User:Kurt/sandbox2 - Revision history

Kurt: /* Second series (1952) */

2022-09-09T21:26:06Z

Second series (1952)

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:26, 9 September 2022
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	===Second series (1952)===		===Second series (1952)===
	Cast: [[Peter Sellers]], [[Harry Secombe]], [[Spike Milligan]], [[Michael Bentine]], [[Ray Ellington\|The Ray Ellington Quartet]], [[Max Geldray]] and the BBC Dance Orchestra, conducted by [[Stanley Black]]. [[The Stargazers (vocal ensemble)\|The Stargazers]] were present for the first six shows only.<br />		Cast: [[Peter Sellers]], [[Harry Secombe]], [[Spike Milligan]], [[Michael Bentine]], [[Ray Ellington\|The Ray Ellington Quartet]], [[Max Geldray]] and the BBC Dance Orchestra, conducted by [[Stanley Black]]. [[The Stargazers (vocal ensemble)\|The Stargazers]] were present for the first six shows only.<br />
	Announcer: [[Andrew Timothy]]~~<br />~~		Announcer: [[Andrew Timothy]].

	The shows were all recorded on a Sunday, except episodes 24 and 25; all episodes were broadcast on Tuesdays.{{sfn\|Farnes\|1997\|p=189}} Only three episodes are known to survive as truncated, off-air recordings.		The shows were all recorded on a Sunday, except episodes 24 and 25; all episodes were broadcast on Tuesdays.{{sfn\|Farnes\|1997\|p=189}} Only three episodes are known to survive as truncated, off-air recordings.

Kurt at 21:25, 9 September 2022

2022-09-09T21:25:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:25, 9 September 2022
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	The Goons had established themselves as a radio success with innovative material and also attempted to transfer this to the visual media via film and television. But a change to the familiar four-man line-up was looming …		The Goons had established themselves as a radio success with innovative material and also attempted to transfer this to the visual media via film and television. But a change to the familiar four-man line-up was looming …

	~~===Notes ===~~
	The programme titles given to this series – where available – are as written on the BBC Archive copies after production and are often grammatically challenging! The shows generally consisted of four different sketches separated by musical items. Scripted subtitles are given in single inverted commas where available and titles announced on-air presented in italics based on the available scripts. Programme numbering continued directly on from the first run of ''Crazy People''.

	===Second series (1952)===		===Second series (1952)===
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	==Notes==		==Notes==
			The programme titles given to this series – where available – are as written on the BBC Archive copies after production and are often grammatically challenging! The shows generally consisted of four different sketches separated by musical items. Scripted subtitles are given in single inverted commas where available and titles announced on-air presented in italics based on the available scripts. Programme numbering continued directly on from the first run of ''Crazy People''.

	Programme research and booklet notes by [[Andrew Pixley]].		Programme research and booklet notes by [[Andrew Pixley]].

Kurt: /* The Rōnin of comedy */

2022-09-09T21:24:29Z

The Rōnin of comedy

Show changes

Kurt: /* Blowback to originality */

2022-09-09T20:15:45Z

Blowback to originality

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:15, 9 September 2022
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	Having studied the original script for ''Trial Gallop'', [[Michael Mills (British producer)\|Michael Mills]] commented to BBC copyright on Wednesday 28 May that ‘I am using very little of the original material’ in his revised version which was now entitled Goonreel. There was similar analysis of the team’s radio work in the Variety (Sound) Department. ‘I think the Goons are in danger of being submerged by the very qualities that have helped them to success, namely their own gusto and extreme eccentricity,’ wrote Michael Standing to Dennis Main Wilson on Thursday 29 May. The Head of Variety was concerned about ineffectual endings to sketches and indistinct shows, feeling that ‘the cast have got somewhat out of control at the microphone, out of balance, and more than once out of audibility range. I do not expect them to perform within the dramatic limitations of [the daily Light Programme soap] ''[[w:Mrs Dale’s Diary\|Mrs Dale’s Diary]]'' but I do expect them to give an exclusively microphone performance without pandering, as they frequently do, to the studio audience. If these tendencies are not arrested very quickly the show may well collapse like a pricked balloon.’		Having studied the original script for ''Trial Gallop'', [[Michael Mills (British producer)\|Michael Mills]] commented to BBC copyright on Wednesday 28 May that ‘I am using very little of the original material’ in his revised version which was now entitled Goonreel. There was similar analysis of the team’s radio work in the Variety (Sound) Department. ‘I think the Goons are in danger of being submerged by the very qualities that have helped them to success, namely their own gusto and extreme eccentricity,’ wrote Michael Standing to Dennis Main Wilson on Thursday 29 May. The Head of Variety was concerned about ineffectual endings to sketches and indistinct shows, feeling that ‘the cast have got somewhat out of control at the microphone, out of balance, and more than once out of audibility range. I do not expect them to perform within the dramatic limitations of [the daily Light Programme soap] ''[[w:Mrs Dale’s Diary\|Mrs Dale’s Diary]]'' but I do expect them to give an exclusively microphone performance without pandering, as they frequently do, to the studio audience. If these tendencies are not arrested very quickly the show may well collapse like a pricked balloon.’

