"Fix Me A Waldorf Salad" | Fawlty Towers

Basil tries to keep a guest happy with his persistent request for a Waldorf Salad.
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[@kjetilhansen5363]

If I'm ever in New York, I'll go to the Waldorf Hotel and order a Ritz Salad.

[@johnbull9195]

'I wanna Ritz Salad!'

[@vanessalouise8988]

Harry the American guest is wearing a donkey brown shirt with a beige suit.

[@rolandmiller8036]

Where's Waldorf?

[@stevena3244]

What is a Waldorf anyway? A walnut that's gone off?

[@tomedy_official]

@@johnbull9195 we run out of ritz to

[@johnparton2209]

I’ve seen this 100s of times, still makes me laugh, one of the best scenes from the greatest comedy series of all time.

[@Angela-kc5ui]

Agree

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

QUE ?

[@tomwakley5719]

"Well, I think we're just out of Waldorfs..."

[@Cyrus-3D]

"Oh terrific. We'll celebrate. We'll have an apple party. Everybody brings his own apple and stuffs it down somebodies throat" Cannot beat the madness of Basil Fawlty.

[@bsmith1164]

C TM Have been using that line for years! Genius writing

[@Cyrus-3D]

@@bsmith1164 it is definitely a line you can use anywhere

[@monicanath4859]

😂

[@atomiccritter6492]

anyone who has worked in catering/hospitality can empathise with that line...customers thinking they can have anything

[@Cyrus-3D]

@@atomiccritter6492 That is true. Shame they cut the line out where he goes on about a book, Hamilton says "How about a Waldorf Salad" Basil says "Was that 1? You're absolutely right, it was a shocker wasn't it?" Imagine if there was actually a book out with that title. I am surprised Prunella Scales kept a straight face.

[@compsecure77]

What is a Waldorf anyway, a walnut that's gone off, priceless

the way cleese delivers the "now come on!!!" at 1:40 is so funny

[@LastAvailableAlias]

That killed me!

[@TallSilentGuy]

Even better was Sybil's reaction. _Now why's he talking to an empty kitchen?_

[@danatkins307]

I drunkenly shouted Waldorf salad at a Fawlty Towers dinner experience. Basil ripped me to pieces 😂

[@monicanath4859]

😂

[@atomiccritter6492]

did you mention the war?

[@inspectortanzi]

@@atomiccritter6492 I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it.

[@anthonygioia888]

@@inspectortanzi l mentioned the war a second time but didn’t get away with it alright!!

[@clintoruss153]

​@@inspectortanziwill you stop mentioning the war,, well u started it, we did not start it, yes you did you invaded poland

[@slipperyjoker2659]

Have you ever tried a Ritz salad. No I don't think I've ever tried that. Don't think I ever will either.😂😂

[@niru9886]

i'm sorry i think we are out of waldorf..gets me everytime!!

[@MegaFlipper33]

Priceless moment😀

[@ysgol3]

I agree completely, but it's 'Waldorfs'.

[@Marcusx1980]

Fun trivia. Bruce Boa and John Cleese were actually good friends.

[@u.v.s.5583]

Unlikely. The one swims in the morning and skis in the afternoon, the other is doing silly walks all day long.

[@DeborahAnneMacGillivray]

I cannot eat a Waldorf salad without thinking of this....

[@johnbull9195]

Every time I hear the Waldorf-Estoria mentioned this is immediately what I think of.

[@mandymarshall9220]

Same here!! 😂

[@monicanath4859]

I never heard of this until I watched this.

[@hollywark2885]

I prefer a Ritz salad myself

[@marypettyfer4640]

Same 🤣🤭😊

[@stevebrazilio]

How Bruce Boa and John Cleese kept a straight face in this whole scene is amazing! I crack up every time I watch this... possibly the most amusing clip in history I've ever seen! Harry's wife looks like she's going to crack up at any time lol...

[@EpicMetalTime]

One of my favorite episodes. Basil is used to bullying his guests and be dominating towards them but in this episode he finally met his match in the american guest who wasn't gonna have any of Basil's bullshit and actually stand up for himself.

[@martymart6143]

Agreed. When I first saw it I didn't like Basil getting his comeuppance but now I think it's so well written considering when it was made. Very true of how British put up with crap service but when asked confirm its acceptable (like the 2 ladies moaning about dinner but when asked say its very nice)

[@Roger__Wilco]

To be fair though the American guest doesn't even know what he wants - throws a tantrum and thrusts money at Basil for the kitchen to stay open because he wants a warm meal and then orders a salad!

