- “The Rutles were a mop-top English pop quartet of the sixties who set the foot of the world a-tapping with their catchy melodies, their whacky Liverpool humour and their zany off-the-wall antics epitomised in such movies as "A Hard Days Rut" and "Ouch!". Dirk and Nasty, the acknowledged leaders of the group, were perfectly complimented by Stig, the quiet one, and Barry, the noisy one. To form a heart-warming, cheeky, lovable, talented non-Jewish group who would gladden the hearts of the world. In 1962 they played The Cavern. After that they spent several months in Hamburg. Then in 1962 they released their first single "Twist and Rut".”
- ―Gilda Radner
Gilda Radner in 1978
Gilda Susan Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and perhaps most importantly of all, a fan of The Rutles. She was also the second wife of Gene Wilder, the man who played Willy Wonka.
Radner was one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. In her routines on SNL, she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors. In 1978, Radner won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979. Radner's SNL work established her as an iconic figure in the history of American comedy.
Rander giving a long speech about The Rutles while a mildly frustrated Melvin Hall looks on
One day in 1978, as Rander was walking down the street, she was suddenly interviewed by Melvin Hall (who was filming his Rutles documentary The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash), and was asked if she knew The Rutles. Rander initially pretended to not know but, after being repeatedly asked by Hall if he knew them and finally being slapped in the face by Hall to try and get her to remember, proceeded to give Hall an extremely long informative answer to his question, much to the visible frustration of Hall, who ended Rander's speech by saying "Will you shut up?!".