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Friday 27 May 2016

Web Page  No 2266
27th May 2016
Top Picture: Molly in her younger days

 Second Picture: That Flash advert

Third Picture: The Rentaghost team


Forth Picture: Her first best seller

Molly Weir
Mary Weir, who was always known as Molly Weir  was a diminutive Scottish actress, most notable for her role in later life as the long-running  character Hazel the McWitch in the BBC TV series Rentaghost. She was also the sister of naturalist and broadcaster Tom Weir.
She was born in Glasgow in March 1910 and brought up in the Springburn area of the city and from an early age was involved in local  amateur dramatics. Acting was to be her life. In her early professional career, she was a well-known radio actress, featuring in many comedy shows, such as ITMA. She started performing on Scottish radio in 1939, and later wrote radio scripts for Woman's Hour, Children's Hour and Home This Afternoon.
She made her film debut in 1949, and had a regular role as the housekeeper, Aggie McDonald, in the radio and television sitcom Life With The Lyons with Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels. During the 1970s and early 1980s she found fame as a writer, with several volumes of best-selling memoirs, notably, Shoes Were For Sunday. She also appeared in a series of television advertisements for Flash the household cleaner was best known for uttering the words "Flash - cleans baths without scratching" in early 1970 . In 1969 she appeared in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie starring Maggie Smith, she and Helena Gloag played the Kerr sisters, the sewing mistresses of Marcia Blaine School for Girls. In 1970 these two  reprised their collaboration in Scrooge, playing old sisters in debt to Mr Scrooge, played by Albert Finney.
In the 1970s she was one of the presenters of Teatime Tales, a television series broadcast by Scottish TV in which she recalled her childhood. She also  appeared in a pop video for the Bluebells 1983 hit Young At Heart.
After her death, Molly Weir's ashes were scattered on the banks of Loch Lomond, a favourite holiday location; and almost all her estate (of nearly £1.9 million), was bequeathed to charities and good causes. Her fortune was mainly due to the profits from the eight volumes of memoirs that she wrote about her tough upbringing and life as an actress. Her memoirs about her childhood in Glasgow formed the trilogy Shoes were for Sunday, Best Foot Forward and One Toe on the Ladder. They were later followed by titles such as Stepping into the Spotlight and Walking into the Lyons Den.
She died in November 2005 aged 94,

She was only 4ft 10in tall and grew up in poverty in the deprived Springburn area of north Glasgow, which in 2002 achieved the unenviable reputation as the second poorest parliamentary constituency in the UK.
The eldest of four children, she was raised by her mother following the death of her father, a soldier, who was killed in 1914.
She moved to London in 1945, and although she lived for many years in Pinner before her death in a nursing home in Denham, she never forgot her Scottish roots and in 2000 was voted Scotswoman of the Year. She was widowed following the death of her husband and childhood sweetheart, Sandy Hamilton, in 1997 and had no children. She left the bulk of her fortune to eight charities.

Donations of more than £200,000 each will be made to the National Trust, the National Trust for Scotland, the Parkinson's Disease Society, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, the Stroke Association, the Alzheimer's Society, Cancer Research UK and the Arthritis Research Campaign. But her will also detailed individual legacies of £3,000, £2,000 and £1,000 to more than 30 other charities and good causes which were close to her heart, including many in Scotland, such as the West of Scotland Housing Association to provide holidays for tenant families, and St Columba's Hospice in Edinburgh. She also left £500 to the Friends of Loch Lomond where her ashes were scattered following cremation, and bequeathed all future royalties and the profits from her books to Springburn social services to benefit the elderly and the poor.

She also left £8,000 to provide "extra comforts" for residents of the Balornock and Springburn homes for the elderly in Glasgow, and elderly patients in the city's Stobhill and Ruchill hospitals.

