Synopsis: The misadventures of the staff of a retail floor of a major department store.
Welcome to Grace Brothers an old fashioned department store with mature, career commissioned salespeople and outdated manners on the High Street in London. The pilot opens from the perspective of a new person on staff Dick Lucas (Trevor Bannister) watches in amazement at the rites of a store struggling in its adherence to flimsy pretenses and outworn rituals of a full service department store.
As Mr Lucas strives to maintain a passable level, the store's archaic pretenses are crumbling around him. The need to economize sales space has forced the Gentlemen's department to yield space to the Ladies. A bitter civil war is fought across the sales floor as ladies and gents fight to control the center display. Standing in the middle is Captain Peacock (Frank Thornton) who tries to moderate disputes while he keeps an eye on Miss Brahms (Wendy Richards), a comely lass despite her cockney background. Struggling to learn the ropes against the background of the civil war, Mr Lucas also has his eyes on Miss Brahms.
The original concept of the show was centered around handsome Trevor Bannister who plays the crude but lovable Dick Lucas. Perpetually late for work, Lucas invents the most curious excuses with an almost American sounding hum-a-hum-a in his voice. Whatever ingenuity Lucas has he devotes to avoiding work.
Supervisors might have given Lucas the sack, but a discharge for Lucas might bring down the plutocrats themselves. Mr Rumboldt (Nicholas Smith) tells the pompous floorwalker Captain Peacock (Frank Thorton), that upper management will question the strata of overseers. Old fashioned stores ran on bureaucratic inertia through sub-fiefdoms within the store's structure. Instead of cutting away unnecessary pencil pushers, stores like Grace Brothers held ridiculous meetings on sales strategies and silly sales pitches like dressing staffs up - - in one episode as Germans and in another as --- gasp --- Americans. Said Mr Granger(Arthur Borough), the staid Churchwellian senior man, "My wife accused me of playing - - hokey."
Insight into the life of a salesperson was a major factor in the popularity of Are You Being Served in Long Island's mall culture where many come of age working in shops. Many of the episodes parody the life of a department store clerk (shop's assistant): The Junior Grace Brothers advertisement for a junior brings in Mr. Goldberg the former proprietor of a small tailor shop; Mrs. Slocombe, Sr. Person Mrs Slocombe wins appointment as Department chief Mr. Rumbold's temporary replacement but finds once she is given the position, she prefers the sales floor; Forward Mr. Grainger Mr. Grainger, as a temporary substitute for Mr. Rumbold, turns into an intolerable tyrant; No Sale The staff sabotages a plan to give the store earlier hours; The Clock Mr. Grainger at age 65 faces forced retirement; Up Captain Peacock Mr Granger bristles with envy when Captain Peacock is awarded executive privileges in lieu of a promotion.
As the series developed Bannister's character the devilishly charming slouch Mr. Lucas lost ground to the simple direct appeal of Humphries played by John Inman. In the pilot John Inman played Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries, with an aloofness bordering upon snooty arrogance. While Mr. Humphries prefers to leave his private life in a haze, he is never ambivalent in his loyalty to the store and his co-workers, often finding expression in the husky voice of a sharp, but sensitive wit. On the floor, Mr Humphreys is smartly attired, but off duty he encourages continued speculation by assuming the most outrageous costumes.
John Inman was so identified with the character of Mr Humphreys that when put on display for doting Long Island matrons Inman had to remind his adoring interviewer that though like Mr Humphreys he had once worked in a shop, he was not Mr Humphreys. A bit taken aback by American familiarity, Mr Inman cautioned the interviewer, "I am the happily married father of two boys."
In a sequel never shown in America: "Are you being served in Australia" John Inman continues the antics as head of the mens-wear department at Bone Brothers of Australia.
But while Are You Being Served may strike a responsive chord in Long Island's mall culture, Are You Being Served belongs to an England where in the words of Mr Humphreys "the red on the map is not the countries we own but the countries we owe." It's an England plagued by labor unrest, particularly transport strikes which leave employees stranded at work. Yet the English, Captain Peacock reassuringly counsels, all remain stalwart even when they have to compromise.
Now which of the characters could be Americans?
The decision on this surprises even me: the cockney lass Miss Brahms played by Wendy Richards, the slouch Mr Lucas played by Trevor Bannister, and the maintenance man Mr Harmon played by Arthur English sufficiently display certain American qualities: seeking to better oneself (Miss Brahms), evading personal responsibility (Mr Lucas), and raking in unnecessary OT (Mr Harmon). However Mr Harry Goldberg (Alfie Bass) is the real American. We could move him from the High Street in London to any American town without the slightest change.
Why not Mr Humphreys? Mr Humphreys (John Inman) simply has too much class.
