Web Page  No 2240

25^th February 2016

Top Picture: Full Page Cliff Richard spread from Rave magazine

Second Picture: Front cover of Jackie magazine

 Third Picture: Roxy Magazine from 1960.

When we were teenagers

It's February 1963. The Beatles are No 2 in the charts with ‘Please Please Me’ and it's time to meet the press. An anonymous reporter from the magazine Boyfriend goes off to interview them for "an exclusive scoop" and her impressions are revealing: "their sound, although novel, isn't exactly a revolution. But there's something about it, a strange compelling something”. 

She wrote.

"They are almost frightening-looking young men," she continues, " The funny thing is that when they smile - not often - they look perfectly wholesome and nice. But the rest of the time they look wicked and dreadful and distinctly evil, in an 18th-century sort of way. "

Published three weeks after a ground-breaking piece in London's Evening Standard ("Why the Beatles Create All That Frenzy"), the Boyfriend article ("Pop A La Mod") was one of the first in-depth articles about the group. It was well-written, informative and made it clear just how weird the Beatles were when they first arrived.

As a magazine aimed at young women, with colour pin-ups, ads for cosmetics and hair lacquer, and plentiful picture stories, Boyfriend picked up on the hysteria surrounding the Beatles and invested heavily in the British pop boom that they helped to create.

In summer 1963 the magazine produced "Big New Beat", the first of several pop supplements "about the Northern Raves". The Beatles were on the cover, standing amid the rubble of Euston Road. Inside were candid close-ups taken in April 1963 in fact one shot from the session was used by EMI for the front cover of the Beatles' Twist and Shout EP released in July 1963.

There was a new show at the National Gallery, Beatles to Bowie: the 60s Exposed, it featured contact sheets from that day, along with dozens of other photographs not previously.

Between 1963 and early 1967, Britain had an incredibly vigorous pop and teen press, with at least a dozen weeklies and/or monthlies all vying to bring their readers the latest news, gossip and interviews. Selling between 70,000 (Record Mirror) up to 200,000 (Fabulous, the New Musical Express) a week, this reflected the spike in singles sales reaching a peak of more than 70m in 1964.

During the late 1950s, the American consumer society had spread throughout Britain. In an era of plentiful jobs, teenagers had double the spending power that they had in 1939. Temporarily free of responsibilities, they bought a wide range of cosmetics, magazines, clothes, soft drinks, cinema tickets, and most of all records.

By the early 1960s, there were already several weeklies catering to the teenage female market - Marilyn, Mirabelle, Romeo, Roxy, and Valentine. The newer titles were more pop-heavy: as well as "love scene" picture stories and problem pages, there were colour photos of Elvis, Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, John Leyton and Eden Kane. Of these, there were several. Launched in 1926, Melody Maker was the longest-running covering jazz, folk and blues, it was not pure pop. This was covered by the New Musical Express (est. 1952), Record Mirror (est. 1953) and Disc (est. 1958). All were black and white with weekly charts and news aimed at young men as well as women.

Two new weeklies were launched in January 1964. Jackie, a streamlined version of Boyfriend: but with larger pages and unusual, candid shots of stars: by the late 60s, its circulation was up to half a million.

Fabulous was a completely new pop paper and it contained at least one pin-up of the Beatles in every issue for two years. 11 colour pages and a central double-page poster all helped it sell. It cost one shilling, and was pricier than the competition but it had more pages, better quality paper. It also introduced a direct rapport between the stars and their audience. In an all-Beatles 1964 edition, there were articles about how the Beatles got away from the fans after a show, a breakdown of Paul, Ringo, George and John's height, weight, eye colour, inside leg etc. It saw pop not just for teenagers but as part of something wider. Fashion was given prominence and a double page spread the Beatles in corduroy jackets and then told the reader where to buy them - cut for the young female shape of course.

At 2s 6d, Rave was five times as expensive as the weekly music papers, but contained 80 A4 pages monthly on excellent quality paper. The first issue showed the Beatles with 007 badges. Inside were Dusty's fashion tips, a feature on star holidays and a regular monthly event, DJ Alan Freeman's "Heart to Heart2 with a heart throb. Rave went further articles about Stuart Sutcliffe, the lost Beatle.

