59 - Marty Feldman and Tim Brooke-Tyalor: "Funny He Never married"

From “It’s Marty”, 1968 BBC comedy series.
Again, the BBC has deleted almost all archive recordings of this series. A compilation soundtrack record, “Marty”, was released at the time and this is one of the sketches on the LP, and was also a separate single release. Unfortunatley, I don't know the writer.
[transcript from http://www.churchofvirus.org/bbs/Printpage.php?board=63;threadid=36732]

Voice 1 is Tim Brooke Taylor. Voice 2 is Marty Feldman. Both doing old man voices

1. It was a good funeral ...
2. Yes, we give him a good send off ...
1. Yes ...
2. No man could want more ...
1. No, no ...
2. He was a good man, George. We won't see his like again.
1. Salt of the earth, was George. Yes he was ...
(pause)
2. Funny he never married.
1. Yes. ... who?
2. George.
1. Ah yes ...
2. I mean, it's not that he never had his chances (chortling)
2. Oh, when he was young ... a man like that ... could have had any he'd chosen. Good looking enough.
1. Yes, yes he was ... almost too good looking.
2. Almost too good looking. Them big blue eyes. Them dimples ... yes, and that school girl complexion of his ... could have had any girl he chose.
1. ...any girl he chose
2. ... man like that. Funny he never married.
1. Yes, funny that.
2. Still, still ... he had his compensations.
1. Yes I suppose he did.
2. Other interests. Scouting ...
1. He was very keen on scouting, wasn't he.
2. ... scouting. Even in his later years, he'd only have to see a troop of scouts go by and his eyes would light up.
1. Nostalgia ... I suppose.
2. I suppose, yes ...
(pause)
2. Funny he never married.
1. Yes, funny that, yes.
2. He was a funny chap in many ways, when you think about it.
1. He was quite, yes ...
2. The way he walked.
1. Ah yes ...
2. That was funny.
1. With his hips ...
2. And his voice ...
1. High pitched sort of voice.
2. Oh, almost to the point of falsetto, yes ... Oh that was funny, yes. He was funny, yes ... But kind, kind ...
1. Oh, he was very kind, yes.
2. Kind, kind, kind ... Almost too kind. He let his-self be taken advantage of ... I never knew him turn a stranger away from his door. There was always a bed in his house for any waif or stray ...
1. Yes, yes ...
2. Or soldier ...
1. Yes ...
2. Or sailor.
1. Especially sailors.
2. He liked sailors.
1. Never, never knew him turn a sailor away.
2. Never a sailor, no. Quite often they didn't even have to come to him.
1. Yes ...
2. No, he'd go out looking for them, he would. Never spared himself
1. No, no ...
2. Funny he never married. Man like that.
1. He'd have made a good husband.
2. Oh he would, oh, oh ...
1. A very good husband ...
2. A very good husband, there's no gainsaying that. He could cook...
1. He could sew ...
2. He could knit ...
1. Yes, yes ... He could arrange flowers.
2. Oh, oh his house, his house ... It was like a new pin ...
1. Like a shiny new pin.
2. New pin, new pin ...
1. Yes, yes it was ...
(pause)
2. Funny he never married. He was a happy man.
1. Yes, yes he was.
2. He was a happy man.
1. He was, he was ...
2. Yes, Yes. Never happier than when he was dressing up.
1. Theatrical streak, I suppose.
2. I suppose ...
1. Yes ...
2. How he loved that mother of pearl handbag.
1. Almost broke his heart, it did, when he left it on the bus.
2. He loved dressing up, yes.
1. Yes ...
2. All in all it's, er ... funny he never married.
1. Funny - You never married

---------------------------

A wonderfully blithe bit of gossip, recounting all the stereotypes about the confirmed bachelor. That the stereotypes are already well known is the joke, since the audience pick up on all the signifiers which the characters in the sketch miss. By this time the British public had been acquainted with the radio goings-on of Julian and Sandy on "Round the Horne". The fondness for scouts and sailors is one cliche that often gets exhumed, particularly in the case of East End gangster Ronnie Kray.

The manic pop-eyed Feldman rarely played gay in anyway.
Tim Brooke-Taylor, however, often did during this period.


(publicity photo, camping it up, left to right: David Hatch, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie, and John Cleese)

Brooke-Taylor was one of the cast on “I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again” an energetic radio gagfest from the late 60s, featuring his fellow “Goodies”-to-be, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden, and a young John Cleese. The performers on ISIRTA had ready characterisations and Brook-Taylor would occasionally slip into a simpering camp voice for a throwaway gag. In 1969, he performed in the rent-a-face Euro-comedy “Twelve to One” as Willie Rushton’s gay husband. Besides being Sharon Tate’s last film, “Twelve to One” also featured Orson Welles. Either just before or after this film, Orson Welles made series of comic sketches about London, which Brooke-Taylor performed in. One of the sketches featured Welles in a gentleman’s outfitters with Brooke-Taylor as a camp shop assistant.