Who's that? What do you want?
Funny. All right, you two.
All right. Break it up.
You can get your autographs after the show over a right.
Lot of Charlie's they are. See what I mean?
Well, now, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight it 8:30, sees the return
of the Goon show. There's not much I can tell you
about the story of the first episode except to say that a
nude Welshman is holding a rice pudding in the middle of the
Sahara Desert. And an atom bomb will be dropped
on him. What would be the effect?
Well, your guess is as good as mine.
Hmm. Yeah.
Anyhow, the story is called the Sahara Desert statue, which
doesn't mean a thing for after all.
It's all in the mind, you know? Mining.
Good morning. Hello and welcome to game pot.
Just before I introduce this week's guest, just a word about
last week's show, which is the episode where I interviewed the
scaffold. I had a really great response
from Lester's to that episode. Lots of you loved it.
I did have a handful of very small handful.
Let's say, one two, three at the most, who contacted me.
It was a great show, but really little bit surprised that it was
so thin in terms of goon content, if you like, but, you
know, the the there are times on this podcast where I'm going to
be talking to Legends of Comedy or people that, you know, work
with in comedy or write about comedy where sometimes, you
know, it's not going to be so good, heavy and the content will
be more varied and just on that, just wanted to run something
past. And everybody because I've been
thinking for a little while about starting next year,
perhaps starting something which would run in tandem with goon
pod which would not affect goon pod and have no relation to go
in part other than it would be the same sort of format.
But I was thinking of doing maybe as bonus episodes some
classic British films. Maybe one episode a month,
something like that and, you know, it would be the same as a
same sort of format, same, sort of style.
As I do with goon pod and it would be, you know, films are
just off the top of my head. Like, let's see, kind hearts and
coronets Carry on at your convenience which, of course, is
the best care on film. By the way, the Runaway Bus is
Frankie Howard. Maybe alpha papa.
The Alan Partridge movie and Wilt with Mel Smith and Griff,
Rhys Jones. So, you know, I'm just plugging
those out of the air, but it could be that.
This is something that I start next year, maybe as a standalone
podcast or maybe as a bonus This podcast to go along with with
going body. I'm not quite sure how or if it
will happen but I would really appreciate any comments.
Any thoughts, anything at all from anyone to sting?
Let me know if it's something that you would be interested in
hearing or whether it's something that you know, it
would be a waste of time because I'm not going to embark on
something if no one wants to listen to it.
Obviously anyway enough of that, my guest this week is returning
and it is our friend from across the pond it is.
On Gaffney and children were talking about, not one of the
better-known game shows but it's still a great one.
I hope you enjoy that. And by the way, any EastEnders
fans out there was right. I just wrote Sean's name down
before, Sean Gaffney and I just realized actually he's one
letter away from being Dean Gaffney, you know, surely one of
Britain's Finest thespians. I'm sure he went know what the
hell I'm talking about. But anyway, on with The show.
Sean, welcome back to the show. Thank you, it's great to be
back. Okay, so you join me previously
to talk about the Goon Show episode 1985 which is a which is
a barnstorming episode of the Goon show home.
If I may say sir and the podcast was pretty good as well.
And you and I agreed that you would return at some point which
is today. And I think originally, we were
going to talk about six Charlie's and search for an
author which I think is your Favorite gun shows that, right?
I have gun shows that are my favorites and I have goon shows
that I like to analyze. Right 1985 is one of the latter
as is six Charlie's in search of an author because I did drama in
college and so a goon show that revolves around the the
pirandello play which I had also studied.
Hmm obviously appealed show show but in the end we decided to do
today's episode which is the Sahara Desert statue.
Perhaps? That's your favorite one.
Is that, is that right? Is it's not.
It's not the typical. I don't think it would be
anyone. Elses favorite and I'm not sure,
it's the best. I'm not saying it's the best.
You're the funniest gun show, but it is my emotional support
goon show. When I am, when I am feeling
down or distracted, I am in need of a goon show.
I inevitably end up queuing this one up.
Mmm, Yeah it's don't remember when When I first heard it, I
know that it came out originally officially in 2002.
Along with the fear of wages and the the Niger plague on that
collection. Yep.
But I think that I may have heard the pick of the goons
version before. Just you know this was late 90s
you pick up things on the net that's how it worked.
And it's because the one thing that's always struck me about
the Sahara Desert statue is every time, you hear it, there's
more of it. Because you might start with the
pick of the goons version which is a as always about 27 minutes
long and then we got the Persian that came out on the fear of
wages CD which was your standard goon show length about 30
minutes and then we got the version on the compendium which
was about like 32 minutes. Yeah.
Which had even more material added.
Plus there's a trailer which was recorded for these for series 9
in general. Plus there's 20 minutes of
rehearsal tape. So yeah, yeah.
And yeah, I remember this first hearing this episode would have
been late 80s. Probably early, very early 90s.
So I would have told the story so many times people are bored
but I used to get up very early on a Saturday morning when I was
14 15 and tape off the radio, the Goon show that was would be
repeated if they were They would play the national radio station
would play again show. I think it was either 5 or I
think it was five o'clock in the morning.
Maybe even being 4:00 in the morning, I think 5:00, they play
an episode and then 3:00 Saturday afternoon, they play a
different episode, not quite sure why they did that.
That was that was what they would do.
So very often certainly in the early days I was I was recording
two different gun shows every week which was fantastic.
You know, but the problem was it was a AM station, I think so the
quality was never very good. Good.
Yeah, it was a very good then maybe, I don't know.
Maybe about 18 months, two years after I'd started recording
them. If that, I discovered that the
national radio program was you could, you could actually there
was a channel on the TV that would was playing the national
radio station. If that old fantastic sense and
I worked out a way I managed to get a leader cable that could
plug into my Recorder tape recorder and into the back of
the TV or the video which was hooked up to the TV.