Like Fabulous, Rave prominently featured young women writers. Cathy McGowan was a regular, however, if the ads for guitars were anything to go by, Rave also appealed to young men and it acquired a circulation of 125,000 by 1966.

1966 was the year of change. Singles' sales dropped by 10m. The papers began to feature stories about star exhaustion and their unavailability, concentrating on the Kinks, the Who and the Rolling Stones. A new generation of more cheerful groups arrived the Troggs, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, the Monkees.

The motion of the 60s was beginning to falter. Sentimental ballads returned with a vengeance, while the drug culture began to take an effect.

It was time for another change. During 1966, Fabulous became Fabulous 208; Boyfriend merged with the newly launched Petticoat, Marilyn with Valentine. Disc joined forces with Music Echo  and went colour on the front and back pages. There were new countercultural magazines. Some of these were short-lived such as Oz and Rolling Stone and a revamped New Musical Express followed.

The freshness of the high 60s is now well over 50 years away, but you old copies of Rave, Disc and Fabulous still regularly surface. It's the nearest you'll get to reliving the 60s as they happened.

In the 60s, pop wasn't simply the preserve of the teen mags. In March 1966, the Observer Magazine published a story about the Who. It concentrated on the business brains behind the band's rise: manager Kit Lambert and his partner, Chris Stamp. The writer later declared that he was more a fan of classical music; but when he got to know the Who, he got to like them."

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

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News and Views:

Griff points out this Highbury Celebration

http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Hampshire/Portsmouth/PO6/News/Local-News/295631-Church-Plans-Double-Celebration-for-Highbury-Community

On this day 25th February 1960-1965

On 25/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. 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 USSR wins Winter Olympics

On 25/02/1961 the number one single was Sailor - Petula Clark and the number one album was Tottenham Hotspur. The top rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £not very interesting and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada).

On 25/02/1962 the number one single was Rock-a-Hula Baby/Can't Help Falling In Love - 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. The big news story of the week was John Glenn is 1st US astronaut to orbit earth.

On 25/02/1963 the number one single was The Wayward Wind - Frank Ifield 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 25/02/1964 the number one single was Diane - Bachelors and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Labour 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 25/02/1965 the number one single was I'll Never Find Another You - Seekers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. 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 day was Goldie the Eagle escapes London Zoo.

Web Page  No 2238

18^th February 2016

Top Picture: The family gathered around the radio

 Second Picture: Daphne Oxenford

Third Picture: The Listen with Mother story book.

Listen with Mother

When we were very young, before television had invaded our homes, the highlight of the day for young children such as us was ‘Listen with Mother’ on the radio. Eagerly children sat around the radio all waiting to hear the words:- the time is quarter to two. This is the BBC Light Programme for mothers and children at home. Are you ready for the music? When it stops ………. will be here to speak to you.  Then came the very distinctive chimes of the Berceuse from Faure’s Dolly Suite.

The programme was first broadcast within our lifetime on 16th January 1950 on the 'Light' programme although it was later transferred to the 'Home Service’. Most of us at that time were in the under-fives bracket then so we were the ideal audience.

The 15-minute programme consisted of stories, songs and nursery rhymes for children under the age of 5 (and their mothers). We would all sit down round the radio five minutes before the programme started and waited in high anticipation. It was on the air every weekday and at its peak, it had an audience of more than a million listeners.

Each story section of the programme began with the familiar phrase: 'Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin'. Regular presenters and story readers included Daphne Oxenford and Dorothy Smith, who each contributed to the programme for more than 20 years, before it ended in 1982.

The producer of the programme always had in in the back of his mind a home situation with just a single child or a couple of children in the intimate setting of the home, with or without mother, although the programme was called ‘Listen with Mother’ mother was not obligatory.

For the young children of the early 1950s this was a magical time and many of them really did believe that the storyteller is inside that magic box in the corner; although it was reported that many children had asked their mothers, ‘How can they get a piano into such a small box?’