I met the lady only once and that was at the revived Radio Show in Olympia in the mid-1980s. I had been watching an interview with Robert Morley and wandered over to the children’s section. There in the Story Den was Mollie Weir sat on a tree stump surrounded by children all sitting on the floor. She was telling them a story, I forget which, but the children were enthralled. When the story ended she got up to leave and on the way out spoke to as many children as she could. On reaching the entrance to the Story Den she spied me standing there and the next thing I knew was that she had come over and taken my arm saying ‘will you escort me to the hospitality room please?’ I had no idea where it was but who could say no to such a request but she did have to guide me to where the place was. All the time she was on my arm she did not stop talking, I heard all about her husband’s illnesses and problems meaning he could not accompany her that day, what she was going to cook for his tea and where she was going for the rest of the week. I heard all about them meeting at school and she was very proud of the fact that she had married her childhood sweetheart and that they had been married for almost fifty years.

On reaching the hospitality room a BBC employee took her under his wing but as she left me she reached up and kissed my cheek, and said “thank you for your company, I really did enjoy our chat”. I did not have the heart to tell her that I had hardly a chance to get a word in!!!!

Keep in touch

Peter


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News and Views:

On this day 27th May 1960-1965

On 27/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Stirling Moss wins Monaco Grand Prix.

On 27/05/1961 the number one single was You're Driving Me Crazy - The Temperance Seven and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 27/05/1962 the number one single was Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 27/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Manchester Utd win FA Cup.

On 27/05/1964 the number one single was Juliet - Four Pennies and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 27/05/1965 the number one single was Where Are You Now (My Love) - Jackie Trent and the number one album was Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Muhammed Ali floors Sonny Liston.



Friday 20 May 2016

Web Page  No 2264
20 th May 2016
Top Picture: Bronco Toilet Roll

 Second Picture: Jumping Cardboard Frog

 Third Picture: Thunderclap



Forth Picture: Corona Bottle
Money Back

Don’t throw the bottle away I can get money back on it! How often did we say that as kids? Pop bottles, beer bottles and all sorts of recyclable things could be used to add to our pocket money. The favourite thing was the post-Christmas bonanza, not that our family drank a lot, they didn’t, but for the festive season there were always a few bottles of beer, stout etc in the house, so after Christmas it was always collecting time. Once collected the next thing was to sort the bottles as to which shop or off licence would take them, some went to Smeeds the wine merchant in Drayton, some to The New Inn and some to The Sunshine. As far as we were concerned a trip with half a dozen bottles to The New Inn was always the first point of call. We would make our way into the Bottle and Jug (off licence) and dump our bottles on the counter until someone behind the bar was free to collect them and give us the money due. The New In was the favourite place because the bottle store was at the back of the pub behind the Garden and very often the gate to the back yard was left unlocked, which gave us yet another opportunity to make some cash. A quick look around the gate to see that there was no one around and a rapid dash into the yard to grab two or three empty bottles to take home and bring back another day. Unfortunately the landlord eventually got wise to this and started locking the door.

The Corona man was also another source of income but not cash in hand because if you took an empty bottle with you to the lorry the salesman would deduct a certain amount of the full bottles you bought. No cash changed hands so if you did not have an empty bottle he charged you full price.

Whilst talking about bottles how many of you can remember going with your parents into a local grocery store, in our case ‘Pinks’ in Drayton, and buying loose wine or sherry? My mother would occasionally carry a lemonade bottle into Pinks and have it filled with a pint of sweet Cyprus sherry from a cask behind the counter. The strange thing is that I remember her doing this but I do not ever remember my folks actually drinking sherry at home, but I suppose they must have done. This was during the late 1950’s and whilst she was in Pinks she would buy loose sugar which was placed into a handmade blue paper bag which was folded over to seal it and she also bought loose butter which would be moulded up on a marble slab, next to the cheese wire, and then wrapped in greaseproof paper then handed over and all this was done whist she sat on the customers chair which was placed conveniently next to the counter.

Moving on from bottles, the other day while I was putting the groceries that Tesco had delivered, away and I picked up a pack of toilet rolls which sent the brain into rewind again. Free gifts and toilet rolls do not naturally go together but who remembers the little plastic trains and cars that were hidden away within the centre roll of one particular brand of toilet roll? Anyone remember which brand because I cannot.

