"HOME THIS AFTERNOON" [21.2.1968 ]BBC Radio 4 approx 10 minute interview
"Ron Grainer composer of signature tunes and incidental music talks to Anne Catchpole about making music that fits". ref: BBC Genome Radio Times 1968 programs
"IT TAKES ALL SORTS" [6.5.68] BBC Radio 4 - 25 minute interview
"Short sleeve Composer - Ron Grainer talks to Anne Catchpole about his early life in Australia and how he came to compose television themes such and 'Maigret' and 'Steptoe' and musicals such as 'Robert and Elizabeth'" ref: BBC Genome Radio Times 1968 programs
"DETECTIVE" second series [17.5.68]
Anthology series dramatizing crime investigation short stories and novels by various authors including Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ngaio Marsh, G K Chesterton, Michael Innes, and Charles Dickens.
"We are concentrating on pure detection. Stories which are really just thrillers are out and in the ones we are using irrelevant "color" material has been cut to a minimum" - Producer David Goddard
There was a four year gap between the broadcast of the first and second series with the third and last transmitted in 1969.
Grainer's signature theme with its spiraling plucked and brooding strings bongos and kettle drums is quite lively and has a cowboy and lasso feel to it - music for the roping in of guilty parties?
Grainer's involvement only started when the series was revived in 1968. John Addison wrote the signature tune for the 1964 first series.
"ONLY WHEN I LARF" [May 68]
Goodread's review of book "Only When I Larf"
Online reviews of the novel by Leo Deighton on which this movie is based indicate the source material has been considerably dumbed down for the screen version. Apparently this story of the changing personal relationships between a trio of confidence trickster, two males and a female ,was originally told from their three individual points of view exposing their considerable age, sex and social class differences.
No such complexity in the script unfortunately and without it the bare plot is not enough to hold audience interest and although Richard Attenborough makes a reasonable effort as the elder crook, David Hemmings as the young upstart sleep walks through his role and Alexandra Stewart never really convinces as the femme fatale who rips both men off.
Musically the film is a curious mix of good and bad decisions. The opening credits, backed by one of Grainer's most humable tunes since the early sixties, appear 15 minutes into the movie. The intriguing love Interest theme, which sounds like a Doh – Ray - Mi like setting of the words One – Two – Three - Four- Five - Six - Seven, only manifests after 50 minutes of tedious "crime caper activity” while the repeated use of the "It only hurts me when I larf" rift in the first section of the movie becomes really irritating when it is used for virtually every burst of activity or change of scene.
"MUSIC ROUND THE WORLD" [25.6.68] BBC Radio 2 - 45 minute concert
"Marcus Dodds introduces and conducts the BBC Orchestra .. in a musical journey with this weeks visiting composer Ron Grainer" ref: BBC genome Radio Times programs 1968
"THE JAZZ AGE" [10.09.68] BBC
Although he was born at the beginning of the roaring twenties [1922] Grainer's outback mining town environment was far removed from the between wars era of big city bootleg wine boisterous women and banter song so this commission could be seen as historical catch up time for him.
"In preparing this series of plays my script editor Andrew Brown and I [Harry Moore] searched through the literature of the period to cover as many events as we could. We have a line up of leading authors [Noel Coward, E Scot Fitzgerald, W Somerset Maughan, Ben Travers, Neville Shute, D H Lawrence and Evelyn Waugh etc] whose work has been dramatised by some of our best television writers. There is an exciting list of players". [1b] One of whom was Ron Grainer whose extroverted series theme is the epitome of flappers, high fliers and frantic fun.
A three page Radio Times supplement [2] of colour photos illustrating each of the 13 stories and one Gershwin Musical - "Tip Toes" - on show indicated the production had a good to lavish budget and, although all 14 episodes still exist as 16 mm black and white film prints, none are available in the original 2 inch colour video tape format [3]
RELOCATION [September 68]
In September 1968 Ron Grainer and family permanently relocated to the Southern Portugal fishing village of Albufeira and the two storey, three bedroom house he had used since the early 1960s as a holiday and work retreat. [4]
Motivated by a discontent with city life and the high level of time commitment his career demanded, eye problems that were beginning to intensify into a loss of peripheral vision plus a desire to raise his young son Damien in a friendlier, healthier environment the 46 year old Grainer knew the move would cause a considerable reduction of income but considered the psychological trade off well worthwhile.
"I remember once spending five hours non stop in a car around London. Stuck in traffic jams and then rushing backwards and forwards - that wasn't living that was hell. Here in Albufera you couldn't get enough donkey carts together to make a traffic jam." [5]
"I've lived in Portugal and had no trouble at all but in London on two different occasions I've walked past places minutes before IRA bombs went off". [6]
These IRA incidents most probably happened in 1973 and 1975 during Grainer's increasingly rare visits to the English capital on work briefings.
"THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL?" [1.10 68] ITV
"The Plays aren't necessarily anti-money propaganda. The question mark gives the writers a choice of answers"[7]
Collection of 13 plays spread over two seasons all revolving around the theme of money and its effects on decision making at all levels of society. Titles such as "You Only Buy Once", "Of Course We Trust You Arnold" and "Bloxham's Concerto for Critic and Carpenter" suggest plots that were out of the ordinary and the fact many episodes were given a panel and sometimes a feature article alongside each Television Times listing indicate it was considered an important program and worthy of viewer attention.