Many children believed that the storyteller could actually hear them and that he or she could hear their replies. Almost every child believed that it was an individual programme broadcast just for him or for her.

To anyone who didn't grow up in the 1950s and 60s it is difficult to explain how such a basic formula captivated such a large audience for 15 minutes after lunch, slotted in before mum finished the washing up and sat down to Woman's Hour at 2pm and did so for over thirty years.

However it wasn't only the children who listened in, but seamen on board ship were also regular listeners, as were the occupants of Buckingham Palace. Broadcasting was in its infancy when the programme first began and the music and stories were recorded onto 78 rpm records which had a yellow crayon mark showing where to put the needle down. The presenters were of course properly dressed in something like a tweed suit and they sat in front of the famous BBC 'lollypop microphone. The women presenters were not allowed to wear trousers in the BBC until 1971.

One of the original presenters, Daphne Oxenford, died peacefully at the age of 93 in December 2012, she was the original voice of ‘Are you sitting comfortably?’ He was a trained actress and during her broadcasting career she played many parts and was one of the original cast members of Coronation Street, playing Esther Hayes who kept leaving the Street and coming back for several years latterly she was also a cast member of Midsomer Murders until 2008.

She also forged a long partnership with comedian Les Dawson, appearing as his comic foil both on the TV sketch show The Dawson Watch and the Radio 2 series, Listen to Les.

After her husband died in 2003 she moved to Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors, in Northwood, Middlesex. She continued to work until 2008, filming her last role alongside David Tennant in the Doctor Who episode The Unicorn and the Wasp. She played an elderly Dame Agatha Christie, but her scenes were cut from the episode as broadcast (they were later released on DVD). She is survived by her two daughters, Kate and Sophie (whose Godmother was Joyce Grenfell who was a close personal friend. , and two grandsons.

The programme transferred to the Home Service during the 60's but the audience numbers diminished over the years with the advent of Watch with Mother and the programme finally ended in 1982. In fact Eileen Browne, an early presenter, later moved to "Watch with Mother" and provided the voice of "Jenny" in "The Woodentops".

Even in those early days of radio entertainment for the very young the BBC saw a financial opportunity and issued Listen with Mother story books.

Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

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Another Poem from Bett this time about school

I remember, I remember those happiest days                                                         When Summer was longer, glimpsed now through a haze                                    Veiled by time, all memories sweet                                                                        Even the sour ones cannot defeat                                                                            That treasure from childhood I now hold dear                                                       From memories we should have nothing to fear                                                                                                              

 Can you see me now as I skip along                                            

 Over the railway bridge, humming a song                                                            Up to the bus stop, I'd wait for Jen there                                                               Then off to the sweet shop to spend my fare                                                          On two penny lollies and then we'd walk                                                               Or I'd scoot her bike alongside while we'd talk

You walked or cycled, your way to school                                                            No parents drove you, that wasn't cool                                                                  But Jen and I were sometimes late                       

We'd try to sneak quietly in through the gate                                                        And if you were caught, Miss Pipe was there                                                       She could frighten you, merely with a stare

I'd walk home with Chris up Drayton Lane                                                And then later on, walk back down again                                                 Along Scholars Walk to an evening class                                                 For our O-levels, hoping to get a good pass

Oh yes, I remember those days long ago                                    

My personal treasures for when I am low                                                     These treasures from childhood I now hold dear                                            From memories we should have nothing to fear

©  Bett Plummer (Seymour) 30-31.01.16    All rights reserved

Maureen Writes:

I loved David Kossoff as Lemmie in Journey into space, he was my favourite character and I was always eager to sit my the radio for every instalment.  I also loved his story telling, all so simple and easy to understand for a child or an adult and I still have his book called "You have a minute, Lord?" described as "A sort of prayer book", I used it for the Brownies as it is his talks with the Lord about everyday things and usually starts with 'Lord, you have a minute'.  Lovely man and so sad at the needless loss of his son Paul, there is a section in the book dedicated to Paul and he is trying to make sense of his loss by talking to The Lord as if they were sitting drinking coffee by the fireside.