Gliders in comics, plastic Guards Bandsmen in Cornflake packets, cut out masks on the backs of Kellogg’s Corn Flake packets and Rice Krispies packets, the latest films and film star cards in chewing gum packets and many other promotional products, (I am not even going to mention the free plastic roses with Tide and OMO), in the late 1950s the high powered sell had just started to make its mark!  We were their first target. Gifts even came in comics, a flat cardboard frog inside a card envelope which could be set to make the frog spring you, the cardboard and brown paper Thunder Bangers were very popular  as were free iron on transfers and those which you soaked in water and stuck on your arm like a tattoo! There were games, magic tricks, jokes and very occasionally sweets, in fact anything to encourage us to part with our money. I cannot imagine either of my grandchildren being satisfied with a cardboard frog or a Thunderclap today, they would want to know how you plugged it in or turned it on!

Keep in touch

Peter


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I had this sent to me

Thanks for the reminder of Journey into Space. 

We three brothers boys used to cluster around the radio and listen to the weekly episodes. I was absolutely enthralled and lived every second of the broadcast with the spacemen. A few years ago one of my brothers sent me a complete set of CD's of every episode and I listened to them all over again, reliving the excitement of my boyhood.In cidentally David Jacobs the pop broadcaster featured as one or more of the voices. 
News and Views:

On this day 20th May 1960-1965

On 20/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Royal Variety Performance (ATV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 20/05/1961 the number one single was On the Rebound - Floyd Cramer and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 20/05/1962 the number one single was Nut Rocker - B Bumble & the Stingers and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 20/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 20/05/1964 the number one single was Juliet - Four Pennies and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 20/05/1965 the number one single was Where Are You Now (My Love) - Jackie Trent and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.



Friday 13 May 2016

Web Page  No 2262
13th May 2016


Top Picture: Radio Times Cover 5th Dec 1954


Second Picture: The Cast Broadcasting




Third Picture: The theme music recorded on Decca


Forth Picture: CD Cover

Journey Into Space

Journey into Space was written by Charles Chilton and ran for over 60 episodes during the 1950s and grabbed the imagination of the whole nation. When it was broadcast first on the Light Programme, it was only intended to be an eight week serial, but the success was so great that it was instantly extended to eighteen episodes, with two a week instead of the originally planned one. |The first broadcast was on 21st September 1953 (Monday evenings at 7.30pm, changing to Tuesdays for the last three episodes and the final transmission was on 19th January 1954.

The first of the three stories, OPERATION LUNA, was set in the far flung future of 1965 and told of Man's conquest of the Moon. In it, Andrew Faulds played Captain 'Jet' Morgan, David Kossoff, Lemmy, in the first three episodes. Guy Kingsley Poynter narrated the first episode and played additional crew in episodes 2 & 3, he then played the Doc from episode 4 onwards. Bruce Beeby played extra roles for the first 3 episodes, and was Mitchell for 4, 5, and 6, with Don Sharp taking over the role from episode 7 onwards. Errol Mackinnon and Mark Baker also appeared early in the serial. Music was composed and conducted by Van Phillips.

To make things a little more complicated the BBC Transcription Service, had the serial re-recorded for overseas sales in late 1957, with the serial being shortened to 13 weeks and with a slight change in the cast. This is the version that appears on the BBC cassettes and was broadcast weekly from 26th March to 18th June 1958.

In this serial Andrew Faulds and Guy Kingsley Poynter resumed their roles of Jet and Doc, with Alfie Bass taking the role of Lemmy after David Kossoff had left for a stage show, and David Williams, Mitch. Extra cast included David Jacobs and Deryck Guyler

The second serial, THE RED PLANET, was slightly longer at 20 episodes and was broadcast from 6th September 1954 to 17th June 1955. Andrew Faulds continued to play Jet, David Kossoff was Lemmy, Guy Kingsley Poynter, Doc, and Bruce Beeby as Mitch. David Jacobs and Anthony Marriott were both featured. This series was set in the early 70s and follows Jet Morgan, in his bright blue flagship Discovery, heading the fleet on a 35 milllion mile round trip to Mars.

The final part of the series, THE WORLD IN PERIL, ran to another 20 episodes, and was broadcast between 26th September 1955 and 6th February 1956.

