Oh definitely! Harry H Corbett was up there with them, unless you're referring to Wilfred Brambell but even then, he could hold his own with any actor on the planet but i think the funny-ness of it was referring specifically to Alberts character saying, y'know, nude scenes are alright because Marlon Brando and Oliver Reed had all "shown their bums" and Harolds character is saying how can you liken yourself lookswise to those two, thats sort of what made it funny. The archetype of Marlon Brando, who in his younger days looked almost like a greek God and the late great Oliver Reed compared to shrivelled dirty looking topless old man steptoe with a pigeon chest, slumped shoulders and 3 days of beard growth

But yeah, i agree with you, Harry and Wilf were amazing actors. i mean just look at Come Dancing, the beginning of that episode is like...over 5 minutes of pure monologue by Harry H Corbett, most actors can't pull that off for a minute, especially in the context of a comedy scene...and actually be funny, whilst acting bored, it's just brilliant. Harry H Corbett and Wilfred Brambell performed their arses off for Steptoe and Son in a way that feels, when you watch it onscreen, as almost too classy, too good for a situation comedy. Steptoe and Son is amazingly written, fabulously written, not taking anything away from Galton and Simpson (nor could i) but the characters are all Corbett and Brambell, what they do in that show, to me, is nothing short of pure theatre, it's just wonderful, beyond anything i've even seen approached by any other comedy before or since.
That level of pathos, even when approached or attempted these days, as in shows like OFAH is lauded and applauded and Steptoe was awash with it, there are bits and pieces of it in almost every episode and some episodes are awash with it.
Referring again back to The Siege of Steptoe Street, that scene where Albert is begging the butcher Stacey to not take his home away, if you watch that scene, outside of the context of the episode, honestly, it could make you cry, the whole way in which it's photographed, the black and white, Wilfred pleading with Stacey and him and the baliffs brushing him aside, it's just absolutely magnificent. There is tons and tons of these all over the 8 series of Steptoe, it's just absolutely without peer.
But yeah, Brambell and Corbett more than worthy of acting alongside Marlon Brando and Oliver Reed and, at least in the case of Olly Reed, they might've even been better actors although it's all subjective, there isn't an all purpose actors talent guage by which you can measure these things by, an actor is as good as the response he gets from his audience and that differs from person to person.
Sorry, i've sort of rambled there but i can't help it, i always end up doing this when i'm talking about Steptoe
