Note: According to my records I saved this in July 1994, and presumably got it from the "tardis" archive which was then (and may still be) at phoenix.doc.ic.ac.uk/pub/media/tv/collections/tardis/uk I've left it in the form in which I got it for proper attribution Bryan ============ From dcs.ed.ac.uk!festival!str-ccsun!warwick!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu! news.uoregon.edu!gaia.ucs.orst.edu!ucs.orst.edu!velasqua Sun Apr 3 14:32:04 1994 Path: dcs.ed.ac.uk!festival!str-ccsun!warwick!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu! news.uoregon.edu!gaia.ucs.orst.edu!ucs.orst.edu!velasqua From: velasqua@ucs.orst.edu (Tony Velasquez) Newsgroups: alt.comedy.british Subject: **The Good Life/Good Neighbors Info Sheet (3rd. Ed.)** Date: 3 Apr 1994 01:06:31 GMT Organization: Oregon State University, Corvallis Lines: 649 Distribution: world Message-ID: <2nl4qn$r2j@gaia.ucs.orst.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: d5900.orst.edu _The Good Life_ / _Good Neighbors_ Information Sheet by Anthony Alan Velasquez (Tony) [velasqua@ucs.orst.edu] 1st Edition 2 March, 1994 2nd Edition 12 March, 1994 3rd Edition 2 April, 1994 ======================================= PLAN OF CONTENTS I. Introduction. II. _The Good Life_ vs. _Good Neighbors_. III. Dramatis Personae IV. Episode List & Summaries. V. Cast Filmographies. VI. Trivia from the Notebook. ======================================= I. Introduction. (To the Third Edition) This edition incorporates several corrections and format improvements as well as adding the origional airdates to the episode descriptions. (To the Second Edition) After the posting of the first edition, I recieved many helpful hints and new tidbits of information about _The Good Life_. This second edition incorporates this new information as well as cleaning up the multitude of typos in my first posting, cleaning up some other areas, expanding the episode descriptions with guest cast names, and enriching the 'trivia' section. (To the First Edition) The purpose of this information sheet is to provide information concerning the British situation comedy _The Good Life_ (or _Good Neighbors_ as it is known in America). I have also been able to scrape together a meager collection of notes about the show, posting them to alt.british.comedy about two weeks ago in two collections; an episode list and cast filmographies. On the net, I have found more information. I have decided encouragement from Jerry Kohl) to put this information into the present form for fans of Good Neighbors and other interested people. Finally, although I have gathered my information from much investigation and different sources, I accept full responsibility for the contents of this post. Any and all questions, comments, and suggestions should be e-mailed to me at velasqua@ucs.orst.edu. Although I first became attached to the show as _Good Neighbors_ and, indeed, did not even know that it had an older original name for some years, I will use its original title _The Good Life_. ======================================= II. The Good Life vs. Good Neighbors. People living in the United Kingdom know this program as _The Good Life_. This was how it was released and is the show's original title. However, when it was released in the United States, the title was changed to_Good Neighbors._ Nothing else was changed and the American release has the same flower, bird, and bee as the English release. Why the change then? An answer is found in Tim Brooks and Earles Marsh, _The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-Present_ (New York: Ballantine Books, 1988) [ISBN 0-345-35610-1]. There was a sitcom called _The Good Life_ starring Larry Hagman, Donna Mills, David Wayne, Hermione Baddeley, and Danny Goldman ran from September 1971 to January 1972 on the NBC network. While it was not running when the English _Good Life_ came on the air, the name was changed so as not to be confused with this earlier American show. ======================================= III. Dramatis Personae The principal cast in _The Good Life_ are: Richard Briers....................Tom Good Felicity Kendal...................Barbara Good Penelope Keith....................Margo Leadbetter Paul Eddington....................Jerry