Index
» Introduction
» #1
» #2
» #3
» #4
» #5
» #6
» #7
» #8
» #9
» #10
» #11
» #12
» #13
» #14
» #15
» #16
» #17
» #18
» #19
» #20
» #21
» #22
» #23
» #24
» #25
» #26
» #27
» #28
» #29
» #30
» #31
» #32
» #33
» #34
» #35
» #36
» #37
» #38
» #39
» #40
» #41
» #42
» #43
» #44
» #45
» #46
» #47
» #48
» #49
» #50
» #51
» #52
GOODIES COR COMICS SYNOPSIS #4
(by Linda Kay)
(from C&G 75 – March 2002)
Issue 139
27th January, 1973. No. 27
The Goodies were definitely masters of comic timing and knew how to write and perform a half hour of comedy in which a situation or series of situations were tied together perfectly to lead to a hilarious conclusion. The difference between doing a straight sketch comedy show and a situation comedy show (albeit a loosely formatted one) was things simply had to tie together in some way, shape or form from the start to the finish.
The best comic strips tell a story which have a beginning, middle and end. A series of jokes is entertaining in and of itself, but tying such jokes all together to build to a payoff at the end adds a lot to any style of comedy.
The Cor!! comics were often simply a series of jokes based on a particular subject, but once in a while a strip would emerge as having a little something extra ... a running theme which flows perfectly from beginning to end. And this particular entry in the series is a terrific example.
Header: THE GOODIES DISCOVER IT'S NOT EASY RUNNING A LOST AND FOUND BUSINESS!
The Goodies are seen riding their trandem down the street. A newspaper seller is standing next to a sign proclaiming the news of the day: "England Lose Again." Another sign on a wall shows a photo of an ocean liner with the words LOST - 45p Reward.
TIM: Everybody seem to be *losing* things lately! *We'll* start a Goodies *"Lost and Found"* office at home!
(What none of them notice is they are losing the back wheel on their trandem!)
At the office The Goodies get busy setting up their new business. Graeme is nailing up some shelves on the back wall with labels on them like "Elephants", "Memories", "Brollies."
GRAEME: Right! The shelves are up, so we're open for business!
Bill is wearing a deerstalker cap and carrying a magnifying glass as he starts looking around on the ground, approaching a startled mouse.
BILL: I'll start searching for objects!
Tim is running to the front door with a can of paint and a paint brush.
TIM: I'll surprise 'em by painting a large signboard outside!
A LITTLE LATER ...
Graeme is sitting at a desk marked "Enquiries", looking very pleased. Bill is still running around with the magnifying glass, then heads for the open front door where a ladder is propped up.
BILL: Hey ... success! Our first case! I've found a ladder!
Bill grabs the bottom of the ladder and rushes inside with it, unaware that he's pulling it out from under Tim, who's standing near the top painting a sign which reads "The Goodies - You Lose It! We Find It!"
BILL: Wonder who lost it?
TIM: *AAAAAGH!*
Tim is left hanging in midair as a woman walking a poodle approaches from the right and a businessman with a bowler hat and reading a newspaper approaches from the left.
The paint can plummets to the ground with a WHIZZZ! and lands right on top of the poodle dog, who lets out a "YAP!" The woman is oblivious to this.
Tim is now dangling above the doorway.
TIM: *Help!* I can't find a foothold!
As Tim's feet scramble for footing, he kicks the bowler hat from the head of the passing businessman. The hat lands on the paint can which is still on top of the dog, and the dog takes off running down the street.
BUSINESSMAN: *Aaagh!* I've lost my new bowler!
WOMAN: *Eek!* I've lost my little dog!
Both of them rush into the Goodies Lost and Found, startling Bill. Graeme is on his feet, looking concerned.
BUSINESSMAN: Quick, Goodies! Find my bowler hat!
WOMAN: No! Look for my little doggy first!
Bill swings the ladder toward the startled man and woman as Graeme sits down at the table with a pencil and paper.
BILL: Right! Give him the particulars ... then I'll start the search. Hold this ladder. I must polish my magnifying glass!
OUTSIDE ...
