Moody In...

Born on 8th January 1924 in Tottenham, North London (as Ronald Moodnick), Ron Moody is perhaps best known to generations of filmgoers as the villainous yet lovable rogue Fagin in Lionel Bart's Academy Award winning Oliver! 

On stage from 1952, he specialised in revue and first played Fagin in the original stage version in 1960. The following year the BBC offered Moody his own musical sitcom series in which he appeared with a small company of players; actors, singers and dancers. The series ran for six weeks and each was a self contained programme that featured a different setting - those settings being Moody In...Storeland, Tin Pan Alley (pictured), Clock Factory Land, Theatreland, Musketeerland and Teleland. 

It was the only British sitcom that Moody appeared in and he only appeared in one other, the 1980 US sitcom Nobody's Perfect (retitled Hart of the Yard in the UK). The US title was more apt, though. The series was simply awful. Unfortunate indeed as a performer of Ron Moody's talent deserved far better.

Published on January 8th, 2019. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.