Punch and Judy. Tragical comedy or comical tragedy - ACE097.2

Captions: "Who is the slayer, who the victim? Speak." "Roo-it-too-it-too-it-too-it-too-it!" Punch stabs Judy. Puppeteer. Traditional performance. Another Punch explains that he had numerous and dangerous encounters over the years, but they were not documented until 1827 when John Payne Collier and George Cruikshank saw a performance at the King’s Arms. Engravings; photographs; sketches. VO of Cruikshank’s description of how he and Collier recorded the performance with drawings and a transcription of the dialogue. Caption: "Mr Punch is one jolly good fellow/His dress is all scarlet and yellow/And if now and then he gets mellow/ It’s only among his good friends … When he dies – it’s only all over; And there Punch’s comedy ends. " Engravings with intertitles introducing some of the characters – Dog Toby, Scaramouch – and giving the dialogue as Punch drops the baby, is attacked by Judy and strikes back at her, and meets a young woman. Caption: "Interlude." Engraving of Scaramouch (with elongated neck) taking off his hat with one hand, a trick performed by Giovanni Piccini. Punch and Hector the horse; Punch and the Doctor; and the black servant; and the blind man; and Jack Ketch. Punch in prison with Ketch setting up the gallows. Punch hangs Ketch. Punch kills the Devil. "Curtain." Caption: "Punchman interviewed by Henry Mayhew 1850 taken from London Labour and the London Poor. Performed by Percy Press Jnr." Percy Press quotes the Punchman’s words from this interview.