Web Page No 2664

28th February 2020

Good Heavens I am 74 today I am getting old!!!!!

1st Picture. Vaulting Horse

 2nd Picture. Wall Bars

3rd Picture. Alexandra Park

4th Picture. Billy Two Rivers

In the Gym or on the Playing Field

Whilst at school I was never very keen on the weekly torture known as PE or PT classes. The bewildering collection of sports equipment was always a puzzlement to me. There was no way that I was ever going to get myself over the vaulting box and trying to clear over the pummel horse was never an option. Luckily, we did not have a pair of hanging rings because I am convinced that I would never be able to work on them. Funnily although I could never climb ropes wall bars were no problem to me, I loved them. And do not even mention the dreaded Medicine Ball.

In the field sports area sprinting and hurdles again were not my thing but for some reason I was fairly good at cross country running normally coming within the first six or so. I did play for the school football team as outside left a couple of times but only twice. The trips to the football grounds from Court Lane school, (at Manor Court we had our own playing fields,) involved transport by an old Portsmouth Corporation double decker bus. The sound of a whole year of young boys all with football boots on rushing up the stairs of the bus stays with me still. In retrospect after we had returned from the football field on a wet and muddy afternoon the bus must have looked like a quagmire. We, at that time, gave no thought to the depot staff who would have to clean the bus after us!

Long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault I avoided if I could, I was no good at the discus or shot and so it can be seen that I was not the best sports student!

One startling event did happen while we were in the playing field at East Lodge. Two of the lads from my year, I will not mention their names, were playing around with a javelin in a distant corner of the playing field out of sight of the sports master. All of a sudden, the whole field was filled with a blood curling yell as one of the lads fell to the ground with the javelin sticking deep into his ankle.

Panic ensued as the sports teacher rushed across the field to see what was wrong. He was followed by others carrying with them a couple of towels and a first aid box which they had collected from the sports pavilion. The rescuers proceeded to carefully remove the javelin and pack the wound with the towels, fixing them on with bandages from the first aid kit. Remember these were the days before mobile phones and not everyone had a telephone at home, we didn’t for example, and so someone was quickly dispatched to look at the telephone lines in Lower Rectory Avenue and discover a local householder who had a telephone so that the Ambulance Service could be called and an ambulance dispatched from the station at Cosham. This accident certainly caused a stir on the playing field. What is even stranger is that the two boys involved in the incident were best friends and were only mucking about. As far as I remember the injury was treated and caused no permanent lasting damage. 

Remember in the lower junior and infant schools we had to endure other PT related items. Bean bags, bamboo hoops and do you remember the ghastly smell of those individual rubber mats we had to use? One sport that was popular was netball and as well as a girls’ team there was also a boys’ team.

The Annual Senior School Sports Days were held either at East Lodge in Farlington or in Alexander Park in Twyford Avenue, both of which would be reached by specially chartered Corporation busses. The Sports Days held  at the Park were always a challenge in so much as trying to keep well out of the way so we were not volunteered for marshalling or any other job, event or task designated to us by the form teacher.

We rarely played cricket and were never given the chance to play tennis at senior school and by the time we left the swimming pool fund had begun but it had not been started let alone built. I understand from local Drayton residents that even that has gone now.  

The nearest I got to being involved in any form of sport was going to the Royal Area (Theatre Royal) and seeing Billy Two Rivers in a professional wrestling bout.

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Peter

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On this day 28th February 1960-1965

On 28/02/1960 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 28/02/1961 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 28/02/1962 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 28/02/1963 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 28/02/1964 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 28/02/1965 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 2662

21st February 2020

1st Picture. Coal Delivery

2nd Picture. Coal Lorry

 3rd Picture. Coal Scales

4th Picture. Coal Bunker

The Coalman

One of the regular events at home that was eagerly watched when I was a child at home was the arrival of the coalman. At that time most of us had open fires supplemented by the odd electric heater or paraffin stove which were mainly found ‘taking the chill off’ the bathroom, but the main form of heating for the house was open fires run on coal, anthracite or coke.

Strangely, it seemed to me, coal was delivered during both the summer and winter months because we did not burn coal in the summer. My father explained that because those households that had coal bunkers or other storage facilities the householders would buy their winters coal when the sacks were sold at the lower summer prices.

Before the arrival of the coalman my father would sweep out all the loose coal dust from the coal bunker (which doubled as a pirate ship or some other pretend base for our games in the summer) making room for the newly delivered coal. As far as I remember were either used Smiths or the Coop as coal suppliers or coal factors and we would always recognise the delivery men who came year after year.

The day they delivered the coal I was kept well out of the way but I can vividly remember the men walking past the kitchen window with the sacks of coal on their backs on the way to our bunker. Once they were emptied the sacks would then be folded up and placed on the back door step so my parents could count and check the number of bags. This was common practice however one neighbour of ours took checking really literally.

