Episodes
Friday Jul 31, 2009
Goon Show - Pgm 19
Friday Jul 31, 2009
Friday Jul 31, 2009
A few months ago, I posted an episode of one of my favorite old time radio comedy series, "The Goon Show". In this post, I offer up the other remaining episode I have of the program on an original transcription.
For those that are new to the show, it's surreal humor that might remind you of Monty Python. In fact, the Goons - Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers - had a remarkably popular program on the BBC that ran throughout the 1950s and were influential on a whole generation of later comedians. Program 19 in the series is "The Lost Colony", also known as "The Sale of Manhattan", originally broadcast on the BBC on November 29, 1955 and recorded on November 27. It was the 11th episode in the 6th "Goon Show" series. A Goons fan site has a script of the show online with some footnotes on some of the references if you have trouble understanding some of the fast-paced dialogue going on. What you'll hear is the syndicated version of the show. The BBC edited the programs slightly because of time sensitive content or other issues before they were distributed in other markets. They're in the process of a major project to restore the original uncut versions of the programs from the master tapes, so if you like the show, I'd encourage you to buy the cd sets the BBC is offering of the program through Amazon UK. This program was transferred from an original shellac BBC Transcription Service disc, matrix numbers 16PH86823 and 16PH86824. Apologies for the very brief "squeal" from "up cue" damage on the first part of the disc.Saturday Sep 27, 2008
The Goon Show - Pgm 18 - The Pevensey Bay Disaster
Saturday Sep 27, 2008
Saturday Sep 27, 2008
"The Goon Show" is one of my all-time favorite radio programs, a remarkable bit of silliness produced by the BBC throughout the 1950s and featuring Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers. I never thought I'd find an original transcription from the series, but here 'tis. "The Pevensey Bay Disaster" was originally broadcast on the BBC as episode 10 in the sixth "Goon Show" series on April 3, 1956. A bit of trivia - just after this program was recorded, a rail disaster occurred and another program in the series was substituted that week; the program was run in the UK months after it was originally recorded.
What you'll hear in this post is a BBC Transcription Service version of the program as it was originally syndicated in the US in the mid to late 1950s. The shows were edited slightly for overseas markets to remove time sensitive material or jokes that might have been a little too specific to British culture. The BBC has produced a series of audio cds I'd encourage you to buy if you like the show, going back to the original master tapes to reproduce the series as it was originally broadcast. I've often wondered what the reaction was to the "Goon Show" on its first syndicated run here in the States. At the time, there was nothing quite like it on radio; the program was a huge hit in Britain and became something of an institution. The Goons would inspire later comedy shows such as "Monty Python" and "Little Britain". The show was transferred from an original set of BBC Transcription Service discs, matrix numbers 16PH86821 and 16PH86822. There's a very brief "squeal" from "up cue" damage to disc on part two of the show.