Web Page No 2504

26th August 2018

Firstly: This really is the very last book in the Drayton series it will be available in the next two weeks. As I am now winding down the project (9 books on Drayton is enough) this last book will be a limited edition as I do not want to be left with a pile at the end of it all. So, if you would like a copy please let me know so I can reserve one for you.

The front cover is below and features another of Peter Westcott's superb pictures 

                               Eamon Andrews

1^st Picture. This is Your Life pose

2nd Picture. The Singer

3^rd Picture. What’s my Line

4^th Picture. Crackerjack (Double or Drop)

For many of our formative years Eamon Andrews the genial Irishman was a feature on our television screens. He was born in Dublin on 19^th December 1922 and he began his career as a clerk in an insurance office. He was a keen amateur boxer and won the Irish junior middleweight title in 1944.

In 1946 he became a full-time freelance sports commentator, working for Radio Éireann, Ireland's state broadcaster. In 1950, he began presenting programmes for the BBC, being particularly well known for boxing commentaries and soon became one of television's most popular presenters. The following year, the game show What's My Line? began with Eamon Andrews as the host.

Throughout the 1950s, he commentated on the major British heavyweight fights on the BBC Light Programme. On 20^th January 1956, he reached No 18 in the UK Singles Chart with a "spoken narrative" recording named "The Shifting Whispering Sands (Parts 1 & 2)", which was produced by George Martin with musical backing by the Ron Goodwin Orchestra, released by Parlophone as a double-sided 78rpm record. The song later reappeared on Kenny Everett's compilation album The World's Worst Record Show, which was released in June 1978.

Between 1955 and 1964, he presented the long-running Sports Report on BBC's Light Programme (now Radio 2). In 1965, he left the BBC to join the ITV contractor ABC, where he pioneered the talk show format in the UK. He hosted a chat show on ITV, The Eamonn Andrews Show for five years. He was known for coming up with off-the-cuff linkings that did not work – such as: "Speaking of cheese sandwiches, have you come far?" This was parodied by the character Seamus Android on Round the Horne in the 1960s, performed by Bill Pertwee. Then in the 1960s and 1970s he presented Thames Television's Today news magazine programme.

He was probably best known as the presenter of the UK version of This Is Your Life, between its inception in 1955 and his death in 1987. He himself was the first This Is Your Life subject on British television when he was surprised by the show's creator, Ralph Edwards.

He also chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ Authority) between 1960 and 1964, overseeing the introduction of state television to the Republic of Ireland. About this time, he also acquired a number of business interests in Ireland, including recording studios and a dance hall. He stepped down from the RTE Authority amidst a bitter political storm started by the Catholic Church hierarchy over what was seen as the controversial content of The Late, Late Show.

After months of illness during 1987, originally caused by a virus contracted during a plane journey (but which was not recognised at the time), he died from heart failure on 5^th November 1987 aged 64 at the Cromwell Hospital in London.

(He had recorded his last edition of This Is Your Life six days previously on 30^th October 1987. After his death, the show, and two others that had yet to be broadcast, were postponed until, with his widow's permission, they were broadcast in January 1988).

A funeral service was held at St. Anne's Church in Portmarnock where he had his home, and his body was buried in Balgriffin Cemetery to the north of Dublin. A memorial mass was also held for him in Westminster Cathedral.

He had married Gráinne in 1951 and they raised three adopted children.

But to us he will always be the host of ‘Crackerjack’ (did you shout out with everyone else?) along with Pip Hinton, Gillian Comber, Peter Glaze and Leslie Crowther.

Keep in touch

Yours

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

You Write:

News and Views:

On this day 26^th August 1960-1965

On 26/08/1960 the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 26/08/1961 the number one single was You Don't Know - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Blackpool Tower Circus (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Actress Rebecca De Mornay born.

On 26/08/1962 the number one single was I Remember You - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Pot Luck - 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 26/08/1963 the number one single was Bad to Me - Billy J Kramer and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 26/08/1964 the number one single was Have I the Right? - Honeycombs and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 26/08/1965 the number one single was I Got You Babe - Sonny and Cher and the number one album was Help - 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.