Web Page 984

Top Picture: The Boyfriend


Second Picture: The NME






The Pop Magazine Explosion 1960-65


Dozens of magazines sprang up in the early 60s to cover the growth of pop music. By the early 1960s, there were already several weeklies catering to the teenage female market - long established as being in the forefront of youth consumerism: Marilyn, Mirabelle, Romeo, Roxy and Valentine. Boyfriend was launched in 1959, with Marty - based on the popularity of Marty Wilde - following in 1960.

In February 1963 The Beatles were No 2 in the charts with Please Please Me and an anonymous reporter from Boyfriend goes to interview them for "an exclusive scoop" and her impressions are revealing. "They are almost frightening-looking young men," she said, "but when they smile, which is not often, they look wholesome and nice. But the rest of the time they look wicked and dreadful and evil, you almost expect them to leap up and chant magic spells." The Boyfriend article ("Pop A La Mod") was one of the first in-depth articles about the group. It was well-written and made it clear just how weird the Beatles were when they first arrived. The magazine was aimed at young women, with colour pin-ups, ads for cosmetics and hair lacquer and 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 group shots and close-ups with large type comments. One shot from the session was used by EMI for the front cover of the Beatles' Twist and Shout EP released in July 1963. It showed the group leaping into the air and it remains one of the key 60s images to this day.

Between 1963 and 1965, Britain had a vigorous pop and teen press, with at least a dozen weeklies and/or monthlies all bringing their readers the latest pop news. Selling between 70,000 copies up to 200,000 a week The Record Mirror and The New Musical Express reported the unprecedented rise in singles sales in the years after the Beatles' breakthrough: reaching a peak of more than 70million in 1964. These magazines created an all-inclusive, environment of pop. Reading them today, they are historical documents yet retain the fervour of the moment.

The newer titles were more pop-heavy: as well as "love scene" picture stories and problem pages, there were innovative layouts and colour photos. The star staples were Elvis, Cliff Richard, Adam Faith, John Leyton, Eden Kane: the manufactured dream teen pop idols of the early 60s were perfect for the girls' mags, leaving the weekly music papers somewhat becalmed.

Of these, there were several. Launched in 1926, Melody Maker was the longest-running: with its commitment to jazz, folk and blues, it was not pure pop. That was taken up by the New Musical Express (est 1952), Record and Show Mirror (est 1953 as Record Mirror) and Disc (est 1958). All were black and white with weekly charts and plenty of news: aimed at young men as well as women.

Basically you paid your money and you made your choice. Melody Maker was serious about music and jazz and it made headway during the early 60s trad boom. The New Musical Express was hamstrung by its prominent front cover ad, but it had great insider gossip: "Tail-Pieces by the Alley Cat". Disc was poppier, with prominent charts and front-page news stories.

The Beatles' revolutionised pop publishing. Boyfriend's Big Beat No 2 (autumn '63) promised "12 colour pages and all the mod pop that's popping". Inside were Cliff and Elvis but coming up fast were the Searchers, Freddie and the Dreamers and the Rolling Stones.

Two important new weeklies were launched in January 1964. Jackie ("for go-ahead teens") was published as a girls' "comic", a streamlined version of Boyfriend: all the same elements but with larger pages and unusual, candid shots of the stars. It was a winning mixture: by the late 60s, its circulation was up to half a million.
Fabulous was a completely new tabloid pop paper it contained at least one pin-up of the Beatles in every issue for two years. Several issues were almost totally devoted to the group, with quirky features, 11 colour pages, and a central double-page poster (now hard to find, as they were usually stuck on the wall). Selling for one shilling, Fabulous was pricier than the competition but it had more pages, better quality paper, and a regular team of photographers. It also introduced a more direct rapport between the stars and their audience. In the all-Beatles 15 February 1964 edition, there were articles about "famous escapes" (how the Beatles got away from the fans after a show), Brian Epstein speaking in his own words, and a forensic breakdown of Paul, Ringo, George and John's height, weight, eye colour, inside leg etc. Features showing stars in their own homes were interspersed with old school photos and pop stars' musings on ideal girls.

Fabulous saw pop not just as a teen process but as part of something wider. Fashion was given prominent space, not only in the adverts, but in spreads directly related to star "gear". A double page spread on "bee-oootiful beat babes" showed the Beatles in their corduroy jackets and then told you where to buy them - cut for the young female shape of course.

After the Beatles cracked America Britain became Pop Island and the bombsite-ridden capital a youth mecca. On 3 October 1964, Fabulous published its "Shaking London Town" issue, with a spread about the best TV programme of the day, Ready Steady Go!
At 2s 6d, Rave was five times as expensive as the weekly music papers, but in return you got an 80-page A4-size monthly, with excellent quality paper, meaty content and great photographs. The first issue showed the cross-media spread of British pop culture with a front cover shot of the Beatles with 007 badges. Paul McCartney has a spy camera, while Ringo's gun shoots. Inside are Dusty's fashion tips, a feature on star holidays and a regular monthly event, DJ Alan Freeman's "Heart to Heart": this month, Billy Fury - '"The Billy No One Knows".

Rave went further and deeper with articles about Stuart Sutcliffe, the lost Beatle, a fashion round table with John Stephen and the Pretty Things, and notices about up-and-coming groups such as the Yardbirds. 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 1965.

The music weeklies responded to this challenge by hiring new writers. Disc sharpened up its act with bang-up-to-the-minute news stories on the front page, race-track-style chart rundowns, a contentious readers' postbag and incisive singles reviews by Penny Valentine.

Melody Maker developed a good line in eye-catching headlines and increased its circulation to nearly 100,000. Record Mirror also had colour and was well-regarded for its thorough charts page.

1966 was the year of change. Singles' sales dropped by 10million. The papers began to feature stories about star exhaustion and unavailability: the surliness of the Kinks, the Who and the Rolling Stones. A new micro-generation of more cheerful groups appeared, apparently unburdened by significance: the Troggs, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, the Monkees. Sentimental ballads returned, Soul engaged the hardcore mods, while the drug culture began to take an effect. Rave was particularly hostile to the last development and vainly predicted, in its January 1967 issue, that "psychedelic music and psychedelic happenings won't happen".
Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Griff Writes:


The fire lighting saga made me chuckle Pete. The lack of heating in our houses in those far off days would not be tolerated today and that's a fact isn't it. Surprising when you consider that loft insulation to keep the heat actually in the home was not even thought about or considered years ago and I can remember in my bedroom in Station Rd. the build up of ice on the inside bedroom window in Winter on a frosty morning and the rush down stairs to stand next to the newly lit fire to thaw out holding a cup of hot tea.
When my Mum moved to a modern 1950's bungalow in Waterlooville the very large roof void was not insulated and the place use to freeze inside even with electric storage heating. I eventually insulated the loft in 1973 for her.
Now you would think that the vast majority of houses would have had their roof attic spaces insulated by now wouldn't you? but it is not always the case even today with all the publicity that is given out about home insulation and being "Green".

My Daughter has just moved into a fully renovated 1840's Stable in our village which comprises of a large converted stable and an attached Stable Cottage. We have just discovered that the Stable Cottage roof has no roof insulation at all! The reason for this is there is no ceiling attic hatch to actually get in there to do the job. The loft hatch is about to be installed for access and you may all wish to know that B&Q are selling 8" thick rolls of roof insulation for £1 a roll. Bargain.

