National Lottery Appearance

kport
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by kport »

Borrobil wrote:Never did get the tank, guess you have to be American, fun though.
?? Hat Trick.....
-looking forward to Fridays TV!
I guess my point got lost in the translation! Winston Churchill was right! We are two nations separated by a common language!

In any event, the US version starts off Act 2 with Billy, Tall Boy (or sometimes Michael) and Small Boy running down the aisles, shouting '50p for the Miners'. They are the ones who say 'Can you hear it in the distance.....' with a coconut to sound like the reindeer hooves. They sing 'It's coming down to Easington....'.....then George takes over with the inimitable 'hat trick' where he drops it on his toe, and flips it on to his head. It is about the kids, which makes sense to me, considering the topic.

One of the memories I have is clearing the aisle from patrons just before the boys run down. I advised them it was for their own safety - to clear the aisles!

I enjoy the UK version; but I find the jokes a bit stale, with Billy only appearing half way through, and having little to do. It is a rather lackluster moment featuring the adults (George and Tony), which makes it quite different.

But that is just my opinion.
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Borrobil
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by Borrobil »

Saddens me to say you are totally right, the front of curtain scene up till when small boy comes on in the UK is dreadfully out dated and unproductive. It has needed euthanasia for some years. You couldn't have them collect from much of the aisles, but they could easily cover the front 5 rows and corners.

But must NOT touch the Puppet workshop or the rest of it, they are brill. (The only essential pun is the thanks for the Mince and Faggots)
~ Paul ~
kport
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by kport »

Borrobil wrote:Saddens me to say you are totally right, the front of curtain scene up till when small boy comes on in the UK is dreadfully out dated and unproductive. It has needed euthanasia for some years. You couldn't have them collect from much of the aisles, but they could easily cover the front 5 rows and corners.

But must NOT touch the Puppet workshop or the rest of it, they are brill. (The only essential pun is the thanks for the Mince and Faggots)
Take heart: the Puppet Workshop is safe on both sides of the pond (though the 'Oh My Darling Heseltine' got the chop in the colonies - a bit too obscure is this reference to 'Tarzan'*, for North Americans).

*'Tarzan' is Heseltine's nickname.
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Sheepdog
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by Sheepdog »

Speaking of the meat draw lottery, I've always thought it would be a bit of fun if they were to make that a REAL lottery... easy enough to have a ticket for, say, "dress circle F24" vs "84"... and the person with that ticket could go to the concessions stall for, say, a free Billy mug. But I'm sure someone with a clipboard would make an issue of it, sigh.

One of the things I admire about the production is their sheer tenacity, "fighting the good fight" of keeping the Clipboards at bay, year after year. Constantly taking in new batches of parents, training them... AGAIN, sigh...
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Borrobil
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by Borrobil »

'Oh My Darling Heseltine' got the chop in the colonies
. I don't think any one this side of the pond (especially me) gets why Hestletine is singled out, except that he rhymes with Cementine. History now implies he was a "Tory Wet" whose stance was to frustrate Maggie Thatcher in loads of ways. Admittedly he was technically responsible for closing pits in the 1990s as Trade and Industry Secretary, but it was too late to do much by then - and that would be an anachronism anyway.
I admire about the production is their sheer tenacity
Got to agree keeping the BETM Juganaught on track can't be that easy. I must say it's got back all of the polish that it seemed to loose a 2-3 years ago (probably just to me of course).
~ Paul ~
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tzwicky
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Having moved recently to LA

Post by tzwicky »

Having moved recently to the Valley side of LA in California, I immediately noted a few blocks from my home, a street named Hazeltine. Yeah, there's a difference in the spelling but the American spelling uses a Z, though the British spelling would be with an S. I've started to spell out words with the S just to confuse people. But I am mad on all things British, admittedly.

Here's what a local website has to say about "our" Hazeltine:

"Sherman Oaks was named for General Moses Hazeltine Sherman, who owned all the land now named in his honor. Born in Vermont in 1853, he had a big house at the intersection of Ventura Blvd. and Sepulveda Blvd. in Sherman Oaks, but preferred living downtown at the Westminster Hotel."

And recently on TV on something on the Smithsonian Channel, there was a lot of footage of Billy's Haseltine, more recently. It appears he's had a Gov. Ministry type job forever, changing from Trade to Commerce, to Aviation and so on.

On a sad note, I did not, apparently, win the multi-state PowerBall lottery which would make a single winner $400,00,000+ more wealthy. I hoped to become a majority stockholder in Working Title and/or the administrative side of BETM, so as to influence attitudes towards BillyManiacs like myself as well as other fans here. When you're talking upwards of half a billion US, there are lots of things I'd like to buy, like a house and a private plane for those transatlantic hops from the US to the UK. Maybe I could get my name on B14 or B15 finally. Maybe a suite at the Rubens whenever I was in town.

tzwicky
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SolidarityForever
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by SolidarityForever »

Sheepdog wrote:Speaking of the meat draw lottery, I've always thought it would be a bit of fun if they were to make that a REAL lottery... easy enough to have a ticket for, say, "dress circle F24" vs "84"... and the person with that ticket could go to the concessions stall for, say, a free Billy mug.
Yes, that's what I always thought as well! Wouldn't that be funny and exciting? :D
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ERinVA
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by ERinVA »

I have been in the London audience at least once when someone did call out "Here" when the number was read. The routine used to be so much more improvisational when Trevor Fox did it. Now, it seems very stale to me.
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Sheepdog
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by Sheepdog »

The old routine WAS splendid... but there was obviously a Decision From On High to shorten the show, and I suppose trimming that bit was less harmful than cuts elsewhere.

"You!" (seeming to single out an audience member) "Are you enjoying the show?...."

"Well, tell your face, will you?"

===
On the other hand, I'm glad they've written out the sulkiness that Billy used to evince. I finally "got it" that this was George, for whom Billy has no great affection, but sulky at the Christmas party just didn't work... IM(H)O.

===
The before the curtain scene was excellent for giving audience members a chance to settle in seats, get back into the mood, etc.
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patc
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Re: National Lottery Appearance

Post by patc »

"Well, tell your face, will you?"
Yes, this was always fun and particularly so when Chris McGlade was playing George. Chris had a wonderful rapport with Billy fans and knew they were usually sitting in the front rows. On Thursday Matinees it was just a question of who was going to be picked on this week as Chris' twinkling eyes roamed along the row of familiar faces and he knew that we knew what he was up to. He also knew that, not only would we not take offence, but actually enjoyed the experience and, of course, the rest of the audience would then revel in our "embarrassment" and Part 2 would get off to a lively start. After tragedy struck, though, it was subsequently as much a poignant scene as it was a comedic one. On his last night he came out afterwards to say farewell to everyone. Never forgotten, 'wor Chris. A gentleman through and through.

On the other hand I don't regard the current offering to be stale at all, at all. I enjoy immensely that restart with Howard and Chris each time, every time in much the same way as I enjoy the "Esquire" joke every time. Part of the enjoyment is hearing the audience reaction and it is very positive every time.

Pat
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