Jonathan Routh

Jonathan Routh, born John Reginald Surdeval Routh,[1] (1927–2008) co-starred in the British version of the television show Candid Camera (1960–67) and co-starred with Germaine Greer and Kenny Everett in a later attempt at a revival, Nice Time (1968). He published a number of humorous books, and also painted for many years.

Background

Routh was born on 24 November 1927 in Gosport, Hampshire, the son of a British Army colonel, and spent much of his early childhood in Palestine. He was educated at Uppingham School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge where he read history.

Routh had two sons from his first marriage (to the film designer Nandi Heckroth, in 1948), had a relationship in 1969 with the wife of Paul Hamlyn, and then another with the oil heiress Olga Deterding. He died in Jamaica on 4 June 2008.[1][2]

Television work

Following a success with a British version of Candid Microphone on Radio Luxembourg, Routh started a British version of its television successor Candid Camera around 1961 for ABC TV. Following a long dispute with the American lawyers of Allen Funt as to who held the rights to Candid Camera, Routh moved on to new fields, working with John Birt, later director general of the BBC, for Granada TV, along with Germaine Greer and Kenny Everett in Nice Time. He also worked in television advertising on spots such as J. Walter Thompson's for Smarties and Kellogg's Corn flakes, appearing also in some spots himself, for example Newcastle Brown Ale. The British version of Candid Camera returned along in 1974, starring Peter Dulay, Arthur Atkins and Sheila Bernette. In 1976, Routh returned to the pranks and the show was retitled Jonathan Routh & Candid Camera.

Guidebooks created with John Glashan

With John Glashan, Routh created an unusual set of small guidebooks: The Good Loo Guide and The Good Cuppa Guide (both about London), The Guide Porcelaine to the Loos of Paris, and The Better John Guide (about New York City). The humour owed much to the apparent seriousness, and to the affectionate parody of the connoisseurship of The Good Food Guide (then as now a trove of information on fine eating).

The Good Loo Guide

The Good Loo Guide, a compact fifty-page booklet subtitled "Where to Go in London", written with Brigid Segrave and "conveniently illustrated" by John Glashan, was the first of the series, published in London by Wolfe in 1965. A note on the copyright page sets the tone:

This is an impartial guide. Our visits to loos have been anonymous. We have not declared ourselves even after making use of the establishment's facilities. Nor have we at any time accepted hospitality, but paid cash for all chargeable facilities we have used.

Loos are rated by the application of stars, three-star establishments being "worth travelling out of your way to experience". The illustrations are numerous as well as convenient, with Glashan's characters (typically bearded men) experiencing various adventures and misadventures.

In the "completely new & revised" edition of 1968, more is included, and ten establishments earn a new award, the "Good Loo Royal Flush".

Two decades later, Routh (but not Glashan) would re-examine this issue with the Initial Good Loo Guide, on which see below.

The Good Cuppa Guide

The Good Cuppa Guide: Where to Have Tea in London, published in 1966, was "blended" by Routh and "milked and sugared" by Glashan. The format and charm (and, in its day, usefulness) are those of the Good Loo Guide. Providers of cuppas are rated with a maximum of five stars.

Guide Porcelaine to the Loos of Paris

Its title echoing that of the Guide Michelin, Guide Porcelaine to the Loos of Paris (1966) was similar to the London guide but additionally provided convenient phrases for the nervous British tourist. An example: "Donnez-moi les ordres simples pour atteindre le pissoir le plus pres d'ici; et, s'il vous plait, sans les gesticulations sauvages et tumultueuses",[n 1] i.e. "Please direct me to the nearest loo in simple terms and without waving your hands in too dangerous a manner."

A French translation also appeared: Guide porcelaine des "lieux" de Paris (Editions de la Jeune Parque, 1967).

The Better John Guide

Unlike the three-and-sixpenny (3s 6d, 17½p) booklets described above, The Better John Guide: Where to Go in New York (New York: Putnam, 1966) was a $2.50 hardback. Written with Serena Stewart, it had "graffiti" by Glashan, largely recycled from the "convenient" illustrations of The Good Loo Guide. Some of the text was recycled too — understandably so, as neither work was likely to have been known in the other city.

Art

Routh also painted for many years, concentrating on depicting the Queen Victoria of his imagination and nuns, as he claimed to be unable to paint faces, arms or legs.[3] He exhibited regularly in Jamaica, Italy and the United States; as of early 2008, his paintings were also on display in what had been his favourite restaurant, San Lorenzo in Beauchamp Place, London.[3] In March 2008, Routh issued limited editions of his original paintings through Chisholm Gallery.

Routh's paintings of nuns and Queen Victoria were turned into a number of books:

Other books by Routh

Filmography

Notes

  1. ↑ No diacritics in the original.

References

  1. 1 2 Dennis Barker, "Jonathan Routh: Television presenter who brought Candid Camera to Britain", The Guardian, 9 June 2008.
  2. ↑ Obituary: Jonathan Routh, The Telegraph, 5 June 2008.
  3. 1 2 "Jonathan Routh: Candid Camera prankster" (obituary). Times (London) 6 June 2008.(registration required)
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