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Post by Stephen Byers on Aug 20, 2016 10:23:17 GMT
Digitising some reel-reel tapes we came across a long audio recording of a Benny Hill t.v. show. It would be from the 1960s. He recites some (very) long monologues. We do not wish to part with the tape in question. The tape also has some private / personal recordings on. However we can list the BH recordings here - although we couldn't bare to listen to the whole recording so the list is incomplete. Actually we can't stand him or his humour!! And we can upload said BH recording to a cloud site for a few days - just in case they are 'missing.' Any thoughts or advice please?
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RWels
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Post by RWels on Aug 20, 2016 13:54:15 GMT
Digitising some reel-reel tapes we came across a long audio recording of a Benny Hill t.v. show. It would be from the 1960s. He recites some (very) long monologues. We do not wish to part with the tape in question. The tape also has some private / personal recordings on. However we can list the BH recordings here - although we couldn't bare to listen to the whole recording so the list is incomplete. Actually we can't stand him or his humour!! And we can upload said BH recording to a cloud site for a few days - just in case they are 'missing.' Any thoughts or advice please? Haha, I know how you feel, I once helped return a morecambe and wise recording, but I can't stand the pair of them! I think normally the board would not want to encourage sharing of material, but in fact I already sent you a message in case you need help to return it. I don't believe it would be necessary to share the actual tape if you copied it wisely. |
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Post by Stephen Byers on Aug 21, 2016 13:43:08 GMT
Here's the list as far as we could bear to listen to:
* Benny Hill (TV?)
- Soldier's Pudding
- Miss Hargreaves
- Lending Library
- Racing Pigeon
- Ted
- etc.
Can anyone id. the programme? And is it missing?
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RWels
Member
Posts: 2,863
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Post by RWels on Aug 21, 2016 21:08:48 GMT
Here's the list as far as we could bear to listen to: * Benny Hill (TV?) - Soldier's Pudding - Miss Hargreaves - Lending Library - Racing Pigeon - Ted - etc. Can anyone id. the programme? And is it missing? Difficult. There isn't any info to narrow it down a bit? (Like an announcement of a program/event?) See also the message I sent earlier. |
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Post by Stephen Byers on Aug 22, 2016 12:12:46 GMT
As I said we digitised all of the recording, but didn't bother to list the performance(s), they seemed to run into each other anyway.
BTW we are using an Akai DS20000 MK 2 tape deck, and a small Behringer USB device. There is a little cross-over between adjacent tracks, yet there is little or no print through, and the tapes are playing OK. They are 55 years old and have remained wound up for that time (no rewinding), they are mainly EMITAPE. And no sticky shed yet!!
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Post by Nathan Dickel on Aug 26, 2016 5:30:09 GMT
This is extremely interesting, as I'm a Hill fanatic (in fact, he's probably my favorite human being that ever existed)!
If your going by Miss Hargreeves? that could be around November '64, as that name was mentioned in the Soap Commercial sketch. He did that one twice, once in 64 for the Beeb, and again in 1970 for Thames.
Does this match up to it?
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Post by chrisstratton on Aug 26, 2016 14:38:18 GMT
This is extremely interesting, as I'm a Hill fanatic (in fact, he's probably my favorite human being that ever existed)! If your going by Miss Hargreeves? that could be around November '64, as that name was mentioned in the Soap Commercial sketch. He did that one twice, once in 64 for the Beeb, and again in 1970 for Thames. Does this match up to it? Me too.... I'm more a fan of this 60's to early 70's material..... Will any of this be uploaded on line at all?....I'd love to hear it |
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Post by Alan Turrell on Aug 26, 2016 19:39:40 GMT
Yeh me as well i really like his humour there is nobody like him around these days.
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Post by Nathan Dickel on Aug 27, 2016 7:31:34 GMT
People also forget that when he became more physical and silent at the turn of the 80's and Dennis Kirkland becoming Producer, they were aiming more at the International Market, prior to that, he could do more verbal stuff as he only really had the UK, Australia and NZ to deal with. Plus he was competing with Kenny Everett.
While I agree he's not to everyone's taste and we all have different senses of humor., the vitriol and hatred he got in the UK was extremely uncalled for. His material is fairly conservative compared to sketches I've seen by the likes of Monty Python, Spike Milligan, even The Two Ronnies and The Goodies.
