The Great Bank Robbery

"The Great Bank Robbery"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: 7 Episode: 7
Written by	Spike Milligan Larry Stephens
Announcer	Wallace Greenslade
Produced by	Pat Dixon
Music	Orchestra: Wally Stott Geldray: How About You? Ellington: Razzle Dazzle
Recording Number	TLOTLO 15801
First broadcast	15 November 1956 (1956-11-15)
Running time	31:09

SHOW 159 (7/7): The Great Bank Robbery (CDl, Track 11) Pre-recording: Sunday 11 November 1956, 5pm,The Camden Theatre. DLO 17173. Recording: Sunday 11 November 1956, 9pm, The Camden Theatre. no 1580 I. First Home Service Broadcast: Thursday 15 November 1956, 8.30pm. Ratings: 1.9 million. R/: 65. Repeal: Monday 19 November 1956, 8pm, 4.1 million (Light Programme]. BBCAudiobooks' Synopsis:Wanted: One large horse-hair stuffed Zeppelin disguised as the 7.20 train to Bradford with Crun's Bank attached and going in the direction of up. When Henry Crun turns banker and promises double security (the money's in a tea caddy stuffed in a mattress) he falls victim to the aeronautical schemes of Grytpype and Count Jim Thighs' Moriarty. But why is Neddie in the bullion vaults before making his escape in the To ur de Britain Five Day Bass Drum Race! H􀄽's innocent, folks!Yes, a mystery has been committed and security guard Bluebottle intends to solve it. Music: Max Geldray plays How About You (Burton Lane); The Ray Ellington Quartet plays Razzle-Dazzle (Charles E Calhoun).

The Seagoon Memoirs is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the seventh show in the ninth series.

Two pre-recording sessions took place:

• Wednesday 28 January 1959, 4.15pm/5.15pm. Aeolian Hall Studio 2 (TLO & C/DLO 76382, TLO 77924)
• Saturday 1 February 1959, 5.45pm, The Paris Cinema (DLO 76513/A)

The recording for transmission was created at 8pm on Sunday 14 December 1958, at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London (TLO 72138).

The first Home Service broadcast was the next day at 8.30pm on Monday 15 December 1958, its ratings were 1.1 million.

The show was repeated:

• Wednesday 9.31pm, 17 December 1958, on the Light Programme to 2.3 million listeners.
• Friday 9.30pm, 6 March 1964 on the Home Service in Vintage Goons, to 0.5 million listeners.
• Friday 9.30pm, 20 August 1965 on the 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

'To open the scene, take a knife and cut along the dotted line. Inside you will find the 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.

Music

• The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
• Max Geldray plays I Kiss Your Little Hand, Madame (Ralph Erwin (music) / Fritz Rotter (lyrics))
• The Ray Ellington Quartet plays The Late Late Show (Murray Berlin (music) / Roy Alfred (lyrics))

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 72138 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House).

The TLO 72138 master tape no longer exists, and the version of the show included on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 10 was compiled from the TGS disc, the POTG master tape and domestic recordings of both the original transmission and the 1964 repeat.

1/1 - The Great Bank Robbery Originally recorded on TLO 1580 I. This tape still exists, and was used for this issue.