What the Butler Saw was a mutoscope reel, and an early example of erotic films dating from the early 1900s. It depicted a scene of a woman partially undressing in her bedroom, as if some voyeuristic "butler" was watching her through a keyhole. The film was seen by depositing a coin in a freestanding viewing machine, which then freed a hand-crank on the side which was turned by the viewer. Social standards are subject to change, and by the 1950s this and similar films were considered harmless when compared to contemporary erotica.
The title of this feature became widely used in Britain as a generic term for devices and movies of this kind. The phrase had entered British popular culture after the 1886 divorce case of Lord Colin Campbell and Gertrude Elizabeth Blood. The trial hinged on whether their butler could have seen Lady Campbell in flagrante with Captain Shaw of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, through the keyhole of their dining room at 79 Cadogan Place, London.
What the Butler Saw entered British popular culture after the 1886 divorce case of Lord Colin Campbell and Gertrude Elizabeth Blood. The trial hinged on whether their butler could have seen Lady Campbell in flagrante with Captain Shaw of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, through the keyhole of their dining room at 79 Cadogan Place, London. The phrase became a euphemism for sex, particularly in the context of a peep show, and was used as the title for a number of films and other entertainments:
Ernest Sackville (E. S.) Turner (born 17 November 1909, died 6 July 2006) was an English freelance journalist and author who published 20 books, including Boys Will Be Boys (Michael Joseph, 1948), The Phoney War on the Home Front (St. Martin's Press, 1961), and What The Butler Saw (Penguin, 1962), and contributing to the Times Literary Supplement, London Review of Books, and regularly to the English satirical weekly magazine Punch (the latter for more than 50 years).
Early life and education
E. S. Turner was born in the Wavertree Garden suburb of Liverpool in the North West of England on 17 November 1909. His father, Frederick William Turner, "a churchgoer and a teetotaller, [and] a desk-man in the Post Office Engineering Department in Liverpool," was a descendant of Sir Barnard Turner, an Alderman and sheriff in London who commanded troops attempting to curb looting in the 1780 Gordon Riots in 1780, but who later died penniless less than a month into Parliament's assembly, after his election in 1784. Turner’s mother, Bertha Pixton Norbury, was an amateur portrait and landscape painter, and oversaw a home "built for a class… [her son E.S. thought] extinct, that of ‘meritorious artisans’," with a "family bookcase... weighted with the massed works of Swedenborg… and a ‘splendid’ volume called The Bible in Pitman’s Shorthand."
"What the Butler Saw" is the twenty-second episode of the fourth series of the 1960s cult British spy-fi television series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. It originally aired on ABC on 25 February 1966. The episode was directed by Bill Bain and written by Philip Levene.
Plot
A butler asks for a pay rise and another butler, Benson, is hailed and hands a gun on a plate to a hidden man in a chair to kill the butler, whose body is then dropped in a lake.
Steed visits a barber for a shave. His barber reports that one of three high officers is a spy, and is stabbed dead. Steed investigates the disappearance of the butler in disguises that spoof the styles of the various services. Commander Red wears a full beard, and Major White a small mustache. Squadron Leader Blue sports a great bushy mustache and spouts breezy acronyms.
Brigadier "Percy" Ponsonby-Goddard informs Steed he is unwell and asks him to return at a later date. His butler is later discovered stabbed. Mrs Peel visits Group Capt. "Georgie" Miles, a suspect who is susceptible to a pretty face, to learn more about him. She seduces him with photographs of herself, and is invited to dinner.
What the Butler Saw is a farce written by the English playwrightJoe Orton. It was premièred at the Queen's Theatre in London on 5 March 1969. It was Orton's final play and the second to be performed after his death, following Funeral Games the year before.
Plot summary
Dr. Prentice
Geraldine Barclay
Mrs. Prentice
Nicholas Beckett
Dr. Rance
Sergeant Match
The play consists of two acts—though the action is continuous—and revolves around a Dr. Prentice, a psychiatrist attempting to seduce his attractive prospective secretary, Geraldine Barclay. The play opens with the doctor examining Geraldine Barclay in a job interview. As part of the interview, he persuades her to undress. The situation becomes more intense during Dr. Prentice's supposed "interview" with Geraldine Barclay when Mrs Prentice enters. When his wife enters, he attempts to cover up his activity by hiding the girl behind a curtain. His wife, however, is also being seduced and blackmailed by a Nicholas Beckett. She therefore promises Nicholas the post as secretary, which adds further confusion, including Nicholas, Geraldine and a police officer dressing as a member of the opposite sex.