	Since the Dance Orchestra was on leave on Sunday 1 June, Dennis had arranged for the music to be provided by Robert Busby’s Revue Orchestra instead; Jack Jordan was now contributing incidental music for the shows. This script mixed the format a little with the opening cross-talk between Harry and Andrew setting up a sketch for later in the programme. The robbery of a mail van in London’s Eastcastle Street on Wednesday 21 May had inspired a Pureheart adventure involving Special Branch, and Dr Henry Crun now graduated to the lead character of the show’s closing sketch – the first of a two-part trip up the Amazon.The Ray Ellington Quartet embarked upon a three-month tour of the UK for Mecca starting on Monday 2 June which meant that they would have to fly back for some recordings from venues such as Glasgow and Belfast. The Goon variety show had now effectively broken up, but Harry and Michael appeared on the same bill that week at the Chiswick Empire. It was apparently during this week that they were approached at the stage door one night by the eccentric figure of Ruxton Hayward, a six-foot-two, red-bearded scoutmaster with a bicycle who – in a high-pitched voice – announced that he wanted to be a Goon. Bemused by Ruxton, Michael told him to find Peter Sellers over at the Finsbury Empire and present himself by saying: ‘Michael Bentine says I’m a genius’… with Ruxton unaware that this was a signal to Peter that he might find the scoutmaster worthy of incorporation into his act… and ultimately the inspiration for his Bluebottle character. By now, the Goons’ characters were taking on a life of their own for the cast. Peter had letterheads representing the solicitors’ firm of Whacklow, Futtle & Crun in Lincoln Inn Fields printed to send joke correspondence to Spike; this exchange of missives between figures such as Crun, Bluebottle, Grytpype-Thynne and others would continue for a couple of decades.		Since the Dance Orchestra was on leave on Sunday 1 June, Dennis had arranged for the music to be provided by Robert Busby’s [[w:BBC Radio Orchestra#History\|Revue Orchestra]] instead; Jack Jordan was now contributing incidental music for the shows. This script mixed the format a little with the opening cross-talk between Harry and Andrew setting up a sketch for later in the programme. The [[w:Eastcastle Street robbery\|robbery of a mail van]] in London’s Eastcastle Street on Wednesday 21 May had inspired a Pureheart adventure involving [[w:Special Branch (Metropolitan Police)\|Special Branch]], and Dr [[Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister\|Henry Crun]] now graduated to the lead character of the show’s closing sketch – the first of a two-part trip up the [[w:Amazon rainforest\|Amazon]].

			===The [[w:Rōnin\|Rōnin]] of comedy===
			The Ray Ellington Quartet embarked upon a three-month tour of the UK for [[w:Mecca Leisure Group\|Mecca]] starting on Monday 2 June which meant that they would have to fly back for some recordings from venues such as Glasgow and Belfast. The Goon variety show had now effectively broken up, but Harry and Michael appeared on the same bill that week at the Chiswick Empire. It was apparently during this week that they were approached at the stage door one night by the eccentric figure of Ruxton Hayward, a six-foot-two, red-bearded scoutmaster with a bicycle who – in a high-pitched voice – announced that he wanted to be a Goon. Bemused by Ruxton, Michael told him to find Peter Sellers over at the Finsbury Empire and present himself by saying: ‘Michael Bentine says I’m a genius’… with Ruxton unaware that this was a signal to Peter that he might find the scoutmaster worthy of incorporation into his act… and ultimately the inspiration for his Bluebottle character. By now, the Goons’ characters were taking on a life of their own for the cast. Peter had letterheads representing the solicitors’ firm of Whacklow, Futtle & Crun in Lincoln Inn Fields printed to send joke correspondence to Spike; this exchange of missives between figures such as Crun, Bluebottle, Grytpype-Thynne and others would continue for a couple of decades.

