Ron Lankshear recalls Radio Days - the old steam radio folks

Radio Comedy

This came about during a series of notes in September 2009 on [email protected] to join send a note with subscribe in subject

with a quest for "the little girl whose catch phrase was "My name's Jennifer" - answer somewhere below

most links goto British Radio Nostalgia http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/radio/ 

This is just an aide memoire and I am detailing every thing just some catch phrases etc that stick in my mind.
I expect you will start to recall the stars etc but do follow the links - lovely pics and extracts.

Yes the sequence is in order of my favourites 

The Goon Show 1951-1960 - immortal madness - and played on a cardboard saxophone  Jim

Hancocks Half Hour 1954 and then on TV - such a pompous twerp - oh why did he kill himself

Take it From Here 1947-1959 - ah June Whitfield and her immortal line "Oh Ron!" - wonderful to see her years later on TV in Absolutely Fabulous

ITMA - Tommy Handley It's That Man Again 1939-1949 - some of the greatest catch phrases - including TTFN

Life with The Lyons - Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels with their children Barbara and Richard (Richard was this innocent who had a line "I don't even know about ships" - ie that ships are "she")

Ray's a Laugh 1949-1961 - and guess what little Jennifer was in this show

Much Binding in the Marsh 1944-1954 - Sam Costa "Good morning Sir, was there something?'
and Kenneth Horne again
Beyond Our Ken
and then Round the Horne - ah the voices that Kenneth Williams did - he seems to have been in many of the shows I've mentioned

Educating Archie 1950-1959 a crazy idea for radio ventriloquist Peter Brough and Archie Andrews his dummy - Archie had a wonderful cracked voice

The Navy Lark 1959-1970

Ignorance is Bliss - 1946-1953 - I remember Harold Berens and this show is just a title in my head

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Tommy Handley died in 1949 and the nation was stunned - on London memories Jean wrote
Hi Ron, Although I am too young to remember Tommy Handley's death in January 1949 I do know that a choir made up of the foremost concert singers of the day, all members of the Savage Club as Tommy had been, sang at the funeral and the memorial service at St Paul's several weeks later. At the funeral from the organ loft Webster Booth, Parry Jones, Trefor Jones, Walter Midgley, Dennis Noble, Frederic Gregory, George James and Edward Dykes sang Sullivan's "The Long day closes", Walford Davies' "God be in my head". and hymns, "O God our help in ages past" and "Abide with me". Several months later the choir made a recording of the music sung at the services and the record was sold in aid of boys' and girls' clubs in which Tommy Handley was keenly interested. You can see film clips of the funeral and memorial service at http://www.britishpathe.co.uk

more quotes from ITMA "Can I do you now, Sir?" - Mrs Mopp (the office char) Dorothy Summers
"It's being so cheerful as keeps me going" - Mona Lott.