Web Page No 2558

27th February 2019

                              The Good Old Days 1 9 5 3 – 1 9 8 3

1st Picture. Leonard Sachs

 2nd Picture. The Audience

3rd Picture. Rob Wilton

 4^th Picture. Eleanor Summerfield

The Good Old Days was compulsive watching at home for my parents and grandmother. Was it in your house? It ran for an amazing thirty years from 20^th  July 1953 and was introduced for the majority of its run by celebrated chairman Leonard Sachs (Don Gemmell for the first two shows).

Out of 245 episodes, 108 are believed to survive complete and 63 of the programmes were broadcast on BBC Four between November 2015 and January 2018.

On Friday 30 December 1983 a Goodbye to the Good Old Days was shown, a documentary celebrating the end of the 30-year run that year; Barry Cryer served as narrator. 

The show was broadcast from the City Varieties in Leeds, one of the last true Victorian Music Halls still in existence.

On its present site since 1865, the City Varieties is one of the few remaining music halls in Britain and of those, undoubtedly the best preserved.

A fitting period venue with plush drapes and galleried upper floor with boxes, the theatre only required a chairman’s desk and the extra stage between orchestra and audience built specially for the programme.

The assembled audiences for The Good Old Days were expected to dress in period costume (and stick-on side-whiskers and fake moustaches) and ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ in all the appropriate places as leonard Sachs introduced the next act with alliterative attacks of alarming alacrity in a constipated display of perspicacious polysyllabic peripatetics,  which heralded the appearance of a teaming torrent of tempting talent . . . for our delight and delectation, naturally.

Finally, as the atmosphere reached fever pitch, he would activate his gavel, shriek “your own, your very own . . .” and often introduce an act that nobody had ever heard of!

Authenticity was a very important factor. Women were forbidden from smoking in the hall (they didn’t in the 1900s) and the audience were discouraged from using cigarette lighters – they hadn’t been invented back then.

All the money for the costumes, false beards, stick-on moustaches and side-whiskers came out of the audience members’ own pocket, although some were known to cheat by only wearing costumes from the waist up since only their top halves were visible on television.

Entertainers performed musical, comedy, magic and recitation acts on stage in Edwardian costume, in some cases appearing as famous Edwardian music hall performers such as Vesta Tilley. Even the famous Rob Wilton appeared in the show in 1955 performing his favorite act was as an addle-brained, incompetent fireman, only 18 months before he died.

Regular acts on the show were Ken Dodd, Danny La Rue, Roy Hudd, Arthur Askey, Hilda Baker, Bernard Cribbins, Max Wall and Les Dawson. This was the last chance that the general public got to see some of the well respected and venerable acts from the hey day of the music Hall while they were still able to perform. Even the Portsmouth lass who had a great future in from of her, until a terrible fatal accident, Audrey Jeans appeared twice on the bill.

Many of the acts were singers, and most bills included relatively unknown performers, often speciality acts from abroad. As years passed, recent stars – including pop musicians – began to appear.

But the show regularly used artistes from the Players Theatre in London (which also revived music-hall and with which Leonard Sachs was associated) to maintain the faux-Edwardian feel.

At the end of each show, the audience would join in with the performers in a rousing chorus of The Old Bull and Bush.

At the height of its popularity, in 1975, there was an audience waiting list of over 24,000 people.

But who was Leonard Sachs? He  was born in South Africa in the town of Roodepoort, Transvaal (now Gauteng). He had many television and film roles from the 1930s to the 1980s, including Mowbray in the 1950 version of Richard II, John Wesley in the 1954 film of the same name and Lord Mount Severn in East Lynne from 1976.

He had appeared in Danger Man with Patrick McGoohan. He had two appearances in Doctor Who: as Admiral Gaspard de Coligny in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve in 1966 and as Lord President Borusa in Arc of Infinity in 1983. He also appeared in the 1985 Royal Variety Performance in a tribute to The Good Old Days.

He married the actress Eleanor Summerfield in 1947. They had two sons, the actor Robin Sachs and Toby Sachs.

Leonard Sachs died in London in 1990 at the age of 80 and Eleanor died in London in 2001, she was also 80.

So as Leonard Sachs would say “ there is just time for one more chorus of ‘The Old Bull and Bush’ feature all the artists, the entire company but chiefly YOURSELVES………………”

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On this day 23rd February 1960-1965.

On 23/02/1960 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.

On 23/02/1961 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 23/02/1962 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 23/02/1963 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 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 day was New £5 note.