John Writes:


There was a very interesting article from a number of us old Manor Court Oiks regarding good manners and discipline,
As a young man growing up on the Highbury Estate I was no angel but then I was not a thug,bully or a criminal, I put a lot of my up being down to my late Grandfather who's moral standards were second to none, he was not a religious zealot but a kind and respectful person to whom you could look up to and emulate.

Many years later I now find myself working as a PCSO for the Derbyshire Police here in Chesterfield policing the area around the famous crooked Spire. Through my job I meet all members of the public who's attitudes and behaviour are so varied that its difficult so say who's normal and who's not.

I also meet a lot of younger folk who are on both sides of the spectrum ranging from the Arrogant rude belligerents to Lads and Lasses who have a goal in life to do something positive.

Mary Writes:-

I meant to write this earlier but have just read Chris and Toms` comments on manners. Yes, we certainly lived under very strict conditions, and I vowed that if I was ever lucky enough to have children some things would be different. My mother had been a wartime teacher and my father was ex-army so I didn’t argue with them. You never answered back. You accepted what you were told and got on with it. I can remember when I left Court Lane School and went to Cowplain Girls that there was a careers day to which parents were invited. A gentleman came from the employment services to give advice. When my mother came in with me it didn’t take her long to tell him that my parents would be giving me all the advice I needed, thank you very much! It was a bit like Chris’s experience. Actually I had to find a job myself with no help from anyone but I was really happy working in St Mary’s Hospital. My parents wanted me to work in a bank. Later on I was a dispenser for Boots the Chemists and met up with 2 friends from Court Lane. On the subject of clothes, parents picked them no say there! Then there was the love life, parents had a lot to say then. My mother sent my boyfriend off one morning and he was told never to return. His only crime was that my mother said he was interfering with my school homework. We were both heartbroken but we accepted it. We didn’t argue with parents. I do not feel in any way resentful when I remember the past as those were also days when people were very polite. You never heard bad language or witnessed revolting behaviour. Once when visiting my parents grave I said "I’m sure I disappointed you when I didn’t get a bank job but I did get a banker,(my kind, loving boyfriend of the past 15 yrs)" My children were given the family allowance when teenagers and chose their own clothes. I never interfered with their love life and I always encouraged them. As for the old boyfriend he found me after 48yrs and told me that he still loved me and had never forgotten me (I had never forgotten him) so perhaps things didn’t turn out too badly after all!

News and Views:

Lulu was given the Woman of the Year Lifetime Achievement award in ceremonies in London on 18th October 18.

On this Day 30th October 1960-1965

On

30/10/1960

the number one single was Only the Lonely - Roy Orbison and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge 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

30/10/1961

the number one single was Walkin' Back to Happiness - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was The Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Stalin removed from Lenin's tomb.

On

30

/10/1962

the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was The Royal Variety Performance 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

30/10/1963

the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the Tremoloes and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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 30

/10/1964

the number one single was (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me - Sandy Shaw and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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

30/10/1965

the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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.

Web Page 982

Top Picture: Doc Martens.





Second Picture: The 1960’s mini skirt.

Icons of the Sixties

I thought I would look at some of the things that are associated with the early to mid 1960’s

Doc Martens. When the German doctor, Dr Maertens, injured his foot in a ski-ing holiday in Bavaria, he could not have imagined that the orthopaedic shoe he designed for himself would still be going today, let alone become a boot of rebellion. In 1958, the Grigg family acquired rights to the air cushioned sole and started making boots at their factory in Wollaston. The first boot was produced on the 1st April 1960, and so was christened the 1460. The 1460, in black and later cherry red, was popular with postmen and policemen and then the 'mods' began to adopt them in the mid-60s. They became notorious when the steel-toecapped variety was used to inflict grievous bodily harm on football fans and rival gangs, but now Doc M’s are now almost compulsory kit in the music industry - worn by rockers and boy bands alike. There are 70,000 possible varieties of Doc Martens, starting at 3-eye and rising to a 20-eye boot. Elton John wore an enormous pair in The Who's rock opera movie 'Tommy'.

Mothercare. This is thought of by many as the first major fashion outlet for tiny tots. Mothercare stores opened in 1961 to great public interest. Although not from the babies themselves. Mothercare became popular with mothers for pioneering easily laundered fabrics and bringing a bit of style to kids clothes at reasonable prices. Mothercare UK now supplies goods through their stores and mail order to customers from 130 countries.

Teddy Boy Suit. The original teen rebels, Teddy Boys originated in early 50’s London. Though their days were numbered in the Sixties, the young mods were taking a leaf out of the Teds fashion book. Teds dressed in a blend of romantic Edwardian clothes including slim coats with velvet trim. Hair was cut into an outlandish DA (Duck's Ass), long jackets were worn with thin, bootlace ties, stovepipe trousers which were cut short to show off patterned socks - and the look was completed with suede brothel creepers or winkle-pickers. But behind the dapper facade Teddy Boys were hard as nails - carrying flick knives bicycle chains and razors. The look was synonymous with coldhearted violence and was used as a basis for the costumes of the thugs in A Clockwork Orange. Though the Teddy Boy style was decidedly macho, there were girls who wore velvet-collared jackets and black stockings and cut their hair into a DA.

Mop Top Hair. The description came from the similarity to a dish mop, and led to comments such as: 'Did you see that boy? His hair touched his ears!' Much was done to stamp out the Mop Top cut made popular by The Beatles, but nothing was going to stop the trend going into fashion history. When the boys from Liverpool turned up with their dodgy bowl cuts, people were shocked. The older generation in particular hated it - seeing men with long hair was just 'not on'. Although very tame by today's standards the mop top was shaggy - even daring to touch the shoulder in days when men were expected to show military precision and have the hair neatly cut above the ears. Mop top hairdos took off across the country, despite some schools banning the style - and Middle England calling on the government to reinstate National Service and 'stop the rot'.

Wigs. Once it was discovered that The Supremes used them on stage the wig went right to the top of the fashion class. And it wasn't only women, led by Pop artist Andy Warhol who sported a selection of silver, blue and white wigs, chaps got in on the fad too. Of course, the Beatles got in on the act. Their famous Beatle wigs were one of the best selling pieces of pop merchandise ever, although the band made very little from them after one of Brian Epstein's less successful business deals. A range of 'groovy' wigs were also created by John Stephen and found popularity with trendy blokes across the land. Later in the decade 'afro' wigs became popular with both men and women, although the people sitting behind them at the cinema weren't too impressed.

Twiggy Look and False Eyelashes. In the 1960s there was only one model anyone was bothered about - Twiggy. Girls dieted and slaved over a hot pair of eye-brow curlers to perfect her look and designers clamoured to have her wear their clothes. Woman's Mirror magazine had been on the look-out for models who were young and very thin. They found her in Lesley Hornby who was only six and a half stone and a size 6. Designer John Bates described her, rather coldly as 'Narrow body, perfect square shoulders, long legs, small bust'; in other words the opposite of the pin-ups of the fifties in the Marilyn Monroe mould. Twiggy's distinctive look was typified by two elements - her elfin haircut and panda eyes. The first time her hair was cut into the trademark pixie style it reputedly took eight hours. Almost as long as it took women across the land to master the art of applying three sets of false eyelashes to each eye in order to gain the right amount of doe-eyed appeal. In 1967 a range of Twiggy clothing was launched, presumably to a rather restricted market but the fact that Twiggy's still a star today proves that there was more to her than big eyes and a fancy haircut.

