User:Kurt/sandbox - Revision history

Kurt: Replaced content with "==Series 5== ===A note on playouts=== The playout at this time is ''Crazy Rhythm in F''. Where the original playout exists it has been used. Where it does not, or is in poor quality, incomplete or obscured by TS announcements, I have reconstructed complete versions using what can be salvage from available material."

2022-10-23T00:41:55Z

Replaced content with "==Series 5== ===A note on playouts=== The playout at this time is ''Crazy Rhythm in F''. Where the original playout exists it has been used. Where it does not, or is in poor quality, incomplete or obscured by TS announcements, I have reconstructed complete versions using what can be salvage from available material."

Show changes

Kurt: /* Snowballing success */

2022-09-09T03:53:34Z

Snowballing success

Show changes

Kurt: /* The reviews are in */

2022-09-08T22:04:35Z

The reviews are in

Show changes

Kurt: /* We're almost there */

2022-09-08T20:51:36Z

We're almost there

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:51, 8 September 2022
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	===We're almost there===		===We're almost there===
	The cast were contracted for six editions of Junior Crazy Gang (with an option on six more) on Thursday 10 May. Peter and Harry were paid the most as they were established radio stars, with Michael on slightly less and Spike – a relative unknown – on around half as much. The projected shows would be taped weekly from Sunday 27 May at 6.15pm, with the programmes airing on the London Home Service from Monday 28 May. A few days later, Harry was booked by Roy Speer for another new radio series; this was Educating Archie, featuring ventriloquist Peter Brough and his dummy Archie Andrews which was to debut in early June. The intention was that Harry would replace Robert Moreton for six shows from the start of August.Then on Tuesday 15 May, Spike was injured by a revolver loaded with blanks while appearing at the East Ham Palace of Varieties and had to have five stitches in his hand; this had been part of his comedy act where he shot his invisible little brother off-stage. The Goons’ new series was previewed by the News Chronicle and The Stage on Thursday 17 May; no secret was made of the fact that three producers had bowed out on the project before Dennis Main Wilson had taken the helm, and the new series was not referred to by title, only as the ~~‘Goon Show’~~ featuring the quartet. The Stage claimed that the scripts would be written by ‘a certain Arnold Fringe, known as the spirit of the Goons’ and translated by Spike Milligan; Fringe had been publicly thanked in various Goon-related trade adverts since late December. A couple of days later, the news that Harry was replacing Robert in Educating Archie was reported in the papers.		The cast were contracted for six editions of Junior Crazy Gang (with an option on six more) on Thursday 10 May. Peter and Harry were paid the most as they were established radio stars, with Michael on slightly less and Spike – a relative unknown – on around half as much. The projected shows would be taped weekly from Sunday 27 May at 6.15pm, with the programmes airing on the [[w:BBC Home Service\|London Home Service]] from Monday 28 May. A few days later, Harry was booked by [[Roy Speer]] for another new radio series; this was [[Educating Archie]], featuring ventriloquist [[Peter Brough]] and his dummy [[Archie Andrews (puppet)\|Archie Andrews]] which was to debut in early June. The intention was that Harry would replace [[Robert Moreton]] for six shows from the start of August.Then on Tuesday 15 May, Spike was injured by a revolver loaded with blanks while appearing at the East Ham Palace of Varieties and had to have five stitches in his hand; this had been part of his comedy act where he shot his invisible little brother off-stage. The Goons’ new series was previewed by the [[w:News Chronicle\|News Chronicle]] and [[w:The Stage\|The Stage]] on Thursday 17 May; no secret was made of the fact that three producers had bowed out on the project before [[Dennis Main Wilson]] had taken the helm, and the new series was not referred to by title, only as the ‘''Goon Show''’ featuring the quartet. The Stage claimed that the scripts would be written by ‘a certain Arnold Fringe, known as the spirit of the Goons’ and translated by Spike Milligan; Fringe had been publicly thanked in various Goon-related trade adverts since late December. A couple of days later, the news that Harry was replacing Robert in Educating Archie was reported in the papers.