A variety of sound effects were used in the episodes, and played a major role in the programmes. In addition to basic sounds, such as feet walking along a corridor or tunnel, more advanced effects were created, such as the mysterious haunting 'music' which is heard over the rocket's radio in many episodes. The most distinctive effect was the dramatic rocket take-off, which was played at the beginning of each episode, and whenever necessary during the episodes. This was actually a recording of a jet aircraft at Heathrow airport. Often, this would be followed by a slowly ascending tone (representing the rocket accelerating), which "was actually a recording of a thermionic valve played through an echo chamber  at the Physical Research Laboratory at Kingston". Other sound effects were created at Battersea Power Station, and the sound made by the televiewer on board Luna was actually a naval ASDIC.

The BBC had an echo chamber in the studio, which was greatly utilised during the episodes. Whenever the crew were in contact by radio with Earth control, or another distant location, the echo chamber would be applied to the voice of the remote character. Various sound effects were also created "live" in the studio. For example, in episode 8 of Journey to the Moon, the crew hear a mysterious tapping on the outside of the ship; this effect was created "by tapping the needle of the gramophone pickup head, and playing that through an echo chamber".


All the serials have been released by the BBC and are the nearest that can be found to the original broadcasts and run for nearly 21 hours in total. They can also be bought as a complete boxed set, so if you need something to fill the journey to and from work, and want to catch up on a true classic, then this is well worth it, they are available from Amazon.

By the time that the series had finished, it had been translated into 17 languages, broadcast from radio stations worldwide, was novelised, and had attracted a larger listening audience than the TV audiences of the time - the last evening radio serial ever to do that.

Keep in touch

Peter


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News and Views:

On this day 13th May 1960-1965
On 13/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1961 the number one single was Blue Moon - The Marcels and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1962 the number one single was Wonderful Land - The Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Film star Emilio Estevez born

On 13/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1964 the number one single was Don't Throw Your Love Away - Searchers and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1964 the number one single was Don't Throw Your Love Away - Searchers and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 13/05/1965 the number one single was Ticket to Ride - The Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.




Friday 6 May 2016

Web Page  No 2260
6th May 2016

Top Picture: The Classic (Essoldo Cosham)

Second Picture: The sinking of the Torrey Canyon


Third Picture: The M1 in 1961

A Survey

I recently came across this interesting survey about the 1960s, how much of it do you agree with?

When people of our age were asked what was it like to live in Britain in the sixties? Here are some of the answers

We had no mobile phones or the Internet. There were limited opportunities for travel; and for some the 60s was a time of great social change.

Firstly music in the 60s
They were  asked...
What music did you listen to? Pop, jazz or classical?
Pop was the first choice of most people who were young in the 60s. The favourites being:
The Beatles, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and Herman's Hermits

Then the Cinema
Television was very much the in thing  and cinemas were starting to close. But the cinema was still a popular pastime with many. When asked "Did you go to the cinema in the 60s? If so, which films did you see? What did you think of them?"
When asked how often did people go? The answers were
"Once a week", "Twice a week", "Yes many times", "Sometimes"
" Saturday morning for only a tanner"

What did they watch?
James Bond ("Dr No", "Goldfinger", "From Russia with Love", "Thunderball"), "Easy Rider", "The Sound of Music", "The Italian Job", "Carry On" films

Eating out was less popular than today. It was an expensive luxury. But restaurants were becoming more popular. Chinese and Indian cuisine was popular with the younger generation.
Some dining places mentioned were:
Coffee bars, Lyons Corner House, We only ate out on holiday, usually fish & chips and Devon Cream Tea once a year, Pub food, Woolworth's Café

Smoking was popular in the 60s despite health worries, 70% of men and 40% of women smoked. The most popular brand was "Embassy Filter". Woodbines were considered the cheapest cigarettes and Peter Stuyvesant was an up-market brand.

Drinking. What was your favourite drink in the sixties?
These are some of the most popular:
Men's drinks:
Watney's Red Barrel, Double Diamond, Light Ale, Pale Ale

Women's drinks:
Port & Lemon, Gin & Orange, Babycham, Snowball, Cherry Brandy, you never saw a lady with a pint!

