Wednesday 17 April 2024
Web Page 3119
13th April 2024
First Picture: Sheath Knife
Second Picture; Catapult
Third Picture: ex WW2 handgranade
Fourth Picture; Winchester Riflee
Weapons
We must have lived a charmed or sheltered life but as a group we never came across the weapons that seemed to be around in todays schools and youth clubs.
Most boys in our year carried a pen or pocket knife as these were useful for sharpening pencils or whittling away at twigs and sticks. For most boys who were in the Boy Scouts a sheath knife was normally an essential part of the uniform and were carried on the scout belt. We had access to all these knives but there was never any thought of attacking someone with them and murder was not in our vocabulary at the time. However I do remember that the Mods and Rockers and the Teddy Boys normally carried flick knives, but I never personally came across these although there were gangs around in Portsmouth.
Most of us lads had or made their own catapult, many of us would search the local trees or bushes for suitable Y shaped branches we could cut out and attach some strong elastic to. For some folks, who had more pocket money the most of us, they could go to the local tuck shop or Wynns toy shop in Drayton and purchase an aluminium catapult with the elastic fixed to the forks. I could never afford one of these so homemade catapults had to serve for both myself and my friends.
One other weapon that could be homemade was the sling shot. It may have been ok for the likes of David in the Old Testament when he slayed Goliath. However, neither I or any of my friends could ever work how to make the sling work properly.
There is another weapon that I think when we became over 12 years of age we could buy over the counter. This was either the air pistol or air rifle, using pellets or darts, the makes that I remember are Diana and BSA. Very few boys actually owned an air gun,
I was never allowed to own one which is ironic because one day whilst rooting through one of the sheds we had in the back garden, there were two sheds, one in use and the other in a derelict state. During this rooting session with a friend in the derelict one we came across an ex-World War Two army Winchester rifle this was about 1959 so it must have been there since the war and left there by the previous occupants of the house, we moved in I946. On taking it indoors my mother was horrified and that evening she insisted that my father take it to Cosham police station. I never did work out how he got it there as at that we did not have a car so he must have wrapped it up and taken it there on the bus. The mind boggles! The story does not end here because a couple of years later another friend and I discovered half a dozen or more hand grenades and shells buried in his back garden but it was up to his father to dispose of them. I understand that this particular garden, which was part of market garden, was the wartime ammunition dump for Drayton’s Home Guard during the war under the leadership of Captain Copsey.
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Peter
gsseditor@gmail.com
Wednesday 10 April 2024
Thursday 4 April 2024
Web Page 3115
30th March
First Picture: Leeds Variety theatre
Second Picture; Leonard Sachs
Third Picture: The Audience
Fourth Picture; Danny la Rue
Every weekend my parents would settle down in front of the television set to watch The Good Old Days.
The Good Old Days was a very popular BBC television programme which was produced by Barney Colehan which ran for 30 years from 20st July 1953 to 31st December 1983. (actually, Barney Colehan was the cousin of my next-door neighbour when we moved into Gosport, Colehan also owned and ran a bric a brac shop in Shanklin). Early in 1953 Barney Colehan had devised a one-off show entitled "The Story of the Music Hall" which was presented by Deryck Guyler. The programme proved so popular that it was decided to create a series under the title of "The Good Old Days”.
The Good Old Days was performed at the Leeds City Varieties theatre and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed in the style of the original artistes,
You must remember seeing that that the audience always dressed in period costume and joined in the singing, especially "Down at the Old Bull and Bush" which closed the show each week. The show was compered throughout its whole run (except for the first two shows) by Leonard Sachs, who introduced the acts from a desk situated at the side of the stage. In the course of its run it featured about 2,000 performers. Each show was up to an hour long.
The orchestra pit was deliberately visible in front of the main stage. The orchestra leader for many years was Bernard Herrmann who was a flautist and later became conductor with the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra.
The show was first broadcast on 20th July 1953 and the first two shows were compered by Don Gemmell. Early series of the show were broadcast live. The show included many regulars such as Joan Sterndale-Bennett, Tessie O'Shea, Dudley Stevens, Hattie Jacques, Loraine Hart, Ray Alan, Roy Castle, Roy Hudd, Ken Dodd, Barbara Windsor, Eartha Kitt, Danny La Rue, Hylda Baker, Les Dawson, Larry Grayson, Tommy Steele, Frankie Vaughan, Richard Hearn and Arthur Askey.
