Friday 17 May 1963
Frank Derry, 68, received an X-ray for a persistent cold. The X-ray revealed that he had a bullet in his lung, the legacy of a wound inflicted in May 1917. Doctors at the time treated the wound, but did not notice the one and a half inch bullet. Mr Derry’s current doctors have advised him not to have the bullet removed.
Cucumbers are female, and they come in three shapes – straight, bent and hooked. But do they cause indigestion? The rind has fibrous tissue, which can be tough on the gastric juices. Also, a peeled cucumber can be fragile, and swallowed without chewing, can cause indigestion. The antidote – try a pinch of nutmeg.
Public houses where music is played will have to pay £2 to £11 a year higher music royalty charges to the Performing Rights Society. The society claims that the current charges are “trivial”.
Derek Gaisford has eaten 3,000 sausages in eleven months. He has to eat a pound of sausages a day for another month to win a £1 bet with his wife, Florence.
Agony Aunt: My wife is more interested in our dachshund than me. Jane Adams’ reply: Time you proved yourself a more interesting companion than your dachshund.
Agony Aunt: Should I trust a rich man who wants to take me to the South of France and promises that he wants nothing in return? Jane Adams’ reply: Don’t trust him if he’s 19, 29, 39, 49, or 59. You might trust him if he’s 99.
Television highlights: The Sky at Night. Let’s Imagine…writing a pop song. Dr Kildare with Richard Chamberlain.
Radio highlights: Cricket – Yorkshire v West Indies. Speedy Disc Show.
Weather: rain then sunny intervals. Outlook – rain with sunny intervals. 15c, 59f.
Saturday 18 May 1963
TV stars come and go. There are exceptions, of course, like Eamonn Andrews who seems to go on forever, David Jacobs who popped up on both channels recently, and Peter Dimmock who is now a BBC executive. For most though fame is fleeting. The life of a TV star may be gay and prosperous, but it is also very short.
Britain’s first National Nature Week starts today. Throughout the week naturalists all over the country will plan to pinpoint the dangers threatening the nation’s wildlife.
Boxers knocked down at the end of any round – except the last – will no longer be “saved by the bell”. Instead the count will continue until the boxer rises or is counted out. This is a safety measure brought in by the British Boxing Board of Control.
Manchester City, Manchester United and Birmingham City face the prospect of relegation from Division One this afternoon while Chelsea, Sunderland and Stoke City are chasing promotion from Division Two. Sunderland are home to Chelsea and the players will receive a £600 bonus if they win.
Tiny tortoises are the tops! Tortoises measuring 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches stood up to the British winter better than those of other sizes. One owner wrote of a tortoise that has been in his family for 41 years.
Television highlights: Cricket – MCC v West Indies. Supercar. Alan Whicker Goes to Sweden.
Radio highlights: Saturday Club – Helen Shapiro. Hot Twenty.
Weather: mainly dry and bright. Outlook – showers. 16c, 61f.
Sunday 19 May 1963
Britons seem to be suffering from a twentieth century social disease with the idea that possessions are more important than people. Sociologist Dr Howard Jones said there was reason to believe that the affluent society was a bad thing. He added that as people become more affluent society’s standards and behaviour will decline.
A fortnight ago the British housewife could buy a 2lb bag of groceries for 1s 6d. A week ago the price reached 1s 7 1/2d. Now it is at 1s 11d and may reach 2s 6d. Why? Because of the political upheavals in Cuba, sugar plantations have been neglected causing a shortage in world markets.
A reliable and harmless birth control pill for men will be available for sale within three years. The pill will cost no more than the ordinary aspirin, and will be taken every week or every month. The pill is now being tested by volunteers in an American prison.
The Duchess of Argyll speaks about her divorce from the Duke. “Wild rumours were being spread about me. One of the most vicious was about the supposedly sensational contents of my private diaries. The rumours suggested that my diaries were another Lady Chatterley’s Lover, but they were only a useful record of where I’d been and what I’d been doing.”
Police are hunting Hampshire’s New Forest for a “wild man” dressed in a loincloth.
Television highlights: 1963 Golden Rose of Montreux Festival. The Palladium Show with Tommy Cooper. Sword of Freedom.
Radio highlights: Shakespearean Songs. What Does Nature Mean to You?
Weather: cloudy and dry with warm spells.
Monday 20 May 1963
Five French customs officers swooped on 200 British trippers yesterday as they travelled to Boulogne. Their haul? One bingo table and a basket of coloured bingo balls. The trippers, mostly women, were warned that bingo is illegal in France.
Emigrating to South Australia? Your new tiled roof, brick house, individually designed in Adelaide from £2,818 including land. Low deposit, mortgage facilities, 500 plots available.
Graham Nash is studying to become an oceanographer – that’s a cat who digs currents and tides. In the meantime he’s leading the Hollies group disc Ain’t That Just Like Me. It should transfer Graham’s interest to a different kind of chart.
Prediction – this will be in the charts in two weeks: I Like It by Gerry and The Pacemakers.
FA Cup finalists Leicester City have eight players injured and all are doubtful to play against Manchester United. In the league, Leyton Orient and Manchester City have been relegated from Division One.
Stanley Matthews has no plans to retire. After thirty seasons he is still scoring goals, this weekend against Luton Town. He said, “I will retire when I feel the rest of the team are carrying me, and I don’t think that has happened yet.”
Television highlights: Mr Magoo. The Major – the story of a giant oak. World in Action – insecticides.
Radio highlights: Talking About Music. World Top Pops.
Weather: cloudy with rain at times. Outlook – brighter with showers. 12c, 54f.
Tuesday 21 May 1963
Housewives should be represented on the new Consumer Council the Government was told last night. The Council, which will act as a consumer watchdog, still has three places to fill. Labour and Liberal MPs backed the proposal, but no Tory MPs spoke in favour.
A plea for a temporary ban on Chinese frozen eggs was rejected yesterday by the Ministry of Heath even though it has been confirmed that the frozen eggs have led to outbreaks of para-typhoid.
Britain’s shoe firms took a hammering last year because the “square-toe” look for women didn’t catch on. Over 200,000 pairs of “square-toe” shoes were left on the shelves. Instead, women opted for the pointed-toe styles of 1960 and 1961.
A television programme about a club where female and male homosexuals dance together has been shelved by the BBC. The club – The Link in Amsterdam, was filmed for Panorama. A BBC spokesman said the programme could not be broadcast in Panorama’s normal time slot, but might go out later as a Panorama Special.
Church leaders have protested to the Home Secretary about Tottenham Hotspur’s victory procession on Sunday. To celebrate the 5 – 1 victory over Athletico Madrid, fans dressed as Christ and as angels and carried slogans like “Hallowed Be Their Names”.
Television highlights: Giants of Steam – documentary about the railways. Chelsea Flower Show – preview. The 625 Show featuring Joe Brown.
Radio highlights: Stringalong. Record Review.
Weather: rather cool. Showers with thunder. Outlook – sunny intervals, ground frost at night. 13c, 55f.
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