Categories
Maid Marian and Robin Hood

Maid Marian and Robin Hood #1

I’m developing a series about Maid Marian that will, naturally, also feature Robin Hood. My posts here will focus mainly on British productions of the legend, simply because I find them more interesting – I’m not a big fan of “Hollywood does medieval”.

My main focus in these posts will be on the 1955-59 British television series, The Adventures of Robin Hood. However, other productions will also feature.

Over twenty actresses have portrayed Maid Marian in film and on television.

Josée Richard (pictured) played Maid Marian in the 1953 BBC mini-series Robin Hood. She was married to broadcaster Robert Robinson for over fifty years.

Josée Richard, below, pictured in The Sketch in July 1953.

In 1953 Patrick Troughton starred as Robin Hood in a six-episode television seriesthe first television production of Robin Hood. The thirty minute episodes were transmitted live, and only eight minutes from the second episode, The Abbot of St. Mary’s, survived.

The cast included Josée Richard as Maid Marian, Wensley Pithey as Friar Tuck, Kenneth Mackintosh as Little John and David Kossoff as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The Episodes:

  1. Gathering the Band (17 March 1953)
  2. The Abbot of St. Mary’s (24 March 1953)
  3. Who Is Robin? (31 March 1953)
  4. The Silver Arrow (7 April 1953)
  5. A King Comes to Greenwood (14 April 1953)
  6. The Secret (21 April 1953)

Richard Greene thought long and hard – for three months – before accepting the part of Robin Hood in the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-59). An established screen and stage actor, he was aware of the risks of “stepping down” to make a television series. Had the scripts and production values been poor, the decision would have severely damaged his career. However, the scripts and production values were excellent, and Robin Hood became the defining role of his distinguished career.

Anticipated pattern of future blog posts: Marian and Robin – every six days, 1963 newspaper digests – every six days.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #35

Friday 21 June 1963

England v West Indies, Second Test at Lord’s. The West Indies closed the first day on 245 – 6. Rohan Kanhai top-scored with 73 while Fred Trueman took 5 – 64. The green pitch was tailor-made for England’s bowlers, so both sides will be pleased and disappointed.

A startling rise in convictions for drug offences in Britain was revealed yesterday. The number of people ending up in court for drug offences is six times higher than it was six years ago. In 1962 there were 675 convictions for offences involving dangerous drugs. In 1957 the figure was 100. The main problem is an increase in the trafficking of Indian hemp.

More cases of Typhoid have been confirmed in Harlow, Essex. However, Harlow’s Medical Officer of Health said, “I can confirm that the outbreak is now over.” The outbreak was caused by a 6lb can of corned beef. A South American firm is being investigated.

The pound is now worth 13s 9d in purchasing power compared to 20s in October 1951.

Salad prices are down this weekend and strawberries are plentiful too. Fruit is also plentiful, although oranges are in short supply. Lamb is cheaper and it’s the best week of the year so far for trout. 

Television highlights: Out of Town with John Hargreaves. Hobbies Club – areomodelling. It’s a Square World with Michael Bentine.

Radio highlights: Test Match Special. Xerxes – opera by Handel.

Weather: sunshine and showers. Outlook – similar. 21c, 70f.

Saturday 22 June 1963

Guitarist John Lennon, 22 year old leader of the Beatles “pop” group said last night, “Why did I have to go and punch my best friend? I was so high, I didn’t realise what I was doing.” He sent a telegram apologising to 29 year old Liverpool “rock” compare and disc jockey Bob Wooler, who was nursing a black eye, bruised ribs and torn knuckles.

The higher a man’s place in the peerage, the greater the risk of divorce. A debate in the House of Lords revealed that 3% of Life Peers divorce, 15% of Barons, 21% of Viscounts, 22% of Earls, 26% of Marquesses, and 30% of Dukes.

A bedroom raider stole £4,000 worth of jewellery from the ladies of the fashionable Landsdowne Club in Mayfair. Scotland Yard detectives are questioning the 3,600 members to determine exactly what was stolen.