	Although Spike had been established as the writer of the scripts, by Thursday 24 May he was asking for an ‘additional material’ fee to cover the costs of submissions by Larry Stephens; Spike and Dennis both felt that writing one entire half-hour show a week was too much. There was also considerable editing required which Jimmy was prepared to do since Dennis himself was to be too busy on Top of the Bill and other shows.		Although Spike had been established as the writer of the scripts, by Thursday 24 May he was asking for an ‘additional material’ fee to cover the costs of submissions by Larry Stephens; Spike and Dennis both felt that writing one entire half-hour show a week was too much. There was also considerable editing required which Jimmy was prepared to do since Dennis himself was to be too busy on ''Top of the Bill'' and other shows.
	The Radio Times for the London region billed the new series as ‘CRAZY PEOPLE featuring Radio’s Own Crazy Gang “The Goons”’ and carried photos of the four stars; the bearded Michael Bentine looked particularly crazy while his colleagues appeared rather handsome. The text accompanying this box-out referred to Spike Milligan compiling the ‘Goon Show’ material and commenting: ‘Now it remains to be seen what will happen when their differing brands of comedy are fused in the one show.’ More publicity appeared in the press in the lead-up to the first recording. The Stage on Thursday 24 highlighted the involvement of Margaret Lindsay and Spike explained that ‘Goon’ meant that ‘every one of the gags has an illogical conclusion.’ ‘The biggest BBC gamble in radio humour’ was how the Daily Mirror described the forthcoming recording at Studio 1 of the Aeolian Hall (a former gallery on New Bond Street turned into a concert hall and taken over by the BBC during the war) on Friday 25 which referred to catchphrases such as ‘Yackabakkakaa’ and emphasised that at 27, Dennis was the BBC’s youngest variety producer. ‘Unlike [the wartime radio comedy] ITMA, goon humour will not be relying on puns. There is no cross talk. We take several situations and develop them to their most illogical conclusion,~~’explained~~ Spike. ‘My main worry over this exciting experiment is the time of the broadcast. Six forty-five on a Monday night is no time for specialised humour of this sort,’ wrote the journalist, ‘I hope the Home Service		The [[w:Radio Times\|Radio Times]] for the London region billed the new series as ‘CRAZY PEOPLE featuring Radio’s Own Crazy Gang “The Goons”’ and carried photos of the four stars; the bearded Michael Bentine looked particularly crazy while his colleagues appeared rather handsome. The text accompanying this box-out referred to Spike Milligan compiling the ‘Goon Show’ material and commenting: ‘Now it remains to be seen what will happen when their differing brands of comedy are fused in the one show.’ More publicity appeared in the press in the lead-up to the first recording. The Stage on Thursday 24 highlighted the involvement of Margaret Lindsay and Spike explained that ‘Goon’ meant that ‘every one of the gags has an illogical conclusion.’ ‘The biggest BBC gamble in radio humour’ was how the [[w:Daily Mirror\|Daily Mirror]] described the forthcoming recording at Studio 1 of the [[Aeolian Hall (London)\|Aeolian Hall]] (a former gallery on [[w:New Bond Street\|New Bond Street]] turned into a concert hall and taken over by the BBC during the war) on Friday 25 which referred to catchphrases such as ‘Yackabakkakaa’ and emphasised that at 27, Dennis was the BBC’s youngest variety producer. ‘Unlike [the wartime radio comedy] [[It's That Man Again\|ITMA]], goon humour will not be relying on puns. There is no cross talk. We take several situations and develop them to their most illogical conclusion,’ explained Spike. ‘My main worry over this exciting experiment is the time of the broadcast. Six forty-five on a Monday night is no time for specialised humour of this sort,’ wrote the journalist, ‘I hope the Home Service will switch the goons to a nine-thirty airing.’
	will switch the goons to a nine-thirty airing.’

	The Ray Ellington Quartet had been busy in Milan during March and April but were present and correct for the first recording. In addition to the quartet and the Stargazers, another musician had been added to the mix in the form of harmonica player Max Geldray. Born in the Netherlands in 1916 as Max van Gelder, Max had settled in England at the start of the war and been wounded during the Invasion of Normandy. He had performed on BBC radio since 1941 on shows like Radio Rhythm Club and Bandstand, and while making a living on the variety circuit had started to appear on Variety Bandbox in October 1947 followed by work on shows like Show Time, Workers’ Playtime and appearances at the Nuffield Centre. By 1951, his act was referred to as ‘Max Geldray and his electronic harmonica’.		===More music===
	On the day of recording, there was a band call for Stanley Black, the twelve piece Dance Orchestra and the other musicians at 1.30pm, a walk-through of Spike’s script (with the cast laughing joyously at the gags) at 2.30pm and then a run-through at 3.30pm prior to the audience being admitted at 5pm. The performance itself at 5.30pm – with sound effects performed live or from 78rpm discs – was recorded over landlines at Broadcasting House on a 33⅓ rpm coarse groove 16-inch disc. As ‘those Crazy People, the Goons’ were introduced by Andrew Timothy, the show’s opening theme – Goons Gallup composed by Arthur Wilkinson – was heard, over which an eccentric set of announcements introduced the participants. As with many early shows, Peter then introduced the show’s supposed writer Arnold ~~Fringe…~~ but the speaker was then Harry as Jones (‘My name is Jones’), a man who then told a tall tale of how he became a fugitive after opening a ~~tobacconists~~. Following a number from the Stargazers, Peter became veteran BBC sports commentator Raymond Glendenning in an interview with a winning driver of the British Racing Motors car, Michael was Captain Pureheart; Pureheart was assisted by a young idiot called Ernie Splutmuscle, played by Peter (‘Er, did you want me n’at Captain?’). After a song from the Ray Ellington Quartet, Peter, Harry and Spike played the characters of Dick Barton, Snowy and Jock in a spoof of the BBC radio serial Dick Barton – Special Agent which had concluded in March 1951 after a five-year run. Max Geldray played a number before the first adventure for Peter’s Sir Harold Porridge who embarked on the Quest for Tutankhamen assisted by Harold Vest, played by Spike; Spike’s idiot character from Hip-Hip-Hoo-Roy also appeared as a character aboard a ship. Following another number from the Stargazers, the spoof documentary 1951: Salute to Britain! closed the show, with a few lines of dialogue intended for Margaret Lindsay (who did not appear in the show) delivered by Marie Benson; Dennis Main Wilson later commented that he felt the cast worked better being entirely male. With a playout of March of the Goons composed by Arthur Wilkinson, the appearances of Peter and Michael in variety at the London Palladium and Glasgow Empire respectively were advertised.		[[Ray Ellington\|The Ray Ellington Quartet]] had been busy in Milan during March and April but were present and correct for the first recording. In addition to the quartet and [[The Stargazers (vocal ensemble)\|the Stargazers]], another musician had been added to the mix in the form of [[w:Harmonica\|harmonica]] player [[Max Geldray]]. Born in the [[w:Netherlands\|Netherlands]] in 1916 as Max van Gelder, Max had settled in England at the start of the war and been wounded during the Invasion of Normandy. He had performed on BBC radio since 1941 on shows like ''[[Radio Rhythm Club]]'' and ''[[Bandstand]]'', and while making a living on the variety circuit had started to appear on ''[[Variety Bandbox]]'' in October 1947 followed by work on shows like ''[[Show Time]]'', [[w:Workers' Playtime (radio programme)\|Workers’ Playtime]] and appearances at the Nuffield Centre. By 1951, his act was referred to as ‘Max Geldray and his electronic harmonica’.
	The following night, the programme aired at 6.45pm on the London Home Service only, with the West, Wales, North, Northern Ireland, Midlands and Scotland services generally taking local music programmes. This regionalised slot was earlier than usual because of a special programme with coverage of the Festival of Britain at 8pm; it would normally air at 7.45pm, effectively as a replacement for Variety Ahoy! On Wednesday 30 May, Harry and Peter recorded an edition of Henry Hall’s Guest Night for broadcast on the Home Service on Wednesday 6 June; Peter continued at the Palladium while Michael was at the Chiswick Empire, Spike touring with Joe Loss, and Harry had a summer show lined up in the form of Happy-Go-Lucky at Blackpool’s prestigious Opera House.
			===The first show===
			On the day of recording, there was a band call for [[w:Stanley Black\|Stanley Black]], the twelve piece [[w:BBC Big Band\|Dance Orchestra]] and the other musicians at 1.30pm, a walk-through of Spike’s script (with the cast laughing joyously at the gags) at 2.30pm and then a run-through at 3.30pm prior to the audience being admitted at 5pm. The performance itself at 5.30pm – with sound effects performed live or from 78rpm discs – was recorded over landlines at Broadcasting House on a 33⅓ rpm coarse groove 16-inch disc. As ‘those Crazy People, the Goons’ were introduced by [[Andrew Timothy]], the show’s opening theme – ''Goons Gallup'' composed by [[w:Arthur Wilkinson\|Arthur Wilkinson]] – was heard, over which an eccentric set of announcements introduced the participants. As with many early shows, Peter then introduced the show’s supposed writer [[Spike Milligan\|Arnold Fringe]]… but the speaker was then Harry as Jones (‘My name is Jones’), a man who then told a tall tale of how he became a fugitive after opening a [[w:Tobacconist\|tobacconist]]s. Following a number from the Stargazers, Peter became veteran BBC sports commentator [[Raymond Glendenning]] in an interview with a winning driver of the [[w:British Racing Motors\|British Racing Motors]] car, Michael was [[Captain Osric Pureheart\|Captain Pureheart]]; Pureheart was assisted by a young idiot called Ernie Splutmuscle, played by Peter (‘Er, did you want me n’at Captain?’). After a song from the Ray Ellington Quartet, Peter, Harry and Spike played the characters of [[Dick Barton]], Snowy and Jock in a spoof of the BBC radio serial Dick Barton – Special Agent which had concluded in March 1951 after a five-year run. Max Geldray played a number before the first adventure for Peter’s Sir Harold Porridge who embarked on the Quest for Tutankhamen assisted by Harold Vest, played by Spike; Spike’s idiot character from ''[[Hip-Hip-Hoo-Roy]]'' also appeared as a character aboard a ship. Following another number from the Stargazers, the spoof documentary ''1951: Salute to Britain!'' closed the show, with a few lines of dialogue intended for Margaret Lindsay (who did not appear in the show) delivered by Marie Benson; Dennis Main Wilson later commented that he felt the cast worked better being entirely male. With a playout of ''March of the Goons'' composed by Arthur Wilkinson, the appearances of Peter and Michael in variety at the London Palladium and Glasgow Empire respectively were advertised.