Critical to the show was not only the performers who were "in character": the entire audience was required to dress in period costume, adding greatly to the atmosphere and allowing shots of the audience to be interspersed with the acts, particularly in the multiple sing-along acts.
Out of 245 episodes, only 108 are believed to survive complete in the archives. 63 of the surviving programmes were rebroadcast on BBC Four between December 2015 and February 2018.
On 16th December 1983, Goodbye to the Good Old Days was shown, this was a documentary celebrating the end of the 30-year run that year; Barry Cryer served as narrator for the documentary. The final show aired on New Year's Eve that year.
One of the benefits of the programme, especially in the early days were appearances of several of the old music hall stars, many of these acts would have been lost for ever, stars such as Rob Wilton, Hilda Baker and Nat Jackley.
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Peter
gsseditor@gnail.com
Pictures from Carl can you fill in the gaps
Thursday 28 March 2024
Web Page 3113
23rd March
First Picture: Sooty and Harry
Second Picture; Sooty book
Third Picture: Sooty and Matthew Corbet
Fourth Picture; Sooty Record
Sooty
The Sooty Show was, created by Harry Corbett. He was a children’s entertainer and magician. the puppet was discovered by Harold Corbet in a shop in Blackpool and he started to include Sooty in his stage act. The original Sooty did not have black ears, they came later. On his break into television he produced Sooty programmes for the BBC from 1955 to 1967, and then for ITV from 1968 until 1992. The show, part of the Sooty franchise, always focused on the mischievous adventures of the glove puppet character, alongside his friends Sweep and Soo, and their handler. Between 1955 and 1975, Harry Corbett presented the programme until his retirement, before it was taken over by his son Matthew Corbett. It also co-starred Marjorie Corbett, Harrys wife, as the voice of Soo from the character's debut in 1964, until her retirement in 1981, whereupon Brenda Longman replaced her.
The show originally focused on a sketch-based format featuring slapstick comedy, music, and stories, along with additional puppet characters, and later the incorporation of a studio audience. In 1981, Matthew changed the format towards a sitcom setting, in which he and the characters lived within a country cottage and engaged in a new adventure in each episode. The new arrangement retained some elements from the original format such as songs.
The Sooty Show proved a success with children's television, due to the popularity of Sooty, as well as several stage shows, and a spin-off educational series titled Learn With Sooty. In 1967,Harry Corbett fell into disagreement with BBC producers over the presentation of the programme, and he signed a deal with ITV to move The Sooty Show to their channel.
The Sooty Show proved popular with children and helped to develop the Sooty franchise, culminating in the formation of additional television programmes that would run on the format brought in by Matthew Corbett in the 1980s. After the programme's conclusion, it was followed with a sequel in 1993, titled Sooty & Co.. The programme also spawned an educational spin-off series for young children, titled Learn With Sooty, that was produced for the direct-to-video market between 1989 and 1991, and several stage shows involving the puppets, Matthew, and Connie Creighton. Its early success led to it receiving a short-run comic strip based on the character, for the children's magazine Playhour between 1960 and 1961, drawn by Gordon Hutchings.
Outside the UK, the show was also given international broadcasts in other countries: these included ABC in Australia; TVNZ in New Zealand; and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States.
Wednesday 20 March 2024
Thursday 14 March 2024
Web Page 3109
9th March
First Picture: Paul Jones
Second Picture; Manfred Mann
Third Picture: The Blues Band
Fourth Picture; Solent Road School
Paul Jones
It was great to hear Jools Holland introduce Paul Jones as Paul from Portsmouth during his New Years Eve Hootenanny. We tend to forget that he is a local lad. As a child he lived in St Helens Road in Drayton and attended Solent Road school under his given name Paul Adrian Pond. I must have been in my second or third year at Solent Road when he was in the top year before moving on to the Portsmouth Grammar School.
Paul was born on 24th February 1942. He first came to prominence as the original lead singer and harmonicist of Manfred Mann (1962–66) with whom he had several hit records including "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "Pretty Flamingo".
