Annotated Goon Show answers
Paul Winalski
which the newsgroup members were able to provide answers. Thanks
to all who responded.
-Paul W.
=====================================================================
3) Show 1/1: The Dick Barton sketch ends thusly:
Snowy: Great Scott! It's an atom bomb!
Jock: What'll we do?
Barton: Quick, men, put your fingers in your ears.
GRAMS: (tremendous explosion)
Barton: (fading) You threw an atom bomb in the cellar,
didn't you, Sidney?
Sidney: Yes.
Fagan: And you've blown Mr. Barton into little pieces,
haven't you, Sidney?
Sidney: Yes. Yes.
Timothy: Listen again tomorrow to "Dick Barton's Special
Funeral".
GRAMS: ("Devil's Gallop" up
Sidney: Yes. Yes.
So what is this all about? Who are Sidney and Fagan? It
doesn't seem to have anything to do with Oliver Twist (whose
villain is named 'Fagin', not 'Fagan', anyway). It sounds
like it must be a reference to some other radio programme
or music hall sketch or something of that sort. But what?
> Sidney is a small child character from "Ray's a Laugh", who
> was interrogated by a detective played by Ted Ray.
6) Show 1/5: In the "Visit to the Health Clinic" sketch is
this exchange:
Milligan: There we are--nails trimmed and a lovely coat
of our latest rose pink varnish. Now if
you'll take my advice, with this shade
you'll wear a black satin gown and the hair
in a bang over one eye.
Sellers (E. Rose): I don't know--it's going to look a bit
funny down the mines.
The original typescript had this second line as "Peter (Brum)"
but this was struck through and "E. Rose" written in. So
who is this E. Rose?
> Probably "English Rose", meaning Peter's sultry female voice
> also known as Cynthia, or "Breathy Kensington Dear".
7) Show 4/3: "The Mount Everest Project" sketch. One of the
Russians has this line:
Our camels... are cleaned and washed every day in Charvil.
They don't smell!
All I've been able to find out about Charvil is that it's a
parish in Berkshire. Why would one wash camels there?
> That should be "Javelle", as in Eau de Javelle (or Javelle
> Water), a solution of sodium or poatssium hypochlorite invented
> in the French town of Javelle in 1785 by C. L. Barthollet, and
> the first chemical bleach.
10) Show 4/18: "The Siege of Khartoum" sketch has this Abdul
line:
(approaching) Coming, sir, coming! Long live Rule
Britannia, hooray for Johnny Williams, poor old Hec,
bang, wallop, crash, nine, ten, out.
What exactly is this referring to? I found a reference to
an American boxing coach named Hec Knowles, so perhaps this
is a reference to some boxing match in the early 1950s?
> On 1 July 1953, middleweight boxer Ellsworth “Spider” Webb knocked
> out Johnny Williams in two rounds. Webb had been introduced to his
> trainer, Carl Nelson, by trainer Hec Knowles.
12) Show 4/20: "The Toothpaste Expedition" sketch has this
joke sequence involving Dick Barton and Ellinga:
Ellinga: My master, the great Rags Tariches, he send me here
to guide you safely back to your old country.
Barton: That's very decent of him. Anything we can do in
return for this . . . this great Rags Tariches?
Ellinga: Yes, white man. You can join me in singing the
praises of my master.
Barton: Right.
Ellinga: Ready? One, two . . . (sings, accompanying self
on bongos) I've been and gone from rags to
riches . . . .
Can anyone identify this song with they lyric "I've been and gone
from rags to riches" (or something similar)?
> "Rags to Riches", song by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and a
> 1953 #1 hit for Tony Bennett.
13) Show 4/24: There's this dialogue after Seagoon arrives
in South America:
Bloodnok: Well, you... you're like a midget.
Seagoon: There's a very good reason for that.
Bloodnok: What?
Seagoon: I can't stand heights.
Bloodnok: Spoken like a pygmy. And talking of pygmies,
have you any brandy with you?
I don't get it. What do pygmies have to do with brandy?
> A dram of undiluted brandy is called a 'short', hence the
> association with pygmies.
15) Show 4/26 has this Seagoon line:
Sheriff: What? Drain Crun, the scourge of Lemonton Spa?
What is Lemonton Spa?
>Leamington Spa in Warwickshire.
16) Show 4/26: Crun and Eccles sing thus while riding the trail:
We're riding along, westerly way . . . Nellie Dean . . .
