Web Page  No 2108

22nd November 2014

First Picture: Lord Rockingham’s XI

Second Picture: Record label featuring Jack Good

Third Picture: Cherry Wainer and Don Storer

Backing Bands

There were a number of backing bands around in the late 1950’s but there was one definitive band at that was Lord Rockingham's XI who were the house band for the TV pop show Oh Boy!, which, as most of us remember, was one of the first dedicated pop music shows on TV in the late '50s. Jack Good, who controlled the Oh Boy! TV show, wanted a band to work with the various guest stars and also to provide a raucous instrumental backing for them. He already had the band's name, Lord Rockingham's XI which was based on a play on the words "rocking 'em" -- and he hired musical arranger Harry Robinson to get the band together.

Knowing the sort of sound that Jack Good was looking for, Harry Robinson put together a large collection of session musicians including Red Price and Rex Morris on tenor sax, Benny Greene and Cyril Reubens on baritone sax, Ronnie Black on double bass, Cherry Wainer (from South Africa) on organ, Bernie Taylor and Eric Ford on guitars, and Don Storer (he later married and toured with Cherry Wainer) and Reg Weller on percussion. The eleven of them produced an instrumental wall of sound and a stomping beat that quickly became synonymous with the show. The band would not be complete without the addition of backing singers and the originals were Marty Wilde and Cuddly Dudley.

Cherry Wainer was the eye catching organ player who. for most of the sessions, played the lead or melody line whilst sat in front of the band. Her Hammond organ was quilted in pink buttoned leather and she well known for wearing Alma Cogan type dresses.

Benny Greene, one of the baritone sax players, would go on to have a very long-lasting career on the jazz scene, but in the late 1950s rock & roll was all the rage. Despite the guest appearances by the likes of Billy Fury the most popular part of Oh Boy! was often the Lord Rockingham's XI interludes as they played a brand of rocking saxophone-dominated instrumental rock & roll that would go on to greatly influence the likes of Johnny & the Hurricanes.

Amazingly there were only 38 episodes of Oh Boy! and Lord Rockingham's XI appeared in 35 of them, although virtually none of the performances survived on videotape into the modern era.

A talking point among viewers was "just who is Lord Rockingham?," but he did not really exist and later on there was a legal battle between Jack Good, who invented the name, and Harry Robinson, who created the band and therefore the sound. The demand for their music exceeded the show's output and it was agreed that Jack Good should retain the name for the Oh Boy! show and the recordings, and Harry Robinson should have the rights for the live tour that took place throughout cities in the U.K. in the late 1950s. Indeed, you may well remember that on the record labels, they recorded for Decca, the name of the act was actually credited as Jack Good Presents Lord Rockingham's XI. See second picture.

They released their first single which was a double-A- sided record "Fried Onions" backed with "The Squelch," but despite their TV popularity, it was not a hit; but that all changed with the release of their second single, "Hoots Mon," a track based on the traditional Scottish song, "A Hundred Pipers." This raucous instrumental track soared all the way to number one in November 1958, selling over half a million copies, although the band members reputedly received only six pounds each session fee. Although nominally an instrumental, there were some Scottish-sounding words and interjections at the end of each chorus. They followed this massive hit early in 1959 with a lesser-selling title, "Wee Tom," but despite several further releases including "Ra-Ra Rockingham," "Farewell to Rockingham," and couple of  twist songs, "Newcastle Twist" and "Rockingham Twist," in 1962, none of their music hit the charts again. At the end of the rock & roll era, the group disbanded and all the members went their own way.

In 1968, EMI attempted to resurrect the band with an album, directed by Harry Robinson, titled The Return of Lord Rockingham, which included their number one hit "Hoots Mon" and versions of contemporary 1968 hits "Lady Madonna," "Yummy Yummy Yummy," "Mony Mony," "Baby Come Back," "Simon Says," and "The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp," an album described as ideal music for parties, dances, or even listening to on your own. The album did not sell well and failed to chart, and Lord Rockingham's XI were consigned to an era in time associated with the fun and extravagance of rock & roll.

There was a very brief revival of their very first single when "Fried Onions" was used in a television advertisement for Options Indulgence hot chocolate drink which was first shown on UK TV in December 2011.