After leaving the band, he established a solo career and in 1979, he formed The Blues Band, and toured with them until their breakup in 2022. He presented The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2 for thirty-two years, from 1986 to 2018, and continues to perform alongside former Manfred Mann bandmates in The Manfreds
In 1967, Jones starred opposite model Jean Shrimpton in the 1967 film Privilege directed by Peter Watkins. He was cast as a pop singer and sang the songs "I've Been a Bad, Bad Boy" and "Free me.
In January 1968, he was part of the "Big Show" package tour of Australia and New Zealand with The Who and Small Faces. #
In 1973 Jones guest appeared in ITC The Protectors, in an episode called "Goodbye George. In 1975 he guest-starred in an episode of The Sweeney ("Chalk and Cheese") as Tommy Garret, a boxer-turned-highwayman. In 1976 he performed the role of Juan Peron on the original concept album of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita alongside Julie Covington as Eva, Colm Wilkinson as Che and Barbara Dickson as the Mistress. In October 1977, he starred as Sir Francis Drake in the musical premiere of Drake's Dream featuring music and lyrics by Lynne and Richard Riley and book by Simon Brett.
On 4th May 2009, he and his harmonica featured in a song during a concert by Joe Bonamassa at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
In January 2018, it was announced that he would be replaced as presenter of BBC Radio 2's Blues Show by Cerys Matthews in mid-May. His last broadcast as presenter was on 23 April 2018.
He was first married (1963–1976) to novelist and reviewer Sheila MacLeod. There were two sons from the marriage, Matthew and Jacob. He is now married to the former actress and latterly Christian speaker, Fiona Hendley-Jones. They met whilst both acting at the National Theatre.
He converted to Christianity in the mid-1980s as a result of being invited by Cliff Richard to a Luis Palau evangelistic event.
Griff Writes:-
A couple of weeks ago Peter was talking about Ever Ready batteries and radios. In 1958 my Dad bought an Ever Ready "Sky Leader " portable transistor radio to go on holiday with to Cornwall for a family holiday and as was the tradition back then it was a holiday on a holiday grass field caravan site, none of your posh mobile (but static!) homes in those far off days. I remember this radio so well mainly due to the No.1 record being played back then and it was "Dream Lover" sung by Bobby Darin on the radio at least 3 times a day. I was word lyric perfect on this song before the end of the holiday and I still am. I kept this family radio up until about 7 years ago, still in very nice condition and fully working but I sold it on to a radio collector as it became part of my big clear out. The problem with all these early transistor radio's was the thumping great Ever Ready 9 volt battery it required to power it. Whenever I hear Dream Lover being played today it takes me right back to that August holiday at Carbis Bay, Cornwall and the hot 2 weeks we had there. Sadly no photo's exist of the holiday or I believe were taken at the time.
Melvyn (Griff) Griffiths. PS. Sorry if you will all be singing "Dream Lover" in your head after reading this........lol
Stay in touch
Peter
GSSeditor@gamil.com
Thursday 7 March 2024
Web Page 3107
2nd March
First Picture: X shaped TV aerial
Second Picture; H shaped TV aerial
Third Picture: Indoor aerial
Fourth Picture; Terry Thomas
Television Aerials
I do not know about you but we did not have television at home until 1954 which meant that we all had to go over the road to the Hill’s home to see the Coronation with their family. One Saturday a year or so later my father must have gone into the Radio Rentals shop in Cosham High Street to arrange to hire a TV set. He said that as television was still new so would not buy a set so decided to rent one. Needless to say we were all excited as the deliver date approached and eventually the new 17” Sobell set was delivered and was installed in a corner by the fireplace. The downside was that we were told that the aerial installers were so overworked that they would not get to us for about three weeks. So, there was the set sat in the corner but unusable.
My father was trained as a radio engineer, in fact he did his apprenticeship in Martins electrical shop in Cosham High street just past the level crossing before moving on the His Masters Voice in Newbury and eventually taking a position in Portsmouth Dockyard . However, he had no experience of television but on hearing of the delay erecting the aerial he disappeared into the shed and came out with an old brass curtain rail with a length wire soldered to the end. He placed the curtain rail behind the TV set and fixed the wire into the aerial input socket with a spent match, and believe it or not he managed to get us a fuzzy ghostly picture. All this had to be dismantled a couple weeks later when the aerial erection team arrived to put up the St Andrews cross aerial on our chimney stack with the coaxial cable running down the roof and through a special drilled hole in the front room window frame into the living room. Ours was a large X shaped aerial but there were also those in the shape of an H. (Do you remember that the actor Terry Thomass sported a cigarette holder in the shape of a H shaped aerial enabling him to smoke four cigarettes at once). This situation stayed in place until my parents moved out of the house 20 years later.
