WEB PAGE NO 802

FIRST PICTURE: PETER HAIGH











SECOND PICTURE:

Shani Wallis s she appeared in Oliver








Firstly, with the able assistance of Steve and Philip I have been able to name all the boys in the picture entitled in the Woodwork Shop on the side bar.



Some names from the past you may well have forgotten!


Peter Haigh 1925 - 2001
Peter Haigh died aged 75 in 2001. He was a familiar and popular face on BBC television in the years after the War.He made his debut as an announcer in March 1952 when he stood in for McDonald Hobley. Before this he had been trying without luck for three years to get a post at the BBC, but his two-week trial at Alexandra Palace was an immediate success and he was asked to join the team of continuity announcers headed by McDonald Hobley, Sylvia Peters and Mary Malcolm. He was over six-foot tall and had a carefully trimmed moustache and beautifully modulated voice, he looked every inch the Guards officer that he had been before entering broadcasting. Newspapers columnists regularly referred to him as "Television's most eligible bachelor", a tag he forfeited when in 1957 he married Jill Adams, a Rank starlet.The previous year he had defected to ITV then the job as BBC’s chief staff announcer was offered him, but he had already started to make a good living as a freelance presenter and knew that if he accepted the BBC's offer he would not be able to continue with this additional work. He turned down the job and concentrated on activities such as compering Come Dancing, presenting television quizzes and introducing celebrity dinners at Guildhall in London. In 1956 he was voted best commentator of the year. He became perhaps most associated with Picture Parade, a weekly review of the film world which he co-presented with Derek Bond and which ran for many years.
With the coming of television he fitted perfectly into that persona of dinner jackets and clear enunciation. During the 1950s he earned and spent a great deal of money, but when the look of television began to change his career declined. His marriage broke up and he began drinking more than was good for him. In the mid-1960s he retired to Portugal, where he ran a harbour-side restaurant and bar. There he met his German-born second wife. In the 1980s they returned to Britain, where he hoped that he could resume his broadcasting career. But this did not happen. He made his final television appearance as the guest of Des Lynam on a short-lived series called It's My Pleasure, intended as a television equivalent of Desert Island Discs. Afterwards he worked occasionally for BBC Radio and did voice-overs for advertisements. He died in March 2001and was survived by his second wife, Inge, and by a daughter of his first marriage.
Elton Hayes. 1915 - 2001
Both his parents were actors and he made his first stage appearance aged nine. He wanted to be an actor, but he also learned the violin and the ukelele. In his teens, he won a scholarship to the Fay Compton School of Dramatic Arts. His first job was as assistant stage manager with the Old Stagers' Company at the Canterbury Theatre and he sang in his spare time at local social clubs.
He took up the guitar and the guitar would cause his later fame, accompanying himself while he sang old English folk songs and ballads he made an enviable reputation. Despite contracting rheumatic fever, which caused his fingers to stiffen, he continued playing. He joined the services during the war and a few days after returning to Britain from war service in India, he visited the BBC, still in uniform, to watch a broadcast of Children's Hour. He was recognised and was immediately taken on to write and perform a slot in the programme based on Edward Lear's Nonsense Rhymes. Soon after he was given a regular slot on "In Town Tonight". From then on he performed on radio and television frequently in Britain. On an eight week tour of North America, he made 113 appearances which he found very exhausting. But for most of us he was, and will always be, the singing minstral Alan-a-Dale in ‘The Tales of Robin Hood’. He was highly nervous before live performances and so retired from show business in the 1960s and, after studying at a agricultural college, became a farmer in Essex, breeding pedigree livestock. He took up carriage driving and became a member of the British Driving Society. After suffering a stroke in 1995, he had to give up his farm and moved to live with friends, who cared for him until his death. In 1942 he married Betty Inman, who died in 1982.
Shani Wallis
Shani Wallis was born in 1933 in Tottenham and made her name as an actress and singer, releasing several popular records in the 1950s. She made her first stage appearance at the age of four, and later studied at the RADA on a scholarship. Throughout he career she played many leading lady roles in the West End, but she is best known for the role of Nancy in the 1968 film production of Lionel Bart's musical Oliver! She is now a naturalized citizen of the United States, where she has lived for many years. She has appeared with Liberace, Jack Benny, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and has been married to agent Bernie Rich since 1965; they have one child, Rebecca, and two granddaughters. She is also the sister of jazz drummer Leon Roy and is the Life President of The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.

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

You Write:
Mary Writes: I do so agree with the article. I feel sorry for children today, as we had such freedom. I spent hours on Farlington Marshes and developed a real love of wildlife, which has never left me. I loved to climb trees, chalkpits, and slide on the ice, all very "elf&safety" today. I used to climb trees while my brother stood at the base of the tree holding my coat. Later my brother joined the RM reserves and got his para wings! I actually do not like heights these days! Also we used to walk everywhere. I still remember how we used to walk from Cosham Odion on a Saturday, save the bus fare and buy a cake in the bakers in Drayton.

News and Views:
The U.S. Postal Service announced its commemorative stamps for 2010. Gene Autry and Roy Rogers will be honoured as part of an American Cowboy series.

On this day 17th January 1960-1965

On 17/01/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was North by Northwest. 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 the price of large eggs cut to 3/- a dozen.

On 17/01/1961 the number one single was Poetry in Motion - Johnny Tillotson and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. 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 Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 17/01/1962 the number one single was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was The Young Ones - Cliff Richard. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Van Doren guilty in US quiz show fix.

On 17/01/1963 the number one single was The Next Time/Bachelor Boy - Cliff Richard & the Shadows 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 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 17/01/1964 the number one single was Glad All Over - Dave Clark Five and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 17/01/1965 the number one single was Yeh Yeh - Georgie Fame and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page No 800

FIRST PICTURE: MARILYN MUNRO EVERY TEENAGE BOYS FANTASY












SECOND PICTURE: A PLACE TO COOL OFF AFTER LOOKING AT THE FIRST PICTURE, HILSEA LIDO.


Firstly with the help of Steve and Tim I have now managed to name almost all of the pupils on the 27th picture down on the Blog Side Bar. Are you there?


CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1940s AND 1950s!




I have seen many of these remember when articles but I think this is one of the best! So I have localised it a little.

First, we survived being born to mothers who sometimes smoked and/or drank while they carried us and lived in houses made of, or full of asbestos. They took aspirin (my mother took Rennie by the cwt when she was carrying so I was told), ate blue cheese, raw egg products, loads of fatty bacon and pork, processed meat, tuna from a can and never thought of getting tested for diabetes or cervical cancer.

Then after that trauma, our baby cots were often second hand and repainted by Dad with bright coloured lead-based paints.

