Michael Crawford was a quirky boy actor in 50s films and as a young adult in 60s films where he usually played the odd man out, out of sync with swinging London. His offbeat charm was a success in big films like HELLO HOLLY, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, THE KNACK, and TWO LEFT FEET.
When he came to British TV in his early 30s, he brought his original style along with him to fashion the hapless Frank Spencer, the disaster-prone but lovable TV character. Crawford seems to have harvested all sort of old Music Hall bits and pieces in creating the slightly spastic, prissy Frank whose constant tinkering and butting in wreaks all kinds of havoc. The slapstick comedy recalls the time-honored work of Buster Keaton (a co-star in FORUM).
Seemingly adrift in his own catastrophic universe, his only real connections with the real world are his wife Betty (Michele Dotrice) and baby daughter Jessica. Otherwise, Frank lives in a constant state of harassment from co-workers in the endless parade of failed jobs, nasty neighbors, a mother in law, and even the local priest.
Yet Crawford makes Frank a character you root for even as you laugh at his silliness and foresee his failures. On top of this, Crawford proves to be a splendid slapstick comedian, doing all his own stunt work (as he did in his films) that involves all sorts of situations.
Familiar faces among the guest stars over the course of the series include Jane Hylton as the mother in law, Bryan Pringle, George Baker, James Cossins, Christopher Timothy, Peter Jeffrey, Cyril Luckham, Bernard Hepton, Deddie Davies, Desmond Llewelyn, Sydney Tafler, Hazel Bainbridge, Glynn Edwards, Roland Curram, Derek Farr, Diana King, and Dick Bentley as Grandad.
