As is becoming traditional, Eric Bentcliffe put on another THIS IS YOUR FAN LIFE.
After Eric's usual red herrings it turned out the victim was Eric Jones, and a more surprised
man you never saw.
Eric Bentcliffe surprises his victim. Note Ken Slater's
Fantast (Medway) Ltd stall at rear (eb)
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Peter Mabey, Daphne & Ron Buckmaster, Eric Bentcliffe,
Eric Jones (eb)
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ERIC BENTCLIFFE:
Plans for TIYL started almost as soon
as last years convention ended. After some thought I decided that Eric
Jones would be a most suitable subject, and John Owen proceeded to once
more turn out an excellent script. In true fannish manner nothing else
was done until a few weeks before the convention. Apart from spreading
a few rumours to the effect that Other People - Terry Jeeves, Ron Bennett,
Wm Harrison - were actually to be the subject of the programme. I would
have started in on producing the show earlier if it hadn't been for a
certain journey I made last year .... however, it seemed to go over fairly
well.
Eric Bentcliffe, Eric Jones (eb)
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ELLA PARKER:
Bruce Burn was notable as an Indian complete with sibilant accent as good as
anything done by Peter Sellars. Alan Rispin too, was surprisingly good as a deaf old man,
especially when he got his programmes mixed and thought he was taking part in a
give-away-show called Take Your Pick. Norman Shorrock was next to come on lugging with
him a whacking great machine which when attached to Eric’s person gave out with lots of
flashing lights and twirling antennae. There was a clock in the front of it which whipped
round at an alarming rate and a slot which lit up saying TILTED. All of it completely
useless. Eric's face was a picture when he saw it being, carried in as he’d made the
thing himself thinking it was for Jeeves. Later in the evening Eric Bentcliffe was heard
to confess he felt a bit guilty having asked Eric to make it himself, but the mood soon
vanished.
Keith Freeman, Alan Rispin, Eric Jones (eb)
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Running time: 25.15 mins File size 23.12MB.
The best way to enjoy this is to download the file (click on link above, then
right click on the three dots) and listen to it on the audio device of your choice.
ERIC BENTCLIFFE:
I'm greatly indebted to the cast who, unlike myself memorised
their lines, and did a good job at shortish notice. Terry Jeeves took
the part of an officer in the RAF Coastal Command Squadron which EJ .
served in during the war - during the period when Eric was 'building
the biggest rotary duplicator in the World, in No.3 Hangar'. Bruce Burn,
who did an excellent job of portraying a Maharaja Eric had met in India,
'where he discovered Psionics and Hypnotism'. Bob Richardson, as one
of the few living survivors of the s-f film made by Eric and the Cheltenham
Group 'The Test'.... 'and later issued as the Student Prince' - Bob,
managed to resurrect one of the costumes from the film and looked most
impressive. Alan Rispin, who played the part of the Keeper of the
St. Fantony Archives, and who got rather mixed up (intentionally) with
'Take Your Pick'. Norman Shorrock, appeared as himself with a wonderful
box of electronics specially built for the show by Eric Jones (who
thought Terry Jeeves was the subject)....' a psionics machine which
he had been using as a projector for 35mill films - which explained
the picture quality he'd been getting!
Norman Shorrock, Margaret Jones, Keith
Freeman, and the 'psionics machine'(eb)
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Norman also helped prepare the tapes for TIYL, and John Owen
lent his tonsils to the cause by impersonating Harrison, and 'Fingers
Finnigan (a former school chum of Eric's now fallen on hard times',)
on tape. Oh yes, and I'm indebted to the MISFIT Song Book for the,
version of 'The Bradbury Hate Song' which was used to mislead the
audience and Ron Bennett at the beginning of the show. I enjoyed doing
the programme....
By the time TIYL was over my tonsils were feeling the need for
something wet. I'd been suffering from a heavy-cold during the week and
as I had a TAFF TALK to give a few hours later, I decided to humour
them and went in search of Beer. Although the bar was closed I managed
to find some, and with a cool glass of lager in my hand I returned to
the con-hall to watch Ron do an excellent job on the TAFF AUCTION.
