Pictorial Parade 86 - Inside the Bag

(Narration) Every week thousands of New Zealanders listen to a radio quiz it's in the bag.

This is the story of one edition of the show and the people who put it on the air.

Director and compair of the program is Selwyn Toogood, his recording engineer

Ted Thorpe and producer Brian Petrie.

On Friday night they're playing Lower Hutt's Town Hall and today while Ted and Bryan are working in their recording studio Sullivan will prepare material for the show.

(Selwyn) Morning Pamela,

(Pamela) Good morning Mr Toogood,

(Selwyn) How did you enjoy the play last night?

(Pamela) I thoroughly enjoyed it thank you.

(Selwyn) Are the questions all ready for tomorrow night's show perhaps?

(Pamela) Yes I have given them to Sandy

(Selwyn) Good girl.00:58What fiendish ideas we've dreamt up for the booby prizes for tomorrow night?

(young woman) I've got a packet of epsom salts, a bone01:05and a duck.01:06(Selwyn) Oh that looks exciting

(young woman) I do hope nobody wins it (Selwyn) Why?

(young woman) Because I want it.01:10(Selwyn) Well I hope you get it, I must go and do some work.

Selwyn's first job is to run through the questions with the man who sets most of them

stage manager Sandy Triggs.

(Selwyn) Have you got them all there?

(Sandy) Yes, I think all the ones we need. What would you like first? The categories?

(Selwyn) Yes let's have a look at those, well what's the spelling one Sandy?

(Sandy) Well I haven't made up my mind definitely there are two there Selwyn commission and taxidermy.

(Selwyn) Well they're fairly simple I think even Petrie and Thorpe could answer those.

(Narration) Right now Ted Thorpe and Brian Petrie couldn't be less interested in spelling they're far too busy preparing a program for broadcast. Nearly all Selwyn shows are recorded several weeks before going on the air and as producer Brian Petrie must choose highlights from each recording and from them make a fast-moving entertaining quiz. Which brings us back to the show we're following and another question that may be asked.

(Selwyn) Now let's geography question I think it has an alternative answer, well would you check that one please Sandy?

(Sandy) yes alright Selwyn, what would you suggest?

Selwyn) ar Webster's, have look in Webster's geographical I think that one will give it to you. It's as good as any.

(Sandy) Here we are right here

(Selwyn) Better to be sure of these things, there it is. Yes put the alternative in will you?

(Sandy) Alright

(Selwyn) So that I don't forget because otherwise I will.

(Sandy) Gives us a double check then.

(Selwyn) Now Sandy what about, is that the glamour prize?

(Sandy) Yes that's right Selwyn here they are.

(Selwyn) Okay well somebody can win a Foodarama on the strength of them02:38

(Narration) And that of course is the reason people enter the quiz to win a prize. Some of the washing machines in this Auckland factory will be earmarked to the show, In fact contestants can win just about anything a family likes to have in the home and the prizes are made all over New Zealand.

[upbeat instrumental music]

a motor mower is a pretty fair reward for knowing who won the Grand National in 1953 and a radio or radiogram could go to a contestant for the working knowledge of nursery rhymes.

[upbeat instrumental music]

(Narration) Once contestants win a bag the choice is theirs they can take what's in it or whatever money Selwyn offers them for it and since Selwyn doesn't know what's in the bag he may be offering £50 for a packet of epsom salts but he could be offering £50 for a combination refrigerator and home freezer like one of these off the production lines come all sorts of prizes great big ones and very small ones in their various shapes and sizes they go into the hall before the show.

[upbeat instrumental music]

The stage is almost set and £1,500 pounds worth of prizes stand on it in tempting array a final touch is given to this and that and Ted checks over his sound gear. Soon the show will be on.

Selwyn) Well good evening Lower Hutt it's very nice to be here, doing it's in the bag for you04:09and of course before we can do one of these shows we must have competitors so those of you who would like to be in it's in the bag would you just make your way up on the stage up that stairway there and that stairway there thank you and then we'll put some elimination questions to you. Madame du Barry was she the mistress of? Louis 13th on that side, Louis the 15th in the middle or Louis the 16th on that side, please now all decided? all made up your minds? for Madame Du Barry was the mistress and I don't mean the school mistress of Louis the 15th so all you people back to your seats you people back to the seats and you people in the middle are all in the show.

(Selwyn) and you are?

(Mrs England) Mrs England

(Selwyn) Mrs England is it? Hello Mrs England, there will always be an England won't there?

(Mrs England) I should hope

(Selwyn) that's the girl, what are you doing towards it?

(Mrs England) three sons,

(Selwyn) three sons therell always be an England,

sure there will.

(Selwyn) What name is given to the seed of an apple?

(Mrs England) Pip

(Selwyn) That's right05:15by what title is the king of Persia known?

(Mrs England) Shāh

Selwyn) Mincing Lane is associated with the wholesale trade in tea, salt or soap?

(Mrs England) Tea (

(Selwyn) she's right, three in a row, Mincing Lane is tea that's right

(Selwyn) now which category are you taking?

(Mrs England) Spelling

(Selwyn) oh it's a stinker

(Mrs England) oh!