Leadbetter Other recurring cast members are: Reginald Marsh....................JJM's Managing Director Sir (Andrew, Andy) Charmian May......................Mrs. Weaver Moyra Fraser......................Sir's wife ======================================= IV. Episode List. There are 28 episodes of _The Good Life_, in four series of seven episodes each. There are also two more episodes outside the regular season. There is a Christmas episode and a Royal Command Performance episode that was given before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Here then are the regular season episodes with a short summary, guest cast, and transmission dates after the title for each: SERIES 1 (1975) 1. "Plough Your Own Furrow" [4 April 1975] Tom and Barbara Good decide to leave the rat race of every day life and become as near to self-sufficient as possible without leaving their Surbiton home. [NB: Penelope Keith is not seen in this episode, however, her voice is heard right at the very end.] Guest cast: Reginald Marsh....................Sir Norman Atkyns.....................Charles (the security guard) Martin Neil.......................Brian 2. "Say Little Hen..." [11 April 1975] The Goods continue to acquire animals but their next door neighbors Jerry and Margo Leadbetter try to save the Goods from themselves. Guest cast: Reginald Marsh....................Sir Moyra Fraser......................Sir's wife 3. "The Weaker Sex?" [18 April 1975] A cast iron stove nearly puts Barbara's fire out on the whole idea. Guest cast: Tony Selby........................Sam Paul McDowell.....................the telephone worker 4. "Pig's Lib" [25 April 1975] When the Goods get some pigs, Margo finally draws the line. Guest cast Robert Gillespie..................Mr. Carter Jonathan Lynn Lionel Walker John Lawrence 5. "The Thing in the Cellar" [2 May 1975] The Goods search for alternative sources of food and Tom puts dung to good use in the cellar. Guest cast: Ray Mort..........................the fisherman at the pond. 6. "The Pagan Rite" [9 May 1975] Bills pile up, the Goods need a holiday, and Tom weighs his moral ideals against accepting a job to help pay for it all. Guest cast: Reginald Marsh....................Sir Moyra Fraser......................Phyllis (Sir's wife) John Scott Martin.................waiter 7. "Backs to the Wall" [16 May 1975] On the day before harvest, Tom hurts his back and the weather goes bad, leaving Barbara three days to bring in the harvest or it will rot. Guest cast: June Jago.........................the GP Billy Milton Pamela Manson Frank Lester Harry Goodier SERIES 2 (1975-1976) 8. "Just My Bill" [5 December 1975] Tom and Barbara have proved their mettle in the Garden, but they are challenged with making money off the surplus to pay their bills. Guest cast: Wolfe Morris......................Michelangelo Lombardi Frank Gatliff.....................Ronny Boxall Blake Butler......................Mr. Squires Ruth Kettewell....................charity lady 9. "The Guru of Surbiton" [12 December 1975] Two students arrive to help the Goods out, but in Tom they find their new messiah! Guest cast: Bruce Bould.......................Guy Irene Richard.....................Ruth 10. "Mr. Fix-It" [19 December 1975] A reporter arrives to do a story on the Goods and Margo schemes of ways to bask in some of their fame. Guest cast: John Quayle.......................Mr Coles (a reporter) Steve Emerson.....................deliveryman 11. "The Day Peace Broke-Out" [2 January 1976] When a mysterious thief begins to steal the Goods' leeks, Tom declairs war! Guest cast: James Cossins.....................magistrate Brian Grellis.....................Harry Bennet 12. "Mutiny" [9 January 1976] Jerry must choose between obeying Sir or pleasing Margo by attending her musical _The Sound of Music_ Guest cast: Reginald Marsh....................Sir 13. "Home Sweet Home" [16 January 1976] After hearing about an ideal farm from a farmer, Tom is all ready to leave Surbiton. Barbara doesn't want to go, but she isn't the only one. Guest cast: Edwin Brown.......................Mr. May Charmian May......................Mrs. Weaver 14. "Going to Pot" [23 January 1976] The Goods decide to attend night classes to learn valuable skills while Margo schemes to outwit a new neighbor adept at painting by taking up pottery. Guest cast: Charmian May......................Mrs. Weaver SERIES 3 (1976) 15. "The Early Birds" [10 September 1976] After the Leadbetter's have enough of the Goods' crack-of-dawn activities, the Goods search for new ways to design their schedule. 