Its That Man Again Radio Program U.k.

ITMA - It'due south That Human being Once more

Jack Train, Molly Weir, Tommy Handley and Lind Joyce

Tommy Handley and Ted Kavanagh wrote the scripts for this very popular wartime program together with producer Francis Worsley.

The name of the programme derived from a topical catchphrase. Whenever Hitler made some new territorial claim, the paper headlines would proclaim 'Information technology's That Man Again'.

The program started on a trial basis in July 1939. The setting was a pirate commercial radio ship, from which Tommy Handley broadcast, assisted by Cecilia Boil equally his secretary Cilly, Eric Egan as a mad Russian inventor, Sam Heppner and Lionel Gamlin. These early editions were modelled on Bandwaggon which starred Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch. ITMA returned in September 1939 for a weekly serial in which Tommy Handley was Minister of Bedevilment and Mysteries at the Office of Twerps. With a new cast, Vera Lennox equally his secretary Dotty, Maurice Denham equally Mrs. Tickle the part char and Vodkin the Russian inventor, Jack Train as Funf the elusive High german spy, and Sam Costa. One of the regular features was Radio Fakenburg, a ship up of Radio Luxembourg which had stopped dissemination during the War.

ITMA Intro

For the 3rd series in June 1941, the show was renamed 'It'southward That Sand Again'. It was fix in a seedy seaside resort called Foaming-at-the-Oral cavity, with Tommy as the town's Mayor, Sydney Keith, Horace Percival, Dorothy Summers and Fred Yule. New characters were invented: Lefty and Sam, the gangsters (Railroad train and Keith); Deepend Dan the Diver (Percival), Claude and Cecil, the over polite handymen (Railroad train and Percival) and Ali Oop (Percival), a Middle Eastern vendor of saucy postcards and other dubious trade.

In September 1941, the evidence reverted back to ITMA. This time they were joined by Dino Galvani as Tommy Handley'due south Italian secretary Signor So-Then and Clarence Wright equally a commercial traveller who never sold anything but didn't seem to intendance. Dorothy Summers played the office char, Mrs. Mopp, sent by the "Labour" to dust the Mayor's dado.

By September 1942, Foaming-at-the-Mouth had a war manufactory but it was never mentioned what information technology was supposed to be producing - even the workers didn't seem to know. Colonel Humphrey Chinstrap (Jack Train) made his first appearance, and apace became one of the most popular characters. The colonel was a dipsomaniac ground forces officer who turned well-nigh whatsoever innocent remark into the offering of a drinkable with his catchphrase 'I don't mind if I do'. (Jack Train besides appeared as Colonel Chinstrap in at least one edition of the Goon Show, every bit an old army pal of Denis Bloodnok). The following series saw the war factory turned into a spa, a holiday camp and a hotel.

In the side by side serial Tommy was Squire of Much Fiddling and Jack Railroad train introduced a new character called Mark Time, an elderly man who answered all questions with 'I'll 'ave to ask me Dad'. Newcomer Diana Morrison played Miss Hotchkiss,

The showtime post-war series was joined by Carleton Hobbs, Hugh Morton, Mary O'Farrell, Michele de Lys and Lind Joyce. Tommy was now appointed Governor of a South Sea island chosen Tomtopia. During the journey to this new paradise, Tommy met Curly Kale (Carleton Hobbs), the chef who hated food but loved terrible puns; George Gorge (Fred Yule), a glutton who could eat whatsoever quantity of 'lovely grub' and Sam Fairfechan (Hugh Morton), the contradictory Welshman. Accompanying them on the journey was Colonel Chinstrap. The local population included Bigga Banga (Fred Yule), the native master who spoke merely Utopi language, his daughter and translator Banjeleo (Lind Joyce); Wamba M'Boojah (Hugh Morton), another Tomtopian native whose Oxbridge accent was the result of a spell as an announcer with the BBC'southward Overseas Service and Major Munday (Carleton Hobbs), an ex-British army officer who had lived in isolation since the Boer war and at present believed that England was exactly as it had been in the nineteenth century.

A year subsequently Tommy was appointed the Governments adviser on industrial and scientific diplomacy. The series investigated the radio industry, organisation of a fuel saving campaign and a PR program for England. Hattie Jacques joined up as Sophie Tuckshop, the greedy schoolgirl, whose prandial excesses were invariably followed by a giggle and 'just I'm all right at present'.

The final series began in September 1948. Down on his luck, Tommy was now a permanent resident at Henry Hall (the tramps guesthouse), run by Miss Hotchkiss. For the milestone 300th episode of 28th October 1948, the setting was Madame Tussaudes Waxworks in London. Here passing through a door marked 'The Hall of ITMA's Past', Tommy was reunited with many favourite characters from Foaming-at-the-Mouth and Tomtopia, with Dino Galvani, Horace Percival, Clarence Wright, Lind Joyce and Dorothy Summers all making guest appearances.

The very last ITMA went out on 6th January 1949. Tommy Handley died suddenly of a cognitive haemorrhage three days later. The Radio Times shows that at that place was an ITMA testify scheduled for 13th Jan, just this was to be replaced by a special tribute programme.

After the death of Tommy Handley the BBC wisely decided to allow the bear witness die with him. The only surviving character was Jack Train's Colonel Chinstrap. In 1950, the Colonel appeared in a long forgotten series called The Great Gilhooly.