Sweet memory . . . (gibberish)
I know what "Nellie Dean" is, but what about the other two song
snatches?
> "Riding Along on the Crest of a Wave", the signature tune of
> long-running Scouts' amateur charity revue "The Gang Show".
19) Show 5/9
I've discovered that London Transport issued special commemorative
"Last Tram Week" tickets in July 1952 when the last of London's
tramways was shut down and replaced by busses. Does anyone know
if there actually *was* a Last Tram Ceremony, and if so, did it
involve the presentation of a marble clock to the driver?
> The last tram driver was the deputy chairman of London Transport,
> who was a former tram driver. Whether there was also a ceremony
> involving the presentation of a marble clock is unknown.
21) Show 5/12:
Indian: (over) Ah, sahib. Welcome to the Burrapow Sewer Club.
What does the dirt-encrusted sahib desire? All the
sensuous drinks of the orient are yours. The palm beedy,
the scented Vishnu wine, the toddy juice, the aromatic crab
pani. Which do you desire, o wicked one?
What are "palm beedy" and "crab pani"?
> A biddi is a small (smaller than a cigarette) Indian cigar made
> from a rolled leaf. "Crab pani" remains unsolved.
22) Show 5/13:
Boadicea: It’s... it’s not another students’ rag, is it? After
that thing they put on my head last year...
So what *did* the students put on the statue of Boadicea in 1953
(or perhaps 1952 or 1954)?
> A chamber pot.
24) Show 5/16, same dialogue as 56:
Seagoon: (over FX) There he goes, collecting for Britain. And
here comes the Prime Minister.
Churchill: Ahh. (changes voice to Lew) And good morning. Good
Evening.
Seagoon: I say, your voice *has* changed.
Lew: Yes. Don't you read the papers? Aha ha.
What is this referring to? Is it just the fact that Anthony Eden
took over as PM after Churchill's 1954 resignation, or is there
more to it than that?
> This likely refers to the newspaper strike going on at the time
> of Churchill's resignation.
27) Show 5/17:
Seagoon: Curse! It's next door. It's always next door in
China.
The audience thinks this is very funny. I don't get it. What's
always next door in China?
> A reference to a filthy joke about how Chinamen always end up
> peeing into the cubicle next door because they can't see
> straight due to their slanted eyes.
28) Show 5/17:
Bluebottle: I don’t like this game, it’s a rotten game. Let’s
play naughty Amy Scott being fired game.
Who is Amy Scott and why was she fired, and from what job?
> That should be Avis Scott (1927-), film actress who became a
> BBC TV announcer in 1954, but caused controversy when the BBC
> fired her in January 1955 for being "too glamourous and sexy".
29) Show 5/19:
Seagoon: What’s a souk?
Grytpype: Souk it and see. But, um…
I've been able to determine that "suck it and see" was the slogan
for a brand of throat lozenge. But what was the exact product?
> "Suck it and see", Australian slang for "try it out".
31) Show 5/21:
Bloodnok: Don’t interrupt, please. I took her to Grant Road,
and... what? Drowning, you say? Surely not drowning?
Grant Road is in Mumbai (Bombay). Does it have any special
significance?
> Grant Road is the red light district in Mumbai.
34) Show 6/4:
Grytpype: (echo) Will pay anybody five pounds to remove piano
from one room to another. Apply The Bladders,
Harpyapipe, Quants.
I got the "up yer pipe" joke. But what is 'quants.' an
abbreviation for?
> Abbreviation for a made-up district in England, along the
> lines of Hants. for Hampshire, Berks. for Berkshire, Oxon. for
> Oxfordshire, etc.
35) Show 6/8:
Sellers: (eerie echo) The story of Shangri-La is adopted from
Fred Hilton’s book, Lost Horizontally, based on the
legend of Shangra-Loo, from the play "Across Ava
Gardner with Stethoscope, Geiger Counter...
Shangri-La".
The "Across Ava Gardner" bit is clearly a comic reference to the
title of some play or film or book. But what?
> Most likeley the reference is to the book "Out of This World:
> Across the Himalayas to Hidden Tibet", by Lowell Thomas,
> published in 1951.
38) Show 6/14:
Greenslade: Hear that applause, dear listener? It was not for
Danny Kaye, not for Fred Lane.
Danny Kaye I know, but who is/was Fred Lane?