[Cinema audience softly laughs]

(Selwyn) Ready? Okay, I want you to spell the word commission,

[Cinema audience sighs

(Selwyn) okay all right okay you laugh you try it yourself when you get home, commission

(Mrs England) C-O-M-M-I-S-S-I-O-N

(Selwyn) you wizard, of course its that! C-O double M, I double S, I-O-N0 and you said you weren't good at spelling. Look nobody's taking money tonight ha, look it's all good we just got it off the printing press at home,

[Cinema audience laughs]

(Selwyn) look will you take what's there?

[Cinema audience shouts NO] (Selwyn) It's that or the bag

(Mrs England) No

(Selwyn) You won't?

(Mrs England) No the bag

(Selwyn) okay you'll take the bag that's fine and dandy let's see what's in it, we'll count that in a minute and see how much was there.

There will always be an England

[Audience laughs softly]

(Selwyn) there will always be an England and while there is an England, there'll be little England's and while we have little England's they'll remember it's in the bag for always because you have turned down all that money for toy duck

(Selwyn) What's your name sir?

(Frank) Frank Owen

(Selwyn) Hello Frank, what name is given to a thin slice of bacon or ham?

(Frank) Rasher

(Selwyn) [or actor?] that's right

(Selwyn) What is a samira?

(Frank) a flower

(Selwyn) The word bole is the name given to what part of a tree? the trunk the trunk or

(Frank) the trunk

(Selwyn) the trunk or the stem, he's got three in a row. What category are you talking Frank Owen?

(Frank) Geography

(Selwyn) Geography, he's good at geography, you people go to geography?

(Frank mutters) I know a little about nothing

(Selwyn) well, well okay, let's see what we get for geography, what was the city of Istanbul formerly known as?

(Frank) Constantinople

(Selwyn) Constantinople that's right, where's his bag Sandy?You heard me get to £510

(Frank) I did

(Selwyn) , you heard a booby prize go but all the big prizes are still there that's one of the booby prizes out of the way, I'll offer you £36 the money or the bag?

(Frank) The bag

Selwyn) 37?

(Frank) The bag

Selwyn) he's shaking customers, he's shaking,

at £37 our cinema audience what should he do customers? The money or the bag?

(Cinema audience shouts THE BAG)

(Selwyn) They're saying take the bag in the cinema

(Frank) Good advice

(Selwyn) What are you gonna do? Take the bag?

(Frank) The bag

(Selwyn) I'll make it 42, 15 the money or the bag? at £42, 1508

(Frank) I could do a lot with that couldn't I?

(Selwyn) You could do it a lot with it what will it be at 42, 15?

(Frank) The bag

(Selwyn) The bag! at 42 pounds 15 there you go They don't want the money in the Hutt tonight, you want to tell him want me to tell him what it is?

[Cinema audience shouts YES]

(Selwyn) Have a look at the laund roll semi-automatic spin dry washing machine because that's yours, that's yours, there it is.

(Frank) thank you very much Selwyn I thoroughly enjoyed it.

(Selwyn) Thank you very much indeed to you Frank, Thank you kindly

All right Madame come up to the microphone and tell us your name please.

(Glory) Glory Moon

(Selwyn) Let's see if we can get you with three in a row.

Does the Kauri pine occur in New Zealand only?

(Glory) No

(Selwyn) You're correct. What is a Teel?

(Glory) it's a duck.

(Selwyn) that is right.

In the army does a major-general rank above or below a lieutenant general?

(Glory) below

(Selwyn) she's got three in a row that's fine,08:51now give us your category, what are you taking?

(Glory) spelling

(Selwyn) spelling! now let's see if you're good at spelling, are you good at spelling?

(Glory) not bad

(Selwyn) not bad, that's jolly good. Spell taxidermy

(Glory) T-A-X-I-D-E-R-M-Y

(Selwyn) you're right, that is right, where's the bag Sandy? Bag number one, I'm going ah Mrs ah, Mrs Moon is it?

(Glory) Miss

(Selwyn) Miss Moon, now I'm going to offer you the sum of a £15 pounds 10

(Glory) bag

(Selwyn) 17, 10

(Glory) the bag

(Selwyn) 23, 15 the bag

(Selwyn) 29, 16, 4

(Glory) the bag

(Selwyn) £30, 2

(Glory) the bag

(Selwyn) 34, 15

(Glory) the bag

(Selwyn) £35

(Glory) I'll have the money

(Selwyn) the money at 35 okay, [

Cinema audience shouts THE BAG]

(Selwyn) no she said the money, she said the money she's a woman who makes up her mind and decides and goes to it. Oh now you'll never guess do you do any of the housework at home?

(Glory) a little

(Selwyn) well look we've got a polish a scrubber, yes that's what it is, a polish a scrubber, now it's a new prize that we haven't had in the bag before and that I haven't read through the prizes so you went to know that that was there. Would you rather take the polish a scrubber than the £35?

(Glory) I'll rather have the £35 (Selwyn) okay because ar that is the polish a scrubber it's just an ordinary

[Cinema audience disappointed aww]

(Selwyn) old scrubbing brush and there you are very well Mrs, Miss Moon you've got your £35, thank you kindly.

[Cinema audience applauds]

I would like to thank you for being such a splendid audience we've enjoyed being with you we hope you have enjoyed having us we hope to be back sometime to see you all again good night.

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