The Benny Hill Show | Christie's

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The Benny Hill Show

Details

The Benny Hill Show
A collection of costumes including:
- a Tyrolean style outfit comprising a jacket of grey flannel with green wool collar, labelled inside Bermans & Nathans, 40 Camden St., London N.W.1 with typescript details BENNY HILL, a pair of laderhosen style shorts of green corduroy, labelled inside StMichael and a dark green felt trilby, labelled inside Herbert Johnson, 13 Old Burlington Street, London W.1., with tie-on wardrobe label inscribed in black ink in an unknown hand Bens Austrian Character; - a cream cotton v-neck shirt fastening with four large blue buttons and cream cord ties, the collar and cuffs trimmed with cream lace and tartan ribbon, labelled inside Taylor Welch, inscribed in black ballpoint pen in an unknown hand Jeffrey;
- an outsize one-piece 'bathing suit' of royal blue and petrol blue jersey and corresponding belt with black plastic buckle, labelled inside Bermans & Nathans...., with typescript details BENNY HILL, 19121, BENNY HILL SHOW; and
- a 'schoolboy uniform' comprising grey flannel blazer trimmed with yellow braid, labelled inside A. Cohen (Theatrical Tailors) Ltd., 47 Frith Street, W.1., inscribed in blue ballpoint pen in an unknown hand Harry Secombe, a pair of grey flannel shorts, a grey wool sleeveless v-neck pullover, a pair of grey wool knee-length socks, two corresponding grey flannel caps and a prop catapult with wooden handle and leather sling; accompanied by a colour photograph of Benny Hill wearing a similar costume -- 8x10in. (20.3x25.4cm.) (a lot)

Literature

LEWISOHN, Mark The Radio Times Comedy Guide Book
LEWISOHN, Mark The True Story Of Benny Hill, London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 2002

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Harry Secombe and Benny Hill are not known to have collaborated on any project, therefore the explanation for the schoolboy blazer bearing the former's name appears to be that the same jacket was used for more than one production.
The Benny Hill Show ran intermittently on various television channels for thirty-four years between 1955-1989 - the slapstick comedy sketches proved to be extremely popular on both sides of the Atlantic.

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