Bluebottle (character)
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- For other meanings, see bluebottle
Bluebottle is the name of a comedy character, created and performed by Peter Sellers, from the 1950's British radio comedy series The Goon Show.
Bluebottle, an adenoidally-squeaky voiced boy scout from Finchley, was noted for reading stage directions out loud, and was always greeted with a deliberate round of applause from the audience ("Enter Bluebottle wearing string and cardboard pyjamas. Waits for audience applause. Not a sausage."). As was common with Goon Show characters, Sellers' Bluebottle was paired with a Spike Milligan character — usually Eccles (the third Goon, Harry Secombe, usually stayed in his alter-ego of Neddie Seagoon throughout the show).
According to the Goon Show Companion (page 91) Bluebottle was originally known as Ernie Splutmuscle. In the 3rd series episode "The Man Who Never Was", he was cast in a small role. Secombe strides across the ceiling of his club, hurling members to the floor. He bumps into Splutmuscle:
| “ | Splutmuscle : No, do not hurl me to the floor. Seagoon : Are you a member? |
” |
(This episode was so popular that it was remade twice, with the above scene intact.)
Four shows later, in the episode Greatest Mountain in the World, the script refers to Peter (Bluebottle).
Bluebottle was allegedly based on Ruxton Hayward, a scoutmaster Sellers once met. In an interview with Michael Parkinson, Sellers described trying to keep a straight face while talking with a large red-bearded scout leader who nevertheless spoke in a falsetto voice and had an ingratiating manner. The identity of the individual was later revealed in The Goons[1], one of several books featuring memoirs and scripts from The Goon Show.
[edit] References
- ^ The Goons, edited by Norma Evans, Virgin Publishing 1997 ISBN 1-85227-679-7
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| The Goons | Michael Bentine • Spike Milligan • Harry Secombe • Peter Sellers |
| Other Contributors | Ray Ellington • Max Geldray • Wallace Greenslade • Dennis Main Wilson • Larry Stephens • Wally Stott • Eric Sykes • Andrew Timothy |
| Radio and TV Series | The Goon Show • The Telegoons |
| Films | Let's Go Crazy • Penny Points to Paradise • Down Among the Z Men • The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn • The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film |
| Characters | Cast members and their Characters • Major Bloodnok • Bluebottle • Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister • Eccles • Hercules Grytpype-Thynne • Count Jim Moriarty • Neddie Seagoon |
| General information | Episodes and archiving • Running Jokes |
