Graham Paddon - RIP

Born : 24 August 1950 Manchester

Died : 19 November 2007 Norfolk

Norwich City, West Ham United, Coventry City.

The hardest left foot shot I ever saw.

Blog Gallery # 3

Left : Reginald Marsh, Sir Dennis Hodge in 25 episodes of Terry and June (28 July). Middle : Kenneth Cope, Everton Quiz Ball player but better known as Hopkirk in Randall & Hopkirk Deceased (21 October). Right : Roger Brierley, hypochondriac lodger Osborne in the Rising Damp episode Suddenly At Home (9 September).

Quiz Ball

I wonder how many people remember Quiz Ball. It was screened on BBC TV between 1966 and 1972, in the early evening, around 6.30 to 7.00 if my memory is correct. The original presenter (referee) was David Vine. Stuart Hall took over later. I thought Alan Weeks was also involved, though research does not bear this out. I have vivid recollections of watching this programme, and getting upset when the 'wrong team' won !! The format was pretty simple. Football clubs were represented by three players/officials plus a guest supporter. Each week was a new match with the winners going forward to the next round. There were four ways to score a goal : 1) answer four easy questions correctly 2) answer three medium questions 3) two difficult , or 4) one really hard one. The opposition could stop you by answering your question. If they were correct they gained possession of the ball. But if they were wrong............goal to the team whose question it was. No tackle could be made on a route 1 (hard) question. The electronic scoreboard (shown in picture behind David Vine) lit up to show which route was being taken, and every goal was greeted with immense jubilation.

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For the record, the Finals were as follows : 1966-1967 Arsenal 7 Dunfermline Athletic 3 1967-1968 Nottingham Forest 1 West Bromwich Albion 2 1969-1970 Celtic 3 Hearts 1 1970 (Champions Series) Celtic 7 Everton 5 1970-1971 Derby County 4 Crystal Palace 2 1971-1972 Dunfermline Athletic 3 Leicester City 1

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Guest supporters included Jimmy Young (Arsenal 1966 & 1967), Ted Moult (Nottingham Forest 1966 & 1967 when Ted scored 8 goals in 3 games including all five in the First Round victory over Celtic - little wonder he went on to get that lucrative double glazing ad contract!!), Tommy Trinder (Fulham 1967), John Arlott (Southampton 1966), Percy Thrower (West Bromwich Albion 1966), Brian Close (Leeds 1966), Sam Kydd (Chelsea 1966), Leonard Sachs (Sheff Weds in 1966 then, suspiciously, Leeds in 1970 - who did he really support?), Gordon Jackson (Dunfermline Ath 1966), Pete Murray (Fulham 1966), Brian Moore (Tottenham 1967), Sam Leitch (Leicester City 1967), Magnus Magnusson (Kilmarnock 1967), Harry Carpenter (Fulham 1967), Mike Smith (Coventry City 1967), Kenneth Cope (Everton 1967 - ghosting in at the far post no doubt), Alfie Bass (Crystal Palace 1967), James Bolam (Sunderland 1969), John Laurie (doomed to failure with Dundee in 1969 as they lost 3-1 to Arsenal), Lance Percival (Chelsea 1970), Ed Stewart (Everton 1970), Kenny Lynch (Manchester City 1970), Peter Cook (Tottenham 1970), Richard Wattis (Crystal Palace 1970), Nicholas Parsons (Leicester City 1971), Hugh Lloyd (Chelsea 1971), Roy Kinnear (Colchester 1971), Jimmy Logan (Dunfermline Ath 1971) and Jon Pertwee (Dunfermline Ath in the 1971 Final).

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Alex Ferguson played for Falkirk in 1970, scoring in the 1-0 win over Huddersfield. He found the net again in the semi final but lost 2-1 to Everton (Brian Labone 2)!! In 1969 Arsenal were represented by Bertie Mee, Bob Wilson and Terry Neill, Ian Ure appeared in earlier seasons. Tottenham in 1971 played Alan Mullery, Martin Chivers and Joe Kinnear. What fantastic memories.

Ronnie Hazelhurst - RIP

Born : Dukinfield, Cheshire 1928

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Died : Guernsey, 1 October 2007

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Composer, jazz musician and conductor.

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See tribute blog dated June 3rd 2007.

Monopoly - The Old And The New

There are many regional and themed Monopoly games available. This week however, the results of an online poll were announced, the idea being, people could vote for the towns they wanted to see on a new 2007 edition. It means little of course, but I was intrigued by the outcome and could not help thinking that something would be lost in playing to the new locations. Call me a traditionalist, but the original properties are not really replaceable in the minds of anyone who has enjoyed as many countless hours playing this game as I have.

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The old locations and their substitutes are as follows :

Old Kent Road xxxxxxxxxx Liverpool
Whitechapel xxxxxxxxxxxxLeeds

The Angel Islington xxxxxxMiddlesbrough
Euston Road xxxxxxxxxxxxCardiff
Pentonville Road xxxxxxxxYork

Pall Mall xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxColchester
Whitehall xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxManchester
Northumberland Avenue xxLondon

Bow Street xxxxxxxxxxxxxxDerby
Marlborough Street xxxxxxPlymouth
Vine StreetxxxxxxxxxxxxxxLincoln

Strand xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDundee
Fleet Street xxxxxxxxxxxxxxKeele
Trafalgar Square xxxxxxxxxNorwich

Leicester Square xxxxxxxxxBirmingham
Coventry Street xxxxxxxxxxOxford
PiccadillyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxStoke on Trent

Regent StreetxxxxxxxxxxxxxSheffield
Oxford StreetxxxxxxxxxxxxxCambridge
Bond Street xxxxxxxxxxxxxxNottingham

Park Lane xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxExeter
Mayfair xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxSt Albans

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The railway stations are changed to Airports, namely Luton, Cardiff, Belfast and Glasgow. The final positions were determined by the overall votes secured i.e St Albans polled the highest figure. The relatively small village of Keele featured highly due to the efforts of their University population who ran a vigorous campaign to get featured. And the manufacturers have taken the opportunity to update property costs - whilst Mayfair could be bought for a mere £400, St Albans will set you back a cool £4 million.

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The results will no doubt cause consternation in Liverpool and Leeds who represent the cheap and less desirable areas (though strategically these properties can be very useful in the early stages of a game I seem to remember) and York too might well be disappointed by its position. As I said, none of this means a lot. In fact in researching this piece I discovered (unless I have stumbled on a spoof article) that Monopoly was modernised a year or two ago and the playing pieces now include a mobile phone, roller blade, hamburger and skateboard. Whatever next. Anyone would think this game was made for kids !!!

TV Poll - The Worst Hits Ever ?

A few years ago, 2004 to be exact, Channel 4 held a vote for the worst hit records ever. Whilst the result might be old news, I think it worthy to note the results. They may have been the viewers' choice when the poll was taken but it should be remembered that at their release, somebody bought them (though not me I hasten to add). Personally, I think there is a bit of brilliance in all of them - an inventiveness that caught the moment and somehow appealed to record buyers throughout the land. And it can be safely assumed that in a number of cases, the songwriters, producers and performers never set out to create a masterpiece. So we know who had the last laugh, and certainly the loudest, all the way to the bank !

