Spike Milligan

Spike Milligan

Born: April 16, 1918
Died: February 27, 2002
in Ahmed Nagar, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan KBE (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier, and actor. Milligan's early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the British government declared him stateless. He was the co-creator, main writer and a principal cast member of The Goon Show, performing a range of roles including the popular Eccles.

Milligan wrote and edited many books, including Puckoon and his seven-volume autobiographical account of his time serving during the Second World War, beginning with Adolf Hitler: My part in his downfall. He is also noted as a popular writer of comical verse, much of his poetry was written for children, including Silly Verse for Kids (1959). After success with the ground-breaking British radio programme, The Goon Show, Milligan translated this success to television with Q5, a surreal sketch show which is credited as a major influence on the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Spike Milligan,licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies for Spike Milligan...

Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive
Title: Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive
Released: December 7, 2022
Type: Movie
Delve into a treasure trove of recently unearthed archives to tell a brand new story of Spike Milligan as film, scripts, letters, objects, photographs, recordings, and art all come together to paint a portrait of a comic genius.
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The Ghost of Peter Sellers
Title: The Ghost of Peter Sellers
Character: Himself (Archive)
Released: August 30, 2018
Type: Movie
A documentary about Peter Medak's unreleased film 'Ghost in the Noonday Sun', starring Peter Sellers and filmed in Cyprus in 1973.
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Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace
Title: Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace
Character: Himself (archive footage)
Released: December 10, 2014
Type: Movie
A very personal portrait of the truly unique comedy genius of Spike Milligan, as told in his own words and featuring exclusive home movie footage. With contributions from those who worked with him, lived with him and were inspired by him.
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The Unforgettable Spike Milligan
Title: The Unforgettable Spike Milligan
Character: Himself
Released: December 23, 2010
Type: Movie
A documentary about Spike Milligan
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The Unforgettable Harry Secombe
Title: The Unforgettable Harry Secombe
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: December 20, 2010
Type: Movie
A celebration of the life and career of Sir Harry Secombe, one of Britain's best-loved entertainers.
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Hitler: The Comedy Years
Title: Hitler: The Comedy Years
Character: Adolf Hitler / Pakistani Dalek (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: May 10, 2007
Type: Movie
A documentary about the portrayal of Adolf Hitler in popular culture.
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The Very Best of Spike Milligan
Title: The Very Best of Spike Milligan
Character: Self/Various
Released: April 8, 2007
Type: Movie
Extensive extracts from the finest comedy moments of the late, great and sadly missed Spike Milligan, including hilarious highlights from the unforgettable show that bought him to the world; The Goon Show. Featuring rare archive interviews with the man himself and archive footage from throughout his career, we get the benefit of the insights of a leading team of comedians and critics, including Alexei Sayle, Tom Binns, Ian Stone and Neil Innes.
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Spike Milligan I told you I was ill... A live tribute
Title: Spike Milligan I told you I was ill... A live tribute
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 5, 2002
Type: Movie
One of many tributes following the death of Spike Milligan. Comedians, actors and musicians join forces to present a live tribute featuring a selection of comic highlights from Spike's life. From recreations of his most famous sketches to readings of Milligan's own poems and extracts from his controversial wartime memoirs, these are all interspersed with archive film clips of the great man himself, showcasing his inimitable comic genius.
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Spike Milligan: Return of a Legend
Title: Spike Milligan: Return of a Legend
Released: November 20, 2001
Type: Movie
Filmed in Australia 1984, this rare previously unreleased live performance shows comic genius Spike Milligan at his best. Bizarre, surreal, inspired.
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The Paranormal Peter Sellers
Title: The Paranormal Peter Sellers
Character: Self (Archive footage)
Released: January 1, 2001
Type: Movie
This documentary revealed Peter Sellers obsession with the occult. Sellers was a highly superstitious man who consulted fortune tellers, clairvoyants and mediums to help him make key decisions in his life and work. Many of Sellers important decisions were influenced by Maurice Woodruff - a clairvoyant and astrologer based in London. Advice from the other side was taken on his marriage to Britt Ekland, accepting film roles such as Inspector Clouseau and dealing with his near fatal heart attack.
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The Unknown Peter Sellers
Title: The Unknown Peter Sellers
Character: Himself
Released: April 25, 2000
Type: Movie
Documentary about the life and career of a comic genius, Peter Sellers.
