Culture for the Masses (Goodies episode)
Encyclopedia
Culture for the Masses is an episode of the British
comedy
television series The Goodies
— a BAFTA
-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.
This episode is also known as "Art for Arts Sake" and as "Antiques".
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
auction
at Sotheby's
, Tim is interested in a Renoir
painting
, while Bill is interested in the Monarch of the Glen
painting.
Tim is horrified to find that a portrait
painting is being bid for by Americans
, who are all willing to bid huge amounts of money for art treasures, so Tim rushes in to save the priceless work of art for Britain
. He ends up bidding the enormous amount of:
for the painting, and the painting is sold to him, much to the horror of Bill and Graeme. While the Goodies are able to afford to pay a few pennies off the painting, they are not able to pay the remainder of the buying price, and decide to leave the remaining huge sum of money to be paid for by the National Gallery
. However, the National Gallery does not want the painting, and do not want to pay for it.
All seems lost until the Goodies come up with an unusual solution to the problem.
Quote 2
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series The Goodies
The Goodies (TV series)
The Goodies is a British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s. The series, which combines surreal sketches and situation comedy, was broadcast by BBC 2 from 1970 until 1980 — and was then broadcast by the ITV company LWT for a year, between 1981 to 1982.The show was...
— a BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.
This episode is also known as "Art for Arts Sake" and as "Antiques".
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
Plot
When the Goodies attend an artArt
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
, Tim is interested in a Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, while Bill is interested in the Monarch of the Glen
Monarch of the Glen (painting)
Monarch of the Glen is an oil-on-canvas painting from 1851 by the English painter Sir Edwin Landseer, which was commissioned as part of a series of three panels to hang in the Palace of Westminster in London, England...
painting.
Tim is horrified to find that a portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
painting is being bid for by Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who are all willing to bid huge amounts of money for art treasures, so Tim rushes in to save the priceless work of art for Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He ends up bidding the enormous amount of:
- one million billion quintillion zillion pounds and two and a half new pence
for the painting, and the painting is sold to him, much to the horror of Bill and Graeme. While the Goodies are able to afford to pay a few pennies off the painting, they are not able to pay the remainder of the buying price, and decide to leave the remaining huge sum of money to be paid for by the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
. However, the National Gallery does not want the painting, and do not want to pay for it.
All seems lost until the Goodies come up with an unusual solution to the problem.
Quotes
Quote 1-
-
- Tim: "But they're not art lovers, they're Americans!"
-
Quote 2
-
-
- Tim (speaking to the Americans): "Too many times you've taken too much from us — London BridgeLondon BridgeLondon Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
, the "Queen MaryHMS Queen MaryHMS Queen Mary was a battlecruiser built by the British Royal Navy before World War I, the sole member of her class. She was similar to the s, though she differed in details from her half-sisters. She was the last battlecruiser completed before the war and participated in the Battle of Heligoland...
", Julie AndrewsJulie AndrewsDame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
and David FrostDavid Frost (broadcaster)Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE is a British journalist, comedian, writer, media personality and daytime TV game show host best known for his two decades as host of Through the Keyhole and serious interviews with various political figures, the most notable being Richard Nixon...
— and we're grateful."
- Tim (speaking to the Americans): "Too many times you've taken too much from us — London Bridge
-