What a Test Match! What a great day’s cricket! Resuming at 245 – 6 the West Indies were bowled out for 301. England closed on 244 – 7. During their innings England scored 82 runs off 14 overs in one hour. Ken Barrington scored a patient 80 and Ted Dexter a swashbuckling 70. Day three promises more excitement.

The king of tennis fashion design, Teddy Tinling, has criticised Wimbledon’s ban on coloured clothing. He said the white clothes only rule was “outdated”. He added, “I’ve done everything with white that it’s possible to do.” The fashionable focal point this season is the cleavage, which is causing some consternation amongst the members of the All England Club.

Television highlights: Juke Box Jury featuring Jane Asher. Ballroom Dancing from Belgium. Morecambe and Wise with Acker Bilk.

Radio highlights: BBC Music Festival 1963. Recent Releases.

Weather: showery. Outlook – unsettled. 20c, 68f.

Sunday 23 June 1963

What is the best test to discover if you have enjoyed your Sunday lunch? Royal Chef Harry Allen has an answer to that question. “If people feel ready to doze, and don’t have indigestion, that’s a sign of a good lunch.”

Fashionable in France: Bermuda shorts in bright, clingy fabrics; single stockings – in case you only need to replace one; camping – the French are preferring tents to luxury hotels; a drink called the Elephant – one third iced tea, one third dark rum, one third light rum, plus mint leaves.

For your beach bag: loafing shoes with leather trimmings; Face Savers – absorbent linen to wipe your face; big towels decorated with “paintings” of the seashore, water skiers and palm trees.

Cricket: High Drama at Lord’s. With the gates closed and thousands shut out, England scored 297 in reply to the West Indies 301. In their second innings the West Indies are 150 – 5 with the cream of their batting back in the pavilion. If England can dismiss Basil Butcher early in the morning, he’s 86 not out, they will fancy their chances of levelling the series.

Petula Clark is to become the BBC’s first disc jockey with a roving commission. She will spin Continental discs to Britain from just about every European capital. She will also have complete freedom to select the discs.

Pop Music: prediction spot – two for the top twenty – Just Like Me by the Hollies and Da Doo Ron Ron by the Crystals. This week’s number one – I Like It by Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Television highlights: Fireball XL5 – Space City Special. Robin Hood – The Loaf. Motor Racing – the Dutch Grand Prix.

Radio highlights: The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Serial – The King Must Die.

Weather: hot and sunny. Outlook – showers. 21c, 70f.

Monday 24 June 1963

Rumours are circulating that Christine Keeler, a central figure in the Profumo Scandal, was involved with a member of the Royal Family. The rumours mention Prince Philip by name. The Daily Mirror is able to announce today that these rumours are utterly unfounded.

Rival gangs armed with iron bars, bottles and knives clashed in Petticoat Lane Market, East London, last night. Several people, including bystanders, were injured during the running battle. The most serious injury required 20 stitches. Four youths were later arrested.

The Rev John Cotgrove of St Michael’s, Bromley-by-Bow has suggested that couples should marry in cinemas converted into “marriage theatres”. Instead of hymns the organist could strike up something like “Lucky Lips”. And outside the names of the lucky pair could be displayed in bright lights. The Rev Cotgrove said he fully supported church weddings, but he added that people should also have an alternative.

Jim Clark, the 27 year old Flying Scotsman, jumped into the lead in the drivers’ world championship. Driving a V-8 Lotus, he led the Dutch Grand Prix from start to finish. At the end of the 208 mile race, he was more than a lap ahead of the rest of the field. Clark’s average speed was 97.53 mph. He also set a lap record of 100.1 mph.

In the Second Test Match at Lord’s, the West Indies are 218 runs ahead of England with five wickets left. They recovered from 104 – 5 to 214 – 5 thanks to Basil Butcher, 129 not out, and Frank Worrell, 33 not out. England captain Ted Dexter injured his knee, but will bat in the second innings. Dexter also announced that he hoped to stand for parliament as a Tory candidate in Cardiff.

Personal advertisement: June, I apologise – C.