One of the original end of the pier peeks.Just 1d for thrills, or should that be frills.
Taken on Southport Pier July 2011.
https://www.facebook.com/mesmoland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mesmoland/sets
published: 28 Aug 2011
Mutoscope flick pic - what the butler saw !
published: 21 Jun 2019
Mutoscope - What The Butler Saw
Want to buy one of these? Check out our new website here: https://colcon.uk
Subscribe to see more vintage girly mutoscope reels coming soon!
published: 17 Feb 2016
'WHAT THE BUTLER SAW' MUTOSCOPE TYPE ARCADE MACHINE CURIOS FOR SALE ON EBAY
published: 14 Jul 2023
What the Butler Saw
A machine in the Transport Museum, Hull
published: 17 Oct 2009
What the Butler Saw ! (Penny Machine).
The old penny 'What the Butler Saw' machine gives away it's sordid secrets in this visit to the penny machine arcade at Great Yarmouth.
published: 08 Apr 2013
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW by Joe Orton
What exactly DID the butler see? Peer into our mutoscope to find out!
********
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW by Joe Orton
Performances: April 8-17, 2016 / Carrollwood Cultural Center
Presented by MAS Community Theatre
Play directed by Keith Eisenstadt
Promo video concept and production by Lance Rumowicz
********
In WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, Dr. Prentice, a psychiatric doctor in an exclusive, private clinic, is attempting to interview (and seduce) an attractive would-be secretary named Geraldine. However, when he is surprised at the office by his wife, he quickly hides the girl. The affairs multiply as Mrs. Prentice tries to get Nicholas Beckett, the young bellhop who is blackmailing her, the same secretarial position. When a government inspector arrives, chaos, underpants and cross-dressing lead...
published: 29 Mar 2016
What the butler saw.
No porn here, just 100 year old entertainment for the pre Wii century.
Taken at the National Media Museum, Bradford, UK.
published: 13 Feb 2008
"What The Butler Saw"
Paris naughty peep shows!
published: 02 Feb 2011
What The Butler Saw
Video teaser for the new production of Joe Orton's play, What The Butler Saw, playing at London's Vaudeville Theatre from the 4th May 2012.
One of the original end of the pier peeks.Just 1d for thrills, or should that be frills.
Taken on Southport Pier July 2011.
https://www.facebook.com/mesmoland
h...
One of the original end of the pier peeks.Just 1d for thrills, or should that be frills.
Taken on Southport Pier July 2011.
https://www.facebook.com/mesmoland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mesmoland/sets
One of the original end of the pier peeks.Just 1d for thrills, or should that be frills.
Taken on Southport Pier July 2011.
https://www.facebook.com/mesmoland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mesmoland/sets
What exactly DID the butler see? Peer into our mutoscope to find out!
********
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW by Joe Orton
Performances: April 8-17, 2016 / Carrollwood...
What exactly DID the butler see? Peer into our mutoscope to find out!
********
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW by Joe Orton
Performances: April 8-17, 2016 / Carrollwood Cultural Center
Presented by MAS Community Theatre
Play directed by Keith Eisenstadt
Promo video concept and production by Lance Rumowicz
********
In WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, Dr. Prentice, a psychiatric doctor in an exclusive, private clinic, is attempting to interview (and seduce) an attractive would-be secretary named Geraldine. However, when he is surprised at the office by his wife, he quickly hides the girl. The affairs multiply as Mrs. Prentice tries to get Nicholas Beckett, the young bellhop who is blackmailing her, the same secretarial position. When a government inspector arrives, chaos, underpants and cross-dressing lead the charge. The final tableau reveals “the missing parts of Winston Churchill” held aloft as the curtain falls.
The London premiere at the Queen’s Theatre in 1969 starred Coral Browne and Sir Ralph Richardson. The New York production later won the Obie Award as Best Foreign Play of The Season.
(WHAT THE BUTLER SAW is being produced in partnership with Samuel French, Inc.)
What exactly DID the butler see? Peer into our mutoscope to find out!