Anyway. I was able to record the audio
Straight off the TV. And it wasn't, it was a lot.
It was a definite step up from taping directly off the radio.
And I think that this was the first, I seem to remember, this
was the first episode that I recorded in that fashion.
And I remember being delighted because it was, it was, it was
crystal or not crystal clear, but it was, it was a lot.
There was a lot more clarity to. It was crisper if you like you
know? Yes no I get it, kids these
days, don't understand the old days of have been.
Or cassette tape suddenly go. And you have to take a pencil
and yes, reel it in. Yeah.
So, this episode is the first program first episode of series
9 and it goes out third of November 1958.
Now just wanted to talk about the lead-up to the beginning of
series 9 because quite a bit has happened.
I think indeed, there is a date was Difficult shall we say?
Well, let me put it this way. As you know, I am planning on.
I'm not going to give anything away, but I'm planning on
towards the end of the year. If not at the end of the year,
going to do a special show, which I hope you will be able to
assist me with, which would be counting down the listeners, top
20 gun shows. And by the way, anyone listening
to this who hasn't d-end me on Twitter or message me on
Facebook or email me and I'll give out the email address at
the end with your favorite goon show will gun shows.
Please do so. But I have I do have a working
list if you like at the moment which is pretty.
I think it's a pretty good spread of gun shows that people
would consider their favorites. Okay, again, I'm not going to
give too much away here. One morning to give anything
away, but let's put it this way series. 8 shows are a bit thin
on the ground. Okay, in that list, I can
imagine and of course that yeah, part of the problem was series 8
was that they were going They couldn't settle on a producer
really, and they were also recording the Vintage goon
serious at the same time. And so, and that was just
causing a bit of a strain, really?
So series 8 ends and Spike goes off to Australia.
And he's yes, and he records, the first series of the idiot
weekly for radio? Yeah.
Have you heard any of those? I've heard of one of the
surviving episodes, which oddly enough has a few gags that he
then reworked into the Sahara Desert statue.
Doesn't surprise me. So around this time as well.
Peter's, obviously doing a lot of filming.
He's filming. I think it's around this time
up. The creek comes out the film up
the creek. Yeah.
And and Tom Thumb, which he was? He was a CO villain with Terry
Thomas Terry, Thomas, absolutely.
He's filming in September. He's filming Carlton.
Brown of the fo. Also, with Terry Thomas, yes.
And then around the time that the ninth series begins, he's
just begun shooting the mouse that roared at shepperton which
is I think his first technically, his first starring
role or is it? I'm not quite sure, I thinked it
done. Did he get top billing on
Carlton Brown? Not sure if you don't know,
Carlton Brown wasn't was a Terry Thomas film with, with Peter S
Coast or I think, right? Sure.
So I think mouse that roared is his first name above the title.
And also his first multiple roles.
I think it was the first one where they really made a.
I don't know whether it was his first multiple role, but it was
the first one where they made a point of that.
Being one of the reasons to see it.
Yeah, well he played different characters in The Naked Truth,
of course. But they were all essentially
Sunny McGregor playing characters rather than him
rather than sellers playing three distinct characters.
If you like, Anyway, so Sellers and also sellers, of course, is
a started appearing in brouhaha, on stage in Legacy, legendary
stage play. That would its success would
lead to his long-running stage career?
Yes, or not? Yeah, he had, he had high hopes
for this here, I don't know. He obviously was keep mad Keen
to make films and to make it in Hollywood, I guess ultimately,
which he, which he did. Did he also have this Harbor
these sort of Ambitions to be, you know, a big stage actor as
well because he wanted to, he hope that brouhaha would
transfer to Broadway, ultimately, would you didn't you
can be difficult the, the the actor, who is on the stage needs
to know that they are performing the same text every night,
sometimes multiple times a day. And I think that Rankled on
Peter, Peter got very bored, very fast.
Yeah, and it was it's kind of like a bit like I suppose when
Spike was doing oblomov onstage and eventually just departed
completely from the script and it became a huge success.
Whereas brouhaha. Yes, Alice felt very hemmed in
and very restricted by having to perform the same material at
night after night. It's famously.
The, I mean, we have discussed this previously but it is the
It's the stage show that he was in the one really that he was in
where he went to a party that Alec Guinness.
Had thrown, I think Alec Guinness had just got his
Knighthood perhaps was that it? I'm not sure but he threw a
party and sellers went to the party and then turn up three
sheets to the wind for the evening performance of bruja and
pretty much perform drunk. He announced that to the
audience of the beginning and got their consent for him to
perform drunk. Don't get me wrong and then if I
think, he may have fallen off and fallen into the orchestra
pit or something, not something like that.
So not a, not a happy experience.
And he'd also, just recorded, 10-inch LP, the best of sellers.
Absolutely, absolutely. Which busy man in 1958, very
busy man, and, and Harry was Harry was obviously busy as
well. He was doing his usual.
A variety of parents is all over the country and then he was
starting large as life at the Palladium.
Yes. Which that was a review which
also featured coming up a lot in this Terry Thomas.
Hmm, as well as Eric Sykes Adele, Lee haeri worth, and
Haddie Jake's. Hmm.
And yeah, they, I think that was basically sort of a view where
Harry was sort of the MC. Yeah, I think he was, and he was
also due to be Be appearing at the Royal Variety performance.
Actually. On the day that the Sahara
Desert statue, Ed was broadcast And from Spike to a character
who today has been rehearsing here and rehearsing at the
Coliseum and the Coliseum for tomorrow night's Command
Performance, how do you seek him?