When we rode our bikes we rode on the road and not the pavement because we knew a policeman would tell us off if we did, we had no helmets or protective clothing. Later some of us took up hitchhiking without a thought of danger. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags and we often rode in the front seats on Mum’s lap.
Take away food was limited to fish and chips, (in our case from Fishy Francis in Drayton) there were no pizza shops, McDonalds , KFC or Subway but there were Wimpey Bars if you could find them.
Even though all the shops closed at 5.30pm and didn't open on Sundays, somehow we didn't starve to death and Dad still got his DIY done!
We could collect old drink bottles and cash them in at the corner store and buy Toffees, Gobstoppers, Bubble Gum and some bangers to blow up the mud on Farlington Marshes with.
We ate sugar heavy cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks with loads of sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because.......WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were still O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of old prams and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. Then come the winter we would build sledges to use on Portsdown Hill. We built tree houses and dens and played in the garden with Matchbox cars.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo Wii , X-boxes, no video games at all, no 999 channels on SKY or cable, no video/dvd films, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no Internet WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, grazed and scratched ourselves, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. Only girls had pierced ears! We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. You could only buy Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns at Easter time...We were given air guns and catapults for our 10th birthdays. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them! Mum didn't have to go to work to help Dad make ends meet!
RUGBY and CRICKET had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! Getting into the team was based on MERIT.
Our teachers used to hit us with canes and gym shoes, threw blackboard rubbers or chalk and bully always ruled the playground at school. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
Our parents didn't invent stupid names for their kids like 'Kiora' and 'Blade' and 'Ridge' and 'Vanilla'
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL ! And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

PS –It might be an idea to foreword this to friends in big type because their eyes are not too good at their age.
Stay in touch and Take Care and how often did you say,’yes I remember that’?

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:
Someone told me the other day that back in the mid 1950’s when ‘Fish Figures’ were first put on the market the launch was delayed because it was decided to change the name of the product. I really do wonder just how long they would have lasted under the original name ‘Cod Pieces’ !!!!!

NEWS AND VIEWS:
Royal Mail will issue a series of stamps depicting legendary album covers. Among them are "Let It Bleed" from the Rolling Stones, Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells," David Bowie's "Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust" and the album known simply as "Led Zeppeliv IV."


ON THIS DAY 10th JANUARY 1960-1965
On 10/01/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was North by Northwest. 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 Aswan Dam foundation stone laid.


On 10/01/1961 the number one single was I Love You - Cliff Richard & the Shadows The top rated TV show was Emergency Ward 10 (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 was Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV).


On 10/01/1962 the number one single was Moon River - Danny Williams and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Avalanche buries 16 villages in Peru.


On 10/01/1963 the number one single was The Next Time/Bachelor Boy - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Sylvia Plath publishes her only novel The Bell Jar.


On 10/01/1964 the number one single was I Want to Hold Your hand - The Beatles and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Anti-US demonstrations over Panama Canal.


On 10/01/1965 the number one single was I Feel Fine - The Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page No 798




HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE





FIRST PICTURE: A NEW YEAR DAY CARD FOR ALL OF YOU








SECOND PICTURE: HOME SWEET HOME OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS






HOME ON SUNDAY

Hey! Do you remember Sundays and holidays at home when we were first at Manor Court. We were 11 years old or so that would make it 1957 or thereabouts; but Sundays then were a very different animal than they are today.
To start with as Sundays were special and were mainly reserved for the visits of, or visits to, some of the far flung members of the family I was never allowed to go out and play with my friends because ‘It is Sunday and it was for the family’ and when you are an only child with no brothers or sisters to contend with, that can make for a very boring day!! Especially if I was playing in the garden I was not to make too much noise ‘because it was Sunday’. Maybe in the afternoon we might go out for a walk if the weather was fine but even that was no relief as to go out, ‘because it was Sunday’, it meant being dressed in your Sunday best, not comfortable clothes, what a bore.

You could not even escape by running an errand to the shops as they were not open, no grocery store, no d-i-y store, no supermarket and definitely no off licence. The only shop that was open was the newsagent for the Sunday papers and their deliveries and by 11 or 12 o’clock they had usually closed ‘because it was Sunday’.

There was no professional sport on a Sunday but amateur sport was allowed so club football, rugby and cricket matches took place as did motor cycle scrambling and moto cross. There really was a queer mix of things that were allowed by the Lords Day Observance Society who had a lot of influence as to what could or could not happen on a Sunday.

The radio programmes weren’t bad and I know I have discussed them in depth on earlier pages But then there was Television. In the early days of us owning a TV, set a 14” Sobell, there was very little to watch apart from the Sunday Service in the morning, then there was a period when the station was off the air, ‘because it is Sunday’. It then re-opened with programmes specially aimed at children, programmes, which, as far as I can remember, children did not like, or want, programmes such as ‘All Your Own’ with Huw Weldon. I know that I never had the slightest interest in what other children could do or what they could play, to me and to many others it made for just a boring programme. Then came one of the highlights of the day, the Sunday afternoon serial, ‘Hornblower’, Children of the New Forest, ‘Kidnapped’, ‘the Black Narcissus’, Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island or some other exciting story usually dramatised for television by a man whose name always fascinated me by its strangeness, Dennis Constandures.

The of course there was ‘Songs of Praise’, ‘because it was Sunday’ the tv company’s had to fill the God Spot! Then we would all settle down with a cup of tea, a cold meat sandwich (meat left over from the Sunday Roast) and a slice of Victoria Sandwich ready for ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’, a real family favourite.

Once this had finished it was time to get your clothes and books ready for school so as not to have a rush in the morning, a bath ‘because it was Sunday’, then off to bed as I had to get up for school in the morning.

As far as I can remember this was the regular routine in our house every Sunday for years and years, maybe being interspersed sometimes with church on most Sunday mornings. And even when we went to stay with my Grandmother in London or my Godmother in Essex the routine hardly changed except for one very big thing, neither of them had a television set!

Well as I am sitting here writing this of an evening when all the rest of the family have gone on to bed I had better stop writing as time is marching on and out of guilt I will have to stop writing ‘because it will soon be Sunday’.

Stay in touch and Take Care

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:

Even more about Highbury
I was speaking to an elderly lady the other day who remembers moving into Highbury Grove when it was new and before the roads were made up. She tells me that opposite the Highbury Shops, where the bowling green is now there was a large builders sign advertising the houses. This sign consisted of a whole row of cut out houses and there were soon found by the local birds who very quickly moved in and made nests in them.


NEWS AND VIEWS:
A brand new "Ivor the Engine" story, the first in over 30 years, was unveiled on 7th December after a unique collaboration between Ivor's co-creator, Peter Firmin and Dan Postgate, son of the late Oliver Postgate who wrote the original Ivor stories. With brand new illustrations by Peter Firmin and words by Dan Postgate, "Bluebell's Christmas Mission" is set in a snow-bound Wales on Christmas Day, and will benefit the work of UK veterinary charity SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad). SPANA provides free veterinary care to working animals like donkeys, mules and horses in some of the poorest countries of the world, and it's fitting that the new story sees a central role for Bluebell the donkey, who figured prominently in the original Ivor stories. The new story, entitled "Bluebell's Christmas Mission" is available as a download from the SPANA website at www.spana.org at a cost of £3. Hard copies can be ordered online for £3.50, or by sending a cheque to SPANA at 14 John Street, London. WC1N 2EB. All profits made will help SPANA's veterinary and education work overseas.
SPANA has had the story fully translated into the Welsh language, and this is available as a separate download from the same website or as a hard-copy by post
ON THIS DAY 3RD JANUARY 1960-1965
On 03/01/1960 the number one single was Starry Eyed - Michael Holliday and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was North by Northwest. 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 Boeing 707s to be tested by UK pilots.