When Pam and I first moved to Gosport in the late 1960’s we suffered with an indoor aerial until one lunchtime whilst I was wandering through the undergrowth surrounding Knowle Hospital I found an outdoor aerial and yards of cable dumped in a thorn bush. I extracted the aerial and cable took it home and put it into a downstairs gutter sprout, took the cable through the house to the TV set and it worked perfectly and there it stayed until we went onto cable many years later.
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Peter
gsseditor@gmail.com
Thursday 29 February 2024
Web Page 3105
23rd February 2024
First Picture: Ever Ready bell battery
Second Picture; Ever Ready Torch
Third Picture: Ever Ready Radio
Fourth Picture; Ever Ready cycle lamp and battery
Batteries
When we were young there were only three companies that supplied
us with batteries for torches etc so I thought I would look at the most popular.
The British Ever Ready Electrical Company (BEREC) was a British firm formed in 1906 as the export branch of the American Eveready Battery Company. In 1914 it became independent of its American parent company and functioned independently. For decades the firm dominated the UK battery market and had several factories in the UK, the largest of which at Tanfield Lea, County Durham, in 1968. Other factories included Dawley, Four Ashes, Maldon, Newburn, London (Victoria Works, Forest Road and from 1936, the St Ann's Works in Harringay) and Park Lane, Wolverhampton. The company's research was centred upon the Central Laboratories in St. Ann's Road, Harringay. The company's head office was Ever Ready House in Whetstone, London. Overseas manufacturing sites included South Africa, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Jamaica. The company was the subject of a hostile takeover by Hanson Trust in 1981. Upon acquiring the company the Hanson Trust closed factories, cut jobs and sold the German and Italian subsidiaries to Duracell. Shortly before this the British Ever Ready Electrical Company changed its name to Berec Group. From the 1950s the BEREC name was only used for exports of batteries and radio sets (as British Ever Ready Export Company). One of Hanson's first decisions was to revert from BEREC to Ever Ready as the UK brand. In 1992, the company was sold by Hanson Trust to Ralston Purina, owners of the American Eveready company, and is now a part of Energizer Holdings. The company closed its Tanfield Lea centre, it was last UK factory, this was in 1996. Production of some Ever Ready batteries (PP6, PP7 and PP9) continued in the UK until 1999 by Univercell Battery Company, near the old Dawley factory, using the original Ever Ready machinery.
The company was also a producer of torches and bicycle lamps. They manufactured radios from 1934 up until 1964. With the 1922 founder of Lissen forming Vidor in 1934, Ever Ready took over Lissen completely. Many models of radio set were manufactured in both Lissen and Ever Ready versions until 1941, when the Blitz ended production. From 1942 until 1945 only one Ever Ready radio model was produced. In 1981 three "offshore" models were produced, one from Hong Kong and two from Malaysia.
Tanfield Lea. wis a small village with a large factory, where batteries were made, the factory employed 1,500 people and produced more than 3 million batteries a day. Now it employs 200, makes half a million units a day, and is Ever Ready's last outpost.
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Peter
gsseditor@gmailcom
Thursday 22 February 2024
Web Page 3103
16th February 2024
First Picture: Tin of Elastoplast
Second Picture; Tube of Salvon
Third Picture: Wrights Coal Tar Inhaler
Fourth Picture: Lucozade Advert
Medical Things
When we were young and living at home Mum always kept a well-stocked medical box or tin for use when we injured ourselves. A box that contained all sorts of country remedies plus the usual proprietary medical products. As my mother was an ex assistant hospital matron (she had to leave nursing when she married as was the norm in those days) hers had plenty of professional and unusual medical items.
