On Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:20:31 +0000, Bill Pragnell wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> I had them all on cassette, then a friend of mine in the UK bought me
>> the CDs - which have subsequently gone missing, so I've got another set
>> now.
>> 
>> The thing I've been trying to find is a copy of the version that has
>> Marvin's bit (when they first land on Magrathea) where he plays "Rock
>> 'n Roll Music" after Arthur mentions that "that robot can hum like Pink
>> Floyd".  I could swear I heard it in the radio version once upon a
>> time, but now I only seem to be able to find it in the LP (I believe, I
>> have the LP here somewhere but don't have a turntable).
> 
> If it's on the LP, you're probably stuck with that, because it seems
> they lifted that bit out for copyright reasons:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_
(radio_series)#Musical_copyrights

Yeah, I'd read that it was copyright issues.  A real shame, but I could 
swear that I had it from the radio series that way as well.

The scripts talk about it a little bit as well.

> I've never heard that version before...

It's kinda a mix of the radio version and the BBC TV version.  You get 
the "dish of the day", for example, which appears in the TV version.  
Personally, I prefer the Hagunennons to Hotblack Desiato, though, but it 
was interesting to see David Prowse outside the Darth Vader outfit - and 
to hear why Lucas had to use James Earl Jones to do the voice for that 
character in the Star Wars films.

>>> I recently watched the film again, and it's really astounding how
>>> badly they buggered up Zaphod's character in that version... pretty
>>> good apart from that though.
>  >
>> Yeah, I didn't think Rockwell captured the character well at all.  I
>> also didn't think Mos Def made a convincing Ford, it often sounded he
>> was just reading the lines.
> 
> Essentially Zaphod is about right in the film, but in the previous
> versions the character managed to stay likeable, never becoming outright
> unpleasant. You just want Martin Freeman's Arthur to pummel him. In the
> other versions it's much more low-level jibing and Arthur gives as good
> as he gets in most cases. ("Well, go bang your heads together,
> foureyes!")

Well, yeah - that's why he isn't right in the film - he's a bit too 
unpleasant.  But Mark Wing-Davey nailed the role in the radio version and 
the TV version.

> Mos Def was actually better than I expected. Unfortunately the original
> actors' interpretations are so firmly embedded in my mind that I doubt
> anyone else will do it as well to my ears... although, as you say,
> Stephen Fry was excellent.

I expected Mos Def to do much better than he did.  His interpretation was 
just flat, though.  I preferred Geoffrey McGivern's interpretation over 
all of them, though I understand why he couldn't do the TV version (hard 
to be an "impoverished hitchhiker" given how large he is).

I was surprised, though, that I felt that Martin Freeman did an 
outstanding job as Arthur.  Given that Adams wrote the part essentially 
just for Simon Jones (kinda like the part for the book was written for 
someone with a "Peter Jones-y sort of voice"), I didn't think anyone 
could do the role justice.

Of all the Trillians, though, I preferred Susan Sheridan.  She came 
across as the most believable when it came to holding a degree in 
astrophysics.  I remember reading somewhere that Adams originally wanted 
someone of Indian ancestry to play the role - that could've worked well 
as well.

Jim

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