On 03/01/1961 the number one single was I Love You - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was The Russ Conway Show (ATV) 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 Millionth Morris Minor produced.

On 03/01/1962 the number one single was Moon River - Danny Williams and the number one album was Another Black & White Minstrell Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Pope ex-communicates Fidel Castro.

On 03/01/1963 the number one single was The Next Time/Bachelor Boy - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 03/01/1964 the number one single was I Want to Hold Your hand - The Beatles 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 03/01/1965 the number one single was I Feel Fine - The Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

Web Page No 796

FIRST PICTURE: MY CHRISTMAS CARD TO YOU ALL












SECOND PICTURE: CHRISTMAS AT HOME


THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS QUIZ

Where is it?

1. Chernobyl was the site of a nuclear accident in 1986, in which country is it?
2. Casablanca is the title of a well known film starring Humphrey Bogart. In which country is Casablanca ?
3. Waterloo was the scene of a famous battle fought in 1815, in which country is it?
4. Guadalcanal was the site of fierce fighting during World War II. In which group of islands is it?
5. Herp Alpert was backed on several hits by the Tijuana Brass. Where is Tijuana?
6. In which country is Transylvania, home of the vampire legends?
7. “The girl from Ipanema” was a popular tune of the 1960s. In which country is Ipanema?
8. Timbuktu is always cited as a very distant and outlandish place, where is it?
9. Fez is an African city which gives its name to a type of hat. In which country is it?
10. The Crimea is a famous as the scene of a war in the middle of the last century which included the famous Charge of the Light Brigade. What country does it belong to?

Memories.

11. What book, written in the 1920s was the subject of an obscenity trial when finally published in 1960?
12. The largest liner was launched in 1960 what was its name?
13. How did spurs player John White die in 1963?
14. Which UK channel started broadcasting in 1964?
15. What city was Martin Luther King killed in?
16. Which London landmark was cleaned in 1968 for the first time since 1864?
17. What became Britain's tallest building in October 1965?
18. Who became Governor of California in 1966?
19. Who was 'Chi-Chi' off to meet in 1966?

Locations
20. In which Beijing Square were the 1989 protests crushed by tanks?
21. Which cathedral was badly damaged by lightning in July 1984?
22. What was abolished by France in 1981, The Netherlands in 1982, Australia in 1985 and New Zealand in 1989?
23. What sank in the Solent in 1545 and was raised in 1982?
24. What year did Britain suffer its worst storm since records began?
25 Which year did the SAS storm the Iranian Embassy in London?
26. In 1984, who was the WPC shot dead outside the Libyan Peoples Bureau in London?

1960’s Music
27. What did Dora Bryan want for Christmas in 1963?
28. In 1966 who were they 'coming to take me away, ha-haa' ?
29. How was the Belgian Soeur Sourire known in the UK?
30. What was The Shadows' first No. hit?
31. Where and at what time was Kenny Ball in the charts in 1961?
32. Who advised us to 'Walk, Don't Run'?
33. Which famous guitarist's real name is Brian Robson Rankin?
34. Who was the band leader of Manuel and his Music of the Mountains?
35. What was The Beatles' first top ten single?
36. 1966 Frank Sinatra had a No. hit in 13 countries with what song?

1960’s General
37. Who or what was 'The Shrimp'?
38. Who played the lead in the film 'El Cid'?
39. Which new cup was introduced to English Football in 1960?
40. What went up with a bang in Dublin in 1966?
41. What football team did TV's Alf Garnett support?
42. India was attacked by which country in 1962?
43 What was the occupation of Norman Parkinson?
44. Who was in charge of the 'Desilu' production company?
45. What year saw the Rolling Stones' first No.1 hit?

Good Luck and Take Care the answers are in the You Write section as usual.

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:
I WRITE THE QUIZ ANSWERS
1. Ukraine
2. Morocco
3. Belgium
4. Solomon islands
5. Mexico
6. Romania
7. Brazil
8. The Sahara Desert in Mali
9. Morocco
10. Ukraine
11. Lady Chatterley's Lover
12. SS France (Norway)
13. Struck by lightning
14. BBC2
15. Memphis
16. Nelson's Column
17. The Post Office Tower
18. Ronald Reagan
19. An-An
20 Tiananmen Square
21 York Minister
22 The Death Penalty
23 The Mary Rose
24.1987
25 1980
26 Yvonne Fletcher
27( All I Want For Christmas Is ) A Beatle

28 Napoleon XIV

29 The Singing Nun

30 Apache

31 Midnight In Moscow

32 The Ventures

33 Hank B. Marvin

34 Geoff Love

35 Please Please Me

36. Strangers In The Night

37 Fashion model Jean Shrimpton

38 Charlton Heston

39 The Football League Cup

40 Nelson's Column

41 West Ham United

42 China

43 Photographer

44 Lucille Ball

45 1964

NEWS AND VIEWS:
Monkee Micky Dolenz will start rehearsing in January to join the London cast of the stage musical "Hairspray." He will take over the part of Tracy Turnblad's dad, Wilbur on February 2nd.

ON THIS DAY 20TH DECEMBER 1960-1965
On 20/12/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Knight Errant (Granada) 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 20/12/1961 the number one single was Tower of Strength - Frankie Vaughan and the number one album was Another Black & White Minstrell Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. 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.

On 20/12/1962 the number one single was Return to Sender - Elvis Presley 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.

On 20/12/1963 the number one single was I Want to Hold Your hand - The Beatles 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 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 20/12/1964 the number one single was I Feel Fine - The Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was 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 20/12/1965 the number one single was Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out - The Beatles and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. 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.

FIRST PICTURE: TRANSPORT FROM THE PAST BOAC BEDFORD VAN





SECOND PICTURE: SOUTH PARADE PIER IN ITS HEY DAY.





Web Page No 794

13th December 2009

COMEDY SIT COM.