But what did the normal box contain here are some items I remember. Surgical scissors and tweezers, little gold safety pins, Elastoplast dressings for the scratched and bruised knees plus the shiny waterproof version Sleek. For the more serious injury out would come the little brown glass bottle of iodine which we all knew meant a stinging sensation would follow when it was applied using a cotton wool ball and it would leave a yellow stain on the skin but mum thought it was important. When it came to minor injuries the medicants of choice were often a tube of Savlon or a tin of Germoline whilst Golden Eye Ointment and Optrex with its eye bath were the major treatment for anything optical. Olive oil for earache was common and Zambuck for pain relief and every first aid kit always contained a thermometer and a packet of cotton wool and lint.
Mother always had a plentiful supply of bandages and dressings, slings, medical pads and eye patches. I assume many of them came from her nursing days. I particularly remember one very large sling with many types of bandages illustrated on it. There was also a medical book but it contained lots of words that I did not understand then and still do not so I left it alone.
The one thing that I really do remember about being ill at home is that it was the only time I was allowed to have Lucozade, I loved it. Another thing that I remember is when my mother applied a bread poultice to some part of my body, I don’t remember where or what it was for but I know I did not like it. The poultice was normally applied to draw out any infection from an injury, but what infection I had or what the injury was I really do not remember.
The other medicant that I remember is the Wright Coal Tar Inhaler which was set up in my bedroom at night when I had a cold. The other medicant at this time was the dreaded Vick Vapour Rub or Inhaler
Aspirin, Andrews Liver Salts, Alka Selter and many small bottles with preparations mixed together by the local chemist, the word pharmacist was rarely used in those days.
Jonathon writes:-
Liquorice All sorts are my very very favourite sweets Its quite amazing how a packet ALWAYS accidentally falls into the trolley at our local supermarket usually in the queue aisle where it is narrow and I guess my trolley knocks them off the little display hooks.
I prefer the South African Beacon sweets to the Basset ones in the UK.
As we spend 6 months each year in Johannesburg I get lots of opportunity. My favourites are the mini sorts.....they last longer. The best of all are the ones covered in hundreds and thousands and the all liquorice cylindrical ones.
Mary Writes:-
Just love these Allsorts sweets but these days limit my sugar intake. In 1992 I went to Australia to visit my sister in law & family & was asked to bring some. She says that the ones in Australia aren`t the same. She was very pleased with them. My son has also taken some out to her. On visits to the UK we make sure that some are ready & waiting.
Griff Writes:-
Peter has just written an article on Bassett liquorice allsorts and Bertie Bassett, the figure made up of liquorice all-sorts which has to be one of the all time best advertising figures ever known. Here is my association with Bertie Basset and my story.
I was an aircraft engineering technical officer back in the 1990's working for the MOD at RAF Boscombe Down at the Empire Test Pilots School where top RAF pilots were trained to be test pilots, a very coveted job and highly skilled pilot job in the RAF. My main aircraft responsibility was to look after all engineering aspects of a BAC 1-II with a small team of aircraft engineers. The BAC 1-11 was used mainly for training test pilots on how to recover from a stall and the flat spin that would follow but enough of that aircraft. I also had, as a sideline the responsibility of an aircraft known as a Beagle Bassett which was brought into service every year in the Summer to train mainly Indian pilots stall warning characteristics and stall recovery procedures for a twin engine aircraft
The Bassett sweet company somehow got to know about this aircraft at Boscombe and a 12" exact copy figure of Bertie Basset was produced to fly with the aircraft and he was ceremonially positioned on a hook at the back bulkhead of the cockpit as the aircraft mascot. Needless to say the pilots loved this mascot and our very own "Bertie Basset" always flew with the aircraft. I left Boscombe Down in 1995 for pastures new, so, is Bertie Bassett still flying and smiling at the two front pilots?.........I would like to think so.
Picture No.1 Boscombe Bertie Bassett.
Picture No.2 Boscombe BAC 1-11
Melvyn (Griff) Griffiths,
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Peter
gsseditor@gmail.com
Wednesday 14 February 2024
Web Page 3101
9th February 2024
First Picture: Allsorts
Second Picture; Bertie Basset
Third Picture: The Bassett factory
Fourth Picture: Bertie and Betty Bassett wedding
Liquorice Allsorts
As we all know Liquorice Allsorts are made up of assorted liquorice confectionery sold as a mixture. Made of liquorice, sugar, coconut, aniseed jelly, fruit flavourings, and gelatine, they were first produced in Sheffield, England, by Geo. Bassett & Co Ltd.
