THE GOONS.............

[rustler]

Hello Folks and world, and in that order! Yes folks, it's the flibby dabby dee service of the BBC....or in other words this is about THE GOONS!


Whilst reading the thread about Peter Sellers it occurred to me that there are a quite a few fellow Goons nuts here on the forum, so why not start a thread just about this particularly English style of lunacy.

The Goons, for the benefit of readers who are reading, were Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe ( later Sir Harry ) and in the beginning Michael Bentine. They had a really strange style of lunacy that is in my opinion timeless, it was cult listening and was for many years. Beginning in the early 50's and finishing with the 'Last Goon Show Of All' in I believe 1972. They were such a hit that many work places ceased work just to listen to them for 30 minutes each week! They also got a complaint from 10 Downing Street for taking the p*ss out of the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill !

I have been a fan for many years, the ridiculous antics of Neddy Seagoon, Minnie Bannister, and Henry Crun, Gryptype-Thynne, Bluebottle, Major Dennis Bloodnock OBE., Moriarty and of course the famous Eccles are amongst afficionados notorious, and still reduce me to tears of laughter!

So does anybody else share my devout enthusiasm for these very British lunatics? I am so enthusiastic I even have monkeys on the knees -and they were only 2/6- a pair!

So any Goons stories.........


The Peter Sellers thread can be found here:

http://www.vintage-erotica-forum.com/t58144-the-late-great-peter-sellers-19251980.html


THE GOONS.....

[Greenman]

My mother and her friend regularly ring each other and engage in calling each other Min and Henry(Crun) and I grew up in a madhouse because she would quote portions of it. Later I listened to and had tapes of the Goon Show and of course now I listen to it on BBC Iplayer where they repeat them ad nauseum. Favourite sayings:
"He's fallen in the water" Little Jim
"Oh oh oh, thud me snattocks and pinch my thuns, and other time-filling in phrases"-Major Bloodnok
"Constable, how would you like to join the Kensington Round Pond police?"
"There's no such thing"
SPLASH!
"You're the first one"
One of the best episodes is "The Whistling Spy Enigma" when they attempt to sabotage the Hungarian's football boots with dynamite in the toecaps. Some of the dialogue is just genius. Operation Explodable Boot!
And this is where the story really starts....

[IngramJohn]

Love the "Goons" Rustler (totally nuts! ha ha ha). Peter Sellers was one guy I would have loved to have gone for a few beers with.

Never mind, there names live on!

[Greenman]

"You Silly Twisted Boy you"
Peter Sellers came from my area and he was always true to his roots. His appearance on Parkinson in German helmet is hilarious and his story of how Bluebottle was born is the stuff of legend.
"Exit stage right, with copy of the Boy's Mag, price tuppence with cardboard cut-out Jet Fighter"

[rustler]

Originally Posted by Greenman

"You Silly Twisted Boy you"
Peter Sellers came from my area and he was always true to his roots. His appearance on Parkinson in German helmet is hilarious and his story of how Bluebottle was born is the stuff of legend.
"Exit stage right, with copy of the Boy's Mag, price tuppence with cardboard cut-out Jet Fighter"

And don't forget the quarter of Dolly Mixtures!! Or the liquorice dogend!

'Eccles, do you like liquorice?' 'Der, yeah I like liquorice, my mummy says it gives you a good run for your money!'

[squigg58]

Years ago, I had the misfortune to work with a pompous idiot who took every opportunity to let people know he'd "been to Cambridge", but he could never work out why I'd burst out laughing whenever he mentioned it. He clearly wasn't a Goons fan!

From the Greenslade Story (1955) ...

Greenslade:
Don't tell me you're applying for the post of announcer (at the BBC)?

Eccles:
Oh, yeah! And I'll get it too, you'll see! I'm wearing a Cambridge tie!

Greenslade:
You? You were at Cambridge?

Eccles:
Yeah!

Greenslade:
What were you doing there?

Eccles:
Buying a tie.

[rustler]

Neddy in the Kensington round Pond Police..........

'I swam on my front, on my back and on my side............but I just couldn't get to sleep! Ten Miles I swam, the last three were agony - they were over dry land!!'

[monogroover]

I really appreciate the Goons, and Spike especially. I listened to the Goon Show repeats on Radio 2 in the seventies, and recorded a few onto cassette. I had the book of scripts as a kid.

They were a huge influence on Monty Python, of course. I was also interested to hear an interview with Eric Sykes, who helped Spike out with some of the scripts for a while, a couple of weeks ago.

But I have to say I probably couldn't sit through a whole Goon Show now. I think that particular brand of comedy was of its time. It hasn't aged well in my view.

By the way on a related note the Arena programme about Peter Sellers telling his story using cine film he shot himself is absolutely compelling. Came out a few years ago on DVD.

[Greenman]

Interesting to note at youtube I found a televised version of "The Whistling Spy Enigma" with not Wallace Greenslade doing the announcing and some asides but Ray Ellington, whose quartet provide the mid-section music interval(which I wasn't too keen on, especially on tape and I would fast-forward to the next bit. And even more interesting, the person who conducted the orchestra Wally Stott later changed gender and became Angela Morley and worked on some innovative sound recordings with I think the Art of Noise for one.

[rustler]

Originally Posted by Greenman

"You Silly Twisted Boy you"
His appearance on Parkinson in German helmet is hilarious and his story of how Bluebottle was born is the stuff of legend.

Would you care to share that story Greenman please, I have never heard it.

The Histories of Pliny the Elder.....

Brutus Moriatus:

'I see that ten years in England have not altered your Imperial outlook Ceasar! Will you take wine.....?'

Ceasar ( Gryptype-Thynee ):

' No, I think I'll have half of mild and a packet of crisps!'