Benny Hill in New York

Benny Hill was in his late 60's when this was shot... he died not long after it was finished. Only the greatest of entertainers, the ones who truly feel it a privilege to perform go on doing so until they die. In most of the latter half of his life, Benny Hill spent his energy and time making people laugh. I hope he died feeling that his life was a full one... he was an astonishingly funny man, and deserves every single one of the many laughs that he got in his lengthy career. This special holds a special(pun not intended) place in my heart... not only because it was his last, but because it was the first I saw of him. I remember seeing this in my early youth, and slowly warming up to the humor. I've seen this countless times since... and I still find the jokes and gags extraordinarily funny. No matter how many times I watch this all the way through, the hour it takes always seems to pass incredibly fast. From the very first sketch, the first joke or running gag, this has you in stitches. You'll learn "how to meet beautiful women", see a marvelous parody of Ask Dr. Ruth featuring Roseanne Barr, you'll even get to listen to a cough-and-sneeze choir. This also features the first, last and only(to my knowledge, at the very least) rap performance by Mr. Hill... with lyrics like only he could write them! Seeing as my "eureka" moment(the time I discovered it, and realized I loved it) regarding rap came at a later age, this is one of the first places I've ever heard rap, as well(before the concept of different music genres made its way into my head)... for that, too, this will always be special to me. Sure, some of the material was seen in his shows, too... but it's almost all great. All, or at least most, of his regular cast returns as well. All his trademark moves and facial expressions also appear. The humor is often smutty and crude... but that's just the way us fans want Benny to be! While this may not have the pace of either series, which had a younger(and probably of better health) Hill, it's still a worth-while experience. I recommend this to any fan of Benny Hill, though it may take a certain amount of respect for the man and his craft to enjoy, as it may not hold up if pitted against newer specials of other, younger comedians. RIP, Mr. Benny Hill. 8/10

Ha ha ha ha ha ha! This is another fine work of that funny man Benny Hill, who I'll always remember with the running gags and the funny music. And the faces he makes and skits and shorts enough to make Harpo Marx upstaged, or enough to make Mr. Bean look like a rip-off. This one is where he tours New York, learning rap, how to meet beautiful women, the historical and hot spots in New York, and getting involved with gangs. And not to mention getting in drag once again, and impersonating an Oriental man again, yeah! And with all the dialog free parts, the ones with speech were also hilarious, I haven't stopped laughing in days and can't forget them! This was his final TV appearance, if only he was hear, we could see another, but rest in peace sweet prince, I love your work and this show. Recommended for all fans of the show, or those who like Mr. Bean, watch it, it's great mate!

Perhaps it's the aging thing, but in earlier days I thought Benny was very funny. This video hardly got a smile from me. That's sad since it was his last work. I rated it a 5 and that was being generous. Maybe I'll find the Benny I remember on another video.

After being let go by Thames Television in 1989, popular demand led to a new incarnation where he would perform in various parts of the world. Unfortunately, Benny Hill was not taking care of his health despite serious problems cropping up, and this was the only segment completed before his death. And there were some exterior scenes filmed in New York City, but only a couple of streets and parks which could have been filmed anywhere.

Like the movie "Bean", which my late aunt and I were excited to see only to disappoint us, this video was hardly better. A lot of old material was recycled, and not particularly good material at that. I was glad I did not buy the video as I originally intended.