[@tonypap1]

"Stand up for himself?" Mr Hamilton's a total arsehole himself and just "out-arsehole's" Basil pretty much, which is of course what leads to such hilarity. Brilliantly acted by the superb Bruce Boa.. ❤️️

[@jackspring7709]

I once saw that Canadian actor on a train in London and he could see I recognised him - I could picture him thinking "Oh, no. I hope that guy doesn't shout 'Waldorf Salad' at me".

[@timothywait9457]

he was beaten up a bit in the hotel inspectors by a fussy man cold mr uchinson for choking him

[@johnbull9195]

This actor does a great job living up to the British stereotype of an American.

[@joshuawaring4180]

John Bull and, ironically, the actor’s Canadian.

[@johnbull9195]

@@joshuawaring4180 He can't be that bad then.

[@takerdust]

@@joshuawaring4180 his accent gives it away.

[@bingola45]

@@takerdust You don't often hear a loudmouth Canadian!

[@jamesiowanathanoiy8040]

Makes a change from the drunken cockney brit that you often find in American TV

[@ZetaReticuli_]

There's no celery, and the celery flies out the box the second he says that. 😆

[@0532MOET]

I never even noticed that 😅 and I've seen this 25 times

[@ashleyhallows2566]

1:34 "Do you know the god damn ingredients of a Waldorf salad ? it's celery , apples , walnuts , grapes and mayonnaise."

[@lusyhognaston3777]

I am British and I saw a Waldorf salad in a supermarket and I had never heard of it and I try virtually anything so I brought it and ate it and I loved it, one of the best American inventions ever, I love it.

[@ashleynee9020]

Which is funny because as an American I had never heard of a Waldorf Salad. This episode is the sole reason I know about it.

[@lusyhognaston3777]

@@ashleynee9020 If you see one in a shop, try it, personally I find it delicious.

[@timothywait9457]

@@lusyhognaston3777 i like it but not the wolnuts

[@atomiccritter6492]

I hope it used Waldorfs

[@TallSilentGuy]

So fix me one now!

[@londonspowart2296]

CELERY! APPLES! WALNUTS! GRAPES! (in a mayonnaise sauce)

[@Marcusx1980]

Right!! Now come on...!

[@Longi1974]

Bruce Boa also played General Rieekan in The Empire Strikes back, the Rebel leader in the Hoth Base

[@peteeyg.66]

"I think we're just outta Waldorf". Lololol. 😆

[@annewilkinson9611]

"What is a Waldorf anyway, a walnut that's gone off?" 😂😂

[@BritinSchleswig]

Had to watch this again to remember the ingredients :). Entranced also by the exquisite beauty of Scottish Actress Claire Nielson playing Mrs Hamilton.

[@bobbyhanly3466]

Thank you.

[@stefanydower1350]

"It's Celery, apples, walnuts, grapes - in Mayonnaise!

[@vanessalouise8988]

The Fawlty Tower episode of the Waldorf 🥗 salad with the aggressive American guest Harry is so funny. 🤣

[@tonypap1]

I tried my first ever Waldorf Salad whilst working in the U.S a few years ago purely because of this episode. It’s something that just shouldn’t work and the ingredients just sound like a disaster waiting to happen. But then I tasted it 🤩

[@mindriot91_96]

Yeah, I was wondering how it tasted. As you said, the ingredients 'sound like a disaster waiting to happen'. Maybe I'll give it a try.

[@lexster411]

RIP Bruce. A true gent

[@roquefortfiles]

The guy playing the cranky American should have won an Oscar.

[@ThreeLions82]

He was dick this was the only episode I didn't like.

[@jcarlovitch]

Emmy.

[@roquefortfiles]

@@jcarlovitch That too!!

[@NoahSpurrier]

He was Canadian.

[@roquefortfiles]

@@NoahSpurrier Really? He's got the flat American accent down

[@Treblaine]

When this episode aired in 1979 £20 was a very large amount of money, equivalent to almost $200 today.

[@Levente20]

yea but the guy still acted like a total asshole

[@peterashford7855]

probably the most priceless line in the whole 2 series of FT!!! only Cleese could do it like that

[@SheldonAdama17]

If Basil had just let his wife handle it and shut up for the rest of the evening, he would have spared himself a lot of grief.