I am so glad you have the sort of mind that can stir the memories that I thought were long forgotten.  A couple of weeks ago my eldest daughter spent a couple of days with me and we got out the projector and looked at all the slides from my Mother's collection and the slides my husband had taken during the early years of our marriage - that really brought back memories and it was fascinating to recall the clothes we were wearing in the late sixties/early seventies.

 

News and Views:

Griff points out this Highbury Celebration

http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Hampshire/Portsmouth/PO6/News/Local-News/295631-Church-Plans-Double-Celebration-for-Highbury-Community

On this day 18th February 1960-1965

On 18/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. 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 EMI's last coarse-groove 78 rpm record was issued

On 18/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley 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 18/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & 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 week was unknown Sean Connery cast as 007 in Dr No

On 18/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) 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. Liz Taylor films Cleopatra

On 18/02/1964 the number one single was Diane - Bachelors and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) 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. The big news story of the week was Malcolm X visits Cassius Clay's training camp

On 18/02/1965 the number one single was Tired of Waiting For You - The Kinks and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. 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.

Web Page  No 2236

11^th February 2016

Top Picture: Peggy Mount

 Second Picture: David Kossoff

Third Picture: The Larkins

The Larkins

The Larkins was created by Fred Robinson and had initially been written ten years earlier for an amateur production of a local scout troop. However after several rewrites Ada and Alf Larkin soon became one of the best known TV married couples in the country

Peggy Mount had gained enormous success with her portrayal of the loud-mouthed battle-axe of a mother-in-law from hell in the stage play and film of Sailor Beware! ATV saw the role of East End housewife Ada Larkin as ideal for her and she was quick to suggest David Kossoff as her downtrodden husband Alf. Also signed for the show were Ruth Trouncer and Ronan O’Casey as the Larkins’ married daughter and ex-G.I. son-in-law (Joyce and Jeff Rogers) with Shaun O’Riordan playing teenager Eddie Larkin.  

The Larkins  was a hit from the start. Loudmouthed Ada and her timid husband Alf welcomed son Eddie back from his stint in national service, spent mainly in London so he could go home at the weekends, and set about finding him a job.

Alf was the manager of a works canteen while Ada was busily engaged with nosy neighbour Hetty.

So popular was the initial run of six episodes that The Larkins were back for a Boxing day special a couple of months later and a follow up season a mere six weeks after that. By the time of a third series the team had also filmed a movie spinoff for cinema release. Called Inn for Trouble (the plot centring on Alf and Ada running a pub), most of the TV cast were joined by Carry-On regulars Leslie Phillips and Charles Hawtrey, A.E. Matthews, Stanley Unwin, Graham Stark and Irene Handl.

After a fourth season at the end of 1960s (and a total of twenty-six episodes) it was decided to bring the show to an end while still a favourite. But three years later, the Larkins were back for an encore. The storyline had Alf being left his job at the works canteen and the family home had been acquired for demolition. With the children now out on their own, he and Ada use his severance pay to take over a worker’s café. Most of the original supporting characters were written out but this new series also saw the regular customers at the café becoming occasional targets for Ada’s wrath. After a further series in mid-1964 The Larkins finally said goodbye for good.

Peggy Mount died aged 86

Peggy Mount died at the age of 86 in 2001. This lady with the foghorn voice, died after a long illness in Nursing Home for aged actors. She was naturally well known for her role as Ada and received an OBE in 1996, but preferred to be remembered for her many serious stage roles, despite further television success in such shows as George and the Dragon and Lollipop Loves Mr Mole.

Towards the end of her life she lost her sight and had suffered a series of strokes. She was born in Southend and her first acting experience was at a concert party during World War II. She spent some time in repertory then went in to the West End in 1955 in Sailor Beware! which ran for more than 1,000 performances.

It was in 1958 with the success of The Larkins that she became familiar to millions of viewers. It was a role that endeared her to the early television generations. Despite her success on television she never lost her love for the stage. She spent time with the RSC at Stratford, she toured the Middle East in Blithe Spirit and My Giddy Aunt and was also a regular on the pantomime circuit and her last appearance was in 1999, at the age of 84, as the Fairy in Jack and the Beanstalk in Poole, Dorset.

