Talk:Michael Bentine

Untitled
I'm afraid that his TV shows, particularly IT'S A SQUARE WORLD, are never repeated today, making him in many ways a forgotten talent. It's also unfortunately true that, while a nice man and a brave individual, he was on the United Nations' blacklist of performers who had appeared in South Africa, during the 1980's. Dolmance (talk) 17:31, 3 January 2008 (UTC) Perhaps there should be a reference to his grandfather having been Vice-President of Peru (sometime in the 1880s or 90s, I think), and MB still having a lot of Peruvian relatives, hence many of the references to Peru in his comedy. Arwel 22:08 Feb 7, 2003 (UTC)
 * "Their two surviving children"? What happened to the rest of their children? &mdash; riana_dzasta &bull; t &bull; c &bull; e  &bull; 23:03, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Bentine was a marksman with myopia
It reads slightly oddly that MB had ruined eyesight but was also a crack shot; did he wear glasses for shooting or was it before his accident?

Apepper 20:55, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Woeful!
This "article" is atrocious. It's no more than a rambling collection of trivia. It needs serious work by someone who has a clue about Mr Bentine. Typical Wikiality quality. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.139.120.254 (talk) 21:28, 1 January 2008 (UTC)


 * If you have copies of his autobiographical books you are invited to improve the article. Any lack in Wikipedia quality is down to whingers who could, but do not, contribute.  It is an unpaid activity by volunteers.Chemical Engineer (talk) 13:32, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

The RAF rejected him, then didn't. Why?
I find this a bit puzzling. We're told "In World War II he volunteered for all services when the war broke out (the RAF was his first choice due to the influence of his father's experience), but was rejected because of his father's Peruvian nationality", however a short time later "he was called up for service in the RAF". What changed in the meantime? Tonywalton Talk 20:39, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

It was maybe because of his ability to speak many languages. Unfortunately, one of them wasn't German as he often quoted and then the RAF parachuted him into German Speaking Areas during the war. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.152.135.106 (talk) 01:20, 3 April 2008 (UTC)


 * IIRC, it was because of the Bentine family's connections, i.e., the Peruvian Ambassador. He pulled some strings and got Bentine accepted by the RAF. Unfortunately, Bentine was on a theatrical tour at the time and missed his call-up papers. The first he knew of being accepted was when some RAF Police turned up to arrest him. Bentine was on stage and dressed in 'doublet and hose' and carrying a period sword when arrested. The mistake was sorted out and Bentine was able to enter the RAF. It was the inoculations that damaged his eyesight and prevented him becoming aircrew. For a while he was Intelligence Officer to a Polish Bomber Command squadron on Wellingtons. Ian Dunster (talk) 13:17, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

Bruce Lacey
I belive Bruce Lacey [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lacey ] constructed and operated the sandbox 'flea circus' on 'It's a Square World' - crouching underneath unseen and uncredited and pulling down footstep shaped dowels to make the footprints and other effects. It is what started him in his automaton career.

89.168.89.0 (talk) 23:39, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

Anglo-Peruvian parentage
What does that exactly mean here?

His father was English, went out to Peru, learned Spanish, came back? Or what precisely?

Is Bentin a Spanish name? Bentín? Varlaam (talk) 23:45, 29 January 2012 (UTC)
 * His father was Peruvian, his mother was British. I have tried to clarify this in the text.Chemical Engineer (talk) 13:06, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Picture
Is there not a madder or at least more typical one? Rothorpe (talk) 01:29, 3 August 2012 (UTC)

Picture excised?
"his picture had been excised from early pictures"

What does this phrase mean?

That Bentine had been edited out of all BBC publicity photographs to do with The Goon Show? Perhaps so, though Bentine seems to have been a fantasist of a rare order.

However, most people knew the Goons as a trio, and if the BBC re-published photographs cropped so as to exclude Bentine, I doubt it would be from any sinister motive, but rather to avoid confusion, e.g. 'Who is that extra fellow?'

DG = presumably the Director General of the BBC? Bluedawe 21:20, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

I remember the Goons talking about Bentine as someone who came to them when the show was already running and he was desperate to join them but they seemed very lukewarm over it, because they had all they needed with the three people already in the show.(84.236.152.71 (talk) 19:34, 30 May 2015 (UTC))


 * Bentine was actually in from start being in the first two series of what became The Goon Show but then left to continue with his own career. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.29.18.221 (talk) 23:47, 20 November 2015 (UTC)


 * In a couple of his autobiographical books (one of them primarily about his psychic research rather than his media career), Bentine claimed that someone high up in BBC management (whom he does not name) took a serious dislike to him and endeavoured to prevent anything he appeared in being repeated (presumably to deny him royalties) and, where possible, even preserved. I presume he didn't name names for legal reasons. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.202.211.191 (talk) 23:46, 8 September 2016 (UTC)

Was he delusional?
In a radio series called "Michael Bentine - Reluctant Jester" from November 1994, in the second of six shows, Bentine in all seriousness talks of the many psychic mediums coming to their house and how they often had furniture in their house floating or flying around the room. Also how a ten pound weight flew up in the air, across their shop while paper bags on strings (as they were in those days) spun like Catherine wheels, and scared off an unwanted biscuit salesman. Another time he tells how he and another were led into a very silent forest and their guide suddenly called out and EVERY SINGLE CREATURE in the forest (be it animal, snake, bird or whatever) called out in answer to him with "a shout of welcome".(84.236.152.71 (talk) 19:30, 30 May 2015 (UTC))


 * Bentine was interested in psychic phenomena, as were his parents, his father being a respected engineer, and the incidents of which you mention usually had numerous other witnesses.


 * Delusional people don't usually get to become RAF Intelligence Officers of operational RAF squadrons, nor to later go on in civilian life to successful careers in radio and television.


 * As for all this, you can hear him and judge for yourself by listening to this talk he gave back in the late 1980s here:  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.29.18.221 (talk) 00:03, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

No, not *usually*...are there any recordings or witnesses to this ‘shout of welcome’?? 2A00:23C3:E284:900:C443:E3C9:E27C:A5CE (talk) 21:45, 22 April 2020 (UTC)

Lift Operator Sketch
Remember this being played on ABC (Australian) radio in the early seventies. No luck in tracking it down, but noted from the article "Round the Bend in 30 Minutes", which has also been wiped from the BBC archive.

It may have been from this if it was wiped 1970's or later.--Lmstearn (talk) 14:43, 14 August 2016 (UTC)

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