Television highlights: Tennis from Wimbledon (on BBC and ITV). The Men From the Bush – suspense series. Men of 1862 – Karl Marx.

Radio highlights: Desert Island Discs – Beryl Reid. Hit Parade.

Weather: sunshine and showers. Outlook – changeable. 17c, 63f.

Tuesday 25 June 1963

Cricket: Second Test Match, England v West Indies at Lord’s. Because of bad light only 190 minutes of play was possible. The West Indies second innings closed at 229 with Fred Trueman taking 5 – 52. England replied with 116 – 3. England need another 118 to win, a task that should be within their grasp. On another day of high drama, during a fiery spell Wes Hall broke Colin Cowdrey’s left arm. Will Cowdrey bat tomorrow? If England need only a few runs to win, he might have to.

GB of London writes: “Why can’t we have ‘Gents Only’ compartments on trains? We men could then have peace on the early morning trip to work. The ladies’ chin-wag energy so early in the day amazes me.”

The “Ladies” at the Green Man pub in Cambridgeshire is temporarily out of bounds because it is occupied by five baby swallows. If anyone tries to “spend a penny” the fledglings’ mother swoops above their heads.

However wild “pop” music might get there is always Eric Robinson to represent British middle of the road broadcasting. To watch this rounded “square” playing the Merry Widow Waltz, and beaming farewell over his shoulder, is to know that the BBC still respects the respectable.

Britain’s dynamic Mike Sangster announced that he will quit tennis and marry if he won Wimbledon. He believes that tennis and marriage do not mix. However, his girlfriend Pauline Goodrich will have to wait another year at least because Mike lost in the first round, in straight sets.

Television highlights: Wimbledon and Cricket. Opera with Geraint Evans. Emergency Ward 10 – Sarah Smith has a taste of ward discipline.

Radio highlights: Pop Go the Beatles. The Archers.

Weather: rain then showers. Outlook – changeable. 17c, 63f.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #34

Sunday 16 June 1963

Fun facts: the world’s population is 3,110 millions – nearly half as large as 1932. Cod make grunting noises. Seventy-two artificial satellites and space probes were launched in 1962. The average strength of beer is at its highest since the early years of WW2. 

Stylish t-shirts are the latest hit for casual weekend wear. They come in white or black only and have a lion, ship or saxophone stamped on the chest and back. These items are being imported from St Tropez where many zippy holiday fashions start.

Pollo-necks, sleeveless dresses and denim are in. And for your headscarf why not try the Cleopatra style – the motoring snood. 

Disc censors are taking a greater interest in smutty lyrics. We’ve had How Do You Do It, Please Please Me, and I Like It. The latest disc to fall under the spotlight – Some Do, Some Don’t, Some Will, Some Won’t by the Lorne Gibson Trio.

Lesley Duncan has been a chambermaid, pantry maid, shop assistant and waitress. Now with twelve songs published and her first single, I Want a Steady Guy, making waves in discville, she will be adding singer and songwriter to her job titles.

Personal advertisements: Past 40, old, run down? Women, try Orstrax Tonic Tables for vim and vigour. Jane, arrive tonight from Rome with Cesare (I got the part!) – Sylvia.

Television highlights: Robin Hood – The Flying Sorcerer. Le Mans – Raymond Baxter reports. Lorna Doone – part one.

Radio highlights: Guitar Recital. Top Twenty.

Weather: sunny spells. Outlook – cooler. 17c, 63f.

Monday 17 June 1963

“Shades” is the hep word for sunglasses. And it’s being used more frequently as the cult of the large dark sunglasses grows. These cool kingsize shades are popular all over the Western world. Prescription dark-tinted glasses are in. A psychologist said, “It’s all part of the dominant woman mood.”

The gift stamp war is growing. Gift stamps are now being traded in grocers, garages, greengrocers, furniture shops, tobacconists and even footwear stores. According to a report, by 1965 at least a tenth of trading in Britain will be covered by gift stamps.

HMS Ursa, the navy’s most with-it frigate, will be fitted with a commercial taped-music system. The crew will have the pick of 4,000 tunes ranging from pops to light classics. The ship is set for a tour of duty in the Caribbean.

