The Collection of Bob Monkhouse

[kelp]

Has anyone ever discussed the famous collection of film that formes The Bob Monkhouse Collection? Is it available to look through as a catalogue? Is it in a Private Collection now, or in Public domain for all fans of film to see? I just wondered after reading about it in his books.

[CaptainWaggett]

The folks at Kaleidoscope now have it but it presumably will take months, possibly years to go through as it's in many different formats.

[ican]

You need to check this out:





Kaleidoscope Publishing :: Events || Bob's Full House

[CaptainWaggett]

You need to check this out:





Kaleidoscope Publishing :: Events || Bob's Full House

Thanks for that - when I saw some programmes from it at Missing Believed Wiped last year, it was suggested that it would be a huge job to catalogue it all. I had no idea they'd got so far.

[kelp]

Thank you.

[smudge]

The BFI took in a fair amount of Bob's collection - Kaleidoscope simply got what they left...



Smudge

[kelp]

Just pleased that it isn't languishing somewhere in a rich collectors vault.

[Rowdon]

Does anyone know what happened to the joke books he lost? If you remember he lost or had stolen two volumes of ideas and sketches going back years - basically every comic thought he had went in - and made a heart-felt plea for their return. This was not long before his death. Did he ever get them back?

[CaptainWaggett]

Does anyone know what happened to the joke books he lost? If you remember he lost or had stolen two volumes of ideas and sketches going back years - basically every comic thought he had went in - and made a heart-felt plea for their return. This was not long before his death. Did he ever get them back?

Can't help you with that but they must have had more that 40 years of jokes - they were mentioned in the episode of My Pal Bob shown at Missing Believed Wiped last year!

[Moor Larkin]

Does anyone know what happened to the joke books he lost? If you remember he lost or had stolen two volumes of ideas and sketches going back years - basically every comic thought he had went in - and made a heart-felt plea for their return. This was not long before his death. Did he ever get them back?

I remember that he did...............

I love a happy ending

[Film Man]

I knew Bob very well...In fact I Produced his 'Bob at the Beeb' CD (still available) a compilation of his work...or what the copyright people would let us use. He did get his joke books back and the guy who nicked them went to court. All the jokes in the books were hand written in different colours...Bob could remember the colour then the joke...even though the books were stolen he wasn't that worried as he could remember them all. Another amazing fact was that he only needed two hours sleep per day...he also had one of the biggest private collections of old film...over 40,000 movies!!! A great man..I miss him a lot.

Film Man.

[batman]

I knew Bob very well...In fact I Produced his 'Bob at the Beeb' CD (still available) a compilation of his work...or what the copyright people would let us use. He did get his joke books back and the guy who nicked them went to court. All the jokes in the books were hand written in different colours...Bob could remember the colour then the joke...even though the books were stolen he wasn't that worried as he could remember them all. Another amazing fact was that he only needed two hours sleep per day...he also had one of the biggest private collections of old film...over 40,000 movies!!! A great man..I miss him a lot.

Film Man.

Thanks for that Film Man. Bob is my comedy hero and it's good to read a snippet of what he was like away from the stage and the cameras. I never knew him, but I miss him too.

[penfold]

The BFI took in a fair amount of Bob's collection - Kaleidoscope simply got what they left...



Smudge

I may be wrong, but I believe rhat the Kaleidoscope people have taken over the entire collection now, so the catalogue that will be launched at BAFTA in October will be complete. Touch wood, I'll be there

[kelp]

Thank you for the info' reference Bobs amazing collection of film. No doubt fans of his will have read his books, but I am in the throes of re-reading them, and it was pleasing to read that he met and worked with his hero (" I believe that he was far and above the best, including Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy") that was Buster Keaton. He worked with him on the first editions of Candid Camera. Film man, thanks for the info. I am always amazed at how Bob could memorize all those jokes. Now, with the colouring of the jokes, I can understand how this worked. Great man, and to have had that affair with that well known pin-up we all lusted after..................................as Bob says in his book "I was just a lucky Bas****".Sad loss to comedy.

[Film Man]

Just an added piece 'kelp'...Bob would always jump at doing Radio work (even though we only paid £170 per prog) his last prog for me was 'Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy' (Radio 2) as always Bob read the whole script without a fluff or stop...brilliant!



When I retired from the BBC..Bob sent me a card saying "On 18th of July, 1997,there'll be two minutes of radio silence in our house in your honour! Remember, Barry: work is the recreation of the retired. With admiration and affection - Bob Monkhouse.

Film Man.

[didi-5]

Does anybody know why the BFI weren't interested in keeping this stuff? The Kaleidoscope website certainly suggests they now have the whole collection.

[kelp]

Barry, that is some momento. You are so lucky to have it. Keep writing stuff down matey, as when your gone, unless you have your memories down on paper for those that follow us, it will all be lost in the mists of time. Be Lucky!

[penfold]

Does anybody know why the BFI weren't interested in keeping this stuff? The Kaleidoscope website certainly suggests they now have the whole collection.

Purely my speculation, but it is unlikely to have been a simple question of being ''interested''......the BFI's TV curatorial department-I think his name is Dick-would have been utterly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material: the Kaleidoscope guys are volunteering amateurs - expert enthusiasts with access to the relevant obsolete technologies , but amateurs - were in a position to get more done and quicker through the sheer weight of numbers of bodies they could devote to the project. I think the BFI came to the sensible conclusion that getting the material catalogued and the info and material out to the public was more important than who actually did it. The actual physical material may end up at the NFTVA eventually, who knows.

[Dandy Forsdyke]

I remember seeing Bob Monkhouse at a comic convention in the late 1970s. Some guy was demanding his attention and telling his this very long elaborate story. Other people wanted to talk to Bob but this guy was monoplolising all his time.



I looked at Bob to see how he was going to get away from him or perhaps see a bored expression on his face, but actually he was patiently listening to every word without interruption and looked very interested in what he had to say.



Great guy. Genius memory. Much missed.

[Film Man]

Thanks for that 'kelp'...I do have so many memories and you bunch keep setting it off...how lucky we are.



Just one more thing...Bob really wanted his film collection to go to the American Film institute under the guidance of Martin Scorsese (I think you can all guess why) but it never happened.

I think he thought he had conquered his illness.

Film Man.