			The following night, the programme aired at 6.45pm on the London Home Service only, with the West, Wales, North, Northern Ireland, Midlands and Scotland services generally taking local music programmes. This regionalised slot was earlier than usual because of a special programme with coverage of the [[w:Festival of Britain\|Festival of Britain]] at 8pm; it would normally air at 7.45pm, effectively as a replacement for ''[[Variety Ahoy!]]'' On Wednesday 30 May, Harry and Peter recorded an edition of [[w:Henry Hall (bandleader)\|Henry Hall’s Guest Night]] for broadcast on the Home Service on Wednesday 6 June; Peter continued at the [[w:London Palladium\|Palladium]] while Michael was at the [[w:Chiswick Empire\|Chiswick Empire]], Spike touring with [[w:Joe Loss\|Joe Loss]], and Harry had a summer show lined up in the form of Happy-Go-Lucky at Blackpool’s prestigious [[w:Opera House Theatre, Blackpool\|Opera House]].

			===The reviews are in===
	‘The Goons got away to a fine start on Monday,’ wrote the News Chronicle on Thursday 31 May,‘but who wants to listen to this kind of specialized humour at 6.45 […] tucked away on the Home Service?’ The following day, it was decided that ‘Crazy People’ would also receive repeats on the Home Service at 9.30am on Saturdays from the start of August. Furthermore it was hoped that the General Overseas Service would also take the series. The BBC’s own Listener Research Department reviewed the shows for the week and commented that ‘the Appreciation Index for the first of the new comedy series Crazy People […] was 54, below the current variety average of 65. It would be premature to take this rather adverse reaction very seriously for the show is of a novel kind. Listeners were ready to make allowances for this, but there were complaints about the over-exuberance of the studio audience and the visual character of the humour.’		‘The Goons got away to a fine start on Monday,’ wrote the News Chronicle on Thursday 31 May,‘but who wants to listen to this kind of specialized humour at 6.45 […] tucked away on the Home Service?’ The following day, it was decided that ‘Crazy People’ would also receive repeats on the Home Service at 9.30am on Saturdays from the start of August. Furthermore it was hoped that the General Overseas Service would also take the series. The BBC’s own Listener Research Department reviewed the shows for the week and commented that ‘the Appreciation Index for the first of the new comedy series Crazy People […] was 54, below the current variety average of 65. It would be premature to take this rather adverse reaction very seriously for the show is of a novel kind. Listeners were ready to make allowances for this, but there were complaints about the over-exuberance of the studio audience and the visual character of the humour.’