1.The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) - The Cheeky Girls
2.The Millennium Prayer - Cliff Richard
3.Agadoo - Black Lace
4.Candle In The Wind 1997 - Elton John
5.Fast Food Song - The Fast Food Rockers
6.Mr Blobby - Mr Blobby
7.Because We Want To - Billie
8.Barbie Girl - Aqua
9.Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
10.Jenny From The Block - Jennifer Lopez
11.Orville's Song - Keith Harris and Orville
12.Look At Me - Gerri Halliwell
13. Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - Bombalurina featuring Timmy Mallett
14.(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams
15.Sacred Trust - One True Voice
16.Against All Odds - Mariah Carey and Westlife
17.Who Let The Dogs Out? - Baha Men
18. 5,6,7,8 - Steps
19.Living Next Door To Alice (Who The F**k Is Alice) - Smokie featuring Roy 'Chubby' Brown
20.Anyone Can Fall In Love - Anita Dobson

I can't say any of the above give me a warm feeling. However, glancing further down the list there are some songs that are amongst the best ever of their genre such as Hello (Lionel Richie) 88, and I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston) 51. If there is a TV poll of the most loved hits ever, I suspect Channel 4 viewers may well have placed both in that list too. And as for I Should Be So Lucky (Kylie Minouge) 69 - surely just a very popular tune of its time, which is what pop music is meant to be. Ditto Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep (Middle Of The Road) 59, and Y Viva Espana (Sylvia) 40 - worst ever? no I don't think so. Just as the dance song Macarena (Los Del Rio) 37, and novelties We All Stand Together (Paul McCartney And The Frog Chorus ) 63, and Back Home (England World Cup Squad) 56 are a long way off being the worst of their kind - in fact I like all three I must admit ! The biggest blunder of all from those mis-guided voters was We Built This City (Starship) 83, a brilliant song if ever I heard one (and which I shall now soon video vault if I can find a suitable clip in order to prove my point). And finally shame on those who chose Wannabe (Spice Girls) 27. Love them or hate them (and I have no feelings either way), this song launched a group , a phenomenon in fact, that was to have as big an impact on youth culture and pop music (and in particular British pop music) as any act before or since. Wannabe was a great pop song. Simple as that.

My Brother And I

I think it fair to say that as a teenager in the early to mid seventies, I had absolutely no appreciation of just how good Dad's Army was. I loved it of course, along with millions of others. And that was maybe a little unusual for a young lad because in truth DA was perhaps more pertinent to my parents generation, who had lived and fought through WW2. But I would not have appreciated it. The marvellous characterisation would have been lost on me, and the fantastic qualities of the actors. And it certainly took until adulthood for me to understand and acknowledge the talents of Arthur Lowe. The finer points of his character, Captain Mainwaring, have taken many years to evolve in my analytical mind. And if you want to see both Mainwaring and Lowe at their very best, catch the 40 minute Boxing Day special from 1975, entitled My Brother And I.

The episode is definitely not the funniest in the series, not absurd nor slapstick. But it is famous for the fact that Arthur Lowe played two roles : Captain George Mainwaring as usual, and also his brother Barry. It is a masterpiece of character acting. Was it Lowe's finest moment on the small screen ? Not for me to say. But if ever he put in a better 40 minutes, I should love to see it. Barry was a total opposite to Mainwaring, and so good was the acting, there were times when you could quite easily forget that it was Lowe playing him. And remember it was made over thirty years ago. Only one short scene contained Lowe in both parts - presumably film technology at the time did not allow anything like the wizardry we take for granted these days. For the rest of the episode he is on camera either as George or as Barry. And as I have said, the two were chalk and cheese.

My Brother And I was marvellously written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. Mainwaring is his usual pompous pretentious self (though we see a caring side to him before the end of the episode). At the start of the show he has an issue with drinking by the platoon members. Pike leaves a written piece of work in his latest Hotspur comic. He says that the Home Guard would only discover German parachutists if they landed in a Public House - and that his section had recently made sure there was no enemy present in eleven pubs in two hours !! Mainwaring is disgusted and disturbed and seeks assurances from his men that there will be no drinking. Two things then happen : firstly he announces that a sherry party is to be held in the village hall for local dignitaries and he is to host it (with Jones, Pike and Godfrey helping and Wilson providing musical entertainment on the piano), and secondly he tells Wilson that he came from a family that knew (as far as alcohol was concerned) when to stop. This second statement will soon rebound on Captain Mainwaring ! We also see his snobbish and condescending sides - he tells Wilson that his father had been a Master Tailor - then he praises his men as 'indispensable', simply because they were prepared to help at the party. He is particularly impressed that Godfrey's sister is to provide cucumber sandwiches.

These opening scenes set up the story beautifully. The 'joke' is that a few truths about George Mainwaring are about to be revealed. And it is Frazer who discovers them !! He enters a railway carriage on his way back to Walmington On Sea from Eastbourne (where he has been measuring up a customer for a coffin). In the carriage is a rotund red nosed man, clearly the worse for wear and drinking Scotch. He speaks with a Northern accent and is a traveller in jokes and novelties. He is, due to the drink, somewhat loutish and vulgar. And he is , as Frazer soon discovers, Barry Mainwaring, brother of Captain George ! And the Scottish Private is delighted to learn that old Mr Mainwaring was not a Master Tailor - but a lowly draper, that they were a family of drinkers, and that Barry is going after his brother 'Po-Face' in order to retrieve a watch that George had 'stolen' on his fathers death bed. So, we have this delicious situation where suddenly the platoon know a few skeletons from Captain Mainwaring's past. They revel in this knowledge..............especially Frazer.

George and Barry have not seen each other for fifteen years. The Captain reluctantly agrees to meet in his bedroom at The Red Lion. It is here that the viewers are treated to the scene where Arthur Lowe is on camera as both characters. It lasts only a few minutes or so and is brilliantly acted. Uncouth womaniser Barry, lying on his bed, drunk and demanding. Authoritative lofty George standing over him and refusing to hand over the watch. Until Barry threatens to attend the sherry party that is. Captain Mainwaring's image would be destroyed. So, on the understanding that Barry is out of town on the next train, the watch is passed over.

The final part of the episode, the party, is more like the Dad's Army we know and provides most of the laughs. Jonesey 'announces' the guests as they arrive, though as you would expect, not very well. The best bit of the show is the arrival of the Vicar and Air Raid Warden Hodges. Godfrey holds out a plate and offers them one of his sister Dolly's cucumber sandwiches. Hodges takes one and scoffs it, then another, then another, then the Vicar takes a couple, then Hodges finishes them off !! And all before the dignitaries arrive. And indeed, before Barry, now very drunk makes an entrance. Despite winning the watch he came to Walmington for, he can't resist making trouble for his brother. And the writers can't resist putting him immediately with Hodges, perhaps the one man on earth who hates Mainwaring more than Barry does !! And don't you just know they will swap their nicknames for him..............Hodges loves the 'Po-Face' name just as much as Barry enjoys the 'Napoleon' reference.

