Please tell me I am not the last surviving one in the US.
Spike Milligan
Peter Sellers
Harry Seacombe
and sometimes Michael Bentine
Radio comedy genius.
I have heard a (probably apocryphal) story that a BBC exec wanted the Goon show cancelled, but he misread the title and ordered the Go On show off the radio. When no one could figure out what the Go On show was, the Goon show continued uninterrupted for many years to come.
“We used to work long hours. Seventy minutes each.”
Goddam I love that joke. Not the best from the show, but certainly a representative samplin’.
Most Goon Shows are much more crazy with a lot of deviation from the script during the second half. Why? Peter Sellers would bring a bottle of brandy along to the recording sesion (live) and it would be drunk at the interval.
…I couldn’t help but discover the Goons eventually. If it weren’t for the internet, I’d never have heard of them. I can’t say that I’m a fan, but I could become one… if I could train my ear to cut through the thick affected accents and poor recording equipment. I’ve read some scripts, and they’re often very funny, but when I listen to the actual recordings, it’s like listening to German radio. “Ooh, there’s a word I recognize… uh, I think he said something about a doorbell…” They should transfer Goon Show episodes to video and put subtitles on the screen, like they do when they interview Liam Gallagher…
There’s a fella from Australia, on Napster, who has tons of Goon Show audio files. His user name is dialing. He often hangs out on the server hifi.napster.com or the server johnmerricks.squidcafe.com (get Napigator at http://www.napigator.com to choose the server).
(He isn’t on as I type this, but at least it’s a heads up for anyone who’s interested.)
In the episode “The Sleeping Prince” (whose only contribution is to be heard snoring in the first and last couple of seconds)the Max Geldray ensemble plays the National Anthem of Nuckabuckoo, unquestionably the worst anthem ever performed.
Harry Secombe (Neddy Seagoon - President of Nuckabuckoo)
"What a beautiful tune, has anybody put it to music?
Peter Sellers (can’t recall the character)
“Nobody has had the courage”
Oh well, you had to be listening at the time! LOL
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, the mind truely boggles.
Yes, the voices echo in my head with that quote. However it should be ‘you’, not ‘ya’! (The character - who I remember as Major Bloodnok - was a well-spoken Army Officer).
Samonek,
There’s a 1972 (12 years after the radio show ended) record called ‘The Last Goon Show of all’. Published by the BBC. I think REB 142S is the reference number.
From the fertile brain of Mr. Spike Milligna, the well-known typing error:
(high pitched voice) ‘Henry! Henry!’
(elderly, distinguished voice) ‘What is it, my love?’
Although the Goon Show eventually died when its audience moved on, it can be argued that Monty Python picked up the reins, albeit a decade or so later.
Where the Goons failed to make the transition to TV, Monty Python ensured that the same brand of humour would reach a wider audience in a visual form. However, the Goons pioneered the art form, by cultivating an audience ready to unhinge its brain for a while. Monty Python were able to take advantage of that, and also the more enlightened times of the early seventies. I doubt very much whether the Goons would have got away with anything similar to Life of Brian, or even the Nudge Nudge sketch.
Each group has achieved a body of work that retains its freshness, primarily because they each steered away from topical and political issues of the day. Hence you don’t need to have a knowledge of the political landscape of that time to get the jokes.
Born 1863. Only child of Ethel Cox. Virgin birth. Educated at Convent till age 7 - end of education. Has had 18,312 interviews for jobs. Has never been employed. Spends his days walking around saying “Hello dere” to anyone who will listen. Wears a 33-year-old Burton suit. Is occasionally used by the Metropolitan Police for target practice. Was once painted by Augustus John from head to foot with whitewash. Likes children. Children like him. His economy drives consist of wearing only one sock. Was the personal friend of a brewer’s dray. Was Home Secretary for 3 days - until the printing error was discovered. Lives near 29 Scrot Lane, Balham. Clubs: none. Recreations: walking around saying “Hello dere” to anyone who will listen.