The wartime ITMA cast: From left to right, Clarence Wright, Fred Yule, Dorothy Summers, Sydney Keith, Tommy Handley, Paula Green,Jack Train, Kay Cavendish, Dino Galvani.

Cast and Characters:

Tommy Handley		Himself
Clarence Wright		Commercial Traveller Man from the Ministry building
Fred Yule		Johann Bull Norman the Doorman Andrew Geekle George Gorge Bigga Banga Atlas
Molly Weir		Tattie Mackintosh Mrs Mackintosh
Deryck Guyler		Dan Dungeon Sir Brusk Supply Percy Palaver Frisby Dyke
Hattie Jacques		Ellie Phant Sophie Tuckshop
Maurice Denham		Mrs Lola Tickle ('Tess') Vodkin Journalist, Radio Fakenburg
Vera Lennox		Dotty
Jack Train		Bookham Bowing Claude Colonel Chinstrap Funf Fusspot Farmer Jollop Hari Kari Mark Time Prattle
Dino Galvani		Signor So-So
Dorothy Summers		Mrs Mopp
Horace Percival		Ali Oop Cecil The Diver Whats'isname
Sydney Keith		Sam Scram
Diana Morrison		Miss Hotchkiss
Jean Capra		Poppy Poopah Naieve
Hugh Morton		Brigadier Honey Josiah Pitter-patter Sam Fairfechan Scraping Wamba M'Boojah
Lind Joyce		Banjeleo
Carleton Hobbs		Curly Kale Major Munday
Joan Harben		Mona Lott
Bill Stephens		Comical Chris
Mary O'Farrell		Lady Sonely Nurse Riff-Rafferty Reddish Rockcake

ITMA Playout

The march theme which introduced 'ITMA' is called "Tom Marches On" and was composed by Clive Richardson.

I'VE BEEN LUCKY SAYS JACK Railroad train THE RICH, whisky-soaked voice said: "I don't heed if I do"-- and I was promptly wafted back to an era that is some other age and some other world away.

For I was listening to Jack Railroad train who created the grapheme of Colonel Chinstrap, the bibulous retired Army officer. What memories those names and that grab-phrase evoke for me and for and so many millions of people ! Twenty, odd years agone Jack Train was one of the superlative names in radio. He was ane of the regulars in ITMA (It's That Man Again), a show that became a national institution. Tommy Handley, the kingpin of ITMA, is long since expressionless and most of the others accept gone, as well. Train is one of the last survivors. What has been happening to him ? He still does a bit of radio work--as a member of the perennial quiz bear witness Xx Questions and occasionally every bit a compere on a record programme. He has even appeared recently in a TV commercial -- extolling the virtues of somebody's chocolate. Shadows But because he has never established himself in television, he has drifted into the shadows of show business concern. Now, however, it looks as if an Indian Summertime may be starting for Train; For I hear that he will shortly have his first Idiot box role in an episode of ITV's comedy, Swindley. I met Train in a small elegantly furnished house in London'southward South Kensington, where he lives with his 2d wife Fay--his first wife, May, died in 1953. At 63, his hair is greyness and thinning, but he is still the sprightly joke-mongerlng Train I knew years ago. Nowadays his principal income is from appearing at dinners and socials for big industrial firms -- and at that place Colonel Chinstrap lives on. He patted his poodle Buttons and said: "A new career in Tv set? you never know! The chocolate commercial is the but i I've appeared in, though years ago I did a few voices.

by PETER DACRE I'm very good on voices and dialect, and I don't understand why I've not been offered more idiot box work." He chuckled: "But my only complaint is that I haven't been asked to advertise Scotch on TV."I'm nevertheless doing all right, though I would like more than work. I tin't afford to retire and I wouldn't if I could, simply with the march of time piece of work isn't as frequent as it, was. "For many years I didn't have to look for work. Now I don't know how to. I don't like to ask". He chuckled once again and added; "But you can tell everybody I'm yet at the same address -- and I'm cheaper than I used to be !" In his early on years, Train struggled hard to establish himself. Now he frankly admitted: "Without the Colonel I might never have go widely known. "Information technology's funny how luck plays such a big role in life. Nobody has been luckier than me. Have how I came across the original of Chinstrap, for case. I met him before the state of war with John Snagge, the B.B.C. announcer. I was fascinated by him from the moment he said to Snagge: "I say, my boy, I've just bought a water heater r on a ten twelvemonth H.P. agreement. The lightheaded fools. They don't know I'm killing myself with potable !"' Amazing "Now I expect upon Chinstrap as another me. I've really enjoyed that character, The funny matter is that when I first started playing him I hardly drank at all. Only people assumed I was as big a toper as Chinstrap and they were always offering me drinks. "You know, it's astonishing the number of people who still remember him -- even the immature ones. I Was entertaining the troops in the Far East a few years ago, and all the young soldiers knew him, though they must have but just been built-in. when ITMA was going. "Many a time I was told : 'When I was a child we had to go along quiet in our business firm when ITMA was on.' In public, people however come-upwardly to me and talk virtually Chinstrap. -They don't recognise my face so much--information technology's usually when they hear me talking. I've one of the almost distinctive voices in Britain. People e'er recognise it."

Article above taken from a daily paper of 1966

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