Eventually Captain Mainwaring arrives with his guests. It is an important night for him. But disaster looms with the presence of inebriated Barry. Pike, surprisingly, comes to the rescue. He locks Barry in the office out of sight and then gives him a bottle of sherry to keep him quiet. When Mainwaring finds out he tells him he has been stupid (as usual he has little toleration of his Private though in truth Pike has for once shown a little initiative).Worried that there will be an awful show, Mainwaring tells Jones, Frazer and Pike to get Barry out of the Village Hall. They try to push his fat frame through the window and fail. Eventually he departs hidden inside a cupboard - coffin style.

The final twist at the end of the episode comes when Wilson reveals that he has saved the watch from Barry's clutches. In a very matter of fact way, Mainwaring tells him to catch the others up and let Barry have the watch before they put him on the train. A rare sign of humility from the Captain.

I always have thought that accurately playing the part of a drunk is the hardest thing an actor will ever be asked to do. The performance of Arthur Lowe as a drunk in My Brother And I is without equal.

Donald Campbell And 4th January 1967

I have two very early memories of being emotionally moved. The first was England winning the World Cup final against West Germany in 1966 and I remember crying. More of that in a future blog no doubt. The second instance came early in the following year - January 4 1967 to be precise. I came home from school and the TV news showed black and white images of a high speed boat crash in which the driver was killed instantly. I was seven and a half years old and still to this day remember the shock and emptiness of the occasion. The suddenness of tragic death. Even when it involved someone I had never heard of before from a world I knew nothing of. It was without doubt the first occasion in my short life that I had been touched by death.

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On Friday I read a story that the two parts of the destroyed boat had finally been joined together after so many years. It was the culmination of the efforts of diver Bill Smith and a team of people involved in The Bluebird Project. Work can now begin to restore Bluebird K7, the boat of Donald Campbell, the man killed on that fateful day. It happened on Coniston Water, in the Lake District. Campbell ,who was born in Horley, Surrey in 1921, was a famous car and motorboat racer who had broken 8 world speed records in the 1950's and 60's. He was the son of Sir Malcolm Campbell who himself had held 13 world speed records in the 20's and 30's. On the day in question, Donald Campbell had completed a perfect north-south run. The plan had been for him to re-fuel and allow the wash to settle before going back and attempting to break the world record but he chose to go straight into the south-north run. Bluebird reached a speed of 320 mph at one stage before somersaulting and plunging nose first into the lake. The body of Campbell was not found in the wreckage though his mascot teddy bear, Mr Woppit, was floating in the debris.

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The nation was stunned by the events of that day. For many years thereafter, The Bluebird Project worked towards rescuing the boat from the bottom of Coniston Lake and finally achieved it in March 2001. A few months after this, Donald Campbell's body was also recovered, and he was finally laid to rest later that year in the Parish Cemetery in Coniston.

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Incredibly, the recovery and restoration of Bluebird has failed on more than one occasion to receive backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and its success rests solely with Bill Smith, Campbell's daughter Gina, The Ruskin Museum in Coniston, and the enthusiasts who rightly believe that the story of the life and death of Donald Campbell should be told. More details of the project can be found at www.bluebirdproject.com

I Laughed My Socks Off..................

...............when I first heard this

In the Rising Damp episode Suddenly, At Home, Rigsby breaks the news that hypochondriac lodger Osborne is dead by saying '' He's gone to a better place'' to which Alan replies ''What , you mean he's got a council flat ? ''.

The Most Enjoyable Books I Have Read

Here is a list of the most enjoyable books I have read (so far) ...............in no particular order :

Nathans Run - John Gilstrap
Schindlers Ark - Thomas Keneally
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Silence Of The Lambs - Thomas Harris
Headhunters - John King
Going Gently - David Nobbs
Memoirs Of A Geisha - Arthur Golden
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

Postcards # 4

Quite a while since I blogged postcards from my collection, so here goes with two more. These are from the Coastal Cards series which was popular in the 60's. Coastal were based in Clacton but their cards were to be found in resorts all around the country. They had a motto : '' Humour is the sole relief of error and tension '', which appeared on the back of each card. The top picture is of card 153 which was sent from Bridlington to Doncaster in 1966, below is card 4728 drawn by Trow and unused.

Luciano Pavarotti - RIP

Born : October 12 1935 Modena, Italy

Died : September 6 2007 Modena, Italy

A Blog In Crisis

Well almost anyway. I have really enjoyed blogging and have been pleased with most of my efforts. But August was difficult for me time wise. Holiday away and work load, meant little time for research. Then came the crisis. After paying scant attention to my blog for a couple of weeks, a quick visit resulted in me finding my video postings decimated. Ok, so I understand something about copyright, and can respect it, but come on, is it really so necessary for so much good stuff to be withdrawn from You Tube.

Anyway, it kind of took the wind out of my sails to see quite a bit of hard work evaporate. After much thought, however, rather than lose heart, I have decided to change things around a bit. I did say in my very first posting that I had no idea where this blog would go, so I have licence to go down a few new avenues if I choose to ! A lifestyle change means I will have a lot more time and energy going forward. So future blogs will be better researched with more depth and supported by pictures (which won't disappear) rather than clips. I very much intend to develop the comedy content and continue some of the features I have started. But I will also be broadening my tributes to music, sport, literature, entertainment, film, theatre and just about any other area I feel moved towards. I want Bring Me Sunshine to be fun. I also want it to be a record of the things I have enjoyed and admired in life, past and present. It remains entirely personal to me................I know very few people follow this blog.........so the only person who needs to be happy with it is me !

I do intend to post regular video clips, comedy and music, as I know they give BMS dimension. However I will blog them in future under the heading of Video Vault and will spend no time adding any comment or researching them. That way when they disappear from You Tube, as they inevitably will, I will be disappointed, but I can simply delete them from BMS with no detrimental effect to my blog.

So it wasn't really a crisis after all and I look forward to more and even larger postings than I have managed so far.

Dick Emery - The Driving Test Centre

Comedy sketch shows are pretty much the rage these days. But the pioneer as far as British TV was concerned was almost certainly Dick Emery. His show ran throughout the 60's and 70's in prime time slots, largely on BBC and at the very end ITV. Emery was a brilliant character actor and produced some highly memorable and funny figures, such as Gaylord (the Bovver Boy), Clarence (Honky Tonk), Hettie, Mandy (Ooh you are awful) and the toothy vicar. These hugely ridiculous people appeared weekly, with others, creating many famous catchphrases for the British public to adopt.The show was snappy, full of innuendo, and a right good laugh. The format of this kind of show has been used many times since, notably by Kenny Everett, Harry Enfield and Catherine Tate. But the master remains Dick Emery, shown here in this clip at his very best.

