James Douglas Grafton, (19 May 1916 – 2 June 1986) was a producer, writer and theatrical agent. He served in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as an
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
in the
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the First and Second World W ...
and was awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
for his actions during
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...
.
After the war he worked within his family
publican
In antiquity, publicans (Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the ...
business, taking over as manager at Grafton's pub in London while also acting as a part-time scriptwriter. The pub served as a meeting place for many comedians, including
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...
,
Harry Secombe
Sir Harold Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'' (1951–1960), playing many characters, m ...
,
Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...
and
Michael Bentine
Michael Bentine, (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother ...
. Grafton was instrumental in ensuring the quartet were hired by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
for their new programme, eventually called ''
The Goon Show
''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 19 ...
''. Grafton also acted as a script editor for the first three series of the show. He continued with scriptwriting for other artistes and acted as Harry Secombe's agent for over 25 years.
He died in 1986, at the age of 70.
Biography
Grafton was born on 19 May 1916 in Westminster, London;
he had a twin brother, Peter. He was educated at
Westminster City School
Westminster City School is a state-funded secondary academy for boys, with a mixed sixth form, in Westminster, London. The school educates over 800 students, with links to more than 100 different cultures, in a central London location. The sch ...
in London and
Sutton Valence School
Sutton Valence School (SVS) is an independent school near Maidstone in southeast England. It has 560 pupils. It is a co-educational day and boarding school. There are three senior boarding houses: Westminster, St Margaret's and Sutton.
History ...
in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. He was commissioned into the
Territorial Army in 1935.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Grafton transferred as a
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
to the
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the First and Second World W ...
. He was awarded a
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
for his actions during
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...
, where he had been involved in hand-to-hand fighting; he also requested an artillery barrage on his own position because it was being overrun by German tanks. While waiting for his
demobilisation
Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...
he started writing sketches for the entertainment of the men in his command.
After his demobilisation in 1946, he returned to London and became publican of Grafton's, a pub which had been in the Grafton family's possession since 1848. In addition to his duties as a publican, Grafton was also a
Westminster city councillor and later a scriptwriter for the comedian
Derek Roy
Derek Leonard Roy (born May 4, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators and the Edmont ...
, for use in the series ''
Variety Bandbox
''Variety Bandbox'' is a BBC Radio variety show transmitted initially in the General Forces Programme and then the Light Programme. Featuring a mixture of comic performances and music, the show helped to launch the careers of a number of leadin ...
''. Roy was also Grafton's second cousin.
One of the patrons of Grafton's was
Michael Bentine
Michael Bentine, (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother ...
, an ex-intelligence officer and comedian, who introduced Grafton to
Harry Secombe
Sir Harold Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'' (1951–1960), playing many characters, m ...
; Grafton recognised Secombe's voice as one of the actors on ''Variety Bandbox''. Secombe and Bentine introduced Grafton to two other comedians shortly thereafter,
Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...
and
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...
. When Milligan was looking for a new place to stay, Grafton offered him a room above the pub, and the four comedians used Grafton's as their meeting place. As their act developed towards what was later to become ''
The Goon Show
''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 19 ...
'', Grafton would act as advisor to their comedy and careers, earning him the nickname KOGVOS—(Keeper of Goons and Voice of Sanity). With the four comics spending time at the pub, and with Grafton scriptwriting for an increasing number of people, the hostelry attracted an increasing number of friends from radio and show business, including
Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 19118 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of th ...
,
Jimmy Edwards
James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''.
Early lif ...
,
Dick Emery
Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English comedian and actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981.
Life and career
Richard Gilbert Emery was ...
,
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army f ...
,
Kenneth More
Kenneth Gilbert More, Order of the British Empire#Current classes, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor.
Initially achieving fame in the comedy ''Genevieve (film), Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many ...
,
Beryl Reid
Beryl Elizabeth Reid, (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996), was a British actress of stage and screen. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for ''The Killing of Sister George'', the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performan ...
,
Clive Dunn
Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...
,
Graham Stark
Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director.
Early life
The son of a purser on transatlantic liners, ,
Tony Hancock
Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor.
High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series ''Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...
and
Larry Stephens
Lawrence Geoffrey Stephens (16 July 1923p.14926 January 1959) was a BBC radio scriptwriter, best remembered for co-writing ''The Goon Show'' with Spike Milligan. Stephens was a regular writer of the show for the first two years, and then return ...
.
In 1950 Grafton used his connections within the BBC to arrange an audition for the Goons; he also secured the BBC announcer,
Andrew Timothy
Andrew Timothy (30 November 1912 – 9 December 1990) was an Anglican priest and BBC Radio announcer, who is known for being the original announcer of the comedy series ''The Goon Show''. His son is the Welsh actor Christopher Timothy.
