Reply With QuoteNostalgia is all very well, but...................................
There's a great triple DVD set coming out next month by Network featuring the wonderful Larry Grayson:-
[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shut-That-Door-Larry-Grayson/dp/B00272F3UG]Shut That Door - Larry Grayson At ITV [DVD] [1972]: Amazon.co.uk: DVD[/ame]
Nostalgia is all very well, but...................................
I read in the local news that there's to be a tribute put up to him in his (adopted) home-town Nuneaton.
Coventry Telegraph
Didn't Mary Whitehouse come from there too? I wonder what they thought of each other!
Just look at his characters and catchphrases!
Catchphrases:
"Ooo shut that door!"
"What a gay day!"
"Isla, can we have the scores on the doors please?"
"Seems like a nice boy...!"
(After running his finger across the top of the back of a chair) "Oooo! Look at the muck in here!"
Characters:
Slack Alice
Apricot Lil, who works in the jam factory
Pop-It-In-Pete, the postman ("The things I've had through my letterbox!")
Self-Raising Fred, the baker
Everard Farquharson, Larry's "close friend"
An absolute one-off! God bless you, Larry!
name='GRAEME']I read in the local news that there's to be a tribute put up to him in his (adopted) home-town Nuneaton.
Coventry Telegraph
The second most famous former resident of Nuneaton is, of course, George Eliot but of her and Larry, I know which I'd rather have to study for A-level
Free admission - I'll definitely be going to this:-
What's On
Great news about this DVD. He was a fantastic entertainer. I wonder what he'd have thought of today's camp comedians? I think Julian Clary is brilliant, perhaps the funniest with double-entendres, but have a feeling Larry might have thought Julian went too far - even in declaring he's gay! But I don't find Graham Norton funny at all - relying more on shock rather than humour?
Towards the end of his life, Larry Grayson was one of the team captains in the original series of celebrity game show That's Showbusiness*, the other being Ken Dodd. They were great fun. I remember Larry making himself laugh when he parodied Hollywood films in which stars would say "Oh my God!". Wasn't it when someone took off a mask to reveal their identity? It was funny then anyway!
*The later series had Kenny Everett and Gloria Hunniford as team captains, with Mike Smith as compere.
I was lucky enough to meet Larry backstage after his show at our town theatre in 1973, and a few months later I wrote to him to tell him I was appearing on "New Faces" later that year (I'd simply addressed the envelope "Larry Grayson, Nuneaton"!) and he replied with a personal letter to say he'd be watching the show from his dressing room and wished me lots of luck!
A great warm-hearted, genuine entertainer, sadly missed.
He is, very sadly missed.
Out of interest, what was your act on New Faces?
Are they having a laugh? There is so much material of the truly great entertainers that isnt getting a release, yet Larry Grayson material is. Is there no justice?
I do believe for many years he was a "drag artiste" a la Danny La Rue .
His catch-phrase is reputed to have come from a performance at the what is now The Regent Cinema in Redcar. Jeffrey Edwards who used to run it said it was initiated there. Larry Grayson's catch-phrase and the film Atonement - not a bad claim for a north east resort.
name='chelseablue']Are they having a laugh? There is so much material of the truly great entertainers that isnt getting a release, yet Larry Grayson material is. Is there no justice?
If you mean entertainers like your avatar subject Dick Emery, I agree with you - but not about Larry Grayson!
cornershop15 - I was part of a musical duo called "Bokkle Green". Mary Whitehouse gave us a good mark, as did Clement Freud. We came third :)
name='crunchie']cornershop15 - I was part of a musical duo called "Bokkle Green". Mary Whitehouse gave us a good mark, as did Clement Freud. We came third :)
Thanks for telling me, Crunchie. I think I knew (the recently late) Clement Freud was a judge but not Mrs. Whitehouse. You did well coming third. I wonder who won?
Returning to Larry, as we should, there are quite a few tributes on YouTube:
[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=GfHniDl0XyE]YouTube - Larry Grayson - A Tribute[/ame]
I remember him on This Is Your Life.
John Inman was a guest and 'Lal' said, in his own imitatable way, "I thought she was dead!"
Great character.
Hi Crunchie is there any way I could get a copy of your "Shut That Door Disc" with Noele Gordon?
I'm new to forum,thanks.
Hi tartanmac - welcome to the forum! Please PM me with your email address and I'll help you out. Thanks.
Hi Cruchie
Tried private doing something wrong its <<email address>>
Cheers
name='chelseablue']Are they having a laugh? There is so much material of the truly great entertainers that isnt getting a release, yet Larry Grayson material is. Is there no justice?
I think one of the problems is that many of the great entertainers of the past came from the BBC and at least at present Network have no access and neither
2Entertain or Universal seem to be in the slightest interested. The same remarks could equally apply to most of the archive material in the BBC archives. At least Network do come up with a lot of good stuff from ITC/ITV.
Larry Grayson was one of those entertainers who could have me is fits of helpless laughter with just a look or an off-the cuff comment. I may treat myself to this DVD.
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