Stay in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

You Write: re Buffalo Bill

Maureen Writes:

Yet again thanks for your Manor Court Update - I look forward to it every week. I see that you have an enquiry about Buffalo Bill. My grandmother always said that she saw Buffalo Bill when she was a little girl on the Common. I found this website

http://www.buffalobill.org/pdfs/buffalo_bill_visits.pdf

which gives the dates of his shows in Portsmouth as Oct 3 -10 1891 and August 10-12 1903. The latter date would have been when Grandma saw him, as she was born in 1898. In 1903 she would have been living in Prince Albert Street, so it was probably Southsea Common that she was referring to.

Griff Writes:

In reply to Steve's article I have visited Buffalo Bill's grave on Lookout Mountain near Denver, Co. The grave is on top of the Rockie Mountains with outstanding views across the plain of Denver. I visited his grave when staying with my Daughter who was living in Colorado a few years back. It has become a Shrine really to the memory of Buffalo Bill.

With reference to Portsmouth North possible location the circus and travelling fairs were held in Cosham where the A27 now cuts West through to Paulsgrove from the big roundabout that takes you North up Portsdown Hill.  I can remember these circus's ( Oh! Dear! ) having been taken there as a very young Lad back in the very early 1950's by my Mum.

Buffalo Bill gave the last performance of his Wild West Show at Portsmouth, Virginia where he became ill with a cold and headed for his Wyoming ranch.  He stopped off at Denver to visit his sister but died suddenly from uremia on January 10, 1917.  Although Buffalo Bill left a will stating he wished to be buried on top of Cedar Mountain about five miles west of his town, Cody, Wyoming, his family changed those plans and after his remains lay in state in a bronze casket in the Capitol Rotunda in Denver, a service was held, and his body was placed in a temporary vault while a permanent tomb could be cut out of the solid granite atop Lookout Mountain about 18 miles west and south of Denver.

News and Views:

On this Day 22nd November1960-1965

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 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 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 Socialists win Dundee West by-election.

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 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 £not very interesting and 11.69 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Take Your Pick (AR)".

W   Web Page  No 2106

15^th November 2014

First Picture: Goon Show Days

Second Picture: Inspector Closeau

Third Picture: With Sophia Loren

Peter Sellers

After all this time I have come to realize that I have never dealt with one of Portsmouth’s famous sons, Peter Sellers. He was incredibly versatile, playing Chief Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films with as much ease as Clare Quilty in Lolita. He was known as a Master of Mimicry and it was on this platform that he came to fame.

He was born on 8^th September 8, 1925 in Portsmouth as Richard Henry Sellers. He was literally born into show business. His parents were Music Hall performers, and he arrived while they were appearing at the Kings Theatre in Southsea, in fact he made his stage debut at the Kings Theatre when he was two weeks old. He began accompanying his parents in a variety act that toured the provincial theatres. He went on to study dance as a child before attending St. Aloysius’ Boarding and Day School for Boys in Islington, this was strange as this was a Roman Catholic school and his father was Protestant and mother Jewish!

As a teenager, he learned to play the drums and played with jazz bands and toured England as a member of the Entertainments National Service Association.

At the age of 18, he joined the Royal Air Force during World War II. There he became part of a group of entertainers who performed for the troops. As well as playing his drums he also did impersonations of some of the officers.

After the war, he struggled to launch his comic career, this was a hard road but after several previous attempts, he managed to land work with the BBC by winning over radio producer Roy Speer during a phone conversation. His impressive impersonations helped make him a beloved radio comedian. In 1951, Sellers joined fellow comics Spike Mulligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine and The Goon Show was born.

The success of The Goon Show helped Peter Sellers break into the film industry. After appearing in Down Among the Z Men (1952) with his radio colleagues, he managed to land a small part in the comedy The Ladykillers (1955) with Alec Guinness, a film which was destined to become a British Film classic. His career really took off in 1959 with I’m All Right, Jack and The Mouse That Roared. In The Mouse That Roared, he played three characters, including a duchess and X. This successful film helped introduce Peter Sellers to American movie-goers.

The Goon Show ended in 1960, but the program proved to be a strong influence on British comedy. It paved the way for such future comedy shows as Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Peter Sellers hit his stride in the early 1960’s with two of his most famous roles. It was at this time that he introduced audiences to the world’s most bumbling detective, Inspector Jacques Closeau, in Blake Edwards’s The Pink Panther (1963). The film proved to be such a huge success that it was quickly followed by the sequel A Shot in the Dark (1964).