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Title: Gormenghast
Released: January 17, 2000
Type: TV
At the Castle of Gormenghast, the Groan family has ruled with dusty ceremony for more than seventy generations. A clever and ambitious new kitchen boy, Steerpike, begins to insinuate himself into the affections of Lady Fuchsia Groan and to murder his way to power.
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Title: Gormenghast
Character: De'Ath
Released: January 17, 2000
Type: TV
At the Castle of Gormenghast, the Groan family has ruled with dusty ceremony for more than seventy generations. A clever and ambitious new kitchen boy, Steerpike, begins to insinuate himself into the affections of Lady Fuchsia Groan and to murder his way to power.
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Title: The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything
Released: January 2, 2000
Type: TV
Comedic British History
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Labour's Old Romantic
Title: Labour's Old Romantic
Character: Self
Released: July 19, 1997
Type: Movie
A profile of Michael Foot, the former leader of the Labour Party, which included footage of him on the night of Tony Blair’s historic 1997 victory, and interviews with his wife, the filmmaker Jill Cragie, and some of his old colleagues and friends, including Barbara Castle, Spike Milligan and Salman Rushdie.
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Spike
Title: Spike
Character: Himself
Released: June 11, 1996
Type: Movie
Spike personally tells the story of his life from India, World War II to The Goons and his Q series
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An Evening with Spike Milligan
Title: An Evening with Spike Milligan
Character: Himself
Released: February 24, 1996
Type: Movie
Spike recalls his exploits in the army, setting up a jazz band and other sources of his comic inspiration. He patiently answers impertinent questions from Harry Secombe, Peter O'Toole, Lynsey de Paul, Roy Hudd and Denis Norden with often amusing answers.
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Title: Wolves, Witches and Giants
Character: Narrator
Released: October 9, 1995
Type: TV
Wolves, Withches and Giants gives a twisted and humorous take on classic fairy tales, narrated by Spike Milligan and adapted by Ed Welch.
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Title: Takin' Over the Asylum
Character: Himself
Released: September 27, 1994
Type: TV
A salesman starts to run a hospital radio station inside a facility for people with mental heath needs.
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Title: Room 101
Character: Self
Released: July 4, 1994
Type: TV
Fast-moving game show meets talk show, which sees Frank Skinner refereeing three celebrities each week as they compete to banish their top peeve or worst nightmare to the depths of Room 101.
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The Big Freeze
Title: The Big Freeze
Character: Der Schauspieler
Released: November 17, 1993
Type: Movie
A silent comedy. Two accident-prone plumbers go to fix the plumbing at a home for retired gentle-folk on the coldest day of the year in Finland. Everything that can go wrong for these plumbers goes wrong.
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Sellers' Best
Title: Sellers' Best
Character: Self
Released: February 1, 1992
Type: Movie
One of the all-time greatest comedians, Peter Sellers’ mimicry, timing, instinct and ability to decimate an audience with laughter made him absolutely unforgettable. Combining comedy and acting like no one before, or since, Sellers starred in legendary cult films such as Dr Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and The Return of the Pink Panther. Sellers’ Best explores not only his comedic talent but goes beneath to examine the man himself and features interviews with those who knew him best, such as Spike Milligan, Beryl Reid and John Sessions
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Title: Plunder
Released: March 5, 1990
Type: TV
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Just Like That!
Title: Just Like That!
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1989
Type: Movie
Just Like That! is a celebration of the comic genius of Tommy Cooper] - just like that! But nobody could do it just like that apart from the unique Mr Cooper himself, and despite his claim never to have used those words. Was Tommy really Henry Coper's brother? Can Tommy's performance as Hamlet, clown prince, compare with the greats? Was Tommy a ventriloquist at heart? Rare and classic routines and contributions from famous fans help solve the mystery. The friends and fans who take part (many of them confirming that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery) include Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry, Henry Cooper, former Goons Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan, writer Dick Hills, Tommy's brother David Cooper (who has himself sadly since died), alternative comedian Steve Murray, The Wow Show and magician Paul Scott. A title montage sequence features further impersonations of the great man from Alexei Sayle, Bob Todd, Patricia Hayes, and Jess Conrad.
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Title: The Ratties
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: November 9, 1988
Type: TV
The Ratties is a British cartoon series that ran in 1987 with 26 episodes. It is about a family of rats that live in a country house. The rats try to emulate the human owners of their house. The show was created by Mike Wallis and Laura Milligan, and is narrated by Spike Milligan. F Productions and UK Finance3 funded the show, while it was animated by cel animation. The series attracted a cult following in the UK, although no further episodes were made after 1987; however, the series was repeated in 1993 and 1994.