So leading up to the beginning of the Night series.
Obviously the BBC wanted a ninth series spikes in Australia
spikes playing a little bit of Hardball.
I supposed to say, so the BBC make it, make it known that they
want a night series. So Spike rights to the BBC from
Australia and he has a list of Demands better sound effects.
For example, he wants more guests, such as Valentine dial
to be added and dial for as was mentioned before dial to perhaps
be a fixture of the show from the ninth series on.
He also wants it's Peter eaten back as producer after you know
going through using what three producers and series 8.
Yes Cheryl Shelton who did the top and tail of the series.
But then apparently just had to go somewhere for three months.
Roy spear was ill and Tom Ronald just didn't like the show.
That's right. Yeah.
I mean he would have been happy very happy if Pat Dixon could
have come back but well to be fair.
Dixon died in October 58 of cancer.
Sadly, only age 54 Spike was very upset about that and I know
we suggested that the BBC producer tribute show to about
Dixon with the fees donated to charity.
I'm not sure if that actually went ahead on up and Peter
eaten. Anyway, he couldn't come back
because he was working. He was a big producer and
television they working for Granada or not a TV.
So in the end, the BBC kind of compromise.
And and they asked former green show Studio manager, John prowl,
to take up the reins as he had been the what was called.
So I think the panel Studio manager for Series 3 through 5?
That's right. So obviously Spike knew him,
John Braille wrote to spike in Australia and assured him that
the FX problem would be sorted out.
So I think spikes. Maine.
Issue was that the the quality of the FX had kind of depth in
series 8 in terms of just general overall quality and
timings I suppose--and. So brow which showed him that
all the FX for the show would be rehearsed on the Thursday before
the Sunday recordings so that they would be absolutely
spot-on. And I think Spike was modified,
I think Spike was pretty happy. A John Brown.
Well, I think if you look at if you look at the effects and
series 9 and what they do with the mm it's definitely a step up
from the previous series. Yes.
And of course we've well because it's around this time.
I'm not quite sure of the timing here but it's around this time
that the radio phonic Workshop is set up as an it.
Yes. And now I know that they're
famous for doing blood dots stomach as a sound effect but I
think they did a number of others toward more towards I
think the End of series 9. I don't think they were quite
involved at this point. No, no, no.
It's like I never involved in shows that the Scarlet capsule.
Okay, so we've got, we've got John Braille on board as
producer. Spikes also asking for more
money, his reasoning is that so golden and Simpson are obviously
writing Hancock's half hour. Both men are being paid for one
script and their combined fee is Clearly, more than spike is
being paid in spikes argument, you can kind of see his point is
that, you know, their script for Hancock's half hour is being
paid more for than a script for the Goon show.
So he's asking for more money. He also suggests that perhaps
the guys from Associated. London script, could write some
goon show scripts while he's on holiday in Australia.
So I'm guess by that, he's just he's insinuating, the may be
golden and Simpson could write some goon shows which would be a
fascinating Prospect, wouldn't it?
Well, I'd mentioned that there is a, there's episode in series
one of Hancock's half hour where Sid Sells Hancock a house,
that's at the bottom of a cliff and then another house at the
top of the cliff because the bottom of the cliff is going to
get flooded and then another house further back because the
house is top of the cliff is going to fall off.
Off said, could easily have been a goon show just as well.
I've often said that the typical goon show plot which I always
say is grid pipe and Moriarty show up and getting ready to
trick Nettie into doing something illegal.
Yeah. And the problem with the typical
goon show plot is that if you took bread pipe and Moriarty,
and made them sit James and took Nettie and made him Tony
Hancock, not much would have to change.
That's very true. It's very true.
And obviously well, C-can stood in for Hancock, and 23 shows,
didn't he? Famously did.
But I think if you try and put Tony Hancock into the Sahara
Desert statue, You're not going to get very far.
No, plus the Hancock's half hour at least has one foot in reality
true. So all these demands that spike
is making upon the BBC they kind of called his bluff.
I supposed they they suggest that actually okay well we're
not going to we're not going to schedule a new series then.
And Spike, backpedals, quite rapidly and his, I think it's
Barrel virtue steps in and says, oh no don't worry as long as
there's some compromises spikes. Happy to write a new series.
Okay. Yes.
So his fee is increased and the BBC also, I guess they feel they
have to do, they increase Harry and Peter's fees as well for the
appearing on the Goon show. And presumably.
Presumably cut a few more musicians in order to be able to
afford it. Well, it absolutely ends
notably, they decide actually, we don't need Max geldray
anymore, which is do now. Yeah, I think it's, I think
that's a terrible decision. So they decide that they're
going to drop geldray and just have one musical spot in.
Obviously, the real engine quartet railing term is becoming
much more high profile in terms of on be appearing on
television. Division.
I saw an episode of. So he turns out, I watched an
episode of Alfred marks time recently, which is from the
episode, was from the third Series in 58 and Ray and the
quartet appear on that. In fact re semi appears in a
sketch actually example, of the Renaissance period, you see?
And your We have a constable was you can't recognize him.
He's got his own at all. Haha, and ladies and gentlemen.
This one of course, you all know is the world famous Mona Lisa.
Very, very beautiful. Yes.
Now, and if that will be all, thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen. The museum is closed.
Good afternoon, everybody. Well, see you some other time.
After you've gone and left me crying, after they're gone and
left. By the way, Alfred mounts time
is pretty Dreadful. I'll admit, I don't know who
Alfred marks is right. Okay, Alfred monks was kind of
in that friendship group with Sellers and large and buts.