David Kossoff outlived Peggy Mount by four years. In 1954 he won a BAFTA for his appearance in The Young Lovers but perhaps his best-known roles other than Alf Larkin were as Professor Kokintz in The Mouse that Roared (1959) and its sequel The Mouse on the Moon (1963).

Because of the drug use of his son Paul, a rock musician, who subsequently died, he became an anti-drug campaigner. In 1971 he was also actively involved in the Nationwide Festival of Light, an organisation protesting against the commercial exploitation of sex and violence, and advocating the teaching of Christ as the key to re-establishing moral stability in Britain.

He was born in London, the youngest of three children, to poor Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. His father, Louis was a tailor, while the eldest son Alec, changed his surname to Keith; the middle child was Sarah Rebecca but was usually called Sadie.

He started working on British television just after it restarted after the War. His first stage appearance was in 1942 at the age of 23 and over the years he took part in numerous plays and films but became best-known as the hen-pecked husband in The Larkins.

He was also well known for his story-telling skills, particularly with regard to reinterpreting the Bible. His best-known book, also a television series, is The Book of Witnesses (1971), in which he turned the Gospels into a series of monologues. He also retold dozens of Old Testament and Apocrypha stories in Bible Stories (1968).

A little known fact is that in 1953, he played the character Lemuel "Lemmy" Barnet in the cult British sci-fi radio series Journey into Space. 

He died in 2005 of liver cancer at age 85. He was cremated and interred at the Golders Green Crematorium. He married Jennie and had two sons, Paul and Simon. Following the death in 1976 of his son Paul, guitarist with the band Free, he established the Paul Kossoff Foundation which aimed to present the realities of drug addiction to children and he spent the remainder of his life campaigning against drugs. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he toured with a one-man stage performance about the death of his son and its effect on the family.

  Keep in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

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Poem by Bett

HOME

Memories linger in every street

Familiarity guides my feet

Over the cobblestones

Down to The Hard

The pleasure of remembering

Is barely marred

By the changes I see

In the place I was born to be

Down by the sea

The sun sets pink above a misty horizon

Behind a milky sea

To the seagulls’ cries, and

The shushing of the spray

On the shingled shore

Is an eloquent lullaby

To those who were born

To the smell of wet sand

It’s my own special land

Down by the sea

At midnight The Ocean

Is a dark, breathing spell

That charms with its presence

And calls us to dwell

On the edge of its Kingdom

And watch it with awe

Like a handful of Pilgrims

Waiting on the shore

For the touch of its hand

It’s a magical land

Down by the sea

When I return

As I know I will

To live in the land

In the shadow of The Hill

I’ll sit on the shore

Til the sun goes down

And the sea turns dark

And the only sound

Is the ceaseless lapping

Of the waves on the shore

Like a mother caressing

Her child newborn

In the place I was born to be

Land of my memory

Down by the sea

News and Views:

Griff points out:

"Fleming House" at Manor Court was a Red badge. I was, for some unknown reason, a Fleming House Captain in the 5th Year.

The barrage balloon with an under slung  basket I remember was used at Portsmouth airfield for parachute  training of the TA in the 1950's.

Just in case you have not heard after almost 16 years and three different owners Friends Reunited has closed. I understand that they will be supplying links if you wish to retrieve your photographs. It seems a shame I think that some of us would not have met again if it had not been for FRU

On this day 11th February 1960-1965

On 11/02/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was Some Like It Hot. 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 French test first atomic bomb in Sahara desert.

On 11/02/1961 the number one single was Are you Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley 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 Dalmatians. 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 11/02/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & 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 11/02/1963 the number one single was Diamonds - Jet Harris & Tony Meehan and the number one album was Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard & the Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) 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 Liz Taylor films Cleopatra.

On 11/02/1964 the number one single was Needles & Pins - Searchers and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) 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 11/02/1965 the number one single was You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Righteous Brothers and the number one album was Rolling Stones Number 2 - The Rolling Stones. 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.