Six Charlies in Search of an Author

"Six Charlies in Search of an Author"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: 7 Episode: 13
Written by	Spike Milligan Larry Stephens
Based on	Six Characters in Search of an Author
Announcer	Wallace Greenslade
Produced by	Pat Dixon
Music	Orchestra: Wally Stott Geldray: When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along) Ellington: From the Bottom of My Heart
Recording Number	TLO 19238
First broadcast	26 December 1956 (1956-12-26)
Running time	30:42

"Six Charlies in Search of An Author" is an episode of the British radio comedy, The Goon Show. It was thirteenth episode of the seventh series.

The title is a parody of the play Six Characters in Search of an Author, by Luigi Pirandello. While the plot revolves around the common scenario of Neddie Seagoon being blackmailed by Hercules Grytpype-Thynne and Count Jim Moriarty. The characters refer to places and times as chapters or pages, the author appears in the story and the characters themselves can edit the plot.

Show creation

A pre-recording session took place at The Camden Theatre at 1pm on Sunday 23 December 1956 (DLO 19237/A). The recording for transmission was created at 9pm on the same Sunday 23 December 1956, at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London.

The first Home Service broadcast was on the following Wednesday at 8.30pm on 26 December 1956, its ratings were 2.3 million.

The show was repeated:

• Monday 8pm, 31 December 1956, on the Light Programme to 3.4 million listeners.
• Thursday 8.30pm, 25 April 1957 on the Home Service to 1.1 million listeners.
• Monday 11pm, 9 November 1992 on the Radio 4.

Transcription Service Synopsis

Have you read Jim Spriggs' immortal book, Six Charlies in Search of an Author? It is doubtful indeed whether Jim Spriggs himself has read it for the whole epic is written by the characters themselves. As chapter after chapter of this gripping story unfolds, it seems quite clear that the 'Charlies' will never find their author. In the last page, however, Jim Spriggs regains control of his characters and, as with any good book, there is a happy ending.

Plot

The plot is that of a book being written by Adolphus "Jim" Spriggs. Grytpype-Thynne blackmails Neddie with a 'compromising set of X-ray photographs'. Neddie decides to pawn himself at Henry Crun's pawnshop to pay for the photograph; however, he cannot leave the pawnshop safe until redeemed.

Neddie uses the ten pounds to redeem himself, but then has nothing to pay off his blackmailers. He discovers that Major Bloodnok has the photographs in a safe. Bloodnok does not have the combination. At this point, the characters begin to alter the book with a typewriter, and everything they write comes true. Neddie forces Bloodnok to work by describing him working. Bloodnok retaliates by doing the same. Bluebottle is written in by the author to help them. He has some "silent explosive".

Neddie and Bloodnok are surprised by Moriarty and Grytpype-Thynne by holding them at gunpoint, The criminal pair had played a recording of an explosion "written in without the author's knowledge". Neddie disarms Moriarty by writing in an empty gun, but Grytpype-Thynne writes in an escape down the Amazon with the photographs. Jim Spriggs, the author, appears and demands that they stop interfering with his book. Bloodnok sends him away by writing "…the author turned and left the room!"

Bluebottle, playing with the typewriter, imagines an attack by "Black Claw and his Chinese pirates", ruining their pursuit of the villains. Reaching the banks of the river, they encounter Henry Crun, who tells them "Someone gave Min a typewriter and here I am!" Appealing to the author, they get a happy ending written for them as Neddie marries his fiancée Gladys Minkwater, but Bluebottle writes that Gladys deserts Neddie for him.

Unscripted moments

When Neddie encounters Grytpype-Thynne for the first time, he asks the "bone specialist", "What do you want?"

Grytpype-Thynne  : "Bones."

Neddie  : [gulps] "I haven't got any."

Grytpype-Thynne  : "Nonsense, you fall down without them."

Neddie  : "You'd fall down without them!"

Grytpype-Thynne  : "You'd fall down without them!"

Sellers (giggling) : "Take your choice!" (both giggle)

Music

• The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
• Max Geldray plays When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along) (Harry Woods)
• The Ray Ellington Quartet plays From the Bottom of My Heart (Chuck Willis)

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 19238 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House).

The TLO 19238 master tape survived until 1970, when it was erased in the TS purge, and the version of the show finally included on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 12 was compiled from a copy of a commercial master tape and the TGS disc.