The name Stark be pretty much, I hurt people like marrow for
Britt see Alfred marks you know though he was good friends with
sellers, I think he was at the think he appeared at the
Windmill and I think it was pretty friendly with all three
of them, but particularly Sellers and sellers, and he
would do a lot, not professionally, but they're, you
know, they're that socialize a lot in the 50s and Marx was a, I
don't want to say mediocre, but he was a, he was a pretty
humdrum. Comic the eat, he had one stick,
if you like, he plays several characters in the episode of
Health nugs time that I watched, but they're all the same
character if you if that makes sense.
Oh yes, I've watched 50s, American television shows.
And there are several that also fall into that.
Yeah, and he is named does get dropped into a few goons shows
occasionally, take up their positions on your Alfred's, get
set. Anyway, I'm getting off.
The point here, but so yes. So the BBC decide to get rid of
get rid of gold RE/MAX. It seems had anticipated that
this might happen. So when he's informed of the
decision in late September, he kind of accepts it without much
argument. Really now, Peter then finds
out, Peter Sellers finds out about this and Peter and Max are
pretty tight, you know, the the very good friends.
Peter threatens to pull out of the Goon A show and a and
Peter's agent rights to the BBC implying that Harry would also
follow suit. So the BBC reversed the decision
and Max is kept on. Okay?
Yes, even you even gets more to do and series name.
They give him several lines. Anything boy?
I bring bad news. Boy, good.
The genuine Diana dors cast of a wrestler.
No boy. I'm the town crier, stop crying.
Now, listen boy, don't laugh at me.
I don't get any extra money for doing these parts.
So I'm like a federation, which the family is flooded boy,
heckled you water, there's life. And I'm wondering when the
script for the Sahara Desert statue was actually written
because Was the first pot, five minutes of the show is
completely unrelated to the the plot.
It's just just the guys riffing really isn't it?
It is it it reminds me of a pull.
It reminds me of the musical stuff that they're always making
fun, of which I've always. I've always quite liked because
I was not constantly exposed to it in the 1950s.
Like most of Britain was so I was not able to get tired.
Of it. Mmm, but it's yeah, it's
basically just I mentioned that I don't think this is the
funniest going to show, but I think it might be the fastest
goon show. At least at the start where I
think Spike might be trying to see how many gags he can work in
25 minutes and I think that's why it we get Max's number.
So early, it's very early in the Goon show.
My theory is. And it's public completely
wrong. But my theory is okay.
If you if you look at it real importance, number comes in 16
minutes into the show. Okay.
My theory is that the script was originally written with geldray.
Considered not part of it. So, I'm wondering where the
spike wrote at thinking geldray is not going to be in this.
So Ray linton's number comes smack, bang in the middle of the
show, okay? And I'm wondering whether yelled
Ray's kind of crowbarred in there in the first after that
sort of crosstalk in the first five minutes couldn't be.
That's my theory, anyway, and I'm sticking to it and the other
thing about series 9 is that it's shorter than most of the
previous wall, the previous Series 17 shows.
So 17 shows were originally agreed with the option for nine
more, but then how he Mm, it te 9 world because he was going
away on holiday. And, and also, as I said before,
Peter Sellers thought the brouhaha might actually transfer
to New York. So, in the end, there was there
was just 17 shows, however, six episodes from the Vintage goons
series were broadcast in the run-up to the start of series 9.
I've got them here, which ones were they?
So they yes, it was mummified priest, greatest mountain in the
world, the Giant Bomb, burden The Vanishing room, great Bank
of England robbery, and the Albert Memorial.
Boreal. They were, they were broadcast
in the run-up to beginning of series 9 and there's also I'm
sure you've heard it. There was a special trailer
recorded by Wallace greenslade for yes.
The Sahara Desert statue, which uses Henry and men from sort of
flown in, from some other, from the greenslade story.
Yes, it's yes. And then, and then you've just
got Wallace. Kind of, he's obviously reading
from a script but he's He's kind of improvising.
I suppose he's put, he's doing voices.
Yes, he does his his crew run and Bannister type voice and we
also get the series 8 catchphrase.
It's all in the mind. You know, which pretty much
started to vanish around series 9.
I think they did it once or twice but that was I think that
may have been a Larry thing and series 9.
Well this this so the other thing we should mention is this
is a solo Spike script. Hmm, he done most of Series 7
and a chunk of series 8 with Larry Stevens.
But they have another falling out.
I don't have my copy of um, mostly in front of me as we know
mean. Larry only had a few couple of
months to live because this yeah, series 9 begins in
November and Larry's dead by end of January 59.
So maybe Larry just wasn't up to it, you know, although I think
his death was, I think he knew he was dying because his doctor
had given him. He had what he Have he had
extremely high blood pressure and he was, he was, he was keen
on keen on the old bottle. Well, he did, he did, right, I
think he wrote a couple of them in series 9, the sequined
Memoirs was with him in Murray's Wiltshire.
Oh, that's true. That's true.
Yes. Yeah.
So I'm not quite sure about that.
But anyway, so the Sahara Desert statue that the first recruit.
So the recording of this hat to be scheduled around Harry's
rehearsals for the Royal Variety performance.
We mentioned which so the show was actually broadcast the same
day as The Royal Variety performance.
We have a recording of the warmer and we hear them referred
to Harry appearing. We also hear very interesting
lie. Leo, mckern the actor.
Liam, the cone is in the audience for this recording
because you can hear Spike saying all the Americans in the
audience or something like that and then I think it's Peter,
shouts out. Hello, Leo.
Yeah. And Leo, of course, would appear
with them in the running jumping and standing still film.
Yes, we will see in the mouse that roared 20.
He was, yes, he was. He was so Peter was filming the
mouse that roared that may be another reason why we always
there. Of course.
Absolutely. I'm sure Peter said, maybe at
the end of shooting on a Friday or Saturday, you know, the day
before this recording may be, he extended an invitation to Leo.