Kurt: /* "Goon" */

2022-09-08T20:18:15Z

"Goon"

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:18, 8 September 2022
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	==The Evolution==		==The Evolution==
	=="Goon"==		==="Goon"===
	The word ‘Goon’ started to enter more public circulation when a piece about Michael entitled What is a Goon? appeared in the [[w:Picture Post\|Picture Post]] dated Friday {{date\|5 November 1948}}. The word 'Goon' came from numerous sources, notably the character [[w:Alice the Goon\|Alice the Goon]], a strange creature which first appeared in the [[w:Popeye#Thimble Theatre and Popeye comic strips\|Thimble Theatre comic strip]] in December 1933. Tall, bald, large-nosed and heavy-armed, Alice later was revealed to be part of a tribe living on Goon Island and her speech took the form of strange squiggles. Goon Island was then the setting for the animated 1938 short Goonland which chronicled the exploits of Popeye. The word had then been used during the war by prisoners of war as a slang term for their German stalag guards.		The word ‘Goon’ started to enter more public circulation when a piece about Michael entitled What is a Goon? appeared in the [[w:Picture Post\|Picture Post]] dated Friday {{date\|5 November 1948}}. The word 'Goon' came from numerous sources, notably the character [[w:Alice the Goon\|Alice the Goon]], a strange creature which first appeared in the [[w:Popeye#Thimble Theatre and Popeye comic strips\|Thimble Theatre comic strip]] in December 1933. Tall, bald, large-nosed and heavy-armed, Alice later was revealed to be part of a tribe living on Goon Island and her speech took the form of strange squiggles. Goon Island was then the setting for the animated 1938 short Goonland which chronicled the exploits of Popeye. The word had then been used during the war by prisoners of war as a slang term for their German stalag guards.

Kurt at 20:17, 8 September 2022

2022-09-08T20:17:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:17, 8 September 2022
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	A major leap forward for this new style of humour came with a trial recording for a show entitled ''[[Listen My Children]]'' at the [[w:KOKO (music venue)\|Camden Theatre]] on Wednesday {{date\|24 March 1948}}. The cast included Harry and the producer was [[Pat Dixon]], originally a writer on the pre-war show ''[[Give Me Air]]'' who had gone on to produce entertainment shows including ''[[Hoop-La!]]'' and ''[[Ignorance is Bliss]]''. By April, the series had been confirmed, with eight shows to record from Saturday 8 May for broadcast on the [[w:BBC Home Service\|Home Service]] from Tuesday 1 June. The ambitious young Peter had approached the [[w:BBC\|BBC]] for television auditions in January 1948 with an act consisting of his wide range of characters from favourite radio personalities of the day to regional caricatures of his own. He made his BBC TV debut in March 1948 on ''[[New To You]]'' and was soon acclaimed for his impersonations at the [[w:Windmill Theatre\|Windmill]]. A cheeky phone call to BBC producer [[Roy Speer]] – in which he impersonated [[Kenneth Horne]], the star of [[Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh]] – got Peter work on ''[[Show Time]]'' in June 1948 which was followed by spots on shows like ''[[Variety Bandbox]]'', ''[[Starlight Hour]]'' and ''[[Tempo for Today]]'' – a demanding schedule which he fitted in around touring in variety. Having spent autumn 1947 touring Europe, Spike and [[The Bill Hall Trio\|the Bill Hall Trio]] appeared on television in [[Rooftop Rendezvous (BBC)\|Rooftop Rendezvous]] (produced by Richard Afton) in August 1948. After a spell with the [[Ann Lenner\|Ann Lenner Trio]], Spike met up again with the Grafton’s mob and started to write a few gags for one of Jimmy’s clients, comedian [[Derek Roy (comedian)\|Derek Roy]] who was appearing on Variety Bandbox. However, Spike felt that Derek was not a funny man and instead focussed more on messing around with his own routines with the mob at Grafton’s, soon known as ‘Them ruddy Goons!’.		A major leap forward for this new style of humour came with a trial recording for a show entitled ''[[Listen My Children]]'' at the [[w:KOKO (music venue)\|Camden Theatre]] on Wednesday {{date\|24 March 1948}}. The cast included Harry and the producer was [[Pat Dixon]], originally a writer on the pre-war show ''[[Give Me Air]]'' who had gone on to produce entertainment shows including ''[[Hoop-La!]]'' and ''[[Ignorance is Bliss]]''. By April, the series had been confirmed, with eight shows to record from Saturday 8 May for broadcast on the [[w:BBC Home Service\|Home Service]] from Tuesday 1 June. The ambitious young Peter had approached the [[w:BBC\|BBC]] for television auditions in January 1948 with an act consisting of his wide range of characters from favourite radio personalities of the day to regional caricatures of his own. He made his BBC TV debut in March 1948 on ''[[New To You]]'' and was soon acclaimed for his impersonations at the [[w:Windmill Theatre\|Windmill]]. A cheeky phone call to BBC producer [[Roy Speer]] – in which he impersonated [[Kenneth Horne]], the star of [[Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh]] – got Peter work on ''[[Show Time]]'' in June 1948 which was followed by spots on shows like ''[[Variety Bandbox]]'', ''[[Starlight Hour]]'' and ''[[Tempo for Today]]'' – a demanding schedule which he fitted in around touring in variety. Having spent autumn 1947 touring Europe, Spike and [[The Bill Hall Trio\|the Bill Hall Trio]] appeared on television in [[Rooftop Rendezvous (BBC)\|Rooftop Rendezvous]] (produced by Richard Afton) in August 1948. After a spell with the [[Ann Lenner\|Ann Lenner Trio]], Spike met up again with the Grafton’s mob and started to write a few gags for one of Jimmy’s clients, comedian [[Derek Roy (comedian)\|Derek Roy]] who was appearing on Variety Bandbox. However, Spike felt that Derek was not a funny man and instead focussed more on messing around with his own routines with the mob at Grafton’s, soon known as ‘Them ruddy Goons!’.

