But is that a *reason* for having the musical breaks, a just a useful by-product? The budgetting decision for hiring a band wouldn't have been in the hands of the script-writers after all; but once the script-writers know they've *got* a band, they can work 'em in (especially once they've all got to know each other in rehearsal for the early shows, and know what they'll be up for.)
Like most things in life, I think it's a mistake to look for a single cause. I've always understood it as being a *combination* of "well duh, why wouldn't you have a musical break?" (i.e. that's what both show-makers and audiences were used to, aka "if it ain't broke don't fix it", aka "music hall tradition"), and practicality.
First, bear in mind that the earliest radio comedy shows, just like their stage forbears, had to be performed live from beginning to end. The next generation were recorded, but editing was frowned upon, so effectively those were still live shows, and with the added pressure of getting everything in within a very tightly specified timeslot. Actors taking part in a frenetic half hour of comedy where neither mistakes nor long pauses between scenes were permitted would surely be grateful for a chance to rest and recoup midway... And in the event that you accidentally finished *early*, it was good to have a lengthy closing number/theme that could pad out the required 29.5 minutes (or whatever) running time, and be faded out where necessary. (Fading out a piece of music mid-way seems to be far more acceptable to most listeners than fading out a comedy sketch/scene before the punchline!)
Second, there's the contractual/legal/financial aspect. The BBC employed an army of musicians of course for it's own musical programmes, but their style and talents weren't necessarily what was needed for a comedy show, and I suspect the Music Department would have resisted any attempts to co-opt them as mere musical decoration on "low brow" programming anyway. And any independent band leader being asked by the BBC to provide a couple of "meanwhile, on the other side of the stage..." musical links for a pittance is wisely going to say "What's in it for us, besides a long drive to Shepherd's Bush, 2 hours of set up and tear-down, and lunch in your famous canteen?" So either *they* ask for the musical number as a way to let the public know "We are a real band who play proper stuff like this!" (because *that* kind of exposure, especially back then, really was worth something!), or the producer says "Well if you want that much money, then we need to get our money's worth out of you...".
And even when the technology made it possible/easier to play in pre-recorded music links rather than having the band there every week, the Musicians Union had things to say about that, so it took a while to become an acceptable, let alone accepted, practice.
Now, in the case of the Goon Show, add in the fact that Spike (who was central to the whole show's existence) specifically wanted to get more jazz on the radio...
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2016-04-15 08:15 pm (UTC)Like most things in life, I think it's a mistake to look for a single cause. I've always understood it as being a *combination* of "well duh, why wouldn't you have a musical break?" (i.e. that's what both show-makers and audiences were used to, aka "if it ain't broke don't fix it", aka "music hall tradition"), and practicality.
First, bear in mind that the earliest radio comedy shows, just like their stage forbears, had to be performed live from beginning to end. The next generation were recorded, but editing was frowned upon, so effectively those were still live shows, and with the added pressure of getting everything in within a very tightly specified timeslot. Actors taking part in a frenetic half hour of comedy where neither mistakes nor long pauses between scenes were permitted would surely be grateful for a chance to rest and recoup midway... And in the event that you accidentally finished *early*, it was good to have a lengthy closing number/theme that could pad out the required 29.5 minutes (or whatever) running time, and be faded out where necessary. (Fading out a piece of music mid-way seems to be far more acceptable to most listeners than fading out a comedy sketch/scene before the punchline!)
Second, there's the contractual/legal/financial aspect. The BBC employed an army of musicians of course for it's own musical programmes, but their style and talents weren't necessarily what was needed for a comedy show, and I suspect the Music Department would have resisted any attempts to co-opt them as mere musical decoration on "low brow" programming anyway. And any independent band leader being asked by the BBC to provide a couple of "meanwhile, on the other side of the stage..." musical links for a pittance is wisely going to say "What's in it for us, besides a long drive to Shepherd's Bush, 2 hours of set up and tear-down, and lunch in your famous canteen?" So either *they* ask for the musical number as a way to let the public know "We are a real band who play proper stuff like this!" (because *that* kind of exposure, especially back then, really was worth something!), or the producer says "Well if you want that much money, then we need to get our money's worth out of you...".
And even when the technology made it possible/easier to play in pre-recorded music links rather than having the band there every week, the Musicians Union had things to say about that, so it took a while to become an acceptable, let alone accepted, practice.
Now, in the case of the Goon Show, add in the fact that Spike (who was central to the whole show's existence) specifically wanted to get more jazz on the radio...