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Title: You Bet!
Released: February 20, 1988
Type: TV
You Bet! is a British game show based around the format of the German show Wetten, dass..? developed by Frank Elstner. You Bet! ran on ITV, mostly on Saturday nights but sometimes on Fridays, between 20 February 1988 and 12 April 1997, initially hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1988 to 1990, then by Matthew Kelly from 1991 to 1995 and finally by Darren Day from 1996 to 1997. It was replaced the following year by Don't Try This At Home!, which emulated the challenges of You Bet!, but were considerably more risky and dangerous.
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Mr. H Is Late
Title: Mr. H Is Late
Released: February 15, 1988
Type: Movie
A team of inept undertakers attempt to get a coffin to a funeral on time. An undertaker is in charge of moving a coffin from a home to the church. The home is on the 26th floor of a skyscraper; the stairs are narrow; the lift is small and prone to stop working. Chaos ensues.
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Title: Super Gran
Character: Zoo Keeper
Released: January 20, 1985
Type: TV
Adapted from Forrest Wilson's books, the children's programme revolves around a grandmother with super powers and her arch nemesis, The Scunner Campbell.
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Yellowbeard
Title: Yellowbeard
Character: Flunkie
Released: June 24, 1983
Type: Movie
For years Yellowbeard had looted the Spanish Main, making men eat their lips and swallow their hearts. Caught and convicted for tax evasion, he's sentenced to 20 years in St. Victim's Prison for the Extremely Naughty. In a scheme to confiscate his fabulous treasure, the Royal Navy allows him to escape and follows him, where saucy tarts, lisping demigods and some awful puns and punishments await.
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Group Madness
Title: Group Madness
Character: Self
Released: June 11, 1983
Type: Movie
A behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of 1983's Yellowbeard
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Title: There's A Lot Of It About
Released: September 20, 1982
Type: TV
Spike Milligan sketch series created after the BBC apparently thought another 'Q' would confuse people - continues in the same anarchic & often politically incorrect vein.
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Title: Wogan
Character: Self
Released: May 4, 1982
Type: TV
Wogan is a British television chat show
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Title: The Kenny Everett Television Show
Character: Jacob Marley
Released: February 25, 1982
Type: TV
Sketch comedy show starring Kenny Everett.
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Title: The Kenny Everett Television Show
Character: The Ghost of Marley
Released: February 25, 1982
Type: TV
Sketch comedy show starring Kenny Everett.
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Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers
Title: Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers
Character: Self (archive material)
Released: December 10, 1981
Type: Movie
With film clips and photos, Eric Sykes gives a tongue-in-cheek account of his follies and fortunes as an actor, gag writer, and comedian in a long and successful career in the theatre, on radio and television. He pays tribute to his friends in showbusiness and in particular to Hattie Jacques, Richard Wattis and the team of his long-running Sykes series.
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History of the World: Part I
Title: History of the World: Part I
Character: Monsieur Rimbaud - The French Revolution
Released: June 12, 1981
Type: Movie
An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
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Life of Brian
Title: Life of Brian
Character: Spike
Released: August 17, 1979
Type: Movie
Brian Cohen is an average young Jewish man, but through a series of ridiculous events, he gains a reputation as the Messiah. When he's not dodging his followers or being scolded by his shrill mother, the hapless Brian has to contend with the pompous Pontius Pilate and acronym-obsessed members of a separatist movement. Rife with Monty Python's signature absurdity, the tale finds Brian's life paralleling Biblical lore, albeit with many more laughs.
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The Pythons: Somewhere in Tunisia, Circa A.D. 1979
Title: The Pythons: Somewhere in Tunisia, Circa A.D. 1979
Character: Self
Released: June 20, 1979
Type: Movie
Ten years ago exactly, more or less, give or take a day or two, six young men sat down, or maybe stood, or perhaps some of them just lounged, and wrote the first episode of a new series called Owl Stretching Time. They were called Graham Chapman , John Cleese, Terry Gilliam , Eric Idle,Terry Jones and Michael Palin and later both they and the series became known as Monty Python 's Flying Circus . Today they are the best known British comedy group in the world, famous from Cathay to Kathmandu, from Sydney to Sidcup (except in Japan where the programme is called The Gay Boys' Dragon Show ... say no more). To commemorate their tenth anniversary a BBC team tracked them down in the deserts of Tunisia where they were filming their Life of Brian and almost persuaded them to examine the genesis, the genius and the gender of Monty Python.