Early life ...
, to act as the programme's link man. Timothy had also been a fellow officer from Grafton's old regiment during the war. The first audition tape was not successful, but a second, recorded in 1951, led to the hiring of the Goons for their first series, ''Crazy People'';
Grafton acted as script editor for this series and the following two, which were broadcast under the name ''The Goon Show''.
By this stage Grafton was acting as one of Secombe's two agents, a role he performed for over 25 years, while continuing with his career as a scriptwriter. During his writing career, Grafton wrote more than 500 programmes, including 200 sitcoms.
His output included all aspects of broadcast media, with his work on the radio, such as ''Variety Bandbox'', ''The Goon Show'' and ''
Billy Cotton Band Show
The ''Billy Cotton Band Show'' was a Sunday lunchtime radio programme broadcast in the BBC Light Programme from 1949 until 1968.
The band leader, Billy Cotton, was a larger-than-life Cockney character who started each show with the cry "Wakey-Wa ...
''; films that included ''
Down Among the Z Men
''Down Among the Z Men'' is a 1952 black-and-white British comedy film starring the Goons: Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Michael Bentine and Harry Secombe.
Plot
Harry Jones (Secombe) is a clerk in Mr Crab's general mercantile store and an am ...
'', ''A Santa for Christmas'' and ''
Sunstruck
''Sunstruck'', also known by the alternative title of ''Education of Stanley Evans'', is a 1972 British–Australian comedy film directed by James Gilbert and starring Harry Secombe, Maggie Fitzgibbon and John Meillon.
Plot
Stanley Evans, a ...
''; and television, including ''The Dickie Henderson Half-Hour'', ''Pepys'' and a range of programmes with Harry Secombe.
Grafton was married to Dorothy (née Bleackley) and the couple had two children, James and Sally. He died in
Chichester
Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
, West Sussex, on 2 June 1986, at the age of 70;
a memorial service was held at the Military Chapel of the
Chelsea Barracks
Chelsea Barracks was a British Army barracks located in the City of Westminster, London, between the districts of Belgravia, Chelsea and Pimlico on Chelsea Bridge Road.
The barracks closed in the late 2000s, and the site is currently being red ...
on 22 September that year.
Selected writing credits
* ''
Variety Bandbox
''Variety Bandbox'' is a BBC Radio variety show transmitted initially in the General Forces Programme and then the Light Programme. Featuring a mixture of comic performances and music, the show helped to launch the careers of a number of leadin ...
'' (Radio)
* ''
London Entertains
''London Entertains'' is a 1951 British quasi-documentary film that combines a travelogue around London with film of various variety stars including The Goons and Bobby Breen. The film was conceived by Jimmy Grafton and produced and directed by E ...
'' (Film 1951)
* ''
The Goon Show
''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 19 ...
'' (Radio 1951–53)
* ''Goonreel'' (TV 1952)
* ''
Down Among the Z Men
''Down Among the Z Men'' is a 1952 black-and-white British comedy film starring the Goons: Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Michael Bentine and Harry Secombe.
Plot
Harry Jones (Secombe) is a clerk in Mr Crab's general mercantile store and an am ...
'' (Film 1952)
* ''
Billy Cotton Band Show
The ''Billy Cotton Band Show'' was a Sunday lunchtime radio programme broadcast in the BBC Light Programme from 1949 until 1968.
The band leader, Billy Cotton, was a larger-than-life Cockney character who started each show with the cry "Wakey-Wa ...
'' (Radio Eight years between 1956–65)
* ''A Santa for Christmas'' (Film 1957)
* ''New Look'' (TV 1959)
* ''The Dickie Henderson Half-Hour'' (TV 1959–64; 1971)
* ''Secombe and Friends'' (TV 1966)
* ''Mum's Boys'' (TV 1968)
* ''The Harry Secombe Show'' (TV 1972–73)
* ''Relatively Secombe'' (TV 1978)
* ''Secombe With Music'' (TV 1980–82)
* ''Pepys'' (TV 1983)
* ''
Sunstruck
''Sunstruck'', also known by the alternative title of ''Education of Stanley Evans'', is a 1972 British–Australian comedy film directed by James Gilbert and starring Harry Secombe, Maggie Fitzgibbon and John Meillon.
Plot
Stanley Evans, a ...
'' (Film 1988)
Notes and references
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grafton, Jimmy
1916 births
1986 deaths
British Army personnel of World War II
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers
British radio writers
British television writers
Recipients of the Military Cross
People from Westminster
British publicans
English comedy writers
Operation Market Garden
Military personnel from London
20th-century screenwriters