Moving on he starred in Stanley Kubrick’s war satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), he once again showed his ability to tackle multiple characters, including the title role.

In 1964, he had his first heart attack. He was reportedly clinically dead for two and a half minutes before being revived. This incident marked the beginning of his heart troubles, and he later had a pacemaker installed to help manage his heartbeat. Making a full recovery, he continued to work in films but his films of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s had some decidedly mixed results.

It was his famed character Inspector Closeau that gave Peter Sellers a boost at the box office with 1974’s with The Return of the Pink Panther. This latest hit spawned three more Pink Panther movies. His best performance, however, was yet to come.

He earned rave reviews for his subtle, understated turn as the simple gardener in the film Chance in Being There. His character spouts ideas and comments based on his years of television-watching, which are confused by others as words of wisdom. For this he earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance.

He also had a reasonably successful recording career with albums such a Songs for Swinging Sellers and The Best of Sellers but who can forget the classic recordings with Sophia Loren (the only women that he said he truly loved). What can I add to that just to say Goodness Gracious Me!

After making this his career seemed to be on an upswing. But he never lived to realize this new wave of potential. He died in London hospital on July 24^th , 1980, after suffering another heart attack. He was survived by his fourth wife Lynne Frederick, and three children from previous marriages. His son Michael and daughter Sarah came from his first marriage to Anne Howe and daughter Victoria came from his second marriage to actress Britt Ekland. He was also briefly married to Miranda Quarry from 1970 to 1974.

Stay in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

You Write:

Steve Asks:-

A few years ago we were in the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody Wyoming ,the towns named after him.On his visits to England I noticed he put on shows in Portsmouth. North End was mentioned but I don't know if they meant the village as it would have been or north of the island ,either way it would need a large space. Any ideas?


 News and Views:

Acker Bilk dies. 

Acker Bilk who personified the trad jazz revival of the 1950s and '60s, has died after a lengthy illness at the age of 85.His most famous song Stranger on the Shore was the UK's biggest selling single of 1962 and made him an international star.

He was born Bernard Stanley Bilk, he changed his name to Acker - Somerset slang for "mate" - after learning to play the clarinet in the Army. His last concert was in August 2013.

Born in Pensford in Somerset, he tried a number of careers before borrowing a clarinet and copying recordings of famous jazz musicians while in the Army. He formed his first band in Bristol after his demobilisation. Known for his goatee, bowler hat and fancy waistcoat, he was awarded an MBE in 2001 for services to the music industry.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2000 but recovered and continued to play concerts, the last of which was at the Brecon Festival last year.

He leaves his wife Jean, daughter Jenny and son Pete.

On this Day 15th November1960-1965

On 15/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley 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 £ and 13.68 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels).

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 The Royal Variety Performance (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 15/11/1962 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 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 The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was The Royal Variety Performance (ATV) 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 2104

8th November 2014

First Picture: Wipac Wing Mirrors

Second Picture:  RAC Badge

Third Picture: Practical Motorist 1960

Happy Motoring

We must all have known, or seen, the man down the road whose car seemed to be something of an icon to worship, nothing could interfere with the great God car. There he would be out on the drive every fine Sunday morning washing, shampooing and polishing his pride and joy before taking the family off for a short spin in the countryside providing it did not look like rain and the country lanes were not too dusty. If it did rain however he soon put the car back into the garage and carefully dried it off with a piece of chamois leather. There were certain things that you could almost guarantee would be inside his car. Driving gloves, sun glasses and a driving coat, a travelling blanket neatly folded up on the back seat with a cushion placed on the top of it. Other essential items would be an out of date road atlas and maps plus a packet of Polo mints in the glove compartment to keep his breathe sweet.

He would invest in some of the up to date accessories for his car, wing mirrors (they were not standard fittings then) which he fitted himself likewise spot and fog lights, strip screen heaters to demist the front windscreen, a Perspex draft guard to fit around the driver’s door window to reduce drafts when the window was open and almost always a shiny and polished St. Christopher badge on the radiator. But for the dedicated motorist this was not good enough the badges had to be attached to a Chromium plated badge bar with his club badge (AA or RAC)  and Veteran Motorist badges all neatly spaced out along the bar .

