Waldorf Salad

Basil is put through the wringer in this episode which sees numerous Fawlty Towers guests have bad dining experiences. Then a couple consisting of an American husband and an English wife arrive, and he is HELLBENT on having his way. Poor Basil - whom you can actually feel sorry for here - is treated with such disdain by this overbearing guest that, when he attempts to dig himself out of a hole, he only succeeds in digging it deeper.

Canadian-born guest star Bruce Boa, whom you may otherwise know best as General Rieekan in "The Empire Strikes Back", is just perfect playing this over the top parody of the stereotypical loud, self-centered, demanding American tourist. And therein lies an interesting element amid the laughs: this whole depiction of cultural differences between Americans and the English.

Things get so bad that Basil is pushed to his breaking point. When Mr. Hamilton seizes upon the fact that other guests present are NOT satisfied with their whole experience, Basil just unloads on the whole bunch of them, giving in to his worst impulses. Of course, he's picked a very bad night to do this: it's raining outside!

Overall, while this episode may not have given me as many belly laughs as previous episodes, it still rates as a provocative and still often funny 32 minutes of comedy.

My favorite part: Basil pretending to have a fight with Terry the chef (Brian Hall, "The Long Good Friday").

Seven out of 10.

I used to have the box set of both series and I always fast forwarded past this episode.

I cannot stand Bruce Boa in this episode. He seems to be portraying all that is wrong about foreign visitors to any country. Their insistence of having something they always have at home is irritating in the extreme.

Fawlty's guests are usually treated badly for no good reason (other than they made the mistake of staying in his hotel), the problem with this episode is that Bruce Boa's character DOESN'T get treated badly and he really, really should.

Watching it again on DVD for the first time in about 5 years, I found the episode didn't grate as much as it used to, but Bruce Boa is still extremely annoying.

For anyone who has ever wondered how the world sees Americans, this episode should answer that question. Brilliant, biting and with writing as crisp as a well tied bow tie, this is one of the true classics of this classic series.

Perfectly captured that all-American trait of humility---no wait, I mean hubris---and the all-British trait of 'go along to get along.' The casting, as always, is immaculate and John Cleese illustrates why he is one of the true comedic geniuses of his time--combining the physicality of Chaplin with the scorching wit of Groucho.

In all honesty, I have held off my entire life from having a Waldorf Salad until such time as I visit the UK--with the express desire to see the reaction when I order it.

I am sure it will be---as Basil might say---"TYPICAL". And I will make a point to bring some extra 'Mickey Mouse money' so I don't have to bust "an ass" to get it.

Right!

I like the bit where he hit the fridge with a hat and pretended he was angry

"Waldorf Salad" is funny, like the rest of them, but it's just a bit too uptight on the whole. The character of Mr. Hamilton (played acidly by Bruce Boa) is just too much of a jackass and even though Basil, at long last, gets a wake-up call when dressed down in front of a room full of guests, Hamilton doesn't ever get what HE deserves. It's obvious from the beginning that Basil isn't going to beat The Hamiltons with the hotel's usual low standards - they want their screwdrivers made with FRESH orange juice, they want their steak done rare...and they want their Waldorf salad. The usual quota of humorous lines is there (Basil: "What is a Waldorf, anyway? A walnut that's gone off?!") The bit where Basil rifles through a box of potatoes and other vegetables in order to find the right ingredients is quite a hoot. In short, it seems like "Waldorf Salad" underscores what was patently obvious about the hotel from the beginning...that it's a house of problems!