Index
» #14 Jan 1997
THE GOODIES CLARION AND GLOBE
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THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF 'THE GOODIES RULE - OK' FAN CLUB
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Issue No. 14 12th January 1997
INTRODUCTION
This time of year, is a time of extremes. While those of us in Australia are sweating it out in temperatures of 35 plus Celsius, the rest of you in the North are rugging up against the ice and snow. So, if you’ll allow me to blow my own Clarion, I think I have the perfect thing to help you forget about the rotten weather; another Goodies Fan Club Clarion and Globe. So turn up your air conditioner or heater, grab an ice cold beer or hot cup of tea and settle in for your monthly Goodies fest...
CONTENTS
1. BOFFO IDEAS
2. SPOTTED!!!
3. TOWARDS 2001 AND A BIT
4. GOODIES TRIVIA QUIZ
5. DID YOU KNOW?
6. QUOTE OF THE MONTH
1. BOFFO IDEAS
Info on club activities for this month...
LETTER TO THE GOODIES
I’ve been promising for you all for months and at last, it has been written. With huge big thanks to Jamie Evangelista <ale@townsqr.com> for her many ideas and contributions, here is the draft of the letter which will be sent to The Goodies, introducing this club:
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7 Sharpes Ave
Fulham Gardens
S.A. 5024
AUSTRALIA
12th January 1997
Tim Brooke-Taylor
c/o Jill Foster
3 Lonsdale Rd
London SW13 9ED
UK
Dear Mr. Brooke-Taylor,
In 1995 you received a letter from Melinda Casino, President of The Goodies Fan Club, on the internet. Since you received that letter, that Goodies Fan Club has been disbanded, however, another club has been formed. We named the new club ‘The Goodies Rule - OK!’ (after the 1975 special) and in just over a year it has grown from just 16 members to over 380 members in 10 countries. We are writing to you, to seek your support and to tell you a little about ourselves.
As you may be aware, the internet is made up of electronic pages which contain information on millions of topics. Our homepages are of course about The Goodies, with articles written by fans, information about club activities, back issues of our newsletter, links to other homepages about The Goodies and such shows as ‘I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again’ and a picture page. One picture is scanned from ‘The Goodies File’ and another is a scanning of The Goodies comic strip from the 1973 Cor Annual. With your permission we’d like to keep the picture pages up on the internet, for fans to view.
Our monthly newsletter, ‘The Goodies Fan Club Clarion and Globe’ (named after The Goodies’ newspaper in the episode ‘Cunning Stunts’), features details of club activities, news of projects that you and your fellow Goodies have been involved with, a trivia quiz, member’s views and quote of the month section. Please find a copy of a recent issue enclosed, which we hope you will enjoy.
Finally, on behalf of the club, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We’d love to hear your comments about our club and we invite you to visit our homepage, if you get the chance at: http://www.barrayar.demon.co.uk/goodies/index.htm . We hope to hear from you soon and we wish you well any projects you are involved with at the moment, whatever they may be.
Yours Sincerely,
Alison Bean.
President
The Goodies Rule - OK!
cc: Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie
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I hope that’s OK. If it is, I’ll send it as is at the end of this month, along with a copy of this newsletter and an international reply coupon (so we’ll be sure to get a reply). But if you’ve spotted any spelling or grammar errors or have any suggestions or concerns about the contents, please mail me before the end of the month <carrot@olis.net.au> and I’ll make sure they’re fixed.
PETITION TO RE-SCREEN THE GOODIES ON ABC TV
Our petition to get The Goodies re-screened on ABC TV is going well, with many people getting involved and many more signing the petition by e-mail. But here’s an even better idea to get The Goodies re-screened...
from Crush <crush@quantum.net.au>
If you get every Australian member to call up and badger the ABC on the phone they will fold faster than Superman on laundry day! That's what I did for Prisoner (In Cell Block H) with Channel Ten and it will work with the ABC! If each member rings once every second day they will see there is a demand for it and will comply! That is a more logical way to get it back on TV and quicker than a petition! The number in Victoria is (03) 9524 2222. I'm not sure about the other states!