	A strong AI of 62 was the verdict of 172 listeners whose opinions were collated in a Listener Research Report for the seventeenth show on Friday 6 June. The same day, Dennis replied to his boss’ earlier memo and noted that the start of the Goons not exclusively performing for the microphone coincided with their move to the Playhouse. This new venue was structured so that the laughter for a pay-off gag would be lost in the auditorium dome and not heard by the performer on stage. ‘It is for this reason that there has been an atmosphere of near-panic in the last Goon Shows,’ wrote Dennis, explaining that the cast were convinced their material was falling flat … while in the control room the audience reaction was strong. ‘When the Goon Show moves to the Paris Cinema on Sunday, I am sure that the show will get back to normal,’ he assured. However, he agreed with Michael’s comments on the scripts and explained ‘there has been a rift between Milligan and Stephens who instead of working together on all four comedy spots, are now writing two apiece as solo efforts […] Milligan is an excellent gag and ideas man with little or no sense of pure wit, construction, line or situation. Stephens is a good situation and character writer […] but he has a weaker sense of purely gag comedy. Added to this, we lost quite a lot of headway on scripts when Milligan was away ill for two weeks some while ago.’ Dennis noted that he hoped to bring the two writers ‘to their senses’ shortly to resolve the ‘silly, childish situation’.		A strong AI of 62 was the verdict of 172 listeners whose opinions were collated in a Listener Research Report for the seventeenth show on Friday 6 June. The same day, Dennis replied to his boss’ earlier memo and noted that the start of the Goons not exclusively performing for the microphone coincided with their move to the Playhouse. This new venue was structured so that the laughter for a pay-off gag would be lost in the auditorium dome and not heard by the performer on stage. ‘It is for this reason that there has been an atmosphere of near-panic in the last Goon Shows,’ wrote Dennis, explaining that the cast were convinced their material was falling flat … while in the control room the audience reaction was strong. ‘When the Goon Show moves to the Paris Cinema on Sunday, I am sure that the show will get back to normal,’ he assured. However, he agreed with Michael’s comments on the scripts and explained ‘there has been a rift between Milligan and Stephens who instead of working together on all four comedy spots, are now writing two apiece as solo efforts […] Milligan is an excellent gag and ideas man with little or no sense of pure wit, construction, line or situation. Stephens is a good situation and character writer […] but he has a weaker sense of purely gag comedy. Added to this, we lost quite a lot of headway on scripts when Milligan was away ill for two weeks some while ago.’ Dennis noted that he hoped to bring the two writers ‘to their senses’ shortly to resolve the ‘silly, childish situation’.

Kurt: /* At last it's the last= */

2022-09-09T16:57:47Z

At last it's the last=

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:57, 9 September 2022
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	En route for [[w:Australia\|Australia]], June Milligan had been suffering from morning sickness. While Spike was thrilled by the idea of becoming a father, he was deeply concerned that he did not have a home for his family. He was working flat out on writing material for ''The Goon Show'' while learning more about structure from the experienced [[Larry Stephens]]. Friends and family took him in until he relocated to a flat in [[w:Kensington\|Kensington]] in mid-May.		En route for [[w:Australia\|Australia]], June Milligan had been suffering from morning sickness. While Spike was thrilled by the idea of becoming a father, he was deeply concerned that he did not have a home for his family. He was working flat out on writing material for ''The Goon Show'' while learning more about structure from the experienced [[Larry Stephens]]. Friends and family took him in until he relocated to a flat in [[w:Kensington\|Kensington]] in mid-May.

	==At last it's the last===		===At last it's the last===
	The date of the final recording for the current run was amended on Thursday 22 May; two shows would now be taped instead on Sunday 6 July. By now, Dennis was also producing the [[w:Vera Lynn\|Vera Lynn]] series ''We’ll Meet Again'' for the Light Programme in addition to his Goon duties. The eighteenth edition of ''The Goon Show'' was performed on Sunday 25; this saw the return of one of Bloodnok’s ancestors in the closing sketch, and also the first pairing of the ‘Miss Bannister’ character with Crun (now named Henry) when Pureheart was informed that they were man and wife.		The date of the final recording for the current run was amended on Thursday 22 May; two shows would now be taped instead on Sunday 6 July. By now, Dennis was also producing the [[w:Vera Lynn\|Vera Lynn]] series ''We’ll Meet Again'' for the Light Programme in addition to his Goon duties. The eighteenth edition of ''The Goon Show'' was performed on Sunday 25; this saw the return of one of Bloodnok’s ancestors in the closing sketch, and also the first pairing of the ‘Miss Bannister’ character with Crun (now named Henry) when Pureheart was informed that they were man and wife.

