Take a Chance: The Gorilla (1981) - FULL EPISODE

There's so much that needs to be said about this, but let's cut to the chase: if you've ever wondered what George, Zippy and Bungle from Rainbow look like in the flesh, here's your chance to find out. At 6:50, Stanley Bates appears, and even a brief listen to his voice betrays the fact that he was the guy in the bear suit for most of the 70s and 80s; then at 8:20 Roy Skelton - the voice of George and Zippy - shows up, and at various points (including 12:10) manages somehow to sound like both of them simultaneously. Anyway, what do we have here? Well, Take a Chance was a Thames production (hence the Rainbow connections) starring Dawson Chance, who, despite having a name like a font, is actually a very talented ventriloquist. The main body of the show is a children's sitcom set in a theatrical lodging house run by Bungle, which often descends into farce. But the first seven minutes or so are a showcase for Dawson and his puppet act - here, he performs the ancient art of turtle dentistry on his sidekick Willy. The whole thing feels like an old-fashioned stage show in that everything's been done on the cheap, it's all a little disjointed, there's a live audience, and only one set location, but, you know, it's still more than enjoyable (and if not, at least it has its historical value). The Duck Soup mirror gag is a nice touch, too. Not enough Marx Brothers references on children's TV these days. Incidentally, the appearance of Willy stirred a long-dormant memory in me. I think Dawson must have appeared at a Royal Variety Performance or something in the late 80s, because I remember for a few days afterwards everyone at school was saying "Is it?" just like the turtle. (Or is it a tortoise? I'm out of my depths, here.) If nothing else, that proves that the makings were all there for a great and memorable children's act; but after being thrown into a half-hearted sitcom vehicle that failed to catch on, he was left on the television scrapheap and doomed to a career in panto. It's a pity, because the technical ability is evident, and the act is funny. If IMDB is to be believed, this is the 10th episode of only 13 that were ever made, and was broadcast on Tuesday, 17th March, 1981. That pre-dates Children's ITV, so I think it must have aired as part of the Watch It strand. Many thanks indeed to Lee for providing this recording. (This is a transfer from an old videotape, so please don't expect full HD quality. To the best of my knowledge, this material is not available commercially anywhere in the world, and has been uploaded for its historic interest. That said, if you are a copyright holder and object, please don't hesitate to contact me.)