> Frankie Laine, singer of title tunes for Westerns such as
> "Rawhide" and "Blazing Saddles". His 1953 recording of "I
> Believe" topped British charts for 18 weeks (a feat unmatched
> even by The Beatles). The 'Fred' bit is a common Milliganism.
39) Show 6/16:
Mai Jones: Oh, it’s Greenslade, the voice from Under Milk Wood.
Lovely man he is too. Pull up Eccles and sit down.
And in Show 7/18:
Bloodnok: (approaching) Bravo! Bravo, lad. Aren’t you Neddie
"under milk pudding" Seagoon?
These are both references to Dylan Thomas's radio play "Under
Milk Wood", broadcast in 1954 on the BBC Third Programme and
starring an all-Welsh cast. These Goon Show references seem to
imply that Harry Secombe performed in the 1954 broadcast and
that Greenslade announced it. I've been unable to find anything
on the 'Net about who the performers were, aside from Richard
Burton.
Did Greenslade or Secombe participate?
> Richard Burton was the First Voice in the original BBC radio
> production of "Under Milk Wood". Harry Secombe was not in
> the broadcast--the reference is to Secombe being Welsh.
40) Show 6/16:
Grytpype: Not so fast, crazy-type frog-eater. Neddie, allow me
to introduce my heavily-oiled friend here, Count
Fred Moriarty, crack leather bucaine player and
voted Mr. Thin Legs of nineteen twelve.
What's 'bucaine'? I can't find this word either on the 'Net or
in the OED.
> Trumpet, from Latin 'buccina' (shepherd's horn) and 'bucinator'
> (trumpeter).
41) Show 6/17:
Seagoon: Now, you see this large map of the Dacca and Ambritsar
area showing the high ground and Sunday trains to Delhi?
Dacca is of course the Anglisised spelling of Dhaka, the capital
of Bangladesh. With Secombe's Welsh accent it sounds as if he's
saying 'Dakar' (capital of Senegal), but that makes no geographic
sense. The open question is what the second place name is. It
sounds like he's saying 'Ambristar' but I've been unable to find
any place in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent with
a name resembling that. There's Amristar, but that's in the
Punjab, on the other side of the subcontinent, so it makes no
sense in the context of a "Dacca and Amristar area". Can anyone
out there make better sense of what Seagoon's saying?
> That should be Amritsar, the Punjabi city and site of the
> Golden Temple.
43) Show 6/19:
Bannister: I said, what about the drains in Hackney? We have...
There are several other references during Goon parliamentary
debates to "the drains in Hackney". Near as I can tell, "What
about the drains in X?" is a cliche phrase for background
mutterings at political meetings, like "rhubarb, rhubarb".
> It not only is a cliche Parliamentary question ("What about
> the drains/lamppost/whatever in X?") but the drains in
> Hackney really are bad.
48) Show 6/23:
McGregor: On the contrary, Professor Farvlov, the off-white
Russian scientist… is about to perfect a synthetic imitation
Russian-speaking Tuscan male Salami, that may completely
deceive the unsuspecting female.
Any significance to the name Farvlov? I thought it might be
Pavlov, the famous Russian animal behaviour scientist. Or
perhaps a play on Farlow, the bebop guitarist.
> Pavlov (with a Scottish accent).
49) Show 6/23:
Grytpype: With these plans of the female he can breed a million
more and bombard Soho with its own deadly kind.
Referring to Tuscan salamis. Soho's a London district notorious
for its prostitutes, as well as theatres and more respectable
businesses. What's the connection to Tuscan salamis?
> A phallic reference.
50) Show 6/25:
Moriarty: Back pay? Ohieooeioh! Sapristi Ebison Glasshouse!
Ohohieoh!
Who/what is Ebison Glasshouse?
> Should be "Eddystone Glasshouse". A James Joyce-type combination
> of Eddystone Lighthouse and 'glasshouse' (slang for 'prison').
54) Show 7/SP1:
Robin Hood: It’s no good. Lew is unreliable. He let Milligan
down at Eastbourne.
Eccles: I know.
Presumably some inside joke referring to a booking (or lack thereof)
for Spike at the Royal Hippodrome or one of the other theatres in
Eastbourne. Does anyone know any details?
> To quote Paul Webster's response:
>
> In Spikes early days (sorry no date) Lew Grade booked him for a week
> in Eastbourne and offered him 25 pounds extra if it went well. It did
> go well but the money didn't arrive.