********
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW by Joe Orton
Performances: April 8-17, 2016 / Carrollwood Cultural Center
Presented by MAS Community Theatre
Play directed by Keith Eisenstadt
Promo video concept and production by Lance Rumowicz
********
In WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, Dr. Prentice, a psychiatric doctor in an exclusive, private clinic, is attempting to interview (and seduce) an attractive would-be secretary named Geraldine. However, when he is surprised at the office by his wife, he quickly hides the girl. The affairs multiply as Mrs. Prentice tries to get Nicholas Beckett, the young bellhop who is blackmailing her, the same secretarial position. When a government inspector arrives, chaos, underpants and cross-dressing lead the charge. The final tableau reveals “the missing parts of Winston Churchill” held aloft as the curtain falls.
The London premiere at the Queen’s Theatre in 1969 starred Coral Browne and Sir Ralph Richardson. The New York production later won the Obie Award as Best Foreign Play of The Season.
(WHAT THE BUTLER SAW is being produced in partnership with Samuel French, Inc.)
One of the original end of the pier peeks.Just 1d for thrills, or should that be frills.
Taken on Southport Pier July 2011.
https://www.facebook.com/mesmoland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mesmoland/sets
What exactly DID the butler see? Peer into our mutoscope to find out!
********
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW by Joe Orton
Performances: April 8-17, 2016 / Carrollwood Cultural Center
Presented by MAS Community Theatre
Play directed by Keith Eisenstadt
Promo video concept and production by Lance Rumowicz
********
In WHAT THE BUTLER SAW, Dr. Prentice, a psychiatric doctor in an exclusive, private clinic, is attempting to interview (and seduce) an attractive would-be secretary named Geraldine. However, when he is surprised at the office by his wife, he quickly hides the girl. The affairs multiply as Mrs. Prentice tries to get Nicholas Beckett, the young bellhop who is blackmailing her, the same secretarial position. When a government inspector arrives, chaos, underpants and cross-dressing lead the charge. The final tableau reveals “the missing parts of Winston Churchill” held aloft as the curtain falls.
The London premiere at the Queen’s Theatre in 1969 starred Coral Browne and Sir Ralph Richardson. The New York production later won the Obie Award as Best Foreign Play of The Season.
(WHAT THE BUTLER SAW is being produced in partnership with Samuel French, Inc.)
What the Butler Saw was a mutoscope reel, and an early example of erotic films dating from the early 1900s. It depicted a scene of a woman partially undressing in her bedroom, as if some voyeuristic "butler" was watching her through a keyhole. The film was seen by depositing a coin in a freestanding viewing machine, which then freed a hand-crank on the side which was turned by the viewer. Social standards are subject to change, and by the 1950s this and similar films were considered harmless when compared to contemporary erotica.
The title of this feature became widely used in Britain as a generic term for devices and movies of this kind. The phrase had entered British popular culture after the 1886 divorce case of Lord Colin Campbell and Gertrude Elizabeth Blood. The trial hinged on whether their butler could have seen Lady Campbell in flagrante with Captain Shaw of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, through the keyhole of their dining room at 79 Cadogan Place, London.
Pacing through the flickering light A velvet patch upon his eye His pacing creaks the floorboards loose As he tailors his thoughts for the truth around truths But his butler keeps eyes through a hole in the door What the butler don't see ain't a lot that's for sure Francesca lays across the couch They fight with words from mouth to mouth And then with handfuls of her flesh See how the zipper broke off of her dress Strangling her neck with his hands in her gloves The port and the brandy mix cocktails of love The porchlight, the torchlight The frosted morning lawn The cloak of daylight has finally been drawn On the tale of what the butler saw He kept his world all to himself And locked it tight inside his belt But she preferred his belt undone She bathed in his fortune but never his fun He cracked on a mixture of Opera and drink The butler still fetches and carries for him The butler dragged down to the lake Francesca's body in a cape No private eye was gonna trace this The old man was shaking, his marbles were missed The shadows and footprints and flickering lights The butler's up late with a cold in his eye The porchlight, the torchlight The frosted morning lawn The cloak of daylight has finally been drawn
Standing in her bathroom, the star soprano told Mezzadri, her butler, that she felt unwell. If she didn’t drink her coffee quickly, he quipped, the foam would turn to liquid and he’d have to remake it.
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