Noele Gordon was a very good friend of Larry. She was credited as the first woman to be seen on colour television sets, as she took part, as a teenager, in John Logie Baird's colour transmission tests in 1938. Tea With Noele Gordon, was the first popular ITV chat show and she was the first woman to interview a Prime Minister, at this time it was Harold Macmillan. She then moved on to present a daily live entertainment show, Lunchbox, an early daytime programme. She is best known as an actress playing the lead in the very long running Midland's soap opera, Crossroads, about a motel in the fictional village of King's Oak. Larry made a guest appearance a couple of times and also played chauffeur in the couples' Rolls Royce when her character got married. Lionel Blair was a Canadian-British actor, choreographer, tap dancer, and television presenter. From the late 1960s until the early 1980s, he made regular appearances as a dancer and entertainer on British television. He also presented the quiz programme Name That Tune, and was a team captain on the televised charades gameshow Give Us a Clue.
Slack Alice is a female protagonist that only exists in Larry's head, she's a coal woman (coal delivery driver) from Redcar, who sometimes sold fragmented coal, or 'Slack;'. However she is used in such a manor by Larry that you could wonder what else she does for income. 😅
Squirrel, Larry Grayson was one of the most lovable tv stars, very camp - and we never saw his imaginary friends like Everard, or Pop it in Pete, the postman. He used his own innuendo to turn the tables on the audience because when they laughed he'd say 'What a common lot!' or 'Where do they get these audiences?' He was quick-fire with his wit, and would intersperse his act with 'Look at the muck in here' or 'Shut that door!' giving the stage people at the side a very dirty look. He could sing, but not dance, but that wouldn't stop him as he wanted to be comedic. I'm not gay, but he was a lovely man. No airs and graces and just a human being.
Noel Gordon was a TV soap actress. Middle aged woman at the time. Lionel Blair was a dancer/ choreographer. I'd forgotten Slack Alice, and some of the other characters he mentioned. They turn up a lot in his rambles
Grayson was the go-to for camp stand-up humour in the 70's. The innuendo and one-liners were quite legendary in their day. Everard and Slack Alice being 2 characters he'd often talk of in his monologues.
I was never a huge fan of Larry back in the day, but I must admit that was funny. Perhaps my tastes have changed, so yes, try to do some more of his stuff, or better still some Frankie Howard.
Lionel Blair is most famous for being a team captain on a show called Give Us A Clue, which was based on charades. There is a very funny Radio 4 show called I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue which has been running since 1972 and is billed as "the antidote to panel games". One round they have is "sound charades" which for many years was introduced with an innuendo about Lionel Blair in which have insinuate he was gay even though he was happily married with kids. Unfortunately Lionel didn't see the funny side and eventually they stopped. Here are a few examples though: "The experts' expert was, of course, Lionel Blair. Who can ever forget opposing team captain Una Stubbs sitting open-mouthed as he tried to pull off Twelve Angry Men in under two minutes." "Possibly the most versatile performer was Lionel Blair, and no one will ever forget the occasion he was given A Town Like Alice when he chose to do a silent impression of the author. Such was the performance Una Stubbs gasped in amazement when she saw 'Neville Shute' in Lionel's face." "And who can forget that breathtaking finish when Lionel Blair came from behind and had Dirty Harry licked in under two minutes? " "The past-master of the game was Lionel Blair, who regularly amazed and delighted his teammates with his mime portrayals of the songs and movies of the so-called 'blaxploitation' genre. Una Stubbs's eyes were out on stalks as she witnessed Lionel using his hands on Isaac Hayes's Shaft for two minutes." And this is show broadcast at 6.30pm! You really should check it out Mr Squirrel. There are lots of episodes on RU-vid as well as compilations of certain long-running gags like those above (although hearing more than a few back-to-back diminishes their hilarity). Two of the regulars for many years were Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graham Garden who along with Bill Oddie were the comedy group call The Goodies. Prior to that they worked with members of Monty Python. Another long-standing regular was Barry Cryer who wrote a lot of material for The Two Ronnies and Morecambe & Wise among others. Comedy geniuses all.
My mum hated comedy and most comedians, she'd never hold back on letting us know how unfunny and irritating they were to her back in the 70s but she loved Larry Grayson, his monologues had her in hysterics till tears came out of her eyes. As a kid I just heard a man with a camp voice talking about 'Slack Alice' and 'Everard' and couldn't for the life of me work out what she was laughing at uncontrollably. He was very popular with the mature ladies who loved his risque humor which went right over my young head.
Maybe try to find more recent stuff: his career had a revival in the last few years before his death and he was popular among university student audiences.