			==The Evolution==
	=="Goon"==		=="Goon"==
	The word ‘Goon’ started to enter more public circulation when a piece about Michael entitled What is a Goon? appeared in the [[w:Picture Post\|Picture Post]] dated Friday {{date\|5 November 1948}}. The word 'Goon' came from numerous sources, notably the character [[w:Alice the Goon\|Alice the Goon]], a strange creature which first appeared in the [[w:Popeye#Thimble Theatre and Popeye comic strips\|Thimble Theatre comic strip]] in December 1933. Tall, bald, large-nosed and heavy-armed, Alice later was revealed to be part of a tribe living on Goon Island and her speech took the form of strange squiggles. Goon Island was then the setting for the animated 1938 short Goonland which chronicled the exploits of Popeye. The word had then been used during the war by prisoners of war as a slang term for their German stalag guards.		The word ‘Goon’ started to enter more public circulation when a piece about Michael entitled What is a Goon? appeared in the [[w:Picture Post\|Picture Post]] dated Friday {{date\|5 November 1948}}. The word 'Goon' came from numerous sources, notably the character [[w:Alice the Goon\|Alice the Goon]], a strange creature which first appeared in the [[w:Popeye#Thimble Theatre and Popeye comic strips\|Thimble Theatre comic strip]] in December 1933. Tall, bald, large-nosed and heavy-armed, Alice later was revealed to be part of a tribe living on Goon Island and her speech took the form of strange squiggles. Goon Island was then the setting for the animated 1938 short Goonland which chronicled the exploits of Popeye. The word had then been used during the war by prisoners of war as a slang term for their German stalag guards.

	~~==The Evolution==~~
	===Failures===		===Failures===
	''[[Listen My Children]]'' spawned a sequel in the form of ''[[Third Division (Radio series)\|Third Division]]'' – again produced by [[Pat Dixon]] – which was recorded from Monday 6 December to air on the high-brow [[w:BBC Third Programme\|BBC Third Programme]]. Michael Bentine and Peter Sellers were to join Harry Secombe in the line-up for the new show; Michael had approached BBC radio and television in 1947 and had made television appearances on ''[[Variety Express]]'' in May 1947 and more recently in ''[[Rooftop Rendezvous (BBC)\|Rooftop Rendezvous]]''. Also in the cast were [[Robert Moreton]] and comedy actress [[Margaret Lindsay (comedy actress)\|Margaret Lindsay]].		''[[Listen My Children]]'' spawned a sequel in the form of ''[[Third Division (Radio series)\|Third Division]]'' – again produced by [[Pat Dixon]] – which was recorded from Monday 6 December to air on the high-brow [[w:BBC Third Programme\|BBC Third Programme]]. Michael Bentine and Peter Sellers were to join Harry Secombe in the line-up for the new show; Michael had approached BBC radio and television in 1947 and had made television appearances on ''[[Variety Express]]'' in May 1947 and more recently in ''[[Rooftop Rendezvous (BBC)\|Rooftop Rendezvous]]''. Also in the cast were [[Robert Moreton]] and comedy actress [[Margaret Lindsay (comedy actress)\|Margaret Lindsay]].

Kurt: /* We're almost there */

2022-09-08T20:17:13Z

We're almost there

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:17, 8 September 2022
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	Finally, on Wednesday 11 April, the Goon series found its producer in the form of [[Dennis Main Wilson]] who would work on establishing the show in conjunction with Pat Dixon. Dennis had started producing with the Light Programme talent show [[Opportunity Knocks (British TV series)\|Opportunity Knocks]] in early 1949, moving on to First House and [[w:George Mitchell (Scottish musician)\|The George Mitchell Glee Club]] on the Home Service.On Monday 23 April, the BBC offered Peter a radio contract to guarantee him a minimum 26 broadcasts a year from July 1951 to July 1953; Peter quickly signed, and soon had another two-month run at the Palladium from the start of May. Meanwhile, the gang continued to appear in variety, at the Nuffield Centre and on various radio spots, with Spike’s musical and comic talents harnessed by Joe Loss and his orchestra for their stage appearances. ''Double or Quits'' – now retitled ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]'' – had been certified by the [[w:British Board of Film Classification\|British Board of Film Censors]] in late February and made its debut at a trade show on Wednesday 25 April prior to its release in May. ''Let’s Go Crazy'' would be certified at the end of the month and similarly released during May. But back at the BBC, the two producers were having a difference of opinion on the scripts for ''Junior Crazy Gang'' as Pat Dixon informed Michael Standing on Friday 4 May: ‘I feel [...] that it is harmful for me to occupy a back-seat driver’s position in this matter [the script needs] extensive re-writing […] I think it best, therefore, that I withdraw from any position of adviser on this show.’		Finally, on Wednesday 11 April, the Goon series found its producer in the form of [[Dennis Main Wilson]] who would work on establishing the show in conjunction with Pat Dixon. Dennis had started producing with the Light Programme talent show [[Opportunity Knocks (British TV series)\|Opportunity Knocks]] in early 1949, moving on to First House and [[w:George Mitchell (Scottish musician)\|The George Mitchell Glee Club]] on the Home Service.On Monday 23 April, the BBC offered Peter a radio contract to guarantee him a minimum 26 broadcasts a year from July 1951 to July 1953; Peter quickly signed, and soon had another two-month run at the Palladium from the start of May. Meanwhile, the gang continued to appear in variety, at the Nuffield Centre and on various radio spots, with Spike’s musical and comic talents harnessed by Joe Loss and his orchestra for their stage appearances. ''Double or Quits'' – now retitled ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]'' – had been certified by the [[w:British Board of Film Classification\|British Board of Film Censors]] in late February and made its debut at a trade show on Wednesday 25 April prior to its release in May. ''Let’s Go Crazy'' would be certified at the end of the month and similarly released during May. But back at the BBC, the two producers were having a difference of opinion on the scripts for ''Junior Crazy Gang'' as Pat Dixon informed Michael Standing on Friday 4 May: ‘I feel [...] that it is harmful for me to occupy a back-seat driver’s position in this matter [the script needs] extensive re-writing […] I think it best, therefore, that I withdraw from any position of adviser on this show.’

