Jeff Naylor
Nigel Williams and I are puzzling over this quote: “.. stony-faced technicians…” We used it just the other day…
At some point in our careers we were greatly amused by a press article that used the phrase but failing brain cells mean neither of us can remember how it started.
We both thought it was a line from a newspaper article written by someone who attended a Studio recording. I though it was "…and even the stony faced technicians were moved to tears…": Nigel thinks we were moved to laughter. For some reason I have a memory that Lena Zavaroni might have the subject of the piece, in which case it was a Crew 7 show.
Bill Jenkin
I think it came from promotion material of some sort for a fairly dire sitcom (no idea what though). “… Even the stony faced technicians were laughing…” (I always imagined it would have been Stu Lindley or Peter Hider doing the laughing). I remember talking about it with John Christie at the time. I think his comment was, “…Blimey they must have been scraping the barrel to come up with that one…” (or words to that effect).
Peter Hider
Bill’s reference to me laughing (Geoff Feld nicknamed me ‘Chuckles’) brought to mind the Frankie Howard show. He always started with a monologue which he rehearsed mute with all the titters and looks. Consequently when we recorded it was the first time we’d heard it. I always used a huge amount of head friction which was fortunate on that occasion as I had to let go of the panning handle to stop shaking and wipe away the tears of laughter.
Frankie never wanted to do a retake although this became necessary when, on one show, I slowly zoomed in on him and something inside the camera had moved and it got more and more soft as I got to a close-up. He was not best pleased.
Happy memories
Alec Bray
Thank You !! You’ll see why …
The full story is here: http://tech-ops.co.uk/next/zoom-lenses/
"… On transmission, I set up the zoom for the final closeup… checked that the tube was locked in position and panned down for the wide shot. As the old man chased around the set, I started the (fastish) zoom in. Horror of horrors, it was going out of focus! …”"
I have often wondered in the 50 odd years since if it was something I had done – it is a relief to know that it happened to someone else!
Bernie Newnham
I remember Stuart laughing so hard on a Morecombe and Wise show his camera was shaking.
Graeme Wall
And Morecombe stepped out of character during the recording to say to the audience, “I know this next gag is funny as Camera 3 has been pissing himself at it all through rehearsals!”
I was tracking the Heron on that show.
[see also: http://tech-ops.co.uk/next/tales-of-the-riverside/ , the piece about “Open House”]
Tony Grant
One of the most difficult times I had for suppressing laughter was in Pres B, doing a LNLU Interview with Michael Bentine about his proposed trip up the Orinoco. He was telling wonderful tales about his childhood in South America, including a story about ordering goods from the UK and arriving at the docks a couple of days after they’d been told they’d arrived, only to find a large empty packing case, with two families living in it. Of course, this in the 1960s, when you couldn’t (stony faced!) openly laugh out loud, and I had to let go of the camera I was shaking so much. The Interviewer was Noel Picarda (remember him) and he was unable to interrupt or stop Michael’s flow as he too was crying with laughter.
Memories, memories …
Peter Neill
Crew 7 were working an a “Laughter Show” and Dustin and Les were doing a sketch dressed as Keith Harris and Orville. During rehearsals they were actually quite funny and the crew were laughing quite a lot. Now, Crew 7 also did the Keith Harris Show and Ron said, "We’d better not laugh like that tonight -Keith might recognise us." Peter Fox replied, "I’m not worried, Keith has never heard me laugh."
(“The Laughter Show” was a BBC comedy sketch show, which featured Dustin Gee and Les Dennis, from 1984 to 1986 and then just featuring Les Dennis until 1991.)
Geoff Fletcher
We were always laughing when doing “Not Only But Also”. Anyone else remember the Poets Cornered game at the end of the shows on one of the series – the canvas tank of green foamy stuff into which Pete or Dud or their unfortunate guest were dumped from tipping seats along the edge after failing to continue a rhyme?
Dave Beer
One of Ronnie Corbett’s jokes was: "If the crew laughed at our sketch during rehearsal, we would have to go away and clean it up!"
Nigel Taylor
I remember a magazine article in the 1980s where the journalist, describing a visit to the “Tomorrow’s World” studio, said the cameramen had an air of ‘studied indifference’. I’ve been trying to perfect that look ever since!
Dave Plowman
Easily explained. They are on talkback and may not react what’s being said in the studio – may not even hear it if concentrating on something else.