To follow this we had an 'Initial Quiz' conducted by Ken Slater,
in which he proceeded to fire the initials of various s-f authors at
a panel in the hopes that they would be able to decode them. They did
pretty well, too.
Dave Barber & Ken Slater eat chips
outside the hotel (tj)
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As I recall it this was followed by a break for refreshment,
and Bruce Burn, Ron Bennett, Bob Parkinson, Ron Buckmaster, and I went
out to a Chinese Restaurant for some expresso coffee and, of all things,
fruit salad!.
Strolling back to the hotel we met several groups of people who
had just decided that they wanted something on their stomachs before
hearing my TAFF Talk .... I was quite pleased about this for my voice was
suffering badly from wow and flutter and. a few extra minutes might help.
We also met Brian Aldiss, who was already crying forth slogans for next
years convention, "See You In Harrogate, Mate". Brian seems to get.
more fannish (if he'll forgive the word) at each convention, and it
wouldn't surprise me to see him ultimately give up professional writing
and start putting out a fanzine. It's about time someone reversed the
usual order of things.
The con-hall didn't seem in any immediate danger of filling up
and clamouring for a TAFF TALK, so Ron and I ducked off up to my room so
that he could see some of the photos I'd taken in the States. We talked
all too briefly, too, of the parallel's in our respective trips - which
will have become apparent if you've read both COLONIAL EXCURSION and
EPITAFF. "And I knew Sylvia before Ted had cornered the market..." A
pleasant interlude, and I must try to get over to Harrogate soon so that
we can finish the talk.
In typical Bentcliffe manner I hadn't prepared any notes for my
talk on my American Experiences, however the trip is still so clear in my
mind that I can talk about it at length at the drop of a hat - and I've
noticed a distinct tendency amongst my friends not to drop hats in my
presense of late! I don't recall now what I said, but I briefly (I had
to keep it brief otherwise I'd have equalled the running time of 'Forbidden
Planet') mixed in my route with a few reminiscences, and it seemed to go
over allright....apart from the fact that my voice did keep petering out
on me. Keith Freeman came to my rescue with a bottle of soda-water and a
glass, and this helped but as I said at the time, I hope no one got the
impression that I'm in the habit of drinking soda-water neat.
Ever since Pittsburgh I'd had the idea of running an 'Auction Bloch'
at a British convention on behalf of TAFF, and this I was able to do after
my talk. Authors Brian Aldiss, Ken Bulmer, and Walter Willis had previously
agreed to allow their time to be sold for TAFF and I'm most grateful to
them. Walt had also sent over one of the few remaining copies of the
'Harp Stateside' to be auctioned off, and Bruce Burn and Bob Parkinson
had volunteered to have their beards auctioned for TAFF - I was rather
amused when Alan Rispin bid for and bought Bruce Burn's beard, and can
only assume that he is trying to whittle down the opposition!
Alan Rispin removes Bruce Burn's beard (bb)
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The big
surprise of the 'Auction Bloch session however came from Kingsley Amis.
Just prior to my going he'd asked me to have a few minutes to say thank
you to everyone for having him as Guest Of Honour.
This I did, gladly, and immediately afterwards he volunteered to be sold
for TAFF himself.
RON BENNETT:
Ken Slater took Brian Aldiss for 22/6d, Norman Shorrock bought Ken
Bulmer for 17/-, Alan Rispin bought Bruce Burn’s Bushy Barbarian Beard for
12/6, Ethel Lindsay acquired Walt Willis at the bargain price of £1 and. Walt’s
production, “The Harp Stateside,” went for even more than the man himself for
25/- to Peter Mabey. At the conclusion of the Auction Bloch, Kingsley Amis said
how much he had enjoyed the convention, asked for the first membership for next
year’s Harrogate con, and agreed to be auctioned off himself. A syndicate
composed of members of the SFCoL (Don Geldart, Ted Forsyth, Joe Patrizio, Bruce
Burn and Ron Bennett) which had been formed in the eventuality of the Guest of
Honour’s sale, bought Kingsley for £2. 10s and are now at a loss as to what to
do with him. Readers, do you want to read Kingsley Amis in OMPA? In Skyrack?
