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1963

Social History 1963 #47

Saturday 7 September 1963

Christine Keeler has been accused of perjury and conspiracy. Providing she surrenders her passport, she will be allowed £3,000 bail. Her arrest concerns the “Lucky” Gordon assault case. Two male journalists provided sureties of £1,000 each for Miss Keeler.

The West Indies cricket team proved so popular this summer that they have been invited to tour Britain again in 1967 instead of having to wait until 1971. However, due to the South African government’s racial segregation policies, there is some consternation that they are due to tour in 1966.

More British drivers have been stranded on the Continent. Around 300 cars were denied access to ferries in Boulogne and Calais. The problem is centred on British holidaymakers who failed to make return bookings.

Greengrocer Peter Elcombe found two piglets apparently dead amongst a litter of fifteen on his farm in Kent. He saved them with the kiss of life. “I thought that if it worked with humans it should work with animals,” he said.

The Mayor of Blackpool, Alderman John Symthe, has been called to a crisis meeting to resolve a dispute over the result of the Miss United Kingdom beauty contest. The organiser of the contest, Eric Morley, gave the first prize to model Diane Westbury, even though the judges didn’t vote for her. Mr Morley said, “I see no reason for the decision to be changed.”

It’s going to be all cleavage at parties this winter – Dior says so. He’s plunging the neckline to waist level. However, acres of cleavage can become wearisome. The party girl who cottons on to that fact and goes for the cover-up look could well end up smiling at the end of the evening.

Television highlights. Cricket – Worcestershire v Sussex, knockout cup final. Juke Box Jury with Shirley Anne Field and Jane Asher. Wish You Were Here! – Eric Sykes in Stockholm. 

Radio highlights: British Open Brass Band Championship. Remembrance of Things Past. 

Weather: sunny spells then rain. Outlook – showery. 18c, 64f.

Sunday 8 September 1963

James Hussey, 30, a painter, was charged in Aylesbury yesterday with taking part in the Great Mail Train Robbery. He is the tenth person to be arrested in connection with the raid.

Forget about the seven-year itch, it’s the twelve-year mark in a marriage that’s important. Three doctors, who have researched the subject, also found that differences between husbands and wives in religion, social class, nationality and education were unimportant, but an age gap of more than five years could lead to difficulties.

An appeal is being made by the RAF Benevolent Fund during Battle of Britain Week. Cash is needed for future welfare work.

Prediction Spot. Two for the top – Searchin’ by the Hollies and Then He Kissed Me by the Crystals. This week’s number one – She Loves You by the Beatles.

The latest dance craze is The Machine. It’s all the rage in the Hertfordshire jazz clubs, and it will hit London soon. The idea is to imitate a robot with mechanical movements of your arms, head and legs.

Cricket Knock-Out Cup Final: Sussex 168 all out. Worcestershire 154 – 7, innings closed. Sussex won by 14 runs. Jim Parks top scored for Sussex with 57.

Football Results: First Division – Arsenal 4 Bolton 3, Blackburn 7 Spurs 2, Chelsea 1 Liverpool 3, Everton 3 Burnley 4, Stoke 3 Leicester 3, West Ham 2 Sheffield United 3. Current league leaders – Manchester United.

Television highlights: Service for the hard of hearing from St Katherine’s Cree, London. Double Playbill – See the Pretty Lights and Wedding Bells with Julia Foster and Wanda Ventham. Robin Hood – A Bushel of Apples.

Radio highlights: British Folk Songs. Join in and Swing.

Weather: dull and cloudy with rain and drizzle.

Cricket table

Monday 9 September 1963

The Great Beauty Queen Rumpus concerning Diane Westbury and Maureen Gay – the judges voted for Maureen, but contest organiser Eric Morley gave the prize to Diane – is to be put to a national vote. Hughie Green is arranging for both girls to appear on his Double Your Money programme. Diane won £1,500 in the original contest, Maureen £150.

A “University of the Air” is being planned by the Labour Party. People would study at home via radio and television. Educationalists would set the courses and mark the papers.

Since the new year, 14,500 people have left Britain to settle in Australia. Australia wants as many migrants as it can get, but an official said, “There’s a limit to the number of sea berths and plane tickets we can book.” A million Britons have left for Australia since 1947. 