Mike Reid - RIP

Born : Hackney, London 19 January 1940

Died : Marbella, Spain 29 July 2007

The Comedians, EastEnders

Blog Gallery # 2

Three faces from earlier postings. Left : Colin Sell, piano player without equal, from I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (5 May), Middle : Fast food lover DC Robert Kray from The Thin Blue Line (16 June), Right : Nigel Hawthorne, smooth talking civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleton from Yes, Prime Minister (21 February).

My First Car

I learnt recently of the death of Jack Odell. I must immediately admit that I had never heard of this man but when I read his story I realised I must acknowledge the influence he had on my childhood.

Jack Odell was partly responsible for the greatest of all toys..................the 'Matchbox'. And I had a bucket full of them, mainly cars, and played with them for thousands of hours. Strangely I have no recollection of having them bought for me, though I must assume I received some as Christmas or birthday presents. I think they were more likely given to me by someone who had grown out of playing with them. I kept them in a metal kitchen bin. I would tip them out onto the floor and 'drive' them to all corners of the room, and indeed all around the house. They were battered and scratched and some had various parts missing. But oh how I loved them. I had some favourites............I particularly remember the Coca Cola lorry with its carefully stacked crates. And a little brown/maroon coloured van, which has left me with some vague re-collection that it had an advert for cocoa on the side. I used to push them from the top of the stairs, the winner being the one that got closest to the bottom. On other days it was a knock-out competition - the one closest to the top being eliminated, culminating some hours later in a 'grand final'. I also remember Matchbox producing a folding cardboard race track, complete with hairpin bends and a pit lane. I would painstakingly push my cars and trucks around the circuit, sometimes for hours on end. I have no idea what force actually determined the winner, it was probably quite simply whichever one I felt worthy of the trophy on the day! It was fantastic witnessing the snazzy sports car being out manoeuvred on the final bend by the excavator. It was to be my own version of Wacky Races. I don't know exactly what happened to them nor the bucket. I did pass them down to my nephew and I seem to remember they were often buried in the back garden and dug up again a few days later. I would love to have them now, not that they would have any particular value given the condition they were in.

Jack Odell was 87 when he died. He was an engineer by trade who, after World War Two, joined a business owned by Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith. The company was called Lesney Products ( taking the first three letters of one of the Smiths' christian names and the second three from the other) and they made parts for real cars. In 1952, Odell made a red and green steam roller for his daughter. She wanted to take it to school but to do so it had to be small enough to fit into a matchbox. Her schoolfriends thought the toy was marvellous and soon Odell was knocking out more steam rollers. Lesney thereby decided to market these finely detailed toys, and soon added a Land Rover, London bus ( I had one of them), bulldozer and a fire engine (had one of them too). In 1954 Matchbox produced their first car - the MG TD Roadster. By 1962 they were making a million cars a week. They were affordable to buy and kids collected them with great passion and enthusiasm. They were popular all around the world and there was never any let up in the attention to detail in order to get as close to the real thing as possible.Lesney eventually hit bad times and went into receivership in 1982. The Matchbox brand has continued since, albeit it the hands of various other companies.

Title Music # 3 - Terry and June

Originally Broadcast : 24th October 1979 to 31 August 1987

Channel : BBC

Written By : John Kane

Produced By : John B Hobbs, Robin Nash, Peter Whitmore

Starring : Terry Scott, June Whitfield, Reginald Marsh, Rosemary Frankau

Episodes : 65

Said In Jest # 3

'' Titter ye not '' - Frankie Howerd.

'' You is a bunch of poofs '' - Battery Sgt Major Williams in It 'Ain't Half Hot Mum.

''Luvvly jubbly'' - Del Boy in Only Fools And Horses.

''I will tell you this. I will tell you this'' - Rab C Nesbitt.

''You stupid woman'' - Rene Artois to his wife in 'Allo 'Allo.

''The Bouquet residence, the lady of the house speaking'' - Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances.

You're Gonna Die Ives

Possibly the shortest clip you will ever see on this blog...................from the superb BBC series Porridge and featuring 'Orrible Ives who has poison in a rather delicate place - his bottom. Being the most detested inmate at Slade, there were no volunteers to help him with his little problem and Fletch has no problem giving him the bad news ! Ronnie Barker needs no introduction, Ives was played by scouse actor Ken Jones. Fans of the show will remember he started most conversations with 'ere listen' and he remains one of my favourite characters from the series.

I Laughed My Socks Off...........

..................when I first heard this.

“If we're not supposed to eat animals, how come they're made out of meat''

Tom Snyder.

Charles Hawtrey

Sentences containing the words Charles and Hawtrey often also include 'comic', 'legend' and 'icon'. Certainly there have been few people in the history of mankind who could more easily and instantly bring a smile to my face. As a youngster, I would watch Carry On films, and the characters portrayed by Charles Hawtrey, were often the funniest and most memorable. I am not altogether certain what was so funny about him. Maybe the vulnerability......... he was of course scrawny and wimpish visually. Or his ineptitude to get things right. Probably it was his absurdity. With his posh voice and stubborn but camp disposition, I used to love the appearance of Charles Hawtrey into a Carry On scene because suddenly the laughter possibilities were endless. He was a superb comedy foil, most especially to Sid James whose nature was a complete opposite. This was never better witnessed than in Carry On Cabby in 1963, with Hawtrey playing the willing but largely incompetent Terry 'Pintpot' Tankard, alongside James' typically aggressive and opportunistic character, taxi company owner Charlie Hawkins. Perhaps the memory that stuck with me the longest was his part in Carry On Doctor (1967) in which he played Mr Barron, who was in hospital because he thought he was having a baby!!

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In all, Charles Hawtrey appeared in 23 Carry On films between 1958 and 1972. Other roles in the series that I have enjoyed were as Eustace Tuttle in Carry On Abroad in 1972 ( the last time all the regulars appeared together) and as Professsor James Widdle in Carry On Up The Khyber in 1968. The writers were always generous in the gags handed to Hawtrey. He provided some of the best one-liners from the series. I remember a great gag from Carry On Don't Lose Your Head. He played the Duc De Pommfrit, who ,when at the guillotine and about to get be-headed, was told an urgent letter had just arrived for him. He replied 'Oh, drop it in the basket. I'll read it later'. However, he was never top of the bill, usually appearing fourth or fifth on the film publicity material. 'Abroad' was to prove to be his final Carry On appearance. Hawtrey was disillusioned with not being top of the bill and after a drink fuelled argument with producer Peter Rogers, was never again seen in a Carry On film.

