Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2010 June 23 • Wednesday

The recent release of The Goon Show Compendium Volume 4 inspired me to start listening to The Goon Show Compendium Volume 1. (The recent release of Walt and Skeezix Volume 4 had a similar effect on me.)

The first episode on the first disc is "The Whistling Spy Enigma" (broadcast September 28, 1954), which begins with one of my favorite Goon Show lines: "The crimes you are about to hear have all been specially committed for this program".

Captain Harry Seagoon (Harry Secombe) reports to Lance Brigadier Hercules Grytpype-Thynne (Peter Sellers), who tells him that "throughout the civilized world—and America—British prestige has fallen very low" because of Britain's defeat by the Hungarian football team.

To make sure that Britain wins its next football match against Hungary, Seagoon is entrusted with "Operation Explodable Boot". His first move is to go to Budapest and meet another agent by whistling the "Hungarian Rhapsody"—in English.

Seagoon objects that there are thousands of Hungarians who can whistle in English fluently and, besides, he can't whistle. So Seagoon and idiot whistler Eccles (Spike Milligan) get another tune from Henry Crun (Peter Sellers) and Minnie Bannister (Spike Milligan).

There's a brilliant routine at Crun and Bannister's house involving an unlocked door and a locked window. It would be pointless to try to explain it here.

Crun goes with Seagoon and Eccles to Hungary where they encounter Major Dennis Bloodnok (Peter Sellers). Seagoon explains that he's being followed by "the Hungarian highly skilled, mysterious, secret anti-whistling police". Here's some typical dialogue.

F.X. FOOTSTEPS ON STAIRS.

SEAGOON: Can you hear those highly skilled, mysterious footsteps coming up the highly skilled, mysterious stairs?

BLOODNOK: No.

SEAGOON: Neither can I.

BLOODNOK: Well, we'd better start hearing them soon or it'll be too late.

SEAGOON: You're absolutely right. It must be a highly skilled, mysterious enemy.

BLOODNOK: Of course. The moment he enters the room, strike him down with something.

SEAGOON: Right. Hand me that piano.

BLOODNOK: That's no good, it's out of tune.

SEAGOON: Curse! Never mind, hand me that 600-foot factory chimney in the corner.

BLOODNOK: No, no, not that, it's my last one!

 

Seagoon fights with Moriarty (Spike Milligan) then meets the other agent, who turns out to be Bluebottle (Peter Sellers) They go to the stadium to put dynamite in the Hungarian football team's boots. I won't ruin the surprise ending.

Harmonica player Max Geldray performs "When You're Smiling" and Ray Ellington sings "ABCs with Rhythm and Ease" with his quartet.

Mere plot description and quoted dialogue cannot do justice to the humor of the Goon Show, in particular its use of music and sound effects. Here's one example: You hear the sound of bagpipes for a few seconds, then a loud explosion, then the sound of clucking chickens for a few seconds. Then Henry Crun says, "Answer that phone". (Spike Milligan invented the ringtone!)

A different, later performance of "The Whistling Spy Enigma" was professionally filmed and you can see it on YouTube! (It's in three parts.)