Kurt: /* =Spike's a daddy */

2022-09-09T16:57:39Z

=Spike's a daddy

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:57, 9 September 2022
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	The seventeenth show of the run was recorded on Sunday 18 May and again saw Crun working with Pureheart, another rare appearance of Sir Harold in a send up of the [[w:BBC Third Programme\|Third Programme]], and a closing narrative using Harry in the lead role of a Welsh chieftain from history.		The seventeenth show of the run was recorded on Sunday 18 May and again saw Crun working with Pureheart, another rare appearance of Sir Harold in a send up of the [[w:BBC Third Programme\|Third Programme]], and a closing narrative using Harry in the lead role of a Welsh chieftain from history.

	===Spike's a daddy==		===Spike's a daddy===
	En route for [[w:Australia\|Australia]], June Milligan had been suffering from morning sickness. While Spike was thrilled by the idea of becoming a father, he was deeply concerned that he did not have a home for his family. He was working flat out on writing material for ''The Goon Show'' while learning more about structure from the experienced [[Larry Stephens]]. Friends and family took him in until he relocated to a flat in [[w:Kensington\|Kensington]] in mid-May.		En route for [[w:Australia\|Australia]], June Milligan had been suffering from morning sickness. While Spike was thrilled by the idea of becoming a father, he was deeply concerned that he did not have a home for his family. He was working flat out on writing material for ''The Goon Show'' while learning more about structure from the experienced [[Larry Stephens]]. Friends and family took him in until he relocated to a flat in [[w:Kensington\|Kensington]] in mid-May.

	==At last it's the last===		==At last it's the last===

Kurt: /* The Goons consider celluloid */

2022-09-09T16:57:27Z

The Goons consider celluloid

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:57, 9 September 2022
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	From April, the Goons spent two weeks on their first combined film venture. The support feature ''[[Stand Easy]]'' had been written by [[Jimmy Grafton]] and one Francis Charles, and with Jimmy as [[w:Executive producer\|executive producer]] was to be made by [[w:Edwin J. Fancey\|EJ Fancey Productions]] at Kay Carlton Hill Studios in [[w:Maida Vale\|Maida Vale]], Pepys House near to Grafton’s, and on location in the vicinity of [[w:Denham, Buckinghamshire\|Denham in Buckinghamshire]]. Harry played the nominal hero, Harry Jones, a shop assistant with dreams of becoming a [[w:Private investigator\|private eye]] who becomes caught up in a plot when one of his customers, Professor Osric Pureheart (Michael), turns out to be an atomic scientist on a camping holiday who is being followed by two spies, played by [[Andrew Timothy]] and [[Graham Stark]]. Much of the action took place at [[w:Atomic Energy Research Establishment\|Warwell Atomic Research Station]] where security was handled by Colonel Bloodnok (Peter) and his men including Private Eccles, played as ever by Spike. Also starring as an [[w:MI5\|MI5]] agent was Carole Carr, a singer and actress whose radio career had begun during the war on shows like ''[[Variety Bandbox]]'' and who had worked on ''Listen My Children''; by now she was a regular on ''Calling All Forces'' and the Western serial ''Riders of the Range''. By the time the film was underway with director [[w:Maclean Rogers\|Maclean Rogers]], the title was changed to ''[[Down Among the Z Men]]'' and an appropriate song formed part of the score written by Jack Jordan.		From April, the Goons spent two weeks on their first combined film venture. The support feature ''[[Stand Easy]]'' had been written by [[Jimmy Grafton]] and one Francis Charles, and with Jimmy as [[w:Executive producer\|executive producer]] was to be made by [[w:Edwin J. Fancey\|EJ Fancey Productions]] at Kay Carlton Hill Studios in [[w:Maida Vale\|Maida Vale]], Pepys House near to Grafton’s, and on location in the vicinity of [[w:Denham, Buckinghamshire\|Denham in Buckinghamshire]]. Harry played the nominal hero, Harry Jones, a shop assistant with dreams of becoming a [[w:Private investigator\|private eye]] who becomes caught up in a plot when one of his customers, Professor Osric Pureheart (Michael), turns out to be an atomic scientist on a camping holiday who is being followed by two spies, played by [[Andrew Timothy]] and [[Graham Stark]]. Much of the action took place at [[w:Atomic Energy Research Establishment\|Warwell Atomic Research Station]] where security was handled by Colonel Bloodnok (Peter) and his men including Private Eccles, played as ever by Spike. Also starring as an [[w:MI5\|MI5]] agent was Carole Carr, a singer and actress whose radio career had begun during the war on shows like ''[[Variety Bandbox]]'' and who had worked on ''Listen My Children''; by now she was a regular on ''Calling All Forces'' and the Western serial ''Riders of the Range''. By the time the film was underway with director [[w:Maclean Rogers\|Maclean Rogers]], the title was changed to ''[[Down Among the Z Men]]'' and an appropriate song formed part of the score written by Jack Jordan.