He would invest in some of the, then state of the art, electrical pieces for his car, a car vacuum which was clipped onto the terminals of the battery and was so weak and underpowered that it would pick up virtually nothing at all. Then there was the parking light, again attached to the battery terminals, which he could hang over the window to warn other motorists where he was parked at night. But there was never, never an in car radio in his car as they were regarded as terrible American inventions meaning that you could not listen to the tone of the engine as you drove along to try to pick up any potential problems early. There again to have one a car radio the owner was not covered by the radio licence at home so it meant that he would have to purchase a separate car radio licence which cost £3.00 a year plus £1.00 tax!

He would always carry a pristine tool kit in either a dedicated tool box or they were individually oiled and then wrapped up in cloth and place in an old biscuit tin (this was the method preferred by my father). These were kept in the boot plus and an old coat to put on if he ever had to lift the bonnet or change a wheel whilst he was out and the weather was bad. Mind you those are the days when you could repair your own car at the roadside, today I lift the bonnet of mine, scratch my head and close it up again!

Once the car had been dealt with it was carefully put away in a pristine garage with strategically placed drip trays and lengths of carpet attached to the walls so the sides of the car did not become scratched. In that garage everything was neatly boxed, labelled and stacked on shelves ready for use. After having put the car away and closed the garage doors he would then walk down to the local newsagent and buy a copy of Practical Motorist, take it home and read it from cover to cover.

Then along came the 1960’s and younger folks could at last afford a car of their own, my first (a Morris) cost me the princely sum of £25.00. Being young and carefree most young car owners started to customise their cars to their own tastes.  This meant white wall tyres, fluffy dice, names on the windscreen, tiger tails and other such meaningless but fun items. There was also a period of time when the young motorist, if they had the money, could buy added fitments for inside the car, fake walnut fascia’s, extra consoles with spaces for tapes and packets of cigarettes, specially impregnated screen sponges to stop misting up, these did not work either! 

Stay in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

You Write:

Mary Writes:

I did smile when I read about the little pink pills. My first job was at St Marys Hospital in the pharmacy. I dished out hundreds of ferrous sulphate and ferrous gluconate pills mainly to the patients from the ante natal clinic. Some years later when a patient myself at an ante natal clinic in Singapore I was given the magic bottle. I didn`t feel well at all. Then it was discovered that I didn`t absorb iron very easily. I was told to eat vast amounts of spinach and even liver (this isn`t allowed today) before having to have iron injections in my legs. By the time my daughter was born my legs were covered in bruises. Perhaps it was a just punishment for doling out all those pills to those expectant mothers! 

News and Views:

On this day 8th November 1960-1965

On 08/11/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley 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 £ and 13.68 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels).

On 08/11/1961 the number one single was Walkin' Back to Happiness - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was Twenty One Today - Cliff Richard. The top rated TV show was The Royal Variety Performance (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 08/11/1962 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 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 08/11/1963 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 The Royal Variety Performance (ATV) 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 US recognises new regime in Saigon.

On 08/11/1964 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 08/11/1965 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 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  No2102

1^st November 2014

First Picture: Sky Banner

 Second Picture: Drinking Fountain

Third Picture: Pink Pills for pale people

Another of those do you remember? pages.

 It all started off the other afternoon when Pam and I were sitting quietly reading in the garden when we heard a light aircraft pass overhead some way off. It was not until I looked at it that I noticed that it was towing something. We both looked and realised that it was towing an advertising banner, rather like the one in the illustration something that neither of us had seen for a very long time. Three times this plane passed overhead and in each case it was east to west so the banner was back to front to us so we have no idea what it said,( we are assuming that the west to east leg was done along the north coast of the Isle of Wight. However it was definitely worth seeing as it brought back memories of our childhood and the way these advertising banners patrolled a lot of the south coast beaches in the 1950’s and 60’s. Whilst talking about things aerial who remembers the parachutists jumping from an old barrage balloon moored in Portsmouth airfield every Sunday afternoon? I wonder who they were? I never have found out.

