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Post by plasticpenguin on Jun 14, 2020 10:23:28 GMT
Fabulous episode. Not sure, however, if Minder had found it's true identity -- whether an out and out comedy or a drama/comedy.
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Post by barrythebook on Jul 6, 2020 21:48:56 GMT
Noted a couple of things in this one today.
When Arthur and Alfie are walking from the church to Alfies car they pause outside 'Marios Delicatessent' and I wonder if this could have been the inspiration for 'Dessert Song' and the pickled walnuts fiasco. Also, the sign reads as I've spelled it here - Delicatessent, which makes me wonder if it was a false sign, in place for the filming with a deliberate mistake in the spelling for some reason, an in joke maybe?
The other thing is the stripper in the pub during Terrys first scene. She looked like Bella, Debbies stripper friend from 'A Lot Of Bull And A Pat On The Back' but I could be wrong.
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Post by nationalpelmet on Aug 4, 2020 18:14:22 GMT
Although I understand this wasn’t the first episode to be filmed, it’s interesting that Arthur’s character is a bit closer to that of the book which I believe he’s more of a womaniser. He just appears a bit more confident around Terrys “fiancé” for instance. Good episode, the one that launched the best tv programme ever.
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Post by joshmel on Oct 25, 2020 14:52:31 GMT
This was the weakest episode in series one in my opinion. It’s obvious they are feeling themselves into it at this stage. The limited input from Arthur is also a draw back. The first half of the episode has potential but then it drags on in the second. To much of it is played out in the laundrette storage room and I don’t think stretch is a particularly convincing villain. Most of stretch’s performance was physical and not enough dialogue. Don’t really think stretch’s sidekicks added much to it either. A few funny lines from Terry in this but struggle to see many positives. Awful background music which didn’t fit into it.
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Post by westminster on Oct 26, 2020 18:37:02 GMT
I've just watched Gunfight at the OK Launderette again this morning and really enjoyed it. On reflection, I actually think it's a much stronger episode than it's being given credit for. I think it works really well as an opening episode introducing the two main characters, their relationship and some of their key habits and traits.
Terry working at a strip club, Arthur wheeling and dealing, a bit of fisticuffs and some lovely seedy late-70s streets scenes. Even Chisholm gets a look-in towards the end. Come on, it's all good. The siege works for me too as does Stretch as unpredictable and dangerous head honcho.
Might be a bit of an unfashionable opinion, I know. But I actually think it's a cracking episode. Gets better with each viewing for me.
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Post by barrythebook on Oct 26, 2020 22:27:35 GMT
The limited input from Arthur is also a draw back. I don’t think stretch is a particularly convincing villain. Most of stretch’s performance was physical and not enough dialogue. Don’t really think stretch’s sidekicks added much to it either. Don't forget that this was the first episode and 'Minder' was written for Dennis Waterman to take the lead role - Arthur wasn't meant to be in the forefront. Stretch and his sidekicks weren't convincing blaggers I agree but were they meant to be? Stretch was a wannabe gangster who thought that flashing a shotgun around would make him top league but how much was he ever going to make from robbing bags of silver coin from laundrettes? His two mates didn't seem very convinced about the whole scheme from the outset and even less so once things didn't go to plan, I think they both wished they'd never got involved.
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Post by westminster on Oct 27, 2020 8:19:24 GMT
I really like the dog-eared precinct and the row of shops where the launderette's situated. Nice bit of 1970s concrete, that.
Reminds me of visiting London around that time, when I was a young teenager, just before Margaret Thatcher got elected. I remember seeing those (in)famous 'Labour isn't Working' posters all over the place. It felt very much like a city at the crossroads - which I suppose it was.
Sorry to be political but that whole period as the 1970s merged into the '80s has always interested me. Not just in terms of politics but music, TV, fashion and the changing nature of Britain more broadly - which I think Minder reflected as it developed over time.
This episode in particular though I think really captures the dog-end of the '70s really well.
