Home  

Members  

Join  

Search  

Listings  

 
<<<<   1733   >>>>

Topic: JAM press clips

Message 1 / 12
hte.trasmeJan 15, 2008
 

 
I while back I used to microfilm collection at a university library
to print some Just a Minute-related press clips. I've just completed
scanning them and I've uploaded them to the "Files" section of the
group. They're not always complimentary or well-written, but they are
always interesting.

Enjoy, and feel free to contribute to the folder if you have more
articles!

 
<<<<   1734   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 2 / 12
lapsedcatJan 15, 2008
 

 
Dear me. The Thunderer doesn't have much time for JAM, does it?

It seemed to me from reading those snippets, spanning thirty-odd
years, that The Times must have had a policy of employing rather
precious souls to be its radio reviewers.

I loved the David Wade piece - eight or nine paragraphs of spleen,
followed by a "big up" to the delights of "Radio Barrow".

And that smarmy South African chap wants a slap. If I might be so bold.



--- In just-a-minute@..., "hte.trasme" <hte.trasme@...>
wrote:

>
> I while back I used to microfilm collection at a university library
> to print some Just a Minute-related press clips. I've just completed
> scanning them and I've uploaded them to the "Files" section of the
> group. They're not always complimentary or well-written, but they

are

> always interesting.
>
> Enjoy, and feel free to contribute to the folder if you have more
> articles!
>

 
<<<<   1735   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 3 / 12
jeremy_keensJan 15, 2008
 

 
Interesting indeed - especially that in 1999 Nic had chaired over 700
episodes - which means there must be a hell of a lot in an archive
somewhere!

I also enjoyed the two exposures of 'cheating'- and clements comment
that if Nick mentions him after he's died, he will come back and kill him.

jermey

> --- In just-a-minute@..., "hte.trasme" <hte.trasme@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I while back I used to microfilm collection at a university library
> > to print some Just a Minute-related press clips. I've just completed
> > scanning them and I've uploaded them to the "Files" section of the
> > group. They're not always complimentary or well-written, but they
> are
> > always interesting.
> >
> > Enjoy, and feel free to contribute to the folder if you have more
> > articles!
> >
>

 
<<<<   1740   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 4 / 12
Dean BedfordJan 16, 2008
 

 
On Wednesday, January 16, 2008, at 04:51 PM, jeremy_keens wrote:

> Interesting indeed - especially that in 1999 Nic had chaired over 700
> episodes - which means there must be a hell of a lot in an archive
> somewhere!
>

Not sure if you're joking or not - but in case you weren't, Nicholas is
often no good as a historian. The list of shows I have is complete.

Thanks very much for the articles which I too enjoyed. Of course not
everyone likes JAM, but I do find people say who just simply state "it's
not funny" about anything that millions of people do laugh at are being
very unthoughtful. There are all sorts of forms of comedy... some love
the wit of an Oscar Wilde or Dorothy Parker, others say the bawdiness of
Benny Hill. Declaring popular comedy to just be "not funny" really says
nothing at all.

I see JAM is again near the top of the downloads currently on the BBC
site. Lot of people going to a lot of trouble over something so
unfunny...

Incidentally the review by David Wade that lapsedcat mentioned - Kenneth
wrote a letter of complaint about that. It's in his book of letters and
is a bit of a brilliant Williamsese. I'll copy it out if anyone's
interested.

 
<<<<   1741   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 5 / 12
lapsedcatJan 16, 2008
 

 
Yes please Dean, I'd like to see the letter.

