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The central character of 'Allo 'Allo, a cafe owner in
occupied France during World War II, is cowardly, venal, adulterous, and yet
ineffably charming, thanks to the whimsical performance of Gorden Kaye. Rene
(Kaye) helps the local Nazi commandant hide a valuable painting of a
bare-breasted Madonna, helps the local Resistance hide British airmen until they
can be smuggled back to England, and helps himself to the lovely charms of his
two waitresses, Yvette (Vicki Michelle) and Maria (Francesca Gonshaw). The farce
flies fast and thick; the Nazis are greedy clods, the Resistance fighters are
neurotic obsessives, and the British airmen are jaunty dimwits--'Allo
'Allo cheerfully offends everyone, including old people, homosexuals, and
onion sellers. The humor isn't subtle, but the cast enjoys themselves and Kaye
keeps the show moving with a world-weary shrug.
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