Fans wreck soccer train. Railway chiefs and police are investigating the destruction of a weekend football special. Nine times the train screeched to a halt as the emergency cord was pulled on the 100 mile journey from Birmingham to Manchester. Girls and women were involved in the ruckus, forming a screaming and shouting mob on the ten-coach special. Four-letter words were scrawled on windows and mirrors in lipstick. Tables were ripped loose and windows smashed. Light fittings and lamps were torn out. In the match, Birmingham and Manchester United drew 1 – 1.

The Big Beat. Music that throbs and pulsates. Music that has taken the disc fans of Britain by the ear. Music made by young British groups with voices as well as instrumentals. From tomorrow, an in-depth look into this phenomenon, starting with the Beatles.

Television highlights: Outlook Europe – France. Hockey – Unicorns v SD Dickens XI. Survival SOS – Rhino.

Radio highlights: In a Sentimental Mood. Historic Performances on Record.

Weather: sunny periods, showers. Outlook – rain at first, brighter later. 18c, 64f.

Tuesday 10 September 1963

The villagers who live near “Banknote Farm” in Oakley were furious last night with their MP, Mr Roger Gresham Cooke. The MP said that the villagers should have caught the Great Train Robbers. He told the Young Conservatives, “Too often, people are content to phone the police. Instead, they should revive the ‘hue and cry’. I very much blame the people of Oakley for their negligence.” 

Village publican, Wilf Welford replied, “If the MP would like to come down to the village hall we would welcome a debate on this. He’d be lucky to get out without being lynched. This is a very public-spirited village.”

Two men wearing nylon masks escaped with jewellery worth £4,000 after coshing a jeweller in Golden Square, London, yesterday.

Mr Royston Attwood pleaded guilty at Bristol to stealing 3,500 gallons of top quality petrol from the Esso depot at Avonmouth. Mr Attwood was a fuel tanker driver. He was sacked and fined £100.

It’s been called the Liverpool Sound, the Mersey Sound, Rhythm and Blues, Beat with a Drive and Pop with a Beat. In Liverpool alone 250 groups are producing this music. The leaders of this movement are the Beatles. They are pleasing to look at, friendly and well-mannered. 

What about fame? Paul McCartney said, “My auntie went to a holiday camp this summer and they asked her to judge a beauty competition.” Ringo said, “My dad’s gone right off his nut with excitement over it.” George Harrison said, “We’re quite a normal bunch really.” John Lennon said, “You know the way people begin to look exactly like their dogs. Well, we’re beginning to look like each other.”

Football results: West Ham 0 Nottingham Forest 2. Wolves 1 Liverpool 3. Manchester United still lead the First Division.

Television highlights: The Sky at Night – moon base. Play of the Week – A Question of Morals. Animal Magic with Tony Soper.

Radio highlights: Boxing from the Empire Pool, Wembley. A Scrapbook for 1953.

Weather: early sunshine then rain. Outlook – changeable. 16c, 61f.

Wednesday 11 September 1963

Detectives believe that two of the Great Train Robbers – Bruce Reynolds and Thomas Daly – may try to get new faces from plastic surgeons. Interpol have been asked to look out for them, especially in Austria, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Another theory is that Reynolds and Daly have already had their face-lift operations and are in hiding while their scars heal. A third man the police want to interview – Roy “the Weasel” James – is believed to be in South America.

Tory MP Ian Gilmour said that Lord Denning’s report on the Profumo Scandal should not be published. “It’s a boring business,” he added. “What has the interviewing of prostitutes got to do with national security? What has the Argyll case got to do with security? This is more akin to compiling a sort of Kinsey Report than looking into matters of national security.”

Twenty-two top fashion models were involved in high drama over the English Channel when their plane developed a technical fault and had to return to London. The models had been on their way to Zurich to show off British autumn fashions. Blonde Veronica Carter said, “It was frightening.”

Melody Maker Readers’ Poll. Top singer – Cliff Richard. Top vocal group – The Beatles. Top vocal disc – From Me To You. Top instrumentalist – Jet Harris. Top comedian – Norman Vaughan. Top disc jockey – David Jacobs.

No one can predict how long the Group craze will last. Billy J Kramer, like many others, recognises that the Beat Bubble could burst overnight. For now, Billy is content. He said, “I’ve been all over the place touring, I’ve got some smashing suits and everything is swinging.” Billy J Kramer – he can now join kippers, bloaters and multi-coloured rock as the pride and joy of Great Yarmouth.