The mainstay of much of television in the early days was the comedy sit com. Most of us remember the famous ones from the 1950’s and 60’s, the Likely Lads, the Army Game, Bootsie and Snudge etc but here are a few from the period of time up until 1965 many of which I have never heard of before.
Abigail And Roger
This was 1950s sitcom about a young engaged couple who love to explore life in the city of London from their flats in bedsitter land. It was broadcast on BBC in 1956 and they only made one series of nine episodes. The programmewas written by Kevin Sheldon and starred Julie Webb, David Drummond, John Stone, Rosina Enright, Maud Long, Frank Williams, Grace Denbeigh-Russell

The Sky Larks
From 1958 this was probably the first Royal Navy based TV sit com and featured the adventures of a helicopter crew based on the fictional aircraft carrier, HMS Aerial (not to be confused with the former name of the air station HMS Daedalus at Lee on Solent in fact in real-life the ship was HMS Ark Royal). Again a BBC production and only ran for one series of 16 episodes.16 (1 series). Written by Trevor Peacock, Gavin Blakeney, John Warrington, it starred Anton Rodgers (who later found fame in many sit coms), A.E. Matthews (Matty), Robert Chetwyn, Roland Curram, John Southworth, William Mervyn (later to be cast as the Bishop in All Gas and Gaters), Frank Shelley

Educating Archie
This strange programme did actually transfer from the radio to TV the though of Archie Andrews, a ventriloquist's dummy, taking on a life of it's own as it talks and walks all over it's creator, Peter Brough was quite bizarre. The series was made by ITV between 1958 and 1959 and ran for two series of 27 episodes. Despite the programmes writers being a Who’s Who of British Comedy Marty Feldman, Ronald Chesney, Barry Pevan, Ronald Wolfeand starred the likes of Peter Brough, Dick Emery, Irene Handl, Freddie Sales, Ray Barrett the fact that Peter Brough was a good theatre ventriloquist ie from a distance, close up he was very poor probably helped to finish the series.

The Artful Dodger
There was only one series of 6 episodes and was made in 1959 by the BBC. It starred Dave Morris, Joe Gladwin (later to become Wally Batty in Last of the Summer Wine), Gretchen Franklin (who found fame in Coronation Street. The stories were about the swaggering, work-shy, know-all Artful Dodger.

The Adventures of Brigadier Wellington-Bull
This was a short lived BBC programme of 1959 only having 5 episodes. It was a sitcom following the barnstorming antics of retired Brigadier Wellington-Bull. The Brigadier in trying to come to terms with civilian life gets into all sorts of situations. 'Sooty' Pilkington, a young officer who had served under the Brigadier and the Brigadier's daughter Jane, also featured. It starred Alexander Gauge, Valerie Singleton (she of later Blue Peter fame), Donald Hewlett

Three Live Wires
Made by Associated Rediffusion this was a trio of TV repairmen who travelled around London repairing the TV sets of the rich and famous and trying to avoid the wrath of the shop manager. With a total of 26 episodes it is remarkable that it only lasted for one series: Starring: Michael Medwin (from the Army Game), Bernard Fox, George Roderick, Deryck Guyler(Sykes and Please Sir much later) , Derek

Colonel Trumper's Private War
Yet another Army based sit Com from the unpublished biography of an hitherto unknown war hero, Colonel Basil Trumper, comes the stories that changed the course of World War II. Made by ITV it lasted only five episodes and featured Dennis Price (Jeeves), Warren Mitchell (Alf Garnett 0 and George Tovey. Written by established writersBarry Took, Hugh Woodhouse, Bill Craig, Dick Vosburgh it was made by Granada Television.

The Walrus And The Carpenter
AKA:You're Only Old Once Carpenter
Two old men Gascoigne Quilt & Luther Flannery meet in a graveyard, theyhave little in common but Luther's sense of adventure leads them into scrapes. It was made in 1963 and there were only seven episodes Starring Hugh Griffith, Felix Aylmer(the Abbot in Oh! Brother) and Hazel Hughes, the stories were written by Marty Feldman, Barry Took for the BBC




Meet the Wife

This ran between 1963 - 1966 on the BBC for 40 episodes in 5 series. It starred Thora Hird, Freddie Frinton (known as the best drunk in the business but was in fact TT), Ronald Wolfe, Ronald Chesney
The stories revolved round a plumber Freddie Blacklock who lived with his wife Thora in the north of England. Freddie was a down-to-earth bloke who likes to take things easy whereas his wife had ambitions for the couple to improve their social standing. Snobbish Thora often put on a 'posh voice' in an attempt to impress those she was speaking to. A much loved sitcom at the time (the Beatles even mentioned it in one of their songs) and was based on a 1963 Comedy Playhouse production, "The Bed".

Best of Friends
A 1963 ITV single series of 13 episodes, it featrured Charles Hawtrey (of Carry on Fame), Hylda Baker (she knows ya know), Sheena Marshe and Brad Ashton. It was written Bob Block (who later wrote the childrens programme Rentaghost) and Gerry Maxin About a clerk in an insurance office situated next door to a café. The owner of the shop accompanied the clerk on insurance assignments and protected him from his Uncle Sidney who was always trying to find a way to dismiss his nephew

HMS Paradise
Another Royal Naval sit com this time by ITV in 1964 and ran for 26 episodes. HMS Paradise was supposedly an island off the Dorset coast an idyllic posting as nobody seemed to do any work... but not everyone is happy about the situation It featured Richard Caldicot, (from the radios Navy Lark, in fact one of the writers of this very long running series Lawrie Wyman was also a writer for HMS Paradise ) Frank Thornton, Robin Hunter, Ronald Radd, Angus Lennie, Priscilla Morgan, Ambrosine Phillpotts, Graham Crowden

The Big Noise
Events in the uneasy life of a top pop disc jockey, Bob Mason were broadcast by the BBC in 1964. Bob Monkhouse played the lead and with the team of writers of Frank Muir, Denis Norden, Denis Goodwin, it is amazing that it only lasted six episodes. It was to prove a crossroads in the career of Bob Monkhouse and he would never return to the world of sitcom again.

Stay in touch and Take Care

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:
Mike Writes about the Highbury estate:-
I like reading your postings, but I have to disagree when you said there was no school on the Highbury Estate in the early days. I'm a little older than you, and I attended an infants school which was located very close to where the junior school was later built, on Dovercourt Road. I remember the old infants school as a small building with either a parking area or playground of black cinders. They were not kind to knees if you fell over!

My younger sister went to the new Highbury Junior School, but I went to Court Lane, and after the 11+ to the Northern Grammar. Incidentally, I asked my older sister if she remembers the infants school that I attended, but she did not. It is possible she never went there, as it may have been before the family moved to Chatsworth Ave.
NEWS AND VIEWS:
Little Richard has just undergone a hip operation in the Medical Center in Nashville. He is currently undergoing physiotherapy and is preparing for a concert tour early next year.

ON THIS DAY 13TH DECEMBER 1960-1965

On 13/12/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) 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 Bootsie & Snudge (Granada).

On 13/12/1961 the number one single was Tower of Strength - Frankie Vaughan and the number one album was Another Black & White Minstrell Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. 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 Grandma Moses dies.
On 13/12/1962 the number one single was Return to Sender - Elvis Presley and the number one album was On Stage with the Black & White Minstrels - George Mitchell Minstrels. 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 13/12/1963 the number one single was I Want to Hold Your hand - The Beatles 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 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 13/12/1964 the number one single was I Feel Fine - The Beatles 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 13/12/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. 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 No 792

FIRST PICTURE: ADVERTS FOR LOCAL HOUSES IN THE DAILY SKETCH OF 1957. HOUSES AT BARGAIN PRIZES!!!!