A workman is walking down the street carrying a large roll of linoleum. He doesn't notice the dog with the paint can and bowler hat running toward him.
WORKMAN: *Phew!* This lino's heavy! I must put it down and have a rest!
POODLE: Yap!
The workman sets down the linoleum roll upright on the ground, placing it directly over the unsuspecting poodle, who is now inside the center of the roll.
WORKMAN (Wiping his brow): GASP!
The frightened poodle takes off running with a YAP!, the linoleum roll moving upright down the street as the startled workman jumps with a start and Tim is seen still dangling from above.
WORKMAN: *Aaagh!* I've lost me lino! (Note: in the panel this balloon is accidentally pointed toward Tim instead of the workman).
The workman rushes into the Goodies Lost and Found, looking quite upset.
WORKMAN: Goodies! I've lost me lino!
GRAEME: Really! Business *is* good! One dog, one bowler!
Meanwhile, out on the street, the dog inside the linoleum roll is still scooting down the street toward an open manhole with the sign "Men at Work" above it. A sewer worker named Charlie is appearing from the hole.
CHARLIE: Lads, I'm just going up top to get a pack of cards!
Charlie pops out of the hole just in time to have the linoleum roll slip over his head so he's left with only his feet sticking out of the bottom, much to the surprise of a woman walking by pushing a baby in a pram.
CHARLIE: *Aaagh!* I'm being kidnapped! All right, I'll go quietly!
Charlie stumbles up the street in the upright linoleum roll toward the Goodies office as his very hairy co-worker pops his head out of the manhole.
CO-WORKER: Charlie? Have you got those cards yet? Charlie? Hey, mates! We've lost Charlie!
As Charlie, in the linoleum roll, approaches the Goodies office we see Tim still dangling by his fingertips from the window above.
TIM: I ... can't ... hold ... on ... much ... longer ... *EE!*
Tim loses his grip in time to fall into the top end of the linoleum roll just as Bill comes rushing out of the office.
BILL: I'm off now! I'll find your doggie, and your bowler and your lino! Even if it takes weeks!
He runs right into the linoleum roll with a THUMP as we see Charlie's co-workers running up the street toward the office.
BILL: *OOF!* Well! That didn't take as long as I thought it would!
Bill runs back into the office carrying the linoleum roll over his shoulder.
BILL: Look! I've found the lost lino ... er ...
A procession of things come flying out of the top of the roll. Charlie's co-workers have just entered the office as Charlie is the last thing to emerge from the linoleum.
2nd CO-WORKER: Hey, Goodies! We've lost our Charlie! NO! You've found him already!
BUSINESSMAN (Spotting his bowler hat still atop the paint can): ... and my bowler ... !
WOMAN (Spotting her poodle barking YAP! YAP!): ... My doggie ... !
WORKER (Spotting his linoleum): ... My lino ... !
TIM (Coming first out of the roll and heading straight for the ladder): ... My ladder!
Graeme stands in back of all this looking very proud while the mouse Bill was chasing earlier stands to one side, paws on his head as if the whole scene were giving him a headache.
Sign-Off Line: MORE WHACKY FUN WITH OUR COMICAL CHUMS NEXT WEEK!
RATING (using the BLACK PUDDING RATING SYSTEM):
IIIII - Superstar.
This particular comic entry is just a whole lot of fun. The story is a perfect set up for The Goodies, as they start what they hope will be a profitable business and it immediately brings an odd variety of clients which come directly from a set of circumstances they themselves set into motion. There are just so many funny side jokes in this particular comic ... in one panel Tim is actually hanging on to the border of the panel above it! The joke with the shelves is given extra oomph by the artist including the lower half of an elephant just barely visible on the top shelf in several panels. The sewer man coming up to the street to fetch a pack of cards is a cute additional joke. And when Tim is desperately hanging on to the window sill of the apartments above their offices and crying out he can't hold on much longer we see two women casually standing at their windows ... the one at the window where he's hanging from is calmly watering her flowers! Everything flows wonderfully and the final long panel ties everything up perfectly. To sum up, this is definitely one of the best offerings of The Goodies Cor!! comics.
.
|