[@0532MOET]

At the very least not started reading the note, it's usually the same theme, he tries to make everything appear perfect and because of that it backfires massively

[@gbjames1664]

But then the story would have been non-existent.

[@lambo2655]

If only customers would stick to ordering what’s written on the menu lol.

[@arthurvasey]

If I ran a hotel and John Cleese walked in, I might do him a Waldorf salad! Regular salad in an igloo of cheese - walled-off salad!

[@Glenn1967ful]

Bruce Boa was Canadian, but he played the part of an arrogant, condescending rich American very well. Also, how many hotels outside of London in 1979 would have heard of a Waldorf salad? Back then, anything not sounding British would have been unknown.

[@scarygary-qq1pj]

The first time I went to England, I ordered fish & chips, but it was nothing like the Americanized version. Not better, not worse. Just different.

[@eleanorhogan8643]

Waldorf salads are the best American creation ever, I remember seeing one at a supermarket and buying it and it was delicious

[@timothywait9457]

Eleanor Hogan i like it but minus the wolnuts

[@eleanorhogan8643]

@@timothywait9457 Then that is not a waldorf salad, waldorf salads have walnuts in them.

[@timothywait9457]

@@eleanorhogan8643 ok i have my steak rare and not from a bottle but have a bottle of wine with it

[@eleanorhogan8643]

@@timothywait9457 Fine.

[@stevena3244]

Doesn't compare to a Ritz salad: apples, grapefruit and potatoes in a mayonnaise sauce

[@peggymitchell5452]

Its cheese....., No no cheese! haha

[@peregrinemccauley7819]

That American fellow , played his role brilliantly . Goes to show , with good production , they can perform at top level too .

[@gustavmarie]

That's Canadian actor Bruce Boa, who also played the rebel general on Hoth at the start of Empire Strikes Back and the Marine Colonel in Full Metal Jacket.

[@philipmclaughlin9636]

Yep I can't watch Metal Jacket without thinking of a waldorf salad lol

[@free..to..air..]

A Savoy Salad is made entirely of cabbage

[@SJMJ91]

This episode was Basil at his most delusional! 🤣

[@MrX-tx9lo]

2 people who voted down didn’t get their Waldorf salad and the steaks were out of the bottle.

[@sleepCircle]

what's fascinating to me is that john cleese said that--when they were writing the episode--they were envisioning the american as the protagonist. from john cleese's point of view, the american is the NORMAL guy who has come into a bizarre hotel where you can't get anything done and nothing makes sense, and he is the only one who has the gumption to complain about it, whereas all the other guests are too hindered by their own british fear of 'being rude' to say anything about how insane basil is

[@tomservo5347]

Haha that's too funny. John and Texan-born Connie really hit it out of the park with their script writing. (For a Texan Connie did a pretty good accent.)

[@tomservo5347]

@Rowan Melton I was flabbergasted finding out she was American, and has a degree in psychiatry I believe. Very smart with looks to boot and she still looks good at nearly 80. As for accents, the shoe fits the same when English actors try pulling off a German accent, or funnier still an American one because they don't lay on their 'R's thick enough.

[@tommyandrewd]

It was basically the difference in American and British culture, though I doubt the American was ever meant to be portrayed as particularly likeable.

[@atomiccritter6492]

well customers coming into a hotel expecting to order something not on the menu is a little dick-ish and kind of normal I guess

[@lifeofabronovich7792]

@@tomservo5347 Connie was actually born in Indiana. But she's American nonetheless. I was honestly fooled though - I thought she was a Brit for a good while!

[@joya7304]

He’s a natural comedian brilliant !

[@gfs641]

" i think we are out of Waldorf"

[@neilwilliams1518]

bruce boa made this but cleese comic genius...the part with the book slating magnificent

[@HaleiwaGirl808]

One of my favorite shows ever! Sitting here watching Star Wars and it reminded me of this guy being in Fawlty Towers 🤣

[@clintoruss153]

Whats also funny , is basil saying,, The chef recommends the grapefruit, hows it done, well its cut in half with a cherry in the middle

[@daveduvergier3412]

This is exactly the sort of banal fare you would have got in a traditional English hotel of the era, it's right on the money :)

[@clintoruss153]

@@daveduvergier3412 lol

[@NilezII]

I notice in this episode that the couple loves everything that Sybil does, and hates everything that Basil does!