SECOND PICTURE: THE TOP OF COSHAM HIGH STREET 1910



BACK TO THE DAILY SKETCH OF TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1957

TRY THIS FOR A HEADLINE! THE STORY REALLY MAKES YOUR HEART BLEED!

MONEY SCARES THEM.

To hire somebody like Dirk Bogarde to make a film you'd have to pay him at least £20,000 for the eight or ten weeks you have him on your pay roll. The same goes for most big British stars. Some like John Mills and Jack Hawkins have been in the £50,000 a year income bracket for years.

On the face of it that should make them very rich men. But it doesn't. No film star to-day has a chance in a million of ever making a million. The staggering fact is this: Our stars are constantly thinking: up ways of keeping the wolf from their palatial doors. Money terrifies them. Lots of it—or lack of it.

The big bogy is income tax. Unlike authors, who have their Income spread over thrqe years, actors have to cough up annually. And it's usually a great big cough, too. Dirk Bogarde is lucky if he gets £3,000 out of the £20,000. Even the steady £50,000 a yearers seldom see more than £6,000 of what they earn. To the general public this still seems ,a healthy chunk of cash. But is it, when weighed against the gargantuan expenditure entailed in being a movie star?

Whenever the subject of money is raised, actors look coy. Mention their big salaries to them and they roar — with bitter laughter. Jack Hawkins is likely to roar like a wounded bull and tell you that most of his Roehampton neighbours probably have more money than he ever will.

Mrs. Donald Sinden is even more explicit. " It is impossible for actors to save money," she said. " This small house Donald and I own is the only asset we have. And Donald's been an actor for 19 years. " If Donald was thrown out of work to-morrow we would have nothing to live on. As a film star, he gets plenty of prestige but no security." When I asked where the money went, she told me that just being Donald Sinden, movie star, made enormous inroads into their net earnings. Clothes for premieres were a big item. "Stars and their wives or husbands have to be well dressed," she said. " This is essential. We owe it to the public, who sometimes wait in the rain for hours to see us, to be glamorously dressed. " The public also demands that its movie stars live glamorous lives. That has to be worked out the best way the star and his budget will permit."

Mrs. Sinden said that she and Donald were anxious about the education of their children. " We just can't make any security for them," she said. " If we take out an insurance policy to safeguard their education, what guarantee have we that Donald will earn enough to pay the premiums over a number of years? " This is always a worrying thing. No one can tell when Donald will no longer be considered fashionable as a star. It's happening all the time in the theatre. " Yet at school our kids are regarded as young millionaires.! It's ridiculous, but you can't blame people thinking that, when you hear what stars earn— BEFORE TAXATION."

Mrs. Sinden said that unlike doctors or solicitors or other professional people, stars had to pay out a lot of money for simple domestic privacy. ! "If Donald takes the kiddies on buses or eats with them in cheap cafeterias, he is mobbed by fans. So he has to take them to more exclusive places and pay exclusive prices."

Then she summed up the plight—and fear—of all movie stars. " Like all stars Donald has slogged hard all his life to get where he is. When he retires he will not have much put aside. " And unlike the other professions he has no capital to show or sell. " AFTER ALL, WHO WANTS TO BUY A SHARE IN A RETIRED MOVIE STAR?"

Well Mrs Sinden how time has changed things, Donald is still well employed at 86 years of age and staging his own One Man Show and unusually for show business still married to the same woman. Oh! And of course he is now Sir Donald Sinden so I expect he no longer worries about being a Retired Movie Star!!!!

Stay in touch and Take Care

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:
Jonathon writes:
Thanks for your I -Spy comments.As a boy I also loved to fill in the I-Spy books and had virtually the whole collection. It was a huge thrill to spot the rare objects that scored 50 points such as a VR post box in I-Spy in the Street ........I have often wondered if they are still in publication and whether the modern child of the computer generation would also enjoy them today...........I am sure they would .............I must try and get some for my grandchildren.
I don't remember sacrificing my book to get a feather......I thought I got my books back,,,,,,,,,,,,,still my memory is not strong on that issue.

NEWS AND VIEWS:
At the National Portrait Gallery in London there is an exhibit called ‘From The Beatles to Bowie’ The sixty’s exposed. This exhibition explores the leading pop music personalities who helped create 'Swinging London' in the 1960s. Over 150 photographs, together with a range of memorabilia, illustrate how the photographic image, music and performance made these popstars the leading icons of their time. Featuring key pop cultural figures the exhibition begins in 1960 with groups such as The Shadows and The John Barry Seven. As the decade progressed, early portraits of singers such as Cliff Richard, Adam Faith and Billy Fury were followed by those of bands such as The Kinks and The Who. The classic rivalry between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones is played out visually by a variety of top photographers. The exhibition is on until 24th January.

ON THIS DAY 6TH DECEMBER 1960-1965
On 06/12/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Armchair Theatre (ABC) and the box office smash was still 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 06/12/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley 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 £not very interesting and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

On 06/12/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was On Stage with the Black & White Minstrels - George Mitchell Minstrels. 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 06/12/1963 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. The big news story of the day was Christine Keeler jailed for perjury.

On 06/12/1964 the number one single was Little Red Rooster - Rolling Stones 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 Martin Luther King preaches at St Paul's Cathedral

On 06/12/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. 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 No 790

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FIRST PICTURE: A COLLECTION OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS FROM THE 1950’S. THIS IS TO BE FOUND IN THE MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD IN BETHNAL GREEN.












SECOND PICTURE: TYPICAL 1960’S MODERN SUNBURST WALL CLOCK.




HOW

Were you a member of the I-Spy Club from the daily paper the News Chronical? I was and I was dead keen on filling in all sorts of I-Spy Books but I only got one feather for my war bonnet because I soon realised that if I sent off my completed book to Big Chief I-Spy to get my coloured feather, only the feather and an Order of Merit came back and not the book. So after the first book that I sent off I satisfied myself with the single feather and kept the hard won filled up books at home.
The I-SPY books were and still are spotters' guides written for British children, and were particularly successful in the 1950s and 1960s being based on things that the children could see in and around Great Britain.
The I-SPY Tribe was based on the I-SPY Books, of which there were forty four different titles, of small spotters books that sold in hundreds of thousands. Each book covered a subject such as I-SPY Cars, I-SPY on the Pavement, I-SPY Churches, I-SPY on a Train Journey, etc, etc. As children spotted objects such as coalhole covers, oak trees, semaphore signals, police boxes, stations, plants, fire engines, whelks, and so on, they recorded the event in the relevant book, and gained points. Once the book was complete, it could be sent to Big Chief I-SPY for a feather and an Order of Merit, a child could also belong to the I-Spy Club and could proudly wear a News Chronical I-Spy Club members badge. (a subtile way of advertising)

The club was supposedly run by a Red Indian chief called Big Chief I-Spy. The original Big Chief I-Spy was Charles Warrell, who was a former headmaster and who created I-Spy towards the end of his working life. He retired in 1956, but lived on until 1995 when he died at the age of 106. After Charles Warrell's retirement his assistant Arnold Cawthrow became the second Big Chief, and served in this role until 1978. For part of this time he also worked as an antiques dealer in Islington. He died in 1993, and is commemorated by a stone plaque placed on the outside of the Boatmen's Rooms, the house where he spent some of his last years in Deal, Kent.