Great idea Crush! For members in South Australia the number is (08) 8343 4000, (I’m sure the rest of you can look up the number yourselves). Anyway, I’ll certainly be calling the ABC about this and I encourage all Australian members to at least call them once. Every little bit helps!
GOODIES CONVENTION 2000
Last issue I asked for member’s thoughts on organising a Goodies convention in 2000, I received suggestions from two Australian members, which means that these comments are mainly relevant to an Australian convention. Obviously I couldn’t help organise an event in the UK or North America, but if you’d like to, please e-mail me and I’ll put you in touch with other people in your country.
from Angus McLaren <neelix@hydra.com.au>
I would suggest a convention with a dinner afterwards. You could have several areas for the convention, such as a question area where fans can talk to and ask questions of the guest Goodie(s), collectible area and so on. You can also have a dinner later, tho the best way to raise money for that would be to have a raffle and say 40 lucky winners get to have dinner with a/the Goodie(s). I suggest asking one or more of The Goodies for something to raffle.
from Nick McCarthy <mcarthyn@zen.ocean.com.au>
Planning a Goodies convention/dinner type thing would be an excellent idea for 2000. I think a convention set up over a couple of days is the best idea with screenings, a collectables area, costume competitions and one or two guest speakers who answer questions on interview panels. Of course, having at least one Goody would be fantastic and one or two production personnel who were involved on the show would also be fun. One of the BBC FX designers who worked on The Goodies would be good.
At sci-fi conventions, they usually set them up over one weekend where all the guests/visitors stay at the one hotel where the convention is also held. Apparently, this is the cheapest/easiest way to do it. As for finance, well it would be quite expensive (mainly having to fly guests over). As you said, the only way round this maybe some kind of fund raising and a large entrance fee (eg: $90 plus, per person). I think this is how they do it at Doctor Who conventions. There was one recently in Sydney with about 200 attendees and a guest speaker from the series who was flown over. Apparently, this was all fan organised so I'm sure we could do it as well for The Goodies; it'd certainly be a world first.
Some great suggestions from Angus and Nick there. I see no reason why we can’t do everything they suggested, except that flying out all three Goodies and some of the production personal would certainly be very expensive, which would mean that we might be paying large entrance fees (in addition to travel costs). So perhaps it would be a good idea to find out how many members are interested in attending a Goodies convention in 2000. If you are interested, please cut out the form below and e-mail it to me by 11th April 1997.
--------8<-------- SNIP--------8<--------SNIP--------8<-----
INSTRUCTIONS: Please put a * in the [ ] next to your answer.
1. Which city do you live in or what is the nearest capital city to your home?
ADELAIDE [ ]
ALICE SPRINGS [ ]
BRISBANE [ ]
CANBERRA [ ]
DARWIN [ ]
HOBART [ ]
MELBOURNE [ ]
PERTH [ ]
SYDNEY [ ]
2. If the convention is not held in your city/you nearest city would you be willing to travel to another city to attend?
YES [ ]
NO [ ]
3. What is the *maximum* amount of money you’d be willing to pay for entry to the convention and accommodation?
less than $50 [ ]
$50-100 [ ]
$100-150 [ ]
$150-200 [ ]
over $200 [ ]
*Please note that each individuals answers will be kept in strictess confidence *
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GOODIES-L
Unfortunately we’re no further towards getting a new Goodies-L. For those who don’t know, Goodies-L was a mailing list where subscribers e-mailed news and views on The Goodies to the list, who would mail it to other subscribers. We’d like to get it up and running again, but in the mean time here’s an idea...
from Linda Kay <lknafc@aol.com
As for ideas for upcoming issues, if the Goodies-L doesn't get up and running
how about including some letters from members saying how they discovered The
Goodies. Just a thought.
