| Author | Message | ||
     David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 1959 Registered: 4-2003 |
This is for those of us who watched black and white television in the 1950's when the programmes were dominated by US comedians/comediennes. Brings back a lot of memories of my childhood at Port Kembla after the introduction of television in late 1956 when we all went to the home of the only neighbour in the street who had a television set to watch the comedy shows featured in this film clip. We were fortunate to have lived during this time and space. Frank Sinatra sings, but wait for the clowns and the close by Orson Wells says it all........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9CbgSj8CdY | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 944 Registered: 5-2015 |
My child hood was the same. My favourite was Ernie Bilko. He said, . "I am helping the war effort by giving back 5 Jeeps . and I might throw some tires in" Phil Silvers I still like Bilko. The other day Bewitched was on. So American twee. It's awful to watch now. I feel for the younger generation, life was so much easier when I was young, now the kids get over whelmed by modern living. We only had 2 tv channels, BBC and Inpendent TV ( ITV ). We got a TV at about the same time, I was born in 1951. I got told off a school for watching ITV television broadcasts as the teacher put. In 1963 Cornation Street soap opera started and we were all told at school that the school governors took a dim view of pupils viewing such tawdry rubbish and it will reflect on your job prospects. Hymn number 105 and Reddington sing the correct words and don't try to get to the end before the others it's not a race you know. Will you still feed me when am am 64. Beatles. (1966 ) I remember the song and thinking that's a long time. I am 64. I loved school I had so much fun that I only took 5 days off truant from 1955 to 1968. I spent my last year as head prefect. My Mum and Dad was so proud my Mum made me my first suit. My Mum used to make clothes for Arthur Howard who dressed the rich and famous. She worked at home I remember a Harrision sowing machine. Black with gold decoration but the paint wore off the base and was shinny like chrome. My introduction to mechanical stuff. The machine had to be spot on so every Sunday my Dad ( Sonny Jack Reddington ) used to service the black beast. With Sing something simple ( for you and I )on the BBC Radio Light Program medium wave. I liked the Black and White Minstrals. Recently talking to an old West Indian mate. ( Trinidad ) He said the racial offence is NOT there for him because it's not actually about black people and blacking up is a show biz tradition. Originally the black and white lips was so that the audience could see there mouths moving in the crude theatre lighting especially if touring and using large tents. He said to many black people look for offence where there isn't . He has a fine collection of Robinson Jam gollywog badges which are worth a lot of money. Eric Cartman was head prefect in South Park. Hallway infractions and respect my authorita. As head prefect I had protection in the form of two cousins who were thugs if necessary this was approved de facto by the head master because we kept good order. Bill and Ben the flower pot men and little weed. And of course Popeye. My Mum thought spinach was horrible and child abuse to force kids to eat horrid stuff. A million mums a day pick up a tin of beans and say, beans means Hienz. Blue blue Esso blue. Boom boom boom. ( paraffin ) My Nans house smelt of paraffin, It smelt quite pleasant in a homely way. I went back to Greenford Middlesex a few years back and the life I knew has gone, I recognised the buildings but not the people. I used to climb this oak tree in Ravenor Park and the tree is still there. I was born in Perival Pava (North Greenford) Now the Pava bit has gone from the name. Perival is now a parade of shops on the A40. | ||
| Nigel Johnson Prolific User Username: nigel_johnson Post Number: 153 Registered: 12-2008 |
Hi Bob, Wonderful memories, I was born in 1954. Just one small correction, Robertson's Jam. I live in Droylsden Manchester where the jam works used to be. My friends house had a paraffin heater at the bottom of the stairs. Regards, Nigel. | ||
| ChristopherCarnley Unregistered guest Posted From: 5.80.22.187 |
A neighbouring lady organising a village party for the Queen's Coronation in 1953,and encouraged all the small boys who had 2d (pennies,)to donate them in return for watching Hopalong Cassidy on her very rare tiny TV. The substantial female dancers on B&W made my winter Saturday evenings. The "Golly" is allegedly taken from a homemade American rag doll, with a rag black face, and is a child's mispronounced "my dolly" as "my golly". (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 927 Registered: 1-2008 |
