Under Two Floorboards

From The Goon Show Depository

"Under Two Floorboards"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.Series: 5
Episode: 18
Written by
Based onBeau Geste
AnnouncerWallace Greenslade
Produced byPeter Eton
Music
Recording
Number
TLO 72116
First broadcast25 January 1955 (1955-01-25)
Running time30:17
Episode Order
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"The Missing Scroll"
The Goon Show series 5
List of episodes

Under Two Floorboards — A Story of the Legion is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the eighteenth show in the fifth series. The show was recorded at 9.15pm on Sunday 23 January 1955. The recording took place at the Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London.

The first British public broadcast was on the Home Service on Tursday 25 January 1955 at 8.30pm (except Scotland). It reached a peak listenership of 2.6m.

The show's first repeat was the following Friday at 12.25pm / 12.30pm, (depending on area) 28 January 1955, on the Home Service. It was listened to by 1.9 million.

Synopsis

'Beau' recently down from Cambridge with his fellow graduates Moriarty and Grytpype-Thynne, attends a ball at Oxley Towers where Lady Seagoon's famous 'Blue Shower' diamond, worth a king's ransom, is stolen. By the time the police have arrived 'Beau' has decided to join the Foreign Legion. There he meets with disaster after disaster until finally, disguised as Riff-Raff, he is forced to join an Arab raiding party. Eventually he returns to Fort Zinderneuf with the plans of the secret wash-houses of Charing Cross Station where he is decorated with the Legion D'Honeure 3rd Class for emptying Arab dustbins in the heat of battle.

Music

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 72116 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House). The tape survived in TS and was used for the version of the show featured in Compendium Vol 2. The damage inflicted by a noisy fader on the mixing panel was removed where possible.[1]

References

  1. ^ Kendall, Ted (2009). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 2 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4056-8774-4.