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Post by jjmolloy on Oct 27, 2020 11:40:47 GMT
I really like the dog-eared precinct and the row of shops where the launderette's situated. Nice bit of 1970s concrete, that. Reminds me of visiting London around that time, when I was a young teenager, just before Margaret Thatcher got elected. I remember seeing those (in)famous 'Labour isn't Working' posters all over the place. It felt very much like a city at the crossroads - which I suppose it was. Sorry to be political but that whole period as the 1970s merged into the '80s has always interested me. Not just in terms of politics but music, TV, fashion and the changing nature of Britain more broadly - which I think Minder reflected as it developed over time. This episode in particular though I think really captures the dog-end of the '70s really well. Yes, it was a time of huge change some good/bad and a golden age of TV/music etc.
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richb
Car Lot Browser
"How's tricks Arthur?" "I've no idea Tic Tac I'm an entrepreneur not a member of the magic circle"
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Post by richb on Nov 19, 2020 16:48:39 GMT
Funny because a lot of the first series is all over the place as the show tries to find its feet. However the second episode (Bury my half) is probably the closest to what you would call traditional Minder out of the first series. When I was a kid and they were always repeating them (probably just before series seven came out) Bury my half was probably the only one out of series one they used to show (possibly also the Bengal Tiger).
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Post by johnnybear on Dec 30, 2020 17:07:17 GMT
Definitely not the same stripper from Bull as in Launderette, sadly! JB
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Post by kelotoph on Feb 22, 2021 14:11:14 GMT
Being the lucky recipient of a Christmas gift comprising "Minder - the Dennis Waterman Years" box set DVDs, I now have the first seven series to watch (although as I already own Series 3 and 5 I might skip them). I did't see all the episodes when they were originally broadcast, so I'm sure to have some great material that is new to me. I started off today with "Laundrette" and enjoyed it, although I only rated it as "average". This was probably to do with the fact that I don't really enjoy watching hostage situations, even though there have been many good films made about them. I also felt that the plot lacked a bit of realism in that an armed robber was intent of stealing coin - if he was going to risk being caught with a shooter then he would surely have made the potential prize better, i.e. notes. And demanding not only a helicopter but a jumbo jet (seating capacity 350+) for the three of them when they got to Heathrow and a flight TO Ethiopia, seemed a bit bizarre in the context of a botched raid on a laundrette. A good introdution to Terry and Arthur, though, and nice to get Dave in early doors. My vote for the biggest criminal in this episode, however, is whoever gave Chisholm that awful haircut. Noted a couple of things in this one today. When Arthur and Alfie are walking from the church to Alfies car they pause outside 'Marios Delicatessent' and I wonder if this could have been the inspiration for 'Dessert Song' and the pickled walnuts fiasco. Also, the sign reads as I've spelled it here - Delicatessent, which makes me wonder if it was a false sign, in place for the filming with a deliberate mistake in the spelling for some reason, an in joke maybe? Interesting point about the mis-spelling, which I missed. However, I did notice that the hairdressers next to the laundrette was called "Salon Fourty Nine", which again, might be a deliberate mis-spelling of "forty".
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Post by jjmolloy on Mar 26, 2021 17:05:15 GMT
ITV4 starting off back on Series 1 this weekend, check your listings etc.
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Post by plasticpenguin on Mar 28, 2021 21:09:12 GMT
Quite like this episode. Weird seeing Chisholm with hair (sort of)
Love the line from Stretch: We are Independent Rastafarian Army.
That's IRA, Stretch.
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Post by cheerspal on Jul 31, 2021 20:32:13 GMT
I really like this one. A great introduction to the characters and a truly gritty representation of what was then modern London. It has more of a Sweeney feel to it in terms of the roughness and the raw honesty than the more comedy led episodes from later seasons.
In particular Arthur seems a bit more realistically savvy while still being very funny.
Anyone know the name of the music in the strip club for the first scene with Terry? It's gotten caught in my ear on this rewatch for some reason...