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Title: Blankety Blank
Released: January 18, 1979
Type: TV
Blankety Blank is a British comedy game show based on the 1977–1979 Australian game show Blankety Blanks. The British version ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC One, hosted first by Terry Wogan and later by Les Dawson. Regular members of the celebrity panel on this version included Kenny Everett, Lorraine Chase, Gareth Hunt, Gary Davies, and Cheryl Baker. A revival fronted by Lily Savage was produced by the BBC from 26 December 1997 to 28 December 1999, followed by ITV from 7 January 2001 to 10 August 2002. This version was produced by Grundy, then Thames.
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Title: The Marti Caine Show
Released: January 8, 1979
Type: TV
Marti Caine presents a star studded variety show in which she performs comedy material, sings and dances alongside special guests.
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The Hound of the Baskervilles
Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Character: Policeman
Released: October 1, 1978
Type: Movie
The death of Sir Charles Baskerville is blamed on a curse that has followed the Baskerville family for two hundred years. Sherlock Holmes is out to uncover the truth about a hound who roams the moors, waiting to attack the heir to the Baskerville estate.
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The Last Remake of Beau Geste
Title: The Last Remake of Beau Geste
Character: Crumble
Released: June 15, 1977
Type: Movie
Digby Geste joins his brother, Beau, in the Foreign Legion following the theft of a priceless family heirloom.
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Moonshadow
Title: Moonshadow
Character: Narrator
Released: May 27, 1977
Type: Movie
The animation begins with a still frame of Teaser and his pet Firecat, pictured as they appear on the cover of the album bearing their names. The picture comes to life, and in the course of the animation, they find the fallen Moon, ride on it as it flies, and find a way to replace it in the sky. The beginning and ending story portions were written by Cat Stevens and narrated by Spike Milligan
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Fantastic Animation Festival
Title: Fantastic Animation Festival
Character: Narrator: "Moonshadow"
Released: May 27, 1977
Type: Movie
A collection of fourteen award winning animated short films including "Moonshadow," "The Last Cartoon Man," "Closed Mondays," and "Cosmic Cartoon".
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Dot and the Kangaroo
Title: Dot and the Kangaroo
Character: Mr. Platypus (voice)
Released: May 14, 1977
Type: Movie
An Australian girl gets lost in the Outback, but she's befriended by a kangaroo who gives her a ride in her pouch as they search for the girl's home. Aiding the pair are musically gifted koalas, platypuses, and kookaburras in this film based on Ethel Pedley's 1899 children's book, with animated humans and animals superimposed upon a live-action background.
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Barney
Title: Barney
Character: Hawker
Released: December 16, 1976
Type: Movie
A twelve year old boy and a common criminal are being transported in the same ship from England to Australia in the last century. When the ship wrecked they happen to be the only survivors of the catastrophe. Now they have to get along with each other and finally become friends.
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Title: The Muppet Show
Character: Self - Special Guest Star
Released: September 5, 1976
Type: TV
Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.
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The Great McGonagall
Title: The Great McGonagall
Character: William Topaz McGonagall
Released: January 23, 1975
Type: Movie
In this high-camp farce, Goons legend Spike Milligan stars as William Topaz McGonagall, an unemployed Scottish weaver and aspiring poet laureate who falls in love with Queen Victoria - a brilliant cameo by Peter Sellers - and thereafter devotes his banal poetry to her. Though McGonagall's solicitations are rejected by the Queen, it doesn't stop the turgid prose, and pathos, from overflowing as McGonagall hilariously attempts to become the greatest poet in the land. The image of the bad poet, trapped by his romanticism and inspired by a muse with a tin ear, appealed mightily to Spike Milligan, and this cult British spoof features the Goons show maestro at his ridiculous, genre-defying best.
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Man About the House
Title: Man About the House
Character: Himself
Released: December 22, 1974
Type: Movie
An unscrupulous property developer wants to flatten the street to make way for new buildings. Householder George Roper is happy to take the offered money and run but his wife Mildred and their lodgers join with other residents to take a stand and keep things as they are.