16. "The Happy Event" [17 September 1976] Efficiency is the name of the game, until Pinky the Pig has her litter. Guest cast: George Innes......................Constable Hillman 17. "A Tug of the Forelock" [24 September 1976] After Tom brainstorms an idea for revamping the rotary cultivator into a transport vehicle, the Goods' try their hand at becoming a housekeeping service to the Leadbetters to earn cash. 18. "I Talk to the Trees" [1 October 1976] The Goods decide to experiment with talking to their plants to see if they'll grow more as Margo plans to run for Music Society President. Guest cast: Noel Howlett......................Mr. Wakely Raymond Mason.....................Mr. Chipchase Joyce Windsor.....................Madam Acting Chairwoman 19. "The Wind-Break War" [8 October 1976] Miscommunication deteriorates into family feud when Margo's windbreak puts the Goods' fruits in the shade. Guest cast: Timothy Bateson...................Arthur Bailey Roger Pope........................2nd workman Desmond Cullum-Jones..............3rd workman 20. "Whose Fleas Are These?" [15 October 1976] The Goods struggle to contain a flea outbreak and the search for the source is on! Guest cast: Michael Robbins...................P.V. Balstrode Ray Dunbobbin.....................postman 21. "The Last Posh Frock" [22 October 1976] When Barbara rips her last fancy dress, Tom can't understand how much she has sacrificed. Guest cast: Liz Robertson.....................Eileen Ronald Nunnery....................passerby SERIES 4 (1977) 22. "Away From it All" [10 April 1977] When the Goods leave for a much needed holiday in Mayfair, the Leadbetters take over their house and garden. 23. "The Green Door" [17 April 1977] When Margo sneaks uptown and enters a mysterious green door, did the Goods see something they weren't supposed to see? Guest cast: Jane Hilary.......................Mrs. Holman Toria Fuller......................Miss Thompson (?) 24. "Our Speaker Today" [24 April 1977] Barbara's found to have a natural speaking talent leaving Tom home alone. Guest cast: Angela Thorne.....................Lady Georgette Truscot Robert Lindsay....................remand-home inmate Colin McCormack...................bus conductor Con Chambers......................remand-home supervisor 25. "The Weaver's Tale" [1 May 1977] Tom blows some money on a loom while Jerry learns that he has a chance to become the new Managing Director of JJM Ltd. after the old Managing Director announces his retirement. Guest cast: Milton Johns......................the Victoriana salesman 26. "Suit Yourself" [8 May 1977] The Goods find new ways to put their loom to good use while Jerry's battle for JJM's directorship enters full swing. Guest cast: Reginald Marsh....................Sir (Andrew, Andy) Philip Madoc......................Snetherton Terence Conoley...................Dolby Patricia Driscoll.................Mrs. Dolby 27. "Sweet and Sour Charity" [15 May 1977] Tom schemes about oil, Jerry schemes about JJM's directorship, while Margo holds to her morals concerning a musical play she considers smutty. 28. "Anniversary" [22 May 1977] Two years have gone by since the Goods became self-sufficient and Jerry awaits Sir's decision on who will succeed him at JJM. Guest cast: Reginald Marsh....................Sir Outside the regular season: "Silly, but it's Fun" [Boxing Day Special] [26 December 1977] When Margo sends back the Leadbetter's storebought Christmas, they are unable to entertain their high society friends. Without supplies, the Leadbetters go to share the holiday with the Goods. [thanks to Deryk Barker for the clarification]. Guest cast: David Battley.....................delivery man "When I'm 65" [Royal Command Performance] [10 April 1978]` [according to Jerry Kohl since I've not seen it yet] When Jerry takes out another endowment policy, the Goods began to have misgivings about