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Post by swainy on Aug 1, 2021 5:04:05 GMT
Anyone know the name of the music in the strip club for the first scene with Terry? It's gotten caught in my ear on this rewatch for some reason... It’s called Swamp Dog. There’s a link on the music page: www.minder.org/tunes/index.htm#incidental
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Post by yoyopickles on Aug 26, 2021 11:28:52 GMT
BLOOPER!!!
I am currently off work due to my ongoing foot problem flaring up again, because of this I'm currently watching yet another screening of this episode on ITV FOUR, Despite having seen it countless times before.
I suddenly noticed that there is a continuity error. We see stretch and Winston leave the car ,and then there is a shot of them walking across the road to the crowd who have gathered around the one man band, followed by a close up of them amongst the crowd,yet in the very next scene, we see inside the laundrette where Alfie and Terry are emptying the coins out of the washing machines and through the window we can see stretch and Winston walking across the road, from the car,towards the crowd again
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Post by yoyopickles on Aug 26, 2021 11:36:15 GMT
The "gang of dopey spades" line has been replaced with "you let three doves turn you over in the laundrette?" Which is heard over the phone.Im sure it is not George Cole who has redubbed this,but sounds like him!
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Post by jno on Aug 26, 2021 12:33:32 GMT
It may simply have been cut out:
dopey spades
and thus it is the original. I had another listen and it sounds like it's simply been cut out.
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Post by yoyopickles on Aug 26, 2021 13:52:41 GMT
The subtitles say DOVES as well
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Post by steve74 on Sept 11, 2021 11:34:09 GMT
The first Minder episode to hit our tv screens and it is interesting to see how it all began. It does a good job of introducing our favourite duo and Minder hits the ground running. I love those series 1 locations. Terry gets himself caught up in a hostage situation at the laundrette and the drama is very well played. Not your typical Minder episode, much more social commentary, hard hitting and a gritty atmosphere but I wouldn't have these earlier episodes any other way. It layed the foundations for what would become one of the very best tv shows of all time. As a fan of Lynda Baron I have always thought it strange for her to have such a small role in this opener - do you think at one time she may have been offered a recurring role like Dave or Chisholm? 3.5 out of 5.
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Post by jjmolloy on Sept 11, 2021 11:56:16 GMT
The first Minder episode to hit our tv screens and it is interesting to see how it all began. It does a good job of introducing our favourite duo and Minder hits the ground running. I love those series 1 locations. Terry gets himself caught up in a hostage situation at the laundrette and the drama is very well played. Not your typical Minder episode, much more social commentary, hard hitting and a gritty atmosphere but I wouldn't have these earlier episodes any other way. It layed the foundations for what would become one of the very best tv shows of all time. As a fan of Lynda Baron I have always thought it strange for her to have such a small role in this opener - do you think at one time she may have been offered a recurring role like Dave or Chisholm? 3.5 out of 5. Some of her scenes/dialogue may have been cut for broadcast for reasons of time or whatever.
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Post by jno on Sept 12, 2021 1:43:22 GMT
As a fan of Lynda Baron I have always thought it strange for her to have such a small role in this opener - do you think at one time she may have been offered a recurring role like Dave or Chisholm? I think this is unlikely. Although we know her now from 'Open All Hours', at the time this Minder episode was made, she'd only done 6 episodes and it was unlikely to have had a repeat. Also at this time she'd done 12 episodes of 'Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt' which is hardly something she's a household name for, and 8 episodes of something called 'A Roof Over My Head', which is something probably none of us remember too well. Other than these two things, there are not too many recurring roles. This tells me she was likely a jobbing actress during the 70s, so I'd hazard a guess this was a one off part she accepted, especially as (a) it's uncredited and (b) she shows up as a different character in 'You Lose Some, You Win Some'. All supposition of course, but I'd think this was likely the case, especially as Glynn Edwards as Dave was never really conceived as a regular role. Personally, there may have been some mileage in Dave having a regular sidekick at the bar (a conquest that Terry can't have, a sideline story now and again) but sadly we'll never know.