Or why not write in and tell us what your favourite episodes is and why, <carrot@olis.net.au>.
2. SPOTTED!!!
Seen a Goodie recently? Mail <carrot@olis.net.au> with the details...
TIM AND BILL ON TODAY’S THE DAY
from Keith Topping <keith@tooon.demon.co.uk>
On December 25th Bill and Tim appeared together on BBC television for, I think, the first time in over a decade. They were guest captains on a celebrity news quiz called 'Today's the Day'. It's not very good and I seldom watch it, but as this featured two of my heroes, I videoed it. The basic format of the game (which is presented by BBC newsreader Martyn Lewis) concerns events that happened on the particular day in which the episode is broadcast. Bill and his partner Jean Boht, of 'Bread', beat Tim, and his partner Belinda Lang by ten points. They showed a couple of Goodies clips (one from 'Dodonuts' particularly) and an example of Tim's early work as Marty Feldman's sidekick.
THE GUINNESS BOOK OF CLASSIC BRITISH TELEVISION 2nd Edition
From Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping, authors of several other fine TV books, comes the second edition of ‘The Guinness Book of Classic British Television’. It is best described as the British TV fan’s bible; this book is to British TV, what Roger Wilmut’s ‘From Fringe To Flying Circus’ is to British comedy. In fact, about a quarter of this book is about the best ever British comedies, everything from Hancock’s Half Hour to Absolutely Fabulous. And of course, there’s an informative three page entry on ‘The Goodies’.
Besides the standard programme guides and plot information, there are many interesting tidbits about each show. For instance, Prince Charles offered to play himself in episode #41 ‘Scatty Safari’. This, despite the many jibes at the royals throughout the series. Apparently he was also big fan of the show. (Which would explain why the credits for ‘Scatty Safari’ stated that The Goodies appeared “by appointment” of the royal family). Also of interest are the essays introducing each genre of shows. These essays trace the development of British comedy from the 50s to the present and are a great introduction to the individual entries.
So, if you haven’t bought a copy of this book already, buy one now! Unfortunatly it’s only available in the UK (for £12.99), but if you live elsewhere you could your local bookshop to order it in for you.
GOODIES ARTICLE IN SWIRLY THING ALERT
Thanks to Ben Evans <benjamin@om.com.au> for letting me know that the fanzine he edits, Swirly Thing Alert will be featuring an article on The Goodies in issue #9. STA covers sci-fi and comedy shows like Doctor Who and Red Dwarf and you can get 6 issues for $7. E-mail Ben, for further details or visit the STA web site at:
THE FUNKY GIBBON’S HIGHEST CHART POSITION
A few months ago in the Goodies Trivia Quiz section of this newsletter, the question was ‘In 1975 The Goodies released their hit single ‘The Funky Gibbon’. What was the highest position it reached in the British charts?’. The answer was number 4, but later we found out that it was number 2 on the hit parade. So what’s the difference between the two? Gary Green <greenga@admin.edge-hill-college.ac.uk> explains:
In response to your question about the charts and the hit parade over here in England, there are the BBC Top of the Pop charts, and the top 100 chart that independent radio stations broadcast. They are very similar, but because they collect the record sale information at different times in the week, there is always going to be a slight difference in some chart positions.
Well, there you go.
3. TOWARDS 2001 AND A BIT
What would The Goodies base an episode around if they were still doing shows today? Here’s what two members think:
from Nick McCarthy <mcarthyn@zen.ocean.com.au>
I think the film Independence Day would by an easy target. It would be called, "The Goodies Day of Independence" and see a return of the mysterious trombone-playing aliens who first invaded the Knutter's Knoll Nightspot in 1979:
Massive flying saucers have covered the skies of the Earth and destroyed everything but the Salvation Army hostels. All Salvo trombonists have been abducted and The Goodies must leap into action and attempt a daring rescue. Graeme would play the goofy scientist (Jeff Goldblum character), Bill would play the "kick arse" soldier (Will Smith character) and Tim would play the patriotic President (Bill Pullman character). The Goodies must salvage their abandoned moonrocket (from the failed 1973 mission to rescue space bunnies Flopsy and Spiro) in order to penetrate the invader's craft and destroy it with one of Graeme's home made atom bombs. Tim would act as a "Presidential Supernun" and plant the atomic device.