Tory official Jim Salt said that the rumours linking Christine Keeler with a member of the Royal Family were, “Absurd and getting out of hand. The Prime Minister must deny them.”

Strawberry pickers urgently wanted from 1st July to 20th July. Ideal for holidaymakers and students. Enjoyable working holiday assured. 

Television highlights: Paris International Air Show. Spain in September with Johnny Morris. Points of View with Robert Robinson.

Radio highlights: Cricket Scoreboard. Miss Dangerfield and the Irresistible Nightingale.

Weather: cloudy with drizzle. Outlook – rather cool. 17c, 63f.

Tuesday 18 June 1963

If it’s too hot in your home top London interior designer John Siddeley suggests that you should, “Take down the curtains and sit around stark naked.” Alternatively, you could paint your walls blue – a cool colour – and put an extractor fan in the window.

There are 8,500,000 telephones in Britain and very few of them are coloured. But since April, when the GPO lifted the 30s luxury charge on colour, and all new phones cost £1, three new colour phones have been sold for every four new black ones. The favourite colours are white, grey and red.

More than 250 train drivers turned up for work in old uniforms in protest at the inferior quality of their new uniforms. A British Railways spokesman said, “The drivers are complaining that their uniforms were made in Poland, but we obtained them from a supplier in Newport, Monmouthshire.”

A brand new theatre opened in Berkeley Square, London, aptly called the May Fair. The opening was a gay, glittering occasion. Ralph Richardson and Barbara Jefford starred in the play Six Characters in Search of an Author.

Britain has 13,000 caravan sites housing 60,000 caravans and 150,000 people.

Cricket: the Middlesex first innings closed at the overnight score of 121 for 3 because nine of the team were stuck in traffic jams and couldn’t get to the ground in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Middlesex have filed a complaint and the MCC will adjudicate. However, under the Laws of Cricket, many observers believe the umpires made the right decision.

Television highlights: Supercar. The Buskers of Marrakesh. The Royal Highland Show.  

Radio highlights: Witchcraft. Songs for Everyone.

Weather: sunny intervals and showers. Outlook – similar. 18c, 65f.

Wednesday 19 June 1963

The first all-British oral contraceptive is available from today. An ever-increasing number of married women are turning to this method of birth control. Other methods are only 70% reliable. Experiments with “the pill” were first carried out eight years ago in Puerto Rico. It is hoped that a birth control pill for married men will not be too far away.

New regulations to prevent excessive noise on the road have been drafted. There will be no change in the noise levels within the next three years, but the government hopes to have the new regulations in place by 1968.

More crimes were committed in England and Wales last year than ever before. The number of crimes reported in 1962 was 896,484, up 11%. In 1961 the increase was 8 1/2%. In 1960 it was 10%.

Marks are Spencer are offering a £1,000 reward for information about last night’s attack on four staff at Upon Park, London. The attackers got away with the £2,000 the members of staff were taking to the bank.

Cassius Clay beat British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper in five rounds last night. Cooper won the first four rounds, but after one minute of the fifth round blood poured from a gash above Cooper’s left eye and the referee had no alternative but to stop the fight.

Television highlights: Miss Interflora 1963. International Dancing from Germany. Professional Wresting from Wembley Town Hall.

Radio highlights: John Hooton – excepts from a jazz opera. The Contemporary French Novel.

Weather: sunny spells and showers. Outlook – changeable. 18c, 64f.

Thursday 20 June 1963

The petrol price war hotted up last night when Jet, who sell through 500 garages, knocked a penny off its premium grade, Jet 97, bringing the price down to 4s 6d a gallon. However, this price will only be available in areas near ports.

Caterpillars are invading High Wycombe. Millions of caterpillars have already picked clean a 60ft hawthorn hedge belonging to Mrs Richard Jones. Mrs Jones has appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture for help. She said, “Some of the caterpillars have got into the house.”

The mood today is for streamlining. And that applies to undies too. The basic requirements for Miss 1963 are a bra, girdle, a slip and briefs. But now the Braslip will reduce these garments from four to three. Made in Bry-nylon, they are set to become all the rage.