By law every coal lorry had to carry a set of scales and this neighbour of ours insisted that the scales be taken off the lorry and brought to her back door and every bag of coal weighed and if needs be adjusted before she would let the delivery men empty it into her coal bunker. As you may gather, she as far from popular with the coal delivery crews especially as she never even offered them a cup of tea or a tip.

Very few people today have deliveries in this manner although when Pam and I moved to Gosport our central heating was run from a coal fired back boiler in the sitting room and so we had coal deliveries right up until the mid-1970’s. In fact, with the growing popularity of gas central heating our coal merchant, Mr. Barnes, found it increasingly difficult to make a living and decided to retire early. He was so concerned about letting his regular customers down that he wrote to everyone of them (us included) and apologised for the end of the service and explaining that financially he just could not.

Soon after that we, like many other households went over to gas heating.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a coal delivery lorry around the streets, in fact, I think the only regular customers for coal these days are preserved railways and that has to be specialist coal.

The coal trade is a business that has almost tailed off completely, now mostly relying on imports, there are very few working mines in Northumberland and Durham and I never thought I would see the day when there would not be a single working coal mine in the Rhonda Valley.

I suppose it is all good to reduce the carbon foot print!

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Peter

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On this day 21st February 1960-1965

On 21/02/2160 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 Prince Andrew born.

On 21/02/2161 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 21/02/2162 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 21/02/2163 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 21/02/2164 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 21/02/2165 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 2660

14th February 2020

1st Picture. Irium Advert

 2nd Picture. 1950’s advertising

 3rd Picture. The Bob Hope Radio Show

4th Picture. Peposodent today

You’ll Wonder where the Yellow went when you brush your teeth with Peposdent

This is how the TV commercial ran in 1957 BUT what, what was/is Peposodent it is no longer a leading brand on the supermarket shelves?

Pepsodent is an American brand of toothpaste with the minty flavour derived from sassafras. It has been owned by Unilever since 1942, except in the United States and Canada, where since 2003, it has been owned by Church & Dwight.

Pepsodent toothpaste was introduced in the United States in 1915 by the Pepsodent Company of Chicago. The original formula for the tooth paste contained pepsin, a digestive agent designed to break down and digest any food deposits left on the teeth, hence the brand and company name.

From 1930 to late 1933 a massive animated neon advertising sign, featuring a young girl on a swing, hung on West 47th Street in Times Square in New York City. (This ad was re-created for the climax of the 2005 film King Kong and was featured in the original film in a establishing shot of Times Square itself.)

Following the acquisition of the Pepsodent Company by Unilever in 1944, sales of Pepsodent in the UK increased rapidly, more than doubling between 1944 and 1950. The company outgrew its original factory in Park Royal, and the manufacture of the product was moved to the factory of another Unilever-owned toiletry manufacturer, Joseph Watson and Sons of Whitehall Road, Leeds, in 1951.

Pepsodent was a very popular brand before the mid-1950s, but its makers were slow to add fluoride to its formula to counter the rise of other highly promoted brands such as Crest and Gleem toothpaste by Procter & Gamble, and Colgate's eponymous stripy product from then on the sales of Pepsodent plummeted.

Today Pepsodent is a “value brand” marketed primarily in discount stores and retails for roughly half the price of similarly sized tubes of Crest or of Colgate. Its best-known slogan was “You'll wonder where the yellow went / when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!”.

The product was discontinued in South Africa in 1974 but was revived in 1976 with a new ad slogan "Gets Your Teeth Their Whitest" featuring celebrity endorsers Rita Moreno, Steve Lawrence, and others. The popular slogan was also changed in South Africa to "You'll wonder where the dullness went / when you polish your teeth with Pepsodent".

Pepsodent is still sold as a Unilever property in all markets except the United States and Canada. In Vietnam, Pepsodent is called P/S. In 2013, Pepsodent was ranked 201st among India's most trusted brands according to the Brand Trust Report 2013 India study, a research conducted by Trust Research Advisory. According to the Brand trust Report 2014, Pepsodent moved up to 71st position among India's most trusted brands.

Pepsodent was advertised for its purported properties for fighting tooth decay, attributed in advertisements to the supposed ingredient Irium. In a 1994 speech, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, Reed Hundt, claimed that the "Irium" mentioned in Pepsodent advertisements "didn't exist". "Irium" was being used as another name for sodium lauryl sulfate, an ionic surfactant. Another ingredient, "I.M.P.", which stood for "Insoluble Meta-Phosphate", was purported to whiten teeth.