On 23/02/1964 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 day was £10 notes printed for first time since WW2.

On 23/02/1965 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. The big news story of the week was Malcolm X shot dead.

Web Page No 2556

16th February 2019

Suez Crisis

1st Picture. The Blocked Canal

2nd Picture. Anthony Eden and John Selwyn Lloyd in Downing Street

3rd Picture. President Nasser

4^th Picture. Cartoon of the time

The Suez Crisis,  we were aware that this was going on but we were too young to understand and the fact that it was also known by two other names the Suez War or Suez Campaign did not help. It was a 1956 war fought on Egyptian territory. The conflict pitted Egypt against an alliance between France, the UK and Israel. The European nations had economic and trading interests in the Suez Canal, while Israel had a pressing need to open the canal for Israeli shipping. By the conclusion of the war, only Israel enjoyed significant gains.

The roots of the crisis extend back to 1952, when officers in the Egyptian army overthrew the monarchy under King Farouk. Abandoning policies which were co-operative with European powers, the new government undertook a more nationalistic and assertive stance. This led to conflict over the Suez Canal.

Throughout 1956, conflict increased between Israel and Egypt, with Israel launching frequent incursions into Egyptian territory and Egypt increasingly defending itself. Egypt, under the leadership of President Gamal Abdul Nasser, blockaded the Gulf of Aqaba and closed the Suez canal to Israeli shipping. At the same time, Egypt nationalized the canal, a vital trade route to the east, in which British banks and business held a 44% stake.

The British Prime Minister Anthony Eden needed to persuade the British public of the need for war and so, perhaps in an attempt to recall World War II-era patriotism he compared Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal with the nationalism of Mussolini and Hitler 20 years earlier. Eden claimed that a display of force was needed to prevent Nasser becoming another expansionist military threat of the 'Mussolini of the Nile'.

In the months that followed Egypt's nationalization of the canal, a secret meeting between Israel, France and Britain took place outside Paris. All parties were agreed that Israel should invade and that Britain and France would subsequently intervene, instruct the Israeli and Egyptian armies to withdraw their forces either side of the canal, and then place an Anglo-French intervention force in the Canal Zone around Port Said. It was to be called "Operation Musketeer".

On October 29th, Israel invaded the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula and made rapid progress towards the canal zone. As per the agreement, Britain and France offered to reoccupy the area and separate the warring armies. Nasser refused the offer.

The campaign progressed as planned at first, but the European forces never reached the canal itself. Although Israel captured the Gaza Strip the whole episode is usually regarded in Britain as an embarrassment. Eden was forced to resign because of a combination of ill health and opposition from the Labour Party and from within his own party over the invasion of Egypt.

The invading forces were forced to withdraw in March 1957 under pressure from the United States, which saw good relations as being more important than defending Anglo-French interests.

There were a few thousand casualties, mostly Egyptian, many civilian. In the course of the invasion it is claimed that the British stormed an Egyptian police station that held out under intense fire and killed almost all the policemen inside. There were claims of atrocities: it is reported that the French were seen machine-gunning to death peasants who had jumped into the canal in fear.

Part of the pressure that the USA used against Britain was financial, as Eisenhower threatened to sell the United States holdings of the British pound and thereby precipitate a collapse of the British currency.

The crisis also greatly improved Nasser's standing in the Arab world. It also hastened the process of decolonization as the remaining colonies of both Britain and France become independent over the next several years.

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On this day 16^th February 1960-1965.

On 16/02/1960 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.

On 16/02/1961 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. The big news story of the week was 18 US figure skaters killed in air crash.

On 16/02/1962 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 16/02/1963 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 16/02/1964 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 16/02/1965 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. The big news story of the week was Canada's Maple Leaf flag raised for first time

Web Page No 2554

9th February 2019

Arthur Askey

1st Picture. Arthur Askey

2nd Picture. As a Pantomime Dame

 3rd Picture. Daughter Anthea Askey

4^th Picture. Sabrina

They say that good things often come in small packages, and for the world of entertainment as a whole and early British television comedy in particular, one especially small package came to embody bright, fresh laughter on a huge scale. That was Arthur Askey.

Arthur Bowden Askey was born in Liverpool on 6th June 1900. After being educated at the Liverpool Institute and singing in the Liverpool Cathedral choir he entered the Liverpool Education Offices as a clerk. At the age of 16 he gave this up and began to learn a new trade as an entertainer around the local clubs and soon began to emerge as a true all-rounder in the grand tradition of the British music hall.