Agony Aunt: “Veteran” writes from St Albans – “Every time I bring my boyfriend home, my father pins him in a corner and tells him about how he helped win the desert battle from Alamein to Tripoli. I’m left cooling my heels.” Jane Adams’ advice, “Dad, maybe you should call a halt at Benghazi.”

The Pop Thirty is under siege from the groups. It’s the current mood of pop fans. So much so that a famous recording chief said the other day, “I think the days of the big-time solo artists are numbered.” The moral appears to be: there is safety and success in numbers.

Television highlights: Don’t Say a Word – charade game. Cricket – England v West Indies, Second Test Match from Lord’s. Perspective – a programme about luggage.

Radio highlights: Music While You Work. Lunchtime Prom.

Weather: cloudy with rain, brighter later. Outlook – continuing changeable. 18c, 64f.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #33

Tuesday 11 June 1963

Furniture of the future may be moulded and pressed out in one piece with glass fibre and plastic instead of wood. As a result, 65,000 furniture makers could lose their jobs. There are calls for a 30 hour week to secure employment.

Derek Gaisford has won himself a free trip to America. Fifty-one weeks ago, he bet his wife that he could eat a pound of sausages a day, and he’s still eating. After consuming over 3,000 sausages, an American sausage company has invited him to visit America.

The craze for the man-style shirt-blouse is still spreading. In the autumn, these shirt-blouses will be available in Chelsea-set checks and dark “beat” colours, from 39s 11d. The latest trend in jeans – wide legs with 17 inch bottoms, in bronze, with contrasting stitching.

Personal advertisements: Fiona, please contact for talk. Urgent. Australia is now possible – Len. Talented singer-songwriters, send sae to The Dene, Wembley, Middlesex.

Cricket: England v West Indies, First Test, Old Trafford. England were thrashed by ten wickets inside four days. England had no answer to Frank Worrell’s inspired captaincy. Lance Gibbs with eleven wickets in the match was the star performer. England will have to step up their form by two notches to win this series now. Scores – West Indies 501 – 6 declared and 1-0. England 205 and following on 296.

Television highlights: Bookstand. Dinner Party – after dinner conversations. Look to Tomorrow’s Climate.

Radio highlights: Music While You Work. A Welkin of Witches.

Weather: warm and sunny. Outlook – cloudy and cooler. 22c, 72f.

Wednesday 12 June 1963

Forty-nine heroes who battled through blizzards during the Big Freeze this winter to rescue animals in distress are to receive special medals from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Bronze statuettes and certificates will also be awarded.

Fashion experts reckon that Cardiff is the most fashionable provincial outlet. A spokeswoman said, “Cardiff is smarter than London – much more fashion-conscious. If you can sell it in London, you can definitely sell it here.” Formal evening dresses are in in Cardiff, along with figure-skimming dresses with cut-away arm-holes.

Two cans of corned beef, imported from South America, might have caused the typhoid outbreak in Harlow, Essex. Meanwhile, 20,000 people in Merthyr Tydfil have been told not to bathe in the River Taff after a burst sewage pipe polluted part of the river.

People and businesses in Essex have been warned that they face water shortages if they do not economise.

Professional footballers are treated like cattle or paid slaves. This argument was made in the High Court where Arsenal inside-forward George Eastham is challenging the current pay, transfer and contract system. The Professional Footballers’ Association is backing Eastham. The case continues today.

Television highlights: Ask Me Another – quiz. On Safari – in Cambodia. Sportsview – athletics.

Radio highlights: Swinging Softly. Theatre Organ Music.

Weather: sunny, thunderstorms. Outlook – thundery rain. 24c, 75f.

Thursday 13 June 1963

Dozens of members of the race-hating Ku Klux Klan were brought in for police questioning yesterday, on suspicion of murder. The victim, Mr Medgar Evers, was shot in the back. In Washington, the White House said, “The President is appalled by the barbarity of this act. No effort will be spared in the investigation to uncover the assassin.”

