Spike Milligan (1918–2002)

The Prologue Milligan wrote for this book in one of the most memorable and funny that I have ever read. In Thucydides' account of the events of the Peloponnesian war he apparently "describes nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others of whom I made the most careful and particular enquiry "
Of this account of World War II, Milligan admits "I've just jazzed mine up a bit."

I really glad he did. His witty and poignant account is very powerful, giving a unique insight into events from show more the viewpoint of the ordinary men caught up in the war. Wonderful to re-read and enjoy it as much as my 18 year old self. show less

I’ve been knocked out with something (maybe COVID-19, but who knows) for the last couple of weeks and hadn’t finished a book in that time until today. I tried a couple of light thrillers (Cussler and MacLean) but couldn’t concentrate on them.
Spike Milligan’s ‘Adolf Hitler, My Part in his Downfall’ broke my reader’s block. It’s a very silly, but also insightful autobiographical account of Milligan’s time in the army during WW2, this first volume focussing on his show more conscription and training. It’s definitely “of its time”(translation: a bit racist - there is one scene where Milligan gets covered in oil and does a Paul Robeson impression ), but aside from that there is a lot to enjoy. When he’s funny, he’s very very funny, and the combination of silly puns and the episodic nature of the book (i.e. you don’t have to pay too much attention) made it perfect for reading on my sick bed. show less

When their cow Lucy goes missing, Tim and Rose set out to track her down, eventually finding themselves in the nearby forest. Here they encounter a variety of magical adventures, finding shelter overnight with Binkle-bonk the tree goblin, being towed across a river by Mud-wiggle the worm, and joined on their journey by the talking Dingle-mouse. When the three travelers are captured by the evil Bedjelly the witch, who threatens to turn them into sausages, Dingle-mouse escapes and runs off in show more search of his massive eagle friend Jim. With Jim's aid, as well as the helping hand of God, the children escape, Badjelly is destroyed, and all ends happily...

Originally created by comedian, poet, playwright and actor Spike Milligan as a fairy-tale for his two young children, Badjelly the Witch was first published in 1973. The story, which is on the long side for a picture-book, is hand-lettered by Milligan, and contains his own illustrations. Although sometimes unimpressed by celebrity-authored children's books - what can I say? they often seem to owe their publication more to their creator's name, than to any particular virtue of storytelling - I found this title charming. It's a madcap story, full of quirky characters and matter-of-fact magic. I understand that it was made into a children's play in New Zealand, where it is a perennial favorite, and has been broadcast many times on the radio. Because of the treasured place it holds in many New Zealanders' childhoods, I decided to add it to my 'New Zealand children' shelf, even though I would normally only do so if the book were originally published in that country. Leaving that aside, I also understand it has been made into a movie by the BBC, and that the moviemakers insisted on leaving God out of the story. How terribly sad, not to mention disrespectful of Milligan's vision. Recommended to fairy-tale lovers young and old, and to fans of Spike Milligan. show less

This book is marketed as an uproariously hilarious spoof of Conan Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles. It isn’t.

None of the wit is witty. None of the humor is humorous. All of the 'yucks' fall with a dull thud. Even the illustrations fail to amuse and entertain.

This book is just woefully unfunny.

It’s full of vulgar language, and endlessly repetitive ‘gags’:

“My fee is ten guineas an hour with a down payment of one hundred guineas.”
“Holmes was still wearing one black boot and show more one brown boot.”
“Quack! Quack! Stop that duck”.
“I was headed toward High Tor where I tort I taw a puddy tat.”

And those four ‘jokes’ comprise a good third of the entire book. In case you missed any one of those tired old chestnuts, don’t worry…Milligan will be recycling them yet again in another page or two. Talk about a needle getting stuck in the groove!

Even the less tired wisecracks fail to provide any laughs:

‘ “What do you make of it?”
“I would make a rice pudding of it.” ’

Pause for laughter...& Cue the crickets.

‘ “You have arms, I suppose?"
“Yes, and legs.” ’

Boy, those crickets sure are getting louder.

‘ “Halloa,” cried Dr. Mortimer, “What is this?”
“This is England,” I said. “I thought you knew.” ’

The crickets are just an incessant noise machine at this point.

If this is representative of Spike Milligan’s work, how in the world did he manage to have a career as a comedian?

Save yourself the aggravation, and just read the original Hound of the Baskervilles instead. show less