Quote: Chappers @ 17th October 2022, 4:07 PMI listened to one the other day where the musicians had gone on strike (really!).
Yes, The Great Tuscan Salami Scandal, with the crew playing some of the instruments I seem to remember, by mouth alone. Still very funny
Well, it's nearly a year since I posted on this one man thread - the reason being, I'm transferring all the R4+ repeats accumulated on my digi-box hard drive onto DVDs (in audio, of course!)
So, (one man fan club - me), the one I have just done is "Spon", where Dick Emery took Harry Secombe's place (indisposed? on another show?), and very good he was too. Not impersonating Harry, but playing his parts well, in the spirit of The Goon Show, and very funny.
Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 31st August 2023, 9:23 AMSo, (one man fan club - me), the one I have just done is "Spon", where Dick Emery took Harry Secombe's place (indisposed? on another show?), and very good he was too. Not impersonating Harry, but playing his parts well, in the spirit of The Goon Show, and very funny.
As you are no doubt aware, and as I read in The Goon Show Companion, written by Roger Wilmut & Jimmy Grafton and first published in 1976, as well as Dick Emery covering for the occasional Harry Secombe absence, so too did Kenneth Connor.
Dick Emery, in alternate weeks with Graham Stark, also helped fill out the cast when Peter Sellers took over Spike Milligan's voices during the latter's hospitalisation with his nervous breakdown.
Quote: Billy Bunter @ 31st August 2023, 10:37 AMAs you are no doubt aware, and as I read in The Goon Show Companion, written by Roger Wilmut & Jimmy Grafton and first published in 1976, as well as Dick Emery covering for the occasional Harry Secombe absence, so too did Kenneth Connor.
Dick Emery, in alternate weeks with Graham Stark, also helped fill out the cast when Peter Sellers took over Spike Milligan's voices during the latter's hospitalisation with his nervous breakdown.
The Goon Show Companion, written by Roger Wilmut & Jimmy Grafton - "The bible"..................
Yes, but Kenneth Connor sounded like himself, as did Graham Stark, more or less, whereas Dick Emery did a very good job where you could only just detect it was him. He was very good and Goonish in the Mukkinese Battle Horn too, when Secombe was noticeable by his absence.
And thank you for your post - it's nice to know I am not alone 😁
Today's had Graham Stark and Kenneth Connor covering for Peter Sellars.
They didn't try to replicate any voices though.
Interestingly it was called "Who is Pink Oboe?" I'm sure that went over most people's heads at the time.
Quote: Chappers @ 19th September 2023, 8:40 AMInterestingly it was called "Who is Pink Oboe?" I'm sure that went over most people's heads at the time.
Yes, but mainly the BBC censors, with their little Green book (official title "BBC Variety Programmes Policy Guide For Writers and Producers)** - a number of the shows had naughty references as they pushed the boundaries to see how far they could go.
The other thing they did, which was an absolute no-no, was to have a jug of milk off-stage which was generously laced with brandy, which surprisingly does get mentioned when a music interlude came up and they all legged it back stage, but clearly nobody at the Beeb realised what was going on.
** For example :-
"Among jokes banned were those concerning lavatories, effeminacy in men, immorality of any kind, suggestive references to honeymoon couples, chambermaids, fig-leaves, ladies' underwear (such as "winter draws on" and so on), lodgers and commercial travellers and the vulgar use of words such as "basket" (presumably sounds like bastard)"
Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 19th September 2023, 9:02 AMYes, but mainly the BBC censors, with their little Green book (official title "BBC Variety Programmes Policy Guide For Writers and Producers)** - a number of the shows had naughty references as they pushed the boundaries to see how far they could go.
The other thing they did, which was an absolute no-no, was to have a jug of milk off-stage which was generously laced with brandy, which surprisingly does get mentioned when a music interlude came up and they all legged it back stage, but clearly nobody at the Beeb realised what was going on.
** For example :-
"Among jokes banned were those concerning lavatories, effeminacy in men, immorality of any kind, suggestive references to honeymoon couples, chambermaids, fig-leaves, ladies' underwear (such as "winter draws on" and so on), lodgers and commercial travellers and the vulgar use of words such as "basket" (presumably sounds like bastard)"
Well, the production staff knew; there's a hilarious quote by- I think it was Peter Eton, could be wrong- about how he'd try to get it shared round so he'd have sober stars, but a drunk crew. Notable silence as to whether he ever enjoyed a nip himself.
Peter always found it a challenge to get one over on the censors, and the one that always sticks in my mind was from the Red Fort (I think) where Bloodnok decides to disgust the natives (copied in the Carry On film Up the Khyber) by saying he'll show them "the last turkey in the shop"
That's the same one with Captain Hugh Jampton, isn't it. Spike must have been on a roll that week.
Yes - Sellers and Milligan. What a dream team