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Being the age I am, I can only remember Charles Hawtrey from the Carry On's. He had though been a child star. He was born in November 1914 in Hounslow, Middlesex. His real name was George Frederick Joffre Hartree. He took the name Charles Hawtrey from a celebrated and knighted actor of the time and encouraged rumours that he was his son in an attempt to further his own chances in the business. His father had in fact been a mechanic. The Charles Hawtrey we all know and love started his career as a boy soprano, making records and appearing on the radio in Children's Hour. He was in fact a very good musician. Aged 11 he made his stage debut in Boscombe, playing a street Arab. He was to go on to appearing at the London Palladium. As far as films were concerned, he was in Tell Your Children as early as 1922. His first prominent roles were alongside Will Hay in Good Morning Boys (1937) and Where's That Fire (1939). Hawtrey also produced a film in 1945, Dumb Dora Discovers Tobacco, starring Flora Robson, in 1945. His TV career took off in 1957 when he appeared as Private 'Professor' Hatchett in The Army Game, with Alfie Bass, Bill Fraser and Bernard Bresslaw. In 1960 he played Simon Willow, a council official in Our House, a sitcom also starring Carry On favourites Bresslaw, Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims (as well as Hylda Baker).

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The Carry On period was to prove to be the pinnacle of Charles Hawtrey's life, both personally and professionally. After 1972 he made a handful of TV appearances, but was largely reduced to playing pantomime roles, using his enormous former popularity to great effect. But his private life took on a darker side as he turned increasingly to drink. He retired to Deal in Kent, where he gained the reputation of being a lonely and unpredictable man. He had never hidden his homosexuality, and alcohol and cigarettes led him to an unhealthy and promiscuous lifestyle. Any publicity he received often portrayed him as a broken and pathetic figure. In 1988, ironically following a fall in a Public House, he faced the reality of having to have his legs amputated. He refused an operation and died a month later, aged 73.

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Back to happier times. Charles Hawtrey will go down in comedy history. He was much loved by the British public because of his Carry On connection. Anyone around at the time and those who have caught the series since will remember his voice, his snooty mannerisms, his campness, his granny glasses and his mummy boy ways.They may simply remember him saying 'Oh. Hello' and giggling. He was a natural comic, funny just entering the room. Regrettably, his private life would suggest he had much emotional turmoil. It is quite probable we never saw the real George Frederick Joffre Hartree.

I Didn't Know That # 5

You stumble across all kinds of things you didn't know whilst researching for a blog..................

Frank and Betty Spencer's cat in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em is called Cleopatra.

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The last known whereabouts of Mr Bean was Moscow. In the final episode, Hair By Mr Bean Of London, he hides in a mail bag at a railway station, which is then loaded onto a train destined for the Russian capital.

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Coventry, Northampton and Leamington Spa were the primary locations used in the filming of the hit BBC comedy, Keeping Up Appearances.

Jake Thackray

Sometimes people slip out of your life for a lot of years. This happened with me and Jake Thackray. I remembered him from the early 70's with his appearances on That's Life, the bad company bashing, consumer help programme. The particular shows went out late on Saturday nights, after Match Of The Day, and Jake Thackray would have a three or four minute slot in which he sang a song. And Jake Thackray songs were like nothing else before or since.

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I have often mentioned Jake Thackray to other people of a similar age to me and drawn a complete blank. His fame, in truth, was more deeply rooted in places other than TV...........folk clubs, civic halls and pubs. As a man of Leeds, he was very popular and well known in Yorkshire and in the 60's this spread nationwide thanks to his appearances in shows such as The Frost Report, Braden's Beat (which I also remember watching late on Saturday nights so it might well have been here I first caught up with JT), and Beryl Reid Says Good Evening. His mix of satire, attitude and irreverence was not to everyone's taste. In fact, I think it safe to say you either loved him or hated him. He had the most unique delivery ; a truly down to earth bloke singing in a chanson style (that is, a song with French words and strong on lyrics) but in English. And most of his songs contained big dollops of innuendo and sometimes were simply rude and provocative. Class, sex, family relationships, religion, animals and observations of the odd world in which we live were his lyrical targets.

Jake Thackray was born in 1938, grew up as a Roman Catholic, and was a clever man who graduated from Durham University and looked destined for a teaching career. In fact, he used his musical talents on his kids in class as an aid to educating them. He subsequently spent four years living in France, hence the Gallic influence of his later work. He went on to make over 1000 TV and radio appearances and numerous albums. He had a significant following, though his style did go out of favour. In his later life he was disillusioned with 'showbiz', and crippling nerves disallowed performing in public. He moved to South Wales and became increasingly more religious. Jake died on Christmas Eve 2002, news of which led to a revival of interest in his work.

As I said, Jake Thackray disappeared from my life for a long time. But his clever wit and inimitable material is still funny and I am very pleased to have caught up with him again. A brilliant performer, of that I have no doubt.

An example of the great man's work can be found on the post Jake Thackray - I Stayed Off Work Today March 27th 2010.

John Arlott

This man might seem a strange choice in a tribute to people who have made me laugh. But he did provide me with one of the funniest stories for my very limited party piece repertoire. More of that in a moment. First, a little more background on a great man and legend of broadcasting.

John Arlott was a Hampshire man, blessed with a rich and glorious burr. His voice was perfect for radio and in particular, cricket. For 34 years, from 1946 to 1980 he was the BBC's 'voice of cricket', as a member of the Test Match Special team. Anyone who loved the game, loved John Arlott and his commentaries. He was also a brilliant writer, a poet, and a lover of wine. In his later life he lived in Alderney in the Channel Islands. John Arlott died on 14 December 1991. I shed a small tear that day.

So, what was that funny moment? In truth, Arlott produced quite a few over the years. More of them another time along with other cricket funnies. The one I want to blog today came not from a radio commentary, but from TV. In the late seventies, the BBC televised John Player Sunday League fixtures. They took up the whole schedule from 2pm through to the finish of the match. There were no other sports events on Sundays in those days. Just cricket. Forty overs a side, Arlott commentating on the first twenty of each innings, the great Jim Laker taking the other twenty. Anyway, one Sunday, and I have no idea when exactly, Arlott, in his customary manner, told viewers that a particular player, Andy Murtagh (who I think played for Hampshire), was Irish. A few moments later he told us again. Next time he touched the ball, he told us again. Such repetition was not in keeping with Arlott's usual polished performances. But the old devil was leading up to a great joke. Moments later a player called Rice was called into the attack. The ball was played into the covers to Murtagh. John Arlott said, simply.........Rice bowls, paddy fields !!!!

That made me laugh and has stuck with me for the best part of thirty years. As I have said, I was very saddened by John Arlott's death in 1991. He had brought another tear to my eye a few years earlier, on September 2nd 1980, the day he commentated on cricket for the final time. I had plenty of holiday owing from work and took a day off especially, in order to witness it on TV. It was the last Test of that summer, England versus Australia. Upon finishing his stint at the microphone, his hand over was without fuss and typically modest. At the end of the next over play was halted. The crowd rose to their feet and, along with the players on the field, they applauded this great man. It was one of the most emotional moments in cricketing and broadcasting history.

Cash In A Flash

Old favourite, Reg Varney, has been in the news today. On 27th June 1967, forty years ago, he was the first person to use a cash machine. He withdrew £10, the maximum in those days, from a hole in the wall at Barclays Bank, Enfield. A small crowd witnessed the event. To put that historic moment into some perspective, it is believed there will be 2 million cash machines around the world by 2010. The busiest time for cash machines is the one hour period between midday and 1pm on the Friday before Christmas - last year a staggering £57 million was withdrawn in that sixty minutes.

