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Polari..how bona it is to varda you're dolly old eek


Hjdary

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I have a confession to make.

I am a totally obsessed by a old radio show called Round the Horne

I'm sure tons of you have heard it before..it still on radio seven even now

The bit I love the most is the Julian and Sandy sketches.

The thing that got me hooked..other than the outrageous comedy was the language they used ...POLARI.

Has anyone ever heard of it before or heard it used??

From what I've read it was mainly used in show biz circles and in the 1960..mainly by the gay community.

It is said to stem from travellers and has a bit of all sorts in it.

Am I the only one sitting in their lattie with sore lallies from all this tapping away, vardaring the internet tonight.

How bona!

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Guest tsavo

I have a confession to make.

I am a totally obsessed by a old radio show called Round the Horne

I'm sure tons of you have heard it before..it still on radio seven even now

The bit I love the most is the Julian and Sandy sketches.

The thing that got me hooked..other than the outrageous comedy was the language they used ...POLARI.

Has anyone ever heard of it before or heard it used??

From what I've read it was mainly used in show biz circles and in the 1960..mainly by the *** community.

It is said to stem from travellers and has a bit of all sorts in it.

Am I the only one sitting in their lattie with sore lallies from all this tapping away, vardaring the internet tonight.

How bona!

Amazingly neither the BBC bosses or the programmes producers thought it anything but nonsense language.

Kanneth Horne was also the Chairman of a toy making company. Chad Valley, I think.

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I got a cd off ebay a few weeks ago by Barry Took one of the writers.

In it he tells the history of the show and mentions more than once, the trouble they got in to over the show.

Most of the trouble was to caused by Mary Whitehouse and her predcessor, who's name I've forgot. They mostly whinged about the way Kenneth Willams played J. Peasmold Gruntfuttock. In the Gruntfuttock sketches willaims would speak his lines in a very biblical manor which disturbed them greatly....

"I've had the voices again ya see. I was coming home from the pub and stopped to cool my feveredbrow on the butchers window when an un-earthly noise came from the pigs head in the window ...Gruntfuttock my child...throw off your rich apparell and gird up your lions. Well I think thats what it said. It had an apple in its mouth you see!"

I think if they were going to get done it should have been for the Rambeling Sid Rumpo songs.

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Mary Whitehouse's co-censor (self appointed) was Sir Cyril Black.

In a book of the scripts Barry Took supplied a glossary of Julian and Sandy's slang. Apparently it was all genuine, and most of the words were of gypsy origin or circus and fairground slang, which was later used by actors and dancers in the theatre.

Palare=talk (Romany)

bona=good

vada=look

omi=man

palone=woman

omipalone=homosexual

riah=hair

lallies=legs

dolly=nice, pleasant

eek=face

naph=bad

nante=none/nothing

lucoddy=body

fantabulosa=excellent

troll=walk

lattie=house.

Apparently the two characters were originally supposed to be aging actors, but the producer read the script and said they were sad rather than funny, and suggested re-writing them as 'boy dancers', and Sandy and Jules were born.

It's great to hear the shows again, but for fans, the BBC has issued just the Sandy and Jules bits on tape.

As well as the usual characters, I loved Douglas Smith the announcer. His versions of a Sopwith Camel in their version of The Blue Max, a racing car in another episode, the world in Round the World in 80 days, and the Royal Seal of the Queen of Spain were wonderful!

But I think my favourites were the occasions when Kenneth Williams came out of character to protest about his treatment by the writers, cast and the world in general including Edward Braden (great hairy fool!)

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Guest plain talker

round the horne revisited, (the stage play) came to the lyceum, a couple of years ago, and it was absolutely a scream. The audience were rapt, and every time Jles and sandy came"came on" there was a MASSIVE roar of approval.

there's a review of the production when it was at Bradford in sept 2005 here, with the a pic of the actors playing the RTH crew.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/stage/2005/0...the_horne.shtml

the chap playing Kenny Williams got him bang-on, with the snorts and the chortles, he'd do. and the woman playing bety marsden ( who did the character "dame celia molestrangler", for one) really got the characters down to a tee also.

my favourite line from the whole show, was when J and S said "we have had a criminal practice that's been taking up most of our time!" lol ooh-er missus!

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Douglas Smith was amazing in that show.

These days you can't stop serious news types trying to be funny especialy aroung red nose day but back then it wasn't the done thing..a present from the third program fooling around!

I enjoyed the silly adverts he did....

"Does your Horse come home from the office tired?

Is he feeling run down and listless?

Give him Dobbyroids...

Yes Dobbieroids..the makers of medical cumberbunds for horses......."

Then unfortunatly he is cut off in mid flow by the crisp command of Horne.."SMITH. SMITH. Have you lost your senses....get on with it man"

There was also a very funny sketch when Smith sang..'no body love a fairy when shes forty' a very funny song.

I'm giggling now and singing alone and I'm very glad you all can't hear!

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Amazingly neither the BBC bosses or the programmes producers thought it anything but nonsense language.

Kanneth Horne was also the Chairman of a toy making company. Chad Valley, I think.

I remember reading somewhere that he refused to admit knowing of a game called 'Monopoly' that was made by a rival company!

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