"Sawdust Ring"

Season 1 episode 24 (episode 24 overall)

Oo-err! Sounds a bit rude!

Original broadcast date: 28 February 1989

Writer: Jimmy Hibbert
Additional voices: Alberto Stracciatella:
                              Jimmy Hibbert
                              Charlie/Man: Brian Trueman
                              Morrice/Boy : David Jason
                              Man: Jack May
Joke Credit: Tents - Mark Ease
                                                    
Castle transport visual not used.

When the circus comes to Transylvania, Duckula fancies seeing it, but it seems all the acts have walked out. He gets his showbiz hat on and decides he wants to be in it.

This is quite a funny one. Mostly humour and slapstick, but with a dark twist at the end, just to remind you this is a horror-inspired show. Circuses are often the subject of horror as well as comedy, so it seems fitting that there would be at least one episode on this theme. I recall one of my father's colleagues taped a few episodes (of variable playback quality) off of Sky One back in 1999. This was the first 'new' episode I saw; I had memories of it from a decade prior. I also recall seeing a clip of it in a 'making of' video we watched at school back in Duckula's heyday. Seem to recall my Granda taped this one for me as well during it's original broadcast.

Anyway, on with the show. We open with a really beautiful (and ambitious) night-time scene as a leaf gently falls into a moonlit pond. We then pan up to reveal the circus wagons coming to town. Morning has the trio looking at the flyer extolling the virtues of the Circus Stracciatella. Some pretty funny jokes about how unimpressive it would appear to be.

Duckula: See the Amazing Al Fresco juggle with not three, not two, but one hard-boiled egg and ride a not one, not two but three-wheeled bicycle! Whoo, that sounds really good!
Igor: Hmm. I think you will find sir, that he doesn't do both at once.

After Duckula reads the flyer, we eschew the castle for the remainder of the episode, which all takes place in the open air and the tents.

The trio soon come across the open field where the tents ought to be. They are there, but not set up and there's no sign of anyone who might conceivably do that either. Trying his luck at a caravan, Duckula meets the distraught ringmaster, who at first comes across as a sympathetic character, but is soon revealed to be somewhat selfish and later on, sneaky too. Jimmy comes up with back-a-the-throat-a Mammamia! type Italian accent for the character, a voice that initially had me thinking it was a guest actor, so different is it from his usual (and still impressive) range. He used the same voice again, briefly, as a violinist in "Victor & Hugo"(episode:Spacial Event). 

Anyway, it seems the main reason the circus staff abandonned the event is due to the ringmaster keeping all the money for himself and not paying them! Under the pretence of buying the next Dumbo, should such an unlikely opportunity come along. I'm no circus expert, but that's not only greedy but it's also poor business sense. Duckula has an idea though and suggests that he and his two servants step in to help. Not the most wonderful of ideas since circus work is pretty strenuous and they're not exactly in the prime of life - although the Count himself is still young, in a manner of speaking. Igor brings up the age thing by announcing his 'early' retirement, which Duckula instantly rejects. Duckula also seems to quickly forget that he's unlikely to get any pay for this 'wonderful idea', but I don't think he cares by this stage - he's got the sawdust in his blood. Ugh. After a slightly ponderous bit about trying to find out the ringmaster's name, Nanny saves us by bringing up a joke that died a couple of minutes earlier and we cross-disolve to the next scene.

Pitching the tent is something Nanny takes literally and throws it right up into the air like a blessed javelin. This would be less of a problem if it weren't aimed towards Mr. Stracciatella's caravan, which suffers the same fate Nanny usually reserves for doorways. The main three use this opportunity to make a hasty exit to go and rehearse their acts leaving the ringmaster to somehow manage to put the tent up himself! This is where sneaky Alberto gives us a bit of 'talking so the audience can hear', allowing us to feel less sympathetic towards him. It's all leading up to the ending folks!

 As soon as the new act leaves, two of the ex-circus members show up, demanding their wages. Charlie, the very angry clown does most of the demanding while the strongman, Morrice, seems just as strong, but even slower than Nanny! The ringmaster basically tells them where to stick it and this angers Charlie even more, deciding that he and Morrice should sabotage the new acts in order to secure their old jobs back. David and Brian come up with voices in the same ball park as their respective Crow Brothers range but still different enough to sound like different characters. Charlie sounds like a devious Yorkshireman of some description, whereas Morrice sounds like a deeper version of Burt after a severe blow to the head. He reminds me of Rocky from Avenger Penguins, another big dopey sort of character, though he is at least a lot more coherant. Charlie brings to mind Funny Bone from the Danger Mouse episode "The Invasion of Colonel K" also played by Brian. He even has the red nose and spotty bow-tie. I also like that one of my favourite cartoon series has a character in it that shares my surname. It's probably meant to be spelled Maurice or Morris, but stuff that noise, I'm using my spelling so there nyeah. 