That makes sense. Absolutely, it all fits into
place. When you start analyzing these
shows its interests. Another, there's another very
interesting thing in that rehearsal where you have Wallace
greenslade, introducing everyone as always, and I've often
wondered is all of that Wallace, just improvising.
Or does he does he have like, little bits of introduction
given to him? Because at one point, he
introduces, Ray Ellington. As part of the Little Rock Nine.
Hmm. Now explain what that is.
The Little Rock. Nine were African-American
students who were enrolled in high school in Arkansas and
they, it was a segregated school and the governor had broof used
to allow them entry. And Eisenhower had to intervene
and they were the first nine students to be enrolled and D
desegregation starting. Mmm.
So it was a Reference. Although I'm not sure it quite
worked. But mmm.
Yes. So apparently, you can kind of
hear it in his voice slightly but apparently, Peter had a cold
during the day, this was recorded.
Yeah, the Guernica says he was under par II.
Don't I don't hear it as a performance issue but yeah, you
can sort of hear he might be congested and wonder whether
that That was, he was medicating with Brandi because the John
prowl apparently had kind of unofficially given them approval
to drink. Yeah, you weren't you were
mentioning Peter doing brouhaha, well, while drunk and I suspect
a couple of the later gun shows. Probably also fell into that
category. So if this was a Friends
episode, this would be called the one with nude Welshman
holding a rice pudding. It's wonderful.
It's such a terrific goon show plot and the effect of an atom
bomb dropped on a nude Welshman standing in the desert holding a
rice pudding. You can imagine Spike being very
happy with himself after he came up with that one.
Interesting thing before we get away for a couple interesting
things before we get away from the variety stuff at the start.
Um, Peter and a hairy basically appear as themselves as they
normally did at the for the plots.
Art's bit and Spike does as well.
But the script goes back and forth between between referring
to him as Spike and referring to him as Jim Spriggs.
Hmm. I think by this point much as
everyone said that Echols was spikes.
Alter-ego Jim sprigs had also become spikes.
Sort of writer Alter Ego. Yes.
And he frequently when he had to appear as himself so to speak.
He would use the sprigs voice. Maybe without the hello Jim, you
know, type stuff, but that sort of adenoidal e nasal thing.
Yeah, he'd never. Yes, you're right.
He would never really be echoes. What he doing those those bits
at the beginning of these later period shows, when he's
essentially being himself he'd never do the equals voice and
sellers would tend to do his own my not his own voice but he
would do it. Slightly officious, sounding
voice wouldn't need. When he was essentially being
himself sound, you know, little overdone and speaking.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that right before
Max's number don't take your love for me, a classic from 19.
40. Hurry does a celebrity
impersonation. Which is not something you
normally hear normally the celebrity impersonations would
be Peters job. Yes but I hurry is doing an
impersonation of Carol Levis. Who was a I guess talent scout
would be. The phrase is actually Canadian
but he was an expat who went to Britain and was very popular in
the 50s. I actually listened to a clip of
him just actually right before this And hurry obviously
overdoes it making him sound somewhat sloshed but he's not
too far off in the impersonation.
Carol love has had that sort of glad-handing.
Hi. How are you type of thing?
Yeah but like Huey green. Who did the opportunity knocks?
Yes Sir Arthur Godfrey. We had in America who had his
own big talent scout program in the 50s, okay?
So it was we have this crosstalk.
There's a little bit of they mentioned, brouhaha, don't they
in in the show and they mention the mention, the fact that
spikes been an Australian and then we have said, we have
geldray and then we begin the plot, proper with the House of
Commons is debating the fact that the British Atomic
commission. Don't know what effect An atom
bomb would have on a nude Welshman holding a rice pudding.
Okay, I have I have not seen too many, you know, House of Commons
debates, but I'm going to guess they usually aren't bathing
during them. Well, I guess the only sort of
House of Commons debates from this period that you would have
been exposed to would be goon show parodies.
Yeah, I'll believe I'm familiar with the one that they quoted in
regards to the CD plates. Oh yes.
See with the piano going out the window.
That's right. I don't stand wasn't there.
The jet-propelled garden? Fe wasn't there a debate quieted
in that as well? That was directly quoted and
then they use that for the plot. Yeah.
So basically the government thinks that Britain could take
the lead I think that this this isn't grid pipe and Moriarty
thinking up something to sucker Nettie, this is the British
government coming up with something that just happens to
be a convenient plot to sucker Nettie that they sort of glom
onto. Yeah.
They what they did lie I think because at this point in their
careers, great pipe and Moriarty can't come up with their own
plans because they're too desperate and starving.
Yeah well I've tried everything else haven't they By this point.
So that while the government offered to play, what is a two
thousand pounds to any Welshman? Who wants to stand naked holding
a rice pudding while hit by the power of net and an atom bomb
and obviously grip, a bain-marie out, you know, the perfect
person for this one. Other thing I wanted to mention
at one point in speaking, of the House of Commons member getting
out of the bath grid. Pipe says, you've woken, Lord,
tavenner and Lord's taverners is Charity.
That was around and I think still is yeah, and was founded
by among others, John snag this okay.
Yeah, no Spike would definitely have been aware of it and when
looking for a lord might have just happened to cross that so
that he didn't have to mention an actual Lord and have the BBC
get annoyed with him again. Yeah, I think the standard
comedy Lord that would be quoted.
Around this time was Lord hailsham, who wasn't actual
Lord? I was going to say, Lord help us
Lord help us. Yeah Lord out Lord hailsham was
one of those real life members of the House of Lords who would
get quoted frequently in comedy shows in the 60s and into the
70s, I'm sure. And I've got this meant this.