	The fourteenth show recorded on Sunday 27 experimented with a new closing adventure with neither Bloodnok nor Slocombe, but concerning the Mexican bandit El Gato (Harry). Comedian [[Stan Stennett]] then joined the bill of the Goon variety show when it opened at the Brixton Empress on Monday 28. The fifteenth show performed on Sunday 4 May saw Bloodnok appearing in the Pureheart sketch while the final narrative was a French revolutionary item. Harry was now also playing an idiotic northern character called Bass, Peters’ ‘Sanders’ character was featuring more prominently, and the opening sketch saw fun poked at the BBC Head of Variety and the department’s reliance on Listener Research ~~Reports…By~~ Wednesday 7 May, plans were being made to reschedule Trial Gallop to air from Lime Grove Studios at 8.30pm on Wednesday 2 July, with the cast required for rehearsals and pre-filming on Wednesday 18 June. The producer was now Michael Mills, a variety producer who had been at the helm of Turn It Up! and Picture Page. Meanwhile, an advert in The Stage on Thursday 8 May announced that ‘NUGENT THUNDERBONCE joins HARRY SECOMBE, MICHAEL BENTINE and SPIKE MILLIGAN in thanking EMMANUEL BEESWAX for a successful season on the Arloo Circuit.’ The Home Service took a firm decision on The Goon Show on Friday 9 May; the current run would conclude on Tuesday 15 July, but already another series was being commissioned to commence in mid-November. For the next show recorded that Sunday, the four sketches were shuffled around late in the day and a ‘gimmick’ item about mixing up the BBC radio stations was dropped. A character of Harry’s in a few sketches was referred to as ‘Simple Simon’ and the concluding item was a longer adventure in which Pureheart was now joined by Professor Crun, Major Bloodnok and Eccles. More new characters were also tested in High Goon, a spoof Western sending up the iconic movie High Noon which had been released at the start of May.		The fourteenth show recorded on Sunday 27 experimented with a new closing adventure with neither Bloodnok nor Slocombe, but concerning the Mexican bandit El Gato (Harry). Comedian [[Stan Stennett]] then joined the bill of the Goon variety show when it opened at the Brixton Empress on Monday 28. The fifteenth show performed on Sunday 4 May saw Bloodnok appearing in the Pureheart sketch while the final narrative was a French revolutionary item. Harry was now also playing an idiotic northern character called Bass, Peters’ ‘Sanders’ character was featuring more prominently, and the opening sketch saw fun poked at the BBC Head of Variety and the department’s reliance on Listener Research Reports… By Wednesday 7 May, plans were being made to reschedule ''Trial Gallop'' to air from [[w:Lime Grove Studios\|Lime Grove Studios]] at 8.30pm on Wednesday 2 July, with the cast required for rehearsals and pre-filming on Wednesday 18 June. The producer was now [[Michael Mills (British producer)\|Michael Mills]], a variety producer who had been at the helm of [[w:Turn It Up!\|Turn It Up!]] and [[w:Picture Page\|Picture Page]]. Meanwhile, an advert in [[w:The Stage\|The Stage]] on Thursday 8 May announced that ‘NUGENT THUNDERBONCE joins HARRY SECOMBE, MICHAEL BENTINE and SPIKE MILLIGAN in thanking EMMANUEL BEESWAX for a successful season on the Arloo Circuit.’

	The Goon variety show opened at the East Ham Hippodrome on Monday 12 May, the same day that a brief Listener Research Report revealed that 285 members of the Listening Panel had awarded the fourteenth show an AI of 59. However, the audiences on the Light Programme had been falling, and only around four million tuned in for that Thursday’s repeat.		===Is it the end?===
			The Home Service took a firm decision on ''The Goon Show'' on Friday 9 May; the current run would conclude on Tuesday 15 July, but already another series was being commissioned to commence in mid-November. For the next show recorded that Sunday, the four sketches were shuffled around late in the day and a ‘gimmick’ item about mixing up the BBC radio stations was dropped. A character of Harry’s in a few sketches was referred to as ‘Simple Simon’ and the concluding item was a longer adventure in which Pureheart was now joined by Professor Crun, Major Bloodnok and Eccles. More new characters were also tested in High Goon, a spoof Western sending up the iconic movie [[w:High Noon\|High Noon]] which had been released at the start of May.

