hi Lyn,

Robbie is definitely a most talented actor. It is the way he can turn his hand to Harry Potter and Shakespeare, indeed anything!

Did you know that Robbie recently did a programme travelling along the B roads of Britain? Looking for the wierd and wonderful aspects of British Life!

I also enjoy the other cops you've mentioned but especially Morse. John Thaw was unique.

Anonymous said...

Hi Derrick-
Yes, Morse, his devotion to classical music ! And he had his own Robbie..
I hope to be able to see that adventure that Coltrane has taken..
sounds so intriguing! Thank you!

Dave King said...

A fitting tribute. More power to your finger tips!

Anonymous said...

Hi Dave-
Thank you so much..As long as you guys keep up the good work, I'll be a fan!

The Clever Pup said...

I love British crime shows though I hardly see any now because we don't have cable. I think Hugh Laurie is delicious. I was just telling Poetikat the same. He used to be funny now he's just a nut.

I liked your A Little Song, A Little Dance, A Little Selter Down your pants. That's from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Chuckles the Clown euology.

Anonymous said...

The Clever Pup-
Oh thank you for reminding me of Mary and Chuckles..brought a tear to my eye!!
And let's hope Hugh goes for laughs again!

A Cuban In London said...

Blackadder and Nuns on the Run. You've said it all. The other trait Coltrane possesses is that he blends. Most people remember Hugh Laurie in Blackadder and Atkinson, of course, but Coltrane? Mention that name to any comedian here in the UK nowadays and they will go: who's that?

Many thanks for such a timely piece.

Greetings from London.

Anonymous said...

A Cuban in London-
It's funny about who's recognized. Here, lots of folks think Laurie's an Amer., never heard of Blackadder. Same for Coltrane. Almost as if having that info is rarified..
Glad to be hooked!! Thanks and greetings.

Kat Mortensen said...

Lyn - At last, I'm here. I'm here!

Wonderful, wonderful post! I love Robbie Coltrane. Did you ever see him as the soccer coach in "Kicking Tomorrow"? (I think that was the title.)
Also, I must add that the first time I saw one of my very favourite actors, Robert Carlyle, he was playing a psychopathic soccer fanatic who ends up...well, I won't give it away. It's a bang-up ending though.

I find it hilarious that not only did we post about the same thing on the same day, BUT you also used the word "inimitable". Cool! Yes! Definitely.

Maybe you're my long-lost sister or something. I seem to have a number of mystical siblings in the blog-world. Glad you're one of them.

Kat

P.S. Did you see Robbie's tour around England? It was brilliant!

Anonymous said...

Hi Kat-
I think the bloggy world is a sort of lost and found! Like goes to like..I really love all these "coincidenses".
I never saw Kicking Tomorrow.
Will try to find it. Wasn't in England to see Robbie's tour..I can just imagine!

Kat Mortensen said...

Lyn - No! The tour was a series of programs where RC traveled about Britain, visiting unusual sites.
There's another series with Stephen Fry touring America too. Both are excellent!

Kat

Anonymous said...

Kat-
Aha, I get it!
I certainly hope that either, both appear here.
Thanks for the info. And if anything urgent about these favs comes up, we must share it!!!

Kat Mortensen said...

Hear! Hear! on the Bertie Wooster/House advice. Absolutely! (a bit of seltzer...ha ha!)

One of my other favourites, Robert Carlyle, appeared as the Liverpool Football fan/serial killer in a Cracker episode. Do you remember him?

Kat

Lyn said...

Hi Kat-
I had to re-read this..I agree with myself!!
Robert Carlyle..also in Trainspotting..right?

Kat Mortensen said...

This is too funny, Lyn! I just realized I had already read and commented (at length). I am SO losing my mind, eh?

Kat

Lyn said...

Hi Kat-
More than funny! You forgot that you read it, and I forgot that I wrote it!! Rocking chairs at the home?

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