Vague memory. That The Two Ronnies used to go
on about Lord hailsham all the time.
Anyway, that's that's getting off the point.
So yeah. So how does this show?
I mean Eddie agrees yes. Possibly, because he's in Dire
Straits as he and William are essentially sharing a flat with
blood dock, as their landlord. Would which amuses me?
Because it makes no sense for the show.
This point continuity just doesn't matter to spike.
He knows he's got blood knock later on as the commanding
officer of affording Kenya. But Blood dog shows up as their
landlord simply for the sake of the gag blood knock, has to be
the landlord. That's that's how it works.
Also, the William cutting his toenails is one of my favorite
bits. It's so horrible.
Yes William in seeking didn't often team up I suppose but they
do appear together in a show. Recent show that we've covered
treasure in the lake where they're asking if you're in
Philly, when cecum is particularly destitute William
tends to be hanging out next to him.
So C goon goes to the desert, the Sahara Desert, and disrobes
I guess and is holding a rice pudding.
There is, by the way, a cut bit here, which was in the original
script. And for once, with not part of
the bits, in the script that were picked up by Ted Kendall
and inserted into the compendium later where Spike cuts to a
group of scientists who are trying to identify Atomic
explosions by their sound. And it's meant to be sort of a
parody of wine tasting, you know.
Oh, that one definitely sounds like a, like a 54, you know,
that sort of thing. So that was in the script but it
wasn't recorded or it was recorded, but just doesn't exist
anymore. I'm not sure the copy of the
script that the encyclopedia going to kiss has is spikes but
it did not. It did not have any of spikes
usual, annotations. It was a clean.
Mostly clean copy. Mmm.
So we don't have the usual bits showing us what was cut, and
what wasn't we do? See that in this particular
script almost, everything was kept except for that scene,
right? Okay.
Now we have to talk about Eccles.
Can you can you describe the equals appearance?
Echols is marching through the desert, I guess.
Playing sort of an oral piano which basically amounts to him
going don't you know, it's a really extended gag and it's the
audience is loving it. It's probably one of my favorite
Echols. Entrances.
Spike is also having trouble not corpsing.
While doing it was just insane of the scene is of course, the
Harry Siegen is standing there. Buck naked with a bowl of Rice
pudding. And so this is when Echols turns
up, I'm hot.
You shouldn't touch it. Just then I caught a glimpse of
the label on his head. It said, early English idiot.
Circa 1899. I'm a mile.
Oh, I'm not an idiot. We never see L XL actually
pronounced, they really, they really enjoyed.
Using sped up voices towards the end of series 8, and in this
series and it's a sign again of the BBC, catching up to spike
and Being able to actually provide him what he's asking for
after so long. Yes this is the thing I think
series 9 is generally held up as being one of the best series of
the Goon show and it certainly is and I it's funny that I think
on this podcast With covered how I didn't check.
Actually, I want to say maybe for ya for this might be five.
Yeah. And there's still a couple that
I'm in when I was looking at. It was like, oh Ned's Atomic
dust bin. I'm surprised he hasn't done
that one yet. And there's a couple of others
where they're obvious ones, and it's because the series is such
a high point. That you just want to talk about
all of them. Yeah, so now the number eight
touring company of the desert song comes up in this show.
Well, first of all, real ington perform When I Grow too old to
dream, which is a song written by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar
Hammerstein. Okay.
And of course, they also wrote The Desert Song, which was an
Operetta, okay? Very popular with Community
light opera groups that You know, not necessarily touring
companies, so to speak. But you're popular with, you
know, Town people who always wanted to be actors but never
quite were would get together and they would put on a show
type of thing. Yeah, we would pull that sort of
amateur Dramatics Society. Yeah.
Very popular with and of course it was Desert Song was very,
very popular in the 30s and 40s and probably did have a lot of
touring companies. I don't Spike had apparently
Reference the long-lost number eight touring company of the
deserts upon before this. I remember an anecdote, I think
it was by normal farnes or somebody like that and talking
about he was like in a car and was drunk or something and was
talking about the long-lost number a touring company of the
Desert Song. So it's again like the nude
Welshman holding your rice pudding.
It's an idea. That appealed to him.
Yes. Actually we get a clip.
Of course if the Rifts heard which is from that and Peter and
Spike doing sort of what Henry and many would be like if they
were theatrical actors, look at the peaceful scene, let us rest
in the shade of this grasshoppers League, the
inspiration. I feel a song coming on my dear
so this obviously going to enhance service vegetable and
then it was it was repeated Like program and the word buttock was
removed from the light of program broadcast.
It just felt there was a little bit too near the knuckle or now
the buttock maybe. Well, Mike is trying to get away
with more and more. I mean, at this point, blood
knocks entrances. Are almost always, shall we say,
digestion specific. Did you ever Tire of that?
I mean, It's most I think most people coming to the gun show as
we do today not as much because we're not hearing it in a row.
When I mean when you got, when you got green shows in the late
90s early 2000s, you got for gun shows and you got like one from
series 61 from Series 7, a vintage goons in a series 9.
So you had all sorts of different blood docks where as
if when you listen to the compendium and you're hearing
things Like you know rid pipes silly Twisted boy over the
course of 26 episodes and the realize what they're doing to
that point. Yeah I think that blood knocks
digestion could get a bit. I suppose.
It depends how much you like for jokes.
Yeah. Which I don't.
Anyway, that's my issue. So I'm kind of have lost here in
terms of where we are, blue bottle turns out.
You have see them playing a different part.
I like the blood doc says curse these small budget shows because
we've just been talking about all of the budgetary issues.
Before this season started, we're in blood docs for it at
this point because I after a good pipe and Moriarty put him
together and discover that he is a turned into more than one
person we cut immediately to Kenya.