Nearly every report I have seen refers to Reg Varney, 'from On The Buses'. He was of course famous for his role of Stan Butler in that series, but in actual fact On The Buses did not start until 1969. In 1967, Reg was starring in another hit sit-com, Beggar My Neighbour.

Title Music # 2 - Top Cat

Originally Broadcast : 27 Sept 1961 to 18 Apr 1962

Channel : ABC

Produced By : Hanna-Barbera

Starring : Arnold Strang (Top Cat), Paul Frees, Maurice Gosfield, Leo DeLyon, Marvin Kaplan, John Stephenson, Allen Jenkins, Jean Vander Pyl.

Episodes : 30

Pinwright's Progress

The world's first ever sit-com is reputed to have been a BBC show called Pinwright's Progress. The black and white thirty minute production was screened in November 1946 and lasted for 10 episodes through to May 1947, being shown every other week. The star was James Hayter, pictured twice above, on the left as a younger man and on the right as Mr Percival Tebbs in Are You Being Served? in 1978, his final TV role. There were some similarities between Pinwright's Progress and Are You Being Served? Both were set in shops - Macgillygally's Stores and Grace Brothers. And Pinwright's Progress had a character called Mrs Sigsbee, played by Doris Palmer, who was an early version by all accounts, of Mrs Slocombe.

James Hayter played J Pinwright, the owner of Macgillygally's, and storylines revolved around his feud with a hated rival, and the antics of his staff. He went on to be a familiar TV face for a further three decades, notably as Mr Pickwick in Pickwick Papers, The Forsyte Saga, and The Onedin Line. His sound however, was perhaps even more famous than his face in the late 70's and 80's. He was the original voice of Mr Kipling - that maker of 'exceedingly good cakes'.

No tapes exist of Pinwright's Progress as it was not recorded. I was not around in 1946 (honest I wasn't), but I thought it nice to document the point at which sitcom first started.

Cocked That Right Up Didn't We

TV comedy is not solely restricted to sit-com or stand up performers. X Factor is wonderful viewing and never fails to capture the interest of the nation and at times can be very funny. Like the occasion when Welsh singing duo Total Eclipse, real names Fiona Rae Griffiths and Pam Edwards, turned up for the Cardiff audition. Their problems started before they even sang. When asked to which group they aspired, Pam answered 'That's a toughie innit ?' , Fiona adding 'Innit', Pam 'Eh?' and finally Fiona with 'Weren't expecting that question.' Eventually they settled for Abba. They then sang Summer Of 69 but ended it abruptly with Pam declaring 'Oh see! Cocked that right up didn't we' ? Fiona just laughed with Pam adding 'Oh never mind'. The clip shows the reaction of the judges, and notably Simon Cowell who suggested that Fiona reminded him of Vicky Pollard !! Cruel. But these girls took it in great spirit and actually found it in their hearts to laugh at themselves, an attribute so few of us can boast. The very end of the clip is just magic...........note the look of absolute dismay on Fiona's face.

The picture at the top shows the girls after a make-over on the following Monday's edition of ITV's This Morning. They were totally transformed and gave a creditable performance of Dobie Gray's Drift Away.

Thanks girls............a great piece of TV comedy.

The Thin Blue Line

In my head, I always have The Thin Blue Line down as a modern sit-com. So I have to be mindful that it is in fact nearly twelve years since it was first shown in the UK. And in my opinion it is a gem of a comedy and regrettably one that has been overlooked by many people of my age. I have discussed this often with friends who share my memories of earlier sit-com series but have little or no knowledge of The Thin Blue Line. Which really is a shame, because there are few comedies, before or since, that produced as many funny moments in a thirty minute time slot as this one did.

It was written and produced by Ben Elton, and through the casting of Rowan Atkinson, re-formed the hugely successful Blackadder partnership. The setting was a police station in the fictional town of Gasforth, which was one heck of a bad place. In the fourteen episodes, we saw terrorism, violent robberies, teenage delinquency, entrapment, racist skinheads, road protesters and drugs raids. These crimes were investigated by CID, headed by Detective Inspector Derek Grim (David Haig), whilst the uniformed officers, led by Inspector Raymond Fowler (Rowan Atkinson) were left to merely uphold Her Majesties peace. It is this scenario which provides the main storyline in most episodes, through marvellous characterisation. Fowler is an old fashioned policeman, well turned out, a man of routine who plays life by the rule book of decency and patriotism. He is a staunch supporter of the Queen. And, when reminiscing about Meccano and Biggles, ultimately boring. Grim on the other hand is a scruffy plain clothes cop, obviously proud of his elevation to CID and always out to make a name for himself. He is a chancer and provides many a funny moment with his ranting and terrible use of the English language ( hoity toity, lardey dardey........I can't even start to put this into words, and will have to post a clip soon if I can). This battle of styles carries on through each show with the loyal Fowler often winning the day over the conceited Grim.

The supporting characters are also excellent. The station, despite the problems in the local community, was not a busy place, and many scenes took place with the officers behind their desks, working. Many days started with Inspector Fowler wheeling his bike through the front door, looking a right twerp in his white cycling helmet and fluorescent jacket. Behind the front desk was Sergeant Patricia Dawkins (Serena Evans), his girlfriend of ten years. Raymond's total lack of interest in sex was a subject of continual frustration for the simmering and broody Patricia. In one episode he admitted how he was looking forward to getting home to his bed - for ' a chapter of John Buchan and a chocolate Hob Nob'. Sgt Dawkins was well used to the disappointment and often showed her fiery side, always directed at Inspector Fowler. The three uniformed officers were Constable Frank Gladstone (Rudolph Walker of Love Thy Neighbour fame), Constable Maggie Habib (Mina Anwar) and Constable Kevin Goody (James Dreyfus). Frank was a slow moving veteran who often dealt with the most mundane matters. But the relationship of Maggie and Kevin was a constant storyline. She was bright and feisty. He was dim and grotesquely camp. And the two provided some great comedy moments with PC Goody often dangerously aroused when in the company of the WPC. Maggie was in no way interested in Kevin's feeble attempts to score (on one occasion she tells him he is the last turkey in the shop).Gormless Goody was also often on the wrong side of Inspector Fowler. Their relationship was akin to that of Captain Mainwaring and Private Pike in Dad's Army. Ben Elton was a huge fan of the 70's sit-com and many commentators have drawn comparisons with the characterisations of that show and The Thin Blue Line.

Unlike the uniformed officers, CID were not desk bound. They were high energy. Happy to follow their erratic leader Grim, they enjoyed their perceived superiority over the others. There were two Detective Constables, in the first series Robert Kray (Kevin Allen and missing from the above photograph) who was always eating or on the phone ordering, a take-away meal, and Gary Boyle (Mark Addy) in the second. Kray was lazy and liked to laugh at his own jokes whilst Boyle fancied himself as a bit of a hard nut. Both were largely useless at their jobs and generally irritating. They were however vital components in Grim's mis-guided operations and added much to the detective versus plod skirmishes. They dealt with the real crime but not very well !

