Denis Norden - Clips From A Life

I’m also indebted to Maggie, my daughter, Nick, my son, and his wife Elspeth, whose unfaltering encouragement, reinforced by offerings from all manner of recherché delis, acted as a constant spur. Nor could I have done without the clear-eyed interventions of Zoe and Katy, my grand-daughters, and the long-distance support of Jamie, the grandson.

My warmest thanks also go to Brenda Talbot, my secretary from way back, who, with her husband, John, performed miracles of delving and digging; to Norma Farnes, my literary agent, and April Young, my everything-else agent, for taking care of the hard-headed stuff; to Doctor Paul Blom, for keeping me near enough seventy per cent road-worthy and Kieran Pascal for performing roughly the same function with my IT equipment.

I would add a further thank-you note to Jamie Muir, for giving me permission to quote one of Frank’s My Word! stories and to Messrs Eyre Methuen for allowing me to reprint bits from Coming To You Live! and the My Word! books.

But enough now of the Opening Titles. Cue Clips.

1922Born 6 February, Mare Street, Hackney, within the sound of Bow Bells.

1927Craven Park Elementary School.

1933City of London School.

1939Joined Hyams Brothers Gaumont Super Cinemas at State, Kilburn.

1940Transferred to Trocadero, Elephant & Castle, as Assistant Manager.

1941Gaumont, Watford, as General Manager (‘Youngest Cinema Manager in the country’).

1942Also managed Town Hall Music Hall, Watford. Wrote History of the Holborn Empire (radio), six programmes presented by Sidney Caplan, Musical Director at Holborn Empire, then Watford. Left to join RAF.

1943Married Avril.

1944To France on D-Day; thence Belgium, Holland, Germany.

1945Demobbed; joined Hyman Zahl Variety Agency as staff writer.

1946Joined Ted Kavanagh Associates, a cooperative of writers. Wrote Bentley in London for Australian radio.

1947Son Nicholas born. Wrote links for Beginners Please (radio), Variety series introducing new performers fresh out of the forces; producer Roy Speer. Met Frank Muir.

1948 Take It From Here (radio), written with Frank for ten years. We collaborated for seventeen years, writing film scripts, stage revues, TV series; appeared together on panel games, including My Music (radio and TV), My Word! (radio), What’s My Line (TV), The Name ’ s the Same (TV). Wrote Bernard Braden programmes (radio and TV). Wrote links for Show Time (radio), Variety programme showcasing newcomers; presenter Dick Bentley; first broadcasts included Bob Monkhouse; producer Roy Speer. Starlight Hour (radio), sixty-minute series; written with Frank and Sid Colin; starred Alfred Marks, Benny Hill, Geraldo and orchestra.

1949 Third Division (radio), written with Frank, with contributions from Paul Dehn. First comedy show allowed on ‘highbrow’ Third Programme; included Balham : Gateway to the South ; with Robert Beatty, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine, Benny Hill, Robert Moreton; producer Pat Dixon.

1950 Breakfast with Braden (radio), written with Frank; live Saturday mornings; with Bernard Braden, Barbara Kelly, Benny Lee, Pearl Carr, Nat Temple and orchestra. Series became Bedtime with Braden , then Between-times with Braden .

1951 Here’s Television (TV), one-off, one-hour sketch show, written with Frank. First programme to send up TV. Maggie born. Gently, Bentley (radio), written with Frank. Performed in Australia on ABC, with Australian cast.

1952 In All Directions (radio); the first radio comedy series the BBC allowed to be aired without a script. Frank and I devised and edited it into coherence. Starred Peter Ustinov and Peter Jones, who played all the characters and most of the sound effects. London Laughs (revue), Adelphi Theatre; with Jimmy Edwards, Tony Hancock, Vera Lynn (later Shirley Bassey); ran two years.

1953 Barbara with Braden (TV), written with Frank; with Barbara Kelly, Bernard Braden; producer Brian Tesler. The Name’s the Same (radio), panel game; with Frank, myself, Fanny Craddock and Frances Day. In 1954, it won National Radio Award as the Most Promising New Programme. Programme didn’t make it to 1955.

1954 And So to Bentley (TV), b/w live; written with Frank; with Dick Bentley, Peter Sellers, Bill Fraser, Jackie Collins. Between-times with Braden (radio); written with Frank.

1955 Bath-night with Braden (TV), b/w, live; written with Frank; with Bernard Braden; produced by Brian Tesler. Began writing sketches, with Frank, for George and Alfred Black’s Blackpool Summer Shows , continued until 1963. Arthur Haynes starred in one revue.

1956 Whack-o! (TV), written with Frank; 63 episodes to 1972, 47 live and b/w. Set in Chiselbury School. Finkle’s Café (radio), ‘where the posh squash to nosh’, written with Frank. Based on American series, Duffy’s Tavern , ‘where the elite meet to eat’. With Peter Sellers, Sid James, Avril Angers, Kenneth Connor; producer Pat Dixon.

1957 My Word! (radio), panel game; other panellists included Nancy Spain, E. Arnot Robertson, Anne Scott James, Antonia Fraser and Dilys Powell. Ran for over thirty years. We published seven books of My Word! stories (1974–91).

1960‘Consultants and Advisors, BBC TV Light Entertainment’. Left in 1964. Frank stayed on. Bottoms Up! , movie version of Whack-o! , written with Frank and Michael Pertwee. Became one of the founder members of The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.

1961 The Seven Faces of Jim (TV), written with Frank; introduced Richard Briers and Ronnie Barker to TV. The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Contribution to Light Entertainment.

1962 More Faces of Jim (TV), written with Frank. Brothers in Law (TV), written with Frank and Henry Cecil.

1963 Mr Justice Duncannon (TV), written with Frank and Henry Cecil.

1964 How to Be an Alien (TV), written and presented with Frank; based on George Mikes’ book of the same name. The Big Noise (TV), b/w; written with Frank; starring Bob Monkhouse. Hazel Adair and myself joint chairmen of The Writers’ Guild.

1965 My Music (radio and couple of seasons on TV) panel game; with Frank, myself, Ian Wallace, David Franklin followed by John Amis, chairman Steve Race. Ran till 1993.

1967 At Last the 1948 Show (TV), ‘Script Referee’.

1968 The Bliss of Mrs Blossom (movie); written with Alec Coppel; starring Shirley MacLaine, Richard Attenborough; director Joe McGrath. Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell (movie), written with Melvin Frank, Sheldon Keller; starring Gina Lollobrigida, Shelley Winters, Lee Grant, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas; Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

1969Wrote The Best House in London (movie); starring David Hemmings, George Sanders; director Phillip Saville.