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Omnibus - Cuckoo: A Celebration of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy
Title: Omnibus - Cuckoo: A Celebration of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy
Character: Himself
Released: December 21, 1974
Type: Movie
Narrated by Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, this documentary about "Laurel and Hardy", one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema. It features interviews with Jerry Lewis, Dick Van Dyke, Babe London, Marcel Marceau, Lucille Hardy (Ollie's wife), Bob Monkhouse, Hal Roach, Marvin T Hatley, Jack McCabe and many more.
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The Cherry Picker
Title: The Cherry Picker
Released: January 1, 1974
Type: Movie
American V.I.P James Burn II finds his son James Burn III (Bob Sherman) leading a giant "sleep-in" that has taken over Windsor Castle. He hires Nancy (Lulu) to get him out of the castle and into work. With the help of her crazy eccentric father, (Wilfred Hyde-White) who believes in working day and night and producing nothing and uses a fantastic astro-telescope for casual bird watching, she does just that !
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The Three Musketeers
Title: The Three Musketeers
Character: M. Bonancieux
Released: December 11, 1973
Type: Movie
The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a King's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the King. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for the Cardinal.
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Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
Title: Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
Character: Dr. Harz
Released: December 1, 1973
Type: Movie
Digby consumes a bowl of Project X, a liquid growth formula. Soon, he becomes a sheepdog of gigantic size!
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Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall
Title: Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall
Character: Leo Milligan
Released: June 12, 1973
Type: Movie
London, 1940. Aspiring jazz musician and future comedy legend Terence "Spike" Milligan reluctantly obeys his call-up and joins the Royal Artillery regiment at Bexhill, where he begins training to take part in the War. But along the way Spike and his friends get involved in many amusing - and some not-so amusing - scrapes. A film adaptation of the first volume of Spike Milligan's war diaries.
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Ghost in the Noonday Sun
Title: Ghost in the Noonday Sun
Character: Bill Bombay
Released: January 1, 1973
Type: Movie
A pirate crewman kills his captain after learning where he has hidden his buried treasure. However, as he begins to lose his memory, he relies more and more on the ghost of the man he just murdered to help him find the loot.
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Rentadick
Title: Rentadick
Character: a Customs officer
Released: December 31, 1972
Type: Movie
Armitage runs a chemical company that is on the verge of producing a gas that causes temporary disability. Clearly the military want it but it is also sought by a group of Japanese. Both Armitage and Madam Greenfly hire different people in the same detective agency to guard the gas and steal it respectively... confusion, double crosses and hilarity ensue...
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Title: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Character: Gryphon
Released: November 20, 1972
Type: Movie
An all-star cast highlights this vibrant musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's immortal tale. One day, plucky young Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole and discovers a world of bizarre characters.
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Right To Work March
Title: Right To Work March
Released: October 19, 1972
Type: Movie
They're young, unemployed and on the march - from Glasgow, Liverpool and Swansea to London.
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The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
Title: The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
Character: Landlord
Released: October 12, 1972
Type: Movie
Barry McKenzie sets off for England with his aunt, Edna Everage, to advance his cultural education. Bazza is an innocent abroad, fond of beer, Bondi and beautiful sheilas, but he soon settles into the Australian ghetto in Earls Court, where his old mate Curly has a flat.
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Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here
Title: Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here
Character: Self
Released: May 11, 1972
Type: Movie
"On John's 31st birthday, Yoko held an art exhibit, "This Is Not Here", at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, N.Y.. The show was taped and aired on U.S. TV on May 11, 1972 as "John and Yoko in Syracuse, New York."
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The Last Goon Show of All
Title: The Last Goon Show of All
Released: May 10, 1972
Type: Movie
Sellers, Secombe and Milligan reunite for one last show.
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The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
Title: The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
Character: Tramp (segment "Sloth")
Released: November 1, 1971
Type: Movie
The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins is a 1971 British comedy film directed and produced by Graham Stark. Its title is a conflation of The Magnificent Seven and the seven deadly sins. It comprises a sequence of seven sketches, each representing a sin and written by an array of British comedy-writing talent. The sketches are linked by animation sequences. The music score is by British jazz musician Roy Budd, cinematography by Harvey Harrison and editing by Rod Nelson-Keys and Roy Piper. It was produced by Tigon Pictures and distributed in the U.K. by Tigon Film Distributors Ltd..
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Cucumber Castle
Title: Cucumber Castle
Character: The Court Jester
Released: December 26, 1970
Type: Movie
The plot revolves around two heirs, Prince Frederick (Barry Gibb) and his brother Prince Marmaduke (Maurice Gibb), and their dying father (Frankie Howerd). On his death bed, The King orders his kingdom divided into two halves, the Kingdom of Jelly and the Kingdom of Cucumbers. Before the king even dies, Prince Frederick declares himself "King of Cucumbers" and Prince Marmaduke becomes the “King of Jelly”. The film intersperses comedy sketches with Bee Gees songs plus performances by Lulu and Blind Faith with cameo appearances.