You could have boiled an egg on the atmosphere. Last night there was a fervour in suburban Surrey caused by five long-haired lads known as the Rolling Stones.  The lads are: Mick Jagger, who is studying at the London School of Economics; Brian Jones, an ex-lorry driver; Keith Richard, who used to be a post office worker; Bill Wyman, who likes poetry; and Charlie Watts, who collects pocket handkerchiefs. They have created a new dance craze called the Twitch, the Parox or the Sudden Attack. Listen to their first record, Come On, and try the dance for yourself.

Two members of Merseyside’s talented Beatles have written a song for Brighton’s Bobby Sansom and the Giants. It’s called There’s a Place.

A ban on bare chests has been imposed on deckchair men at Weymouth, Dorset. From now on, they must wear shirts while they work. A spokesman for Weymouth Corporation, who imposed the ban, said, “I don’t think it’s good for bare-chested attendants to hand out deckchairs to women. No one has complained, but some of the older women have mentioned the bare torsos to me.”

Butlin’s eight holiday camps made a record profit of £13,153,000 last year, an increase of £2,767,000 on the previous year.

Television highlights: Perspective – the pop music story. Ladies Showjumping from Richmond. Here and Now – dockers training school.

Radio highlights: Jazz Club. French Cabaret.

Weather: thunderstorms. Outlook – changeable. 24c, 75f.

Friday 14 June 1963

The whole island of Jersey is in “a state of nerves and uncertainty” because of a growing crime wave. An official said, “Jersey is now one of the wickedest places in the United Kingdom. Teenage reefer parties are adding to our troubles.”

“It took me twenty minutes to drink two cups of tea, smoke a cigarette and grow three new fingernails. This week, I became the first woman in Britain to try out instant fingernails, a new finger-tip beauty product. The nails are produced by a top-secret formula paste that is selling well in France and Germany.” – Paula James.

Best buys this week – medium eggs, not large eggs; kippers; crabs; herrings; shrimps; dover sole; and mushrooms.

Dish of the week, as suggested by the Macaroni Advisory Bureau – Spaghetti Fish Custard. It sounds disgusting, but tastes quite nice.

People have been told not to go to work in Harlow because of Typhoid. Meanwhile, dypyheria has broken out in Southwalk.

International football: Spain 2 Scotland 6. Scotland completed their close-season tour with a fine win, after shock defeats to Norway and Eire.

Athletics: London beat Munich by 94 points to 61. London won nine of the fifteen men’s and women’s events. Ron Jones was the star performer winning the 100 metres in 10.6 seconds.

Speedway: Oxford v Wimbledon postponed – waterlogged track. Lawn Tennis: Kent Championships – rain stopped play.

Television highlights: The Spread of the Eagle – Antony and Cleopatra with Mary Morris. Gardening Club. Dr Kildare – last of the series.

Radio highlights: Motor Cycling. Encounters with Animals.

Weather: cloudy with rain. Outlook – sunny, dry and warm. 19c, 66f.

Saturday 15 June 1963

Banger number 3,196 is poised on the end of Derek Gaisford’s fork. The four sausages on Sausage King Derek’s plate completed his marathon – pork sausages every day for a year. His wife, Florence, said, “Thank goodness that’s all over. I used to like sausages, but now I’m sick of the sight of them.” Derek celebrated by eating steak. He said, “It’s only for a change – I still love sausages.”

What’s the most important piece of equipment in the modern kitchen? Teeth. How else can you break into vacuum-packed sachets of bacon, ham or coffee? Cut with a scissors and you get coffee on the floor. Pierce with a knife and you get a hole in your thumb. The only solution is to use your teeth. But don’t try this with dentures.

The petrol price war hotted up last night when the National Benzole Company slashed the price of their bestselling premium grades by 1 1/2d from midnight. A spokesman said, “Make no bones about it – competition is extremely tough.”

Meet the new muscle men of Britain – clean, bright and lightly oiled. Over 10,000 men now compete in muscle men contests. One of the top contenders is Geoffrey Whittaker, a hairdresser, and the current Mr Yorkshire. “This isn’t a game for cranks,” said a spokesman. “The men who reach the top are highly intelligent people.”

