Originally published – June 2024
The unfortunate, sad news is that Mark Cousins is giving up producing this column. Would anybody else like to do it, please? Drop me a message.
The Goons
Just Fred the Oyster. That’s all, just Fred the Oyster
Blue Bottle sings his new record Sideways… well, a bit of it anyway.
Birmingham Comedy Festival presents: THE GOON SHOW, 2023.
A trailer methinks…
The First Albert Memorial To The Moon: Picture Show: some good photographs, must have cost a small fortune in royalties. ‘No Band Links’ it advertises proudly.
The Ghost Writers of Finchley
Performance time… as part of the July, 2023, Warrnambool (Victoria, Australia) Storytelling Festival in front of a live audience at Mozart Hall.
This is the premiere of a radio play written by Philip Liebelt adapted from The Goon Show. The picture is worth the money! Good ain’t it!
Alice the Goon: a weird reaction to seeing Alice on Popeye. Her second character, when she was reintroduced as Swee’ Pea’s nanny.
Peter Sellers
The Undiscovered Peter Sellers: The way this has been produced is fascinating, captivating and somewhat okay. Mark C is in it being a biographer.
Just one example of the expertise we at the GSPS have at our disposal.
Thoughts from Peter Sellers. Some quotes against a film of a model Peter Sellers. Bit weird.
Spike Milligan
Yellowbeard: The Long Lost Monty Python Film?
A film about the film really. Oh, Spike’s in it, but not much.
The Ratties: Cowboy Time (1987) Narrated by Spike Milligan, written by Laura Milligan, Spike’s eldest daughter who lives in Australia.
Thames adverts, from Christmas Day, 1980.
Spike’s advert for The English Tourist Board.
Carlson Trailers Reel 2: sixth one in: Spike stars in Postman’s Knock. That’s a Spike film that I don’t have, not seen it either.
Today in History – April 16th: Spike’s birthday! Yay!
Also contains others whose birthday is that day.
Harry Secombe
Welsh Legends: Harry Secombe: a totally Secombe show.
Here’s Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan on Parkinson in Australia (June 1981), which might be one we haven’t seen on these verdant sods. Is it worth
watching? Yes it is.
Mixed bag
Peter Medak’s documentary looks at one of the worst movies ever made — a 1974 pirate comedy starring Peter Sellers that Medak himself directed. He still doesn’t seem to know what went wrong.
at variety.com
How Peter Sellers pushed George Harrison into the film industry.
at faroutmagazine.co.uk
Why did people who knew him dislike Peter Sellers?
at www.quora.com
From the BBC: Gudrun Ure, the star of 1980s children’s show Super Gran,
sadly died in May, aged 98. Her portrayal of the granny who gained superpowers after being struck by a magic ray won her legions of young fans in the ITV series, which ran from 1985 through to 1987. As well as Super Gran, the actress appeared in stage productions, radio plays and other television shows.
Many celebrities and media stars appeared in cameos on her programme, including, just the once: as a guest zoo keeper: Spike Milligan! YAY!
Spike points to a tatty hairbrush on a log and says: “… and over there we have Dick, the flightless hedgehog.”
As some dastardly bandits creep past with some nicked pot plants. Spike sees
them and says: ’ere! Where are you going with my tropical rainforest… drop ’em!” “Not in front of the children!”
All good childish fun, except the Morris Dancers are called ‘The Chisleton
Pansies.’ I’m not sure about that!
Here’s the episode on YouTube, but the quality is not as good as it will be on Encyclopædia Goonicus 7.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 