Mini Skirts. If one fashion item could sum up the 60’s it would be the mini-skirt. Opinion is split on who came up with the idea - the wise money would probably go on a Frenchman, Jean Courreges, but Mary Quant is widely accepted as having dreamt up the ever more daring hemline. Within a year anybody who had the body to pull it off was wearing a mini. In New York the norm was 4-5 inches above the knee but in Swinging London anything other than 7-8 inches above the knee was considered positively decent! The usual look was to pair what little was left of the skirt with matching sweater and tights for a uniform look. When, in 1968, Jackie Kennedy wore a white Valentino miniskirt for her wedding to Aristotle Onassis its place at the pinnacle of fashion was confirmed.

Just a few more items from the Diddy box of memories.

Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Anida Writes:-

I am an avid allotmenteer and have been safely gathering in my harvest - this of course means much chopping, stirring and filling the house with vinegary smells as I make chutney from this years huge crop of beetroot. Inevitably there is always a surfeit of runner beans and gardenless friends have been known to receive parcels of them in the post! I also have plenty of vegetables to take me through the winter, nothing like going to pick your own Brussel sprouts and parsnips for Christmas dinner.

This led me to think about Harvest Festivals at school and church. We were encouraged to take along something from the garden but I inevitably took a tin of something from the larder. At church on Harvest Festival Sunday the church was filled with a beautiful smell of all the flowers and vegetables, at the back there was the loaf of bread in the shape of a sheaf of corn. As children we had to come to the front and give our contribution to the Minister, the following night there was Harvest Supper when some of the food was used and some was auctioned off for church funds - all very simple but memorable.

I was born in St Mary's Hospital, where a payment had been made to the doctor and hospital. This was done by most people belonging to a Mutual Aid Society to cover any doctor's bills. Another small payment was made for the hospital stay, this was based on what you could afford, my Mum's friend had to pay less than her because her husband had a smaller military pension. Apparently St Mary's was very popular and Mum didn't know anyone who had their baby at home which must have been quite a social change. I suppose there aren't many of us who still have their Mum's around to fill in the information!

Tom Writes:-

Your article on children's manners then and now was excellent. I, like so many of us, were children of those parents served their country and suffered the hell of WW2 for our basic freedoms, am revolted by the horrible, spoilt, rude brats of today's society. I add quickly that they aren't all like that thank God but sadly too many are. Even here in Thailand which tells the World how polite they are, has serious problems with its youth.

Chris Writes:-

I quite agree with what you say about manners and discipline. My father was very strict and if I uttered a word sometimes he would say "Little boys should be seen and not heard". I remember once when holiday plans were under discussion, I just managed to get out "I think.." and was promptly told "We do not wish to know what you think".

On one occasion I brought home a form from school about careers, what sort of thing I was hoping to do etc. I had already filled it in, but when father saw it I was told to destroy it, get a new form from school the next day and redo it with HIS answers!

Actually I reckon much of this just made me dislike my parents, which continued into adulthood. However, things seem to have gone way too far in the other direction these days. But I would like to think and hope that my experiences made me a kinder and more considerate person towards others, whatever their age, as I've got older.


News and Views:

Clear Lake, Iowa, near where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a 1959 plane crash, dedicated the Three Stars Plaza in their honour on October 13th. In addition, the city will dedicate Ritchie Valens Drive and J.P. Richardson Avenue, along with the existing Buddy Holly Place. Together they will triangulate the Surf Ballroom, where the trio played their last concert.

On this day 21st October 1960-1965.

On

21/10/1960

the number one single was Only the Lonely - Roy Orbison and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place 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.The big news story of the day was Britain launches first nuclear submarine.

On

21/10/1961

the number one single was Walkin' Back to Happiness - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions

On 21/10/1962 the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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

21/10/1963

the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the Tremoloes and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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.

On

21/10/1964

the number one single was Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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

21/10/1965

the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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.

Web Page 980

Top Picture: Clarence Parade 1960
Second Picture: Bilbow and Clibbery in Cosham

Behaviour

Many people, especially those under the age of around 45 will often hear 'us oldens' say "If I'd have spoken to my parents like that, I'd have got a clip round the ear". If you gave a child a clip round the ear nowadays, they'd probably sue you and put you up in front of the European Equal Rights Committee or something very similar!
But in most cases it's true what we say, you would never answer back to your parents or any older person, you would do as you were told because that's how it worked. Possibly part of the reason was that for the last 100 years, the vast majority of us were children of those who fought in the Services during the two Wars and this brought about a discipline. There again, discipline goes back centuries before that even.

It is best write how things were back in the 1950's by just giving examples and the 'rules' which existed, most of which are long forgotten I'm afraid.

1. When any adult, excepting your Parents, entered the Room, you would stand up. If you didn't you'd get ticked off for sure.

2. You would always vacate a Bus or Train seat for a Woman or someone of senior years. You would also offer them your place in a Queue when alighting from a Bus or train.

3. You would never leave the Table without seeking permission first. In fact, you would usually not even bother asking, in the 50's most would eat as a family and then everyone would leave the Table together.

4. "Please" and "Thank you" were compulsory and unlike nowadays, if you didn't say it, it wasn't a case of the Adult saying what an impolite young child you were after you'd left, they would tell you face to face. Also you never said ‘I want’, it was always ‘I would like’.

5. At School, every Teacher was referred to as 'Sir' or 'Madam' and upon entry into the Classroom, everyone would stand up and unanimously say "Good morning Sir or Miss" and if the Headmaster walked in during a lesson you all stood then.

6. If you wore a hat, you would never wear it indoors, home or shop. You would take it off if you met or you were talking to a Lady.

7. "I want" were two 'no no' words, it was always "I would like" or "may I have" (followed by the mandatory Please and Thank you of course.

8. You would always open a door for someone, a woman or adult and allow them entry or exit before you.

9. 'Speak when you're spoken to', another expression us oldens often say. You would not normally make the first comment other than to ask how a person was, you would sit politely when you had guests and wait for the question - and that was usually based around your Schooling!

10. Going back to Buses and Trains and even walking down the Street, if you saw a Lady struggling with her Shopping, you would offer to help, even if that meant going out of your way to take them to he home.

I'm sure there are many more you'd be able to find, but ten is a round number.
Much of the above would remain for some years to follow, but the main change in 'youth' came about in the mid 1960's. Manners and etiquette was just a part of the 1950's lifestyle, it was more disciplined, you wouldn't see so much rubbish in the street, you would find it hard to find untidy front gardens, people wanted to show others that they had things sorted, they were leading a decent life, did the right thing and the children's manners were one way of showing this.
Or am looking through rose tinted spec?
Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

I'm Tom West in the photo of the 1961 woodwork class. Also went on the trip to Hochsolden, Austria but I'm not in the photo. I have been living abroad for the past 12 years and any photos I may still have are at my sisters home. Found your wonderful collection of memories today, thanks for your efforts. It was a real treat to see them.


News and Views:

The original Beatles drummer, Pete Best, is getting a street named after him in his native Liverpool. In addition to "Pete Best Drive," another street in a new development there will be called "Casbah Close" to honour the Casbah Club, which Pete's mother owned and where the Beatles got their start.