[@edwinhesketh9720]

This is my favourite FT episode of them all

[@stephenchurch9563]

We have apples, o great we’ll have a apple party😅

[@perjensen7751]

Some waldorfsalats are made with celleryleaves in stead of celery and creme fraiche instead of only mayonaisse. That would probably make the american furiuois.

[@DarknessIsThePath]

What's a Waldorf anyway? A Walnut that's gone off?!

[@LastAvailableAlias]

Claire Nielson, who plays his wife here, is lovely

[@bobt5778]

Well I think we're just out of Waldorf!

[@gst013]

Basil has so much anxiety that watching him gives me anxiety 😅

[@Iggywiggywoo]

That's General Riekan from Star Wars!

[@ejl1000]

Princess... we have a visitor!

[@peterburke1709]

So this is where he went after the battle of hoth

[@Iggywiggywoo]

@@peterburke1709 this was one year before the battle of Hoth actually.

[@inspectortanzi]

On Hoth, only Imperial Probe Droid salads are available.

[@MagdaSofouli]

Brilliant, how those guys kept a straight face throughout the filming.. too funny! Difficult to match this type and quality of comedy's now a days.. I was around 10 at that time, living in Holland, I still remember the episode!

[@TallSilentGuy]

Just imagine how much time and trouble Basil would have saved if he'd just said right from the get-go "We don't have all the ingredients to make a Waldorf Salad". 🤦‍♂

[@klaskristian1]

Haha. Yes it is a great episode in a great tv series. As i am a chef i really likes this episode. If one knows food, the restaurant and service buisness, this episode gets much funnier!

[@MrX-tx9lo]

Steaks...done rare not out of a bottle hahahaha We are all out of waldorfs hahahahaha

[@tommyandrewd]

I’d always wondered that if Terry was around to cook if he had known what a Waldorf Salad was and how to make one

[@Marcusx1980]

Probably not

[@jameslong3509]

He put mince beef in Paella (“The Anniversary”) so who knows. He came from Dorchester not The Dorchester. Though he could just about manage Dutch Veal (until Basil poisoned some) so hit and miss.

[@martymart6143]

It only occurred to me recently thar this is the only Fawlty Towees episode which is shown in real time, no breaks in time etc and all takes place in the space of a few hours

[@jackfitzpatrick8173]

Sliced hippopotamus...classic.

[@MerkhVision]

With suitcase sauce! Lol

[@HSimon1981]

now we got apples Terrific we'll celebrate we'll have an apple party Everybody pulls his own apple and stuffs it down somebody's throat

[@Chris-qo4rt]

2:44 It's now a real thing because of this episode, and it was basically Basil bullshitting and making it up on the fly lmao

[@peterburke1709]

I actually stayed at the walforf Astoria in New York back in 2003 during the blackout

[@Sailorsega]

Did you get to try their famous salad?

[@peterburke1709]

Nah

[@bertvdlast]

@@peterburke1709. They couldn’t make it in the dark?

[@stagna1959]

20 pounds to keep kitchen open an hour and half was lot of money in 1979 , especially if we consider chef only demanded five for overtime. Mrs. Richard paid 7 pounds per night for her room , so it was almost equal to 3 day stay . No wonder Sybil was upset that Basil wanted to pocket it for himself. Probably wanted to bet on another horse race secretly so wife would not know.

[@googleuser2609]

hehe :)

[@alihamzaamalik840]

What’s a scene absalout classic 😂

[@monicanath4859]

This is absolutely brilliant! I never heard of this salad until I watched it.

[@colallison6152]

Now come on!!. Hilarious.

[@pauliejay4161]

I gotta say, I looove Waldorf salads!

[@pauldashwood2897]

A wall 🤣🤣 great stuff .

[@gavinreid8937]

Basil stayed open in 1979 for £20 , well today with inflation that,d be about £95!

[@ramspace]

Poor Basil! He is trying so hard to keep everyone happy, and without fault it leads to utter failure.

[@paulboulter7823]

Bruce Boa,brilliant!

[@AntarcticaTelevision]

Basil may be annoying, but the American tourist here is pretty tetchy too.

[@bobbybaratheon4647]

He pissed me off with his fucking Waldorf Salad 🤣🤣🤣

[@chrimorhen4585]

Very funny I wouldn't stay at this hotel lol great acting.