from Linda Kay <lknafc@aol.com>
I can see them possibly NOT doing Madonna and Michael Jackson impersonations (can you just imagine Tim as Madonna with those cones???). I can also see them doing something with the Chunnel (a joke in itself, right?) and maybe even the IRA possibly (touchy subject, but I never got the impression they were afraid of parodying *anything*).
* If you’ve got an idea for this column, send it to <carrot@olis.net.au> *
4. GOODIES TRIVIA QUIZ
by David McAnally <dsm@maths.uq.oz.au>
This month’s questions are on no particular topic, but they’re just as difficult...
1: What do all the girls do when the Goodies leave them?
2: What were the names of the individual Goodies in #57 "Alternative Roots"?
3: What did Tim want to keep hidden in #62 "Earthanasia"?
4: What was so unusual about Tim's fiancee in #23 "A Hunting We Will Go"?
ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S QUESTIONS ON THE CAMBRIDGE FOOTLIGHTS
1: In what way was Graeme's initial acceptance, as a member, into the Footlights Club different to usual?
ANSWER: Graeme was accepted originally into the Club as an artist (a quick sketch act to be precise) - whereas most of the other members of the Footlights Club were accepted into the Club purely for their comedy and/or for their musical talent.
2: Which Goodies were Presidents of the Cambridge University Footlights Club during their undergraduate years?
ANSWER: Both Tim and Graeme were Presidents of the Footlights Club (a position so immensely powerful that each outgoing President personally chooses the person he wishes to succeed him in this position). Following this feudal practice, Tim handed the Presidency over to Graeme - who then, in turn, handed the Presidency over to Eric Idle.
3: Which Goodies were initially responsible for Eric Idle's admission into the Cambridge University Footlights Club as a member?
ANSWER: Tim and Bill.
5. DID YOU KNOW?
THE ORIGINS OF ECKY THUMP
Judging from your member profiles, the most loved episode of The Goodies is #42 ‘Kung-Fu Kapers’, which introduced us to deadly black puddings and the Lancastrian martial art of Ecky Thump. But did you know that the phrase ‘Ecky Thump’ (or more specifically ‘Ee ecky thump’) was used in a ‘Monty Python’ sketch called ‘Language Laboratory’? This sketch is from series 3, episode 5, broadcast on BBC TV on 16th November 1972 and featured Michael Palin, uttering those immortal words in his splendid Yorkshire accent.
(SOURCE: Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Just The Words Volume 2; The First 200 Years Of Monty Python)
6. QUOTE OF THE MONTH
This month’s quote is probably *THE* most memorable speech from ‘The Goodies’, Graeme’s Nazi style rant from episode #7 Radio Goodies:
This is your leader speaking. Here is an important announcement. It has been put about by back-sliding revisionary paper hyenas, that the Goodies Pirate Post Office is closing down. This...is a LIE! Our glorious post office gallantly continues to function! We will get your letters through! These are dark days, and the storm clouds gather around us, but never fear! I pledge that I, your leader, will see you safely through to a better world! ... And now... ‘A Walk In The Black Forest’...
Well, I don’t know about you, but I can’t you think of a better way to wish you all a Happy New Year than that!
Cheers,
Alison Bean
<carrot@olis.net.au>
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DISCLAIMER
This is an archive newsletter of The Goodies Rule - OK! International Fan Club (copyright The Goodies Rule - OK! 1997). Some of the information in this newsletter may now be incorrect. Current information can be obtained from http://www.goodiesruleok.com
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