Football Results: Arsenal 3 Aston Villa 0 (Baker hat-trick), Burnley 4 Fulham 1.

Television highlights: Citizen 63 – a rebellious teenager. Is Wresting Phoney – interview with Mick McManus. Glamour 63 – the final.

Radio highlights: The Navy Lark. Writers on Themselves.

Weather: rain or drizzle. Outlook – changeable. 17c, 63f.

Thursday 12 September 1963

George Harrison has lost his job as a beetle trapper. He’s been using a traditional method of trapping beetles, up to seventy daily, for eight years. The beetles are trapped because they can destroy new trees. However, George will now be replaced by DDT.

The eleventh arrest has been made by detectives investigating the Great Train Robbery. Bookmaker Thomas Wiseby was charged with taking part in last month’s robbery at Sears Crossing.

Another 2,000 people in Britain slipped into the caviar and yacht set last year. A Government report shows that 16,000 people now earn more than £6,000 a year – £115 a week. The number of people taking home less than £10 a week stands at 10,940,000. Landlords, in particular, saw their income rise. Britons spend £92,000,000 a year on drinking and smoking.

“I can’t understand all the recent fuss about choosing beauty queens. I think there are far too many of these silly contests anyway.” – (Mrs) Clark, Hitchen, Herts.

Jessica Mitford’s The American Way of Death will be published on 30 September, price 25s.

Gardener Leslie Leadbetter has grown a cabbage, 5 foot 2 inches across. He explained, “I give it a regular bottle of beer.”

Agony Aunt: “My boyfriend’s trousers are so tight, he can hardly sit down. What should I do?” Jane Adams’ advice, “Why don’t you make a standing joke of it?”

Football Results: Birmingham 0 WBA 1, Everton 2 Bolton 0, Leicester 2 Sheffield Wednesday 0, Manchester United 3 Blackpool 0, Sheffield United 4 Stoke 1.

Television highlights: The Good Old Days. Double Your Money. Prayers, weather, road works, closedown.

Radio highlights: Masters of the Keyboard. A Slight Case of Obscenity.

Weather: sunny periods. Outlook – rain, showers, brighter. 18c, 64f.

Friday 13 September 1963

Stolen loot from the Great Train Robbery may be concealed in an isolated farm property 150 miles from London. An informant has told police about the location. Meanwhile, police are looking for a former London club owner and ex-boxer, Christopher Edwards, known as Buster. Police believe that Buster Edwards can help them with their inquiries.

A Government report reveals that 5,000 people in Britain now earn at least £20,000 a year before tax. In 1954 only 2,000 earned that amount. Hundreds soar well above the £20,000 mark – some are earning £30,600 apiece. 

In Britain, a disaster is countered with a “nice cup of tea”. But now something very un-British is going on – we are becoming a nation of coffee drinkers. We are drinking twice as much coffee as we did five years ago. The reasons for the British coffee habit? Expresso bars and holidays abroad.

Jimmy Gault, Britain’s all-time biggest pools winner with £300,684 has died aged 53 at home near Belfast.

BBC bosses have ordered “no more smut”, especially on the That Was The Week That Was show. The BBC are also hoping to screen programmes of major appeal at about 6.35pm because most of the country is back home by then. They also plan to screen two or three major programmes after the 9pm news.

Television highlights: Adventure – the riddle of Easter Island with Thor Heyerdahl. International Film Season from Sweden – A Doll’s House. Ready, Steady, Go! with Roy Orbison and Freddie and the Dreamers.

Radio highlights: Chamber Music. Speedy Disc Show.

Weather: sunny periods, mainly dry. Outlook – dry with sunny periods. 18c, 64f.

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Maid Marian and Robin Hood

Maid Marian and Robin Hood #8

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Episode 6: A Guest for the Gallows

Introductory minstrel song: “Old Will Stuteley cannot pay, and into prison he is cast; the Sheriff is the very one, who turns him loose at last!”

