Just A Minute

 
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My observations thus far...

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jerryvonkramerAug 21, 2014
 

 
Hello all,I am 31, soon to be 32. Up until about a week ago, I was a total JAM virgin. I had never listened to a single episode. Frank Skinner mentioned on his radio show that he had just been on JAM which was "something to tick off his bucket list". This led me, for whatever reason, just to look up the show. I was aware of it, but something piqued my curiosity. Then, I saw that Nicholas Parsons is 90(!) and has not missed a show since 1967. I did a few searches to see if I could find more info and to find some old episodes. And sure enough, I found Dean's wonderful site (surely everyone's first stop for JAM online) as well as a pile of old episodes on a download (I've already forgotten the source!).

I am not one to do things by halves. I didn't just want to listen to the latest episode or dive in with the Merton era, I had to start at the beginning in 1967. Indeed, I have been listening to all the episodes from this download from the first one. I'm now just at the start of 1973. I thought I'd use this thread to track some observations as I continue this journey.

- While Clement Freud seems to be the one who uses "every trick in the book", it's actually Derek Nimmo who is the more aggressive and sharper challenger. On the 60s shows, he seems like the most fierce competitor -- at times it is almost as if he is bullying the female guests with his near-constant haranguing.

- The times when Nicholas is on the panel, I'm afraid, really highlights his limitations as a performer. At the same time though, it also shows how tough his job is: Clement is too strict as chairman, Kenneth is too lenient accepting every challenge.

- Of the female participants thus far, Geraldine Jones has been far and away my favourite and perhaps also the best at the game. Wonderfully articulate woman who has a wit that goes under the radar. On the other hand, Nicholas's sucking up to Aimi MacDonald is both cloying and cringe-worthy. Sheila Hancock is fiesty and gives Kenneth, especially, a run for his money, but I don't think she's as good at the game as Geraldine. Andree Melley has been too nondescript to make a real impression.

- Kenneth Williams is not the same on the 1960s shows as he would be in the early 70s shows. It seems like it takes him some time to grow in confidence on the show, by 69 it's obvious that he's a fixture, but he's still quite reserved by his standards on those shows.  There turning point, I would say, is Peter Jones's arrival. Listening to the shows in sequence, it is almost as if Jones being there flicks a switch in Kenneth. He becomes much much more adversarial, territorial almost. I do not know what it is about Jones that brought this out in him, but his performances in 1972-3 are borderline psychotic at times with his rants at Jones and at Nicholas. It's all in good humour, of course, and frequently very funny -- indeed, these shows are much funnier than the earlier shows -- but one gets the impression that Williams was also letting Jones know who was boss. I find this turn in Kenneth a bit puzzling because Peter seems like such a mild and good natured chap, but the difference in him after Jones's introduction is marked. It is unmistakable, I would say.

- Speaking of Peter Jones, he is not at bad at the game as the various descriptions I've read make out. Does he get worse? While he's not been spectacular in terms of scoring points thus far, he's more than held his own. His put downs of Kenneth during their verbal sparring has been glorious. On one I was just listening to (Episode from 30/1/73), he brought the house down by saying he couldn't possibly know what the topic was from listening to Kenneth rabbiting on. Very funny.

- Clement Freud seems to win every single game. His only real competition seemingly is Derek Nimmo. It seems to me that they mostly pair off Clement vs. Derek, Kenneth vs. Peter. Clement and Kenneth seem to have a tacit alliance. But all are united in their contempt for Nicholas.

It's been interesting to see how the show has developed and changed in its first 5 years. I'm looking forward to getting to 2014 eventually. And I'll track my observations here as a I do.

 
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