| Level | Item |
| Ref No | OBS/9/1/1/27 |
| Title | The Enemy of Nonsense |
| Date | September 1987-January 1988 |
| Extent | 3 VHS and 3 mp4 (21.7MB; 21.5MB & 11 MB); part of 1 VHS, 1 DVD and 1 mp4 (248.4 MB) |
| Creator Name | The Observer Limited, 1917-1993 |
| Description | These adverts,and test adverts, feature nonsense poems overdubbed onto politicians' speeches and finish with the commentary: "When George Orwell wrote for the Observer, he called it 'the enemy of nonsense'" and written tagline: "the enemy of nonsense", over a shot of the Observer newspaper..
a. This [test] version, with poor image quality, features the first lines of 'The Owl and the Pussycat' overdubbed onto speeches by Mussolini and Chamberlain (including a clip of Chamberlain emerging from an aeroplane), followed, by a BBC viewing clip of David Steel, overdubbed with the first lines of 'The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo'. The voiceover ends: "The Observer: the Sunday paper that makes sense." [25 September 1987].
The advert starts at 0.15 on the mp4 file shared with versions (b-f). Duration 44 seconds
b. Duplicate of version (a), but with the clip of David Steel replaced by Tony Benn overdubbed with lines from 'The Pobble who has no Toes'. [25 September 1987].
The advert starts at 01.14 on the mp4 file shared with versions (a) & (c-f). Duration 45 seconds
c. This [test] version, with poor image quality, features lines from 'The Jumblies' overdubbed onto speeches by Brezhnev (including shots of Russian campaingers/supporters). The voiceover ends: "The Observer: the Sunday paper that makes sense." [25 September 1987].
The advert starts at 02.14 on the mp4 file shared with versions (a-b) & (d-f). Duration 30 seconds
d. Duplicate of version (c), but with additional footage of Brezhnev with Nixon, overdubbed with lines from 'The Daddy Long Legs and the Fly'. [25 September 1987].
The advert starts at 03.14 on the mp4 file shared with versions (a-c) & (e-f). Duration 38 seconds
e. This [test] version, with poor image quality, features a BBC viewing clip of David Steel, overdubbed with the first lines of 'The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo', followed by Tony Benn, Ken Livingstone and Brian Clough overdubbed with lines from 'The Pobble who has no Toes'. [25 September 1987].
The advert starts at 04.14 on the mp4 file shared with versions (a-d) & (f). Duration 43 seconds
f. This [test] version, with poor image quality, features footage of British politicians in teh 1970s/1980s and Alex Higgins, overdubbed with lines from 'The Quangle Wangle's Hat'. [25 September 1987].
The advert starts at 05.14 on the mp4 file shared with versions (a-e). Duration 36 seconds
g. This version features the first lines of 'The Owl and the Pussycat' overdubbed onto speeches by Mussolini, Chamberlain and Che Guevera, and the voiceover ends: "Read it this Sunday, you'll find it still is". [16 November 1987].
The advert starts at 0.17 on the mp4 file shared with version (h). Duration 44 seconds.
h. This [test] version features a section from the middles of 'The Walrus and the Carpenter' overdubbed onto speeches by Goebbels, Brezhnev and Britsh politicians of the 1970s and 1980s, including Cyril Smith MP. Includes BBC viewing footage and sections of low picture quality. The voiceover ends: "Read it this Sunday, you'll find it still is" and the final shot of the newspaper in colour. [16 November 1987].
The advert starts at 01.04 on the mp4 file shared with version (g). Duration 43 seconds.
i. This version features the first lines of 'The Owl and the Pussycat' overdubbed onto speeches by Mussolini, Chamberlain and Che Guevera, and the voiceover ends: "Read it this Sunday". [19 November 1987].
The advert starts at 0.04 on an individual mp4 file. Duration 43 seconds.
j. Duplicate of version (i), but with a voiceover ending: "Read it this Sunday, you'll find it still is". Similar to version (g), but with fewer camera angles on Che Guevera and a the final shot of the newspaper in colour. [January 1988].
The advert starts at 04.09 on the 1985-1995 'historical reel' mp4 file. Duration 40 seconds. |
| Access Status | Open |
| Related Material | j) Also included on the 'Historical Reel, 1985-1995' VHS and mp4 are Observer adverts; OBS/9/1/1/19, OBS/9/1/1/20c, OBS/9/1/1/21/1a, OBS/9/1/1/21/2a, OBS/9/1/1/23a, OBS/9/1/1/24/1b, OBS/9/1/1/24/2b, OBS/9/1/1/24/3b, OBS/9/1/1/24/3d, OBS/9/1/1/26c, OBS/9/1/1/28, OBS/9/1/1/30a, OBS/9/1/1/31d, OBS/9/1/1/32a, OBS/9/1/1/33a, OBS/9/1/1/36b, OBS/9/1/137/1a, OBS/9/1/1/37/2a, OBS/9/1/1/38/1a, OBS/9/1/1/39, OBS/9/1/1/40a, OBS/9/1/1/41, OBS/9/1/1/42a, OBS/9/1/1/43a, OBS/9/1/1/44/1a, OBS/9/1/1/44/2a, OBS/9/1/1/45a, OBS/9/1/1/47-61, OBS/9/1/1/62/1a, OBS/9/1/1/62/2, OBS/9/1/1/64/1a, OBS/9/1/1/64/5, OBS/9/1/1/65a, OBS/9/1/1/66a, OBS/9/1/1/67, OBS/9/1/1/68a, OBS/9/1/1/69a and OBS/9/1/1/70. |
| Format | Video recording |
| Electronic record |