Hmm. Where we get blood knock and we
get Harry hoo boy. As blood knock points out is
paying a different part. Yes.
Presumably that is for the audience so that they did
because, you know, Harry Sounds like Harry.
No matter what he plays is this week, this is where Bowser comes
in, isn't it? The browser is interesting
because he's not called Bowser in the script, all right?
In the script he's called venting Oh, and in fact, in one
of the bits that was put back in for the compendium, blood knock
says poor man's son of a Peruvian Prince here, eat this
leg of a chicken so it was definitely meant to be Benzene
in this case. Oh so that character that we
know is Bowser who pops up now and again Is he I'm not, I'm not
sure if he's meant to be a character that benteen once did
because I know in the very early going shows that no longer exist
when they had a blood knock segments.
Usually benteen was his second in command.
Mmm. Okay, so it could stem from
that. It could also just be spiked
deciding he wanted to parody. Mike benteen.
I don't know, maybe I ran into him the other day.
The interesting. I mean I'm sure this was not, I
know this wasn't the case but it would be nice to think that that
spike it intended for might come back for a little guest spot
just for the show would be interesting.
I well I don't think it I don't think that's the case but it
would have been quite something but it'd be nice.
Wouldn't thinking about that? It would have been nice around
this time for my Banting to have appeared in one show just just
turned up you know, unannounced. As Audrey, Pure Heart, maybe
just just for one even want for one scene that would have been.
That would have been lovely, wouldn't it?
Yeah. We have blue bottle doing what
he often did, which is basically just being random guard, /
Soldier and we get one of my one of my favorite blue bottle
intros. After he gets his Applause of
which is partly the audience and partly scripted ovations with
for he's a jolly good fellow. Like is really milking the, the
blue bottle entrance at this point.
Hmm. And he says, over the summer
Halls, he started to grow hair is on his little legs.
Just the way Peter says, nature is preparing me for marriage.
Always makes me crack up. There's a lot of gags here that
I think we're sort of in their repertoire for variety stick
such as Hit me like that. And see what happens.
And they hit him again. See what happened or red
bladder. You can't frighten me pistol
shot. So he frightened me.
Yeah, this is also starting with serious night and moving into
series 10 is where we start to hear what 12 years from now, or
14 years from now is Spike, will, eventually start mining
gags from these series for the last goon show of all.
Hmm. Which is very much filled with
Things he had written before, and we get that a little bit
here with enable mostly gloss over it for obvious reasons.
But Harry, playing an African, Chief, basically spouting
gibberish and we get the tell him, we can't understand what
he's saying, we're gibberish. And then Spike says, he doesn't
understand what he's saying either.
Yes. Yeah.
Which I think, honestly, works better with Little Gym, frankly.
Yeah, it does, it does. So, all we need to do really, is
that the atomic Commission of concluded that when a nude woman
holding a rice pudding is struck by an atom bomb.
He turns into the number eight touring company of the Desert
Song and, and they set up production facilities, To
produce which of course actually do produce many number eight
touring companies of the Desert Song which again goon Logic the
show ends and this only lasted for this show and the show after
it I was Monty's treble essentially they don't do the
play out until after green. Slade's announcement.
And he basically tells everyone we're done, go home and you hear
the sound of the audience Filing out which I assume was
pre-recorded rather than the actual audience filing out.
Hmm. And it really doesn't work at
all, you can hear why? After two episodes, they went
back to doing the play out with greenslade it.
I can sort of see they wanted to try and do something different,
but it just you're waiting for something to happen and it
doesn't until Ding Dong. The Witch Is Dead, comes in I
expect you'll surprised, but that was the Goon show in real
life. They are disguised as well as
starts Orchestra the real engine quartet Max geldray heresy
computer Sellers and Spike Milligan who also writes the
thing. The only unreal persons in this
recording where Wallace greenslade an answer and the
producer, John brow, who prefers to be called
It was very, very hard time that sort of thing.
Particularly if you live, and I mean Spike had been and would in
series 9 playing with the lack of ending.
He did that in series 8. Usually with the it's all in the
mind catchphrase. But with series 9 frequently,
the show's would just come to a stop.
I think. The one, which ends with them
filing by firing back an empty plate where it just has blood
dog saying, well that's it. I don't know.
Where are the payoffs of yesteryear and then the
orchestra comes in it's basically Spike admitting I came
up with a fantastic idea. It doesn't have to have a
finisher, there doesn't need to be a punchline which of course
he would use for Q and Monty Python would also run with when
they realize that, that's what he was trying to do.
Do well, the pythons distance the green show in the 50s, they
learned and place, you know, they must have, you know, they
would have been if they would have been exposed.
Yes, and they are famously watched Q when they were getting
ready to do Python and then when he's, he's doing what we're
supposed to be doing. Exactly.
Yeah, yeah. But no it overall a very
enjoyable show, very funny show. Would you use it as an
introduction to a, you know, to take before I have before?
Um, usually two people I know that like sort of louder more
slam-bang type of Comedy because the intro very much appeals to
that sort of thing, the introductory five minutes.
Or I've also used it when I'm trying to describe and yet, yes,
I do introduce people to go and show us like this because I am a
giant nerd. What I'm trying to describe the
decline and fall of Moriarty. Hmm.
Usually I use something like better.
Putting hurler for early Moriarty.
Yep. And this for late-period
Moriarty because Moriarty is really grotesquely awful.
There's there's one point we skipped over it where grid pipe
is doing a speech to Nettie and at some point just stops and
says, Moriarty don't do that please.
There's no there's no indication of what Moriarty is doing.