Another of those do you remember things are drinking fountains. All around the city there were dotted drinking fountains, normally in public parks or playing fields. Three different types readily come to mind. The first was a squat cast iron piece looking rather like a mile marker with a round top facing outwards. This round top had a handle looking rather like a lemon squeezer in the middle. This handle was rotated and the thirsty one had to bend down and drink from a water spout underneath. However try as I might I cannot find a picture of one. I remember one being in the lower half of the Rec in Farlington Avenue, the area all round it seemed always to be muddy but the water was icy cold and delicious on a hot day.

Then there was the bowl type of fountain with a hand operated spout within the bowl. These were very common around Portsmouth and were really ideal for spurting water all over everyone with the dextrous use of a figure over the spout.

Another, less common type was the wall mounted drinking fountain with a round bottomed cup on a chain attached to it. We were always told not to drink using the cup because you never knew who had been there before you. As luck would have it this was almost always impossible as nine times out of ten the cup had been wrenched off and stolen.  

My godmother always had a saying which went something like, “ she looks unwell, she needs those Pink Pills for Pale People”, we all laughed and dismissed it as just her, being a country girl not understanding modern medicine.

You can imagine the surprise when I searched the Internet and found out that there were actually Pink Pills for Pale People. The story is below.

Here’s a big-business remedy which originated in Canada. “Dr Williams” was a brand name, and the pills were manufactured by George T. Fulford of Brockville, Ontario. Born in 1852, Fulford went into the patent medicine business in 1886 and four years later bought the rights to the Pink Pills recipe from Dr William Jackson for $53.01. The Pills arrived in Britain by 1893, and the company had premises on Holborn Viaduct, London.

The Pink Pills included ferrous sulphate, so they would have had a genuine effect against anaemia, but they were weaker and far more expensive than the ordinary iron pills commonly prescribed by the local doctors.

Advertisements in local and national papers were written so that they  appeared to be news stories reporting a miracle in some distant town – the miracle always turning out to be a result of someone taking Dr Williams’ Pink Pills.

In 1905, George Fulford had the dubious honour of becoming the first Canadian to be killed in an automobile accident, but his company remained in business until 1989.

 REMARKABLE AFFAIR IN YORKSHIRE.–The daughter of Mr.  J.  Bridges,  42,  Foljambe-Road,  Eastwood View,  Rotherham,  has  been  the  theme  of  a  well- authenticated report in the Yorkshire papers, the facts having been investigated, and the  lady and her parents seen, by press representatives. Miss Bridges at seventeen was described by her parents as “prematurely old.” She could  not  eat,  had  no  strength,  and  was  nearly copper-coloured, suffering severely from palpitation of the heart. But when seen by  the  reporter  she  was  in the bloom of health, eating and sleeping well and quite free from heart-trouble, with complexion  like  the  rose —a recovery entirely due to the now  famous  remedy, Dr.   Williams’  Pink  Pills  for  Pale  People.   

When a    girl    is   pale,   weak,   easily   “tired   out,”   troubled   with    headache,    backache,    pain in the side;   when   her  temper  is  fitful  and  her  appetite poor—she  is  in  a  condition  of  extreme  peril, a fit subject for the development of the most  dreaded  of all diseases—consumption. Dr. Williams’  Pink  Pills will assist the patient to  develop  properly  and  regularly; they will enrich  the  blood,  and  danger  of  consumption and premature death will be  averted.   Prudent mothers will insist  upon  their  daughters  taking Dr.  Williams’ Pink  Pills  upon  the  approach  of  the period of womanhood and thus avoid all  chances  of disease or early decay.   The same  medicine  cures rheumatism, sciatica, neuralgia, paralysis,  locomotorataxy, nervous headache, scrofula, chronic erysipelas and influenza. A specific for the female sex. In   men   they   cure   all   cases   from   worry,   overwork, or excesses.

Sold by  Dr.  Williams’  Medicine Company,  46,  Holborn  Viaduct,  London,  and   by chemists, at 2s. 9d. a box, or six boxes 13s. 9d., post free.  Only  genuine if ina  pink  wrapper  with  full  name, Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills for Pale People.

Stay in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

You Write:

News and Views:

The Moon Estate is working in collaboration with author Ian Snowball on a new coffee table book for release in 2015. The book will feature firsthand accounts of how Keith inspired legions of musicians and fans around the world

On this Day 1^st November1960-1965

On 1/11/1960 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 1/11/1961 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. The big news story of the day was Stalin removed from Lenin's tomb.