Many of the laughter moments in The Thin Blue Line were earthy, at times quite explicit, and always high on innuendo. But it was very sharp, funny, and quirky. Critics were not altogether complimentary of the show, pointing at inconsistencies in the characters. Personally I can just take it for what it is - a relatively modern sit-com with an old fashioned format that makes me laugh a lot. It's content is essentially 90's but it's style is probably more 70's. Considering the series was made up of only a short number of episodes , I think the writer and cast did a great job in establishing such a funny group of characters, all of whom made for some memorable TV moments. Like the episode where Goody buys Inspector Fowler a puncture repair kit and WPC Habib sexy underwear for Christmas............then manages to get the parcels mixed up. And the occasion where a film crew arrives at Gasforth Police Station to make a fly on the wall documentary...........and the unfortunate Raymond accidentally brushes his teeth with black polish just before his big moment.

Perhaps the biggest shame in sit-com lies in the fact that the best has often lasted for far too short a time, and I am sure The Thin Blue Line had another series or two in it. I watch the episodes over and over again and wish there were more. It was just too good to manage only 14 episodes.

Blog Gallery # 1

Four faces from earlier postings. Top Left : Peggy Mount , wonderful comic actress and friend of Pat Coombs (8 April 2007). Top Right : Sexy Vanessa Angel , seen here as con woman Claudia in Kingpin (27 May 2007). Bottom Left : Former Redcoat Colin Crompton, Club Chairman at The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club (22 April 2007) Bottom Right : Brian Wilde as Mr Barrowclough, the prison warden in Porridge (11 February 2007).

Ronnie Hazlehurst - King Of The Comedy Themes

This clip provides us with what is, in my opinion, the loveliest music from any British sit-com past or present. It is of course from the long running Last Of The Summer Wine. Any fan will know from the opening and closing credits that the composer was Ronnie Hazlehurst. But something not so well known is just how prolific he has been in providing us with sit-com theme tunes. Here a list of other Ronnie Hazlehurst compositions (first nine) and arrangements (remainder):

1. Are You Being Served

2. Sorry

3. Yes Minister

4. Wyatt's Watchdogs

5. Three Up, Two Down

6. The Fall & Rise Of Reginald Perrin

7. The Two Ronnies

8. Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

9. To The Manor Born

10. Butterflies

11. Only Fools And Horses

12. Three Of A Kind

13. No Place Like Home

14. Just Good Friends

15. The Likely Lads

Ronnie Hazlehurst's other great claim to fame was as Musical Director of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, 1977 and 1982 (you remember, those days when we occasionally won it). He also conducted the British entry many times, memorably in 1977 when he used a rolled up umbrella as a baton for Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran's Rock Bottom.

Back to this clip, which is an excellent slide show portraying the regular characters from Last Of The Summer Wine. This particular sit-com relies almost entirely on depth of characterisation; many jokes are repetitive and unique to that particular person. Episodes are often a collage of cameo appearances woven between the main story line which always involves the three main characters. I am grateful to imitation700mb who put the slide show together splendidly and gave permission for it to be posted here. It has brought back some wonderful memories, especially of earlier cast members such as Blamire, Wally and Sid, who are, alas, no longer with us.

Postcards # 3

Another two saucy postcards from my collection, this time from Sunny Pedro. This series was particularly popular in the 60's and 70's and left little to the imagination. The top card is number 101 and involves that great British comedy tradition - the milkman. It was posted from Margate to Doncaster in 1967. Naughty wives are a constant thread in saucy postcards - just what was she up to dressed like that so early in the day !!?? The second card, number 174, visits another favourite theme for the seaside postcard, nudists, seen here at breakfast time in a hotel. I love the facial expressions ; delight from the woman, embarrassment for the guy at the food trolley. The fella at the next table is greatly amused, unlike the husband, who looks simply dumbfounded at his wife's remarks !!

I Laughed My Socks Off............

.........when I first heard this

''As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.''

Norman Wisdom

Frank Spencer - Roller Skates

For most of the 70's, Frank Spencer was a comedy icon. Though the sit-com Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em produced only 22 episodes over three seasons (with, strangely, a five year gap from 1973 to 1978 between the second and third series), the character was perhaps the most mimicked of any in the history of TV comedy. He was a main ingredient in the acts of impersonators such as Mike Yarwood, Bobby Davro and Lenny Henry. Most people could have a reasonable go at an 'Ooh Betty' ; at work, in the pub or the playground.

The above clip comes from the end of the 1973 episode, Fathers' Clinic. Frank (Michael Crawford) and Betty (Michele Dotrice), are looking after two children whose mother is in hospital. A trip to a roller skating rink results in typical mayhem. The scene represents one of the most lasting memories of the show and would arguably be in any list of all time great comedy moments. Believe me, when first viewed it was pretty scary stuff , as were many of Crawford's other stunts in the series. Enjoy it.

Kingpin

Every so often in life you stumble across a little gem..............a hugely enjoyable piece of entertainment that you just didn't even know existed. Ok,ok, I don't know where I have been since 1996 when the Farrelly brothers comedy film, Kingpin was released. I have seen Something About Mary, by the same writers, and found it amusing in parts. But Kingpin is much better. It is crude and rude, even tasteless and disgusting in places. Definitely for an adult audience, though in fairness young teens will enjoy some of the bowling scenes and the vulgarity will largely pass them by.

Unlike many comedy films, Kingpin has an interesting story line and well developed characterisation. Roy Munson, played by Woody Harrelson, is a talented ten pin bowler as a child and fulfills his promise as a hot prospect by defeating Ernie 'Big Ern' McCracken (Bill Murray), in the State final. McCracken is a slippery, devious character whose nastiness to Munson culminates in the pair hustling local bowlers after tricking them with a ' two drunks' routine. One con too many leads to Munson being fed to the ball-return by a furious group of deceived players, resulting in his bowling hand being chopped off. McCracken does a runner and Munson blames him for the fact that his sporting career is over and that his right arm now also comprises of a hook and a rubber hand.

The film moves on to present day and Munson is a mess; he has a drink problem, lives in squalor and has a truly horrific landlady (Lin Shaye) to whom he always owes rent. He thinks his luck has changed when he meets Ishmael Boorg (Randy Quaid), a good bowler and a member of the Amish community. Munson wants Ishmael to turn pro but he refuses and has no interest due to his cultural upbringing, until it turns out that his village has a financial problem. It coincides with a bowling tournament in Reno for a million dollars - winner takes all. So Ishmael agrees to give it a go to save his community.

It soon becomes apparent that Ishmael is a good bowler but not that good, despite all the coaching Munson gives him. The pair resort to hustling and fall foul of a dangerous gangster who is not against cheating himself, using his sex tease of a girlfriend, Claudia (Vanessa Angel), to put off opponents just as they are about to bowl.When the gangster loses to Ishmael he hits Claudia but then discovers the pair had no money to gamble with in the first place.They manage a quick escape and are joined by the girl, who spots a money making opportunity. Soon Claudia is using her sexuality to distract Ishmael's rivals and they are quickly raking in some cash.