> According to the "Spike an intimate memoir" by Norma Farnes (which I
> finished a few days ago) Spike reminded Lew of this every year on his
> Christmas card ... "You still owe me twenty-fvie quid from
> Eastbourne."
> Norma asked Lew why he never paid and he replied ... "What! And not
> get that Christmas card from Spike every year! It's worth more than
> £25,000."
55) Show 7/10:
Seagoon: You fisherman’s nit.
Eccles: What? You be... be careful how you talk to me.
Seagoon: I don’t wish to know this.
Eccles: You... do you know Lord Strogboli?
Seagoon: No.
Eccles: Well you just be careful what you say, then.
Who is Lord Strogboli?
> On listening again, it's definitely Stromboli. A reference to the
> 1950 film "Stromboli", starring Ingrid Bergman and notable because
> of Bergman's off-screen affair with the film's director, which resulted
> in the birth of an illegitimate child. Bergman plays a rich
> Lithuanian woman who marries a poor Italian soldier to escape an
> internment camp. He is a poor fisherman from the volcanic island of
> Stromboli, and takes her back to a hard life on that island. Hence the
> fisherman reference.
57) Show 7/11:
Crun & Bannister: (together, sing) Someday I’ll find you,
moonlight behind you, turn to the dream I am dreaming.
Yes, I can hear you, your smile as it smiles... Oooh!
Greenslade: During this tender duet between Jimmy Wheeler
and Liberace... I’d like to remind listeners that
approaching this scene is Chief Ellinga followed on foot
by Eccles, Bluebottle, and the head linesman from
Finchley Telephone Exchange. These little snippets of
information do help, don’t they. Well, I... I won’t hold
up your fun any longer. If anyone wants me, I shall be
in the resident’s lounge.
Jimmy Wheeler is a South London comedian who had a BBC TV show
at the time. Is there anything more to his mention here in
conjunction with Liberace?
> Just that Jimmy had a loud, stentorian voice and couldn't sing,
> making a humorous contrast in a duet with the soft-spoken
> Liberace.
59) Show 7/SP2 (Operation Christmas Duff):
In all the recordings is a line that reads:
Seagoon: Hear that? They’ve sighted the Filscher ice shelf.
Gad, in a few days we’ll be at the base with the pudding.
What a thrill it will be. I can see Dr. Fuchs’s face now.
In the published script (The Lost Goon Show Scripts), this
line reads:
Seagoon: They’ve sighted the ice shelf. Gad, in a few days
we’ll be at the base with the pudding. What a thrill
it will be. I can see Dr. Foulkes’s face now.
Dr. Fuchs (Sir Vivian Fuchs, head of the Commonwealth Trans-
Antarctic Expedition) makes sense. Who is Dr. Foulkes? Is
this just more of Spike's bad spelling?
> The 'Foulkes' in the published script is probably just a
> phonetic spelling of 'Fuchs' to prevent any obscene
> mispronunciation.
60) Show 7/13:
Bluebottle: I have got an idea. (Electric light bulb lights
up above head. Flash, flash, flash, it goes.) I have got
a packet of silent TNT which I readed about in "Black Claw
--Emperor of the Universe" in da Boys' Mag, price
twopence, with free elastic and cardboard jet-fighter.
Is "Black Claw--Emperor of the Universe" a real story from a
real magazine named "Boys' Mag"?
> Black Claw is probbly a reference to Ming the Merciless from the Flash
> Gordon stories and serials. THe "Boys' Own Magazine" was published
> from 1851-1967 and featured educational, scientific, and how-to
> articles as well as illustrated fiction.
62) Show 7/17:
Bloodnok: By the great leather puttees of Jemediah Goldstein!
Colonel Chinstrap, it’s you, sir!
Who is Jemediah Goldstein?
> That should be "Jemadar Goldstein". Jemadar is an older
> name for the Indian Army rank Naib Subedar, a commissioned
> officer in command of a platoon, corresponding to Lieutenant
> in the British Army. Goldstein is of course an incongruous
> name for a Jemadar.
63) Show 7/17:
Eccles: Oh, fine, that... that’s good, dat… dat’s good, um...
(sings) A letter to a dustman who takes my dust away, a
letter to a dustman...
Sounds like a song parody. What is the original?
> Arcaton got this one:
>
> "A letter, to a soldier, who's half a world away..
> the day that it was written, was my red letter day
> For that was how it all began, and now there's going to be
> A letter to a soldier coming home to marry me...."