Peter Sellers owns the world’s most expensive Mini. The basic car cost £567, but the extras cost £1,300. The extras include leathers and veneered woods, Rolls Royce finishing and double chrome, push button electric windows and a built-in ladies’ vanity box. He said, “You know me – I wanted a town car like no one else has got.”

Television highlights: Cricket – Lord’s Taverners v Old England. Juke Box Jury with Peter Sellers. Morecambe and Wise Show – new series. 

Radio highlights: Motor Racing. Let’s Take a Spin.

Weather: mainly dry. Outlook – changeable. 19c, 66f.

Available for pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series

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For Authors

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Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂

Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #32

Thursday 6 June 1963

The prospect of Britons receiving colour tv has been pushed back from April 1964 until the end of 1965. Part of the delay is due to a debate over which system to use. Some sources suggest that we will have to wait until 1970 to see widespread colour television coverage.

Bank workers, shoppers and holidaymakers joined police in a battle with four bandits. The bandits stole £20,000 in cash from a bank in Brighton. Stones, dustbin lids and groceries were hurled at the bandits, but they escaped with £11,000 in a Jaguar.

Pat Finch, Miss Wales of 1963, has given up her title because she broke the rules, which state that contestants should be born in Wales, or resident there for at least five years.

Coalminers want a pay rise. Scottish miners are demanding an extra £1 a week. Nottinghamshire miners also want a rise, but have not expressed the amount.

Thirteen more people in Harlow, Essex have contracted typhoid.

Two more Scouse groups on the rise – the Swinging Blue Jeans and the Searchers. Expect to see them in the charts soon.

Football: Switzerland 1 England 8 (Bobby Charlton hat-trick).

Television highlights: cricket – England v West Indies, First Test Match. World of the Unknown – a survey of science fiction films. This Week – single women and sex.

Radio highlights: Talk – Lifeboatmen. Primitive Folk Music from Spain.

Weather: sunny periods, thundery showers. Outlook – similar. 22c, 72f.

Friday 7 June 1963

Britain will launch its own satellite, UK3, which will be built entirely by BAC. The satellite will weigh 150lbs, cost £1,000,000 and orbit the world 400 miles up, gathering scientific data and measuring space noises. Date for the planned launch – 1966.

Miss Julie Ayers will become the BBC’s first “weather girl” today. She will make her radio debut on the Light Programme at 8.55 this morning. She may be seen on TV later. A spokesman said, “It is a trial to see how people like a woman reading the forecast.”

A special £25 a head pilgrimage to the Normandy beaches is being arranged for next year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of D-Day on the 6th of June.

Greengrocers and housewives believe that the rounder and redder the tomato, the tastier it is. However, people who have been abroad and tasted them are now asking for lower grade “kinky tomatoes”. These tomatoes go well with French dishes like the salade de tomate.

Cricket: England v West Indies, First Test, Old Trafford. West Indies closed day one on 244 – 3 after a century from Conrad Hunte and a brilliant 90 from Rohan Kanhai. Kanhai was run out when both batsmen were stranded at the same end. With Garry Sobers at the wicket, the West Indies are strongly placed.

Television highlights: Welsh National Youth Eisteddfod. Flags Are Not Enough – “have” and “have not” nations. The Most Powerful Woman of the Century – Evita Peron.

Radio highlights: Bath Festival. Test Match Special.

Weather: sunny intervals, thundery showers. Outlook – rain. 25c, 77f.


Saturday 8 June 1963

Last night, the Great Storm brought chaos to London. Torrential cloudbursts flooded homes, snarled traffic and halted underground trains. The switchboard at London Fire Brigade Headquarters was jammed with flood calls. Firemen were called to the homes of Princess Margaret and Princess Marina where the basements were flooded.

The Queen’s Birthday Honours: entertainer Harry Secombe CBE, director Peter Hall CBE, jockey Fred Winter CBE, swimmer Anita Lonsbrough MBE, Coco the Clown OBE.