[@pagrant]

a Ritz salad

[@Craigevansagain]

"I haven't tried that. Don't think I ever will."

[@u.v.s.5583]

Have you ever tried a Fawlty salad? Rat, rat poison, mayonnaise sauce.

[@pagrant]

@@u.v.s.5583 with a side dish of, mickey mouse shape chips

[@stevena3244]

Apples, grapefruit and potatoes in a mayonnaise sauce

[@marypettyfer4640]

Love Fawlty Towers brilliant 👏

[@vanessalouise8988]

Why didn't Basil write down the ingredients of the Waldorf salad 🥗 on a writing pad .🤣

[@Jelgergoochelaar]

0:33 Book in right hand, 0:35 book in left hand.

[@WillRock07]

This is probably the only time I felt a little bad for Basil. Every other time you can argue he totally got everything coming to him and dished out as good as he got, but here, even though he tries to deceive the guy, The American comes off as a self entitled bully who is arguably much worse than Basil in a lot of ways. I would have liked to have seen Basil actually take his frustrations out on this guy to just see what happened, but he never does, instead throwing his frustrations out on the guests at the end of the episode hahaha.

[@JH24821]

What you say is certainly true, but Basil also kept digging himself into a hole. The American guest was polite to Sybil, and if Basil just would have let it go everything could have been resolved amicably.

[@Chris-qo4rt]

The american was douchy but i think Basil needed a taste of his own medicine. The bully finally gets bullied himself.

[@walmingtonhomeguard]

Basil decides to make up his own salad to try and appease this guest. After finding out the Waldorf is a hotel he offers him a 'Ritz salad' which he tells him is a 'traditional old english thing' It's apples potatoes and grapefruit in mayonaisse!!! I'm surprised he didn't lap it up lol

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

Great stuff . Hilarious .

[@killerlifealbum]

Perfect comedy the best !

[@ETHANALLEN-d2x]

He’s actually Canadian actor

[@kevinfred10001]

Basil missed an opportunity to be sarcastic. When he brought the guests their screwdrivers he could have said' The vodka is out of a bottle, is that all right?'

[@lewishadley6219]

He wasn't ever sarcastic to those he perceived to be important or upper class

[@skeletor6287]

If there is no wardorf salad on the menu then why ask for it?

[@munimathbypeterfelton6251]

Because some American tourists/customers in restaurants believe they are entitled to whatever they want whenever they want it simply because they flaunt their big wads of money.

[@skeletor6287]

Peter Felton that Logic is like going into a McDonald’s and asking for caviar.

[@atomiccritter6492]

@@munimathbypeterfelton6251 not just Americans...it happens over here in Britain and some customers really have swallowed the nonsense that the customer is king to the point of absurdity. I have worked in hospitality and you kind of get used to people and their strange off-menu type requests

[@mahlstadt]

Someone saw my Ritz salad and asked if I was about to eat it or had just done so

[@DafneVallstrom]

And an Astoria beef with lots of mashed potatoe. And gravy.

[@timothypoulter8285]

I was in a pub with some friends and the service was awful and were still waiting for the main course after nearly an hour. Another friend arrived and the waitress asked if he wanted to order anything and he jokingly said a waldorf salad. Within 5 minutes the dish was brough to the table but the joke was lost on the pub staff.

[@weerobot]

Classic Scene...

[@joewharton-vy7oq]

fun fact the American actor was filmiing empire strikes back as the commander of hoff, while in the uk

[@compsecure77]

Brilliant absolutely positively.

[@ganados0]

Basil's problems stem from the fact he's never honest.

[@presntnow]

hahahahahahahahahaha 😂😂😂😂❤

[@barsixful]

Inspired comedy. I’m always thanking the universe I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. And how I feel sorry for the young ones today! iPhones, social media, and Pink….omg

[@DafneVallstrom]

Jag vill också ha en Waldorf-sallad!

[@nassauguy48]

LOL. In the British sitcoms, the Americans are depicted either as brash and loud New Yorkers or not too smart Country Westerners.

[@jacknottingham9492]

“Now come on!!!”

[@jasoneaton9477]

'" well u need to take your ass back to Waldorf fur dat salad"

[@paulsarnik8506]

How about a Fawlty Salad? 🤓😎✌🏻

[@peterburke3944]

i reckon mr hamilton would of had manuel for breakfast if he hadnt left with polly and terry