Radio programme

In the United States Pepsodent sponsored a radio program, The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope that began airing in 1938 and ran for approximately 10 years on NBC. The show featured Bob Hope and his cast of regular characters. Famous Hollywood guest stars such as Cary Grant, Orson Welles, Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour, Rita Hayworth, Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Basil Rathbone, Gary Cooper, Veronica Lake, Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, Hedda Hopper, and many more would be on hand to trade comedic barbs with Bob Hope. The show was the first radio program to broadcast live from the Hollywood Canteen on October 13^th 1942, and soon the show was playing live to U.S. troops during World War II, even including some of the soldiers in the show.

In Rodgers and Hammerstein  South Pacific, in the song "Bloody Mary", a few lines refer to Pepsodent:

Bloody Mary's chewing betel nuts.
She is always chewing betel nuts.
Bloody Mary's chewing betel nuts,
And she don't use Pepsodent.

Everyone take note as you will want a gleaming smile for Valentines Day!

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Peter

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On this day 14^th February 1960-1965

On 14/02/1960 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 £14.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was French test first atomic bomb in Sahara desert.

On 14/02/1961 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 £14.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 14/02/1962 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 14/02/1963 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 14/02/1964 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 14/02/1965 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.

Web Page No 2658

7th February 2020

1st Picture. Publicity Photograph

 2nd Picture. From Carry on Nurse

 3rd Picture. At The Palace

4th Picture. Leslie with Zara

Well Hello

How else could I start a page about Leslie Phillips?

A highly comic actor who has specialized in playing plummy, quintessentially English stereotypes he started acting from a very young age. He received elocution lessons as a child in order to lose his natural cockney accent and he attended the Italia Conti School.

During the Second World War, he served with the Durham Light Infantry (1942-45) until he was invalided out suffering from shellshock. He returned to acting, and it was during the 1950s that he established himself  in British movies. His greatest claim to fame to this day are the "Doctor" series of movies, which he inherited from Dirk Bogarde. He also worked on radio, most notably 'The Navy Lark' for the BBC.

In later life, he returned to playing supporting roles and even appeared in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987). He continues to make cameo appearances in films and television and is a regular guest on British chat shows.

He was a model and child actor from the mid 1930's he returned to acting after war service including supporting roles opposite Norman Wisdom in Just My Luck (1957) and Bill Travers in The Smallest Show on Earth (1957) this led to Hollywood and a role in the Gene Kelly film Les Girls (1957). Returning to England he started a long run, 1959 to 1977 in the radio series 'The Navy Lark' and in the comedy films Doctor in Love (1960), Doctor in Clover (1966) and Doctor in Trouble (1970). Through the 1970's he directed and starred in stage farces and starred in the films Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1974) and Spanish Fly (1976).

He then changed track appearing in the title role of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of 'Falstaff' and as Chekhov in 'August'. He then did a one man show 'On the Whole it's Been Jolly Good' which won praise at the Edinburgh Festival.

On television he played the scheming James Blake in the series Chancer (1990) (1990-91), and returned to films in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and provided the voice of the Sorting Hat in the 'Harry Potter' films.

His first wife was Penelope Bartley, they divorced in 1965  and had  4 children. He married Angela Scoular in 1982 which lasted until her death in 2011; he is at present married to Zara Carr (2013 - present)

Catchphrases "Helloooo" and "Ding dong!"

He was awarded the OBE in the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama. He was awarded the CBE in the 2008 Queen's New Year Honours List for further services to drama.

He supports Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and his association with the catchphrase "Ding dong," said whenever he saw an attractive women, first started when he played Jack Bell in Carry On Nurse (1959).

Incidentally, he always says that he enjoyed recording the Navy Lark so much that wherever he was working during the week he would pay his own fare to get back to London in time for the recording.

He was friends with actors Denholm Elliott and Jon Pertwee for many years, both of whom, like himself, had homes in Ibiza and his favourite actor is Kenneth Connor.

Family life:- he is the father, with Penelope Bartley, of daughters Caroline Phillips and Claudia Phillips, and sons Roger Phillips and Andrew Phillips and the  son of Frederick and Cecelia Phillips, he has an older brother, Fred and sister, Dorothy.

When age 14, he appeared in Otello and Turandot at Covent Garden.

Leslie Phillips considers Carry On Nurse (1959) to be his funniest film.

David Jason considers him a legend of British comedy.

Took over the role of the King of Spain in Carry on Columbus (1992) after the death of Frankie Howerd, who'd been due to play the part. He and Bob Monkhouse swapped roles in A Weekend with Lulu (1961). He suffered a stroke in 2014 but still keeps working when he can..

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Peter

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On this Day 7^th February 1960-1965

On 07/02/1960 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 Biblical scrolls found in Israeli desert.

On 07/02/1961 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 07/02/1962 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 day was Mine blast kills 249 in Germany.

On 07/02/1963 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 Nelson Mandela jailed for 5 years.

On 07/02/1964 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 25000 greet Beatles at JFK airport.

On 07/02/1965 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.