their old age plans. Guest cast: George Cole.......................bank manager Steve Ismay ======================================= V. Cast Filmographies. The following are filmographies for each of the principal cast members. I have put them in order by date of appearance as much as possible along with any notes of explanation if available. The numbers in brackets [] after the entry note the source, which is as follows: [1] Jerry Kohl's informative letters to myself. [2] Dave Budd's british comedy sitcom list. [3] The movie information server at movie@ibmpcug.co.uk [4] a letter from Lawrence Dodd. [5] a post by Andrew MacRae [6] a post by Dave Cross [7] a post by Rob McCausland [8] a post by Paul Martin [9] a letter from Sean Gaffney 1. Richard Briers (born: 14 January, 1934). A. Movies. Girls at Sea (1958) [1] A Matter of Who (1961) [3] The Girl on the Boat (1962) [1] Fathom (1967) [1] All the Way Up (1970) [1] Rentadick (1972) [1] Watership Down (voice, 1978) [7] A Chorus of Disapproval (1988) [1] Henry V (1989) [1] Peter's Friends (1992) [3] Much Ado About Nothing (1993) [3] Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) [3] B. Television. Marriage Lines (sitcom, 1963) [1] Brothers-in-Law (sitcom, 196?) [1] Birds on the Wing (sitcom, 1971) [1] Tall Stories (variety show, 1971-72) [1] One-upmanship (variety show, 1974, 1976, 1978) [1] [2] The Good Life (1974-1976) The Galton and Simpson Playhouse (2nd play, 1977) [1] The Norman Conquests (3 Alan Ayckbourn plays, 1977) [1] The Other One (sitcom, 1977, 1979) [1] Just between Ourselves (Alan Ayckbourn play, 1978) [1] Village Wooing (GB Shaw play, 1979) [1] Family Dance (Felicity Brown play, 1980) [1] Play for Today (Roger Milner play "PQ17", 1981-82) [1] The Aerodrome [1] Twelfth Night [1] Goodbye, Mr. Kent (sitcom, 1982) [1] Ever Decreasing Circles (sitcom, 1984, 1987) [1] All in Good Faith (sitcom, 1986-87) [1] Doctor Who (episode "Paradise Towers", 1987) [1] commercials for Nescafe (ca. 1987) [1] Mr. Bean (1989) [1] If You See God, Tell Him (1993) [8] C. Radio. Brothers-in-Law [1] Doctor in the House [1] 2. Felicity Kendal (born 25 September, 1946). A. Movies. Shakespeare Wallah (1965) [1] The Seven Percent Solution (1976) [1] Valentino (1977) [1] The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1977) [7] We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (voice, 1993) [4] B. Television. Man in a Suitcase (episode #20, 1967-68) [1] Crime of Passion (play, 1970) [1] The Woodlanders (miniseries, 1970) [1] The Dolly Dialogues Love Story (a play in this anthology, 1973) [1] The Good Life (1974-1976) Home and Beauty (dramatized Somerset Maugham story, 1978) [1] Edward VII (pre-1977) [1] Cuckoo [1] Murder (play 3 in this series, 1976) [1] Now Is Too Late (play #7, 1976) [1] Call My Bluff (quiz show, BBC 2, 13 May 1976) [1] Clouds of Glory (1st film, 1978) [1] A Play for Love (play 4 in this series, 1978) [1] Wings of A Song (CP Taylor play, 1978) Twelfth Night (Shakespeare, 1980) [1] Solo (sitcom, 1981-1982) [1] The Mistress (sitcom, 1985, 1987) [1] Prisoners of Conscience [1] The Camomile Lawn (miniseries, 1992) [1] Honey for Tea (sitcom, 1994) [1] D. Theater An Absolute Turkey (play) [5] Jumpers (Tom Stoppard play) [6] The Real Thing (Tom Stoppard play) [6] Hapgood (Tom Stoppard play) [6] Arcadia (Tom Stoppard play) [6] On the Razzle (Tom Stoppard play) [1] The Mayfly and the Frog (National Theater) [1] Kean (National Theater) [1] The Norman Conquests (National Theater) [1] Clouds (National Theater) [1] Amadeus (National Theater) [1] The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (National Theater) [1] Othello (National Theater) [1] Made in Bangkok [1] Haggard [1] Much Ado about Nothing [1] Ivanov (1989) [1] The Real Thing Jumpers (London West End) [1] 3. Penelope Keith [birthdate unavailable]. A. Movies. Every Home Should Have One (1971) [1] Penny Gold (1972) [1] Ghost Story (1973) [1] Madhouse Mansion (1974) [2] The Hound of the Baskervilles (1977) [1] The Priest of Love (1981) [1] B. Television. Six Shades of Black (1960s) [1] Hadleigh (PK not a regular, 1969-1976) [1] The Avengers ("The Murder Market" episode, 1965-1966) [1] Kate (PK a semi-regular, 1970-1972) [1] The Pallisers (episode(s) unknown, 