Although all programs in both series have been archive retained none have surfaced in collector circles to date so it is not possible to comment on Grainer's signature tune.
"THE OLD CAMPAIGNER" [6.12.68] BBC
Series based on a 1967 Comedy Playhouse episode about a married but womanising plastics salesman showing bit on the side tricks to a younger staff member.
Although the expanded series was only broadcast for six weeks - probably because the sleazy behaviour of actor Terry Thomas' character had limited audience appeal - the pilot scenario may have been influential in developing the later highly successful "Yes Minister" series with the Thomas character split into two personalities. a pragmatic cabinet minister and his cynical permanent secretary teaching a younger private secretary the manipulative ways of the modern political world.
The Comedy playhouse pilot did no feature any Grainer incidental music so it is impossible to know what direction he took for the series theme or its arrangement.
1968 References
[1a] Radio Times 26.3.64
[1b] Radio Times 19.09.68
[02] Radio Times 19.09.68
[03] Lost UK TV shows search engine
[04] Jenny Grainer "Portugal and the Algarve" Pen Press 2010 p12,13,19,20,22,53
[05] "The Missing Music Man's Secret" unknown origin c1973
[06] "Making Tunes We Can't Forget" The Australian 20.12.75
[07] TV Times 28.09.68
Although he was born at the beginning of the roaring twenties [1922] Grainer's outback mining town environment was far removed from the between wars era of big city bootleg wine boisterous women and banter song so this commission could be seen as historical catch up time for him.
"In preparing this series of plays my script editor Andrew Brown and I [Harry Moore] searched through the literature of the period to cover as many events as we could. We have a line up of leading authors [Noel Coward, E Scot Fitzgerald, W Somerset Maughan, Ben Travers, Neville Shute, D H Lawrence and Evelyn Waugh etc] whose work has been dramatised by some of our best television writers. There is an exciting list of players". [1b] One of whom was Ron Grainer whose extroverted series theme is the epitome of flappers, high fliers and frantic fun.
A three page Radio Times supplement [2] of colour photos illustrating each of the 13 stories and one Gershwin Musical - "Tip Toes" - on show indicated the production had a good to lavish budget and, although all 14 episodes still exist as 16 mm black and white film prints, none are available in the original 2 inch colour video tape format [3]
RELOCATION [September 68]
In September 1968 Ron Grainer and family permanently relocated to the Southern Portugal fishing village of Albufeira and the two storey, three bedroom house he had used since the early 1960s as a holiday and work retreat. [4]
Motivated by a discontent with city life and the high level of time commitment his career demanded, eye problems that were beginning to intensify into a loss of peripheral vision plus a desire to raise his young son Damien in a friendlier, healthier environment the 46 year old Grainer knew the move would cause a considerable reduction of income but considered the psychological trade off well worthwhile.
"I remember once spending five hours non stop in a car around London. Stuck in traffic jams and then rushing backwards and forwards - that wasn't living that was hell. Here in Albufera you couldn't get enough donkey carts together to make a traffic jam." [5]
"I've lived in Portugal and had no trouble at all but in London on two different occasions I've walked past places minutes before IRA bombs went off". [6]
These IRA incidents most probably happened in 1973 and 1975 during Grainer's increasingly rare visits to the English capital on work briefings.
"THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL?" [1.10 68] ITV
"The Plays aren't necessarily anti-money propaganda. The question mark gives the writers a choice of answers"[7]
Collection of 13 plays spread over two seasons all revolving around the theme of money and its effects on decision making at all levels of society. Titles such as "You Only Buy Once", "Of Course We Trust You Arnold" and "Bloxham's Concerto for Critic and Carpenter" suggest plots that were out of the ordinary and the fact many episodes were given a panel and sometimes a feature article alongside each Television Times listing indicate it was considered an important program and worthy of viewer attention.
Although all programs in both series have been archive retained none have surfaced in collector circles to date so it is not possible to comment on Grainer's signature tune.
"THE OLD CAMPAIGNER" [6.12.68] BBC
Series based on a 1967 Comedy Playhouse episode about a married but womanising plastics salesman showing bit on the side tricks to a younger staff member.
Although the expanded series was only broadcast for six weeks - probably because the sleazy behaviour of actor Terry Thomas' character had limited audience appeal - the pilot scenario may have been influential in developing the later highly successful "Yes Minister" series with the Thomas character split into two personalities. a pragmatic cabinet minister and his cynical permanent secretary teaching a younger private secretary the manipulative ways of the modern political world.
The Comedy playhouse pilot did no feature any Grainer incidental music so it is impossible to know what direction he took for the series theme or its arrangement.
1968 References
[1a] Radio Times 26.3.64
[1b] Radio Times 19.09.68
[02] Radio Times 19.09.68
[03] Lost UK TV shows search engine
[04] Jenny Grainer "Portugal and the Algarve" Pen Press 2010 p12,13,19,20,22,53
[05] "The Missing Music Man's Secret" unknown origin c1973
[06] "Making Tunes We Can't Forget" The Australian 20.12.75
[07] TV Times 28.09.68