On this day 15th October 1960-1965.

On 15/10/1960 the number one single was Tell Laura I Love Her - Ricky Valance and the number one album was Tottenham Hotspur. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £not very interesting and 13.68 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was No Hiding Place (AR).

On 15/10/1961 the number one single was Kon-Tiki - The Shadows and the number one album was The Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Heller's Catch-22 published.

On 15/10/1962 the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. 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 15/10/1963 the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the Tremoloes 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 15/10/1964 the number one single was Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was XVIIIth Olympics in Tokyo were under way.

On 15/10/1965 the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd 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.

Web Page 978

Top Picture: Mile End Chapel in Old Commercial Road



Second Picture: Car Ferry to the Isle of Wight







Wow I have been married 44 years this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another new school pal this week Tom West



Warm memories of childhood firesides

The childhood winters were always freezing when we settled by the fireside in the evenings in the 1960s. And this reminds me of Bonanza. What is the connection between Bonanza, the hit cowboy series of the 1960s, and your old coal fire at home? Read on!

Bereft of any form of central heating, we at home resorted to our open coal fires and electric radiators. Most of our houses were essentially Arctic wastelands in winter, except for the semi-circle in front of the coal fire. There was a strict pecking order for pride of place. The cat was usually first on the scene. Behind him would be the clothes horse with the washing or, alternatively, the bed linen “being aired” before it went on the bed. Finally, grouped around the fire like a well placed team fielding at a Test match, would be our family, dimly aware that somewhere behind the washing and the cat was a source of heat.

The fireplace was a place of great activity, with its gleaming companion set comprising poker, shovel, dustpan and brush (often slightly singed). There would also be a coal scuttle and possibly a toasting fork. This led to one of the fireside rituals toasting bread or crumpets. Father would sit, with the toasting fork getting ever-hotter in his hand, while lesser mortals (like me) would shriek with pain at the heat and drop fork and bread into the open fire. There’s something about toast or crumpets cooked on an open fire that is infinitely better than a toaster or grill. Then in the season there was always roasted chestnuts!

So, where does the reference to Bonanza come in? Well if you remember the opening credits, these used to show a map of Nevada and “The Ponderosa” being devoured by a flame that would start at the centre of the page. Igniting a coal fire at home could lead to something very similar. The process would start with a few sticks wrapped in paper or, with a commercial firelighter, Zip normally. Setting light to these fire starters was usually quite easy but the whole process could fall apart if, like me, you were over-enthusiastic and buried the flames to soon in half a ton of coal dust. However all was not lost if you could always “draw the fire” by blocking off the fireplace and causing air to rush through the grate and then up chimney. The blocking mechanism of choice was always a piece of newspaper, the bigger the better. I quite enjoyed this job, watching the paper being partially sucked into the hearth and seeing the flames begin to work their way up through the dust. However, if I lost concentration I would miss the telltale charring in the middle of the sheet and would suddenly find myself clutching the headlines as the rest of the paper vanished in flames. Then came the worry that you had set the chimney alight.

I never had this experience but my father did once and when it happened he shoveled as much of the fire he could into a metal bucket and then he dashed to the shed, grabbed an old potato sack, soaked it in water and stuffed it up the chimney in the hopes that it would stifle the flames and put the fire out. Luckily this worked. But what a mess was left behind. Firstly the bucket of fire had to be moved, this was not easy as the handle was now red hot and it could not be put down on the carpet or lino as it would burn a hole. Then, when the fire was totally out it was a case of clearing up the water and slurry left behind from the damp sack. But one of the worst things of all was the smell. Nothing else quite smelt the same it was a horrible cloying smell that seemed to linger for days. In fact it was very easy to tell if there was a chimney fire in your area, you did not look for the billowing smoke, you just sniffed.

Sometimes the fire brigade would be summoned but this was to be avoided whatever happened because if the Brigade turned out the householder could get charged for their attendance.

However there was one person who never minded chimney fires and that was the chimney sweep because it was almost guaranteed that a soon as someone had experienced a chimney fire, the sweep was called to clear the rest of the soot. I would have thought that was rather like closing the sable door……
Mind you the visit of the sweep with his brushes and vacuum machine is yet another story.

Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Malcolm Writes:-

Memory is a funny thing, when I see a picture of a Ford Zephyr I immediately think of the bench seat and column change, leaving the rest of the front clear for courting!! And when I drive down Hilary Avenue I can still imagine Bert Ray (science), June Blitz (english), Norman Folland (maths), Mr Fentiman (art), Mr Ord (PE), and of course she who must be obeyed!! Miss Pipe.

News and Views:

A copy of the Beatles hit single Please Please Me signed on both sides by all four members of the band has fetched £9,000 at auction in Liverpool. The 1963 record was sold by a Liverpool woman who asked the group to sign it after listening to them at the city's Cavern venue as a youngster.The "very, very rare" item was among 322 lots at the annual Beatles memorabilia auction. Among other highlights was a cap owned by John Lennon which sold for £3,200. There were bids made from around the world.Other items at the sale, held in the Paul McCartney Auditorium at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, included the door of number 38, Kensington, which went for £2,300.

On this day 8th October 1960-1965.

On

8/10/1960

the number one single was Tell Laura I Love Her - Ricky Valance. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68. Tottenham Hotspurs were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was No Hiding Place (AR).

On

8/10/1961

the number one single was Kon-Tiki - The Shadows and the number one album was The Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Heller's Catch-22 was published.

On

8/10/1962

the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. 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

8/10/1963

the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the Tremoloes 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

8/10/1964

the number one single was Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was XVIIIth Olympics in Tokyo

On

8/10/1965

the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd 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.

Web Page 976

Top Picture: The Kilner Jar





Second Picture: The Rock Gardens in 1960.

A new school chum today we welcome Malcolm Merritt.


Preservation

This is a much used word today, transport preservation, preservation of the past, the preservation of our good looks and many other forms of preservation that are around today. But the preservation I am thinking of is the form of preservation that our Mothers, Grandmothers and Aunties did in the 1950’s and 60’s. That is Food Preservation and legacy from the dark days of wartime.

I can still remember coming home from school and waking into the kitchen and into a wall of heavy onion aroma almost like a gas attack as my mother and grandmother busied themselves around the sink and cooker peeling and preparing such things as pickled shallots and onions in glass Kilner Jars (did you realise that Jeremy Clarkson is directly related to the Kilner family?) These specially made jars had purpose made rubber sealing rings, a flat glass top and a screw to hold the lot together and make it airtight. Once bottled all these products were safely stored away on a shelf in the larder ready for use. I really do not know why they pickled so many as it was only my grandmother that ate them, but I suppose that kept her going all year. I myself hated the things almost as much as the pickled eggs they also prepared and preserved eggs in Isinglass. These two home made products were alays kept in large salt glazed jars with screw lids. Why did they preserve the eggs you may ask? The only explanation I can come up with is that the man next door had a very large chicken run so there was always a ready supply of eggs.