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Post by billyfarmer on Oct 26, 2021 19:13:57 GMT
Below is an original Press Photograph (which I obtained on eBay). Written below, the words which can be found on the back of the above Press Photograph. Minder Gunfight at the OK Laundrette Transmission date: Thursday 17 March 1994, at 8.30pm George Cole presents a special introduction to the first ever episode of this classic series, first transmitted in October 1979. Arthur Daley senses a nice little earner when his Minder Terry is involved in a siege at a launderette. The series is a Euston Films production for Central. Picture: Arthur Daley (George Cole).
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garyw
Car Lot Browser
Posts: 27
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Post by garyw on Nov 22, 2021 2:54:05 GMT
My wife and I are watching all the episodes again. (Each Sunday night--we think of it as British TV night--we watch episodes in order of our favorite British TV shows. Finished Inspector Morse and decided it was time to see Minder again. So for the next few months it's Minder on Sunday night.) Interestingly, my wife did not want to watch this opening episode despite her love of Minder, so we started with episodes 2 - 4 and I watched episode 1 the next day on my own. I find this first episode average and must admit had I watched it in '79 I'm not sure it would have prompted me to watch the next episode. There is some clever dialogue, and having the DVD set is nice since we're hearing the original dialogue and not the cleaned-up version.
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Post by barrythebook on Nov 22, 2021 20:00:59 GMT
I find this first episode average and must admit had I watched it in '79 I'm not sure it would have prompted me to watch the next episode. There is some clever dialogue, and having the DVD set is nice since we're hearing the original dialogue and not the cleaned-up version. This one does have a different feel to the rest, maybe because it's more about Terry than Arthur. Also, Terry being stuck in the laundrette for a lot of the time rather than out and about on the manor wasn't as good.
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Barrel
One Of Your Own
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Post by Barrel on Dec 19, 2021 22:22:51 GMT
I'd first seen this in 1994 after s10 ended and knew it a good "un.A great episode that has all.....the joke about sociology gets a deserved belly laugh.Good cast ,great story,and a good start!
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Post by euston1971 on Jan 18, 2022 11:16:29 GMT
Very interesting to watch this again as it is in line with the original concept of 'Minder', before it drifted off into becoming more about Daley and Cole being the de facto lead. I much prefer how Cole played him here instead of the 'Flash Harry' version in later episodes. Waterman's choice of Denholm Elliot would have worked very well here.
As this was Euston's direct replacement for 'The Sweeney', it doesn't have the pace of the previous show, yet still retained the '70's grim feel of London. This is the classic case of a show starting as one thing and ending up being something else, as I would imagine anyone being fed a diet of of mid and latter term series would find this episode quite jaundiced. It should always be remembered this was meant to Waterman's show.
I love the exchange between Arthur and Terry's date, when he compares himself to Paul Newman - both being '52'. 'But you look nothing like him!' It's clear from the start that Cole's version of Daley had lots of comic potential and other writers brought on board suited that accordingly. If this had been shot in say, Series 6, it would have been a very different kettle of lobsters.
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Post by poppet2k22 on Jun 17, 2022 16:36:38 GMT
Seems ITV 4 have heatstroke as they've shown this episode two days running! hopefully, they get back on track tomorrow.
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Post by coyote on Jun 17, 2022 19:26:04 GMT
Seems ITV 4 have heatstroke as they've shown this episode two days running! hopefully, they get back on track tomorrow. It wasn't late afternoon followed by about 9am was it? As that's their standard pattern
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Post by barrythebook on Jun 17, 2022 22:56:29 GMT
Seems ITV 4 have heatstroke as they've shown this episode two days running! hopefully, they get back on track tomorrow. It wasn't late afternoon followed by about 9am was it? As that's their standard pattern They aired 'Gunfight' yesterday afternoon, ep2 - 'Bury My Half' this morning and then 'Gunfight' again this afternoon which seemed a bit strange, as you say lc, not their standard pattern.
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