1974) [1] Two's Company (guest on sitcom, 1975-1976, 1978-1979) [1] The Good Life (1974-1976) Jackanory (episode, 7 June 1977) [1] Cottage to Let (play 2 in this series, 1977) [1] Private Lives (Noel Coward play, ?1977) [1] The Norman Conquests (3 Tom Stoppard plays, 1977) [1] The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show (1977) [1] To the Manor Born (sitcom, 1979-1981) [1] Donkey's Years (Michael Frayn play, 1980) [1] On Approval (Frederick Lonsdale play, 1980) [1] Spider's Web (Agatha Christie play, 1982) [1] Sweet Sixteen (sitcom, 1983) [1] Much Ado about Nothing (Shakespeare, 1984) [1] Moving (sitcom, 1985) [1] Waters of the Moon [1] Capability Brown [1] What's My Line (presenter) [1] Executive Stress (sitcom, 1986-1987) [1] No Job for a Lady (sitcom, 1990-1991) [1] Law and Disorder (sitcom, 1994) [1] 4. Paul Eddington (born 18 June, 1927) A. Movies. The Devil Rides Out (US title _The Devil's Bride_, 1968) [1] B. Television. The Adventures of Robin Hood (supporting roles, finally took over the role of Will Scarlett, 1956-1960) [1] Ivanhoe ("The Widow of Woodcote" episode, 1958) [1] Top Secret ("Vendetta" episode, 1961) [1] The Avengers ("Immortal Clay" and "Something Nasty in the Nursery" episodes, 1962, 1967) [1] Danger Man ("I'm Afraid You Have the Wrong Number" episode, 1965) [1] The Prisoner (first episode, 1968) Fraud Squad ("The Biggest Borrower of All" episode, 1969) [1] The Adventurer ("Make it a Million episode, 1972) [1] Dixon of Dock Green [1] Special Branch (series, 1974) [1] The Good Life (1974-1976) Jubilee (play 5 in this series, 1977) [1] Let There Be Love (sitcom, 1982) [1] Outside Edge (play, 1982) [1] Minder (episode 6, 1989) [1] Agatha Christie's Miss Marple ("Murder at the Vicarage" two part episode, 1986) [1] The Rose Garden (Jack Russell play, 1972) Van der Valk ("The Adventurer" episode, 1972) Yes Minister (sitcom, 1980-1982) [1] Sin with Our Permission (JC Wilsher play, 1981) [1] Yes, Prime Minister (sitcom, 1986-1987) [1] The Camomile Lawn (miniseries, 1992) [1] C. Theater Ten Times Table (Alan Ayckbourn play, 1977) [9] ======================================= VI. Trivia from the Notebook. This last section is a collection of _The Good Life_ trivia that I've picked up from repeated viewing over the years, I basically include it for fun and it shouldn't at all be taken seriously. I hope all you die-hard fans enjoy this section! 1. The name of the Good's cockeral is Lenin. The Cockeral is first mentioned in "Say Little Hen." 2. Barbara dubbs the goat "Margo" to torment Margo Leadbetter in "Say Little Hen." However, the goat's name is changed to Geraldine in "Pig's Lib" and says that way for the rest of the series. 3. The pigs are named Pinky and Perky. Perky is the one that has been slaughtered for meat as "Home Sweet Home" begins. According to Deryk Barker and Jerry Kohl, these names come from a kids' show featuring two piglet puppets of the same name. The show apparently ran in the early 1970s and involved the puppets parodying current pop songs. It appeared to run for some time, perhaps until _The Good Life_ was on the air. 4. The black cat is given to the Goods in "The Weaker Sex?" It later turns out to be a female and gets pregnant at the end of "Going to Pot." It is never named. 5. Margo Leadbetter's maiden name is Sturgess. ["The Windbreak War"] 6. Although the Goods had many chickens, only three names are ever given: Gertrude in "The Guru of Surbiton", Olivia in "Suit Yourself.", and Glenda in "When I'm 65" [thanks to Gene Bilney for the third name]. 7. Deryk Barker writes in a post that Felicity Kendal's father, Geoffery Kendal, ran a touring group of actors in India very simular to the one in _Shakespeare Wallah_. 8. According to Jerry Kohl's _Boxtree A-Z_, Felicity Kendal has been married twice. The first marriage was to Drewe Henley (an actor) and the second is to Michael Rudman. She has two sons, one from each marriage, named Charlie and Jacob. ======================================= That's about it for this edition. I hope you have found this sheet informative. Feel free to send any comments, questions, suggestions, additions, and other _Good Life_ information to me. Tony Velasquez Oregon State University (e-mail) velasqua@ucs.orst.edu