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Ray's a Laugh
Ray's a Laugh is a British BBC Radio comedy series starring Ted Ray which ran from 1949 to 1961. According to latter-day historians of the era, the show was "hugely popular with the British public" and "one of the major hits of post-war radio comedy".
Ted Ray's alter ego in variety had been Nedlo, the Gypsy Violinist. Ray's birth name was Charles Olden, but by 1949, he was appearing as Ted Ray (named after the golfer), and this was how he billed himself for his radio series, which was devised by BBC producer George Inns. The show was BBC Radio's replacement for It's That Man Again. Other names considered for the series were Hoo-Ray For Fun and Hip-Hoo-Ray.
For most of the show's run, Ray's a Laugh was a domestic comedy. However, it started off as an American-style three-'spot' show with songs and music. In some sketches, Ray worked for the Cannon Enquiry Agency, later joining the Daily Bugle as a reporter.
Ray's wife was played by Kitty Bluett. From the third series onwards, the show was dominated by scenes featuring Ted and Kitty. Bluett left the show to appear in an unsuccessful spin-off in 1955, but returned the following year.
Regular cast members were:
Ray's signature tune was "You Are My Sunshine", which prefaced the opening title song, named after the show and written by Ray. "You Are My Sunshine" closed the show until 1951. Music for the first three series came from Stanley Black and the BBC Dance Orchestra. For series 4 and 5, music was by Paul Fenoulhet and the BBC Variety Orchestra.
In the first two series, songs came from an act known to listeners as the Beaux and the Belles, who had the same personnel as The Keynotes – Johnnie Johnston, Alan Dean, Pearl Carr, Irene King – with the addition of Don Elmsley. Bob and Alf Pearson provided another musical interlude, their signature tune being "We bring you melodies from out of the sky, my brother and I". In series 3, music came from John Hanson and The Kingsmen performing.
A notable feature of the show was its catchphrases. The character of Ivy (played by Ted Ray) would show her devotion to Mrs Hoskins (Bob Pearson) by saying "you're a lovely woman, Mrs Hoskins!" The latter would remark in turn: "It was agony, Ivy!" This catchphrase was included in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.
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Ray's a Laugh
Ray's a Laugh is a British BBC Radio comedy series starring Ted Ray which ran from 1949 to 1961. According to latter-day historians of the era, the show was "hugely popular with the British public" and "one of the major hits of post-war radio comedy".
Ted Ray's alter ego in variety had been Nedlo, the Gypsy Violinist. Ray's birth name was Charles Olden, but by 1949, he was appearing as Ted Ray (named after the golfer), and this was how he billed himself for his radio series, which was devised by BBC producer George Inns. The show was BBC Radio's replacement for It's That Man Again. Other names considered for the series were Hoo-Ray For Fun and Hip-Hoo-Ray.
For most of the show's run, Ray's a Laugh was a domestic comedy. However, it started off as an American-style three-'spot' show with songs and music. In some sketches, Ray worked for the Cannon Enquiry Agency, later joining the Daily Bugle as a reporter.
Ray's wife was played by Kitty Bluett. From the third series onwards, the show was dominated by scenes featuring Ted and Kitty. Bluett left the show to appear in an unsuccessful spin-off in 1955, but returned the following year.
Regular cast members were:
Ray's signature tune was "You Are My Sunshine", which prefaced the opening title song, named after the show and written by Ray. "You Are My Sunshine" closed the show until 1951. Music for the first three series came from Stanley Black and the BBC Dance Orchestra. For series 4 and 5, music was by Paul Fenoulhet and the BBC Variety Orchestra.
In the first two series, songs came from an act known to listeners as the Beaux and the Belles, who had the same personnel as The Keynotes – Johnnie Johnston, Alan Dean, Pearl Carr, Irene King – with the addition of Don Elmsley. Bob and Alf Pearson provided another musical interlude, their signature tune being "We bring you melodies from out of the sky, my brother and I". In series 3, music came from John Hanson and The Kingsmen performing.
A notable feature of the show was its catchphrases. The character of Ivy (played by Ted Ray) would show her devotion to Mrs Hoskins (Bob Pearson) by saying "you're a lovely woman, Mrs Hoskins!" The latter would remark in turn: "It was agony, Ivy!" This catchphrase was included in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.