--- In just-a-minute@..., Dean Bedford <dbedford@...>
wrote:

>
>
> On Wednesday, January 16, 2008, at 04:51 PM, jeremy_keens wrote:
>
> > Interesting indeed - especially that in 1999 Nic had chaired over

700

> > episodes - which means there must be a hell of a lot in an archive
> > somewhere!
> >
>
> Not sure if you're joking or not - but in case you weren't,

Nicholas is

> often no good as a historian. The list of shows I have is complete.
>
> Thanks very much for the articles which I too enjoyed. Of course

not

> everyone likes JAM, but I do find people say who just simply

state "it's

> not funny" about anything that millions of people do laugh at are

being

> very unthoughtful. There are all sorts of forms of comedy... some

love

> the wit of an Oscar Wilde or Dorothy Parker, others say the

bawdiness of

> Benny Hill. Declaring popular comedy to just be "not funny" really

says

> nothing at all.
>
> I see JAM is again near the top of the downloads currently on the

BBC

> site. Lot of people going to a lot of trouble over something so
> unfunny...
>
> Incidentally the review by David Wade that lapsedcat mentioned -

Kenneth

> wrote a letter of complaint about that. It's in his book of letters

and

> is a bit of a brilliant Williamsese. I'll copy it out if anyone's
> interested.
>

 
<<<<   1744   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 6 / 12
Dean BedfordJan 17, 2008
 

 
On Thursday, January 17, 2008, at 08:46 PM, lapsedcat wrote:

> Yes please Dean, I'd like to see the letter.
>

27 September 1975

To the editor of The Times

Dear Sir,

There is something absurd about someone of my stature having to reply to
your radio critic's cheap contumely about my work in Just A Minute, but
pip-squeak circus ponies masquerading as thoroughbreds seem to be part
of the contemporary scene, and it is proper that someone should
distinguish between the braying and neighing. Your writer appears to be
confused. He says "we've all played Just A Minute in some form at a
party for an evening." This is news to me because I have not. He goes on
to tell us "and gruesome fun it was, because that's what it was meant
for". Indeed! It certainly leads us to question his definition of fun,
it seems to have more in common with Sacher-Massoch than Ian Messiter.
But if we take him at his word and accept that deliberately gruesome fun
is possible, what are we to make of his complaint, "we did not enjoy
ourselves"? Judging from his dolorous description of the programme, he
should have been having a ball. He has no conception of architecture
because he maintains that I was playing to the gallery all the time. The
Paris Studio has only one floor. Albeit, if he spoke metaphorically, and
meant that I was continually appealing to the commonality, he should
have said so plainly, and reported the fact that they found it amusing,
which is more than you can say about Mr Wade's column. There is little
excuse for him, he is a writer. The player in Just A Minute is a
speaker, and extempore at that. The difference between writing and
conversation has been described by Johnson thus: "Remotely we see
nothing but spires of temples and turrets of palaces... but once we have
passed the gates, we find it perplexed with narrow passages, disgraced
with despicable cottages, embarrassed with obstructions, and clouded
with smoke." If your critic doesn't like the cottages, the obstructions
and the smoke, he should leave them to those who do. There are many of
them, they can be found in the audience at Just A Minute, they are the
reason for the transcription sales overseas, they can be heard in
Britain round that parish pump which Mr Wade professes so much to admire.

Yours faithfully
Kenneth Williams





What a brilliant man Kenneth was... coming up to 20 years since he took
his own life...

 
<<<<   1746   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 7 / 12
Alexis BirkillJan 17, 2008
 

 
--- In just-a-minute@..., Dean Bedford <dbedford@...> wrote:

>
> The list of shows I have is complete.
>

Out of interest, have there been any shows that were recorded but never
broadcast (not including the current series, of course)?

With so many shows recorded, you'd think that technical failures or
other issues might have claimed a couple. Is there any record of this
happening?

A.

 
<<<<   1747   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 8 / 12
jeremy_keensJan 17, 2008
 

 
Dean

definitely tongue firmly in buccal cavity - and thanks for the
williams letter: i will start a search to find a copy to go with the
diaries.

have you read the autobiographies?

Jeremy

--- In just-a-minute@..., Dean Bedford <dbedford@...> wrote:
>
>
> On Wednesday, January 16, 2008, at 04:51 PM, jeremy_keens wrote:
>
> > Interesting indeed - especially that in 1999 Nic had chaired over 700
> > episodes - which means there must be a hell of a lot in an archive
> > somewhere!
> >
>
> Not sure if you're joking or not - but in case you weren't, Nicholas is
> often no good as a historian. The list of shows I have is complete.

