Jimmy Grafton facts for kids
James Douglas Grafton (born May 19, 1916 – died June 2, 1986) was a talented producer, writer, and agent for performers. He was also a brave soldier during World War II. He served as an officer and received a special award called the Military Cross for his actions in a battle known as Operation Market Garden.
After the war, Jimmy Grafton helped run his family's pub in London. He also started writing scripts part-time. His pub became a popular meeting spot for many comedians. These included famous names like Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, and Michael Bentine. Jimmy Grafton played a big part in helping these four comedians get hired by the BBC. Their new show eventually became the very famous The Goon Show. Jimmy Grafton also helped edit the scripts for the first three seasons of the show. He continued to write for other artists and was Harry Secombe's agent for over 25 years.
He passed away in 1986 when he was 70 years old.
Contents
Early Life and War Hero
Jimmy Grafton was born in Westminster, London, on May 19, 1916. He had a twin brother named Peter. He went to school in London at Westminster City School and then to Sutton Valence School in Kent. In 1935, he joined the Territorial Army, which is a part-time army force.
During World War II, Grafton became a major in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery during Operation Market Garden. In this battle, he was involved in close-up fighting. He even asked for artillery (big guns) to fire on his own position because German tanks were taking over. While waiting to leave the army, he started writing short comedy acts to entertain the soldiers under his command.
Life After the War
After leaving the army in 1946, Jimmy Grafton returned to London. He became the manager of Grafton's, a pub that had been owned by his family since 1848. Besides running the pub, Grafton was also a local council member for Westminster City Council. Later, he became a scriptwriter for the comedian Derek Roy. He wrote for Roy's radio show, Variety Bandbox. Derek Roy was also Jimmy Grafton's second cousin.
The Goon Show Begins
One of the people who often visited Grafton's pub was Michael Bentine. He was a former intelligence officer and a comedian. Michael Bentine introduced Jimmy Grafton to Harry Secombe. Grafton recognized Secombe's voice from Variety Bandbox. Secombe and Bentine then introduced Grafton to two other comedians: Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan.
When Spike Milligan needed a new place to live, Grafton offered him a room above the pub. The four comedians started using Grafton's pub as their meeting place. As their comedy acts grew into what would become The Goon Show, Jimmy Grafton gave them advice on their comedy and careers. This earned him the nickname KOGVOS, which stood for "Keeper of Goons and Voice of Sanity."
With the four comedians spending time at the pub, and Grafton writing for more and more people, the pub became a popular spot. Many friends from radio and show business visited, including Terry-Thomas, Jimmy Edwards, Dick Emery, Tommy Cooper, Kenneth More, Beryl Reid, Clive Dunn, Graham Stark, Tony Hancock, and Larry Stephens.
Helping The Goons Get Started
In 1950, Jimmy Grafton used his connections at the BBC to arrange an audition for The Goons. He also got Andrew Timothy, a BBC announcer, to be the show's narrator. Timothy had been an officer in Grafton's old army regiment during the war. The first audition tape was not successful. However, a second one, recorded in 1951, led to The Goons being hired for their first series, called Crazy People. Jimmy Grafton worked as the script editor for this series and the next two, which were broadcast as The Goon Show.
By this time, Grafton was one of Harry Secombe's agents. He continued this role for over 25 years. He also kept up his career as a scriptwriter. During his writing career, Jimmy Grafton wrote more than 500 programs. This included 200 sitcoms (funny TV shows). He wrote for all types of media, including:
- Radio: Variety Bandbox, The Goon Show, and Billy Cotton Band Show.
- Films: Down Among the Z Men, A Santa for Christmas, and Sunstruck.
- Television: The Dickie Henderson Half-Hour, Pepys, and many shows with Harry Secombe.
Family and Legacy
Jimmy Grafton was married to Dorothy (whose maiden name was Bleackley). They had two children, James and Sally. He passed away in Chichester, West Sussex, on June 2, 1986, at the age of 70. A special memorial service was held for him at the Military Chapel of the Chelsea Barracks on September 22 of that year.
Selected Writing Credits
Here are some of the shows and films Jimmy Grafton wrote for:
- Variety Bandbox (Radio)
- London Entertains (Film 1951)
- The Goon Show (Radio 1951–53)
- Goonreel (TV 1952)
- Down Among the Z Men (Film 1952)
- Billy Cotton Band Show (Radio, for eight years between 1956–65)
- A Santa for Christmas (Film 1957)
- New Look (TV 1959)
- The Dickie Henderson Half-Hour (TV 1959–64; 1971)
- Secombe and Friends (TV 1966)
- Mum's Boys (TV 1968)
- The Harry Secombe Show (TV 1972–73)
- Relatively Secombe (TV 1978)
- Secombe With Music (TV 1980–82)
- Pepys (TV 1983)
- Sunstruck (Film 1988)
