TAKEYOUR PICK AND DOUBLE YOUR MONEY

Web Page No 2768 20th March 2021

1st Picture: Bob Danvers-Walker, Michael Miles and Monica Rose

2nd Picture: Hughie Green with Double your Money

3rd Picture: Double your Money from Moscow

4th Picture: Hughie Green and Michael Miles

TAKE YOUR PICK AND DOUBLE YOUR MONEY THE TV RIVALRY BETWEEN MICHAL MILES AND TAKE YOUR PICK AND HUGHIE GREEN AND DOUBLE YOUR MONEY WAS LEGENDRY. MICHAEL JOHN MILES WAS BORN ON 1ST JUNE 1919 WAS A NEW ZEALAND-BORN TELEVISION PRESENTER BEST KNOWN FOR THE GAME SHOW TAKE YOUR PICK FROM 1955 TO 1968, PRODUCED BY ASSOCIATED REDIFFUSION AND LATER BY REDIFFUSION LONDON. HE WAS BORN IN WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALANDAND LEFT SCHOOL TO BECOME A BROADCASTER AFTER PERSUADING HIS LOCAL STATION TO HIRE HIM. HE THEN TRAVELLED TO AUSTRALIA, BEFORE MOVING ON TO SINGAPORE AS A NEWSREADER, LEAVING ONLY DAYS BEFORE THE ISLAND WAS INVADED BY THE JAPANESE ARMY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. ALTHOUGH HE PRODUCED RADIO SHOWS DURING THE WAR YEARS, IT WAS WITH THE TRANSFER OF HIS QUIZ SHOW TAKE YOUR PICK TO TELEVISION THAT HE MADE HIS NAME. THE PROGRAMME, WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN HEARD ON RADIO LUXEMBOURG FOR THREE YEARS, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST GAME SHOWS ON ITV WHEN THE CHANNEL STARTED IN 1955 (THE OTHER QUIZ SHOW THAT WAS POPULAR AT THE TIME WAS DOUBLE YOUR MONEY, PRESENTED BY HUGHIE GREEN). TAKE YOUR PICK, WHICH WAS MASTERMINDED BY MICHAEL MILES WHO WAS REPUTED TO EARN THE PHENOMENAL SUM OF £20,000 A YEAR. THE PROGRAMME RELIED VERY HEAVILY ON AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION. THE SHOW WAS CANCELLED IN 1968, WHEN PRODUCERS ASSOCIATED REDIFFUSION WERE FORCED TO BECOME THAMES TELEVISION IN THE ITV FRANCHISE RESHUFFLE. THE SHOW ALWAYS FEATURED THE INFAMOUS YES NO INTERLUDE WITH BOB DANVERS-WALKER ALWAYS ON HAND TO GONG OUT THE UNWARY CONTESTANTS. MICHAEL MILES THEN HOSTED A SIMILAR SHOW CALLED WHEEL OF FORTUNE, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE LATER GAME SHOW OF THE SAME NAME, FOR SOUTHERN TELEVISION. RUMOURS OF AN ALCOHOL PROBLEM WERE UNFOUNDED; HE IN FACT HAD EPILEPSY AND OFTEN LOCKED HIMSELF IN HIS DRESSING ROOM, ASHAMED OF HIS CONDITION. HE DIED IN 1971 AGED 51, WHILE ON BUSINESS IN SPAIN. HE WAS MARRIED WITH ONE SON AND A DAUGHTER. HE AND TAKE YOUR PICK WERE PARODIED IN A MONTY PYTHON SKETCH (TITLED "SPOT THE BRAIN CELL" IN ITS LP VERSION), IN WHICH JOHN CLEESE AS A QUIZMASTER CALLED MICHAEL CHEERFULLY MOCKS THE STUPIDITY OF A FEMALE CONTESTANT PLAYED BY TERRY JONES. THE ORIGINAL SHOW WAS REVIVED FOR A SHORT TIME IN THE 1990S, WITH DES O'CONNOR AS THE HOST.

