The Waiters (1969)

Director: Jan Darnley-Smith

Writer: Benny Hill

Composer: Cyril Ornadel

Starring: Benny Hill, David Battley, Arthur Hewlett, Pamela Cundell, James Ottaway, Jan Butlin, Nancy MacKeith, George Fenton

More info: IMDb

Plot: Benny Hill scripts and stars in a dialogue-free rendition of a posh dinner party ruined by two boorish waiters.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again?  Maybe.

I love Benny Hill to no end and it's a delight to see anything he did for the first time.  I have no context behind this 30 minute film.  There's no dialogue but that's not something that slows Hill down.  This feels like an extended skit from his 70s TV show.  There's lots of head slapping and slapping of other things.  What sells it for me is Hill's expressions.  He tickles the piss out of me.

He's especially funny when he's a man on the make for some action.  Soundtrack fans might get a kick out of knowing that the young future film composer George Fenton is one of the party guests.  He was only two years away from his first film scoring gig when this was made.