Welcome to Grace Brothers an old fashioned department store with mature, career commissioned salespeople and outdated manners on the High Street in London. The pilot opens from the perspective of a new person on staff Dick Lucas (Trevor Bannister) watches in amazement at the rites of a store struggling in its adherence to flimsy pretenses and outworn rituals of a full service department store.
As Mr Lucas strives to maintain a passable level, the store's archaic pretenses are crumbling around him. The need to economize sales space has forced the Gentlemen's department to yield space to the Ladies. A bitter civil war is fought across the sales floor as ladies and gents fight to control the center display. Standing in the middle is Captain Peacock (Frank Thornton) who tries to moderate disputes while he keeps an eye on Miss Brahms (Wendy Richards), a comely lass despite her cockney background. Struggling to learn the ropes against the background of the civil war, Mr Lucas also has his eyes on Miss Brahms.
The original concept of the show was centered around handsome Trevor Bannister who plays the crude but lovable Dick Lucas. Perpetually late for work, Lucas invents the most curious excuses with an almost American sounding hum-a-hum-a in his voice. Whatever ingenuity Lucas has he devotes to avoiding work.
Supervisors might have given Lucas the sack, but a discharge for Lucas might bring down the plutocrats themselves. Mr Rumboldt (Nicholas Smith) tells the pompous floorwalker Captain Peacock (Frank Thorton), that upper management will question the strata of overseers. Old fashioned stores ran on bureaucratic inertia through sub-fiefdoms within the store's structure. Instead of cutting away unnecessary pencil pushers, stores like Grace Brothers held ridiculous meetings on sales strategies and silly sales pitches like dressing staffs up - - in one episode as Germans and in another as --- gasp --- Americans. Said Mr Granger(Arthur Borough), the staid Churchwellian senior man, "My wife accused me of playing - - hokey."
Insight into the life of a salesperson was a major factor in the popularity of Are You Being Served in Long Island's mall culture where many come of age working in shops. Many of the episodes parody the life of a department store clerk (shop's assistant): The Junior Grace Brothers advertisement for a junior brings in Mr. Goldberg the former proprietor of a small tailor shop; Mrs. Slocombe, Sr. Person Mrs Slocombe wins appointment as Department chief Mr. Rumbold's temporary replacement but finds once she is given the position, she prefers the sales floor; Forward Mr. Grainger Mr. Grainger, as a temporary substitute for Mr. Rumbold, turns into an intolerable tyrant; No Sale The staff sabotages a plan to give the store earlier hours; The Clock Mr. Grainger at age 65 faces forced retirement; Up Captain Peacock Mr Granger bristles with envy when Captain Peacock is awarded executive privileges in lieu of a promotion.
As the series developed Bannister's character the devilishly charming slouch Mr. Lucas lost ground to the simple direct appeal of Humphries played by John Inman. In the pilot John Inman played Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries, with an aloofness bordering upon snooty arrogance. While Mr. Humphries prefers to leave his private life in a haze, he is never ambivalent in his loyalty to the store and his co-workers, often finding expression in the husky voice of a sharp, but sensitive wit. On the floor, Mr Humphreys is smartly attired, but off duty he encourages continued speculation by assuming the most outrageous costumes.
John Inman was so identified with the character of Mr Humphreys that when put on display for doting Long Island matrons Inman had to remind his adoring interviewer that though like Mr Humphreys he had once worked in a shop, he was not Mr Humphreys. A bit taken aback by American familiarity, Mr Inman cautioned the interviewer, "I am the happily married father of two boys."
In a sequel never shown in America: "Are you being served in Australia" John Inman continues the antics as head of the mens-wear department at Bone Brothers of Australia.
But while Are You Being Served may strike a responsive chord in Long Island's mall culture, Are You Being Served belongs to an England where in the words of Mr Humphreys "the red on the map is not the countries we own but the countries we owe." It's an England plagued by labor unrest, particularly transport strikes which leave employees stranded at work. Yet the English, Captain Peacock reassuringly counsels, all remain stalwart even when they have to compromise.
Now which of the characters could be Americans?
The decision on this surprises even me: the cockney lass Miss Brahms played by Wendy Richards, the slouch Mr Lucas played by Trevor Bannister, and the maintenance man Mr Harmon played by Arthur English sufficiently display certain American qualities: seeking to better oneself (Miss Brahms), evading personal responsibility (Mr Lucas), and raking in unnecessary OT (Mr Harmon). However Mr Harry Goldberg (Alfie Bass) is the real American. We could move him from the High Street in London to any American town without the slightest change.
Why not Mr Humphreys? Mr Humphreys (John Inman) simply has too much class.