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!! COMIC SYNOPSIS #51
(by Linda Kay)
(from C&G 127 – June 2006)
Issue 186
22nd December, 1973 No. 73
Pantomime is a uniquely British tradition, especially around Christmastime, so it was a perfect idea for Cor!! to put the Goodies into a real-life panto situation. The Goodies themselves would spoof the world of Panto to a great degree during their final series. However this parody isn't quite so much a biting satire as an affectionate sendup of that form of yuletime entertainment.
Header: THE GOODIES HAVE A BALL HELPING CINDERELLA!
The Goodies are in their office, which has been decorated for Christmas, when a small man in a bellman's suit comes running in, grabbing Tim earnestly by the front jacket.
BUTTONS: Quick, Goodies, you've got to help Cinderella get to the ball! Her Fairy Godmother's making a proper mess of it!
TIM: Gosh, buttonholed by *BUTTONS* himself!
The Goodies don their winter coats, hats and scarves and take off on their trandem with Buttons running behind them carrying a large box marked "Goodies' Props."
BUTTONS: The rotten ugly sisters have left poor Cinders behind to do all the chores!
GRAEME: Rotters!
The Goodies arrive at Cinderella's home where the Fairy Godmother stands looking confused in front of a table where the ragged-looking Cinderella has placed an orange, an apple and a banana.
FAIRY GODMOTHER: Er ... now Cinderella, what fruit *DID* I turn into a coach?
BILL: Let the Goodies guide you, you silly old Fairy Godmother! It was a pumpkin!
Bill takes a large pumpkin from the prop box and sets it down on the table, much to the Fairy Godmother's delight.
FAIRY GODMOTHER: Of *COURSE*, silly me! Oh well, on with the show!
The Fairy Godmother waves her wand over the pumpkin and chants a spell . . .
FAIRY GODMOTHER: *Pumpkin, old fruit, don't give me the pip, change into a COACH to give Cinders a flip!
The pumpkin magically turns into a burly fitness coach who immediately starts putting them all through a rigorous fitness workout.
COACH: Right, you lazy lot! Up - down - up - down - I'll soon have you fit!
BILL: *ARRGH!* You've conjured up the wrong *COACH!* Get rid of him!
As the Fairy Godmother waves the fitness coach away, the Goodies get to work on Cinderella's dress. Bill grabs some curtains from a window and Graeme digs into the prop box for a horse suit as Cinderella steps up onto the turntable of a record player which is on the large table.
BILL: You'd better leave it to The Goodies! Get on that record player turntable Cinders, while I grab this cute curtaining!
As Cinderella spins round and round, Bill holds the curtains by one end as they wrap around her.
BILL: We'll soon get this wrapped up!
When Cinderella gets off the turntable she's very dizzy but she's also looking divine in Bill's makeshift ball dress. Bill finishes it up by using a bell sash as a belt. In the background Tim is climbing into the back end of the horse suit while Graeme is now dressed as a coachman.
BILL: This bell sash will put this finishing touch to your getup!
GRAEME: And I mean to look the part, too!
They head to the ball ... Cinderella is riding on the middle seat of the trandem with Buttons on the seat behind her. Graeme is in the front seat with reins leading to Tim and Bill in the pantomime horse.
GRAEME (Singing): *Cinders, Cinders, give me your answer true!*
CINDERELLA: Er ... this is not quite how I imagined the ride to the ball!
The Goodies arrive at the castle to be greeted at the door by a decrepit old Prince.
PRINCE: The ball ... you're *TOO LATE,* mate! It took place hundreds of years ago!
GRAEME: Coo, Cinders *HAS* worn well!
LATER ...
Buttons has changed into a groovy smoking jacket and slacks and leads Cinderella away for a modern date while the Goodies and Fairy Godmother watch. The Fairy Godmother dejectedly throws the glass slipper away.
BUTTONS: I've swapped outfits, Cinders - so let's skip the palace and pop to the *PALAIS* and celebrate!
CINDERELLA: Great!
