08 May 2008

Dudley Moore: Piano man

If you're of a certain age you might only remember Dudley Moore (1935-2002) from his appearances on the Muppet Show (which were ace) and, in his 'Sex Thimble' phase, in dodgy movies like '10' and Arthur (which were, um, not). But he brought a deep well of comedic talent to the comedy team of Beyond The Fringe and the later legendary pairing with Peter Cook. It also should be remembered that he was a remarkable talent on the keyboard, as these three clips illustrate - all in glorious black & white. First off, the jaunty farewell signature theme 'Goodbye', sung with Pete in matching silly Robin Hood hats. Then, two stage performances showing his skill and versatility: one operatic (deploying his unearthly falsetto) and one fiendishly complex yet intrinsically funny Beethoven parody.



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