It's absolutely my Mariana. She is the is the cat in the
Goon show, who I was going to say develops, but he doesn't
really develop to see. He woves, Moriarty is a devotee
song and action. So as I say it is it enjoyable,
show it begins series 9 which more or less you know is
considered classic, it's a Triumph, I don't know what else
to say, really? Yeah as I said I love talking
about this show. I thought I'd I thought I'd get
it out there because I didn't want to see other people talk
about it when I'm like I have so many things to say about this
show. Well you're going to come back
at some point. I'm sure.
To talk about six years six. Charlie's and well I had
actually because I you have gas on doing all sorts of things,
you know, Peter Sellers films and you know the career of Mike
Banting and that sort of thing. And I thought I don't want to
get pigeonholed into just doing gun shows and so I thought of
looking into a because I'm also a big fan as the wrong word.
I study Watergate a lot, the Nixon Scandal.
Yeah, and when I got my encyclopedia Guna, It came with
a low-level recording of low quality, recording of, he's
innocent of Watergate, which was an LPS that Peter and Spike had
made in 1974. And I thought, oh, that sounds
interesting. I bet I could talk about that
and then I listened to it. Yeah, some very good, it's
awful. I think it may be the worst
thing they did in 1973 and 74 and as you can imagine, that has
some tough competition does. Yeah.
Goes to Noonday Sun but just on the Watergate.
Yeah, I'm with you brother. Big, big fan of that, sort of
period. I love All the President's Men.
One of my favorite films ever, when I was 2 or 3 years old or
three or four years old, the book had just come out and my
mother had a copy of it in our upstairs, half bath, And so when
I was, when I was getting up in the middle of the night, I would
because I was teaching myself to read.
I would pee reading All the President's Men.
The way that some people read Dick, and Jane, Which probably
explains a lot about my personality, very happy for you
to come back and talk about as I say six Charlie's or if you want
to talk about a film or anything else really it's entirely up to
you? Sure as ever think about it.
Yeah. And I you can if you want to
hear more of me, find me on Twitter.
Yes. So coach in the OU K OC, Haan
though be advised that if you follow me in general, you may
find me talking less about 50s British radio comedy and more
about Illegal golf Mafia anime shows.
So a better idea might be following hashtag goon show one
word just going to say you've reminded me, I'm so sorry.
You've had to remind me of this. You have been doing some
Sterling work on Twitter in terms of examining gun shows in
chronological order. Yeah, they're sort of trivia
threads. I started it with with series
five, more because I wanted to focus on Are the geldray and
Ellington numbers and examine where they came from and how
recent they were, because if you listen to gun shows in order,
you'll notice how much contemporary pop gray Ellington
is putting into it where you get, you know, a single adjust
come out in two months later. Ray was performing it on the
Goon show. Yeah.
And it eventually sort of as I, you know, started looking at a
via the encyclopedia Gonna Kiss which An be found by becoming a
member of the Goon show preservation.
Society get in get in the plug there.
Absolutely. It's sort of became more of a
trivia thread showing off, you know, deviations are
developments in character bits that were cut references that
nobody gets and whether it got a transcription Services addition,
or whether it got a pic of the goons Edition, mmm, it's a lot
of fun and I've had some good responses to it.
I usually when I get to one that has had a gun pod done by you, I
always try and tag you in it. Do which I'm very grateful.
Thank you very much yeah. So she absolutely check out
check out check out those. And as Sean said join the Goon
show preservation society and then you get access you have to
stump up a few quid but it's very reasonable for what?
You get, the encyclopedia Guna kiss, which just got everything
on, its got the scripts. It's got ya, anybody who you?
You, look at it and you're like, wow, this is a lot.
I still haven't gone through all of it now it has been An
invaluable for for purposes of this podcast really has been
cause for the first, I didn't get it for.
I was waiting to get the new edition and then I'd various
reasons, I didn't get it straight away.
So the first would be the first year of this show is being kind
of kind of Flying Blind almost, you know what I mean?
The encyclopedia units Gonna Kiss.
Has been invaluable for research purposes when talking about gun
shows more. Yes.
What more usually. And by the way, I have mentioned
previously, the Doing show preservation Society.
There's a Dunkin gray is working on a new website, which I think
is long overdue hope they don't mind me saying well I 100%
agree. Yep.
And that I think that may well have launched by the time the
show goes out so drastic. Check that out and yeah.
Sure. And thank you once again and you
and I will be speaking. Again, towards the end of the
year, I think talking about listeners top 20 gun shows.
Yeah, we do hear what they are suspect.
I'll be hearing about Napoleon's piano, just an idea.
Yeah, if anyone wants to email me any comments, or any favorite
shows goon show episodes for the for the top 20 list.
My email address is Tyler dot Adams 1974 at gmail.com or as I
say, you can DM me on Twitter or on the Facebook group so please
check that out. Another plea is pleased If
people could rate and review on. Is it still called iTunes?
I don't know if it is as it. Now, Apple podcasts, I get
Collide guests and yet Spotify. Yeah.
If it all those places, if you could, please rate and review
and all the rest, the show is building up a really strong head
of steam and lots of new listeners, particularly recent
show we did on the Beatles and the goons that has gone down.
Extremely Only well and peppers. An excellent show.
I'll thank you very much, picked up a load of new listeners of
the back of that so welcome to all them.
I think that's pretty much all the housekeeping now.
So Sean, thank you once again and we will speak again soon.
Yes. Thank you very much, Tyler.
It's wonderful to be on the show.
Only well and peppers. An excellent show.
I'll thank you very much, picked up a load of new listeners of
the back of that so welcome to all them.
I think that's pretty much all the housekeeping now.
So Sean, thank you once again and we will speak again soon.
Yes. Thank you very much, Tyler.
It's wonderful to be on the show.