Larry Grayson - Shut That Door/ Slack Alice

Comedy catchphrase pop from British comedy giant

Label: York

Year of Release: 1972

While generalising about any art-form is a risky business, it's reasonably safe to say that comedy catchphrases usually serve two primary purposes - to either act as the pay-off line to a sketch or gag, one which the audience can usually sense is going to happen but are kept on tenterhooks finding out how, or as a unifying, call-and-response device to the audience (think Bruce Forsyth's "Nice to see you, to see you... nice!") Even in the hands of surrealists like Vic and Bob, catchphrases are normally inserted into the dialogue at the appropriate points rather than being disruptive, though the word "appropriate" often has an entirely different meaning in their world. 

Larry Grayson's random, irritated use of the phrase "Shut that door!" feels like a bit of an anomaly then, and one so absurd I find myself giggling just thinking about it. Frequently Grayson would be in the middle of a tall tale or a routine, when his brow would furrow, his lips would quiver and fall silent and he would suddenly blurt out the catchphrase in an aggravated fashion, occasionally followed by explanations such as "The draft in here is wicked!" before he picked up the threads of his routine again. It gave a lot away about his onstage character, this prissy, fussy man who was over-sensitive and irritated by mess, disagreeable temperatures, dust and dirt, but it otherwise often acted as an interruption and an unusual pause. It wasn't the only one in his routine, either, which was often littered with asides, pauses and diversions. He was clearly not afraid of possibly ruining the arc of any gag or tale he told. 

The catchphrase apparently originated from a live show he did at the New Pavilion Theatre at Redcar, where somebody had left a stage door wide open causing the cold sea air to blast across the stage (though alternative stories about its origins have also been told). The hilarity caused by this interjection clearly inspired him to work it into every show, where it remained even when he became a host of The Generation Game at the very peak of his career. It didn't really belong in the middle of a quiz show either, and it was no less incongruous being plonked slap at the start of the show's theme tune ("Shut that door and enjoy the Generation Game!" trilled the female singers) - but why mess with a formula that clearly worked? That idle stage-hand in Redcar can't possibly have known what a gift they gave Grayson by not doing their job properly.

Almost inevitably, there was also a "Shut That Door" single in 1972, which I present for your delight here. "Shut that door, shut that door, there's a terrible draft in here" sings Larry in his usual obsessive-compulsive manner, and the tune gayly swings along, tripping over numerous double-entendres on its way. It's everything you'd expect it to be, and further descriptions from me here aren't going to shed more light on his world. 

Larry Grayson came late to comedy stardom, working on the comedy circuit from the age of fourteen and only changing his name from Billy Breen to Larry Grayson in the fifties. Deemed too outrageous to be on television during that period - and clips from his later television shows do give plenty of hints about why - he worked the clubs until Michael Grade gave him a second chance in the seventies, which immediately paid off for both men as his popularity quickly became stratospheric. His debut solo TV show "Shut That Door" led to this single being issued, which sadly wasn't a hit - but that was probably one of his only failures of this period. 

His career never really recovered when he quit The Generation Game in 1982, sensing that it was time to do something different. The BBC failed to find another vehicle for him, and his star began to wane, with occasional TV spots and hosting duties on middling quiz shows being the only things keeping him in the public eye from that point. Nonetheless, throughout the seventies he was a huge and bankable star, and arguably one of the most recognisable people in Britain. That may be a baffling phenomenon to some people at this distance, but his work had a warmth which makes him a compelling (and frequently hilarious) performer even today.