	==We're almost there==		===We're almost there===
	The cast were contracted for six editions of Junior Crazy Gang (with an option on six more) on Thursday 10 May. Peter and Harry were paid the most as they were established radio stars, with Michael on slightly less and Spike – a relative unknown – on around half as much. The projected shows would be taped weekly from Sunday 27 May at 6.15pm, with the programmes airing on the London Home Service from Monday 28 May. A few days later, Harry was booked by Roy Speer for another new radio series; this was Educating Archie, featuring ventriloquist Peter Brough and his dummy Archie Andrews which was to debut in early June. The intention was that Harry would replace Robert Moreton for six shows from the start of August.Then on Tuesday 15 May, Spike was injured by a revolver loaded with blanks while appearing at the East Ham Palace of Varieties and had to have five stitches in his hand; this had been part of his comedy act where he shot his invisible little brother off-stage. The Goons’ new series was previewed by the News Chronicle and The Stage on Thursday 17 May; no secret was made of the fact that three producers had bowed out on the project before Dennis Main Wilson had taken the helm, and the new series was not referred to by title, only as the ‘Goon Show’ featuring the quartet. The Stage claimed that the scripts would be written by ‘a certain Arnold Fringe, known as the spirit of the Goons’ and translated by Spike Milligan; Fringe had been publicly thanked in various Goon-related trade adverts since late December. A couple of days later, the news that Harry was replacing Robert in Educating Archie was reported in the papers.		The cast were contracted for six editions of Junior Crazy Gang (with an option on six more) on Thursday 10 May. Peter and Harry were paid the most as they were established radio stars, with Michael on slightly less and Spike – a relative unknown – on around half as much. The projected shows would be taped weekly from Sunday 27 May at 6.15pm, with the programmes airing on the London Home Service from Monday 28 May. A few days later, Harry was booked by Roy Speer for another new radio series; this was Educating Archie, featuring ventriloquist Peter Brough and his dummy Archie Andrews which was to debut in early June. The intention was that Harry would replace Robert Moreton for six shows from the start of August.Then on Tuesday 15 May, Spike was injured by a revolver loaded with blanks while appearing at the East Ham Palace of Varieties and had to have five stitches in his hand; this had been part of his comedy act where he shot his invisible little brother off-stage. The Goons’ new series was previewed by the News Chronicle and The Stage on Thursday 17 May; no secret was made of the fact that three producers had bowed out on the project before Dennis Main Wilson had taken the helm, and the new series was not referred to by title, only as the ‘Goon Show’ featuring the quartet. The Stage claimed that the scripts would be written by ‘a certain Arnold Fringe, known as the spirit of the Goons’ and translated by Spike Milligan; Fringe had been publicly thanked in various Goon-related trade adverts since late December. A couple of days later, the news that Harry was replacing Robert in Educating Archie was reported in the papers.

Kurt: /* Coordinating Everyone */

2022-09-08T20:17:04Z

Coordinating Everyone

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:17, 8 September 2022
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	A few days later after consultation with Pat Dixon, Patrick wrote back to Denis and commented: ‘the producer does not agree with this view’. Only Spike was contracted to deliver the script. For Peter and Harry – who were used to performing routines written for them by others – this was not an issue. However, Michael was used to developing his own unique style of humour and creating all his own material. Meanwhile, three of the Goons were booked elsewhere. A comedy support film called Double or Quits had been written by John Ormonde (an author on the 1947 revue ''So What'') and featured Harry as a foolish pools winner going on holiday to Brighton, Spike as his unlucky but smarter buddy, Peter as a rather dubious retired major also staying at their hotel, Alfred Marks as a counterfeiter, and Paddy O’Neill as a gold-digger. Made by Advance Films and directed by [[w:Tony Young (director)\|Tony Young]], this was to be made at Brighton Studios over four weeks from Monday 27 November. Spike was also to work on the music with Jack Jordan. By now, Alfred and Paddy were going in their own direction, appearing on BBC TV in ''[[Don't Look Now (1950 TV series)\|Don’t Look Now]]''. ‘It was a self-defensive move,’ Paddy later said of the Goons in Sydney Morning Herald (18 March 1976), ‘Alfred didn’t stay long, because the BBC offered him another job and told him “This Goon Show will never get anywhere.”’The Daily Mirror announced the December trial recording of the Junior Crazy Gang on Wednesday 29 November… but already there was a problem with this session. Jimmy suddenly realised that Harry was booked elsewhere on Tuesday 19 and so the recording would need to be scrubbed. At the same time, the BBC was already discussing a three-year contract for Peter’s services with his agent, Montague Lyons.		A few days later after consultation with Pat Dixon, Patrick wrote back to Denis and commented: ‘the producer does not agree with this view’. Only Spike was contracted to deliver the script. For Peter and Harry – who were used to performing routines written for them by others – this was not an issue. However, Michael was used to developing his own unique style of humour and creating all his own material. Meanwhile, three of the Goons were booked elsewhere. A comedy support film called Double or Quits had been written by John Ormonde (an author on the 1947 revue ''So What'') and featured Harry as a foolish pools winner going on holiday to Brighton, Spike as his unlucky but smarter buddy, Peter as a rather dubious retired major also staying at their hotel, Alfred Marks as a counterfeiter, and Paddy O’Neill as a gold-digger. Made by Advance Films and directed by [[w:Tony Young (director)\|Tony Young]], this was to be made at Brighton Studios over four weeks from Monday 27 November. Spike was also to work on the music with Jack Jordan. By now, Alfred and Paddy were going in their own direction, appearing on BBC TV in ''[[Don't Look Now (1950 TV series)\|Don’t Look Now]]''. ‘It was a self-defensive move,’ Paddy later said of the Goons in Sydney Morning Herald (18 March 1976), ‘Alfred didn’t stay long, because the BBC offered him another job and told him “This Goon Show will never get anywhere.”’The Daily Mirror announced the December trial recording of the Junior Crazy Gang on Wednesday 29 November… but already there was a problem with this session. Jimmy suddenly realised that Harry was booked elsewhere on Tuesday 19 and so the recording would need to be scrubbed. At the same time, the BBC was already discussing a three-year contract for Peter’s services with his agent, Montague Lyons.

