Title:
For The Man Who Has Everything
Original
Broadcast Date:
Friday 26th December
1975,
7.45pm, ITV.
Summary:
Rigsby has a
miserable Christmas.
|
Starring:
Leonard
Rossiter, Richard
Beckinsale, Don
Warrington.
With:
Gay
Rose as Brenda; Helen
Fraser as Postmistress Gwen;
Elizabeth
Adare as Lucy; Larry
Martyn as Fred.
|
|
|
Scene Guide:
- It is Boxing Day,
and
Rigsby has had a miserable Christmas. He has spent it all alone, with
not
even anyone to pull his cracker. He hears the sound of Fred the milkman
arriving and he hides behind the kitchen cupboard, knowing Fred will be
after his 'Christmas box'. Fred can see Rigsby hiding, however, and
shuts
the door, making Rigby think he has gone. Rigsby emerges and Fred is
still
standing there. He notices there is no double cream with his milk, and
Fred says they have run out. Rigsby starts to insult Fred because of
this,
and Fred retaliates with comments about Rigsby being a Scrooge at
Christmas.
Rigsby reluctantly gives Fred a 10p piece, and Fred says its such a
rarity
he's going to put it on his watch-chain. Rigsby is not alone again for
long, as Gwen, the postmistress arrives with a surprised look on her
face.
She has a card for Rigsby, but he tells her not to be so shocked, and
makes
the excuse that he told everyone he would be spending Christmas at his
brother's, and that all his cards would have been sent there. After
discovering
he has manoeuvred Gwen into a position under his mistletoe, Gwen
refuses
to oblige in the tradition and leaves. Rigsby opens his card. It is one
he has posted to himself. Watch
video. |
 . .
 . .
 . .
 . .
|
| - Alan and
Brenda have returned
from spending Christmas Day at his parents home. Brenda has gone for a
bath, and Alan has gone down to Rigsby's room to borrow his fire,
thinking
Rigsby is away. |
 . .
|
| - Discovering he
is still
at home, Alan has to pretend that he popped in to give Rigsby a
present.
Alan has Brenda's present of bath salts in his pocket, which he gives
to
Rigsby. Rigsby takes offence, thinking Alan is implying something about
his personal cleanliness. Rigsby admits that Christmas is no fun on
one's
own, and that he even had to pull the turkey's wishbone on his own. He
tells Alan he wished for a 'nubile young woman in a flimsy negligee'.
Just
then, Brenda enters, fresh from her bath, and leaves quickly when she
sees
Rigsby. In a flash, Rigsby is putting on his suit, convinced that
Brenda
had come down to his room, expecting him to be alone. He tells Alan she
promised him a kiss at Christmas when he unblocked her drains in July. |
 . .
 . .
 . .
|
| - He sets off to
Brenda's
room, but instead of a kiss - or anything more - Brenda gives him a
present.
More bath salts. |
 .
|
| - Out on the
landing, Rigsby
is starting to get a complex about his similar presents, and sniffs
under
his armpits just to make sure. He also kicks the cat, in his anger at
the
lack of action in Brenda's room. |
|
| - Meanwhile,
Philip has
returned, and is expecting a girl to call round, again under the
expectation
that Rigsby and Alan were away. Alan says Rigsby will never allow it,
but
Philip says he will mellow his landlord with a bottle of his national
wine,
an extremely strong brew which burns the throat. |
 . .
|
| - Philip takes
his bags
up to his room and meets Rigsby on the stairs. |
|
| - Philip's
friend Lucy has
now arrived and has made her way into Rigsby's room, where Alan is
blowing
up balloons. |
|
| - Philip tells
Rigsby he
has bought him a present, and that he has left it in his room. |
|
| -
After checking that it's not more bath salts, Rigsby goes back to his
room
and sees Lucy sitting there. Thinking she is his present, he races back
up to Philip and, overjoyed, thanks him. He returns to his room and
sets
about chatting up Lucy. Assuming she has been specially shipped over
from
Africa for his pleasure, Rigsby starts to describe how life is
different
here in Britain. Lucy, however, is from Northampton. He tells her about
the British custom of kissing under the mistletoe and is just about to
demonstrate when Philip walks in and has his kiss first. Alan pours out
a glass of the wine, and Rigsby only then realises that this was his
present.
He has a quick gulp and immediately loses his voice. He chases everyone
out of his room, but postmistress Gwen has returned to apologise about
rejecting Rigsby's mistletoe-clad advances earlier in the day and has
come
to let him oblige. While Rigsby is drinking cold water to soothe his
throat,
however, Fred the milkman returns and kisses Gwen instead. He breaks
off
just long enough to give Rigsby his double cream and returns to his
passionate
embrace. |
 . .
 . .
 .
|
Changed
Scenes:
- Lucy's scenes
concern
her applying for the vacant room. This is not discussed in the TV
episode
(RDS: p.284).
Script Excerpt:
- "It's
like V J night all over again."
|
Production
Notes:
- Philip's
girlfriend Lucy
is played by Elizabeth Adare, who played the same character in the
Oxford,
Nottingham and London performances of the original play, The Banana
Box.
The character was dropped as a 'regular' when it transferred to TV.
See Also: Christmas
Special Photo Gallery
|
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.