64) Show 7/18:
Grytpype: We are mountaineering on a rather tight budget.
Neddie, allow me to introduce my friend here on the
south col branch. He is, and I quote from the blue book
of the London Telephone Directory, Count Jim 'Knees'...
What is the blue book of the London Telephone Directory?
> The London Telephone Directory was so large it had to be
> published in several colour-coded volumes. This is also a
> reference to music hall comedian Max Miller, who always
> offered his audience either his white gag book (clean jokes)
> or blue gag book (dirty jokes).
67) Show 7/22:
Bluebottle: We have broughted from England dis
Borden Kelthorp super canal-digging machine.
Is "Borden Kelthorp" just a made-up name? I couldn't find
anything regarding Borden, Kelthorp, Kelthorpe, or Calthorpe
associated with digging machinery.
> Bucyrus-Erie, Ruston-Dunbar, and Ruston-Bucyrus are all names
> of steam shovels used to dig canals. Borden-Kelthorp is
> probably a made-up name of this sort.
70) Show 8/1:
Greenslade: Spon first came to England that fateful New
Year’s dawn in Greek Street. It was three in the morning
and two in the afternoon, making a grand total of five in
the evening.
Greek Street is a street in London's Soho district with lots
of restaurants and nightclubs. Does it have any other
significance?
> Soho being the red-light district. Probably no other significance.
71) Show 8/1:
Bannister: Yes, yes. And we’d better take a spoonful of
Indian brandy. Nalanairy pagosh, ohh!
Anyone have any idea what "nalanairy pagosh" might mean in
Hindi or Bengali?
> That should read "as an added precaution". Darn these Hern ears!
74) Show 8/3:
Bloodnok: Over the North Pole. Through the white hell of
Pittsballou, across Outer Mongolia, and finally, a three
four nine tram to the Embassy.
What/where is Pittsballou? Have we misspelled it?
> "The White Hell of Pitz Palu", 1929 German film about the
> search for a missing person in the Alpen glaciers.
81) Show 8/12:
Seagoon: Stop this rapid sponning. Lad, lad, little Dooley
Alley tough lad, oho ho ho ho.
What/where is Dooley Alley? Is this just another Spike nonsense
word like 'spon'?
> Should be "doolally tap", meaning "mentally ill". Secombe
> fluffs the line a little--must be all that brandy.
82) Show 8/13:
Seagoon: (sings, over, off pitch) Rock salmon and peas, rock
salmon and peas, rock salmon and peas, you got to rock
that salmon cos baby (rallentando) I love youuuu.
In the original script (but not in any of the recordings),
Seagoon sings this to Grytpype and Moriarty as a demonstration
of his rock & roll talents. It's obviously a parody of
something, but what?
> Parody of "Shake, Rattle and Roll".
83) Show 8/15:
Greenslade: Listeners are reminded there are only four
shopping days to next Wednesday.
Seagoon: Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha.
Greenslade: Also eight pints to a gallon and sixteen feet to
eight pairs of boots. I thought you would wish to know
that.
Seagoon: I do not wish to know that. Kindly leave the country.
Jake was a coward...
What does the "Jake was a coward" remark refer to?
> A music hall recital used by second-rate artistes.
84) Show 8/15:
Milligan: (Welsh) Boys, as Mayor of Llandahoy and President of
the Singing and Burial Club... (into Indian voice) I say
we must capture this monster.
Mayor: Thank you, Hindu Stanley.
I don't understand the "Hindu Stanley" reference. Is it Stanley
the African explorer?
> A joke on Hindustan, a term for northern India.
88) Show 8/17:
Grytpype: It’s a Police Inspector standing in a tobacconist’s
window...
Moriarty: Ahh.
Grytpype: With a postcard pinned to him.
Moriarty: Pahh!
Grytpype: What does it say?
Moriarty: Um… "Amateur photographer needs beautiful model to
po..."
Grytpype: Not... not... not that Police Inspector. The one
next to him.
'Ello, 'ello, 'ello, what's all this, then? I don't get the
reference.
> Illicit solicitations in a tobacconist's window, in this case
> irreverantly pinned to a picture of a police inspector.
89) Show 8/18:
Australian: I don’t like what they’re sayin’, Pat.
Sellers: (off) Wogs are comin’ in.
This sort of bit, with Spike playing an Australian occurs in
several shows. What is it lampooning?
> Chips Rafferty, the Australian film actor.
