Rindercella: Archie Campbell or Ronnie Barker

Cafe Society
1

I’ve been sent some email glurge sent as “A Tribute To Ronnie Barker” (UK comedian & actor, recently died). In it there is the story of Rindercella, with a claim that this was written and delivered by Barker on TV.

I wasn’t convinced. For a start, IMHO it’s not that funny and just has shallow “ooh, rude words!” impact, and Ronnie Barker was practically always funny.

So I did a web search and indications are it was performed by an American called Archie Campbell, who I’ve never heard of. So my question is; whose work is it? Did Ronnie cover Archie, or vice verse. Did Barker perform this sketch on TV? Or is it, as I suspect, just another heap of email misinformation?

If you want to read the story, do a google. It’s easily found. Basically it’s a bunch of obvious spoonerisms in a story about Cinderella.

2

I can’t answer this question, I can only tell you that Archie Campbell used wordplay like this on HeeHaw all the time and I do remember his telling the story of Rindercella (probably highly sanitized if it involved naughty bits) on that show.

Back in the 60’s and 70’s it was not unusual for a comedy bit to be purchased and done by several different performers – I had an LP by Don Adams and another by Phyllis Diller with two identical routines on them.

Who wrote it – dunno.

3

Part of what makes me suspicious is that Barker wrote dozens of routines like this for himself under a pseudonym. He was very good at them. So I don’t see him having any need to perform someone else’s similar material.

I also doubt they would have broadcast that version of Rindercella at any time in BBC primetime in the 70s. Apart from being not particularly good, it’s not in the least bit subtle and wouldn’t sneak under any censor’s radar.

4

I remember when “The Two Ronnies” came on in syndication in my area in the 1970s . An absolutely awful show. Every single “joke” was old, old, old. Impossible, of course, to tell which percentage was paid for and which percentage was just plain stolen.

Archie Campbell, while not the greatest writer ever, at least did write a lot of material and was well respected by the people who worked with him.

Not proof, but what I would consider A Really Big Clue.

5

I don’t remember any rude words, just a lot of spoonerisms like “If you want to meet a prancesome hince, don’t forget to slop your drippers”.