Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3.

And now the video, all the pics in the right bits, I present Ian Dury and The Blockheads, Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3.

Bonar Colleano

 
Bonar Colleano: The final of Ian Dury's Reasons To Be Cheerful is the American born actor who made a number of British films in the 40s and 50s. Mostly playing Americans and generally the brash and good-looking American soldier stationed in the UK during the war and making friends (often very good friends) with lonely British women. He died in a car accident in 1958, a subsequent fund raising football match saw friends such as Sid James, James Mason, Alma Cogan and Alfie Bass help raise funds to support his son, Mark. Mark Colleano is also an actor and has appeared in episodes of Only Fools and Horses and some other stuff (I have used extensive research!). So with Ian's Reasons complete, all that's left is the video and then I start on my own reasons to be cheerful.

Adi Celentano

Adi Celentano: In Ian Dury's penultimate Reason To Be Cheerful we have the Italian Adriano Celentano. An everyman of Italy, film star, singer, TV host, comedian, heart throb. Born in 1938 Celentano has made 40 albums and over 50 films. A favourite song released in 1972 is Prisencolinensinainciusol, this crazy tune is hopefully a parody of English pop/rock songs with Celentano singing English gibberish. 

John Coltrane's Soprano

John Coltrane's Soprano; John Coltrane first played soprano saxophone on his 1961 album My Favorite Things. He may be playing tenor saxophone in this picture, I just don't know. Davey Payne plays saxophone on Reasons To Be Cheerful, apparently Ian Dury asked Chas Jankel (who wrote the music) to include a break for Payne to  improvise the solo so he could get a music credit and earn royalties on the song.

Coming out of Chokey

Coming out of Chokey: 'Chokey' is a British slang term for prison, from the Hindi word 'cauki' for shed or outhouse, quite possibly the same derivative as the slang 'carzey' for toilet. Anyway as far as I know Ian Dury never spent any prolonged (or possibly any) period in prison, but as a man of the people he would know that coming out would be a reason to be cheerful. Here we see Norman Stanley Fletcher as portrayed by Ronnie Barker in the TV series Going Straight, a follow up to Porridge, which sees Fletcher coming out of chokey. You'll find my Porridge post on my A to Z of comedy blog http://afterlafter.blogspot.com/2011/05/porridge.html

Singalong a Smokey

Singalong a Smokey: "Singalong" was used before anyone had heard of 'karaoke'. Ian Dury probably refers to Smokey Robinson in this bit of Reasons To Be Cheerful. My picture is an album cover from a Bert & Ernie singalong album, but here's the best bit, one of the songs on the album is "On Top Of Old Smokey" (no it's not rude!). That song is an old folk song, more well known in the US. On this album the version is by Grover. So a double whammy of cheerfulness, singalong and Bert & Ernie, who were largely based on Laurel & Hardy you know? but that's probably for another day.

Saying Okey Dokey

Saying Okey Dokey: I've not heard anyone say 'okey dokey' for some time, so I may say it today. If you don't know it's just another way of saying OK, but in a little more of a cheerful manner. I couldn't find any kind of picture that would show anyone saying 'okey dokey', so I found a picture of the Cosgrove Hall, 1995 cartoon series of a similar name. Oakie Doke lived in an oak tree, he may still do, I haven't bothered checking.

Being In My Nuddy

Being in my nuddy: The use of the word 'nuddy' refers to the "naughty naked nude" as used by Ian Dury in the lyrics to another tune. Unfortunately I scoured the internet and couldn't find any pictures of anyone in the nude. The closest was this picture, I believe someone has a bare ankle behind the curtains.

Something Nice To Study

Something nice to study: With only 8 more Reasons To Be Cheerful to go, I've a feeling this one wasn't Ian Dury necessarily musing about sitting down with a text book. So here's Marilyn Monroe.