Living in a house with a large if a little unkempt garden meant that we had many sorts of well established trees, apple, pear, cherry, plum, damson and also a lot of soft fruit, gooseberries, black currants and white currants as well as blackberries. Yes you’ve got it all these were either chopped, sliced or preserved whole and bottled again in Kilner Jars. The rest of the produce was consigned to the preserving pan and jars and jars of different flavoured jams were produced. I was eternally grateful that no one in the family ever thought of making relish, chutney or piccalilli! The other sort of trees we had were hazel nut trees but as far as I am aware neither of the two ladies in the house ever attempted to preserved them. Luckily we never spent any time combing the hill for sloes to make Sloe Gin as I can never remember us having any alcohol in the house, only at Christmas!!!

The one bit of our larder that I took complete charge of was the back right hand corner and this is where I stored and made my Ginger beer. How many of you had a Ginger Beer plant at home? I know to get them started was difficult but once underway and fed with sugar and water these plants grew and grew. So much so that every three weeks the ginger beer had to be decanted, the plant split in half and the whole process started again. Now was the problem, you did not want to throw the spare half of the plant away and very some all your friends had one and they were in the same boat. There must have been hundreds of little ginger beer plans flushed away in the 1950’s!

My father never got involved in this orgy of preservation apart from helping to pick the fruit. His contribution was the carrots and potatoes from his vegetable plot. Most of the vegetables he grew we ate fresh from the garden but I do remember that he had an area at the back of the shed which was covered over with old sacks . This is where he kept his lifted potatoes and carrots and the sacking was to stop the light getting at the vegetables and ruining them.

What a difference to where most things come from the supermarket and the only thing most people grow thee days are tomatoes in pots!


Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Mary Writes:-

Re Midwifes fees I have an idea that the fees for a midwife was 7 or 8 guineas. It`s a vague recollection of what mother said. I did hear on breakfast TV last week that a mother wanted a private midwife and it cost her £4000.

News and Views:

Henry Winkler is called the Nicest Man in Hollywood, but now he’s also known as Henry Winkler OBE as he was awarded the honor in recognition of his services to children with dyslexia and special educational needs. He has spent much of the last two years touring the U.K. to educate about dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Henry Winkler, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult, is also the author of 17 children’s books centered on Hank Zipzer, a boy with dyslexia who overcomes his struggles at school and with bullies. It is easy to just think of him as the man who played ‘The Fonz’ in the TV series ‘Happy Days’ which played from 1974 -1984 there is obviously far more to him than most of us realized!


On this day 30th September 1960-1965.

On 30/09/1960

the number one single was Tell Laura I Love Her - Ricky Valance and the number one album was Down Drury Lane to Memory Lane - A Hundred and One Strings. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place and the box office smash was Psycho. Brigitte Bardot leaves hospital in Nice after recovering from a suicide attempt. 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 30/09/1961

the number one single was Johnny Remember Me - John Leyton and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmatians.A pound of today's money was worth £ 13.25.The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

On 30/09/1962

the number one single was She's Not You - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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 30/09/1963

the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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 30/09/1964

the number one single was I'm Into Something Good - Herman's Hermits and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street 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 30/09/1965

the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd and the number one album was Help - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was yet again Coronation Street 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.

Web Page 974

Top Picture: Paul and Paula in the 1960’s




Second Picture: The icon of the 1960’s the Ford Zodiac.

Paul and Paula

As far as most of us remember this duo only ever made the big time with the record ‘Hey Paula’, but what was their history?

In the Autumn of 1962, a radio station in Brownwood, Texas, announced a special broadcast to benefit the American Cancer Society. Volunteer performers were invited to come and donate their services in front of the open mike. At nearby Howard Payne College, two students thought it would be fun to appear on the program. These students were Ray Hildebrand and Jill Jackson.

On the show, the team sang an original tune that had been written a few days earlier by Ray. It went over so well that it was suggested that they make a professional recording of the song. Encouraged by this Ray and Jill drove to Fort Worth in November, 1962, hoping for an audition with Major Bill Smith, the owner of the LeCam Record Company.

At the studio, the two were told that Major Bill was about to record someone else and could not see them that day. Determined to get a hearing, they decided to hang around just in case something happened; and something did.
Major Bill was waiting for singer Amos Milburn Jr. who failed to show up, and that meant he had five musicians standing around (at the rate of $5 apiece). Finally, someone said that there were a couple of kids hanging around the office that would like the Major to hear some of their songs. With nothing to lose, Ray and Jill were granted an interview right then and there.

Major Bill said, "let's hear what ya got, son" and Ray began to strum the guitar and sing "Hey Hey Paula". "Ok boy, let's stop Heyin' and start recordin'", said the Major.

When the session was over, the Major asked "What do you call yourselves"? "Jill and Ray" came the answer and that's what was printed on the record label.
Major Bill Smith knew he had something good and began to pitch the record to Ewart Abner, of Vee Jay Records, who turned it down in favour of another artist's tune that Smith had with him. Not one to be discouraged easily, Major Bill decided to release the record himself and pressed it on American Election Day, 1962. Radio station KFJZ was the first to add it to their play list.

"Hey Paula" sold sixteen thousand records in one day and it didn't take long for Shelby Singleton of Mercury Records to call the Major, wanting to buy the master tape. "One other thing", said Singleton. "This is 'Hey Paula', by Jill and Ray...that doesn't make any sense at all. We're gonna change it to Paul and Paula". At first, Jill and Ray didn't like that idea, because everyone in Texas knew them by their real names, but they got used to it.

Mercury Records released it on their subsidiary label, Phillips. It reached the charts nationally just after Christmas, 1962 and spent nearly three weeks in February at number one in the USA. Incredibly, it also hit number one on the R&B charts too. In all, "Hey Paula" spent fifteen weeks on the best seller list, closing in on two million copies.

Soon after, Jill and Ray got married...but not to each other. Jill married the duo's manager. The pair toured the country with Dick Clark's Caravan Of Stars and reached No 4 in the spring of 1963 with "Young Lovers". A third release, "First Quarrel" made it to No 27 later the same year. By 1965 however, Ray had grown tired of life on the road and decided he'd had enough. Paul and Paula officially split up.
Ray found work as a song writer and record producer. Jill continued as a solo performer in and around Texas for many years and later married an attorney from California. Jill and Ray met up with each other again in Brownwood, Texas in the early '80s and sang together once more, at a town party.
In early 1983, Ray Hildebrand teamed up with singer/guitarist Paul Land for a night of music and fun at a local Christian coffeehouse. Their performance as a duo that night made them both aware of their musical strength and versatility together. The pair teamed up as Land & Hildebrand to perform and record a series of gospel music albums through the 80s 90s and into the new millennium.
Ray and Jill also got back together occasionally to record and perform as Paul and Paula.

Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Not a You Write more of a You Ask

Those of us who were born before the 5th July 1948 were born before the introduction of the NHS which means that our parents had to pay for our mothers confinement either in hospital or for the midwife at home. This is something that had not occurred to me the question is:- How much did the confinement cost, in other words how much did it cost our parents for us to be born? Over to you!

News and Views:

Wedding banns were posted Wednesday September 14th for Paul McCartney and his fiancé, Nancy Shevell, at the Westminster Register Office in Marylebone, London, where he married first wife Linda in 1969. The couple can be married 16 days later if they wish, so September 30 would be the earliest date. An actual date has not been announced.

On this day 23rd September 1960-1965

.

