Waldorf Salad

I won't say this is the best episode of Fawlty Towers because everyone has their favourite. But it is the one I enjoyed most. Bruce Boa is just brilliant here, a great foil for Basil. When I reach for my DVD of Fawlty Towers, this is always the first one I watch. In 2002, I went to a buffet restaurant and there was a Waldorf salad with the ingredients described in the episode: celery, apples, walnuts and grapes in a mayonnaise sauce. Although I was reluctant to taste it, it turned out to be delicious. So far, I have never found Basil's dubious Old English salad! I doubt that it exists.

When I first saw this episode I (being an American) wondered just what they were playing at. He may fool non-Americans but I doubt that any of us would be taken in. (In a way it's like the phoney Aussie accents on Month Python; people that weren't familiar with authentic Aussie accents were probably fooled; real Aussies weren't.

I notice from his credits that he made a career of playing Americans, which says something for British production values.

The only Brit I can recall who would have fooled me completely had I not known better was Sid James in "Orders Are Orders" in which he played a big-mouthed movie producer.

"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!

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.

I personally left reviewing this episode til last, as I hate to say it, it's my least favourite episode, I guess solely down to the fact that I feel sorry for Basil, and I'm a fan of his.

I think the criticisms about The Brits classing Americans as brash and overbearing is unfair, Harry is just one demanding, loud, obstinate man, regardless of nationality.

Canadian Bruce Boa plays the role of Harry very well, you can't argue with that, but poor Basil gets it from all angles. Normally Fawlty Towers has a few charming guests, not this time, he has a hotel full of complainers.

I find parts funny, and parts rather frustrating to watch. I really enjoy the part where Sybil is talking to her American guests about California, gives us a different slant on Sybil's character, I enjoyed. The part though where Basil is arguing with his imaginary Chef I find hard work.

It is funny, it's Fawlty Towers, but even great shows have ranking order of episodes, and sadly for me this one sits at the bottom. 7/10