Margaret & Brian Aldiss, Hilary & Kingsley
Amis
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JOE PATRIZIO:
I had to
leave the hall as he started to auction off the professional authors. When I got back I
was congratulated by Don Geldart and Ron Bennett for having a hand in buying Kingsley
Amis, and asked to pay the 10/- that was due. I did. I must have been drunk.
The con was rapidly drawing to a close. A film show was the last item. FORBIDDEN PLANET
was the main film to be shown, but of much more interest to most fans was THE MESQUITE
KID, which Dave Kyle had brought over from the States. This however turned out a bit
of a disappointment. The soundtrack was very bad, and we could not understand most of
the dialogue. We did have the consolation of seeing some of the Amerifen and when BJo
came on the screen, there was more than a few dark mutterings, all asking what fool
voted for Don Ford. The films ended. The con was officially closed, and people started
to pull the con hall to bits (or clear up it was called).
ELLA PARKER:
I sat with Bobby Gray for
a while and then did the disappearing act to my room. I'd seen the film twice already and
as we were making a side trip to the Cheltenham Club rooms the next day I wanted to get my
packing done without having to do it in a mad rush. Archie Mercer had kindly left his
record player and records in my room. Now there are some of you ,who just aren't going to
believe this, but with hand on heart I swear it's the truth; to the music of the bagpipes
I skipped lightly round the room lifting things and putting them down someplace else only
to spend the next twenty minutes looking for them. In two hours I had finished my packing
so went down to pay my bill and then into see the last half of the film. During the week
end I had raffled off two copies of the ATom Anthology and after the film was over I asked
Eric Jones if he'd do the draw. Dave Kyle was one of the winners and Paul Andre was the
other. Dave still thinks it was rigged. This was the end of the programmed items and we
now had the desolate task of selling off all the posters which had made the hall look so
gay and occupied,. I bought one and Ethel bought me another, both of which will eventually
find a home on the wall of the Penitentiary when I can figure where to place them; one is
a Jeeves, and one a Parkinson, both very colourful.
Auctioneer Bob Parkinson with a poster (kf)
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JOE PATRIZIO:
The room parties on this last night seemed to go very quickly, with everyone trying to
talk about every thing they had forgotten at previous parties. I remember listening to
Ron Bennett tearing Jhim Linwood's ideology to bits, in a very calm and reasoned manner,
considering Ron has the same ideas on the subject as Jhim, while Alan Rispin mumbled
drunkenly in the background. This was at a very sedate affair in Bob Ricbardson's room,
which we soon left to go up to the Ethel/Ella suite. Here we found the usual boisterous
mob, which this time included Amis, Aldiss, Geoff Doherty arguing in a corner about SF
with Chris Miller and some other fans. Ian McAulay was becoming very intimate with Ina
Shorrock at the top of the bed, while Norman was beaming benevolently at the bottom of
the bed. There were dozens of others strewn about all over the room. Ethel was somewhat
merry by this time, and on giving Amis a drink, proceeded to do so by pouring it all
down his jacket, later she insisted that she saw a glass there.
Phil Rogers, Ella Parker, Ian McAuley (eb)
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This merrymaking went on for some time with various people coming in to make their fond
farewells, and others drifting out to get some sleep. I found myself a seat on the bed,
but no sooner did I get comfortable than I was pushed off by Ian. As I sat on the floor
I thought that when it came to the bit that I couldn't hold my own on a bed with Ian, it
was time for me to go home, which I proceeded to do by crawling along the corridor to my
room. Before going to sleep I just had time to realise that my first convention was over,
boy, had I enjoyed myself.
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