91) Show 8/20:
Bannister: Serious music.
Crun: Yes. Sterling is dropping in the key of E-flat.
Bannister: I'll get a floor-cloth at once.
Crun: Ohhhohho. Where's Frank Barnard?
Who is Frank Barnard?
> Bandleader Jack Hylton's manager.
93) Show 8/26:
Eccles: Ah. (pause) Nope, nope.
Bluebottle: Um. Tom Hernia was dere, standin' on one leg,
bein a Bristol Banana.
Eccles: Um. (pause) No, no. No, um, no... n... try again.
What is a Bristol Banana? Is this a male genitalia reference?
Bluebottle's line got cut to "um" in the TS version.
> 'Bristol' is British slang for 'tit', from rhyming slang:
> Bristol Cities (a football club) -> titties. Bristol Banana
> thus is a phallic reference.
92) Show 8/26:
Seagoon: Gentlemen, we’re getting away from the subject,
namely, the statue of Walter Ralegh.
Milligan: I... I... I don’t see the point of putting a statue
of Prince Monara in Trafalgar Square, sir.
Seagoon: I keep telling you, madam, the statue is of Sir
Walter Ralegh.
Milligan: Subtleties will get you nowhere.
I don't understand the "Prince Monara" reference. I think
'Monara' may be a misspelling?
> On listening to this again, it's definitely Prince Monolulu.
> He was a famous character on the British horse-racing scene, a
> black immigrant from Guyana who, under the name "Ras Prince
> Monolulu", dressed in ostrich feathers, ornate waistcoats,
> and baggy pants. He traded banter with the punters and sold
> tips in envelopes.
> The "statue debate" that is the topic of this show occurred
> in March 1958, when the Ministry of Works announced that the
> statue of James II in front of the National Gallery in
> Trafalgar Square would be moved to a lawn in front of the
> Foreign Office to make room for a statue of Sir Walter Ralegh.
> This was being done to commemorate the 350-th anniversary of
> the foundation of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
>
> There was strong opposition to moving the James II statue from
> the Royal Fine Art Commission.
96) Show V/7:
Bluebottle: Can I go home now?
Seagoon: Yes. Your dinner’s in the oven.
There are several "Your dinner's in the oven" lines in various
Goon Shows. What does this mean? Is it related to "a bun in
the oven" meaning pregnancy?
> To quote Roger the Saurus:
>
> "Not sure about a lot of these but this one's easy. In the 1950s when the
> little woman stayed at home and did housework whilst the man went out to
> work, one of her duties was to ensure dinner was ready to be served as soon
> as her lord and master came in the house - made easier by the fact that
> traffic was a lot less then and cars not generally available to the working
> class. Thus, if you were late home, the dinner was spoilt. So once the
> dinner was in the oven and cooking, the male part of the bargain was to be
> home on time."
>
> So the Seagoon's response could be translated "yes, but don't be late".
99) Show 9/3:
Seagoon: Oh, I see. Who's playing the lead body?
Willium: So 'elp me, Tom Beaty's dead, matey.
Seagoon: Beat dead? Dead beat, that's terrible.
Who is/was Tom Beaty?
> Willium's line should read "Tom Beat--'e's dead, matey" thus setting
> up the "dead beat" joke. No other significance to the name.
101) Show 9/4:
Seagoon: And the rings of melody . . . oh I sing louder
than Adele Lee . . .
Who is/was Adele Lee?
> Adele Leigh, British 1950s singer, often of classical music.
104) Show 9/10:
Greenslade: Oh dear, oh dear. Very well, in place of the word
'holly' here's an excerpt from my latest long-player called
"Suddenly, it's the news".
What is "Suddenly, it's the news" a parody of?
> "Suddenly, It's Spring", song from the 1944 film "Lady in the Dark",
> starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland, remade for television in 1954.
106) Show 9/14:
Quatermass: And Isle of Rhyl to the antipodes. This smell ties
up with Minnie's replica of Irish Stew. Break that door down,
with this break.
What is the Isle of Rhyl?
> The "Isle of Reil", also known as the Insula, is part of the brain.
112) Show 10/2:
Seagoon: Wait! Wait! This isn't a German, this is Sewer-man Sam!
Willium is called "Sewer-man Sam" several times. What does it mean?
> A reference to the bawdy song "Sam the Lavatory Man".
113) Show 10/3:
Gladys: Er, time you dressed, sir. There's a dinner tonight,
mate.