The second half of the show invloves Duckula and his servants putting on several acts, with varying degrees of success. There is a slim chance they might have gone well, were they not being scotched from behind the scenes by the clown and strongman villainous double act. Further proof that clowns are evil and not to be trusted. Despite all that goes wrong, Duckula is determined to make the evening a success and he does seem to show a natural flair for showbusiness, which he embraces. This may actually go down as his most successful attempt to entertain a crowd. Were it not for that evil clown, it might have worked out for him after all. The gags are, in order:

1. Replacing Duckula's juggling balls with cannon balls painted the same colours. Nanny and Morrice's super-strength make the gag work, because they can carry them with no issues. Duckula cannot and Charlie is smart enough (and in the know) not to attempt it anyway.

2. Drugging the lions' milk so they fall asleep and fail to perform for Igor. I really like how the scene works here with Charlie explaining to Morrice why (and countering additional 'why?'s) he drugged them, bringing them in a logic circle. How he gets Morrice to give them the milk in the first place is also funny. 

Charlie: 'Ere kitty, kitty, kittes! Come and drink up your milk like good boys.
Lion: ROAR!
Charlie: Oooh. Erm. Give 'em their milk would you Morrice?
Morrice: Yeah alright Charlie. (sticking his bare arm, holding the milk, right into the cage) 'ERE YOU ARE!

In many ways, they're like villainous counterparts to Duckula and Nanny and they're even portrayed by the same two actors.

3. Blindfolded Duckula throwing knives (and an axe!) at Igor as he stands on a target. Horribly dangerous and I'm surprised Nanny allowed this to happen, given she seems to want to watch it. They must have convinced her it was all harmless, somehow. Duckula misses (thankfully for Igor) and all the weapons end up in Nanny's bunny ears hat. You just know the artists would have had them embedded in her skull and body if they could have gotten away with it. This act is messed up without any help from the baddies.

4. The high-wire unicycle act Duckula tries goes well until Charlie cuts the rope from outside. It's kind of sweet how Morrice is concerned for Duckula's safety. Charlie doesn't give a toss - quite the opposite, he relishes the idea! Igor sensibly backs out before his turn to get into the act in another reference to how he hates heights. There's yet another in Charlie and Morrice's return.

 5. Duckula, Igor and Nanny attempt the trapeze. This is the only part I find hard to believe. Igor on the trapeze? Poor old guy. I can believe Nanny doing it though, she could be talked into it reasonably easily. But then again, so could Igor. Just somewhat less easily. Nanny spoils this one though by accidentally ramming Duckula into a pole. Charlie and Morrice take it further by letting the whole tent (and by extension the circus audience) down. Charlie gets what he deserves though when a support bashes him into the ground. He also deserves his pay too though, to be fair, but he doesn't get that of course.

 By this stage Mr. Stracciatella, who has been getting progressively more annoyed at how badly everything is going, is about set to burst a blood vessel. He sacks them all, as if being enveloped in a tent wasn't  sacking enough. I love the timing on the punch he lays into one of them (presumably the Count) from under the cloth, synched up perfectly with his cry of "You are all FIRED!" He's got nothing to complain about though. He didn't pay his old staff and he hasn't paid his new staff! Moral of the story: You get what you pay for.

Fade to some time later and all trace of the circus have vanished (just who drove all the lorries off?) leaving a dejected Duckula to muse wistfully about how, in spite of the mess-ups, he enjoyed himself. A healthy attitude some could argue; he is of the view that ups and downs are part of the whole showbiz experience. A touching little exchange between Duckula and Igor is cut short by an eerie howl and a familiar-looking top hat with chew marks rolls by with the other wind-propelled detritus. Seems the ringmaster also upset Towzer and got what he deserved from him too. Well, perhaps that's a little excessive, but he certainly didn't endear himself with the way he treated his staff. In case you're as slow as Nanny or even Morrice, it's heavily implied that the werewolf ate him. Or at least left him 'with a lump in his throat' which sounds just as grisly. Igor explains this and leaves, Duckula in hot pursuit raining questions. Nanny just stands there, some distance behind everyone else as usual, while the narrator wraps the episode up.

A (mostly!) light-hearted episode with plenty of silly, cynical fun. Dialogue is top notch, with some choice Nanny-directed insults from Igor being particular worthy of note along with Duckula's showbiz patter. Charlie and Morrice are entertaining guest villains who should have appeared more often. All artwork by the UK team features some nice shadows for the night-time scenes and soft shading on larger areas like the tents, even when in movement.

Music 

Nothing spooky this time. All just music you'd normally associate with circuses and show business.

"Circus Fanfare" (Keith Papworth) - Title/leaving to practice.
"Pantalone" (Pierre Arvay) - Opening and ending scene. Circus arriving/left.
"The Big Top" (Keith Papworth) - Reading the flyer.
"Strange Goings-on" (Dick Walter - track 5) - Arriving at the pre-circus.
"Danse Du Grizzly" (Pierre Arvay) - Ringmaster is upset.
"Goodbye Rodney"* (Peter Ross Winslow - track 27) - Ringmaster crying. *You plonker!
"Dancing Plumes" (Keith Papworth) - Flying-a- baby elephant-a!
"Clown's Cavalcade" (Dick Walter - track 12) - A wonderful idea.
"Stealth by Night" (Dick Walter - track 24) - Oh Nanny!
"Busy Little Bees" (Dick Walter - track 6) - Pitch-a the tent. (OO-ERR! Sounds even more rude!)
"I Say, I Say, I Say!" (David Lindup - track 3) - Knife act.
"Spotlit Sequins" (Keith Papworth) - Acrobatics.

