R.I.P. Tim Brooke-Taylor

[RayKelly]

The Goodies' Tim Brooke-Taylor, who appeared as a bowler hatted reporter and Lord Plumfield's son in the unfinished Orson's Bag, died today from COVID-19. He was 79.

[MartynH]

Ray - were The Goodies well known in the USA?

[Roger Ryan]

Ray - were The Goodies well known in the USA?

I would have to say that The Goodies were not well-known in the US. As far as British comedy from the 50s/60s/70s goes, Monty Python had the biggest cultural breakthrough, although that didn't happen until the mid-to-late 70s when public television began airing the "Flying Circus" nationally. Benny Hill, for some reason, made a big impression on America in the 70s! Marty Feldman was well-known through his association with Mel Brooks and, for some (like me), his short-lived American network TV show. Followers of Peter Sellers were aware of his past association with The Goon Show, and Beyond the Fringe made some inroads in the states; at the very least, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were seen as guests on the popular Saturday Night Live. The Goodies never attained the status of any of the above in the US.

[tonyw]

A missing link leading to MONTY PYTHON was AT LAST THE 1948 SHOW (ITV) featuring John Cleese and Marty Feldman. Episodes have been recently recovered and available on one DVD. Another, with that famous choral number, "I've got a ferret sticking up my nose", may soon feature on another DVD.

As well as Orson, Canadian host Bernard Braden also discovered Tim Brooke-Tayor in the 60s and featured him regularly on BBC programes such as ON THE BRADEN BEAT.

[tonyw]

Hello Fellow chartered Accountants, I've just been watching the Tim Brooke-Taylor interview on the 3rd disk of AT LAST THE 1984 SHOW BFI . DVD. Towards the end, the sadly departed comedian mentions that Orson Welles saw him in BROADEN YOUR MIND (1968-69) that followed the 1948 Show and preceded THE GOODIES (1970-1980). Our hero enjoyed the show and wanted Tim and future Goodie Graeme Garden to appear in one of his films. We know Tim appears in ONE MAN BAND playing a character he pioneered on the mid 60s ON THE BRADEN BEAT taking over from Peter Cook's E.L. Wisty.

Orson definitely loved good comedy and its practitioners.