World War One

"World War One"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: 8 Episode: 22
Written by	Spike Milligan
Announcer	Wallace Greenslade
Produced by	Charles Chilton
Music	Orchestra: Wally Stott Geldray: Sometimes I'm Happy Ellington: Beep Beep
Recording Number	TLO 49663
First broadcast	24 February 1958 (1958-02-24)
Running time	29:52

______ (a.k.a. _____! or even World War One) is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the twenty-second show in the eighth series. The vagaries of the original title are based on Milligan's attempt to recreate "illegible writing on a faded manuscript". Their actual pronunciation was supposed to be akin to a "faint murmur".

A pre-recording (DLO 49663B) session took place Sunday 23 February 1958, 6.30pm. at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London. The recording (TLO 49663) for transmission was created later that same Sunday, also at The Camden, at 9pm.

The first Home Service broadcast was the next day, Monday, at 8.30pm 24 February 1958, its ratings were 2.3 million.

The show was repeated on the following Thursday at 9.30pm, 27 February 1958, on the Light Programme to 2.6 million listeners.

Transcription Service Synopsis

Without even a title to help us, a summary of this Goon Show is virtually impossible. We think the programme is about England at war in 1917 and we have also been led to believe that Neddie Seagoon buys some shares in the German army. We prefer not to commit ourselves further beyond adding that (as you have no doubt guessed) all the old characters, including the two Indian gentlemen, participate in this nameless horror.

Music

• The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
• Max Geldray plays Sometimes I'm Happy (Vincent Youmans (music) / Irving Caesar (lyrics))
• The Ray Ellington Quartet plays Beep Beep (Louis Prima / Jerry Joyce / Jerry Wynn)

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 49663 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House). This tape no longer exists, and the version of the show included on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 8 was compiled from the TGS master tape, the POTG master tape and a domestic recording of the original transmission.

Show Notes

• Spike was unwell and when sending out the scripts for that Sunday's recording, Doreen wrote ‘I do hope it's nothing more serious than a heavy cold’ and of his script for the episode World War One, remarked that ‘your [script] this week is very, very funny – it seems to me to have got away from the accustomed more than usual’.

• Indeed, by now, Spike's scripts were often working at a frenetic speed, abandoning the longer character-driven dialogue in favour of more fragmented narratives which made a heavy use of pre-recorded sound effects. The first show taped on Sunday 23 February was a remake of The Silent Bugler and was followed by World War One in which the Australian voice complaining ‘Don't like what he's doing Pat’ was now scripted for Peter to deliver. *The episode also had an exchange between Bloodnok and Eccles in which reference was made to the Wolfenden Report which had recommended the legalisation of homosexuality when published on 4 September 1957.
• When Seagoon was questioned, the music of the ATV quiz show The $64,000 Question was used, followed by Peter impersonating Hughie Green, the host of Associated-Rediffusion's Double Your Money.