During the First World War he joined the forces and he soon began performing at army shows. Following this, Arthur spent 14 years honing his skills working the concert party circuit before landing a part, in 1938, on BBC radio in a new series called Band Waggon. The show was the first weekly comedy/variety series to be broadcast in Britain on a fixed day and also the first to feature a resident comedian. However, the first few episodes were not very well received and the series was almost cancelled. But by the third programme Arthur, his partner, Richard Murdoch, and writer Vernon Harris came up with a better-received format and the idea that led listeners to believe that the duo lived in a flat on top of the newly opened Broadcasting House. The public suddenly caught on to the pair's particular brand of humour and 'Big-Hearted Arthur' and 'Stinker Murdoch' became huge stars.

Arthur quickly became famous for his catchphrase "Ay-Thang-Yew" and his boast was that it was the "daddy of all catchphrases". I did not realise at the time I was saying anything particularly comic," said Arthur, in 1951. "But in no time those words were on everybody's lips and the phrase passed into language."

Band Waggon was quickly adapted for both a stage production and a feature film (1939) and Arthur went on to star in a number of other successful features for Gainsborough, including Charlie's Aunt, Ghost Train, I Thank You, Back Room Boy, King Arthur Was A Gentleman, Miss London Ltd., and Bees in Paradise.

His persona was that of a hyperactive schoolboy and he would often perform skipping around the stage or incorporating an energetic song and dance into his act. He was also the master of the ad-lib. Although they were distinctly different in style, Arthur claimed to be influenced by the great American comedian Jack Benny.

Arthur said that Band Waggon was the first show of its kind on British radio to steer away from eccentric characters. "I was myself and Dickie was himself  and millions of listeners believed in us and our flat." To such an extent in fact that listeners sent in hundreds of letters a week addressed to that make-believe address.

After the Second World War Arthur remained as popular as ever although his first TV series in 1952, Before Your Very Eyes! was only moderately well received by critics and public alike, until the introduction of the completely dumb voluptuous blonde, Sabrina (Norma Sykes), whose fondness for tight fitting dresses turned her into British TV's first sex-symbol.

Although he was constantly seen on television throughout his career, his own starring vehicles were not that kind to him. In 1957 writers Sid Colin and Talbot Rothwell revived the Band Waggon, this time the flat they shared was now on top of Television House. The first show was panned by critics. But Arthur the irrepressible came back the following week with some unrehearsed remarks directly to the camera. During the opening sketch he suddenly broke off, walked up to the camera and peered inside as if looking at the TV audience. "So, you didn't enjoy the show last week?" he said. Then in the middle of another scene he went up to the camera again and shaking his head he remarked, "Can't understand why you didn't like it, really I can't." In the end only 9 shows were made and Arthur returned to live performing as the end-of-the-pier comedian par excellence.

There were other TV series, the best of which was Arthur's Treasured Volumes, but in the main Arthur would be content as the special guest star or topping the bill at the Palladium. The diminutive comedian (he was 5 foot 3 inches) who had coined the catchphrases "Hello Playmates and "Doesn't it make you want to spit?", continued to work into his eighties and in 1980 he made one of his last appearances at The Royal Variety Show. Following this he suffered from circulatory problems in his legs, which ultimately led him to having both amputated. Arthur Askey died on 16th November 1982.

Although small in physical stature, the genial, superbly honed comedic talent and lovable persona of the big hearted, cheekily grinning comic lad from Liverpool will forever ensure that Arthur Askey's trademark brand of quick-fire humour and masterly use of the ad-lib will continue to elicit big bouts of appreciative laughter wherever and whenever vintage British television comedy is screened.

Arthur and his wife had one child Anthea Shirley Askey born on 2nd March 1933 and she became an actress who was popular on television in the 1950s. She was born in Golders Green to Arthur and his wife Elizabeth May Swash. Her early television appearances included Love and Kisses, where she played Rose Brown, whose father Bill was played by her father; while other TV and films include The Love Match, Ramsbottom Rides Again, Before Your Very Eyes, Living It Up, The Dickie Henderson Half-Hour, Arthur's Treasured Volumes and a cameo appearance in Make Mine a Million in 1959.

In 1993 she starred in an episode of The Darling Buds of May. She died in Worthing in 1999, aged 65.

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On this day 9^th  February 1960-1965

On 9/02/1960 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 day was Margaret Thatcher had given her first Commons Speech.

On 9/02/1961 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 9/02/1962 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 US bans imports from Cuba.

On 9/02/1963 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 9/02/1964 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 9/02/1965 the number one single was You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Righteous Brothers 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.