Bass draught beer will go up 1d a pint from Monday.

More cases of typhoid have been identified in Harlow, Essex. Typhoid has also broken out in Biggleswade and Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Bandleader Edmundo Ros and comedian Jimmy Edwards are to become Tory Party candidates. Ros said, “I am very serious about this and anxious to have a political career.”

Britain’s best known L-driver, Miss Margaret Hunter, 65, failed her driving test again. She tried to drive with the hand-brake on and drove the wrong way up a one-way street.

Cricket: England v West Indies, First Test, Old Trafford. Day Two score – West Indies 501 – 6 declared (Hunte 182, Sobers 64, Worrell 74 not out). England 31 – 0. West Indies batted cautiously and on this flat wicket it should be a doddle for England to secure a draw.

Television highlights: Trooping the Colour. Juke Box Jury. The Ken Dodd Show.

Radio highlights: Popalong. Big O Show.

Weather: fog, sunny periods, thunderstorms. Outlook – warm with thunder. 25c, 77f.

Sunday 9 June 1963

Women have been told to remove suggestive badges from their lapels at twelve holiday hotels in Margate. A receptionist said, “These badges are a long way from ‘Kiss Me Quick’. I think the women were just calling at the hotel and were not guests. I understand the badges were made in America.”

Snuff is making a comeback. New, delicately perfumed varieties are proving popular with young men and their girlfriends. The desire to cut down on smoking and the fact that snuff clears foggy heads has given the snuff cult a big boost. Women are taking to it because they are more adventurous than men. Officer cadets, university students and even beatniks are also trying it.

At 10s, a Sunday salad now costs more than a joint. One reason is there are too many “middle men” involved, each taking a cut, as the tomatoes, cucumbers, etc move from the grower to the shopping basket.

The Liverpool beat group The Swinging Blue Jeans have been added to Lord Montagu’s “all-jazz” festival at Manchester this weekend. Tip for the top – Moonlight Tango by Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band.

Cricket: England crashed in the First Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford. They were dismissed for 205 and followed on 296 runs behind. Only Ted Dexter offered any resistance with 73. On a flat wicket, Lance Gibbs took 5-59 and Wes Hall 3-51. At the close of play England were 29-0 in their second innings.

Television highlights: Fireball XL5. Mozart – a Eurovision relay direct from Vienna. The Golden Rose of Montreau – the Swiss entry. 

Radio highlights: The Old Vic 1914 – 1963. Pick of the Pops.

Weather: very warm and sunny. Outlook – similar.

Monday 10 June 1963

Mr X telephoned Scotland Yard and informed the police that the £250,000 worth of gold bars, recently stolen in London, were on a motor-ship that left Shoreham, Sussex on Friday night. The Yard alerted Interpol and the ship was searched in Amsterdam. Nothing was found.

London outshines the hot spots. In the six days ending last Thursday, London enjoyed 61 hours 48 minutes of sunshine. Meanwhile, Nice notched up 54 hours 56 minutes, Majorca 50 hours and Biarritz only 43 hours.

The English language is changing. Beat language like, “I dig you the most, Dad” is out. Instead of “real swingers” use “rather jolly people”. And a lady is now a lady again, not a broad, doll or bird.

West Germany’s Foreign Ministry is studying the Argyll divorce case. Herr Sigismund von Braun, West Germany’s Ambassador to the United Nations, was named as one of the Duchess’ lovers.

The typhoid outbreak has now spread from Harlow to Bishop’s Stortford. Shared sandwiches are believed to be the source.

Cricket: England v West Indies, First Test, Old Trafford. Rest day. West Indies 501 – 6 declared. England 205 and 29-0.

Television highlights: World in Action – venereal disease. Deferred Terms – suspense drama. Adventures in Learning.

Radio highlights: Music for Dancing. World Top Pops.

Weather: warm and sunny with thunderstorms. Outlook – little change. 25c, 77f.

Cover reveal for Loot, book four in my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series. This one is about a train robbery.

Available for pre-order, Songbird, my novel set in the winter of 1962-63

https://books2read.com/u/bMqNPG

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