I do enjoy the baddies theme. It's a nice combination of comical and naughty. It recurs in "Venice A Duck Not A Duck."

Note to music identifiers: Your help is appreciated, but it can get overwhelming. Please concentrate all your additions into a single comment and it will get added in once vetted. Thank you.

Pans and backgrounds

A lot of soft airbrush and light pleasant day (for a change!) colours for the daytime scenes and deep contrasting warmth and shadows for the night-time scenes. The skies become gloomier at the end as the circus leaves. The circus brought the nice weather with it and left with it! Mostly cheery colours all round for a change, though not a lot of clear shots this time.

 

This swoosh pan effect to imitate speed tends to be used in the UK-animated episodes. Danger Mouse used it a lot and it crops up in other shows.

Trivia

• Episode opens and ends in Transylvania. Begins on a lion roaring, ends on Duckula shouting after Igor. 
  
• First appearance of Mr. Stracciatella. He can be spotted in a cameo in "The Zombie Awakes" and, if you want to be pedantic, (like me) in "Venice A Duck Not A Duck", if you count the part where they're fighting under the fallen tent. He is also one of the few characters in the series that almost explicitly gets killed.

  

  The right hand image is for "Beau Duckula."
  

• Stracciatella is a name for a type of ice cream, soup and cheese. All Italian of course. Stiletto from "Danger Mouse" uses the word as an exclamation sometimes.
• The camera pans quickly between Duckula and Stracciatella as they discuss wages. This would also happen between Doom and Slime as they discuss the same topic in the final Avenger Penguins episode "Beauties and the Beasts"
• Duckula alliterates again with weight-lifters, wire-walkers and wonderful waltzing walruses. You ghastly little bounder! The ringmaster does so with 'terrifically tricksy Transylvanian' and the narrator also does so with 'darkly doomed and desperate Duckula.'
  
• Jimmy plays another couple of characters with similar names to his character in this episode. Mr. Roberto from "Restoration Comedy" and Albert Penguin Jyves from "Arctic Circles" He was also the English voice of Albert, the 5th Musketeer in the cartoon series of the same name. "Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias" is the name of the rock band Jimmy was in too.
  
• Duckula references Dumbo, the flying-a baby elephant-a! Igor also makes a Disney reference when he addresses one of the lions as Simba, but since this episode was made several years before "The Lion King" this is obviously not intentional, unless someone at Cosgrove-Hall was in the know!
  
• Duckula uses the phrase "The Show Must Go On" which is the title of another episode. 
• Igor states he has been working for the Count for 725 years. Assuming this is accurate, this puts Igor's service starting at around 1265, which roughly ties in with the theory I put forward in my review of "The Rest Is History."
  
• First appearance of Charlie the Clown and Morrice the Strongman. They re-appear in "Venice A Duck Not A Duck."
• Not once do the main three encounter Charlie or Morrice. They do their sabotaging mainly just outside the tent or nearby, out of sight. The ringmaster never sees them again either after their first scene.
• Like Dr. Tyme and (briefly) Dr. Von Goosewing, Mr. Stracciatella is another Jimmy Hibbert character who is seen to wear a top hat. Both Brian Trueman's characters are seen to wear bow-ties. Charlies' is spotted, like Mr. Schussboomer's, also voiced by Brian as well as the Funny Bone connection mentioned above. Nanny also does the magnifying glass/big eye thing Soames does in "Hound of the Hobbes-Sutclyffes" where he is again voiced by Brian. Charlie also carries and umbrella and wears a boater with a flower in it, similar to Nanny in "Around The World..."
  
• One of Igor's sobriquets is Prince Igor, which is also an opera by Borodin.
• The grumpy man in the audience first speaks in Jack's voice, later in Brian's.
• Duckula (or his father) also does a knife-throwing act in the Danger Mouse episode "The Return of Count Duckula" (episode also uses the clock bats' theme) - which ties nicely in with the fact that -
  
• Danger Mouse can be spotted in the audience. 
  
• Rare episode that has Jimmy Hibbert voice only one character. Even rarer when connected to the fact in that Jack May voices two.
  
• The joke credit is a pun on marquees, which are types of tent. It also appears earlier in the credits that usual.
  
• Some artwork of Nanny as 'Nanetta' can be found in the first Duckula annual. See above.
  

 

 

Goofs and Nitpicks

• Stracciatella is spelled Stracciacella on the flyer.
• Danger Mouse's belt is white instead of red.
  
• When on the high swing, Igor is meant to be holding onto Duckula's legs throughout, but he disappears at the very edge of one quick shot.

UPDATE - Some kind soul on the FaceBook Cosgrove-Hall group shared an article of an 'interview' between Brian Trueman and Duckula himself for the TV Times. The listing for this episode appears in the same issue.

Photographs credit to Christian Swain.