Golly is actually a contraction of the term 'gollywog' to describe a startled African slave when reluctantly performing slave labour. In those days it was defined as a mental illness! The precise etymology before that is debatable. | ||
| Patrick Ryan Experienced User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 27 Registered: 4-2016 |
David & guys, Some awesome stuff. For me the best show ever was the Thunderbirds. In B&W it was awesome, but oh man when it came out in colour I was stunned. My son grew up on my old Betamax copies of a few taped episodes, and for my 50th he bought me the DVD set. I do agree that thee was a huge US influence here in Australia, but I enjoyed it. Loved: Gilligan's Island McHale's Navy As Bob said Bewitched The Beatles cartoons The British that came to Oz: On the buses Benny Hill I could go on for hours I think | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 932 Registered: 1-2008 |
Patrick: Thunderbirds is back. It's on CITV. You can no longer see the strings as it's mostly CGI, but at least many of the set models are 'real'. There's even a new Thunderbird: Thunderbird S (Shadow). | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 133 Registered: 4-2016 |
Hi Jan My son and I watched a few episodes of the new Thunderbirds. We didn't mind it at all. It's amazing they use a combo of CGI as you said and real miniature sets and vehicles. Amazing that in this day and age, someone would go to that trouble with CGI being so good. I had to look up the Thunderbird Shadow. An interesting machine. As they said, like a more modern FAB1. Thanks for pointing that out to me. They seem to have forgotten Thunderbird 6 though in this series. I have actually been watching UFO on disc which is Gerry Andersons next instalment after Thunderbirds. His first venture into TV using real actors, plus the combination of miniatures as they used in Thunderbirds. Quite a good show. | ||
| Nigel Johnson Prolific User Username: nigel_johnson Post Number: 154 Registered: 12-2008 |
Skippy the bush kangeroo. Regards, Nigel. | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 136 Registered: 4-2016 |
Now there is a good show Nigel. I remember going to Warratah National Park when I was a kid. I was disappointed that no one worked there who was in the TV show. http://au.geoview.info/ranger_headquarters_waratah_national_park_home_of_skippy_sydney_nsw,5846979p | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 469 Registered: 2-2013 |
Skippy the bush kangaroo is of course essential watching but I was totally spun out with Dr Who and especially the first series when as a 9 year old the Daleks looked and sounded so terrifying and the Doctor looked so deadly serious. Lost in Space was another good one. In the Soviet Union there was this cracker of a kids cartoon, I forget then name now where this little girl and boy run around with bombs and machine guns blowing up and shooting up everything. What I have never forgot is the Goodnight Children Rabbit which is a puppet rabbit that folds its ears down and crawls into its bedroom which happens to be a nice wooden cupboard. The puppet type animation in the Soviet Union and now Russian Federation I don't think was seen outside the Iron Curtain countries but its well worth the the look as a huge amount of effort and money has always gone into entertaining children in Russia. To be honest Russia even in very evil Stalinist times was a jolly heaven for kids and still is. | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 137 Registered: 4-2016 |
Some good memories there Vlad. Of course Lost In Space was a gem. How about: Land of the giants Voyage to the bottom of the sea Time tunnel Adam West Batman Here is a blast from the past. Does ANYONE remember this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QDlkj302tA | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 470 Registered: 2-2013 |
Yes Patrick I was totally done in by Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - I really needed one of those mini flying subs. As for PP in your youtube share as soon as I saw it I thought AstroBoy but had never heard about PP. Jap stuff for sure. Mr Ed the Talking Horse made and still makes more sense to me than hundred percent of politicians. I agree with the other contributors that claim kids today are really missing out on a lot. A lot of the kids stuff when I was young was watchable for adults too because it had a lot of adult theme that kids were too innocent to understand. I think the writers of programmes in the 60 to 70s showed much creativity which today seems to me to have evaporated. | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 934 Registered: 1-2008 |
