Colonel Campbell & Mister Lang- Quip & Quirk 1932

[gramophoneshane]

Here's a disc I found today in a little junk shop. It was recorded here in Australia in 1932 by comedy duetists Quip & Quirk.
It's a bit of a parody to Mr Gallager & Mr Shean, and is about the official opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on March 19, 1932.

While the day appeared to be one of joyful excitement and celebration, just beneath the surface was a great deal of political tension. A predominantly middle- class political group called the New Guard, which had formed in Sydney in 1931, had been plotting to use the opening of the Bridge to publicly make a political statement against New South Wales Premier, Jack Lang. The New Guard was an anti-Labor group, thought to have up to 50 000 members in New South Wales at one stage. It was led by World War I veteran, Colonel Eric Campbell. Almost resembling a military organisation in its structure, it strongly-appealed to ex-servicemen. The group considered themselves as nationalists and therefore totally against any socialism or communism. Its members were suspicious of Premier Lang's response to the Depression, believing that he was a communist.

In accordance with their plan, to the amusement of some and to the disgust of others, New Guard member, Captain Francis de Groot upstaged Premier Lang, who was set to officially open the Bridge, by riding in on horseback and slashing the ribbon with his sword. Premier Lang then had to wait for the ribbon to be retied before he could ceremonially cut the ribbon with his golden scissors. Captain de Groot was rushed away by police and later fined £5 for offensive behaviour. However, in a positive turn for the New Guard, Lang was dismissed as the New South Wales Premier only two months after the Bridge opened. After the dismissal of the Lang government, the New Guard had achieved its primary aim and as a result, no longer had a common goal. The Australian economy also slowly began to improve and it caused the group to lose momentum.

[youtubehq]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtcIhpOgl9A[/youtubehq]