Wednesday, December 07, 2005
I LOVE A MAN IN A UNIFORM
Apologies here as this topic has also been written about by the other blogger in the house. It's bound to happen occasionally. If we led completely separate lives it would be a bit CREEPY really and possibly a sign of impending marital crisis. Which would be good blogging material and would definitely get my stats up. However ...
A few days ago we listened to an old Jimmy Clitheroe show, mainly inspired by these comments on Musings From Middle England . My only memory of Clitheroe is that I may have heard his radio show for a few minutes here and there as a child but my parents didn't reckon much to him - in fact, it seems rare to find anyone who has a good word to say about him, yet the show ran from the 1950's to the 1970's.
I'm just guessing here, but it seemed to be in the tradition of much comedy from the 1930's and '40's. Plenty of northerners who "speak as they find": Sandy "can you hear me moother" Powell; that bloke who used to say "...the day war broke out" and the like. I recall Alan Bennett's memories of listening to the radio as a child: "Tommy Handley never appealed to me". I can only agree - voice like a foghorn and those horrible overblown songs like True or Gold! Any road up ...
I think we put up with about ten minutes of the Clitheroe Kid.
Short of stature and chidlike of voice, there are strange parallels between Jimmy C. and wee Jimmy (aka Jeanette) Krankie . Both dressed as schoolboys in character well into middle age. I wonder if Clitheroe's spirit left his body and passed on to Jeanette Krankie upon his death? This is a terrifying thought, and probably would be more suitable as a Hallowe'en tale. Still, I dedicated a blog post to Jeanette a year ago as she recovered from a preposterous accident in panto when a mechanical beanstalk fell on her. Fortunately she didn't die. This time. When she ceases to be, perhaps she will pass her spirit on to some other lucky beggar - Joe Pasquale, perhaps, or littlemark Owen?
Jimmy Clitheroe apparently moved back in with his mother after she was widowed. Sadly, he took her eventual death rather badly and within a short time died himself from an allegedly accidental overdose of sleeping pills.
The main crux of this post, however, is to shoehorn in what has to be the best comment I've seen in a site guestbook for a long time. It was obviously, lahhk, written by a firrteen year old gurll, innit? God knows how she ended up on the Jimmy Clitheroe website, but she said:
"We loves you even though you is dead! Respect to you you 4 ft midget!"
Props to tha gal.
A few days ago we listened to an old Jimmy Clitheroe show, mainly inspired by these comments on Musings From Middle England . My only memory of Clitheroe is that I may have heard his radio show for a few minutes here and there as a child but my parents didn't reckon much to him - in fact, it seems rare to find anyone who has a good word to say about him, yet the show ran from the 1950's to the 1970's.
I'm just guessing here, but it seemed to be in the tradition of much comedy from the 1930's and '40's. Plenty of northerners who "speak as they find": Sandy "can you hear me moother" Powell; that bloke who used to say "...the day war broke out" and the like. I recall Alan Bennett's memories of listening to the radio as a child: "Tommy Handley never appealed to me". I can only agree - voice like a foghorn and those horrible overblown songs like True or Gold! Any road up ...
I think we put up with about ten minutes of the Clitheroe Kid.
Short of stature and chidlike of voice, there are strange parallels between Jimmy C. and wee Jimmy (aka Jeanette) Krankie . Both dressed as schoolboys in character well into middle age. I wonder if Clitheroe's spirit left his body and passed on to Jeanette Krankie upon his death? This is a terrifying thought, and probably would be more suitable as a Hallowe'en tale. Still, I dedicated a blog post to Jeanette a year ago as she recovered from a preposterous accident in panto when a mechanical beanstalk fell on her. Fortunately she didn't die. This time. When she ceases to be, perhaps she will pass her spirit on to some other lucky beggar - Joe Pasquale, perhaps, or littlemark Owen?
Jimmy Clitheroe apparently moved back in with his mother after she was widowed. Sadly, he took her eventual death rather badly and within a short time died himself from an allegedly accidental overdose of sleeping pills.
The main crux of this post, however, is to shoehorn in what has to be the best comment I've seen in a site guestbook for a long time. It was obviously, lahhk, written by a firrteen year old gurll, innit? God knows how she ended up on the Jimmy Clitheroe website, but she said:
"We loves you even though you is dead! Respect to you you 4 ft midget!"
Props to tha gal.
Comments:
Yeah, but, no, but, yeah, but, no, but, yeah is that right? That's like really like sizzling fing, liking a dead bloke, get it?
nuff said.
nuff said.
'Clitheroe' sounds a bit rude to me.
That sketch on the Fast Show with the 'Where's me washboard?'punchline said everything about old funny men. Shite, usually.
That sketch on the Fast Show with the 'Where's me washboard?'punchline said everything about old funny men. Shite, usually.
Missus A - perhaps Vicky Pollard and Catherine "Am I bovvered?" Tate are the Jimmy Clitheroes of their day. Like real children, they're all amusing for about ten seconds and then become deeply annoying.
Garfer - I was going to title the post Lick My Clitheroe, but then this is a blog for the whole family to endure. Even children.
Garfer - I was going to title the post Lick My Clitheroe, but then this is a blog for the whole family to endure. Even children.
Oh, I think the talk about Jimmy Clitheroe should go on and on, because it is good to confront your fears. Not that anyone else will agree with me of course.
Jimmy Clitheroe seems to be a typical Morrissey hero with his northern origins and sad ending. I remember a Morrissey interview where he said he admired Ken Dodd and that "he married quite late in life but his wife died almost immediately" which sounds like that was the deciding factor. I don't know what he reckons to Tommy Handley though ...
Jimmy Clitheroe seems to be a typical Morrissey hero with his northern origins and sad ending. I remember a Morrissey interview where he said he admired Ken Dodd and that "he married quite late in life but his wife died almost immediately" which sounds like that was the deciding factor. I don't know what he reckons to Tommy Handley though ...
I thought you would be more blase about these things, having been mentioned in the Grauniad.
It is all very nice though. I know I'm likely to occupy the "nool points" position but it will probably be the high point of blogging for me and I'll have descended into a pills and brandy fuelled hell by Christmas.
Congratulations & best of luck, by the way.
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It is all very nice though. I know I'm likely to occupy the "nool points" position but it will probably be the high point of blogging for me and I'll have descended into a pills and brandy fuelled hell by Christmas.
Congratulations & best of luck, by the way.