			The Goon variety show opened at the [[w:Hippodrome, London\|East Ham Hippodrome]] on Monday 12 May, the same day that a brief Listener Research Report revealed that 285 members of the Listening Panel had awarded the fourteenth show an [[w:Appreciation Index\|AI]] of 59. However, the audiences on the [[w:BBC Light Programme\|Light Programme]] had been falling, and only around four million tuned in for that Thursday’s repeat.

	The seventeenth show of the run was recorded on Sunday 18 May and again saw Crun working with Pureheart, another rare appearance of Sir Harold in a send up of the [[w:BBC Third Programme\|Third Programme]], and a closing narrative using Harry in the lead role of a Welsh chieftain from history.		The seventeenth show of the run was recorded on Sunday 18 May and again saw Crun working with Pureheart, another rare appearance of Sir Harold in a send up of the [[w:BBC Third Programme\|Third Programme]], and a closing narrative using Harry in the lead role of a Welsh chieftain from history.

	En route for Australia, June Milligan had been suffering from morning sickness. While Spike was thrilled by the idea of becoming a father, he was deeply concerned that he did not have a home for his family. He was working flat out on writing material for The Goon Show while learning more about structure from the experienced Larry Stephens. Friends and family took him in until he relocated to a flat in Kensington in mid-May.The date of the final recording for the current run was amended on Thursday 22 May; two shows would now be taped instead on Sunday 6 July. By now, Dennis was also producing the Vera Lynn series We’ll Meet Again for the Light Programme in addition to his Goon duties. The eighteenth edition of The Goon Show was performed on Sunday 25; this saw the return of one of Bloodnok’s ancestors in the closing sketch, and also the first pairing of the ‘Miss Bannister’ character with Crun (now named Henry) when Pureheart was informed that they were man and wife.		===Spike's a daddy==
			En route for [[w:Australia\|Australia]], June Milligan had been suffering from morning sickness. While Spike was thrilled by the idea of becoming a father, he was deeply concerned that he did not have a home for his family. He was working flat out on writing material for ''The Goon Show'' while learning more about structure from the experienced [[Larry Stephens]]. Friends and family took him in until he relocated to a flat in [[w:Kensington\|Kensington]] in mid-May.

			==At last it's the last===
			The date of the final recording for the current run was amended on Thursday 22 May; two shows would now be taped instead on Sunday 6 July. By now, Dennis was also producing the [[w:Vera Lynn\|Vera Lynn]] series ''We’ll Meet Again'' for the Light Programme in addition to his Goon duties. The eighteenth edition of ''The Goon Show'' was performed on Sunday 25; this saw the return of one of Bloodnok’s ancestors in the closing sketch, and also the first pairing of the ‘Miss Bannister’ character with Crun (now named Henry) when Pureheart was informed that they were man and wife.

	Having studied the original script for Trial Gallop, Michael Mills commented to BBC copyright on Wednesday 28 May that ‘I am using very little of the original material’ in his revised version which was now entitled Goonreel. There was similar analysis of the team’s radio work in the Variety (Sound) Department. ‘I think the Goons are in danger of being submerged by the very qualities that have helped them to success, namely their own gusto and extreme eccentricity,’ wrote Michael Standing to Dennis Main Wilson on Thursday 29 May. The Head of Variety was concerned about ineffectual endings to sketches and indistinct shows, feeling that ‘the cast have got somewhat out of control at the microphone, out of balance, and more than once out of audibility range. I do not expect them to perform within the dramatic limitations of [the daily Light Programme soap] Mrs Dale’s Diary but I do expect them to give an exclusively microphone performance without pandering, as they frequently do, to the studio audience. If these tendencies are not arrested very quickly the show may well collapse like a pricked balloon.’		===Blowback to originality===
			Having studied the original script for ''Trial Gallop'', [[Michael Mills (British producer)\|Michael Mills]] commented to BBC copyright on Wednesday 28 May that ‘I am using very little of the original material’ in his revised version which was now entitled Goonreel. There was similar analysis of the team’s radio work in the Variety (Sound) Department. ‘I think the Goons are in danger of being submerged by the very qualities that have helped them to success, namely their own gusto and extreme eccentricity,’ wrote Michael Standing to Dennis Main Wilson on Thursday 29 May. The Head of Variety was concerned about ineffectual endings to sketches and indistinct shows, feeling that ‘the cast have got somewhat out of control at the microphone, out of balance, and more than once out of audibility range. I do not expect them to perform within the dramatic limitations of [the daily Light Programme soap] ''[[w:Mrs Dale’s Diary\|Mrs Dale’s Diary]]'' but I do expect them to give an exclusively microphone performance without pandering, as they frequently do, to the studio audience. If these tendencies are not arrested very quickly the show may well collapse like a pricked balloon.’