While we're wallowing in TV nostalgia: Andy Pandy Muffin the mule Noddy and Big Ears Sooty and Sweep Torchy the Battery Boy Twizzle The Magic Boomerang (Gerry and Sylvia Anderson) Four Feather Falls Fireball XL5 Supercar - the first outing for 'Supermarionation' Stingray Thunderbirds UFO Space 1999 And finally, Joe 90. Apart from one, they definitely don't make them like that today! | ||
| Bob Reynolds Grand Master Username: bobreynolds Post Number: 387 Registered: 8-2012 |
Torchy and Twizzle (on your list) were also made by Gerry Anderson. Anyone remember 'Space Patrol'? The space puppet series that looked as though it was made by Gerry Anderson, but wasn't. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKE2BHUSDBA | ||
| Jan Forrest Grand Master Username: got_one Post Number: 935 Registered: 1-2008 |
I always thought that was the case, but they weren't mentioned in the recently aired program about the Andersons. All the others were, though. | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 146 Registered: 4-2016 |
Boys!!! What a blast remembering all the different shows we have all mentioned. LOVED Mr Ed and Green Acres. Arnold Ziffle what a pig! Vlad is right, these shows gave us something to dream about and aim for. Today's shows go hand in hand with carrot sticks and fruit bags at McDonalds. They don't get the kids imagination or heart going. | ||
| Omar M. Shams Grand Master Username: omar Post Number: 614 Registered: 4-2009 |
And this is exactly what we need to bottle and pass on to the newer generation. Else they will lose the feeling of passion and ambition and desire and want and appreciation and hope and sooooo many other things that dont come in a McDonald's fun meal...... | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 2018 Registered: 4-2003 |
Yes - Orson Wells expressed this perfectly at the end of the video. | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 149 Registered: 4-2016 |
How awesome is that Space Patrol Video, thanks Bob. I have never seen that show before. How totally awesome is the model of New York. The man hours that must have went into making that! It's like watching the Thunderbirds behind the scenes with the model makers. Of Interest Derik Meddings Who did all the special effects, ships, cars, moving runways basically everything in Thunderbirds, was the head special effects leader in the original 1976 Star Wars. Does anyone remember this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2_tMhgisd8 Imagine that now, it would be lambasted as racist, violent & politically incorrect. All I remember this is where I found my love for jumping out of trees, that why my ankles are like they are today  | ||
| Bob Reynolds Grand Master Username: bobreynolds Post Number: 388 Registered: 8-2012 |
Derek Meddings designed all the Thunderbird craft and was responsible for all the models and the special effects in all of GA's shows. He later went on to do all the model-making work on several James Bond films, Superman, and Batman. On film, it was virtualy impossible to tell his models from the real thing. You would never believe you were looking at a model. When he died in 1995, he was one of the top, if not THE top, model makers in the film industry. And it all started with Thunderbirds! | ||
| Patrick Ryan Prolific User Username: patrick_r Post Number: 153 Registered: 4-2016 |
Well said Bob. Look at the amazing crafts he did for all these shows. Was he responsible for things like the Tie fighters and the Melenium Falcon? I remember him talking about Thunderbird 2. He designed it as a flying truck but wasn't happy with the conventional wings that were fitted, so he cut them in half and turned them around so they were facing backwards (forwards which is backwards from conventional) and he was happy. It's like the designer of the USS Enterprise (NCC1701) what just came from these guys minds, designing something that no one knew how it should look, and pow. Instant classic form. Never bettered or replicated. I bet they never knew that when they were putting these things together out of wood, plastic and whatever else they could get their hands on. Same goes for George Barris and his 2 week conversion of the concept car Ghia made for Ford called the Futura. Instant best ever Batmobile. Geniuses, but they didn't realise it at the time I'm sure. |