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Wilton's: The Handsomest Hall in Town
Title: Wilton's: The Handsomest Hall in Town
Character: E.W. Mackney
Released: December 26, 1970
Type: Movie
An evening at Wilton's Music-Hall, Grace's Alley, Wellclose Square, London, 1860 starring Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Keith Michell, Pat Kirkwood, Warren Mitchell, Ronnie Barker, Bill Fraser, Gina Astralita, Eric Robinson. Introduced by Billy Russell. Tonight, 90 years after it closed, this famous Music-Hall opens again to bring you a picture of the stars, the singers, the dancers, and the people who once went there.
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Title: Oh In Colour
Released: September 29, 1970
Type: TV
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Will the Real Mr. Sellers...
Title: Will the Real Mr. Sellers...
Character: Narrator
Released: December 18, 1969
Type: Movie
A BBC documentary portrait of Peter Sellers, filmed over a period of nine months in 1969 where director Tony Palmer interviews Sellers and friends and associates about the actor's career and life. At age 44, with 38 films already behind him, including Dr. Strangelove and two "Pink Panther" films, Sellers was then at the crest of his career. But his personal life, which included two bad marriages (and two more to come), a near-fatal 1964 heart attack, and increasingly disturbing personality disorders, was in tatters.
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The Magic Christian
Title: The Magic Christian
Character: Traffic Warden
Released: December 12, 1969
Type: Movie
Sir Guy Grand, the richest man in the world, adopts a homeless man, Youngman. Together, they set out to prove that anyone--and anything--can be bought.
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Title: Curry and Chips
Released: November 21, 1969
Type: TV
Curry and Chips is a British sitcom broadcast in 1969 which was produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network. Set on a factory floor of 'Lillicrap Ltd', it starred a blacked up Spike Milligan as an Asian immigrant who went by the name of Kevin O'Grady. It also featured Eric Sykes as the foreman, Norman Rossington as the shop steward, and other regulars were Kenny Lynch, and Sam Kydd. The series was written by Till Death Us Do Part writer Johnny Speight, but based on idea by Milligan. It was the first LWT sitcom to be made in colour, and all episodes still exist.
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The Bed Sitting Room
Title: The Bed Sitting Room
Character: Mate
Released: June 1, 1969
Type: Movie
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room.
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Title: Q...
Released: March 24, 1969
Type: TV
Q... was a surreal television comedy sketch show from Spike Milligan which ran from 1969 to 1982 on BBC2. There were six series in all, the first five numbered from Q5 to Q9, and a final series titled There's a Lot of It About. The first and third series ran for seven episodes, and the others for six episodes, each of which was 30 minutes long. Various reasons have been suggested for the title. One possibility is that it was inspired by the project to construct the Cunard liner QE2, launched in September 1967, which was dubbed Q4. Another theory is that Milligan was inspired by the BBC 6-point technical quality scale of the time, where "Q5" was severe degradation to picture or sound, and "Q6" was complete loss of sound or vision. This was extended by some engineering departments to a 9-point scale, finishing at "Q9". According to Milligan's autobiography, the final series was renamed There's a Lot of It About after the BBC felt the public might find Q10 too confusing.
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Title: The Dick Cavett Show
Character: Self - Guest
Released: June 6, 1968
Type: TV
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.
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Title: The World of Beachcomber
Released: January 22, 1968
Type: TV
The World of Beachcomber was a surreal television comedy show produced by the BBC inspired by the Beachcomber column in the Daily Express newspaper. The show, like the column, consisted of a series of unrelated pieces of humour. Links between the items were provided by Spike Milligan, dressed in a smoking jacket and cap, as in the cartoon logo above the newspaper column. The other actors were a Who's Who of British comedy of the time, encompassing almost every supporting player seen or heard in comedy, not excluding people of diminutive stature. Likewise the writing staff included Milligan, Barry Took, John Junkin, Neil Shand and others. The producer was John Howard Davies. In all, 19 episodes were produced beginning in 1968. They were mostly shown on the new BBC 2 channel, which broadcast in colour using the 625-line PAL standard. BBC 2 was a minority-appeal culture channel, and thus allowed greater stretching of the boundaries of the art. Unfortunately, like many shows of the time, the original videotapes were wiped. Only one complete episode, on black and white 16mm film now survives of this show in the BBC archives, from the penultimate edition. In addition to this, excerpts for the 29.09.69 edition also survive. Audio soundtracks also survive for episodes Three and Four of the 1969 series. In addition to this, a soundtrack LP featuring excerpts from shows from series one was also released by PYE records, and rereleased on Audio Cassette in 1997.