The film rolls on towards it's climax............the Reno tournament. McCracken, predictably, returns to the scene, and is hot favourite to scoop the prize. Old resentments flare in Munson, but disaster follows when Ishmael breaks his hand hitting the wall (the punch was aimed at McCracken). So Roy 'Rubber Man' Munson has no option but to take his place. Everyone expects McCracken to make the final but not Munson - 'the one time rising star who disappeared'. But Munson wins his matches one by one, setting up the inevitable grand final. McCracken, with his sequined shirts and disastrous hair style puts on a great slime-ball performance and beats a despairing Munson to the prize. It looks like we are heading for a sad ending ; Munson still broke and back in his seedy house, Ishmael returning to his bankrupt township and ready to explain to his family about the debauchery he has fallen into, and Claudia gone ( first with McCracken whom she had earlier, it turns out , had a sexual relationship with , then back to her gangster boyfriend).

The humour in Kingpin is grubby but very very funny. The plot is so well worked and developed , the film easily gets away with some hard-core gags. It turns out a procession of laughs almost all the way through. As you might expect the rubber hand is well used. The innocence of Ishmael and his total naivety to the ways of hot Claudia is a constant source of amusement.There is a great scene involving Claudia's nipples at the freezer (use your imagination) which was an attempt to put him off his game. It had absolutely no effect on him. Ishmael does however soon learn some worldly ways of his own, taking up a job as a drag stripper at one point. Munson shows how useless he is whilst living in the Amish town. He milks a bull and drinks the contents of the bucket !! Then he is asked to remove the shoes off the horses. He cuts their feet off !! There is a great laughter scene where a horse , having lost a few inches in height can no longer quite see over it's stable gate. Perhaps the most appalling moment in Kingpin involves Munson's landlady, a grotesque woman with whom he has to have sex to pay his rent. Don't ask me to explain but the scene is fantastically funny, maybe it was her in bed smoking a cigarette with him chucking up continuously in the background after they had finished.

All the actors put in great performances. Bill Murray kind of steals the show with his portrayal of McCracken in the final showdown. The character is as dislikeable as you could imagine. Woody Harrelson is a lovable rogue as Munson and puts in a great performance. Randy Quaid is very believable as Ishmael and had the perfect, almost child like, facial expressions. The two women, Vanessa Angel and Lin Shaye both left erotic marks on the male audience, though for entirely different reasons.

Thankfully, the ending does turn out happy. Claudia turns up at Munson's place. She has cash, which she has robbed from the gangster. Munson has even better news. A condom company likes 'Rubber Man' and has paid him half a million dollars to promote their products. There is of course only one place the money can go, to Ishmael and his family, which Munson and Claudia deliver before driving off into the sunset together.

I had no intention of watching this movie.................but I just could not leave it once it had started. Not sure why it has taken eleven years to enter my life but it sure was worth it.

Scrumpy And Western

1976 was a hot summer in England. And a novelty act, the likes of which had never been seen before (nor since) hit our charts. They were called The Wurzels. In May they had a number 1 with Combined Harvester, selling over 400,000 copies and the follow up record in September, I Am A Cider Drinker, reached No 3. Their trade-marks were anything Zummerzet ; cider (scrumpy), pitchforks, straw, farmyards, animals, tractors and West country locations. They brought the music genre, Scrumpy & Western to parts of the country that didn't even know it existed. And amid a raging heatwave they brought some new humour to our lives.

The Wurzels had been in existence many years before their national fame, formed in 1966 as the backing group to Adge Cutler , a much loved West country performer who wrote and sung humorous songs to local audiences, and had previously been road manager to Acker Bilk. They had a minor hit in '67 with Drink Up Thy Zider and were hugely popular. Ironically, their major successes came after Adge Cutler was tragically killed in a car crash in Chepstow on his way home from a gig in 1974. The Wurzels needed new material and turned therefore to re-writing other popular tunes, adding their own lyrics and country yokel accents. Melanie's 'Brand New Key' became Combined Harvester, and Jonathan King's 'Una Paloma Blanca' was turned into I Am A Cider Drinker.

Chart acclaim was short lived. The 1977 release Farmer Bill's Batman made it to No 32 and was to be their final hit. The group, Reg Quantrill (banjo), Tommy Banner (accordion) and Pete Budd (lead man with a great jovial smile), made various TV appearances around this time. Whilst they were heavily criticised by music purists, their act was truly original and refreshing and much enjoyed by those who took them for what they were - a bunch of guys having a bit of fun. After their time in the lime-light passed, they returned to performing live concerts and by the end of the 90's had achieved cult status once more, especially amongst students. To this day they remain regular favourites in the West Country and it was recently announced that I Am A Cider Drinker was to re-released for charity with Tony Blackburn sharing the singing duties.

With a discography which includes songs such as Champion Dung Spreader, The Wurple - Diddle - I - Doo - Song, Don't Tell I Tell 'Ee, and The Marrow Song ( Oh What A Beauty), The Wurzels are never going to be taken seriously, are they. But they have provided warm memories for me and no doubt countless others. Cheers lads.............here's to more scrumpy.

I Didn't Know That # 4

You stumble across all kinds of things you didn't know whilst researching for a blog..................................

The character Corporal Clotski in Carry On Follow That Camel looked strangely familiar when I watched it recently. The actor playing the role turned out to be a young John Bluthal , more recently famous as boring parish clerk Frank Pickles in The Vicar of Dibley.

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The working title for BBC sit-com Last Of The Summer Wine was ' The Library Mob ', a place much frequented by Blamire, Clegg and Compo in the early episodes.

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When Bernard Hedges (John Alderton) left Fenn Street School, he was replaced by David Ffitchett - Brown, played by Richard Warwick.

The Casuals - Jesamine

Sometimes I simply want to post a music clip...........not funny, just something I find seriously good. I need add nothing........other than to say I like it a great deal
Jesamine by The Casuals
What am I supposed to do
With a girl like Jesamine
Though my eyes are open wide
She's made my life a dream
(Chorus) When Jesamine goes
A part of me knows, I'm not really living
A butterfly child, so free and so wild
And so full of living
When Jesamine stays
Though time goes fast
This is my world at last
Beautiful days, lost in her eyes
But then the whole world dies

(Chorus) When Jesamine goes
A part of me knows, I'm not really living
A butterfly child
So free and so wild
And so full of living
What can you say
When a girl doesn't want to know
She's too far away
And she makes my life a dream
(Chorus) When Jesamine goes
A part of me knows, I'm not really living
A butterfly child
So free and so wild
And so full of living
When Jesamine stays
Though time goes fast
This is my world at last
Beautiful days, lost in her eyes
But then the whole world dies
What am I supposed to do
With a girl like Jesamine
Though my eyes are open wide
She makes my life a dream
(Chorus) When Jesamine goes
A part of me knows
I'm not really living......(fades)