On

23/09/1960

the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was Down Drury Lane to Memory Lane - A Hundred and One Strings. 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

23/09/1961

the number one single was Reach for the Stars / Climb Ev'ry Mountain - Shirley Bassey and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was "Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £Argentinian swims English Channel both ways non-stop and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Take Your Pick (AR)".

On

23/09/1962

the number one single was She's Not You - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. 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

23/09/1963

the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles 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

23/09/1964

the number one single was You Really Got Me - Kinks and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On

23/09/1965

the number one single was Make It Easy On Yourself - Walker Brothers 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.

Web Page 970

Top Picture: Dixon of Dock Green. Jack Warner, Arthur Rigby, Moira Mannion (as Sergeant Grace Millard), Peter Byrne and Jeannette Hutchinson as Mary this part was originally played by Billie Whitelaw.





Second Picture: The opening radiator shot of the series Fabian of the Yard

Law and Order

Today lets take a look at how law and order was portrayed on the TV when we were kids, this is before the gritty true to life series such as Z Cars came along.

I will briefly look at the three most popular programmes then have a look at one or two you might well have forgotten!

Dixon of Dock Green:

We all know the words “Evening All!" spoken by PC George Dixon played by Jack Warner but did you know that he was the first British TV policeman and the series ran for twenty-one years even promoting PC Dixon to Sergeant towards the end of the 367 episodes. The series was cosy and on a small scale dealing with things that were within most peoples experiences, no sensationalism. The series was developed from an idea by Ted Willis, Dixon still ranks as the longest running police series on British Television having notched up some 367 episodes. The theme tune "An Ordinary Copper" played on the harmonica by Tommy Riley one of the many harmonica soloists of the period and wafter having a vocal added was actually recorded by Jack Warner.

Maigret

We all knew of the pipe smoking Frenchman played by Rupert Davis. Maigret was originally part of the BBC’s Sunday-Night Theatre presentations the first one being 'Maigret and the Lost Life' in December 1959, Maigret was then played by Basil Sydney. The actual series began in October 1960, The casting of Rupert Davies as Maigret pleased his creator Georges Simenon immensely

No Hiding Place (1959-67)

Back to the UK and No Hiding Place, which was preceded by Murder Bag and Crime Sheet that dealt with true-life cases from the Scotland Yard archives. Detective Chief Superintendent Lockhart was played by Raymond Francis and this was ITV's best known early police drama series Launched in 1959, it was one of television's most successful series and a former Scotland Yard detective, Glyn Davies, was appointed consultant and the theme music "Mailed Fist" was composed by Cecil Milner

Right now let’s start on the more obscure, Who remembers

Garry Halliday (1959-1962)?

He was a pilot for a commercial airline company, "The Halliday Charter Company", his character was rather like Biggles as he flew from one aeronautical adventure to another. There were three series: Garry Halliday, Garry Halliday and the Gun-Runners, Garry Halliday and the Secret of Omar Khayyam. Terence Longdon played Garry Halliday and Terence Alexander was his co-pilot Bill Dodds and Elwyn Brook-Jones played the arch-villain, 'The Voice'. In real-life Silver City Airways assisted in the production, transforming part of their Ferryfield Airport at Lydd in Kent, into suitable location settings and providing a Douglas DC-3 aircraft. The stories were based on the books by Justin Blake.

Dial 999

This starred Robert Beatty as Inspector Mike Maguire who was sent to London by the Canadian Mounted Police to study advanced crime detection techniques. The stories were rugged and the plots suggested that it took a fist of a Canadian copper to clean up London's underworld. The series was made in conjunction with Scotland Yard and involved much location filming around London and at Elstree Studios.

Fabian of the Yard

This was one of my own favourites, however this Fabian was not to be confused with the pop singer who appeared on the scene several years later. Fabian was one of TV's first police heroes. Inspector Fabian of Scotland Yard would rush around the streets of London in a heavy, almost unmanageable, Humber Hawk tracking down criminals. The series was based on the career of the former Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Robert Fabian who, in the series, was played by Bruce Seton. The series lasted 39 episodes and was shot on film and was re-edited into films for the cinema.

Interpol Calling (1959-60)

I have no recollection of this programme at all but it was a crime series based on the files of the International Criminal Police Organisation, which was involved, largely in European murder, robbery, forgery, and narcotics busting. Signalling the action to come, the series always opened with a speeding driver crashing through a checkpoint and being fired upon by border guards.

M Squad

This was US police series in which Lee Marvin played a Chicago plainclothes policeman assigned to M-Squad. The most memorable part of the series was the Count Basie theme music.

Highway Patrol

I cannot have a page on cops without featuring Highway Patrol. Featuring Broderick Crawford in powerful patrol cars with superheterodyne two-way radios the police department sought to fight crime on the rural highways of America's wide open spaces. The California Highway Patrol strongly supported the program in its first two seasons, and the production company was able to rent actual CHP squad cars. "Highway Patrol" logos were placed over the real CHP emblems and studio license plates were taped over the genuine plates. The 1955 Buick Century two-door sedans seen were built especially for the CHP and were never offered for sale to the public. Two-door sedans were adequate because the real CHP rarely arrested anyone at that time, being involved more with accident investigations, enforcement and car thefts. . The show's uniforms were copies of the khakis worn by the CHP including the state seal and the slogan "Eureka", except that the word "California" was removed. Authenticity was a major goal, and Dan Matthews' call sign - 21-50 - was the actual unit number of then-CHP Commissioner Bernard Caldwell. In mid-1956 the CHP dropped its support of the program over differences in story lines and presentation, and refused to supply any more squad cars. The producers quickly acquired an incorrect Buick Super four-door hardtop to complete that season. Accurate squad replicas were ordered for the 1957 season, but the 1958-season cars differed from reality.

No one remembers the opening words to the episodes, “Whenever the laws of any state are broken, a duly authorized organization swings into action. It may be called the State Police, State Troopers, Militia, the Rangers... or the Highway Patrol. These are the stories of the men whose training, skill and courage have enforced and preserved our state laws.

But we all remember Broderick Crawford’s end quote “Remember leave you blood at the blood bank and not on the highway.

Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

A message from the USA

The city of Los Angeles declared Wednesday September 7th "Buddy Holly Day" on what would have been his 75th birthday.

News and Views:

Lieutenant-Commander Peter Twiss died on August 31 aged 90, he was one of Britain's foremost postwar test pilots and the first man to fly faster than 1,000mph.



On this day 16th September 1960-1965.

On

16/09/1960

the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was Down Drury Lane to Memory Lane - A Hundred and One Strings. 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

16/09/1961

the number one single was Johnny Remember Me - John Leyton and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was First Mothercare shop opens in Surrey.

On

16/09/1962

the number one single was She's Not You - Elvis Presley 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

16/09/1963

the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles 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

16/09/1964

the number one single was You Really Got Me - Kinks and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - 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 Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On

16/09/1965

the number one single was (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones 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.

Web Page 970

Top Picture: Jackie Pallo
Second Picture: Billy Two Rivers as he is today



Television Wrestling
In the 1960’s Saturday afternoon would
not have been the same without the voice of Kent Walton introducing the Professional Wrestling and great numbers of people of all ages tuned in to watch. I must admit that these were the only occasions when my grandmother would shout phrases such as ‘hit him’ o ‘pull his head off’.
But who were the stars of the mat in those days? Here are five of them.