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Title: Till Death Us Do Part
Released: June 6, 1966
Type: TV
Following the chronicles of the East End working-class Garnett family, headed by patriarch Alf Garnett, a reactionary working-class man who holds racist and anti-socialist views.
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Title: Till Death Us Do Part
Character: Paki-Paddy
Released: June 6, 1966
Type: TV
Following the chronicles of the East End working-class Garnett family, headed by patriarch Alf Garnett, a reactionary working-class man who holds racist and anti-socialist views.
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Title: Milligan's Wake
Released: September 5, 1964
Type: TV
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Title: The Telegoons
Released: October 5, 1963
Type: TV
The Telegoons is a comedy puppet show, adapted from the highly successful BBC radio comedy show of the 1950s.
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Postman's Knock
Title: Postman's Knock
Character: Harold Petts
Released: February 22, 1962
Type: Movie
Likeable country postman Harold Petts gets transferred from his village to London, where on his arrival he unwittingly foils a mail train robbery. Innocent in the ways of the big city, he is thought to be a member of another gang by both the train robbers and the police, who all suspect him of trying to rob the post office where he works.
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What a Whopper
Title: What a Whopper
Character: Tramp
Released: October 17, 1961
Type: Movie
A writer attempts to raise some cash by writing a book about the Loch Ness Monster. No publisher will take it because they all think there isn't really a monster. The writer and some of his friends make a fake monster and take photographs and then travel to Scotland to see if they can convince the locals.
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Invasion Quartet
Title: Invasion Quartet
Released: September 1, 1961
Type: Movie
This British men-on-a-mission spoof set during World War II finds intrepid officer Bill Travers leading three colorful compatriots into Nazi-occupied France to destroy an obnoxiously large, loud, and destructive enemy gun. See if this fearless foursome can stomp their Fascist foes and get back to their game of cricket! Spike Milligan, Gregoire Aslan, and Thorley Walters co-star.
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Alice Through the Looking Box
Title: Alice Through the Looking Box
Character: The White Rabbit
Released: December 25, 1960
Type: Movie
A Christmas TV special in which Alice does not go through a looking glass, but through a TV set.
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Suspect
Title: Suspect
Character: Arthur, lab orderly
Released: November 15, 1960
Type: Movie
A government team researching cures for plague find their results put on the Official Secrets list. One of their number is so incensed by this that he lets the maimed and jealous companion of a female colleague draw him into what, technically, could be a treasonable act.
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Watch Your Stern
Title: Watch Your Stern
Character: Ranjid - Civilian electrician #1
Released: October 14, 1960
Type: Movie
When the details of a secret torpedo are destroyed by an incompetent seaman, the crew of the ship rally round, when the Admiral needs the plans to show to a visiting scientist.
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The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Title: The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Released: October 31, 1959
Type: Movie
A short film without any direct action designed more as an experiment, with disjointed comic scenes with no common thread.
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Portrait of a Goon
Title: Portrait of a Goon
Character: Himself
Released: August 28, 1959
Type: Movie
Portrait of Spike Milligan, then part of The Goon Show examining his views on comedy,
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Title: Son of Fred
Released: September 17, 1956
Type: TV
Son of Fred was the successor series to The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d and A Show Called Fred. It was made by Associated-Rediffusion and broadcast only in the London area, Midlands and Northern England. It was the third and final in a series of sketch comedy shows attempting to translate the humour of The Goon Show to television. Spike Milligan concentrated on writing and only made small walk on appearances, leaving the lead acting to Peter Sellers. The series was produced and directed by Richard Lester.
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Title: Hancock's Half Hour
Released: July 6, 1956
Type: TV
Hancock's Half Hour is a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy, series of the 1950s and 60s written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sid James; the radio version also co-starred, at various times, Moira Lister, Andrée Melly, Hattie Jacques, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams. The final television series, renamed simply Hancock, starred Hancock alone. Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam. The series was influential in the development of the situation comedy, with its move away from radio variety towards a focus on character development.