Members of the I-Spy Tribe were called Redskins, and the head office was variously known as the Wigwam by the Water or the Wigwam by the Green. The former was located for some years next to the Mermaid Theatre at Blackfriars, while the latter was in London's Edgware Road.

The books were originally self-published by Charles Warrell but, after a brief period when they were published by the Daily Mail, they were taken over by the now long departed News Chronicle and based in the paper's building in Bouverie Street. The regular I-SPY column, which appeared in the News Chronicle, reverted to the Daily Mail when the News Chronicle ceased publication, and continued to appear until the late 1980s. The books have had various publishers over the years including the Dickens Press, a company set up to continue the book publishing interests of the 'News Chronicle', and Polystyle Publications, a publisher of children's comics.

The books became very popular, with most print runs going well into six figures. Big Chief I-Spy had a succession of assistants, usually known as "Hawkeye". In the early 1970s, this position was held by Ralph Mills. Earlier assistants included Max Heinz and John Tagholm. In the 1980s, following a short-lived third Big Chief, Robin Tucek, Professor David Bellamy of TV fame replaced Big Chief I-Spy as the person to whom completed books were sent, and the earlier Red Indian connections were quietly dropped, I suppose by this time the ethnic connections were politically incorrect!

I-Spy books were still being sold, until recently, by Michelin Travel Publications and there has been talk of Michelin licensing the I-SPY brand to another publisher in the future.

I really do hope that another publisher can be found as the books were a really good grounding for children and nurtured an inquistive mind. However one thing does occur to me and that is with over 40 different titles covering 40 different subjects it really must have been a nightmare keeping these books up to date! Still they were great fun and I spent hours going round recording things in my books. Maybe I should try to introduce my grandson to the wonder of I-Spy!

Stay in touch and Take Care

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:
Peter Writes
My father started working in Baker & Sons Ltd; in 1946, after he qualified as a Pharmacist, which was owned then by Mr Baker. He took the business over circa 1953 when Mr Baker retired and he renamed the business "Bakers of Cosham". Incidentally, Mr Baker lived at and owned Lumley Mill at Emsworth. In those days, it was just one residence. After he retired, my mother made him a Christmas Cake every year until he died. Either me or one of my brothers had to catch the No 31 bus ( Southdown ) and take it to him.

Seems I have digressed a bit from your Manor Court theme but soon I will send you some more school memories, although I was at Court Lane immediately before it changed to Manor Court.

NEWS AND VIEWS:
Max Robertson, writer, broadcaster and sports commentator, has died aged 94. He was the first presenter of Panorama, of Going for a Song, and was a commentator at the Queen's Coronation in 1953; but he was best known as the "other voice of Wimbledon", alongside Dan Maskell.
He covered every Wimbledon final for the BBC from 1946 to 1986. He was chosen to do the commentary for the first postwar Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1948 and covered summer and winter Olympiads. He also covered the royal tour of Canada in 1951 when the young Princess Elizabeth deputised for her father who was too ill to travel.
ON THIS DAY 29TH NOVEMBER 1960-1965
On 29/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) 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 29/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley 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 £ 13.25.The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

On 29/11/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. 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 29/11/1963 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. The big news story of the day was 119 killed in Montreal jet crash.

On 29/11/1964 the number one single was Baby Love - Supremes 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 29/11/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. 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 788

Three more pictures from Peter Barlow. Thank you so much Peter.





First Picture: 1940-50








Second Picture: 1930’s








Third Picture: 1963













THE DAILY SKETCH FRIDAY APRIL 5TH 1957

Now for all those who have been waiting a week to find out what Joan Collins meant by the phrase ‘Lets get back to honest sex’ here is the answer. At that time she was in a film called ‘The Sea Wife’ and in this wartime story she is cast adrift, first in a rubber boat and then onto a deserted island with Richard Burton and Basil Sydney. The trouble is that she plays a nun and spends the whole film with no make up and dressed only in a shift. How frustrating for the men in the party!! Hence her quote after the release of the film of ‘Lets get back to honest sex!’ Incidentally there was a third star in the film the coloured Jamaican calypso singer Cy Grant, this was his first film but I expect most of you will remember him when he appeared nightly on the ‘Tonight’ programme with Cliff Mitchelmore.

Right what else was in this particular paper. On the front was an advert saying ‘I’d love a Babycham’. Inside there was speculation whether the defence cuts announced by the Defence Minister Duncan Sandys would be enough to reduce taxation; it wasn’t. The new Navy, it was declared would consist soley of aircraft carriers and it was announced that plans were being made to scrap HMS Vanguard.

Miss Ghana entered the Miss World contest and stunned the press with her 40-38-46 figure, and there was a half page advertisement for a story in the Sunday Dispatch (now who remembers that?) entitled ‘I married a Maharajah’, the English girl, Janet Hicks’ fascinating story. Another article declared that the Italian actress Sophia Loren receives 1,000 love letters a day and that she was working hard to learn English so she can be in a Hollywood film (well Goodness Gracious Me!)

The Archbishop of Malta banned girls in his congregation from wearing English fashions as he classed them as indecent. The BBC Festival of Dance Music at the Albert Hall featured Ted Heath, Sid Phillips, Oscar Rabin, Alex Welsh, Dennis Lotis, Jill Day, The Stargazers, Betty Smith and bottom of the bill Tommy Steele, seats from 12/6 to 3/-.

There is a centre page spread featuring that seasons debutantes highlighting the 17 year old Miss Gloria Kindersley from the Isle of Wight wearing pink taffeta with lace trimmings. (if you are really interested I can send you a copy of the picture) .

The strip cartoons featured very heavily in this paper, I must admit that I really did not appreciate just how many there were in just one publication. In this edition there was ‘Blondie’ by Chic Young, ‘Pop’ by Can-can’t, ‘Tug Transom’ by Alfred Sindall, ‘Carmen & Co’ by Maz, ‘Rick Martin’ by John Diamond, ‘Jimmy Gimmicks’ by Hugh McCelland and lastly on the back page ‘Peanuts’ by Schulz.

Now whats on the telly? First ITV Robin Hood, Emergency Ward 10, Take Your Pick, Dragnet, Jack Hylton, a play followed by Palais Party, The News and at 10.45pm shut down. Whilst on the BBC there was I Married Joan, Watch With Mother, Gardening Club, The Grove Family, Armand and Michaela Dennis, Up for the Cup, Be Your Own Boss, Table Tennis, Anglo French Fortnight, the News and shut down at 10.45.

