Today is the 64th anniversary of one my favourite radio comedies. I'm of course talking about the all leather Goon Show.
My late grandfather introduced me to this surreal comedy from the 1950s a while back. It has been in my mind ever since then. Initially starting out as a sketch comedy starring Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, and Peter Sellers, it was later re-formatted into a sitcom with a recurring cast of principal characters.
Harry Secombe stars as the protagonist, an affable but gullible idiot named Neddie Seagoon. Meanwhile, Milligan and Sellers serve as a double act as the other characters: The world's greatest fool known simply as Eccles, East Finchley's long-suffering boy adventurer Bluebottle, the cowardly soldier Major Dennis Bloodnok, the doddering seniors Henry Crun and Minnie Bannnister, and the two main antagonists Hercules Grytpype-Thynne and Count Jim Moriarty. While the scenarios vary, the overall formula consists of Seagoon becoming a fall guy for the schemes of Grytpype and Moriarty, and meeting the other characters along the way.
As the opening sentence suggests, the show was built on surreal comedy, built on non-sequitur comebacks and sound effects. It's like a cartoon without any visuals, yet the musical interludes by Max Geldray and Ray Ellington give it the feeling of a variety show.
While there is the occasional joke that's a little offside by today's social standards, there is still a very timeless feel to the show. If you get the chance to hear some episodes, I recommend that you take it. They still make me laugh even today.
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