Waldorf Salad (Fawlty Towers)
| "Waldorf Salad" | |
|---|---|
| Fawlty Towers episode | |
Basil Fawlty attending to
Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton |
|
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Bob Spiers |
| Written by | John Cleese & Connie Booth |
| Production code | 8 |
| Original air date | 5 March 1979 |
"Waldorf Salad" is the third episode of the second series of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers. Directed by Bob Spiers, it first aired on 5 March 1979.
Dinner time is exceptionally busy, and several guests are dissatisfied with the quality of the service and the food. One guest, Mr. Johnston, and his wife complain that her starter prawns are "off", and they wish it to be deducted from their bill, even though she has already eaten half of them. Another couple, the Arrads, have been waiting nearly half an hour for their main course. When Basil checks on them, however, they do not even mention it. Meanwhile, Sybil lazily talks to one of the guests (who himself appears not to be enjoying her conversation), leaving everyone else to cope. Just as Basil is about to serve the Johnstons their lamb, an elegant Englishwoman, Mrs. Hamilton, then arrives to check in, forcing Mr. Johnston to collect the lamb himself. A loud and short-tempered American man follows Mrs. Hamilton in, complaining about the weather and the journey from London, including the size of his hired car and having to drive on "the wrong side of the road" (and sarcastically referring to the M5 as a "little backstreet"). The patriotic Basil is irate and makes derogatory comments about the man until Mrs. Hamilton introduces him as her husband, forcing Basil into cringeworthy backtracking. Mr. Hamilton demands a proper meal, even though the kitchen is closed, and also insists on freshening up first. Mr. Hamilton bribes Basil with £20 to keep the chef on so the kitchen will stay open. Tension is heightened as, whilst Basil annoys the Hamiltons to no end, Sybil makes good friends with them.
Basil pockets some of the money and offers a lesser amount to Terry to stay. Terry claims to have a karate lesson, but eventually agrees to stay. However, Polly inadvertently reveals that his appointment was a night-out with her, Manuel and his Finnish girlfriend. Annoyed, Basil reclaims the money and sends him off, planning to cook himself. After arriving, the Hamiltons both order screwdrivers, a drink Basil has never heard of. Harry then confuses him by asking for a Waldorf salad, even though it is not on the menu, followed by two rare steaks. Mr. Hamilton is annoyed when Basil does not know what it is and must repeatedly correct Basil when he asks for the ingredients (which are celery, apples, walnuts, and grapes, topped with mayonnaise), after saying that the hotel is "out of Waldorfs", but demands it all the same. Unable to find the ingredients, he panics, even after Sybil assures him she will help. Upon learning the namesake of the salad (the Waldorf Hotel in New York), Basil tries unsuccessfully to persuade Mr. Hamilton to order a "Ritz salad", a combination of ingredients that he knows are in the kitchen: namely apples, grapefruit and potatoes in mayonnaise. When Basil offers an overblown excuse as to why the salad cannot be made, Mr. Hamilton becomes even more outraged and encourages Basil to "bust the chef's ass", while changing his order to a green salad. However, Sybil has already prepared the Waldorf salad and presents it to him. While the Hamiltons are enjoying their salads and are willing to let things rest, Basil is pretending to give Terry a tongue-lashing in the kitchen. Upon discovering the Waldorf salad has been served to Mr. Hamilton, an angry Basil takes the salad and pretends to demand an explanation from Terry, and sustains a slap in the face from Sybil when he refuses to give it back. She then orders Basil to get the Hamiltons their wine.
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