The Moriarty Murder Mystery

"The Moriarty Murder Mystery"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: 8 Episode: 17
Written by	Larry Stephens Maurice Wiltshire
Announcer	Wallace Greenslade
Produced by	Charles Chilton
Music	Orchestra: Wally Stott Geldray: Once in Love with Amy Ellington: Stomp, Look, Listen
Recording Number	TLO 47306
First broadcast	20 January 1958 (1958-01-20)
Running time	31:07

The Moriarty Murder Mystery is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the seventeenth show in the eighth series.

A pre-recording (DLO 47306A) session took place Sunday 19 January 1958, 2pm. at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London. The recording (TLO 47306) for transmission was created later that same Sunday afternoon, also at The Camden, at 5pm.

The first Home Service broadcast was the next day, Monday, at 8.30pm 20 January 1958, its ratings were 1.5 million.

The show was repeated on the following Thursday at 10pm, 23 January 1958, on the Light Programme to 2.6 million listeners. It was also repeated in later years…

• Friday 6.15pm, 21 March 1975 on Radio 4 in Encore the Goonss (Not Scotland or Wales).
• Thursday 1.03pm, Boxing Day, 26 December 1996 on Radio 2 in Pick of the Goons.

Transcription Service Synopsis

It must be disconcerting to be called upon to investigate a body In a dustbin – and then find that the corpse is alive. When this happens to Inspector Seagoon he is instructed by his Commissioner to produce another murder victim – or else! His only course is to visit Crun & Co. Ltd. – licenced Clue Manufacturers who are, as always, no help whatsoever!

Music

• The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
• Max Geldray plays Once in Love with Amy (Frank Loesser)
• The Ray Ellington Quartet plays Stomp, Look and Listen (Duke Ellington (lyrics))

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 47306 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House). This tape survived in TS, and was used for ththe version included in The Goon Show Compendium Vol 8, with repairs from a TS cover copy.

Show Notes

• Two shows were taped on Sunday 19 January. The Moriarty Murder Mystery by Larry and Maurice came first; this show saw the introduction of sound effects around the villainous Grytpype-Thynne's increasingly bizarre introductions of his decrepit cohort Count Jim Moriarty.
• as 1958 arrived, with further recording schedule changes to accommodate cast member Peter Sellers who had been told to have a ‘rest day’ by his doctor. The manner in which this request by Peter had been handled by the BBC sent Spike into a rage, much of it directed at Doreen, who held her own ably in the face of the enfant terrible of radio comedy…
• The upshot of Peter's rest day on Sunday 26 January was that two shows would have to be recorded for the Home Service on Sunday 19 January; one of these would be written by Spike while the other would be handled by Spike's old writing partner Larry Stephens who was now working alongside writer Maurice Wiltshire.