The Africa Ship Canal: Difference between revisions

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| writer        = *[[Spike Milligan]]
| writer        = *[[Spike Milligan]]
*[[Larry Stephens]]
*[[Larry Stephens]]
| based_on      =  
| based_on      = [[w:Suez Crisis|Suez Crisis]]
| presenter      = [[Wallace Greenslade]]
| presenter      = [[Wallace Greenslade]]
| producer      = [[Pat Dixon]]
| producer      = [[Pat Dixon]]
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| Compendium    = [[The Goon Show Compendiums#Vol6|6]]
| Compendium    = [[The Goon Show Compendiums#Vol6|6]]
}}
}}
SHOW 7/23: Africa Ship Canal (CD 4,Track 11)
Pre-Recording: Sunday 3 March 1957, 5pm, Camden. DLO 24413/A (Crest of a Wave).
Recording:Sunday 3 March 1957, 9pm,Camden.TLO 24413.
First Home Service Broadcast:Thursday 7 March 1957,8.30pm. Ratings: 1.9 million.
Repeats: Monday 11 March 1957, 8pm, 1.9 million (Light Programme];Thursday 9 May 1957, 8.30pm,
I.I million [Home Service].
Transcription Servl􀄰e Synopsis: A new canal is to be built across Africa - for aeroplanes! But once again,
Moriarty and Grytpype-Thynne are determined to defy authority, in the shape of Neddie Seagoon, the
Engineer-in-Charge.Their plan is simple.They will bury the canal.and restore the Moriarty Zeppelin Service
to full schedule again. Whether they succeed can be heard in this edition of The Goon Show.
Music: Max Geldray plays Once in Love with Amy (Frank Loesser);The Ray Ellington Quartet plays Wrop Your
Troubles in Drums (George Shearing).
'''''The Africa Ship Canal''''' is an episode from [[The Goon Show]]. It is the twenty-second show in the seventh series.  
'''''The Africa Ship Canal''''' is an episode from [[The Goon Show]]. It is the twenty-second show in the seventh series.  


A pre-recording session took place Sunday {{Date|1957-02-17}}, 5pm. at [[w:KOKO (music venue)|The Camden Theatre]], Camden Town, London (DLO 25010). The recording for transmission was created later that same Sunday, also at The Camden, at 9pm (TLO 22507).
A pre-recording session took place Sunday {{Date|1957-03-03}}, 5pm. at [[w:KOKO (music venue)|The Camden Theatre]], Camden Town, London (DLO 24413/A ([[w:Gang Show|Crest of a Wave]])). The recording for transmission was created later that same Sunday, also at The Camden, at 9pm (TLO 24413).


The first [[w:BBC Home Service|Home Service]] broadcast was the following Thursday at 8.30pm {{Date|1957-01-03}}, its ratings were 2.6 million.
The first [[w:BBC Home Service|Home Service]] broadcast was the following Thursday at 8.30pm {{Date|1957-03-07}}, its ratings were 1.9 million.


The show was repeated:
The show was repeated:
*Wednesday 9.31pm, {{Date|1958-12-17}}, on the [[w:BBC Light Programme|Light Programme]] to 2.3 million listeners.
*Monday 8pm, {{Date|1957-03-11}}, on the [[w:BBC Light Programme|Light Programme]] to 1.9 million listeners.
*Friday 9.30pm, {{Date|1964-03-06}} on the [[w:BBC Home Service|Home Service]] in ''Vintage Goons'', to 0.5 million listeners.  
*Thursday 8.30pm, {{Date|1957-05-09}} on the [[w:BBC Home Service|Home Service]] to 1.1 million listeners.  
*Friday 9.30pm, {{Date|1965-08-20}} on the [[w:BBC Home Service|Home Service]] in ''Let's Laugh Again'', to 0.2 million listeners (the broadcast was affected by a fault on the reproduction equipment).


== Transcription Service Synopsis ==
== Transcription Service Synopsis ==
'To open the scene, take a knife and cut along the dotted line. Inside you will find the [[w:Great North Road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]] in an icy blizzard.' This is how Spike Milligan describes the setting for the start of the latest unexpurgated edition of Seagoon's memoirs. Listeners can, in fact, buy a copy (in a plain sealed envelope) at any local Second Class Slipper Bath.
A new canal is to be built across Africa – for aeroplanes! But once again, [[Count Jim Moriarty|Moriarty]] and [[Hercules Grytpype-Thynne|Grytpype-Thynne]] are determined to defy authority, in the shape of [[Neddie Seagoon]], the Engineer-in-Charge. Their plan is simple. They will bury the canal and restore the Moriarty Zeppelin Service to full schedule again. Whether they succeed can be heard in this edition of ''The Goon Show''.


