If the Cap Fits is an Irish television sketch show that aired on RTÉ for one series in 1973. The show was written by and starred Niall Tóibín.[1]
| If the Cap Fits | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Written by | Niall Tóibín Eoghan Harris |
| Starring | Niall Tóibín |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Brian Mac Lochlainn |
| Production locations | Studio 1, RTÉ Television Centre, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, Ireland |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | RTÉ |
| Release | 18 June 1973 |
History
editThe show premiered on 18 June 1973.[2] It was produced and directed by Brian MacLochlainn.[3][4] Niall Tóibín received a Jacob's Award for If the Cap Fits in 1973.[5][6] In Tóibín's 2019 obituary, The Irish Times called RTÉ's the show "one of the station's rare comedy successes".[7]
The show was perceived as "too risqué" to be renewed.[8] Owing to the demands of the fundamentalist Catholics, the show was scrapped and all tapes of it were erased.[9] If the Cap Fits was the catalyst for the establishment of the Irish League of Decency.[10]
Content
editThroughout all the episodes, Tóibín portrayed 90 characters.[11] In a scene, Tóibín's character was a nun who took out Guinness that was stashed in her clothes.[12] Barbara Brennan, Chris Curran, Maura Hastings, Eileen Murphy, and Derry Power participated in the sketch scenes.[2]
Reception
editKen Gray of The Irish Times praised the show for "the variety of voices and accents is marvellous, and marvellously accurate" and said, "There is more savage bite in the comedy, too, than in anything R.T.E. has so far ventured to put on television".[2] Gray said of Tóibín's performance, "He may not always look the part, though the make-up is good, but the accent and inflexion he gets into his satirical impersonations are often deadly." He particularly liked Tóibín's portrays of Dick Burke, George Colley, Patrick Hillery, and Tony O'Reilly.[13]
The author Helena Sheehan called the show and Time Now Mr T "some of the best political and social satire produced by RTE" and that all episodes on the two shows were "a veritable tour de force on the part of Niall Tóibín".[11]
References
edit- ^ "Television". Niall Tóibín's official website. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ a b c Gray, Ken (18 June 1973). "Toibin Pre-Tested". The Irish Times. p. 10. ProQuest 526623693.
- ^ "An Irishman's Diary". The Irish Times. 16 June 1973. p. 13. ProQuest 526640565.
- ^ Glacken, Brendan (17 September 1984). "Sitcom in the Presbytery". The Irish Times. p. 10. ProQuest 529945235.
- ^ "Radio awards presented by O'Brien". The Irish Times. 25 February 1974. p. 13. ProQuest 526844014.
- ^ "Irish comedy: are we beginning to see the end of the great comedians?". The Nationalist. 11 August 2010. ProQuest 741932188.
- ^ "Niall Tóibín obituary: Leading Irish actor known for his Brendan Behan roles". The Irish Times. 13 November 2019. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Flynn, Roddy; Tracy, Tony (2019). Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema (2 ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 562. ISBN 978-1-5381-1958-7. Retrieved 14 April 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ "In his book, John Bowman fails to deal with the ultra nationalist tradition in RTE News". Sunday Independent. 27 November 2011. p. 23. ProQuest 906087530.
- ^ "We lovetelly". Daily Mirror. 22 December 2011. p. 1. ProQuest 912366628.
- ^ a b Sheehan, Helena (1987). Irish Television Drama: A Society and Its Stories. Dublin: RTÉ. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-86029-012-4. Retrieved 14 April 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Niall Tóibín, actor who played the cranky priest Frank MacAnally in 'Ballykissangel', Brendan Behan on Broadway and Tom Cruise's father in 'Far and Away' – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 16 November 2019. ProQuest 2314862472. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Gray, Ken (23 July 1973). "The Essential Joyce". The Irish Times. p. 10. ProQuest 526637812.