Origin of a Classic: At Last The 1948 Show (1967)

Certain of our generation will remember David Frost as a talk show host here in the US, but before Group W signed him to come to the States, David was a humorist and television producer in England.

American audiences were introduced to Frost in That Was The Week That Was. In England, Frost's production company produced a 2 season sketch comedy series, At Last The 1948 Show, which, according to co-creator and co-star John Cleese, didn't really have anything to do with the year 1948.

Thirteen episodes were produced over two "series", as they're called in the UK, and were thought lost for some time. After the series ended, Cleese and co-creator Graham Chapman moved on to Monty Python's Flying Circus, which achieved iconic status on both sides of the pond. A 3rd Python member, Eric Idle, was a frequent guest on At Last.

Because of reports that Thames Television, which acquired At Last after the series ended, had "wiped" the tapes for reuse, it was thought to be lost, and I have no record of the series airing here in the US, even on PBS, which was the first American network to carry Monty Python. Britbox has acquired a number of clips for its YouTube channel, including this gem with Cleese and another co-creator who'd later become a legend here in the US----Marty Feldman.

If you can find it on DVD, get it.

Rating: A.