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"Three Of A Kind" and "Girls On Top"Compiled by Roger Reini This is a review of and commentary on Three Of A Kind and Girls On Top, two British comedy series from the early and mid-1980's starring Tracey Ullman. THREE OF A KINDThis series, which aired from 1981 to 1983 on the BBC, made Tracey Ullman a household name in Britain. Her co-stars were Lenny Henry (best known to American audiences for his Chef! sitcom airing on PBS stations) and David Copperfield (not the magician). Unlike his co-stars, stardom was not in the cards for David. For viewers familiar with Tracey's American work (The Tracey Ullman Show (TTUS) and Tracey Takes On... [TTO]), Three Of A Kind (3OAK) was quite different. It was a very fast-paced, gag-based series similar to the old Laugh-In and Hee Haw series in the US. Most bits ran for 15 to 30 seconds, with a few lasting for a minute. On rare occasions, one would last for two minutes or longer. This meant that Tracey, Lenny and David would each play several different characters in the course of an episode. The gags paused during the musical breaks (guests included Phil Collins, Bonnie Tyler, Thin Lizzy and the Boomtown Rats, to name but four) and dance numbers (mainly in the first season). Over the course of the series, Tracey, Lenny and David would have played hundreds of characters, the vast majority of whom were one-time appearances. Still, there were a few recurring characters, and they, as you might expect, are the most well-developed of any of the 3OAK characters. They include David's gardener Old Scrunge, Lenny's Rev. Nat Westminster (a favorite of mine) and reggae politician Fred Dread, and Tracey's intellectually-challenged socialite Roz and Scottish commentator Moira McBitch. It's interesting to compare Tracey's work on 3OAK to her TTUS and TTO work. We can see how her American accents have improved over the course of time. We get to hear her sing a few numbers (most notably as part of the Ruinettes [also a favorite of mine] and as Rissole). We can even see hints of some of her TTO characters. For instance, Noleen Gibson of "Australian Blue Peter" fame could be one of the long-lost siblings of TTO's Rayleen Gibson. And American singer Carolyn does sound a bit like Linda Granger (but she doesn't have the lips). But none of her 3OAK characters required the makeup and appliances of, say, TTO's Trevor or Mrs. Noh Nang Ning. And, of course, they're not as well developed as her TTO or TTUS characters. There was just no time for this With so many gags in a typical episode, it's inevitable that not all of them worked. In fact, many of them were out-and-out groaners. But the fast pace meant that you wouldn't have time to stew about a bad joke or a dumb one before you were laughing at a good one. Also, a number of the jokes had some strong British references that might not be well understood in North America. This isn't surprising, since this was a British series, after all. But most of the jokes are equally understandable on both sides of the Atlantic. It's British, but it's not "too British." While TTO (and TTUS, to a somewhat lesser extent) can be very challenging, especially when gay relationships are involved (consider Trevor & Barry and Midge & Chris from TTO, Francesca's father and companion on TTUS), 3OAK has some situations that would have been considered challenging in America. For instance, several bits featured Tracey and Lenny as a couple. Not once was there a focus on the interracial aspect of the relationship; it was accepted as a given. There's one way in which Britain was ahead of the US in race relations. Even now, there's still some resistance in the US to the idea of interracial relationships, though this is gradually changing. For more information about the program, check out the 3OAK section of the BBC's Comedy Zone site. SUMMARY: A change of pace from TTUS and TTO - see the program that made Tracey a star in Britain. GIRLS ON TOPGirls On Top (GOT) is more of a traditional sitcom than Tracey's other work. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, it is the only sitcom in which she has ever starred. Her co-stars were Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders (of French and Saunders and Absolutely Fabulous fame) and American expatriate Ruby Wax (now [May 1998] receiving notoriety in America for her interview with O.J. Simpson). The series aired for two years and thirteen episodes on ITV in Britain, 1985 and 1986, though Tracey appeared only in the first season. She did not appear in the second season because she was either pregnant with or had just given birth to Mabel and was beginning to prepare for TTUS. The premise of the series is simple. Four women of divergent backgrounds are sharing a flat in the Kensington district of London: Amanda (Dawn), a strident feminist; Jennifer (Jennifer, oddly enough), a mentally-challenged friend of Amanda's; Shelley (Ruby), a struggling American actress; and Candice (Tracey), who is a bit of a party girl, always trying to avoid paying her share of the rent or doing any chores. After seeing two of the episodes from the second season, I find that they're actually better than the first season episodes. Perhaps it was easier to write for three starring roles as opposed to four. Or it may have been the revamping of Jennifer S.'s role so that her character was not quite so slow-witted. Regardless, the series did not suffer with the departure of Tracey. I found her character Candice (that's pronounced "Can-deese," not "Can-diss") to be a bit shrill and not all that likable; I do not consider her one of my favorite characters. Besides, I believe that none of the standard TV series formats have the flexibility for Tracey to show her abilities to their full extent (though I might make an exception for Ally McBeal). The ideal format for her happens to be TTO. SUMMARY: A chance to see Tracey work with French and Saunders Page written by Roger
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