Obviously this character only appeared once but it's become a generalization about us Yanks that's been recounted again
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MarwoodWalks — 12 years ago(December 10, 2013 02:05 AM)
While the American is portrayed as the now trypical stereotype, loud, ignorant, spoilt etche does have a point that the hotel is badly run! I don't blame him for the way he acts at the end and everything he says is true.
I love watching the greedy, cowardly Fawlty interacting with the confident arrogant Yank, they are the exact opposites and its comedy gold!
As for if this is the first time we see the Yank abroad stereotypeI am sure its been seen before 1975, I seem to remember some british WW2 films from the 40's or 50's where they complain about visiting yank soldiers for the same sort of stuff.
'To a New Yorker like you, a hero is some type of weird sandwich' -
firstfossil — 12 years ago(December 12, 2013 09:12 AM)
He was unnecessarily rude at first, ranting about the rain, but Fawlty's reluctance to serve a proper dinner before being bribed was poor timing to say the least.
In interviews, Cleese himself has often supported the customer orientated culture in the US. Cleese mocks the British squeamishness when it comes to complaining about bad service in the same episode with those ladies eating their substandard beef stew. -
lubin-freddy — 12 years ago(February 01, 2014 11:04 PM)
It's true though. British people are very polite even when they are very angry.
The Pythons do a good take on that in
Life of Brian
, with the guy trying to be oh-so-polite in explaining that it's not his cross.
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul -
!!!deleted!!! (11305375) — 9 years ago(July 12, 2016 03:38 PM)
While the American is portrayed as the now trypical stereotype, loud, ignorant, spoilt etche does have a point that the hotel is badly run! I don't blame him for the way he acts at the end and everything he says is true.
True, the Hotel was run badly which for anyone who watched the series was hardly news. That having been said to some degree I would defend Basil. The fact of the matter is that if the guy (the characters name escapes me for the moment) wanted to have something to eat, he should have looked in to finding a hotel that fit his personal needs. Either that or made plans in advance where he find somewhere that he could get something to eat before arriving at the Hotel. He just couldn't just waltz in and then expect to be treated any differently than any of the other guests. Where Basil ultimately lets himself down his giving in to his greed and agreeing to bend to the American guests wishes. He should have stuck to his guns and if the man didn't like it there were other Hotels he could have chosen to go to.
I love watching the greedy, cowardly Fawlty interacting with the confident arrogant Yank, they are the exact opposites and its comedy gold!
I agree, it was pretty inspired and the contrasting performances between the two wonderfully complimented one another.
As for if this is the first time we see the Yank abroad stereotypeI am sure its been seen before 1975, I seem to remember some british WW2 films from the 40's or 50's where they complain about visiting yank soldiers for the same sort of stuff.
I agree, I am highly doubtful
Fawlty Towers
was the first to do this. Nothing springs to mind straight away but I'm sure if the OP takes a quick look online they'll be hard pressed not to find any pre-1975 examples. Actually, come to think of it Cliff Richards
Summer Holiday
if I recall correctly had some some American stereo types as the love interest is from the United States. We also see her parents and they pretty much fit the bill. -
OliviaF — 12 years ago(January 25, 2014 02:02 AM)
Well nothing in Fawlty Towers is particularly flattering, I mean Manuel doesn't represent all immigrant workers from Barcelona. And not all Aussie girls are blonde and tall (I'm Aussie and the exact opposite!)
But whether the American stereotype existed pre-Fawlty Towers I'm not sure, but I doubt that the series was responsible for 'creating' it. -
John_Dee_007 — 11 years ago(June 09, 2014 06:03 AM)
Well nothing in Fawlty Towers is particularly flattering, I mean Manuel doesn't represent all immigrant workers from Barcelona. And not all Aussie girls are blonde and tall (I'm Aussie and the exact opposite!)
And that actress's abysmal attempt at an Australian accent was the funniest thing in that episode.
OCJOC -
lubin-freddy — 12 years ago(February 01, 2014 11:02 PM)
Having travelled around the world, I can say that the Ugly American, if not the rule, is certainly a constant that you see often.
I was in Cambodia, at the Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. It was mostly empty, except for my wife and I, and an American couple, who had hired a guide. I wasn't following them around, but just stopped for a moment to listen to the guide explain something. The man stopped him, looked at me, and said:
"We paid for him"
.
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul -
tbx5959 — 12 years ago(February 11, 2014 03:12 PM)
As an American, I'd likely say the same damn thing. Go get a tour guide if you want a tour, don't be in my space - that's what I paid for, an individual tour, and more than that my space, not a tour with a sprinkling of people hanging around during the interesting parts.
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lubin-freddy — 12 years ago(February 15, 2014 08:29 AM)
So you too are an ugly American, who thinks that his money buys whatever he wants. I wasn't following the guy around, and wasn't anywhere near them. I kept a distance, and just wanted to hear a few words. But, if the Americans paid, than they get to do whatever they want. The arrogance of power. They'd better get used to the Chinese doing it all to them in the near future.
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul -
tbx5959 — 12 years ago(February 15, 2014 11:45 PM)
Yup, guilty as charged. I exchange money for goods and services - I expect said goods and services delivered as agreed upon. Of course you don't think you were following him around or weren't in his space, but obviously he thought differently. Europeans and asians seem to have no problem with people in their personal space, Americans tend to, that has nothing to do with world politics - if/when the Chinese become the big swinging dick in geopolitics, I don't think Americans are going to instantly start standing closer to each other or decide, you know what, sure we agreed to something, but it doesn't matter if I get it or not, and sure, everyone come on in on the private tour.
If you wanted a tour, go get one. He didn't owe you a tour, you mooched in on his tour. If he ordered a steak should you feel fine coming in and cutting off a piece? He buys a magazine and there is an article you find interesting, so what, just peer over his shoulder? -
lubin-freddy — 12 years ago(February 16, 2014 07:00 AM)
I see a big difference between following a guide around the site (the GENOCIDE MUSEUM, for god's sake), and standing a good distance away, once.
As a teacher, my class is always open. People often ask if they can sit in, and I always say yes. The credits cost money (to the college), but knowledge is free.
If you see things differently, then that's how the Ugly American seems to most of the world.
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul -
Kinomachtfrei — 11 years ago(June 14, 2014 01:28 AM)
"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."
George Bernard Shaw
And that's one reason that the world will long remember Shaw, a socialist, while you, and your steak, might not linger so long in the imagination. -
deforest-1 — 11 years ago(August 09, 2014 05:37 AM)
I'm American-born and have written a book much of which is about the unwarranted anti-Americanism my family suffered when we settled in the British colony of New Zealand in 1960. So I sympathise in general, but to expect people not to listen in, in a public place? If you were that fussy about sharing you should have arranged a closed communication system between you and the guide.
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mcgmcgmcg — 10 years ago(August 30, 2015 03:54 AM)
Why is it so surprising you had a difficult time assimilating in a country that stopped being a colony in 1907?
Calling the Kiwis a colony of Britian in 1960 reeks of ignorance.
No cash here!! Here, no cash!!! Cash, no!!!! Robbo? No Cash! -
richard.fuller1 — 10 years ago(September 19, 2015 07:08 PM)
I remember hearing "you Americans did it first" as tho we thought of everything or did everything there was to do that was new.
Even saw an Englishman on The Price Is Right and when Bob asked him something about the way it was done in England, the guy just replied with, you did it first.
Bob laughed.
I do recall some incredible underlying envy tho with Band Aid and Do They Know It's Christmas? that none of our big American performers were on the breakthrough song.
No matter how much money We Are the World raised, how sensationalized it was (I thought the overall song was terrible), England still had it first.