And finally the letters page or as it was called in the Daily Sketch ‘The Pungent Post’. Here are some examples:-

Women-such dull folk. WHAT dull people women radio fans are. Two of the most popular programmes on the BBC are angled at women — " Housewives' Choice" and " Mrs. Dale." They're two of the worst. If you've ever woken up to the strains of the housewives' requests you'll know what I mean. The programme is an awful jumble of all that's bad in music. And any woman who can enjoy the vicious little clique that Mrs. Dale moves in must be the battleaxe to end 'em all.— GREGORY WALLS, Bournemouth, Hants.
Don’t blame me I did not write it!!!
No cure for insomnia. Our village clock struck 668 times in 27 minutes from midnight last week. Is this a record? Miss M Ward, Thurlaston.
Busier. Is there any place in the World where the traffic congestion is worse than London. Surely there can’t be. Arnold Polter, Richmond, Surrey. He should try living 52 years later in 2009. Ed.



Stay in touch and Take Care

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:

Mary Writes:-
Thanks for all the lovely articles. I do enjoy them. I often go to vintage bus rallies with Mike, so love the photos you print. We have been lucky enough to go out on the buses for a good ride around the coutryside. They are surprisingly comfortable. On a different tack, the day I left Malta many years ago after a very enjoyable stay, standing outside my grocers was Reg Varley, the star of "On the Buses". He was quite short, and looked extremely happy, standing there in the lovely Maltese sunshine. It was more than I was having to leave and face England after such wonderful weather. A few hours later there I was at Brize Norton on a grey, damp, December afternoon!

NEWS AND VIEWS:
Callon is dead. Edward Woodward, husband of Michelle Dotrice, passed away in hospital this week. He made his reputation in our era by playing Callan against Russell Hunters ‘Lonely’. A well known actor he starred in various shows over the years including The Equalizer.

ON THIS DAY 22TH NOVEMBER 1960-1965
On 22/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Take Your Pick (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 22/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Another Black & White Minstrell Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. 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.

On 22/11/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - Frank Ifield and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. 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 First broadcast of That Was the Week That Was.

On 22/11/1963 the number one single was You'll Never Walk Alone - Gerry & the Pacemakers and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was JFK shot dead in Dallas and we all remember where we were on that day!!!.

On 22/11/1964 the number one single was Baby Love - Supremes 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 22/11/1965 the number one single was Get Off Of My Cloud - Rolling Stones and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Take Your Pick (AR) 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. The big news story of the day was Mohammed Ali beats Floyd Patterson In Las Vegas.

Web Page 786

I am very much indebted to Peter Barlow for this weeks page all three of the pictures are his, as is the article and next week there will be three more just as fascinating photographs. So watch this space so much to remember!






First Picture: 1800’s




Second Picture: 1940-1950






Third Picture: Looking up the High Street

Cosham High Street
Peter Writes:-

I have just read your Blog regarding Cosham High Street etc; I would like to add a few additions and possible corrections. I was brought up in Cosham High Street where I lived over my fathers Chemist Shop "Bakers of Cosham" from 1946 to 1963. We were situated on the Western side of the High Street between the "Ship Inn" ( The landlord Was Mr Nuttall, who I believe, along with my father, was a founder member of Cosham Rotary Club ) and the "Swan Inn" ( The landlord was a Mr Simmons ) which to my Knowledge is still there. The shop you refer to as Dittman & Malpas, was in fact Curtis's and were next door to our shop. They were Coal & Corn Merchants. Our shop & Curtis's were eventually demolished by Murrays Demolition of Portsmouth, who we used to refer to as Murraymint in 1963. The whole plot was redeveloped by the Guy who owned Budgens Supermarkets ( more North of England. He was a Colonel somebody or other ) circa 1963 and part of the deal was that he would build my Father a new "Bakers of Cosham" where Curtis's had been and he would retain the freehold of the new site. Budgens built a new supermarket on our old site, the Ship Inn was eventually demolished and a supermarket called Finefare replaced it.

When we were children in the late 1940s and 1950s before the supermarkets arrived, the grocer in the High Street was Threadinghams where everything was weighed out into Blue Sugar Paper and the weeks groceries for my parents and 5 children were delivered in a cardboard box about 18"x18"x12".

Our Greengroceries came from Wiltons a few doors up from Boots. There was also a Grocer called Gaimans on the Corner of the Droke which lead to Portsmouth Dairies and the other Greengrocers were Peter's next door but one to Seals and also Leals in Spur Road. Our milk was delivered every day including Sunday from Gauntletts Dairy in Stakes Road, Waterlooville. our bread was delivered 3 times a week from Campions near the top of the High Street and our meat came from Pinks in the lower part of the Street. You chose your meat at the counter and then went to an Office which was like an ornate Glass Fronted Wooden Box, where Miss Rickman took your money and they would also deliver.

Working down the High street from Albert Road, was Weston Harts where I bought my first two vinyl singles - Smoke gets in your eyes, The Platters and Move It, Cliff Richard. Next to Weston Harts was the first supermarket in Cosham, Victor Value. Next was Naylors the Optician then a dry cleaners where they used to sit in the window and do invisible mending of nylons. then came a Doctors Surgery with Doctor's Sladen, Sampson & Woolas amongst others and then Chapmans Laundry. Then there was the Droke ( an Alley that went through to Mulberry Lane). Then Gaimans Grocers, Peters Greengrocers, Mays Fishshop, Smith and Vospers the Bakers and Seals Cycle and Toy shop where we used to take the accumulator out of our old Valve radio to get it re-charged for 3d. Then there was Magdalla Road with Christopher's Shoe Shop on the Corner, then a little jewellers then Hoar's sweet shop where we used to buy 2 Woodbines or Weights Fags and Penny Bangers and 1d Trebor Chews.

Going back to Timothy whites and Taylors, their Store was on the western side of the High Street, which was opposite Boots on the corner of Albert Road.

The other thing of interest was the Blue Police Telephone Box outside of Weston Harts, which used to keep dinging until the Beat Bobby came by to answer it, by which time, the person ringing from the Police Station, had probably forgotten why they were phoning in the first place.

Thanks Peter that was great. I remember most of what you are saying and I too bought my first record in Weston Harts except mine was Nairobi by Tommy Steele on a 78rpm!!!!

Take Care

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:
John’s Highbury Memories
Peter - whilst accepting there was no pub on the estate there was the "Portsbridge" at the beginning of Highbury Grove and an off-licence at the junction of Chatsworth Avenue/Dovercourt Road. The school that Mike refers to last week was, in fact, originally built as a community centre for the estate but taken over as the social club for Southern Electricity. It was used in the late 40's as a satellite for Court lane Infants - as was the hall at St Philips Church and the Tudor Drill Hall.

With regard to your comment that this was a badly designed estate does not take into account that it was complete in itself with shops at the junction of Chatsworth Avenue and both Pitrieve Road & Dovercourt Road providing most of the needs for the locals. You also mention the swimming adjacent to the railway bridge but not the steps provided at the top of Chatsworth Avenue which - I understand - was sanded/gravelled by the builders to provide a small beach.

NEWS AND VIEWS:

ON THIS DAY 15TH NOVEMBER 1960-1965

On 15/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. 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 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Another Black & White Minstrell Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. 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.

On 15/11/1962 the number one single was Lovesick Blues - 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.