Bloodnok: Oh.
Gladys: And Lord and Lady Hamilton are comin'. Er, what shall
I lay out?
Bloodnok: You lay out Lord Hamilton and leave her to me, will
you? Oh. The full treatment.
Who are/were Lord and Lady Hamilton?
> Lady Hamilton the mistress of Admiral Nelson.
115) Show 10/5:
Grytpype: Ah, a meal fit for a king.
Moriarty: Dave King. Ha hah hah ha!
Who is/was Dave King?
> British television comedian and actor. He had his own show in
> the mid-1950s. His last role (he died in 2002) was a Clifford
> Duckworth on "Coronation Street".
116) Show 10/6:
Geldray: Thank you, folks, and ploogie. This is Max 'Conks'
Geldray, the golden plum and friend of the Snomans. Listen
again next week when you will hear . . . (one long note
on the mouth organ)
Who are the Snomans?
> 'Snoman' is drug culture slang for a cocaine ('snow') dealer.
> 'Conks', "golden plum", and "friend of the Snoman's" are all
> references to Max's large nose.
117) Last Goon Show of All:
Seagoon: . . . I will start my comeback with a new trick,
taught me by a one-legged sailor who did toffee apple
impressions for Noel Coward.
What is this all about? It sounds rude.
> It's a phallic reference.
118) Last Goon Show of All:
Grytpype: Smales of loon! It does look a bit seedy, doesn't
it, yes, he's dressed as our gracious Queen, there must
be trouble at t'Palace, Dan . . . an . . .
Seagoon: Ahoy there, gentlemen of the Frog and Road. Have
you seen a knighthood go this way?
What is the "Frog and Road"?
> From rhyming slang: frog and toad -> road.
119) Last Goon Show of All:
Seagoon: Give me back those snaps or I'll never be on Stars
on Sunday again.
What is "Stars on Sunday"?
> Yorkshire Television religious programme started in 1969.
> It featured Bible readings and religious songs performed by
> many of the stars of the day, including Harry Secombe.
120) Last Goon Show of All:
Crun: I can't hear Eric Sykes, Min. Turn up his
air-conditioning.
Eric Sykes's office was opposite Spike's. What incident does
this refer to?
> Probably a reference to Eric Sykes's deafness.
121) Last Goon Show of All:
Crun: Far out. Far out, man. Oh, what a scene, man.
I'm trying to get this mother tuned in time for the
Military Dairy Show at Olympio.
What is/was the Military Dairy Show? Or Olympio, for that
matter?
> Olympia, an exhibition hall in Earl's Court, London, and
> annual venue for the Military Tattoo and a Dairy Show.
122) Last Goon Show of All:
Bloodnok: (calls) I can't, it's leasehold and. . .
and . . . Litchfield and Grosvenor Estates. And all
that. Cheques and postal orders only, you know, I . . .
What is Litchfield and Grosvenor Estates?
> Lord Lichfield and the Grosvenor Duke of Westminster are
> peers of the realm. Both own extensive and valuable
> estates (a sizeable chunk of the Grosvenor's in central
> London).
123) Last Goon Show of All:
Bloodnok: Now, now, where's me old arrangements, let's
see now. Sweet Sue in C, Mockingbird Lane.
Huh?
> "Sweet Sue" and "Mockingbird Lane" are both popular songs
> of the 1920s/1930s vintage.
124) Last Goon Show of All:
Seagoon: Yes. I must find the snaps of my secret
bloomers before Brian Forbes turns them into a novelty.
Who is Brian Forbes?
> Bryan Forbes, British film actor and director.
125) Last Goon Show of All:
Eccles: Oh, but supposing he's an aristocrat, like an Earl.
Seagoon: Belt him.
Eccles: Ah, a belted Earl. (laughs like a lunatic)
I don't get the joke.
> A member of the aristocracy, from the distinctive belt an Earl
> wears to carry his ceremonial sword.
=============================================================
----------
Remove 'Z' to reply by email.
Tony Quinn
<pr...@ZAnkh-Morpork.mv.com> writes
>Here is the updated list of Goon annotation-type questions to
>which the newsgroup members were able to provide answers. Thanks
>to all who responded.
>21) Show 5/12:
>
> Indian: (over) Ah, sahib. Welcome to the Burrapow Sewer Club.