Allsorts are produced by many companies around the world, but are most popular in Europe, especially Britain and the Netherlands, where they are called Engelse drop, meaning English liquorice. They are also common in Scandinavia, where they are called Engelsk konfekt or Lakridskonfekt, and in Finland, where they are called Englannin lakritsi. South African confectionery giant Beacon produces substantial quantities of the product, selling it locally and exporting it to Australia, Canada, and Portugal.
In 1899, Charlie Thompson, a Bassett's sales representative, supposedly tripped over and dropped a tray of samples he was showing a client in Leicester, mixing up the various sweets. After he scrambled to re-arrange them, the client was intrigued by the new creation. Quickly the company began to mass-produce the allsorts and they became a successful product.]
Bassett's have released two varieties of allsorts that do not feature any liquorice. Fruit Allsorts feature mixed-fruit flavoured sweets, while Dessert Allsorts have flavours such as apple tart and lemon cheesecake. Both retain the shapes and textures of the original sweet. Red allsorts, with fruit-flavoured liquorice, were briefly released in the late 1990s, discontinued and later reintroduced to the UK with flavours including Blueberry Cube, Strawberry Check, and a red liquorice "Betty Bassett".
The original items mixed by Thompson were "chips, rocks, buttons, nuggets, plugs and twists". It is not clear which, if any, correspond to Bassett's traditional allsorts, though certainly newer items have been introduced, such as the Bertie.
The Bassett's company mascot is Bertie Bassett, a figure made up of liquorice allsorts, which has become a part of British popular culture. The character's origins lie with advertising copywriter Frank Regan, who used the sweets and a number of pipe-cleaners to construct what was the original version of Bertie]/ One of the sweets in the modern day allsorts mix is a liquorice figure shaped like Bertie.
The Doctor Who television serial episode The Happiness Patrol featured a villain called the Kandy Man, who was made from liquorice allsorts and was thought by some to resemble Bertie Bassett. Although an internal investigation concluded that the programme had not infringed on Bassett's trademark, the BBC promised Bassett's that the Kandy Man would not appear again.
In the 2001 satirical comedy film Mike Bassett: England Manager, the figure of Bertie Bassett appears in a short scene on a newspaper with the headline "Bassett's Allsorts".
As a publicity stunt, Bassett's staged a mock wedding between actors dressed as Bertie and Betty Bassett, another character composed of confectionery, at its Sheffield factory, in February 2009.
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Peter
GSSeditor@gmail.com
Wednesday 7 February 2024
Web Page 3099
2nd February 2024
First Picture: Tessie O’Shea
Second Picture; With the Beatles
Third Picture: With Ken Dodd
Fourth Picture: Her 78rpm record
Two Ton Tessie O’Shea
When we were growing up a fair amount of the variety on television involved quite a few of the old music hall stars. Tessie O’Shay was one of them.
Tessie O'Shea was born at 61 Plantagenet Street in Riverside, Cardiff to newspaper wholesaler James Peter O'Shea, who had been a soldier and who was the son of Irish emigrants, and his wife Nellie Theresa Carr. She was brought up in the British music hall tradition and performed on stage as early as age six, billed as "The Wonder of Wales". When staying at Weston-super-Mare as a child, she got lost and was only discovered when her mother heard her singing the Ernie Mayne hit, "An N'Egg and some N'Ham and some N'Onion".
By her teens she was known for her BBC Radio broadcasts and appeared on stages in Britain and South Africa. She frequently finished her act by singing and playing a banjolele in the style of George Formby. While appearing in Blackpool in the 1930s, she capitalised on her size by adopting "Two Ton Tessie from Tennessee" as her theme song. In the 1940s, she was a frequent headliner at the London Palladium, and established herself as a recording artist in the 1950s.
In 1963, Noël Coward created the part of the fish and chips peddler "Ada Cockle" specifically for her in his Broadway musical, The Girl Who Came to Supper. Her performance of traditional Cockney tunes charmed the critics and helped win her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
In 1963, O'Shea was a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show. She was popular enough that she came back in 1964 and shared the billing with the Beatles. Their joint appearance drew what was then the largest audience in the history of American television, helping bring her to American audiences. She was a member of the repertory company on the short-lived CBS variety show The Entertainers (1964–65). In 1968, She was cast in the television movie The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama.