	==Coordinating Everyone==		===Coordinating Everyone===
	On Wednesday 6 December, the BBC informed the cast of The Junior Crazy Gang that the trial recording had been moved to Sunday 4 February 1951. Meanwhile, ''Double or Quits'' had been completed early in Brighton and so as not to waste the studio time, sets or cast, a short item of music and sketches was hastily assembled for [[w:Adelphi Films\|Adelphi Films]] and directed by Alan Cullimore under the title ''[[Let's Go Crazy (film)\|Let’s Go Crazy]]''. Most of the items featured Peter as various comedy figures ranging from Groucho Marx to his characters from ''Ray’s a Laugh''; Spike also took part in an uncredited capacity. 1951 meant that Harry was still busy on variety bills while being heard on Variety Bandbox, Welsh Rarebit and Music Hall while the Stargazers were in demand on ''[[Calling All Forces]]'', ''[[Variety Ahoy!]]'' and [[Workers' Playtime (radio programme)\|Workers’ Playtime]]. Peter was similarly busy on stage and radio and the BBC were still considering locking this hot new talent into a two-year contract.		On Wednesday 6 December, the BBC informed the cast of The Junior Crazy Gang that the trial recording had been moved to Sunday 4 February 1951. Meanwhile, ''Double or Quits'' had been completed early in Brighton and so as not to waste the studio time, sets or cast, a short item of music and sketches was hastily assembled for [[w:Adelphi Films\|Adelphi Films]] and directed by Alan Cullimore under the title ''[[Let's Go Crazy (film)\|Let’s Go Crazy]]''. Most of the items featured Peter as various comedy figures ranging from Groucho Marx to his characters from ''Ray’s a Laugh''; Spike also took part in an uncredited capacity. 1951 meant that Harry was still busy on variety bills while being heard on Variety Bandbox, Welsh Rarebit and Music Hall while the Stargazers were in demand on ''[[Calling All Forces]]'', ''[[Variety Ahoy!]]'' and [[Workers' Playtime (radio programme)\|Workers’ Playtime]]. Peter was similarly busy on stage and radio and the BBC were still considering locking this hot new talent into a two-year contract.

Kurt: /* It's all in a name */

2022-09-08T20:16:55Z

It's all in a name

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:16, 8 September 2022
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	In terms of musical interludes for the pilot, these would be performed by [[The Stargazers (vocal ensemble)\|the Stargazers]] (now with Bob Brown in place of [[w:Dick James\|Dick James]]) along with jazz from the [[Ray Ellington\|Ray Ellington Quartet]]. Born in London in 1915 as Henry Brown, Ray Ellington had been in show business as a youngster and had joined [[Harry Roy\|Harry Roy and his Band]] in 1937 as a drummer and crooner, broadcasting regularly through to 1940 when he joined the RAF as a PT instructor. After demob he continued to play with Harry Roy but also by early 1948 had formed the Ray Ellington Quartet and was soon in demand on the variety circuit, as well as broadcasting on his own radio shows. From 1949, the group – comprising Ray with bass player/vocalist Coleridge Goode, pianist Dick Katz and Laurence Deniz on electric guitar – released recordings via Parlophone such as Boppy Soxer and had developed a blend of advanced bop, jive and jazz mixed with humour. During 1950 they had undertaken a major tour of Scandinavia and had returned to variety and broadcasting in August 1950.Two days later, contracts were sent out to book the cast to record between 5pm and 5.45pm on Tuesday 19 December in Studio 1 at Piccadilly when the pilot of The Junior Crazy Gang would be performed.		In terms of musical interludes for the pilot, these would be performed by [[The Stargazers (vocal ensemble)\|the Stargazers]] (now with Bob Brown in place of [[w:Dick James\|Dick James]]) along with jazz from the [[Ray Ellington\|Ray Ellington Quartet]]. Born in London in 1915 as Henry Brown, Ray Ellington had been in show business as a youngster and had joined [[Harry Roy\|Harry Roy and his Band]] in 1937 as a drummer and crooner, broadcasting regularly through to 1940 when he joined the RAF as a PT instructor. After demob he continued to play with Harry Roy but also by early 1948 had formed the Ray Ellington Quartet and was soon in demand on the variety circuit, as well as broadcasting on his own radio shows. From 1949, the group – comprising Ray with bass player/vocalist Coleridge Goode, pianist Dick Katz and Laurence Deniz on electric guitar – released recordings via Parlophone such as Boppy Soxer and had developed a blend of advanced bop, jive and jazz mixed with humour. During 1950 they had undertaken a major tour of Scandinavia and had returned to variety and broadcasting in August 1950.Two days later, contracts were sent out to book the cast to record between 5pm and 5.45pm on Tuesday 19 December in Studio 1 at Piccadilly when the pilot of The Junior Crazy Gang would be performed.