> What does the dirt-encrusted sahib desire? All the
> sensuous drinks of the orient are yours. The palm beedy,
> the scented Vishnu wine, the toddy juice, the aromatic crab
> pani. Which do you desire, o wicked one?
>
>What are "palm beedy" and "crab pani"?
>
>> A biddi is a small (smaller than a cigarette) Indian cigar made
>> from a rolled leaf. "Crab pani" remains unsolved.
Isn't a pani a bucket or container? I suspect that it's a rather off
colour reference to a female delicacy occasionally referred to as 'fish
pie'..
-----------== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Uncensored Usenet News ==----------
http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----= Over 100,000 Newsgroups - Unlimited Fast Downloads - 19 Servers =-----
MartinS
> Paul Winalski <pr...@ZAnkh-Morpork.mv.com> writes
>>Here is the updated list of Goon annotation-type questions to
>>which the newsgroup members were able to provide answers. Thanks to
>>all who responded. . 21) Show 5/12:
>>
>> Indian: (over) Ah, sahib. Welcome to the Burrapow Sewer Club.
>> What does the dirt-encrusted sahib desire? All the
>> sensuous drinks of the orient are yours. The palm beedy,
>> the scented Vishnu wine, the toddy juice, the aromatic crab
>> pani. Which do you desire, o wicked one?
>>
>>What are "palm beedy" and "crab pani"?
>>
>>> A biddi is a small (smaller than a cigarette) Indian cigar made
>>> from a rolled leaf. "Crab pani" remains unsolved.
>
> Isn't a pani a bucket or container? I suspect that it's a rather off
> colour reference to a female delicacy occasionally referred to as
> 'fish pie'..
There's no telling what Milligan and Co. managed to sneak by the
censors. I think Spike made that his lifelong mission.
--
Martin S.
James Prescott
Tony Quinn <to...@sixpints.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <54og60l1n761q1il3...@4ax.com>, Paul Winalski
> <pr...@ZAnkh-Morpork.mv.com> writes
> >Here is the updated list of Goon annotation-type questions to
> >which the newsgroup members were able to provide answers. Thanks
> >to all who responded.
> .
> >21) Show 5/12:
> >
> > Indian: (over) Ah, sahib. Welcome to the Burrapow Sewer Club.
> > What does the dirt-encrusted sahib desire? All the
> > sensuous drinks of the orient are yours. The palm beedy,
> > the scented Vishnu wine, the toddy juice, the aromatic crab
> > pani. Which do you desire, o wicked one?
> >
> >What are "palm beedy" and "crab pani"?
> >
> >> A biddi is a small (smaller than a cigarette) Indian cigar made
> >> from a rolled leaf. "Crab pani" remains unsolved.
Biddi (and beedi) is indeed a cigar-like cigarette (tobacco
rolled in a tobacco leaf), but shouldn't we be looking for
drinks here?
It doesn't match my interpretation of Spike's style for these
four not to be some kind of drink (real or created), preferably
alcoholic.
In this context I'm pretty certain that "pani" means water. Also
spelt "paani" and "panhi".
Compare "nimbu pani" being lemon water; "tetul pani" being
tamarind water; and so on.
From http://forumhub.com/indhistory/9219.2697.09.57.51.html we have:
"Since the topic is now more centred on Toddy, I would like to bring in
the Toddy syrup. In Kerala we make a delicacy with Toddy. It is called
paani in Malayalam. paani is made by hard boiling Toddy till it turns to
thick syrup. Is it made in Sri Lanka also? In TN, I think only jaggery
is made out of Toddy. Im also doubtful if karimpanakaLLu is fit for
making syrup/paani."
and
"In Sri Lanka too we make Paani too, in Sinhala (southern) areas it is
made from a relative of the Palm tree (not the Panai Maram) called by
them as Kitul Gaha. Kitul Paani mixed with Buffalo milk curd a specialty
of the Baticaloa region is close to being a national pass time in the
South. It is of syrupy consistency. It is also made into Kitul jaggery."
and
"Toddy is used in cooking: Keralites make different appams (some sort of
leavened bread), vinegar, using toddy. One kind of syrup called paani,
like a fruit squash, is made from toddy. This can be preserved for long
time. Toddy soon after tapping is non-alcoholic, and is a health drink
too. "
Perhaps we need to think about alcoholic variants such as "jungle water"
or "fire water".
Or perhaps "kharab pani" or "karab pani" or "kharaab pani" which
would be literally "bad water" in Hindi or Urdu?
Jim