In
The WIndow - 51 Just William 1
spiritplantsradio.com
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01. Sam Cooke - Ee-Yi-Ee-Yi-Oh (2:36)
02. Billy Bragg - Handyman Blues (3:03)
03. Franz Nicolay - I Had A Good Time Tonight (4:43)
04. Mop Mop - Run Around feat. Fred Wesley &
Anthony Joseph (5:17)
05. Uncle Buffo - Just William -Weak Spot (14:15)
06. JJ Heller - Loved (3:41)
07. Monkey Business - Up To Speed Now (3:52)
08. Mystical Weapons - Colony Collapse Disorder (3:29)
09. Wanda Jackson - Funnel Of Love (2:03)
10. John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts (6:03)
11. 06 - Bish Bang Boof (2:54)
12. Emmy Rossum - Nobody Knows When You're Down &
Out (3:18)
13. King Dude - Please Stay (In The Shadow Of My
Grave) (2:32)
The first in a series of Just William stories a favorite of mine for over 50 years.
Richmal Crompton Lamburn, pictured on the cover of her biography
Sometimes
William can be very moral – he is inspired to tell the truth for the duration
of Christmas Day in William's Truthful Christmas (Still William, 1925) with
terrible results:
“ [William has just received a geometry set
and a book on church history for Christmas.]
"Did
you like the book and instruments that Uncle and I gave you?" said Aunt
Emma brightly.
"No,"
said William gloomily and truthfully. "I'm not int'rested in Church
History an' I've got something like those at school. Not that I'd want
'em," he added hastily, "if I hadn't em."
"William!"
screamed Mrs. Brown in horror. "How can you be so ungrateful!"
"I'm
not ungrateful," explained William wearily.
"I'm
only being truthful...
William
has been criticized by the RSPCA for stories where he is cruel to animals. For
example, in one story he paints his dog blue as a circus exhibit. In another he
has a competition to see how many rats his dog can kill in a certain time. Some
stories have been removed from modern publication, such as William and the
Nasties from William The Detective where William suspects a Jewish shop owner
of dishonesty and forms a mob to evict him. ("Nasty" was William's
mispronunciation of Nazi.) This story was written in 1935 before the Second
World War, and was probably meant as parody. By the end of the story William
and the Outlaws help capture a thief who had imprisoned the Shopkeeper and the
Shopkeeper generously allows them to take many items free.
This
story appeared in all the 20 impressions of "William the Detective"
published by George Newnes (1935–1967), and in all the editions brought out by
Armada in the 1970s. It was in 1986, in the edition brought out by Macmillan
Children's Books, that this story was first omitted. Richmal Crompton's
biographer, Mary Cadogan, wrote that both Richmal Crompton's literary executor
– her niece Richmal Ashbee – and her publisher Macmillan "unhesitatingly
decided to drop this episode [William and the Nasties] completely from new
editions of the book." [Mary Cadogan, Richmal Crompton – The Woman behind
"Just William" pp. 117–18]
