|
|
||
|
The Goon Show
|
||
 |
The Goon show was quite literally the beginning of broadcast surreal comedy, the whole show was broadcast over the radio with a huge list of characters portrayed by only three comedians (after the departure of Michael Bentine) they were Spike Milligan writer and cast, Harry Seacombe cast and Peter Sellers cast. | |
| The shows rarely had a plausible plot, such episodes had plots like a mysterious batter pudding hurler residing at Bexhill on Sea who would throw batter pudding at unsuspected people!!!, Climbing a mountain from the inside!!!!, exploding tails on mens shirts!!! the list goes on!!!. | |
| But apart from this surreal
humour the Goons were best known for the characters they played. Eccles,
the word idiot does not even come near this characters lack of
intelligence!!! his companion was often the idiot boy scout Bluebottle
each with the most hilarious voices. A good example of their combined
idiocy is perhaps this exchange.
|
 |
| Bluebottle-
what time is it Eccles?
Eccles- Wait a minute I've got it written down on a piece of paper, it says three o clock. Bluebottle- why have you got a piece of paper with the time written on it? Eccles- when somebody asks me the time I can show it to them Bluebottle- ohh, wait a minute what do you do if someone asks you the time and it isn't three o clock? Eccles- well then I don't show it to them!!!
|
|
| Genius!!! other members of the cast were Hercules Grytpype-Thynne a suave cad, crook and con man, most of the basic plots revolve around him and his schemes with Count Jim (thighs) (knees) Moriarty French scrag and lackey to Thynne wretched in his degradation. | |
| Henry Crun crumbling old
man, but he takes Elderly Gentleman's Get Fit Hormones and is the nearly
lusty paramour of Minnie Bannister who is sexy senior citizen who plays
the saxophone and breaks out into spontaneous song and dance she lives
in sin with Henry Crum, most shows contain at least one extended scene
of the couple.
Major Dennis Bloodnok a devout coward either retired or deserted the British army, he is also a thief obsessed with money alcohol and women and is blighted with extreme gastric problems reflected by explosive sound effects. Willium "mate" Cobblers an elderly cockney who calls everyone mate he can pop up in any situation. Little Jim is a high pitched childlike voice that always announces when someone has fallen in the water. Jim or Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmm or Jim Spriggs are one and the same this is characterised by a high pitched whining voice. |
|
| But the main character whom the show is
based around is Neddie Seagoon the only character played by Seacombe. Cheerful
likeable, gullible but his greed often leads him into trouble.
The characters Minnie, Moriarty, Eccles and all the Jims were played by Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers a highly talented mimic performed most of the voices including female characters to a frighteningly realistic level!!!!! Other cast members were Wallace Greenslade a BBC announcer he opened and closed the show and had breif apperances within the show, most notably in the episode The Greenslade story (my personal favorite show) |
Peter Sellers |
| With the recent death of Spike Milligan there are no Goons left alive, but the shows are still avaliable most recently on C.D. format and the last Goon Show of all is avaliable on video and DVD, so in these and in the heart of modern comedy the Goons still live on. | |