Jackie "Mr T.V." Pallo
One of the biggest names ever created by televised wrestling was born into Islington's Gutteridge boxing family and had scaled no heights as a 1950s professional wrestler when he made his television début against Cliff Beaumont. In this bout, a failed posting resulted in Jackie Pallo spreadeagling the corner and seemingly hurting his private parts. The switchboards were jammed with viewers wanting to know how he was, his name became known, and he needed little more encouragement to establish the persona of the pigtailed bombastic middleweight with an outrageous hair ribbon and striped trunks. His wife Trixie and young son were often to be seen at ringside and were worked into his bouts if at all possible, with kisses from Jack - and once, memorably, from his opponent. His feud with Mick McManus from 1962 to 1973 was the greatest in wrestling history, but what remains rather unclear to this day is just how deep the rivalry went; Jackie Pallo beat Mick McManus once only during this feud (though he had done so in the fifties). His Mr TV tag came after an appearance on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, and for 6 or 8 years from 1958 he was seldom out of the limelight. He used his fame for the benefit of wrestling as a whole, typically getting his Avengers co-star, Honor Blackman, to a 1964 Royal Albert Hall show when she was at the height of her Goldfinger fame, and having her presented in the ring.
By way of illustration of how times have changed and what big names our sixties heroes were, when he was billed to appear at Bishops Stortford in 1964 all tickets were sold out within three hours of the box office opening.
Never underestimate his wrestling skill and the highpoint of his "competitive" career was when on 12th April 1969 he defeated Bert Royal to become only the third holder of the British Heavy Middleweight Championship.
In the ring he was a risk-taking athlete on the one hand but pushed believability to the limits at other times owing to his over-the-top cockiness. A great traveller, he took the game reliably nationwide and made numerous television and stage appearances. He died in 2006 from cancer, aged 80,

Mick McManus

He was born Michael Matthews on 11 January 1928 in New Cross of Anglo-Irish decent. He was the cornerstone from his forties début right through to July 2007 and his appearance on an ITV nostalgia show alongside Dickie Davies as the face of wrestling. He was the most featured wrestler of all time in television bouts. A carefully crafted ring persona was effective in arousing fans’ hatred over several decades. No one equalled Mick McManus. Here was a man who was just as comfortable in the company of the great and the good, or mixing with the Beatles and other entertainment celebrities, as he was mixing it in our local wrestling halls. Few weeks would pass by without Mick popping up on television, radio and the national press. He even had his own weekly column in the Sun newspaper.


Les Kellett

Every fan has a favourite memory of Les Kellett, whether it be his spectacular spin through the ropes (falling backwards through the ropes and then propelling himself back into the ring), or making his opponent look foolish by feigning semi-consciousness and then sidestepping a blow at the last minute. It was this abilty to humiliate his opponent that gave Les Kellet his unique flair for pleasing the fans. Having turned professional in 1938, the outbreak of war soon curtailed Les's wrestling career. Returning to Britain after the war, and living in Manchester, it was a chance encounter with wrestler Joe Hill which resulted in Les moving back to Bradford and devoting his energies to a full time professional wrestling career. By 1946 he was travelling the country and attracting new fans wherever he wrestled. Outside the ring Les Kellet had the reputation of being a very hard man with a high pain threshold. Stories abound of his no-nonsense approach to life, which he publicly admitted led to him being disliked by some in the profession. Personal contentment came from running a small holding and café with his wife, Margaret. There was tragedy for Margaret and Les in 2000, with the untimely death of one of their two sons, David, who wrestled as Dave Barrie. Although Les's career continued until he was well into his sixties he remained a crowd pleaser until the very end. He died peacefully in his sleep, in Ilkley, two years after he moved to a nursing home, at the age of 86, leaving a widow, Margaret, son Christopher and two grandchildren.

Billy Two Rivers

One of the most colourful characters in British wrestling history. Undoubtedly a huge name by virtue of the tremendous impact of his headdress and haircut in his initial 1960 appearances at a time when Cowboy and Indian films were still popular, this Mohawk chief Two Rivers from Quebec had already started to disappoint by the time he returned to Britain in 1964. The routine was well rehearsed and eagerly anticipated by fans. He performed a little wardance before polishing off evil-doing opponents with his famed tomahawk chop finisher. Returned to do the rounds again in 1973: those who remembered the original version were disappointed. He is the father of British fashion designer Wayne Hemingway. I actually remember seeing him wrestle at the Theatre Royal in Portsmouth when it was known as the Royal Arena.
Bruno Elrington
Cannot miss out the local lad, Big Bruno Elrington he might well have been a big package, but it had all the necessary ingredients to be a top rated wrestler. Just the name Bruno on the bills, no need for the surname, was enough for fans who knew exactly what to expect. Whilst some loved to jeer him as a rule bender others loved him because he could, and did, wrestle. His height and weight, around 20 stones, caused an interest, but so did his speed and agility that was surprising for a man of his size. His strength and power moves were admired by many, but so was his wrestling skill. Bruno had an enormous ring presence and he made a fearsome site as he climbed into the ring. But fans always realised that here was a generous, warm hearted man, and had a special affection for him even in his most villainous of days. He entered the professional ring following six years service in the Royal Marines. Mind you, he could have been lost to the world of boxing, having four fights as a pro boxer before turning his sights to wrestling. He mellowed later in his career and was rewarded with winning the Royal Albert Hall Trophy in 1969, and succeeding Al Hayes as Southern England Champion. He owned and trained in a gym in Southsea.
Well grapple fans it is time for me to go.
Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Remember the 5th Year coffee table we Boysl made with Mr. Wells our Metalwork Master in the workshops at Court Lane? Mine is still in use all these years later and still looks as good today after a quick re-spray and refurbishment. Hard to believe we made these coffee tables nearly 50 years ago! Take a look at the side bar

Regards to Everyone. Melvyn ( Griff ) Griffiths..





News and Views:

Lyricist Jerry Leiber, who-- along with his partner Mike Stoller-- gave us such legendary tunes as "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "Kansas City," "Charlie Brown" and "Love Potion #9," died on Monday August 22 in a Los Angeles hospital from cardiopulmonary failure. He was 78. A list of all the tunes written or produced by the duo could fill an encyclopedia, but they include "There Goes My Baby," "Young Blood," "Searchin'" "Spanish Harlem," "Ruby Baby," "Yakety Yak," "Black Denim Trousers," "Hard Headed Woman," "On Broadway," "Only In America" and "Is That All There Is."


On this day 9th September 1960-1965.

On 09/09/1960

the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide (ITV) 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 09/09/1961

the number one single was Johnny Remember Me - John Leyton and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Charles de Gaulle escapes assasination attempt

On 09/09/1962

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 09/09/1963

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 09/09/1963

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 09/09/1965

the number one single was (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones 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.

Web Page 970

Top Picture: Billy Bunter




Second Picture: The old IOW car ferry.

Gerald Campion


Gerald Campion, this name probably does not mean much to you but if I say Billy Bunter in the BBC's early television series about the Fat Owl of the Remove and his antics at Greyfriars and that Gerald Campion played the part for 10 years was itself something of a tour de force, since he was a 29-year-old father of two when he began to play the part and aged nearly 40 when he finished.