 
<<<<   1750   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 9 / 12
Dean BedfordJan 17, 2008
 

 
On Thursday, January 17, 2008, at 11:28 PM, jeremy_keens wrote:

> Dean
>
> definitely tongue firmly in buccal cavity - and thanks for the
> williams letter: i will start a search to find a copy to go with the
> diaries.
>
> have you read the autobiographies?
>
> Jeremy

I've got both the KW Diaries and the KW letters here - they're amongst
my most thumbed, now dog-earred books!

I've also written the KW biography written my Michael Freedland shortly
after his death, before the diaries. I reckon he deserves something
better now.

 
<<<<   1751   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 10 / 12
Dean BedfordJan 17, 2008
 

 
On Thursday, January 17, 2008, at 10:51 PM, Alexis Birkill wrote:

> --- In just-a-minute@..., Dean Bedford <dbedford@...> wrote:
> >
> > The list of shows I have is complete.
> >
>
> Out of interest, have there been any shows that were recorded but never
> broadcast (not including the current series, of course)?
>
> With so many shows recorded, you'd think that technical failures or
> other issues might have claimed a couple. Is there any record of this
> happening?
>
> A.

Hi Alexis

We have mentioned before here an incident where Nyree Dawn Porter left a
programme in tears, after Kenneth went into one of his most aggressive
anti-woman tirades. that show was never broadcast. Not aware of any
other incidents. For the first 25 years they used the same studio/s week
after week so things would have been well sorted technically. And these
days there is a HUGE outside broadcast van that travels to the venues.
It would be an expensive mistake if these things failed.

 
<<<<   1754   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 11 / 12
hte.trasmeJan 18, 2008
 

 
Also, I'm not sure if it is what Alexis was thinking of, but I
understand that pilots for proposed Just a Minute television series
were recorded in 1969 and 1981 but never transmitted. I've also heard
that clips from these pilots were used in documentary films about
Kenneth Williams, but I've never seen them.


--- In just-a-minute@..., Dean Bedford <dbedford@...>
wrote:

>
>
> On Thursday, January 17, 2008, at 10:51 PM, Alexis Birkill wrote:
>
> > --- In just-a-minute@..., Dean Bedford <dbedford@>

wrote:

> > >
> > > The list of shows I have is complete.
> > >
> >
> > Out of interest, have there been any shows that were recorded but

never

> > broadcast (not including the current series, of course)?
> >
> > With so many shows recorded, you'd think that technical failures

or

> > other issues might have claimed a couple. Is there any record of

this

> > happening?
> >
> > A.
>
> Hi Alexis
>
> We have mentioned before here an incident where Nyree Dawn Porter

left a

> programme in tears, after Kenneth went into one of his most

aggressive

> anti-woman tirades. that show was never broadcast. Not aware of any
> other incidents. For the first 25 years they used the same studio/s

week

> after week so things would have been well sorted technically. And

these

> days there is a HUGE outside broadcast van that travels to the

venues.

> It would be an expensive mistake if these things failed.
>

 
<<<<   1755   >>>>

Topic: Re: JAM press clips

Message 12 / 12
Dean BedfordJan 18, 2008
 

 
On Saturday, January 19, 2008, at 05:56 AM, hte.trasme wrote:

> Also, I'm not sure if it is what Alexis was thinking of, but I
> understand that pilots for proposed Just a Minute television series
> were recorded in 1969 and 1981 but never transmitted. I've also heard
> that clips from these pilots were used in documentary films about
> Kenneth Williams, but I've never seen them.

yeah I've seen little bits of them, one had Sir Clement Freud, Kenneth
Williams and Sheila Hancock, the other had Clement, Kenneth, Peter Jones
and Sir Patrick Moore. They were shown a few years ago at a sort of
Kenneth Williams festival and have been part of docos on KW, mainly to
illustrate his JAM style.