Web Page No 2552

2^nd February 2019

                                          The year that was… 1953

1st Picture. Just William in shorts and cap

2nd Picture. Gymslip and Knickers

3rd Picture. 1950’s Eiderdown

In 1953 I was seven and at Solent Road Infant School along with others of my age. My father was working in Trincomalee in Ceylon and would be for the next two years and my grandmother had moved down to stay with us from London. This short stay lasted over 50 years

In 1953 the highlight was the crowning of the Queen, an event we watched on the Hill family TV over the road from us as we did not have a TV set until 1956. Also Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing became the first people to scale the summit of Mount Everest.

But the everyday life of the ordinary citizen in Britain was, by the standards of today, quite basic and very simple. But it was all about to change.

For the first time since the war petrol was un-rationed, this did not bother us as we did not have a car but it appeared that a huge influx of cars took to the roads, some of them in less than roadworthy condition. The new cars were very state of the art, but they still didn’t come fitted with seat belts, heated rear screens, radios or efficient heaters. The relatively quiet country lanes became more congested of course, so major new roads were being planned to stretch to all parts of the country. By the end of the decade a new word was to enter the English dictionary …motorways.

It was at this time that rationing had ceased this was very noticeable amongst the fashion conscious because the clothes that the average person wore before the war were very different to those being sold after the war. Whilst some women still wore corsets, the younger women favoured a far more relaxed waistline.

The fashion for young women’s ‘Sunday best dresses’ at this time was for full-skirted dresses, with a stiffened petticoat underneath. These were very difficult to hang in the wardrobe, as the doors wouldn’t shut properly due to the bulk of the skirt. Woman wore ‘Pancake Make-up’, this was applied with a damp sponge, and scarlet lipstick was the norm. I hasten to add I had no experience of these items!

Trousers or ‘slacks’ as they were called, were only worn very occasionally by women, as the feminine look was the thing. Ladies teetered along on very high-heeled shoes, as the flat-heeled ones were too reminiscent of the A.T.S. and the W.A.A.F. and other service uniforms.

Most men wore suits …together with waistcoats, ties and white shirts. Trilby hats were common, worn of course at the obligatory rakish angle, approximately 10 degrees from horizontal. The working man still wore his flat cap!

And everybody smoked!

Young boys at school wore short trousers and knee length socks, held up by elastic garters; (which could also double as a catapult when necessary), and peaked school caps were obligatory. How well I remember shivering in those short trousers and I was still wearing them during the first year at senior school.

For the young girls there were the gymslips and accompanying knickers which were hated by  most  young girls.

If she was very lucky the 1950s housewife had recently taken delivery of her new washing machine with its detachable and very heavy mangle, very popular, especially on Mondays.

Duvets hadn’t been heard of; so all beds had sheets, layers of blankets topped off with a nice thick eiderdown and a counterpane, as most bedrooms were very cold indeed …we all remember the ice on the inside of the windows! Central heating in houses was very rare at this time. It was coal fires downstairs and electric fires upstairs and the odd paraffin heater in the bathroom or hall.

Whilst still beyond the reach of most families until the 1960s, holidays abroad were beginning to become popular as prices became more affordable, and the aircraft journey was an adventure in itself. The air hostess brought round barley sugar sweets for passengers to suck during take-off, and ear plugs deadened the roar of the engines. The aircraft cabins were not pressurised in those days and take-off and landings often caused severe earache.

Television sets started to appear, taking up their now familiar place as the focal point of the ‘living room’, and outside strange looking H- or -X shaped aerials were clamped firmly to the chimney stacks.

Some things hadn’t changed at all though: murderers were still executed for their crimes, and the pubs closed at 10 o’clock or 10.30 as usual.

Looking back now to 1953, life perhaps appears hard, but it did have several good points. There was virtually no vandalism, swearing in public places was an offence, and gentlemen still gave up their seats to ladies in buses and trams.

Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers. Now they drink like their fathers.

Of course I talk to myself. Sometimes I need expert advice.

Actually, I'm not complaining because I am a Senager. (Senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later.  I don't have to go to school or work.  I get an allowance every month.  I have my own home.  I don't have a curfew.  I have a driver's license and my own car.  And I don't have acne.  Life is great.

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On this day 2^nd February 1960-1965.

On 02/02/1960 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.

On 02/02/1961 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 02/02/1962 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 02/02/1963 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 day was Liz Taylor films Cleopatra.

On 02/02/1964 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. The big news story of the day was USSR tops medals at Winter Olympics.

On 02/02/1965 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