Mike Cotton
Memories of warm-up routines
David Jacobs’ warm-up routine:
"I appeal to the ladies in the audience, I hope I don’t appeal to the men, to take their gloves off before applauding…and we can’t hear smiles…"
The Muir and Norden double act before introducing Jimmy Edwards and his Euphonium.
Marty Feldman threatening to see the boom operator in the car park after the show.
Esther Rantzen joking about dropping her radio mic down the loo and then actually doing so – Better Sound. On being contacted about this the IA wanted to know if it was before the event or after.
Brian Jones:
"…There will be shots of the audience so make sure you are not with someone you shouldn’t be with…"
“…Shake hands with the person on your left/right."
"..and now the film will go down to Boots to be developed but beds will be provided…"
Felix Bowness sitting on the audience rail and spitting at them.
Derek Martin
"What do you think of my new watch? Lovely, guaranteed for life – when the mainspring goes it slashes your wrist!" Felix Bowness – and yes, sitting on the rail.
Dave Mundy
Felix often asked if anyone had a sweet so the AFM gave everyone in the audience a boiled sweet on the way in and when Felix asked the usual question …….well, you can imagine the bombardment he got!
We all got very tired of Richard Waring’s patter week-after-week so we wired-up a changeover switch in his 4037 warm-up mic circuit and played the so-called ‘joke’ punchline to his, now, hand-held loudspeaker! He wasn’t amused but we were!
On a separate occasion Spike Milligan was flicking a BK6 hanging over the back of a chair and we did the same trick and said, “Leave me alone” from the BK6 – he was visibly shocked!
Tony Grant
I worked on the Dick Emery series with Ernie Maxim as the director who also did the warm up. During each of these he would always ask the audience if they had any sweets, and then go and take any that were proffered, usually eating at least one or two as he continued his spiel.
For the last in the series, the floor manager, none other than Jimmy Moir, went along the whole audience queue before they entered the studio, handing out boiled sweets and telling everyone that they would be asked if they had any sweets during the warm up, and they were to shout “yes” and throw the sweets at the man. Ah, bliss, Ernie was truly gob-smacked! Now you know the route to head of LE.
Trevor Webster
I seem to remember that one crew filled a lot of boiled suites with mustard and gave them to somebody in the front row for when Felix asked. It is said that he didn’t let on but the expression on his face was enough!
Also, nobody has mentioned "Two peanuts walked down Piccadilly – one was a salted!" (Muir and Norden)
… And Jimmy Edwards: “This is a Euphonium – from the Latin: Eu (what a) phoni (awful) um (noise)!”
Paul Kay
I remember the Jimmy Edwards "Spitting warm up". He would not get away with it now!!
Alec Bray
I worked on a Jimmy Edwards show in the TV Theatre – “Bold as Brass”. Jimmy played a member of a brass band. The show also included Beryl Reid, who I personally grew to loathe. For example, on one show we were all told to be back in the TV Theatre, ready to go, by a certain time (possibly 14:00?). Everyone was assembled by the required time – except for Beryl Reid. Half an hour went by – no sign of the diva. Another quarter of an hour – still no sign. The floor manager then announced that the whole cast and crew were waiting for Beryl Reid. At which point she flounced into the Theatre in some sort of pink creation and demanded a public apology, and that she would not go on with the programme until such an apology was made. So the floor manager (I hope under protest) made a public apology for something that that was not his fault and for which he had no reason to make an apology.
Anyway, on one show, the recording was to a single VT machine, and in those days (1963 -1964) if there was a single machine, VT had to play back though the whole recording to check – if there were two machines recording, they only did a spot check – 10 minutes tops! So there we were, with the audience, in the Theatre, having to wait 30 minutes for the VT check. Jimmy Edwards picked up his euphonium and started to play (a glissando to the start of “The Isle of Capri”)). Some of the other brass band members started to join in – and they busked their way through the whole VT check time – totally unrehearsed. This was actually much better than the show we had recorded – they ought to have recorded this busking!
Peter Hider
Television Theatre played host to the American humorist Bob Newhart, he of the Walter Raleigh tobacco and driving instructor monologues.
We were using a new rifle mike in the boom. (the model number escapes me). It was some 14 inches long with holes round the circumference and along the length of the mike. We had a camera fault and thus a pause in the proceedings during which Bob continued to entertain the audience. He spotted the unusual mike and summoned it towards him. I think the boom op was Mike Weaver who brought the mike really close.
Bob examined it and said in deep sonorous tones "I have a brother in New York who could cure that." Classic humour.
Dave Plowman
Bill Martin did much for the BBC. I’d say he probably holds the record for the number of shows warmed up – sometimes three in a day.
Pat Heigham
Warm -ups:
I recall either Felix or Richard (probably the latter) picking up the headset from a nearby camera, explaining to the audience about talkback, and putting it on. We then sent him tone at a hugely amplified level!
I remember playing the ‘punchline’ trick over the fold back from the previous week’s warm up – just before it was delivered.
Alec Bray
One of the best bits of “Square World” was Michael Bentine’s audience warm-up – the many things that could be done with a broken chair back – and the Japanese lighthouse keeper committing hara-kiri…
Pat Heigham
My school at Leatherhead celebrated its Centenary some years ago. At that time, Cliff Michelmore’s son was a pupil, and so Cliff was chairman of the Events Committee which organised the shindig.
Cliff Michelmore obtained the services of Michael Bentine for the cabaret act, and yes, his act was the “It’s a Square World” warm-up, complete with the Goole-e flute! I knew it all too well!
We also were treated to Ray McVay’s band from the Hammersmith Palais for dancing. The girl singers pre-empted Buck’s Fizz in ripping off their long skirts halfway through the evening and pranced around with long legs in short miniskirts – all-in-all, a memorable evening!
Roger Bunce
I’m pretty sure that Michael Bentine’s act with a broken chair back features in a low-budget, and otherwise tedious, British film called "Down amongst the Z-Men."
