Rumpole of the Bailey, Set 1 - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

Starring:Peter Whitaker, Samantha Bond, Edward de Souza, Robin Bailey, Ann Way, Derek Benfield, Eric Dodson, Bill Fraser
Director: Peter Hammond, Robert Knights, Jim Goddard, Herbert Wise, Tony Smith (III), John Gorrie, Mike Vardy, Michael Simpson, Robert Tronson, Donald McWhinnie, Derek Bennett, Rodney Bennett, Stuart Burge, Brian Farnham, Julian Amyes
Studio: A&E Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Before there was Quincy and The Practice, there was Rumpole. Rumpole of the Bailey is, quite simply, one of the finest television series, and it has served as a model for all law dramas that followed it. Edgy and satirical, Rumpole is based on John Mortimer's books of the same name. A determined and committed criminal defense barrister (whose clients have included three generations of the Timson family, among others) at the Old Bailey (criminal court), esteemed actor Leo McKern portrays the antihero Rumpole. As champion of the downtrodden, the self-righteous Rumpole loves to get in trouble with his wife Hilda, his peers, the head of chambers, and judges, to name but a few. A connoisseur of Wordsworth, cigars, and cheap liquor, McKern's usually disheveled Rumpole belies the character's dry sense of humor and astute skill as a barrister. The upwardly mobile Hilda is played by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, known for her Miss Toliver in Alcatraz Island, and Justice Sir Guthrie Fetherston is played by Peter Bowles, known for his Richard DeVere in TV's To the Manor Born.

Each volume features two episodes. Included in this set are "Rumpole and the Younger Generation," "Rumpole and the Honourable Member," "Rumpole and the Married Lady," "Rumpole and the Learned Friends," "Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade," "Rumpole and the Man of God," "Rumpole and the Case of Identity," "Rumpole and the Show Folk," "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast," "Rumpole and the Age for Retirement," "Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim," and "Rumpole and the Barrow Boy."

Amazon.com

Before there was Quincy and The Practice, there was Rumpole. Rumpole of the Bailey is, quite simply, one of the finest television series, and it has served as a model for all law dramas that followed it. Edgy and satirical, Rumpole is based on John Mortimer's books of the same name. A determined and committed criminal defense barrister (whose clients have included three generations of the Timson family, among others) at the Old Bailey (criminal court), esteemed actor Leo McKern portrays the antihero Rumpole. As champion of the downtrodden, the self-righteous Rumpole loves to get in trouble with his wife Hilda, his peers, the head of chambers, and judges, to name but a few. A connoisseur of Wordsworth, cigars, and cheap liquor, McKern's usually disheveled Rumpole belies the character's dry sense of humor and astute skill as a barrister. The upwardly mobile Hilda is played by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, known for her Miss Toliver in Alcatraz Island, and Justice Sir Guthrie Fetherston is played by Peter Bowles, known for his Richard DeVere in TV's To the Manor Born.

Description

Today's legal minds could take a lesson or two from Horace Rumpole, one of the most colorful characters ever to approach the bench. Rumpole also maneuvers behind the scenes, using his brilliant mind and sly sense of humor to make his case. Stylishly played by Leo McKern, he throws the courtroom into an uproar for twenty episodes that seamlessly blend comedy, mystery, and drama.

Customer Reviews:

Stellar casting, adequate scripts, only fair production values........2006-10-03

This set is the first two seasons of "Rumpole of the Bailey", a British series combining comedy and law. The series is based on the character of Horace Rumpole, an aging London defense lawyer. The author, John Mortimer, has written a series of novels and short stories over many years. I highly recommend the books. They are able to add texture that the television series can't capture.

There are 4 discs, each containing 3 hour-long episodes. There are no sub-titles available. Since the sound quality is not the greatest, this is a real problem because there are certain parts of the dialogue that you will never get, no matter how many times you replay. The sound quality is not horrible, just not very good - like all British based television series from the time, the production values just aren't very high. The author, John Mortimer, introduces each episode. Mortimer is a well-known author of books from Rumpole stories to his memoirs. He also has written a number of screenplays and other television series. Mortimer was also a practicing lawyer who is known for making Pornography legal in England.

Each episode is based on a short-story concerning a case of Rumpole's. Also included are side stories of Rumpole's family and co-workers. The show is almost perfectly cast, especially Leo McKern who plays Rumpole. The supporting cast is also well-chosen. The series itself is wonderful because of the casting and the stories of Mortimer. The humor of the series is its strongest point. Each episode usually brings up some social issue like presumption of innocence or trial by jury. I especially enjoy the police, prosecution, and judges who are all opposed and ridiculed by Rumpole.

Given the current state of much of television, I much prefer popping in one of these episodes to viewing the latest garbage on the networks. The set is rather pricy(> 5 bucks an episode), especially given the paucity of extra features. Consider buying all the seasons or combinations of sets to get them cheaper.

Rumpole is a delight.......2005-08-25

Each episode captivates the viewer. Just listening to a Rumpole monologue and his quoting of poetry, in itself, is enough to justify the purchase. The character is sorely missed in today's world of television. Fortunately, I can recapture the pleasure of the program through these episodes on dvd. If you have missed hearing Rumpole speaking under his breath while being admonished by a judge in the Old Bailey, this dvd package is for you. Even "she who must be obeyed" has her endearing qualities and humor. This was especially made apparent in an episode when she believed that Horace was showing an interest in pornography. A strong recommendation from this viewer.

Classic legal comedy.......2005-07-20

The combination of superb writing skills of John Mortimer and the living, breathing Rumpole delivered by Leo McKern make this a classic.