DOUBLE YOUR MONEY DOUBLE YOUR MONEY WAS THE RIVAL SHOW IN THE EARLY DAYS OF TELEVISION WHICH WAS HOSTED BY HUGHIE GREEN. ORIGINALLY BROADCAST ON RADIO LUXEMBOURG SINCE 1950 AND BASED ON AMERICAN RADIO QUIZ TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT IN 1940–1947, IT TRANSFERRED TO ITV IN 1955, A FEW DAYS AFTER THE COMMERCIAL CHANNEL BEGAN BROADCASTING. IT WAS PRODUCED BY ASSOCIATED-REDIFFUSION UNTIL 1964 AND THEN BY REDIFFUSION LONDON AND IT FINISHED IN 1968 WHEN THE COMPANY LOST ITS FRANCHISE. THERE WERE 260 THIRTY-MINUTE EPISODES. THROUGHOUT ITS RUN THE SHOW WAS ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENTLY POPULAR PROGRAMMES ON BRITISH TELEVISION. THE QUIZ FORMAT WAS SIMILAR TO THE 64,000 DOLLAR QUESTION, AND WHEN CONTESTANTS CORRECTLY ANSWERED A THREE-PART QUESTION TO REACH THE £1,000 TREASURE TRAIL, THEY WERE PLACED IN SOUND-PROOFED 'ISOLATION BOOTHS', WHERE THE FANS WERE TURNED OFF AND THE TEMPERATURE GREW, MAKING CONTESTANTS SWEAT AND LOOK NERVOUS. THE 8TH NOVEMBER 1966 SHOW CAME FROM THE HOUSE OF FRIENDSHIP IN MOSCOW, WHERE MONICA ROSE AND NATASHA VASYLYEVA WERE BOTH HOSTESSES AND, BECAUSE THE COMMUNIST PARTY WOULD NOT ALLOW MONEY TO BE GIVEN AWAY, THE BIG PRIZE WAS A TELEVISION SET. FEMALE HOSTESSES ON THE SHOW INCLUDED 18-YEAR-OLD VALERIE DREW AND AN ELDERLY CLEANER NAMED ALICE EARLEY WHO WAS TAKEN ON BY HUGHIE GREEN AFTER FIRST APPEARING AS A CONTESTANT. NANCY ROBERTS (1961–1965), JULIE DE MARCO (1963–1965) AND MONICA ROSE (1963–1968), A FORMER ACCOUNTS CLERK FROM WHITE CITY, LONDON, WAS A CHIRPY AND POPULAR TEENAGE CONTESTANT WHO WAS ALSO RECRUITED BY HIM. SHE WENT ON TO HOST HIS NEXT SHOW THE SKY'S THE LIMIT. DOUBLE YOUR MONEY HAD A FANTASTIC BROAD CASTING RECORD • 1960, SHOWN 7.30PM ON FRIDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 15 WEEKS. • 1961, SHOWN 7.30PM ON THURSDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 23 WEEKS. • 1962, SHOWN 7.30PM ON THURSDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 40 WEEKS. • 1963, SHOWN 7PM ON THURSDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 37 WEEKS. • 1964, SHOWN 7PM ON THURSDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 38 WEEKS. • 1965, SHOWN 7PM ON THURSDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 32 WEEKS • 1966, SHOWN 7PM ON TUESDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 37 WEEKS. • 1967, SHOWN 7PM ON TUESDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 18 WEEKS. • 1968, SHOWN 7PM ON WEDNESDAY, THE SHOW RAN FOR 29 WEEKS. BUT WHICH SHOW WAS THE BEST PICK OR MONEY, THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON THAT ONE!!! STAY IN TOUCH PETER GSSEDITOR@GMAIL.COM YOU WRITE: NEWS AND VIEWS:

ON THIS DAY 20TH MARCH 1960 – 1965 ON 20/03/1960 THE NUMBER ONE SINGLE WAS RUNNING BEAR - JOHNNY PRESTON AND THE NUMBER ONE ALBUM WAS SOUTH PACIFIC SOUNDTRACK. THE TOP RATED TV SHOW WAS WAGON TRAIN (ITV) AND THE BOX OFFICE SMASH WAS PSYCHO. 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 VENEREAL DISEASE RISING IN TEENS. ON 20/03/1961 THE NUMBER ONE SINGLE WAS WOODEN HEART - 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 DAY WAS EXPLOSION DEVASTATES PARIS'S PALAIS BOURBON. ON 22/03/1962 THE NUMBER ONE SINGLE WAS WONDERFUL LAND - 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 20/03/1963 THE NUMBER ONE SINGLE WAS SUMMER HOLIDAY - CLIFF RICHARD & THE SHADOWS AND THE NUMBER ONE ALBUM WAS SUMMER HOLIDAY - CLIFF RICHARD & THE SHADOWS. THE TOP RATED TV SHOW WAS CONSERVATIVE 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 20/03/1964 THE NUMBER ONE SINGLE WAS LITTLE CHILDREN - BILLY J KRAMER AND THE NUMBER ONE ALBUM WAS WITH THE BEATLES - THE BEATLES. THE TOP RATED TV SHOW WAS CORONATION STREET (GRANADA) 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 20/03/1965 THE NUMBER ONE SINGLE WAS THE LAST TIME - ROLLING STONES 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.