Goon Show One Night Special Reunion, The

London: Camden Theater, April 30, 1972. The Last of the Goon Shows
Specially Written by Spike Milligan for the 50th Anniversary of the BBC
Three Goons in the Fountain
Each One Seeking Fame
Sellers, Milligan, and Secombe
Which One Will the Fountain Blame

[GOON SHOW]. SELLERS, Peter. MILLIGAN, Spike. SECOMBE, Harry. The Goon Show One Night Special Reunion. A Collection of Goony Ephemera. London: Camden Theater, April 30, 1972.

"These autographs from The Goons and a number of guest artists were signed for me in my presence at the recording of 'The Last of The Goon Shows' at The Camden Theatre London on Sunday 30th April 1972 at which I was one of the BBC Studio Managers. [Signed] Michael W. Cowles 1st December 2013."

Thus introduced, this collection includes an original ticket to the show, printed on orange card; the Daily Mail's original story published the following day on May 1, 1972; promotional flyer, typed on yellow paper; the original BBC Radio 4 Program, signed by Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Harry Seacombe, writer Eric Sykes, performers Max Geldray, Ray Ellington, Graham Stark, film star Michael Caine and two other indecipherable signatures; and, significantly, a copy of the show's thirty-one page script with rehearsal and recording schedule on blue paper, marked up in red and black ink (by Michael W. Cowles). The collection beautifully housed in a fleece-lined, full black morocco clamshell case, spine lettered in gilt.

"The Goon Show was a radio comedy show broadcast by the BBC. It changed the face of British comedy and influenced later comedy including Monty Python, Eddie Izzard and many more. It was broadcast in the the UK between May 1951 and January 1960. The dignified 'stiff upper lip' attitude still prevailed in the post WWII age, but many who lived through the war were more inclined to question the rules and authorities that controlled their lives. Onto this scene burst The Goons with a quick fire, irreverent brand of humour that mocked those in establishment and offered a different farcical view of the world. What made The Goon Show different was its attitude. The comedy was edgier than it contemporaries and it used mad characters, satire and ground breaking sound effects in a surreal way unlike anything had done before.

"The Last Goon Show of All, broadcast on 5 October 1972, was a special edition of the famous BBC Radio show The Goon Show, commissioned as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the BBC. It was simulcast on radio and television, and later released as an audio recording on long-playing record. This in turn has been re-issued in other formats such as compact disc. A video of the television broadcast was also released on VHS and later on DVD, although with some omissions. In early October 2007, 35 years after the original broadcast, a full unedited version was broadcast on BBC 7, the digital radio channel dedicated to re-runs of classic shows." (Wikipedia).

"Spike Milligan was the creative force and main writer of The Goon Show, however he was often assisted by a co-writers such as Larry Stephens or Eric Sykes. Occasionally if Milligan was unable to writer the show, others would script entire show. There were originally four main cast members: Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine. Spike Milligan would later be considered by many to be "The grandfather of modern British comedy" due to his work on The Goon Show and subsequent comedies. Peter Sellers would go on to become a world famous comic actor, best known for playing Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies. Harry Secombe remained a well loved singer and entertainer throughout his career. Michael Bentine left the group after only a few series and before the show reached it's peak of success" (Goon Show website).