	Since the Dance Orchestra was on leave on Sunday 1 June, Dennis had arranged for the music to be provided by Robert Busby’s Revue Orchestra instead; Jack Jordan was now contributing incidental music for the shows. This script mixed the format a little with the opening cross-talk between Harry and Andrew setting up a sketch for later in the programme. The robbery of a mail van in London’s Eastcastle Street on Wednesday 21 May had inspired a Pureheart adventure involving Special Branch, and Dr Henry Crun now graduated to the lead character of the show’s closing sketch – the first of a two-part trip up the Amazon.The Ray Ellington Quartet embarked upon a three-month tour of the UK for Mecca starting on Monday 2 June which meant that they would have to fly back for some recordings from venues such as Glasgow and Belfast. The Goon variety show had now effectively broken up, but Harry and Michael appeared on the same bill that week at the Chiswick Empire. It was apparently during this week that they were approached at the stage door one night by the eccentric figure of Ruxton Hayward, a six-foot-two, red-bearded scoutmaster with a bicycle who – in a high-pitched voice – announced that he wanted to be a Goon. Bemused by Ruxton, Michael told him to find Peter Sellers over at the Finsbury Empire and present himself by saying: ‘Michael Bentine says I’m a genius’… with Ruxton unaware that this was a signal to Peter that he might find the scoutmaster worthy of incorporation into his act… and ultimately the inspiration for his Bluebottle character. By now, the Goons’ characters were taking on a life of their own for the cast. Peter had letterheads representing the solicitors’ firm of Whacklow, Futtle & Crun in Lincoln Inn Fields printed to send joke correspondence to Spike; this exchange of missives between figures such as Crun, Bluebottle, Grytpype-Thynne and others would continue for a couple of decades.		Since the Dance Orchestra was on leave on Sunday 1 June, Dennis had arranged for the music to be provided by Robert Busby’s Revue Orchestra instead; Jack Jordan was now contributing incidental music for the shows. This script mixed the format a little with the opening cross-talk between Harry and Andrew setting up a sketch for later in the programme. The robbery of a mail van in London’s Eastcastle Street on Wednesday 21 May had inspired a Pureheart adventure involving Special Branch, and Dr Henry Crun now graduated to the lead character of the show’s closing sketch – the first of a two-part trip up the Amazon.The Ray Ellington Quartet embarked upon a three-month tour of the UK for Mecca starting on Monday 2 June which meant that they would have to fly back for some recordings from venues such as Glasgow and Belfast. The Goon variety show had now effectively broken up, but Harry and Michael appeared on the same bill that week at the Chiswick Empire. It was apparently during this week that they were approached at the stage door one night by the eccentric figure of Ruxton Hayward, a six-foot-two, red-bearded scoutmaster with a bicycle who – in a high-pitched voice – announced that he wanted to be a Goon. Bemused by Ruxton, Michael told him to find Peter Sellers over at the Finsbury Empire and present himself by saying: ‘Michael Bentine says I’m a genius’… with Ruxton unaware that this was a signal to Peter that he might find the scoutmaster worthy of incorporation into his act… and ultimately the inspiration for his Bluebottle character. By now, the Goons’ characters were taking on a life of their own for the cast. Peter had letterheads representing the solicitors’ firm of Whacklow, Futtle & Crun in Lincoln Inn Fields printed to send joke correspondence to Spike; this exchange of missives between figures such as Crun, Bluebottle, Grytpype-Thynne and others would continue for a couple of decades.

