Larry Stephens

Infobox Person
name = Larry Stephens

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birth_name = Lawrence Geoffrey Stephens
birth_date = birth date|1923|07|16|df=y
birth_place = Llandilofawr, Wales
death_date = death date and age|1959|01|26|1923|07|16|df=y
death_place = St Pancras, London
death_cause = cerebral haemorrhage
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nationality = British
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occupation = Scriptwriter
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Larry Stephens (born Lawrence Geoffrey Stephens on 16 July 1923 [GRO Register of Births: SEP 1923 6b 1497 LLANDILOFAWR, Lawrence G. Stephens, mmn = Thomas] – died 26 January 1959 [GRO Register of Deaths:MAR 1959 5d 624 PANCRAS - Lawrence G. Stephens, aged 35] ) was a BBC radio scriptwriter, most popularly known for co-writing "The Goon Show" with Spike Milligan. Stephens was a regular writer of the show for the first two years, and then returned to "The Goon Show" to assist Milligan, during the latter's tougher moments.

Trained as an accountant, Stephens distinguished himself as a jazz pianist before the onset of World War II. Following service in the war, he returned to England, and began writing for British comedian Tony Hancock. before Hancock became famous, and was best man at Hancock's first wedding. In 1952, he developed a new show for Hancock, which was designed to run for a full half hour without musical breaks, called "Welcome to Welkham". The show was aired by the BBC, but with Brian Reece, instead of Hancock. A single episode was broadcast but this received relatively poor audience feedback BBC Radio 4 Programme: "Larry Stephens, The Man Who Never Was" (originally aired 24 May 2007)] .

Undeterred, Stephens wrote for a number of popular comedians and shows in the 1950s. He continued to write for Tony Hancock's breakthrough programme, "The Tony Hancock Show". Aside from his work on "The Goon Show", Stephens also wrote for other popular television series such as "The Army Game" and "Bootsie and Snudge".

According to a BBC Radio 4 programme on Stephens' life, it was while working on the second season of "The Goon Show", that Stephens, doubling both as a key contributor and as Milligan's agent, began to drink so heavily it affected his work. In February 1954, the BBC asserted that Stephens had violated the terms of his contract by failing to deliver scripts for "The Goon Show" on time, and that, thereafter, his work would only be considered on spec. Insulted, Stephens refused to have anything further to do with "The Goon Show". He joined the writing staff of "The Army Game", but two years after the BBC cancelled his contract, Milligan managed to rehire Stephens for "The Goon Show" on the condition that Milligan, not the BBC, pay his salary. Stephens' heavy drinking had aggravated his high blood pressure, and he died on 26 January 1959; the official cause of death was a cerebral haemorrhage brought about by chronic hypertension .

Stephens' death has long been a subject of surmise and conjecture, partly since during the first two years of "The Goon Show" he shared more credits for writing than anyone but Milligan, but subsequently wrote very little. Many "Goon Show" fans believe that Stephens died while having dinner with Milligan. Another theory, advanced by Humphrey Carpenter in his biography of Spike Milligan, states that he died in a car while going out to dinner with his wife, Diana, and Milligan. It was most likely that Stephens' death was the reason that "The Goon Show" episode, "Dishonoured - Again" (broadcast on 26 January 1959) was a remake of the show "Dishonoured" (broadcast on 14 December 1954) [ [http://www.britcom.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=840 "The Goon Show Depository forum"] ] .

Filmography (as writer)

*"The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn" (1956) Film
*"The Tony Hancock Show" (1956)
*"The Army Game" (1957) TV Series
*"Bootsie and Snudge" (1960)

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0827086|name=Larry Stephens

Persondata
NAME = Stephens, Larry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Stephens, Lawrence Geoffrey
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Scriptwriter
DATE OF BIRTH = 1923-07-16
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DATE OF DEATH = 1959-01-26
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