It's That Man Again
It's That Man Again (or, commonly, ITMA) was a BBC radio comedy programme which ran from 1939 to 1949. The title was a contemporary phrase referring to ever more frequent news-stories about Hitler in the lead-up to World War II, and specifically a headline in the Daily Express written by Bert Gunn.[1] This was humorously transferred to Tommy Handley, the popular comedian around whom the programme was developed. The scripts were written by the prolific Ted Kavanagh. "ITMA" is believed to have played a major role in sustaining morale on the UK's 'home front' during the Second World War.
The show was broadcast from the BBC Wales studios in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, north Wales, where the BBC's Light Entertainment Department was based during World War II.
Other performers included Jack Train, a master of voices; Clarence Wright, who played the commercial traveller and the man from the ministry; Deryck Guyler, Hattie Jacques, who played Sophie Tuckshop (the earliest of Jacques' roles dependent upon her physical size) and Joan Harben (sister of Philip Harben) as Mona Lott. The programme featured dozens of other characters, such as Mrs Mopp and Colonel Chinstrap. The speed at which the performances were delivered is still considered remarkable, even given later technical developments. Many gags were dependent on breaking news - Ted Kavanagh once admitted to being unable to understand some jokes in earlier scripts.
Some years later, Train reprised the role of Colonel Chinstrap for a couple of guest appearances on The Goon Show including the episode "Shifting Sands". Train would recount how the character was created. Shortly before the show started he was in the office of senior announcer John Snagge having a chat when the door opened and a slightly bleary-eyed gentleman entered. They were introduced, the man being a retired Indian army officer. He then turned to Snagge and said, ‘John. I have just done the most marvellous piece of business. I’ve bought a water-heater on ten year’s hire-purchase and what the gas company doesn’t know is I am drinking myself to death’.
Train, along with scriptwriter Kavanagh, developed this into Colonel Chinstrap. The officer on whom Chinstrap was based heard the programme and reputedly totally failed to connect the character with himself but commented: ‘Wonderful character. I knew silly buggers like that in India’.
Then, nine years and five months after the first meeting, Train received a telegram saying: THE COLONEL BEAT THE GAS COMPANY BY SEVEN MONTHS SNAGGE.
ITMA ran for over 300 episodes between 1939 and 1949. When Handley died from a sudden stroke, announced immediately after the usual second repeat, it was cancelled because he was considered irreplaceable as its star.
Mrs Mopp is referenced in the Kinks song "The Village Green Preservation Society" from their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.
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[edit] Film adaptation
In 1943 a film adaptation was made of the series also titled It's That Man Again.
[edit] Catchphrases
ITMA also became known for a number of catchphrases, some of which entered popular vocabulary.[2]
- "Don't forget the diver"[2] – spoken by Horace Percival upon entrance and exit as a diver. This became a very popular catchphrase in Britain during World War II [3]
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- This catchphrase was apparently inspired by a diver who solicited pennies on pier from seaside crowds, saying "Don't forget the diver sir. Every penny makes the water warmer".[4]
- "I'm going down now sir" – Another diver catchphrase, which became widely used in descending lifts during the era of ITMA popularity.[3]
- "This is Funf speaking" – German spy, spoken by Jack Train.[2] This became a popular telephone catchphrase.[5]
- "I don't mind if I do" – Colonel Humphrey Chinstrap's catchphrase, spoken by Jack Train, turning any remark into an offer of a drink.[2] The origin of this catchphrase precedes ITMA, but was nevertheless popularised by ITMA.[6]
- "Can I do you now, Sir?" – Spoken by Dorothy Summers as Mrs Mopp the office char.[2][7]
- "I go, I come back" – Middle Eastern vendor, Ali Oop. Spoken by Jack Train.[2][8]
- "It's being so cheerful as keeps me going" – Mona Lott, a depressed laundry-woman played by Joan Harben.[9]
- "Good morning, nice day" – commercial traveller about to offer some sales line.[10][11]
- "After you, Claude – no, After you Cecil" – Moving men spoken by Jack Train and Horace Percival[2][12] This phrase became used by RAF pilots as they queued for attack.[13]