Kurt: /* Ever onwards */

2022-09-09T16:08:54Z

Ever onwards

Show changes

Kurt: /* Solidifying the format= */

2022-09-09T15:05:28Z

Solidifying the format=

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:05, 9 September 2022
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	With the first edition of The Goon Show completed, Peter agreed to stay in the live broadcasts of ''[[Ray’s a Laugh]]'' through to the middle of July. On Saturday 26 January, Spike married June and – after recording the second show of the new series on Sunday 27 – grabbed a two-day honeymoon in a hotel on the [[w:Bayswater Road\|Bayswater Road]] before June sailed for Australia. This second edition of ''The Goon Show'' had a last-minute cast change: [[Andrew Timothy]] was unable to attend, with his announcing work taken over by [[Wallace Greenslade]]. Born in [[w:Formby\|Formby]], [[w:Lancashire\|Lancashire]], Wallace – or ‘Bill’ as he was known – had been a [[w:Purser\|purser]] with the [[w:P&O Ferries\|P&O Ferry]] company and joined the [[w:BBC\|BBC]] in 1945, reading the news for the [[w:BBC World Service#Europe\|European Service]], announcing on the [[w:BBC Home Service\|Home Service]] from 1949 and hosting various shows including ''Saturday Sports Review'', ''Midday Miscellany'' and various other shows.		With the first edition of The Goon Show completed, Peter agreed to stay in the live broadcasts of ''[[Ray’s a Laugh]]'' through to the middle of July. On Saturday 26 January, Spike married June and – after recording the second show of the new series on Sunday 27 – grabbed a two-day honeymoon in a hotel on the [[w:Bayswater Road\|Bayswater Road]] before June sailed for Australia. This second edition of ''The Goon Show'' had a last-minute cast change: [[Andrew Timothy]] was unable to attend, with his announcing work taken over by [[Wallace Greenslade]]. Born in [[w:Formby\|Formby]], [[w:Lancashire\|Lancashire]], Wallace – or ‘Bill’ as he was known – had been a [[w:Purser\|purser]] with the [[w:P&O Ferries\|P&O Ferry]] company and joined the [[w:BBC\|BBC]] in 1945, reading the news for the [[w:BBC World Service#Europe\|European Service]], announcing on the [[w:BBC Home Service\|Home Service]] from 1949 and hosting various shows including ''Saturday Sports Review'', ''Midday Miscellany'' and various other shows.

	==Solidifying the format===		===Solidifying the format===
	Spike took over as the villainous Ho Fu Chung in The Adventures of Handsome Harry Secombe and in the closing sketch, Major Bloodnok was introduced as the Goon’s military historian who then recounted the tale of one of his ancestors – Angus McBloodnok. Another character introduced in the show was [[Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister\|Crun]], an elderly teacher at England’s oldest school who featured in a sketch about education. Throughout the show a running gag was Harry as a character asking ‘Excuse me, is this the Bijou Palais-de-Dance and Cafeteria?’… until he was shot after the closing credits. This edition also introduced the notion of the Ray Ellington Quartet paying tribute to a musical star, starting with Gracie Fields and her song Sally while by now the usual play-out by Max, the Quartet and the orchestra after Stanley Black’s new closing theme tune was established as Crazy Rhythm, a piece written by [[w:Irving Caesar\|Irving Caesar]], [[w:Joseph Meyer (songwriter)\|Joseph Meyer]], and [[w:Roger Wolfe Kahn\|Roger Wolfe Kahn]] in 1928 for the Broadway musical [[w:Here’s Howe\|Here’s Howe]].		Spike took over as the villainous Ho Fu Chung in The Adventures of Handsome Harry Secombe and in the closing sketch, Major Bloodnok was introduced as the Goon’s military historian who then recounted the tale of one of his ancestors – Angus McBloodnok. Another character introduced in the show was [[Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister\|Crun]], an elderly teacher at England’s oldest school who featured in a sketch about education. Throughout the show a running gag was Harry as a character asking ‘Excuse me, is this the Bijou Palais-de-Dance and Cafeteria?’… until he was shot after the closing credits. This edition also introduced the notion of the Ray Ellington Quartet paying tribute to a musical star, starting with Gracie Fields and her song Sally while by now the usual play-out by Max, the Quartet and the orchestra after Stanley Black’s new closing theme tune was established as Crazy Rhythm, a piece written by [[w:Irving Caesar\|Irving Caesar]], [[w:Joseph Meyer (songwriter)\|Joseph Meyer]], and [[w:Roger Wolfe Kahn\|Roger Wolfe Kahn]] in 1928 for the Broadway musical [[w:Here’s Howe\|Here’s Howe]].

Kurt at 15:05, 9 September 2022

2022-09-09T15:05:10Z

Show changes