Waldorf Salad (Fawlty Towers)

"Waldorf Salad" is the third episode of the second series of the British television sitcom Fawlty Towers. Written by John Cleese and Connie Booth and directed by Bob Spiers, it first was first broadcast on BBC2 on 5 March 1979.

The episode revolves around Basil's attempts to prepare a meal for the Hamiltons, who ask for a Waldorf salad, a meal not on the hotel menu. However, Terry the chef has left the hotel for the evening, so it is Basil who must prepare the meal.

The episode is regarded as being "massively popular" in the series, its humour derived from the cultural differences of American and British people.

Plot


Dinner time is exceptionally busy at the hotel and the guests complain to Sybil about the quality of the service. However, when Basil checks with the guests, they do not mention their complaints. As service is winding down, a new couple arrives, Mr and Mrs Hamilton. While Mrs Hamilton is British, her husband is American, and gives vent to a list of complaints about their travels from London, compared with the United States. Because of their late arrival, Mr Hamilton asks Basil to bribe the cook to keep the kitchen open so they can have a meal after they have unpacked. Basil attempts to trick Terry the chef by giving him only half of what Mr Hamilton has paid. Terry agrees, but claims it will cause him to miss a karate class. However, Polly reveals that she, Terry, Manuel, and Terry's Finnish girlfriend are about to have a night out. Irritated by Terry's fib, Basil sends them on their way, saying he will cook for the Hamiltons himself.

The Hamiltons first ask for screwdrivers, of which Basil has never heard, irritating Mr Hamilton. He asks for a Waldorf salad, an item not on the menu, followed by two rare steaks. Basil similarly has no idea how to make a Waldorf salad, and his attempts to make it are criticised by Mr Hamilton. Basil returns to the kitchen and shouts loudly as if he were yelling at the chef. Basil makes other excuses to the Hamiltons, unaware that Sybil has been able to prepare and serve the proper dish. On discovering this, Basil faux yells at the chef, but Sybil follows him into the kitchen and slaps him for his antics. Later, Basil reads a letter to the Hamiltons, supposedly from Terry, that places all the blame on the chef, but during that performance, the unattended steaks start to burn, drawing the hotel guests to the lobby.

Mr Hamilton yells at Basil, stating the hotel is "the crummiest, shoddiest, most badly run hotel in Western Europe" and compares Basil to Donald Duck. Attracted by the noise, other guests gather, and Basil browbeats them into acknowledging the quality of his hotel. However, as he continues to argue with Mr Hamilton, the other guests start airing their own grievances. As he goes off to pack his bags, Mr Hamilton laughs at Basil, who snaps at the other guests and tells Sybil that either the guests go, or he does. Sybil stares at him. Basil stalks out of the hotel, only to return seconds later after he realises it is raining, and requests a room and breakfast in bed, complete with a Waldorf Salad and "lashings of hot screwdriver".

Cast
With:
 * John Cleese as Basil Fawlty
 * Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty
 * Andrew Sachs as Manuel
 * Connie Booth as Polly Sherman
 * Ballard Berkeley as Major Gowen
 * Brian Hall as Terry the Chef
 * Gilly Flower as Miss Abitha Tibbs
 * Renee Roberts as Miss Ursula Gatsby
 * Bruce Boa as Mr. (Harry) Hamilton
 * Claire Nielson as Mrs. Hamilton
 * Norman Bird as Mr. Arrad
 * Stella Tanner as Mrs. Arrad
 * June Ellis as Mrs. Johnston
 * Terence Conoley as Mr. Johnston
 * Anthony Dawes as Mr. Libson
 * Dorothy Frere as Miss (Doris) Hare
 * Beatrice Shaw as Miss Gurke

Reception
The episode has been described as being "massively popular" and a great commercial success internationally in the 1980s and 1990s. Its source of amusement derives from the cultural differences between the Americans and the British and the perceived differences in manners. The American is very rude in expecting food which is not on the menu and complaining about the service in contrast to the English guests who are very guarded when it comes to complaining. The book Great, Grand & Famous Hotels remarked that "Fawlty Towers is real to everybody who has ever worked in a hotel, anybody who has ever stayed in one, or anyone who has ever tried, unsuccessfully, to order a Waldorf salad." Bruce Boa's performance as Mr Hamilton has been praised as one of the greatest guest performances in the series.