The producer of the series, Joy Harrington, had almost despaired of finding a suitable candidate for the part when a friend suggested she took a look at Gerald Campion, who was lunching at the Under 30 Club. She decided at once that his button nose and general appearance were perfect, and immediately went shopping for a pair of pince-nez spectacles.
As she saw it, his only drawback was that he was not fat enough in fact he who stood 5 ft 5in tall and weighed 11st 12 lb, having recently been on a diet. "He simply isn't fat enough in the tummy," Joy Harrington declared. Gerald Campion later claimed that, to regain weight, he had gorged himself on home-made jam tarts; judicious padding did the rest, as well as protecting him during Bunter's regular kickings and beatings.

When the series began, in February 1952, each episode was screened twice - at 5.40 pm for children, and at 8 pm for adults - and each was performed live. At the same time he was running his own theatrical club at night, and it was said that, in order to cope with so demanding a schedule, he had to resort to taking amphetamines. On the day following transmission of the first episode, the Daily Sketch declared it "dull, dated, boring" - only to be submerged by an avalanche of complaints from readers whose children had loved it.

Until the series ended in 1961, he continued to endure the attentions of the gimlet-eyed Mr Quelch ("Bend over, you wretched boy") and Bunter's sadistic school chums; and the nation's sitting rooms echoed to his cries of "Geroogh", "Yarooh", "Crikey", "Ouch", and "Leggo, you beasts". Meanwhile, during the 120 episodes, Quelches came and went (the first was played by Kynaston Reeves), as did Bunter's schoolmates, among them Michael Crawford and Anthony Valentine.
As Gerald Campion outlived them all, he found himself, to his horror, one of television's earliest celebrities, recognised everywhere he went. "Sweet shops were the worst," he complained later. "I'd be in them and blokes would manhandle their kids round to face me, and point at me and shout: 'Look there - that's Billy Bunter!' "

After the series was axed following the death of Bunter's creator Frank Richards, Gerald nonetheless sent in some scripts of his own in an attempt to revive it. One had Bunter captured by cannibals, who put him in a cooking pot and invited him to eat a large clove of garlic; he received no reply.

The son of the scriptwriter Cyril Campion, Gerald Theron Campion was born at Bloomsbury, London, on April 23 1921; one of his godparents was Sir Gerald du Maurier. After attending University College School, Hampstead, Gerald went to RADA aged 15. After the Second World War, in which he served as a wireless operator with the RAF in Kenya, he resumed his career as an actor - by the time he was chosen to play Billy Bunter, he had made 12 television appearances.

At the same time he embarked on a parallel life, in 1950 opening The Buckstone, a theatrical club opposite the stage door of the Haymarket theatre. On one occasion he was irritated to find that a visiting artist had doodled on one of the tablecloths; he threw it out, only to discover later that the culprit had been Annigoni.
In 1956 he started The Key Club - to which each member had his own key - close to the Palladium; and this was followed by Gerry's, in Shaftesbury Avenue, whose members included Michael Caine, Keith Waterhouse, Tony Hancock and Graham Hill.
After the demise of Bunter, he continued to work as an actor, although without the same success. Among his film roles were parts in Carry On, Sergeant; Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; and Half A Sixpence. He also appeared in television series such as Minder, Dr Who, and Sherlock Holmes.

He was a lover of French cuisine, and in later life he developed a new and successful career as a restaurateur, running a series of establishments in London and the Home Counties. Among them were Froops, in north London; Bassetts, in Tunbridge Wells; and The Woodman's Arms Auberge, a hotel/restaurant at Hastingleigh in Kent which he ran with his second wife Suzie. In 1989, when he was involved with The Woodman's Arms, he reflected: "I suppose it is fitting that the man who played Billy Bunter should end up in the Good Food Guide." In 1991 he and his wife retired to France, where he died on 9th July 2002.
Gerald Campion married, first, in 1947, Jean Symond. After their divorce he married, in 1972, Suzie Marks, who had worked as a dancer at Gerry's; she, and three children from his first marriage, survived him.

Stay in touch,

Yours,

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

You Write:

Stephen Writes:

Your story on the Tracks & Paths did bring back lots of great memories, Before moving to the Highbury Estate we used to live up in Paulsgrove so spent my childhood exploring Portsdown Hill the chalkpits and beyond.
One place that was a magnet for the kids was to walk over the hill to what used to be HMS Dryad the Royal Naval base and Southwick House home to the D Day maps, we often climbed over the old wall that went around the site to scrump for apples and any other goodies we could get our young hands on, one of the best games we would play was to bait the Royal Naval Police who patrol the area by getting them to chase us over the wall, we where far to young and agile for them to catch us, but if they did a clip around the ear was always forth coming.

As I mentioned I used to live on the Highbury estate which was a long walk or bus ride to Manor Court, we often used to go down into Drayton Park after school and risk are lives climbing over the fence and running over the railway tracks by the triangle, then use the bus fare we saved to buy sweets.

Another great place with hidden paths was along the Hilsea fortifications and Portscreek, if you knew were to look you could find old buried military bits & bobs or just watch the courting couples doing their thing. All in all a great place to grow up with Hills the Sea and the countryside not to far away and it was safe for kids to play and learn, its a shame that kids today cannot enjoy what we experienced.

Its been over 35 years since I lived in Pompey, but when I go back to visit my family I find places I knew have change out of all proportion,
I would love to explore around Hilsea again, so next time I’m back home I just might have a mooch around for good old time sake.

Jonathan Writes:-

Your Blog of the 50's and 60's was as ever evocative of memories. I so well remember cutting across the farms in Farlington to get to the marshes. There was a level crossing at the railway where we used to place pennies on the rail lines to get the trains to flatten them.

The marshes themselves were a great place to explore.........they still are. Recently when I was over in England I went for a run around the sea wall and on the way back found a little untouched enclave just close to the motorway and north of it accessed by an unused dirt road underpass. There was a pond there with a bench next to it and a sad little sign stating that a young boy had drowned there some years previous.

The marshes were a great place to fill out the I Spy book about the country side. You did a recent blog on I Spy books if I remember aright and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As boys we used to wade out in the mud up to our knees, probably unwise but what the heck, we were boys.

I used to be allowed to ride from Rectory Avenue in Farlington along the Havant Road to Bosham to visit my Aunt and cousins who lived close to the water's edge in a lovely bijou cottage.

The chalk pits were great weren't they. Do you remember the cave that was about 15 foot up one of the vertical faces. I never dared crawl in lest I got stuck and couldn't reverse out.

We used to go sledging in winter if it snowed at "The Devil's Footprint" just a bit east of the chalk pits.

The water works always had a malodorous smell from the filter beds.

We used to play cricket until it was too dark to see the ball up at the Recreation Ground between the end of Solent Road and Woodfield Avenue. I once split my younger brother's eyebrow open when a ball bowled by me at about 10 p.m. collected his specs.

News and Views:

Elvis Presley's granddaughter, model Riley Keough, will star in Steven Soderbergh's upcoming film, "Magic Mike."

On this day 2nd September 1960-1965.

On

02/09/1960

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

02/09/1961

the number one single was Johnny Remember Me - John Leyton and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. 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 Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On

02/09/1962

the number one single was I Remember You - Frank Ifield and the number one album was West Side Story Soundtrack. 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.The big news story of the day was 20000 killed in Iran earthquake.

On

02/09/1963

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

02/09/1964

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 No Hiding Place (AR) 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

02/09/1965

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.