	==It's all in a name==		===It's all in a name===
	Although the new stars wanted the word ‘Goon’ to feature in the show’s title, the BBC felt that this word was strange and confusing; instead the Corporation’s proposal associated the Grafton’s quartet with a sextet of British entertainers formed by the combination of three comedy double acts, who had been known as the ‘Crazy Gang’ since 1937.The BBC’s assumption was that the script would effectively be written by Spike and edited by Jimmy. However, while handling Michael’s booking, his agent Denis Selinger informed the BBC’s Variety Booking Manager Patrick Newman that ‘I understand from Mr Bentine that he will be responsible for quite a lot of material in conjunction with Mr Milligan.’		Although the new stars wanted the word ‘Goon’ to feature in the show’s title, the BBC felt that this word was strange and confusing; instead the Corporation’s proposal associated the Grafton’s quartet with a sextet of British entertainers formed by the combination of three comedy double acts, who had been known as the ‘Crazy Gang’ since 1937.The BBC’s assumption was that the script would effectively be written by Spike and edited by Jimmy. However, while handling Michael’s booking, his agent Denis Selinger informed the BBC’s Variety Booking Manager Patrick Newman that ‘I understand from Mr Bentine that he will be responsible for quite a lot of material in conjunction with Mr Milligan.’

Kurt: /* Music */

2022-09-08T20:16:45Z

Music

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:16, 8 September 2022
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	Despite the earlier setback of ''Tatters Castle'', Pat Dixon did not want to give up on what he saw as the next exciting new wave of comedy fermenting at Grafton’s. Pushing for a show featuring the combined talents of Peter, Harry, Michael and Spike, on Wednesday 8 November Pat was given permission by the Head of Variety (Sound) Michael Standing to record another trial programme paid for the by BBC’s Experimental Fund. Also featuring in trial recording would be Margaret Lindsay, while early publicity shots of the four Goons showed them alongside [[Ian Carmichael]], a comedy actor who had appeared with Alfred and Paddie on ''[[Don’t Look Now]]'' and was then training to be a television producer; however, Ian took no part in the series which was to follow.		Despite the earlier setback of ''Tatters Castle'', Pat Dixon did not want to give up on what he saw as the next exciting new wave of comedy fermenting at Grafton’s. Pushing for a show featuring the combined talents of Peter, Harry, Michael and Spike, on Wednesday 8 November Pat was given permission by the Head of Variety (Sound) Michael Standing to record another trial programme paid for the by BBC’s Experimental Fund. Also featuring in trial recording would be Margaret Lindsay, while early publicity shots of the four Goons showed them alongside [[Ian Carmichael]], a comedy actor who had appeared with Alfred and Paddie on ''[[Don’t Look Now]]'' and was then training to be a television producer; however, Ian took no part in the series which was to follow.

	==Music==		===Music===
	In terms of musical interludes for the pilot, these would be performed by [[The Stargazers (vocal ensemble)\|the Stargazers]] (now with Bob Brown in place of [[w:Dick James\|Dick James]]) along with jazz from the [[Ray Ellington\|Ray Ellington Quartet]]. Born in London in 1915 as Henry Brown, Ray Ellington had been in show business as a youngster and had joined [[Harry Roy\|Harry Roy and his Band]] in 1937 as a drummer and crooner, broadcasting regularly through to 1940 when he joined the RAF as a PT instructor. After demob he continued to play with Harry Roy but also by early 1948 had formed the Ray Ellington Quartet and was soon in demand on the variety circuit, as well as broadcasting on his own radio shows. From 1949, the group – comprising Ray with bass player/vocalist Coleridge Goode, pianist Dick Katz and Laurence Deniz on electric guitar – released recordings via Parlophone such as Boppy Soxer and had developed a blend of advanced bop, jive and jazz mixed with humour. During 1950 they had undertaken a major tour of Scandinavia and had returned to variety and broadcasting in August 1950.Two days later, contracts were sent out to book the cast to record between 5pm and 5.45pm on Tuesday 19 December in Studio 1 at Piccadilly when the pilot of The Junior Crazy Gang would be performed.		In terms of musical interludes for the pilot, these would be performed by [[The Stargazers (vocal ensemble)\|the Stargazers]] (now with Bob Brown in place of [[w:Dick James\|Dick James]]) along with jazz from the [[Ray Ellington\|Ray Ellington Quartet]]. Born in London in 1915 as Henry Brown, Ray Ellington had been in show business as a youngster and had joined [[Harry Roy\|Harry Roy and his Band]] in 1937 as a drummer and crooner, broadcasting regularly through to 1940 when he joined the RAF as a PT instructor. After demob he continued to play with Harry Roy but also by early 1948 had formed the Ray Ellington Quartet and was soon in demand on the variety circuit, as well as broadcasting on his own radio shows. From 1949, the group – comprising Ray with bass player/vocalist Coleridge Goode, pianist Dick Katz and Laurence Deniz on electric guitar – released recordings via Parlophone such as Boppy Soxer and had developed a blend of advanced bop, jive and jazz mixed with humour. During 1950 they had undertaken a major tour of Scandinavia and had returned to variety and broadcasting in August 1950.Two days later, contracts were sent out to book the cast to record between 5pm and 5.45pm on Tuesday 19 December in Studio 1 at Piccadilly when the pilot of The Junior Crazy Gang would be performed.

	==It's all in a name==		==It's all in a name==