Regular Cast

Sir Robin of Locksley – Richard Greene

*Maid Marian – Bernadette O’Farrell

The Sheriff of Nottingham – Alan Wheatley

Little John – Archie Duncan

Friar Tuck – Alexander Gauge 

*Joan of the Blue Bull Inn – Simone Lovell

*Didn’t feature in this episode 

Original air date: 25 December 1955

Screenplay: Eric Heath (pseudonym of Ring Lardner Jr.)

Director: Ralph Smart

Plot: The poor people can’t pay their taxes. The Sheriff’s solution – let’s hang one of them.

Health and Safety was clearly not a thing in Sherwood Forest to judge from the number of arrows flying around, bearing messages. To be fair to the television series, many of the Robin Hood films used this communication system as well.

Maid Marian doesn’t feature in this episode and Robin has an enjoyable time kissing “Lass”, played by Jan Miller. Although she appeared previously, Maid Marian is yet to make her mark on the series.

To save Will Stutely, Robin goes incognito as a market trader. The Sheriff of Nottingham meets him and fails to recognise him, a scene that requires the audience to suspend a fair amount of disbelief.

Standout scene: the exchange of Will Stutely for the Sheriff of Nottingham, followed by the Sheriff’s inevitable betrayal, and Friar Tuck’s cunning intervention.

Sword fights – 1. Bow fights/bow skills – 1.

Running total: Sword fights – 6. Bow fights/bow skills – 6.

Robert Desmond, pictured, played Will Stutely. He appeared opposite Richard Attenborough three times in his career, most notably as Griffith the Tailor in The Great Escape. Later, he established roles in soaps such as Compact and Crossroads, plus the obligatory appearance in The Avengers. 

Robert Desmond’s final film role, in 1967, is one for trivia fans. He appeared as Auctioneer in Calamity the Cow, which featured a young Phil Collins of Genesis fame.

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Will Scarlet – Fact or Fiction?

🖼️ Will Scarlet by Louis Rhead, 1912

In a later ballad, Robin Hood and the Newly Revived, Will appears as a finely dressed young man shooting deer in Sherwood Forest. He offers his name as Young Gamwell and is renamed Will Scarlet by Robin Hood when he accepts an invitation to join the outlaw band.

Traditionally, Will is depicted as being younger than the other outlaws. A skilled swordsman, he loves fine clothes, particularly garments made from red silk. 

There is nothing in the historical record to suggest that Will Scarlet was based on a real person. His character has evolved as balladeers and writers have developed the Robin Hood legends over time.

Using red as the signature colour for Will Scarlet, my character will have Welsh origins, and go by the name Gwilym Goch. Also, because as we all know Welshmen can sing, my character will be Robin Hood’s musician, taking on aspects of Alan-a-Dale character from the legends.

Numerous actors have portrayed Will Scarlet in films and on television. This list is far from exhaustive – it merely offers my personal highlights.

Anthony Forwood in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, 1952

Ronald Howard and Paul Eddington in the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1955-59

Douglas Mitchell in A Challenge for Robin Hood, 1967

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Coming soon, my Adventures of Maid Marian series

🏹 🏹 🏹

For Authors

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #44

Sunday 18 August 1963

Police are hoping that people throughout Britain will go on a massive treasure hunt today. They feel sure that the train gang have hidden some of their loot in woods and fields. If someone finds £100,000 they will receive £10,000 reward. Meanwhile, after a tip-off, teams of Flying Squad officers are searching the Chiswick-Isleworth area for the gang’s headquarters.

Australia wants 45,000 Britons, tradesmen as well as professional people, in the next twelve months. Prospects for migrants look good – the Australian government have announced tax concessions and big housing plans.

Strait-laced laws restricting entertainment on a Sunday look like remaining in place for some years to come. A committee looking into the matter is making extremely slow progress. The seven men and one woman on the committee hope to report next spring.

Three months ago the Hollies were earning £2 a night in the Manchester area. Tonight, they are cruising down the River Thames from Margate on a jazz junket. Their fee – £200, their usual wages these days. Also listen out for the Hollies’ new disc, Searchin’, which should go spinning into the charts.

Football: Charity Shield. Everton gave Manchester United a footballing lesson and emerged 4 – 0 winners. Everton opened the scoring on 37 minutes and their defence remained untroubled throughout the match. Attendance – 50,000.

Television highlights: Lorna Doone – part ten. Play – Living Image. Summer Spectacular with Robert Morley.