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Post by Nathan Dickel on Aug 27, 2016 7:52:19 GMT
Update, have listened, and sadly nothing rare here, it appears to be a tape recording of his 1971 LP:  "Words & Music". All on DVD, dates as followed: Uplift with Humphrey Bumphrey (Feb. 24, 1971) B&W [47:56] VTR 3457 (recorded Jan. 28, 1971) Making a Commercial (Feb. 4, 1970) Color [50:30] VTR 2307 (recorded Nov. 9, 1969) The Birds and the Bees (Mar. 11, 1970) Color [51:26] VTR 2309 (recorded Feb. 15, 1970) Ted (Oct. 28, 1970) Color [50:44] VTR 3454 (recorded Oct. 22, 1970) Tour Guide (Feb. 4, 1970) Color [50:30] VTR 2307 (recorded Nov. 9, 1969) |
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Post by John Green on Aug 27, 2016 11:42:56 GMT
In about '81 ,I found a homemade reel-to-reel tape marked 'Dylan'.Didn't have a machine,but still regret not buying it.Could have been copies of albums,but might have been...
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Post by Ronnie McDevitt on Aug 27, 2016 14:25:56 GMT
I found a home-made reel to reel tape marked `Dylan.' Didn't have a machine, but still regret not buying it. Could have been copies of his albums, but might have been.....
.... a recording of The Magic Roundabout?
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Post by John Green on Aug 27, 2016 17:58:25 GMT
I found a home-made reel to reel tape marked `Dylan.' Didn't have a machine, but still regret not buying it. Could have been copies of his albums, but might have been.....
.... a recording of The Magic Roundabout? True. These days,I wouldn't be surprised to discover that (Bob) Dylan had recorded Funky Moped! |
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Post by Dale Rumbold on Aug 28, 2016 12:49:06 GMT
I actually do have some snippets of a Benny Hill ITV show, recorded on a poor quality reel-to-reel tape c. 1971. I don't believe there is anything 'missing' there ; they are still quite amusing though, but pretty racist!
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Post by johnstewart on Sept 9, 2016 10:26:47 GMT
Do seem to remember a thread over on Mausoleum cub a few years back on Benny Hill. I think someone had said it was believed that one Thames show from 1971 was missing and had turned up on a black and white print. Apart from that as far as I know as I know all the masters existed back to 1969. Some deterioration in some 1969 material was visible in compilations made for Australian TV. I'm not certain whether some of the early shows only exist tacked together as compilations for overseas sales or not.
As a boy growing up with Hills work I recall my Dad enjoying the shows in the early 1960s. I always waited excitement to see the spoof television advert breaks. I recall my dad feeling that the material was 'not a s clever as his earlier stuff'; watching a headmaster spoof sketch in a 1970 Thames show. Then recall Mum watching the shows with me including a sketch 'The Hitchhiker' featuring Patricia Hayes who Mum liked in 1971.
It's not widely known what's missing from his early shows but the archive for his 1960s 'show' format prgrammes is very good and comprehensive. This appears to be partly due to the fact that a large amount were produced and broadcast as telerecordings from 35mm film. It's possible that format was favoured as the BBC started producing a sideline series 'Benny Hill c. 1959 - 60 specifically aimed at selling him to overseas audiences. Ironically it's most of that series which is depleted. The series was a compendium of individual programmes presented as comedy drama plays based on one central topic. I recall reading in Bob Monkhouse's biography only a small amount of shows per series; between 3 and 5 usually were produced. Bob was friends and an admirer of Bennys work; sadly he is not around now to advise as he would be a good authority on the subject.
Of I think 3 shows made in 1959-60 the BBC now hold 2. One is about a fantasist obssessed with TV and this is where the oft shown 'Juke box jury' scene originates from. The other episode themed around a wedding was found in a collection by collector Mick Hall in the early 1990s.
From the 1963 series of 'Benny Hill', 1 entry exists 'The mystery of Black bog Manor'; a horror thriller. Another entry (missing); 'The time bicycle' sounded interesting. It revolved around a bike which took the rider into different time periods; a variation on 'The time machine'. Though many view a lot of Bennys work as being below the belt; few have had the patience to look further and this example shows how influential and ahead of his time he could be. In 1972 the horror film compendium featuring Joan Collins; 'Tales that witness madness' used exactly the same idea to great success. Bob Monkhouse pointed out how Benny was one of the first to observe the medium of television and satirise it from within it's own medium with the advert spoofs. They remain some of the most topical as well as witty pieces.
Returning to archive status, the last three 'Benny Hill shows' for the BBC c 1968. were produced on tape as opposed to 35mm. It was later proposed that the VTs were wiped quickly after Bennys new contract to Thames was announced; perhaps as they realised they might have no repeat use.
Of these 3 I think film inserts for a show featuring June Whitfield are held in the BBC film Library.
A compilation of 1965 shows featuring the spoof of 'Twilight zone' where TV sets come to life; was made in 1967 and this exists.
Most of the 'Benny Hill show' format shows that are missing seem to hail from the 1955 - 59 period in which they would have been transmitted live rather than pre recorded. The material that exists was probably kept to monitor the BBCs output. As far as I know this consists of one 1957 show and a show at the BFI from 1955.
The archive of Benny Hills TV work is on reflection pretty good and a comprehensive history of what went out.
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