Shopping for food. Supermarkets were new and many people still used local shops for their main shopping. Some of these shops were prepared to deliver but increasingly people preferred the better value and choice offered by the supermarkets.  Generally people in rural areas preferred local shops. However, one woman was prepared to walk three miles to the supermarket each week! Some of today's familiar names were there in the sixties - Tesco and Sainsbury. Marks & Spencer also sold food in the sixties, though it was considered expensive by some. Some names from the past were MacFisheries and Fine Fare. Tea was still Britain's favourite, but coffee was gaining ground

Consumer goods. The sixties brought a multitude of electric gadgets that made life easier and more enjoyable. At the start of the sixties three quarters of the population had a TV, by the end it was nearer 100%.
These are some of the most popular gadgets
TV, Radio, Record player, Radiogram, Reel to reel tape recorder, Washing machine (twin tub)

In the kitchen, most people had a washing machine, but it was a twin tub not an automatic. Separate spin-dryers were also common. Electrical gadgets were still considered luxuries and people had to save to buy things rather than have them on credit.

Shopping for clothes. Many people still made their own clothes but the most popular shops for ladies' clothes were Marks & Spencer, C & A, the Co-op or Lewis's. For men it was the era of the made-to-measure suit. Most people went to Burton's or John Collier.

What about the new motorways? Some found them fantastic - "awe inspiring", "marvellous" and "excellent", others went out of their way not to use them:  Service stations were not well-liked. They were expensive for petrol and food and not considered pleasant.

The Issues of the day. The big issue was Dr Beeching's pruning of under-used of branch lines. Other newsworthy items were:
CND - "Ban the Bomb" Marches, The Profumo Scandal, The death President Kennedy, The death of Winston Churchill, Harold Wilson's Labour Government, Sinking of the Torrey Canyon, 1968 student uprising in Paris, Pollution, Housing, Princess Margaret's Wedding, The Rhodesian Crisis, Apartheid in South Africa, Preparing for decimalisation, The Common Market, Biafra, The Iron Curtain, The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Prince of Wales' Investiture, 11+, Rising interest rates, Devaluation, Winning the World Cup, Manned space flight and landing on the moon

Finally what was better in the 60s than today? A slower pace of life, less pressure to succeed and lower expectations. Less traffic and quieter roads but this did not stop some horrendous traffic jams in the holiday season. Greater trust and neighbourliness and families did more together. Religion was also more important than today (although in the fifties less than ten percent of people went to church regularly). Children could play outside without too much worry. There is much greater pressure to build on land today and Britain was cleaner, there was less pollution and less noise.
When asked what was better today......there was one area many mentioned. People today have access to much better healthcare, in spite of the NHS waiting lists. Many people felt that this was a significant improvement in their lives.

Travel opportunities and cheaper air travel were mentioned. In the sixties, travel abroad was felt to be for the privileged classes only. Most people had to make do with a holiday in the UK. Automatic washing machines and dishwashers were for the few, rather than for the majority. There is greater tolerance of different racial groups now than in the sixties and a greater recognition of women's rights.

The big question.....Overall, do you think life was better in the 60s than today?

These are some of the answers:

Yes, but only because I was younger, Life was not so complicated then but more physical as there were not so many household gadgets, children could be disciplined, it was less crowded and the work culture different

One final comment was:-  "No the sixties were better. I think the teenagers of the sixties had the best of everything. Baby boomer's parents had nothing as children and wanted to shower their children with the best they could afford. The parents had broken the back of music resistance with Rock'n'Roll leaving the 60s wide open for a world change in music. And change it did, along came the pill, giving girls as much right to sex as boys!

There is no contest - now can you turn me back to 16 please! "
Keep in touch

Peter


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News and Views:

On this day 6th May 1960-1965
On 06/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Contraceptive pill becomes available in US.

On 06/05/1961 the number one single was Blue Moon - The Marcels and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 06/05/1962 the number one single was Wonderful Land - The Shadows and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 06/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 06/05/1964 the number one single was Don't Throw Your Love Away - Searchers and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 06/05/1965 the number one single was Ticket to Ride - The Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.