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Title: A Show Called Fred
Released: May 2, 1956
Type: TV
A Show Called Fred was the successor series to The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d. It was made by Associated-Rediffusion and broadcast only in London area. It was 25 minutes plus adverts. It was predominantly a sketch comedy attempting to translate the audio antics of the The Goon Show into visual antics in bizarre and often surreal comedy sketches which just suddenly ended with a new sketch beginning. Many performers played small parts in the shows like Ernest Clark, Jon Jon Keefe, Patricia Driscoll, etc. Famous people of the day like Hans and Lotte Hass were parodied. Canadian star, Patti Lewis had a singing spot about the middle of the show, and Max Geldray a music spot later on. There were few taboos with sketches showing people in various states of undress, cameramen, behind the scenes workers and the studios. The Ying Tong song was sung for no apparent reason at various times. The series was written by Spike Milligan and produced and directed by Richard Lester. It was followed by Son of Fred later in 1956. A half hour special Best of Fred was broadcast on 18 September 1963 combining surviving sketches from A Show Called Fred and Son of Fred. The 1995 convention of the Goon Show Preservation Society was billed as A Weekend Called Fred.
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Title: The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d
Released: February 24, 1956
Type: TV
The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d was the first serious attempt to translate the humour of The Goon Show to television. It was made by Associated-Rediffusion during 1956 and was broadcast only in the London area. It combined elements of a sitcom and sketch comedy with Peter Sellers as the editor of a tatty Victorian newspaper, The Idiot Weekly. The headlines of the paper were used as links to comedy sketches. Although written mainly by Spike Milligan, there were many contributions from members of the writers' co-operative Associated London Scripts, including Dave Freeman and Terry Nation, with Eric Sykes credited as the script editor. The series was produced and directed by Richard Lester. It was followed by A Show Called Fred and Son of Fred. The title was revived by Spike Milligan for the Australian radio series The Idiot Weekly.
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The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn
Title: The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn
Character: Assorted
Released: January 1, 1956
Type: Movie
Supposedly filmed in 'Schizophrenoscope', it concerns Inspector Quilt of Scotland Yard's attempts to retrieve a 'Mukkinese Battlehorn' stolen from a London museum. Along the way he meets characters not dissimilar to Eccles, Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister from The Goon Show. This attempt to adapt Goon humour to the big screen was written by Harry Booth, Jon Penington and regular Goon show co-writer Larry Stephens. It was then heavily rewritten on the filmset by Sellers and Milligan.
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A Kid for Two Farthings
Title: A Kid for Two Farthings
Character: Indian with Grey Beard (uncredited)
Released: August 15, 1955
Type: Movie
Joe is a young boy who lives with his mother, Joanna, in working-class London. The two reside above the tailor shop of Mr. Kandinsky, who likes to tell Joe stories. When Kandinsky informs Joe that a unicorn can grant wishes, the hopeful lad ends up buying a baby goat with one tiny horn, believing it to be a real unicorn. Undaunted by his rough surroundings, Joe sets about to prove that wishes can come true.
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Title: The Sooty Show
Character: Himself
Released: January 16, 1955
Type: TV
The Sooty Show is a British children's Puppet series which aired on the BBC from 1955 to 1967 and ITV from 1968 to 1992. It follows the adventures and comedic day to day life of puppets Sooty, Sweep and Soo with their owner Harry Corbett, and in later years, his son Matthew.
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Calling All Cars
Title: Calling All Cars
Released: January 1, 1954
Type: Movie
Comedy documentary centring on the Dover Harbour car terminal.
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Down Among the Z Men
Title: Down Among the Z Men
Character: Pvt. Eccles
Released: October 1, 1952
Type: Movie
The Goon Show hits the big screen. Professor Pure Heart absent-mindedly loses the top secret formula in Harry Jones' Grocery Shop. "Bats of the Yard", as Harry calls himself, finds it and attempts to return it to the Professor.
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Let's Go Crazy
Title: Let's Go Crazy
Character: Multiple Roles
Released: May 1, 1951
Type: Movie
Let's Go Crazy is a 1951 comedy film marking an early appearance of Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers playing multiple roles.
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Penny Points to Paradise
Title: Penny Points to Paradise
Character: Spike Donnelly
Released: April 25, 1951
Type: Movie
When Harry and Spike visit Bristol to spend the winnings from Harry's latest Pools win, the boys are soon targeted by a gang of local counterfeiters.