- "I'll have to ask me Dad" – Mark Time (an elderly ditherer). This "was a political phrase introduced into ITMA when post-war reconstruction was looming.[14] It was spoken by a Jack Train character, Mark Time, who responded to all questions with this phrase.[2]
- "But I'm all right now" – Hattie Jacques' character Sophie Tuckshop, after describing a long list of food she had eaten.[15]
- "TTFN (Ta ta for now)" – Spoken by Dorothy Summers' character, Mrs Mopp.[2][16]
[edit] References
- ^ Charles Wintour, "Gunn, Herbert Smith", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "ITMA catchphrases", Local History Liverpool, BBC, July 2002, http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/localhistory/journey/stars/tommy_handley/catchphrases.shtml, retrieved 30 August 2011
- ^ a b Partridge, Eric (2005. First published 1977), "'Don't forget the diver' catchphrase origin", in ., A Dictionary of Catch Phrases: British and American, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day, UK: Taylor & Francis, p. 108, ISBN 0-415-05916-X, http://books.google.com/books?id=Nm3jbg0JalMC&pg=PA108&dq=%22don't+forget%22+diver+itma&hl=en&ei=qlZdTtuzHsyqrAeJh-XBDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22don't%20forget%22%20diver%20itma&f=false Alternative ISBN 0-203-37995-0
- ^ Lewis, Peter (1986), "'Don't forget the diver' origin", in ., A People's War, Thames Methuen, p. 184, http://books.google.com/books?id=uX9nAAAAMAAJ&q=%22makes+the+water+warmer%22&dq=%22makes+the+water+warmer%22&hl=en&ei=oO1eTtXVLcKgmQXj8LE1&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC0Q6AEwATge, retrieved 01 September 2011
- ^ Freedman, Jean Rose (1999), "Funf catchphrase background", in ., Whistling in the Dark: Memory and Culture in Wartime London, Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, p. 68, ISBN 0-8131-2076-4, http://books.google.com/books?id=nYalPiDc1PwC&pg=PA68&dq=%22funf+speaking%22+ITMA&hl=en&ei=JF9dTr_OG9HsrQfjkLS6Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&sqi=2&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22funf%20speaking%22%20ITMA&f=false
- ^ Partridge 2005, p.211
- ^ Freedman 1999, p.69
- ^ Partridge 2005, p.214
- ^ Partridge (2005), p.263
- ^ Aldgate, Anthony & Richards, Jeffrey (2007), "'Morning, nice day' origins", in ., Britain Can Take It: British Cinema in the Second World War, New York: I.B. Tauris & Co, p. 92, ISBN 978-1-84511-445-9, http://books.google.com/books?id=QmeRPy7ceKUC&pg=PA92&dq=%22Morning,+nice+day%22+ITMA&hl=en&ei=rPZeTqO_DpCJmQXhtMkD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Morning%2C%20nice%20day%22%20ITMA&f=false, retrieved 01 September 2011
- ^ Partridge, Eric; Beale, Paul (2002), "Commercial traveller's catchphrase", in ., A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: Colloquialisms and Catch Phrases (8th ed.), p. 1384, ISBN 0-415-06568-2, http://books.google.com/books?id=tvRp1whVFUsC&pg=PA1384&dq=%22Morning,+nice+day%22+ITMA&hl=en&ei=rPZeTqO_DpCJmQXhtMkD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Morning%2C%20nice%20day%22%20ITMA&f=false Paperback ISBN 0-415-29189-5
- ^ Partridge 2005, p.3
- ^ Curran, James & Seaton, Jean (1997), "'After you, Claude' usage in Wartime Britain", in ., Power Without Responsibility: The Press and Broadcasting in Britain (5th ed.), London: Routledge, p. 135, ISBN 0-415-16810-4, http://books.google.com/books?id=KO_4g0so5gQC&pg=PA135&dq=%22After+you,+Claude%22+ITMA&hl=en&ei=mmldTr7bMcb5rAePoqiwDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22After%20you%2C%20Claude%22%20ITMA&f=false See also 2009 edition, p.127
- ^ Briggs, Asa (1961), "'I'll have to ask me dad' ITMA origins", in ., The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom: The War of Words, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, http://books.google.com/books?id=x78qAQAAIAAJ&q=%22post-war+reconstruction+was+looming%22&dq=%22post-war+reconstruction+was+looming%22&hl=en&ei=VXJdToODPcHZrQfZtrSaDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA
- ^ ITMA catchphrases at BBC website, per other catchphrase refs. See also p.60 in Partridge 2005 (no preview for that page, but shows up in Google search)
- ^ Ferguson, Rosalind (1994), "Origin of TTFN", in ., Shorter Dictionary of Catch Phrases, London: Routledge, p. 125, ISBN 0-415-10051-8, http://books.google.com/books?id=5eiCbrmVx6QC&pg=PA125&dq=%22TTFN%22+ITMA&hl=en&ei=y3ddTt6OJdDhrAf4-LjGDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCsQ6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q=%22TTFN%22%20ITMA&f=false