In December 1970 and January 1971, she entertained American troops in Vietnam with versions of her musical act. On December 24, 1970 she performed for troops at Long Binh and took time afterwards to greet each soldier and wish them "Happy Christmas".
She starred in a short-lived British sitcom As Good Cooks Go, which ran from 1969 to 1970. She appeared in films including London Town, The Blue Lamp, The Shiralee and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. She regularly appeared on BBC Television's long running variety show, The Good Old Days.
She died of congestive heart failure at age 82, at her home in East Lake Weir, Marion County, Florida. Her life was celebrated in the BBC Two documentary Two Ton Tessie!, first broadcast in March 2011.
She was aptly and affectionately dubbed "Two Ton Tessie" not only for her plentiful girth but for the tons of talent she possessed as one of the British Isle's most beloved, unabashed music hall entertainers. Give her an audience and bawdy Tessie O'Shea could have them on their feet in seconds flat.
Wednesday 31 January 2024
Web Page 3097
26th January 2024
First Picture: Old English Advert
Second Picture; Spangles selection
Third Picture: Spangles Lemonade
Fourth Picture: William Boyd Hopalong Cassidy
Spangles
I had not noticed that Spangles had disappeared from our sweet shop shelves. Had you?
Spangles were was a brand of boiled sweets manufactured by Mars Ltd from 1950 to the early 1980s. They were sold in a paper packet with individual sweets originally unwrapped but later cellophane wrapped. They were distinguished by their shape which was a rounded square with a circular depression on each face.
When Spangles were introduced in 1950, sweets were still on ration, and the price of sweets had to be accompanied by points from one's ration book, but Spangles required only one point instead of the two required for other sweets and chocolate. This bonus, accompanied by effective marketing, made Spangles even more popular. American actor William Boyd was chosen to front the advertising campaign as the character he made famous in numerous cowboy films, Hopalong Cassidy, along with the slogan "Hoppy's favourite sweet" Another slogan was "The sweet way to go gay!"
During the early 1970s Mars Ltd commissioned a redesign of the packaging using a ‘funky’ period and appropriate bespoke typeface. The new typeface and packaging designs were created by Neville Uden.
Spangles were discontinued in 1984, and briefly reintroduced in 1995, including in Woolworths outlets in the UK, though only four varieties were available – tangerine, lime, blackcurrant and Old English. There are many nostalgic references to them from children who grew up with them. In 2008, Spangles topped a poll of discontinued brands which British consumers would most like to see revived.
Today the Tunes brand is the only remaining relation of the Spangles brand, sharing the shape and wrapping of the original product.
The regular Spangles packet (labelled simply "Spangles") contained a variety of translucent, fruit-flavoured sweets: strawberry, blackcurrant, orange, pineapple, lemon and lime, and cola. Originally the sweets were not individually wrapped, but later a waxed paper, and eventually a cellophane wrapper was used. The tube was striped, a bright orange-red colour alternating with silver. It bore the word "Spangles" in large letters. In the 1970s, a distinctive, seventies-style font was used.
Over the production period many different, single flavour varieties were introduced including Acid Drop, Barley Sugar, Blackcurrant, Liquorice, Peppermint, Spearmint and Tangerine. A white mint Spangle, complete with hole, was produced as a competitor to the Polo mint.
The Old English Spangles packet contained "traditional English" flavours. The standard line-up was liquorice (black), mint humbug (brown), pear drop (orange/red), aniseed (green) and treacle (opaque mustard yellow), but other flavours appeared from time to time. The sweets' individual wrappers were striped, distinguishing them from regular Spangles. The tube was black, white and purple, and designed for a more mature and sophisticated clientele than the regular variety.
At one point a mystery flavour was released where the wrappers had question marks on them and you would be invited to guess the flavour. The flavour was eventually revealed as Fruit Cocktail.
Spangles were mentioned in The Kinks' song "Art Lover", from their 1981 album, Give the People What They Want. In 1977, the British novelty pop band Lieutenant Pigeon released an instrumental single titled "Spangles". The Fall song "It's A Curse" on their album The Infotainment Scan, also includes a reference to Spangles.
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Peter
GSSEditor@gmail.com
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