Balabalabala

Balabalabala: The occasionally incorrect yet informative H2G2 breakdown of Reasons To Be Cheerful speculates that Balabalabala could be the opening of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, it could also be a bit of filler when Ian couldn't think of anything else. Alternatively there are several places in the world called Bala, Ian Dury could be referencing three of them, one in Wales, one in Romania and a small town in Kansas that has the signpost pictured.

Pasquale

Pasquale: Assuming Ian Dury was referring to Don Pasquale and not Joe, this is a picture of Luigi Lablache playing Don in 1843. Don Pasquale is a comic opera. There are obvious differences between Don & Joe Pasquale, one is quite amusing and often incorporates new and original material, the other is a comic with a squeaky voice.

Dmitri

Dmitri: Dmitri Shostakovich was a 20th century Russian composer. 15 symphonies, 6 concertos, 2 operas, film music and some other stuff (extensive research here!). Ian Dury perhaps considered his music a reason to be cheerful, that or his face.

Slap and Tickle

Slap and tickle: What better way to signify such an expression than a still from a Carry On film. In Carry On Up The Khyber the use of 'tiffin' had the same meaning. Other expressions to slip in could be 'a bit of how's your father', 'nookie', 'hanky panky'. Ian Dury was more than fond of a euphemism. In the song This Is What We Find, Harold Hill comes home to find another gentleman's kippers in the grill and that's nothing compared to what Billericay Dickie gets up to with Nina in the back of his Cortina.

Cheddar Cheese & Pickle

Cheddar cheese & pickle: For Ian Dury's 36th Reason To Be Cheerful we bring out the Branston or maybe Ian had piccallilli

Harpo, Groucho, Chico

Harpo, Groucho, Chico: Could there ever be a better Reason To Be Cheerful than Minnie's boys, Harpo, Groucho, Chico aka Adolph, Julius and Leonard.? The Marx Brothers were all born, otherwise they would never have existed. Groucho was the one with the moustache, which he originally painted on and then went with real hair. Chico got his nickname from his ability to attract the ladies. Harpo was quoted as saying "                                                                                          ". There were some other brothers, but they weren't as funny and Ian Dury never mentioned them so why should I? Our 35th reason to be cheerful.

Listening To Rico

Listening to Rico: Rico Rodriguez, a Jamaican born jazz trombonist, Presumably Ian was referring to listening to this guy rather than the kid who appears as Manny in Modern Family, given that the latter wasn't born when the song was written. Rico of the song toured with Bob Marley, played with Prince Buster, The Specials (he played the solo on Ghost Town) and a plethora of other artists. It's also stated that he inspired the Beatles to let their hair grow, although that could be just hairsay...

Wee Willie Harris

Wee Willie Harris: Here's a bill from The Ritz, Wigan from 1958 or 1959 before Cliff Richard's then backing band The Drifters had become The Shadows. Apparently billed as 'Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll' in the 1950s. He had limited commercial success (none of his singles charted), but was popular through live performances and TV appearances. His mention in "Reasons To Be Cheerful" led to a comeback in the 70s and in 2000 he even released an album entitled 'Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful'. Right I'm off to Wigan, looks like a good bill and only 6 bob for a decent seat.

Taking Mum To Paris

Taking Mum To Paris: I didn't know Ian Dury or his mum, but if taking her to Paris made him cheerful then that's OK. For my picture of the line is the daughter of everyone's favourite mum (The Queen Mother, her daughter is The Queen or as she is sometimes known The Queen Mother's Daughter). So here is The Queen getting off The Eurostar in Paris, it must be cold on there she's got her gloves on. Mind the gap love.

Round or Skinny Bottoms

Round or skinny bottoms: From the mind of Ian Dury comes another choice of a reason to be cheerful. Queen made their's in my Reason to Be Cheerful picture of the day.

Curing Smallpox

Curing Smallpox: A little known fact that it was Granny Clampett's rheumatids medicine that formed the basis for the original cure for smallpox. Surprisingly this fact may not be true, but I was trying to find a cheerful picture and a picture of a smallpox vaccine isn't that cheery, a picture of Granny C. from The Beverly Hillbillies is, weeeell doggy.