We’re excited and delighted that a book just been published which brings stories from the world of the Goons in the 1950s. The book is A Lifetime in Television, it’s the memoirs of Marjorie Graham.
The book is published by Kaleidoscope Publishing. It’s currently available as a hardback here on LULU. (see hint below)
Marjorie Graham? I hear many of you ask. To have her introduce herself, here’s an excerpt from an article she wrote under her maiden name of Sullivan for Girl Film and Television Annual in 1957.
I remember several years ago, when I was leaving school, wanting to do work that was unusual and out-of-the-ordinary, but I never imagined my Boss would turn to me one day and ask me to find an elephant from somewhere and arrange to transport it. Neither did I imagine during my normal working hours I would ever be seated in the rear of a 1934 taxi with my Boss grimly clutching what was left of a steering wheel as we chugged slowly across a cricket pitch. But now, after a few years as a Television Production Assistant I find that these and many other similar happenings are all part and parcel of the daily work.
Since joining one of the London Independent Television Companies, I have been working in the Light Entertainment Department on many shows, including the Peter Sellers & Spike Milligan ‘Fred’ series and the Tommy Cooper series, and – on looking back, I can’t think of any career which could be more out of the ordinary.
Marjorie wrote that piece in 1957 to encourage girls into the Film and TV industry. (The article was reproduced in full in the September 2022 issue of Goon Show News, if you’re interested.)
Marjorie has been a great supporter of the GSPS over the years. Her contributions include a talk she gave at the Son of a Weekend Called Fred meeting we held in Brighton in 1997. She has also provided insights to the, largely lost, TV programmes which involved the Goons in the mid 50s. Not least, she provided copies of the scripts for an episode of A Show Called Fred, four episodes of Son of Fred, four episodes of The Idiot Weekly Price 2d, an episode of Yes, It’s the Cathode Ray Tube Show and a show called After Hours (starring Michael Bentine).
For a taste of what to expect, GSPS members will find the December 2021 issue of Goon Show News included a transcript of Marjorie’s talk at our 1997 meeting.
hint: Its suggested that if you’re going to buy a copy, log in to the site first and create an account. Pause… You’ll be sent a code for 10% off and two quid is two quid. Then you can go back in and buy your book.
Marjorie Graham, née Sullivan, sadly passed away in the evening of 8th April in St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, a matter of days before her 90th birthday. We were notified by a friend of hers who knew of our connection and also sought advice about Marjorie’s book.
Marjorie’s friend, Joyce Slater, told us that the local FaceBook group was full of
‘lovely tributes and memories’. There was a definite fondness for her locally and her friends were pleased that her book was published before she passed and that she knew that many of her friends had bought a copy. Thirty copies were bought by many members of the church, neighbours and friends.
There is an extremely interesting interview, part of The British Entertainment History Project, at: historyproject.org.uk, and also a nice obituary from Sussex World.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 