FashionState.Com salutes...

"The Goon Show"

Faces of the Goon:
The Goons' Goons

Wallace Greenslade

1913-1961

Wallace "Bill" Greenslade was already an established
announcer on the BBC when he was brought into the
Goons' circle to replace Andrew Timothy. So beloved was
he by Goon Show fans that a fictionalized episode
about his life ("The Greenslade Story") was produced
and performed in 1956. Sadly, Mr. Greenslade
passed away shortly after the Goon Show went off the air.

Max Geldray

1916-2004

A Jewish refugee from Nazi-occupied
Holland, Max Geldray (born van Gelder) parlayed his
teenaged interest in jazz into a stint as perhaps the world's
first jazz harmonica player (he played at
then-Princess Elizabeth's 16th birthday in 1942) .

Although Max had performed with Django Rhinehart,
Ray Ventura, and Frank Sinatra, he became best-known
as the man called "Conks" on the BBC Radio cult series
"The Goon Show". Very rarely would "the world's worst
actor", as the Goons dubbed him, be given a speaking line,
but his solos were a staple over the years the Goon Show
tore up the airwaves and its audiences' sides with laughter.

Between his gigs, he worked for the Christian Science Monitor
and volunteered his time to organizations such as the
Betty Ford Center. Max died in 2004 in his adopted home
town of Palm Springs, California.

Ray Ellington

1915-1985

Ray Ellington's smooth, easy vocal style and the stylings
of his jazzy quartet lent a sophisticated air to the wild
proceedings on "The Goon Show". It was not enough to
save him from the politically-incorrect ribbing he received
from the performers on the show, but Ray usually gave back
as good as he got when he appeared in the scripts!

Andrew Timothy
1912-1990

Andrew Timothy was the original announcer on
"The Goon Show", but departed after only two seasons,
stating "he feared for his sanity". This quote has been widely
circulated in the third person, so one wonders if it's true
or simply urban (if believable) legend. However,
Mr. Timothy graciously returned to the announcer's
microphone for "The Last Goon Show of All", broadcast in
1980. His son Christopher took up announcing duties in
"Goon Again", the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the
original airdate of "The Goon Show."

Wally Stott
1924-2009

A musician and songwriter from a very early age,
Wally Stott, the orchestra leader on "The Goon Show", became
Angela Morley after surgical sex change and has scored
such films as "Watership Down" as well as working on the
music for many films and television shows.
Angela spent her later years in Arizona, and
passed away on January 14, 2009,after a long struggle with cancer.

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