==Music==
==Music==
*The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by [[Wally Stott]]
*The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by [[Wally Stott]]
*[[Max Geldray]] plays ''[[w:I Kiss Your Hand, Madame|I Kiss Your Little Hand, Madame]]'' {{small|([[w:Ralph Erwin|Ralph Erwin]] (music) / [[w:Fritz Rotter|Fritz Rotter]] (lyrics))}}
*[[Max Geldray]] plays ''Once in Love with Amy'' {{small|([[w:Frank Loesser|Frank Loesser]])}}
*[[Ray Ellington|The Ray Ellington Quartet]] plays ''[[w:The Late, Late Show (album)|The Late Late Show]]'' {{small|(Murray Berlin (music) / [[w:Roy Alfred|Roy Alfred]] (lyrics))}}
*[[Ray Ellington|The Ray Ellington Quartet]] plays ''Wrap Your Troubles in Drums'' {{small|([[w:George Shearing|George Shearing]])}}


==Technical==
==Technical==
Line 65: Line 50:


The ending of the original transmission was unusual, in that the credits were read, not over music, but over the menacing sound of an advancing crowd. Recordings of the original transmission fade into continuity as [[Wallace Greenslade|Greenslade]] finishes speaking. [[BBC Transcription Services|TS]] added a clean version of ''Lucky Strike'' for the [[Original Issues - The Goon Show|TGS]] issue, and used the end credits from [[The Missing Boa Constrictor|7/24]] for the [[Pick of the Goons|POTG]] issue – the [[Pick of the Goons|POTG]] versions of these two shows were mastered on the same day.
The ending of the original transmission was unusual, in that the credits were read, not over music, but over the menacing sound of an advancing crowd. Recordings of the original transmission fade into continuity as [[Wallace Greenslade|Greenslade]] finishes speaking. [[BBC Transcription Services|TS]] added a clean version of ''Lucky Strike'' for the [[Original Issues - The Goon Show|TGS]] issue, and used the end credits from [[The Missing Boa Constrictor|7/24]] for the [[Pick of the Goons|POTG]] issue – the [[Pick of the Goons|POTG]] versions of these two shows were mastered on the same day.
==Show Notes==
''The Africa Ship Canal'' included Harry performing a selection of his popular vocal hits (including his signature tune, Falling in Love with Love) in a tale which was inspired by the [[w:Suez Crisis|situation]] at the [[w:Suez Canal|Suez Canal]] from which British forces had withdrawn in December 1956 and – with [[w:Israelis|Israelis]] also forced to leave the area – was to re-open the following month


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 15:21, 4 December 2022

"The Africa Ship Canal"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.Series: 7
Episode: 22
Written by
Based onSuez Crisis
AnnouncerWallace Greenslade
Produced byPat Dixon
Music
  • Orchestra: Wally Stott
  • Geldray: Once in Love with Amy
  • Ellington: Wrap Your Troubles in Drums
Recording
Number
TLO 24413
First broadcast7 March 1957 (1957-03-07)
Running time33:29
Episode Order
← Previous
"Insurance, the White Man's Burden"
Next →
"Ill Met by Goonlight"
The Goon Show series 7
List of episodes

The Africa Ship Canal is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the twenty-second show in the seventh series.

A pre-recording session took place Sunday 3 March 1957, 5pm. at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London (DLO 24413/A (Crest of a Wave)). The recording for transmission was created later that same Sunday, also at The Camden, at 9pm (TLO 24413).

The first Home Service broadcast was the following Thursday at 8.30pm 7 March 1957, its ratings were 1.9 million.

The show was repeated:

  • Monday 8pm, 11 March 1957, on the Light Programme to 1.9 million listeners.
  • Thursday 8.30pm, 9 May 1957 on the Home Service to 1.1 million listeners.

Transcription Service Synopsis

A new canal is to be built across Africa – for aeroplanes! But once again, Moriarty and Grytpype-Thynne are determined to defy authority, in the shape of Neddie Seagoon, the Engineer-in-Charge. Their plan is simple. They will bury the canal and restore the Moriarty Zeppelin Service to full schedule again. Whether they succeed can be heard in this edition of The Goon Show.

Music

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 24413 (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 6 was compiled from the TGS disc, the POTG tape and a domestic recording of the original transmission.[1]

The ending of the original transmission was unusual, in that the credits were read, not over music, but over the menacing sound of an advancing crowd. Recordings of the original transmission fade into continuity as Greenslade finishes speaking. TS added a clean version of Lucky Strike for the TGS issue, and used the end credits from 7/24 for the POTG issue – the POTG versions of these two shows were mastered on the same day.

Show Notes

The Africa Ship Canal included Harry performing a selection of his popular vocal hits (including his signature tune, Falling in Love with Love) in a tale which was inspired by the situation at the Suez Canal from which British forces had withdrawn in December 1956 and – with Israelis also forced to leave the area – was to re-open the following month

References

  1. ^ Kendall, Ted (2012). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 6 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 13. ISBN 978-1408-468548.