On 1/11/1962 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 1/11/1963 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 1/11/1964 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 1/11/1965 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.

Web Page  No2100

25th October 2014

First Picture Gina in her Heyday

Second Picture The supposed wedding picture

Third Picture Gina today

Gina Lollobrigida

Yes lads that screen siren whose name we could never spell when we were 16 was born on July 4, 1927 in Subiaco in Italy. Destined to be called "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World", Gina possibly had St. Brigid as part of her surname. She was the daughter of a furniture manufacturer, and grew up in a very pictorial mountain village. The young Gina did some modelling and from there, went on to participate successfully in several beauty contests. In 1947, she entered a beauty competition for Miss Italy, but came in third. The winner was Lucia Bosé (born 1931), who would go on to appear in over 50 movies, and the first runner-up was Gianna Maria Canale (born 1927), who would appear in almost 50 films. After appearing in a half-dozen films in Italy, it was rumoured that, in 1947, film tycoon Howard Hughes had her flown to Hollywood; however, this did not result in her staying in America, and she returned to Italy (her Hollywood movie fame would not come along until six years later in the John Huston film Beat the Devil (1953)).

Back in Italy, in 1949, she married Milko Skofic, a Slovenian (at the time, "Yugoslavian") doctor, by whom she had a son, Milko Skofic Jr. They would be married for 22 years, until their divorce in 1971. As her film roles and national popularity increased, she was tagged "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World", after her signature movie Beautiful But Dangerous (1955). She was also nicknamed la "Lollo" as she embodied the prototype of Italian beauty. Her natural looks and short hairdo were especially influential. Her film Come September (1961), co-starring Rock Hudson, won the Golden Globe Award as the World's Film Favorite. In the 1970s, she was seen in only a few films, as she took a break from acting and concentrated on another career: photography. Among her subjects were Paul Newman, Salvador Dalí and the German national soccer team.

A skilled photographer, she had a collection of her work "Italia Mia", published in 1973. Immersed in her other passions (sculpting and photography), it would be 1984 before she appeared on US television in Falcon Crest (1981). Although she was always active, she only appeared in a few films in the 1990s. In June 1999, she turned to politics and ran, unsuccessfully, for one of Italy's 87 European Parliament seats, from her hometown of Subiaco. Gina was also a corporate executive for fashion and cosmetics companies. As she told "Parade" magazine in April 2000: "I studied painting and sculpting at school and became an actress by mistake". She went on to say: "I've had many lovers and still have romances. I am very spoiled. All my life, I've had too many admirers".

But recently things have changed as she hit out at her only son after the pair were locked in a ‘horrendous’ legal fight over her £30 million fortune. Andrea Milko Skofic, 56, her  only son and heir, had asked a court in Rome to appoint a judge to oversee her wealth amid claims that she had been duped into marrying  Javier Rigau y Rafols, a businessman 34 years her junior. She is 87. Mr Skofic claimed his mother had become ‘unable to think for herself’. But the Sixties’ screen siren, labelled her son’s legal battle a ‘dirty, ugly business and I’m speechless that my son could consider taking this to court. I’m delighted the request was dismissed but I would have preferred it if none of this had never happened.

The actress met Rafols at a party in Monte Carlo in the 1980s and the couple became companions and they were set to marry in 2006 but she changed her mind before the ceremony could go ahead. Meanwhile, Rafols, who insists the wedding did take place, faces fraud allegations in Spain and Italy.

The actress, known for her rivalry with fellow Italian Sophia Loren, made headlines the world over last year when she claimed that Rafols paid an impersonator to stand in for her at a proxy wedding in Spain in 2010.

 The former sex symbolsaid she had no knowledge of her 2010 wedding to Mr Rafols and would never have agreed to it and that she only discovered it by chance on the internet.

She is reported of having said  'I knew nothing about this until I did some research on the internet. He invented a false document to carry out this wedding and now he will pay. I will not rest until he has been brought to justice. He is nothing but a vulture, circling me, sniffing my blood. He falsely married me and was waiting for me to die so he could inherit my possessions.'

But Rafols claimed the marriage was ‘completely legitimate,’ and witnessed by eight people.

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On this Day 25^th  October 1960-1965

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