Not Only But Also 1974 special

[Andrew Timm]

I was wodnering what the status of this episode was. If memory serves correctly, it featured pre-filmed footage, plus new links/openings. What I wish to know is..
1)What exactly was in this(specific sketches)
2)Does this episode itself survive.
3)What of the "new" material shot especially for this episode?

Thanks

[Charles Roberts]

I remember something about a ferry, that was new, best I remember this was wiped though? The show was largely pre-filmed material. It would be interesting to nothe whether Cricket or Conman were included? I remember reading some years back that this specific episode was wiped(which is weird as it was supposed to gather rare bits together under one parasol), but that a b&w telerecroding had been made..................

[andrew martin]

This does still exist, it was made as a 16mm colour film programme.

[Matthew]

If it was made as a 16mm colour film programme, how did it include sketches originally shot in studio on vt, or by 1974 did these sketches only exist, at best, as b/w telerecordings, so were copied from film to film and spliced in?

[andrew martin]

The programme content is as follows:

1) Opening sequence (Dud painting white lines on deck of Ark Royal, Pete as cyclist)

2) Linking sequences - Dud and Pete trying to sail to New York in a tug (various seqs between sketches - including, once they're in New York, Dudley performing "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" on the roof of the tug, with what looks like a locally recruited rhythm section)

3) Emma Bargo (originally shown 18/2/70)

4) Cricket Match Between Good and Evil (originally shown 1/4/70)

5) The Glid of Glood (originally shown 4/3/70)

6) Closing sequence - Goodbye song, on deck of Ark Royal, at end of which they and the piano are fired off the deck! (opening and closing are ex 1970 series, date unspecified)

There were no sketches originally made in studio - the programme is entirely 16mm colour film (Emma Bargo includes b/w sequences, but these are spoof 1930s films, so they always were b/w).

The programme was repeated 30/8/76 on BBC1, uncut.

[Peter Roberts]

How come it only included material that was originally shot on film? It suggests the video tapes had already been wiped by this point, is that the case?

[andrew martin]

That was almost certainly the case. Things like comedy were usually only repeatable for two years after tx, and then they would be cleared for wiping. If "Not Only..." series 3 had survived to 1974 they would probably still be with us. The film sequences obviously couldn't be wiped and re-used - don't ask me why they weren't junked like so much else: though I think it's possible that the review period for film was longer (5 years?). No actual film sequences for "Not Only..." series 3 survive other than in this compilation, so had it not been for this programme being made all the material for the series would probably have gone.

[adam james Smith]

what about "it's Ludwig Van Beethoven"

[andrew martin]

This is what happens when I post during my lunch break - I forget about the 2 compilations of NOBA film sequences held by the BBC. Whoops. Must get round to checking them out at some point and working out what actually exists...

[John Stewart Miller]

andrew said:

This is what happens when I post during my lunch break - I forget about the 2 compilations of NOBA film sequences held by the BBC. Whoops. Must get round to checking them out at some point and working out what actually exists...

AS regards this Andrew, I'd be very interested if the 'Not only, but also... PSYCHO' spoof, as I recalled it still exists. This was made as a film title / opening sequence for the 1970 series. I recall it being a cross between being awful / offbeat / quite funny, if you can imagine that!

Cooks portrayal of Anthony Perkins seemed hilariously inaccurate, with a stutter (asking Moore in the Martin Balsam role if he 'wants a s-s-s-sandwich or some-thing?..')

The 'stairs' scene ended with the screen cracking like glass and the announcer saying 'we would like to apologise, the cameraman has just had a nervous breakdown..'

As regards the quality of the 1970 series, I tend to agree with Dudley Moores own comments on 'Wogan' where he said, given the luck of the draw he'd rather the earlier ones survived than the later. I had only seen clips of the '65 - '66 shows; (at the time on shows like 'Junior points'); prior to the 1990 screenings. The shows seemed much stronger than I recall the 1970 series to be.

Those points of note from my memory seem to all be the film stock sketches (i.e. Bargo, Psycho, Shakespere, launching of the piano). I seem to recall the studio sections of the 1970 series dragged, particularly the 'Mozart / Beethoven' as Tom Jones sketch which covered most of its edition. the rest seemed filled out with the Dudley Moore trio.

With hindsight, it would be nice to have the lost studio material for Spike Milligan & other interesting acts, but I'd argue from my memory that the best bits, for some reason ('Bargo' is quite a classic) were the most interesting & funny bits.

[John Stuart Miller]

Perhaps the Beeb should make another "Best Of" featuring all of this, plus Ludwig, Making Of Movie and Tower Bridge. That way all the colour would be together. Also, when was the last known(confirmed) sighting of the "Conman" sketch? Was it more likely destroyed or whipped away by a BBC employee?

[Peter Mc]

Any idea what the status of the Australian specials is as far as any sort of DVD release? Are they just mouldering in archives awaiting clearance? Were they done at the ABC? I saw clips of them on a Channel 9 special? Are they from the ABC or were the specials done at Nine?

The following is from the BBc site...
Not Only...But Also
Australia, ABC, Sketch, colour, 1971
Starring: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Barry Humphries
Two shows recorded in Australia. The BBC editions of Not Only...But Also was very popular there and ABC paid for Cook and Moore to fly Down Under to tape the programmes in its own studios, where they were joined by special guest Barry Humphries. Apart from a few new items (including another Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling interview, in which he talked of domesticating a funnel-web spider), most of the sketches were oldies, including the classic 'audition', first seen in Beyond The Fringe, in which Moore, hopping maniacally as a one-legged man ('a unidexter'), applies for an audition for the part of Tarzan in a forthcoming film.


Both shows were imported by the BBC and screened under the title Peter Cook And Dudley Moore In Australia.

[Matthew K Sharp]

Peter said:

Any idea what the status of the Australian specials is as far as any sort of DVD release? Are they just mouldering in archives awaiting clearance? Were they done at the ABC? I saw clips of them on a Channel 9 special? Are they from the ABC or were the specials done at Nine?

There were two 30 min "Not Only But Also" specials made for the ABC, and two 50 min "Behind The Fridge" episodes for GTV9. Both GTV episodes exist on VT.

[Charles Roberts]

Sorry, that should read "two compilations of film sequences that the BBC has". Still, in the words of John Travolta "Tell me more"...................

[Simon Tarry]

Matthew said:

There were two 30 min "Not Only But Also" specials made for the ABC, and two 50 min "Behind The Fridge" episodes for GTV9. Both GTV episodes exist on VT.

There is also some outtake material from their Australian visit, I've seen two pieces, one in colour and one in B/W. I can't remember what the the colour piece was but the B/W one consists of several takes of Pete saying to Dud, "You have a rare form of elephantiasis" and Dudley bursting into laughter. I've not idea where this originates from, although I saw it amongst a bunch of clips prepared for a Bloopers show for GTV9.