FAIRY GODMOTHER: Huh, I'm not going to need this glass slipper!
The tossed glass slipper ends up hitting the Prince on the head.
UNKNOWN GOODY: Coo! Things have come to a head! You conked the Prince on his crown!
BUT ...
The Prince gets down on his knee to try the glass slipper on the Fairy Godmother's foot. Amazingly it fits! Tim and Graeme consult the storybook in confusion.
PRINCE: Hey, it fits! You must by my future Princess!
FAIRY GODMOTHER: *OOOOOH!* My prince!
TIM: This isn't how things worked out in *MY* book!
As the Prince and Fairy Godmother stroll back to the castle the tower clock begins to strike 12 midnight. Tim has found the Fairy Godmother's magic wand and, too late, Graeme rushes to stop him.
TIM: Hey, she's left her wand behind! Let's try some spells for a spell!
GRAEME: No, Tim, wait ... it's after midnight!
TOO LATE ...
Tim has waved the wand and the Goodies find themselves spinning in a spell.
In the next panel they find themselves dressed in rags and standing in Cinderella's kitchen.
TIM: What happened?
BILL: We're back in Cinder's kitchen, you clot, and now *WE'RE* in rags!
The door opens and the ugly sisters walk in.
TIM: Er ... you won't believe this, ugly sisters, but we're *The Goodies!*
SISTER #1: And you do anything, anytime ... right?
The Goodies find themselves scrubbing the kitchen, the sisters standing over them with rolling pins. Cinderella is leaning in through the window.
SISTER #1: Well, you can do the dusting, washing, cleaning, ironing, shopping, for us!
CINDERELLA: Thank for taking over, Goodies!
BILL: Coo, what a pantomime!
Sign-Off Line: Don't Miss Next Week's Christmas Cor!!
RATING (using the BLACK PUDDING RATING SYSTEM):
IIII - Officially amazing.
What could be more fun than to see the Goodies taking part in a Christmas panto within the pages of a weekly comic humor book? This strip really delivers on all fronts ... the story of Cinderella is so familiar to even the youngest readers, as are panto staples like Buttons and the pantomime horse, that the humor develops naturally from those elements. The artwork is splendid and the jokes work nicely to move along the plot.
There are also a lot of little jokes within the panels as usual. In the opening panel Bill is standing on the desk while hanging up some Christmas streamers and Graeme is sitting behind a typewriter composing a letter to Santa. There is also a Christmas tree by the window, making the time of year unmistakable. As the Goodies are rushing to Cinderella's house we see a parking enforcement officer in the background writing a ticket for a reindeer-drawn sleigh laden with Christmas presents which is parked at an expired meter.
Cinderella is drawn to grubby perfection when in her poor state. When the Fairy Godmother accidentally conjures up the fitness coach we see the Goodies in workout gear doing push ups and Cinderella holding dumbbells over her head while the Fairy Godmother is attempting to touch her toes. Putting Cinderella on the turntable is an amusing image that works well. When she's dressed in the curtains we can see Buttons is standing in the background with little hearts around his head . . . he is already smitten. The word balloon attributed to Graeme in which he says "And I mean to look the part, too!" seems a bit confusing ... not sure if that line wasn't actually meant for Tim to say? In which case he is inferring he means to look the part of a horse's ... ahem!
When the Goodies and Cinderella are taking the trandem to the palace, the snow is so deep we can only see the very top of a traffic warden sticking up at the side of the road! When they reach the palace not only does the aged Prince open the door but there's a sign on the door which reads "For sale - this desirable fairy castle."
When the Goodies return to Cinderella's house the little mouse which has appeared in previous issues is sitting on the floor and then moves to the back of a chair for the following panel. The way the Goodies are drawn when they are dressed in rags is particularly convincing and comical. And the ugly sisters definitely live up to their names! Overall this is a fun and entertaining comic perfect for the holidays.
Next week's review covers the last Goodies Cor!! comic of 1973 and also the last one ever, but it's also a Christmas comic so be sure to check back next month for our final review!
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