[Dixielandjazz] Ray Ellington, The Goon Show

[Steve Voce]

You're right, Robert, The Goon Shows were wonderful. I have transferred every one of them to CD (over 200).
Spike Milligan was a pal of mine and used to get me free tickets for his shows. Ray died in 1987, I think. I met him once when his quartet played a dance. Very nice fellow to talk to and
a great comedy actor in The Goon Shows.

The Goons had lots of jazz connections via Ray Ellington, Max Geldray and of course Spike Milligan, a fine jazz trumpeter with much in common with his namesake Spike Mackintosh.
I was  privileged, when 'The Bed Sitting Room' played Liverpool for a week, to have private recitals on three of the evenings when Spike and Alan Clare played
  trumpet cornet-piano duets for me backstage an hour or so before the show began. Spike also fixed it for me to get into the six performances for nothing. On the  Friday all the seats had
been sold, so Spike asked the theatre manager if I could stand against the wall by the right hand side of the stalls. This was against the fire regulations but the manager kindly agreed that,
provided I kept well back, he'd allow it. When the curtain went up on the bomb-site that was the first act, Milligan emerged on stage in a nightshirt and nightcap,
carrying a candle. He peered under his hand about the auditorium and saw me standing by the wall, four or five feet to the side of the stalls. 'Hallo mate,' he said. Then he turned to the
audience and cupped his hand round his mouth.
'B. O.' he said.

    Harry Secombe told me a story over a late-night drink in the Liverpool Press Club.
  'We were under terrific pressure having to produce a Goon Show every week. Sometimes rehearsals didn't finish until very late at night. We didn't have much money then and couldn't afford
to take taxis.One night Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and I were walking home after one of these when Milligan suddenly said "I've got to make a phone call."
  "But it's three o'clock in the morning," I pointed out.
   "Doesn't matter. It's very important," said Milligan.
  'He went to a telephone box and looked up a number in the telephone directory while Peter and I stood bewildered. He dialled and after a long interval an old lady answered
the phone.
  "Is Mr. Drake there?" demanded Milligan.
   "It's three o'clock in the morning," she protested. "He's in bed asleep."
  "Well get him to the phone," said Milligan, "It's very important."
   'Muttering, she went off, and after another long delay an old man came to the phone.  
   "Hallo," he said.
   "Mr. Drake?" said Milligan.
  "Yes," said the old man.
  "Well get your trousers on, the Armada's landed," said Milligan, and put the phone down.'

    When Spike died he had left instructions for the wording on his grave stone. It was quite simple and the stone was etched
   'Here lies Spike Milligan. I told you I was ill.'   

Steve Voce