On 15/11/1963 the number one single was You'll Never Walk Alone - Gerry & the Pacemakers 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 15/11/1964 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 (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 15/11/1965 the number one single was Get Off Of My Cloud - Rolling Stones and the number one album was Liverpool. 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. The big news story of the day was Take Your Pick (AR)".

Web Page No 784

Firstly you will notice that I have opened a new section on the blog, ie school photo’s. I have put some there this week and I will add another one or so every week to complete the collection, at the moment I have 51 different pics from school days (not including the one of me with various young ladies!!!) so if you have any school pics to add to the list send them along so we can all share them. Also in the lower section are pics of the 60’s but not of school.




FIRST PICTURE: THE MARSHALL CAP SIX-GUN




SECOND PICTURE: THE TRADITIONAL GAME OF CONKERS.





ANOTHER LOOK AT THE PAST

£sd


To us born in the 1940’s this was pre-decimalization money not the happy pills that the letters became associated with in the 60’s . A ha’penny was half a penny, good for 4 mojos or fruitsalads at the newsagent. Tu’pence was two penny's not a separate coin, but thru’pence was a thru’penny bit; thick, brass and with 12 sides. A silver sixpence was a tanner, a good choking size for Christmas puddings and for much of my young life the tooth fairies standard rate. 12 pennies made a shilling or bob. A half-crown was 2 shillings and sixpence, a big substantial coin and my weekly pocket money later. We knew about the half crown but we never saw a full crown. Notes started at 10 shillings or 10 bob note, these and postal orders for any amount are why my generation still shake their birthday cards when they open them. Posh stuff was priced in guineas, but I have no idea why. Everyone always mocks the eccentricity of 12 pennies to the shilling, 20 shillings to the pound but it was a very practical currency. 12 is a very sharing number, divisible by 2, 3, 4 & 6. Base 10 is great for mathematics but less useful for divvying up when small people have their hands out expectantly. The tables necessary to convert old pennies to new pence in the 70's were quite something. Mind you some old fashioned shop keepers for ages refused to use the new money and carried on pricing in LSD, even though that was.
Conker Season
Crazes would suddenly happen at school and in the streets, some sort of toy or game would suddenly become popular. Stilts might appear but I never knew anyone who bought stilts, they were universally made by Dad. Conkers, marbles, bubble gum cards would suddenly show up at school for no reason and dominate the playground as would yo-yo’s, marbles and toy cars. Conkers was a profit making season for me as the next door neighbour had an enormous Horse Chestnut tree in their garden and it shed most of its conkers in our garden and I made some extra pocket money selling them by the bag. Our Comics would do promotions every now and then when circulation flagged. They would give away a cheap free gift like a flash banger - a triangular fold of paper that would unfurl with a bang when flicked. I liked the plastic pop gun; powered with enough extra elastic bands you could get a pencil to almost penetrate a cornflake packet. The free submarine which worked on Baking Powder was popular; and what was the point of the cardboard thing with the cuts that allowed you to put a policeman’s head on a ballet dancer’s torso with a footballers legs? Clickers were another pointless freebie. a piece of metal stressed so it "clicked" when bent, oh the long winter evenings just flew by...

Comics always carried adverts for instant stamp collector kits.
Cereal manufactures would do the free gift promotions too. They would put stickers in the box, transfers that you rubbed a pen over to make them stick on a scene printed on the box, divers and underwater, a space scene, you could place your transfers anywhere you liked, and they got everywhere. You could also collect packet tops and send away for something big, made in Hong Kong.
We had uncles and grandparents who had seen war, some of them two. If they hadn't, then they'd done National Service where they'd seen foreign parts. There were tales to tell either way.

Some of my friends still had air raid shelters in the garden (ours was filled in), some were concrete, some corrugated iron. We played in them, and people grew rhubarb near them or raspberries up them. Us lads all wore short trousers of course, changing to long trousers was a right of passage to start the growing up process. Long trousers on a kid would wear out too fast; bare knees were self repairing, more or less.

Central heating at home meant the fireplace and you learned to keep the doors closed behind you. Carpets were definitely not wall to wall and a fireguard was placed up front to protect the rug and the cat from tumbling coals. There was a big concrete bunker in the back garden for storing the coal which was delivered by a bloke from the Co-op (Mum wanted her divi) in a Donkey Jacket hefting Hundredweight bags of coal d into the bunker. Coal came in canvas bags with a round metal seal on the top attached by wire, from the bunker coal was taken into the house in a scuttle that stood by the fire ready for a top up, putting more coal on was very manly to small boys. Fires had to be cleaned out and produced "clinkers", twisted and fused sculptures of ash and coal, smashed up gleefully with the poker.
The local Newsagent sold everything from shoelaces to Plasticine and Newspapers of course. It closed at 5pm and like everything else only opened a half day on Wednesdays. If you needed anything; from petrol to food, after 6pm you were out of luck. Only Off-licenses opened at night, Sunday of course everything was shuttered and closed. On the other hand, if you were sick, the doctor would come to visit you, at your own bedside, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Furniture was a three piece suite and a sideboard and a pouffe if you were posh. Kids got the pouffe or the floor. The sideboard had everything crammed into it, booze in the cupboards, bills in the top drawer and knitting needles in the middle ones. On top was a fruit tray that never saw any fruit and a biscuit barrel.
A washing machine never appeared in our house in fact in her whole lifetime my mother never owned a washing machine. Washing was hung on the line and carrying the laundry basket and handing up clothes pegs was another kid duty. Wet shirts flapping into your face was one memory, synchronizing hands and walking together to fold sheets was another and
everything was ironed.

I loved getting guns; cap, spud or dried pea. Can you still buy caps? Newsagents and toy stores sold them, thin strips of paper with a tiny blob of gunpowder, they came in little round paper cases the size of a bottle top. Caps went bang on impact; either just for the noise in cap guns or to actually propel something like a piece of potato. Spud guns never lived up to your expectations. The black Lone Star spud gun looked like a revolver and had a side loading chamber into which you placed a small cartridge with potato embedded at one end and a cap at the other or as many caps as you could get in it. A catapult was the most offensive weapon available and some hardware stores actually sold catapult elastic by the foot, it must have been used for something else, but what?

Take Care

Peter

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

YOU WRITE:
Martin Writes:-

That teacher in the photo in the gallery on the right with a question mark is Mr. Dennison......PE teacher.......cannot yet remember his first name.


ED : there will be more Highbury Memories next week

NEWS AND VIEWS:
Connie Francis' hometown of Belleville, New Jersey will name the auditorium of Belleville High School, her old school, after her and will dedicate "Connie Francis Court," at the corner of Greylock Parkway and Forest Street where she lived for two years.

ON THIS DAY 1ST NOVEMBER 1960-1965

On 01/11/1960 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 (Granada) 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 01/11/1961 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 (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.


On 01/11/1962 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 (BBC) 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 01/11/1963 the number one single was You'll Never Walk Alone - Gerry & the Pacemakers 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 01/11/1964 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 (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 01/11/1965 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 (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. The big news story of the day was 7 die in UK hurricane-force winds.