Showcases one of the most unique actors ever on TV.......2005-04-09

Film and television has over the decades seen the appearance of a host of enormously talented character actors who have only rarely had opportunities to assuming lead or starring roles. Charles Laughton was the great exception, somehow managing a host of starring roles over the decades. But the great Bert Lahr, despite his considerable gifts, had a great stage career (including Samuel Beckett's landmark WAITING FOR GODOT) managed only one great film, as the Cowardly Lion in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Robert Newton managed a few good screen roles, including a turn as the greatest Long John Silver ever in the 1950s Disney version of TREASURE ISLAND, but for the most part cinema never found a way to incorporate his considerable but over-the-top skills. The fact is that many of our greatest character actors project a persona that is a bit too large for either film or TV. Bert Lahr had the gigantic personality of a Warner Brothers cartoon character, and there were simply very, very few film roles that could accommodate his talent.

Leo McKern is very much in this tradition of the great ham character actor whose personality outstrips all but a very few roles. No one who had previously seen him in films like RYAN'S DAUGHTER (as Ryan) or A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (as More's prosecutor) or the legendary TV series THE PRISONER (as the best Number Two on the show) could doubt his talent. But the force of his personality and the power of his voice, as well as his short, stout build and globular face (as well as having a glass left eye as the result of a childhood accident), made him in appropriate for almost all film and television roles. He wasn't merely bigger than life: he was bigger than the silver screen and television. Thankfully, near the end of his life he managed the role of a lifetime as Horace Rumpole in the serialization of John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey stories. The role is a perfect showcase for McKern's talents, and he clearly threw himself into it with all the gusto of which he was capable. It is almost impossible to imagine anyone else in this role so completely does he make it his own. To be honest, McKern is the only thing that makes these shows worth watching a quarter of a century after their first appearance. The stories are often fun, frequently clever, and the supporting cast is consistently superb, but the fact is that there have been dozens of excellent shows over the decades, and few lay legitimate claim for our attention. RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY does lay such claim, but almost entirely because of McKern's transcendently excellent performance as the title character. Obviously, the show's writers knew this at the time, for every second of the show is structured to give McKern as fine a platform as possible for the display of his particular virtues as an actor. Whether quoting English poetry, or cross-examining a witness during a trial, or wincing under the complaints of "she who must be obeyed," or reacting to some inane comment by some absurd English judge, every conceivable opportunity is provided for McKern to boom out in that marvelous voice of his Rumpole's words.

I don't want to imply that McKern is the only good thing in the show. The scripts, largely adapted from stories by writer and sometimes barrister John Mortimer, are consistently interesting and contain a host of marvelous moments. The series is also enriched by a large and highly talented cast, including Peter Bowles as Guthrie Featherstone, head of chambers for much of the series, though his ambition takes him to many new roles; Patricia Hodge as Phyllida Erkine-Brown nee Trant, whom Rumpole dubs their chambers' "Portia; Julian Curry as Claude Erskine-Brown, whose interests in "the Law" run as counter to Rumpole's as possible; and, of course, the Peggy Thorpe-Bates, the first of two actresses to portray Hilda, "she who must be obeyed."

This is not among the greatest shows ever made, but it is certainly one of the most enjoyable and contains what is unquestionably one of the great characters in the history of TV. The cable TV network Bravo recently compiled a list of the 100 Greatest Television Characters, which was very poorly named, since it considered only American television characters. Had English shows been included, there is little question that Horace Rumpole would have occupied a prominent place on the list.

The legal gang's all here--on DVD at last.......2004-12-09

By far, one of the more popular series that came over the Atlantic to our PBS television stations was the six-season "Rumpole of the Bailey" with Leo McKern as the craggy-faced barrister. Few of us realized that there was once a single Rumpole teleplay, "Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt," now available on an Acorn Media DVD (AMP-6684), that inspired the series and is a Must for fans of what followed.

While all six seasons have been long available on video tapes, about a year ago HBO finally came out on DVD with the first two seasons. After a wait for the rest, A&E has suddenly put out not only the first two seasons as a redone boxed set (AAE71659)but at the same time has given us seasons three and four (AAE71664). Added to the format are introductions to each episode by Rumpole's creator, John Mortimer; but I am afraid all he talks about is the plot and reveals too much of what follows. Better to skip them on first viewing.

So now we have the first 12 episodes with all the amusing characters, most of whom drive Rumpole up a wall, the leader being his wife "She Who Must Be Obeyed" Hilda Rumpole, played first by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, then by Marion Mathie. Most of his fellow lawyers are pretty incompetent chaps: Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles), Claude Erskine-Brown (Julian Curry), and "Soapy Sam" Ballard (Peter Blythe). Even worse than these are the judges-from-hell: Graves (Robin Bailey), Bullingham (Bill Fraser), and Oliphant (James Grout).

The professional women are far more competent: Elizabeth Probert (played first by Samantha Bond, later by Abigail McKern) and Rumpole's favorite "Portia," Phyllida Trant and later Mrs. Erskine-Brown (Patricia Hodge).

Other than the humor, the insight into the British legal system, the high quality acting, and the immortal family of villains, the Timsons, we have the double plots. Each episode develops a theme that is the basis of both the trial in question and of the events of the framing device. For example, the trial of a neo-fascist who wants a purely white England takes place after Hilda has commented on the number of non-white faces in London lately.

An added inducement to purchase the first boxed set of seasons 1 and 2 is the inclusion of the feature-length story "Rumpole's Return." Seeing him stretched out by a pool in Florida is worth the price alone.

Grab these and wait with me impatiently for seasons 5-6 to appear shortly.

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