Radio highlights: In Pursuit of Neptune. Top Twenty.

Weather: sunshine and showers.

Monday 19 August 1963

Scotland Yard detectives hunting for the £2,600,000 train gang believe they have found the headquarters where the great ambush was planned. The house is in West London, but the address is being kept secret. The detectives found twelve chairs, cigarette butts, tins, bottles, glasses and teacups.

Police are encouraging people to go out and find the £2,400,000 that is still missing. Police want to receive reports of any big spending, especially in fivers, and any strangers seen in the countryside. Some of the gang are likely to be mingling with seaside holidaymakers.

There is still two weeks to go in the Daily Mirror Treasure Hunt. Treasure chests and medallions by the hundred have been buried in the sands by Mirror Pirates at leading holiday resorts. Keep an eye open too for the Mirror Girl. There’s a £50 prize for the holidaymaker who can guess her age, height and weight.

Footballers from Lincoln City, Oldham Athletic, Scunthorpe Town and Sheffield Wednesday have been named in association with an investigation into match fixing. However, currently there is no plan to further investigate these allegations.

Snow fell on the Pyrenees yesterday, a fortnight earlier than usual.

Personal advertisements: Ronnie, come home quickly – telephone George. Rube, phone Farnboro 1390, Wednesday, 8pm.

Television highlights: Outlook Europe – Germany. Genius in Barcelona – Picasso and Gaudi. A Journey Through Wales.

Radio highlights: In a Sentimental Mood. Desert Island Discs – Graham Hill.

Weather: sunny intervals. Outlook – changeable. 20c, 68f.

Tuesday 20 August 1963

Mr Bernard Rixon, owner of “Banknote Farm”, the train robbers’ hideout, plans to open the building to the public – at 5s a look. He said, “I want to get whatever I can out of it. I’ve had a very unfortunate time trying to sell it.” Meanwhile, detectives believe the stolen loot from the train robbery is still in Britain.

The BBC will extend its current closedown from 11.15pm until midnight. BBC studio productions are restricted by the Postmaster General to 50 broadcast hours a week. The daytime programmes for women will be scrapped to allow the evening viewing to be extended. A new science fiction serial, to run for a year, will be screened at peak-viewing time.

A gang got away with £13,000 after spending eighteen hours to cut through a six-inch steel strongroom door. The raid took place in Sheerness, Kent. Evidence suggests that the gang camped on the premises and ate meals while they worked.

Five people were injured in a car accident at Mirfield, Yorkshire. Satan, a crocodile, and Peter, a monkey, were also involved in the accident. Peter went to hospital, but was not detained. Satan continued his journey to the mountain zoo at Colwyn Bay.

At 2s 3d each, wooden parquet panels are now available. They interlock and do not require nails or glue. A flooring specialist who makes the panels said, “More than one woman has succeeded in laying the floor herself.”

Television highlights: Chips With Everything – scenes from the Arnold Wesker play. Compact – serial. No Hiding Place.

Radio highlights: The Canterbury Tales. The Beggar Student.

Weather: sunny periods, showers. Outlook – similar. 17c, 63f.

Wednesday 21 August 1963

Detectives hunting the £2,600,000 train robbers are now looking for an attractive woman, aged between 30 and 40, who played a big part in the planning of the raid. She is a natural brunette, but often wears a blonde wig. The woman is known to detectives, and Scotland Yard hope to locate her in the next 48 hours.

Here’s what the robbers left behind at Banknote Farm: 100 tins of food – baked beans, corned beef, tomato soup, pork luncheon meat – condensed milk, tea, sugar, coffee, sleeping bags, a first aid kit, eating utensils, and 17 packets of Ozo toilet paper. The police also found a tea strainer, which makes them believe that a woman was involved.

Following a tip-off, police have pounced on a caravan at Dorking. Scientific and fingerprint experts have searched the caravan thoroughly. Detective-Superintendent Malcolm Fewtrell, head of Bucks CID said, “We have found something in the caravan that convinces us that it is connected with the mail train robbery.”

Brunette Sally Alford, one of three girl tv announcers banned from reading the news because they distracted viewers, was back last night – reading the news. A male announcer is ill and has been sent to bed, and other announcers are on holiday, so Sally has been recalled. Sally said, “I will do my best not to distract the viewers. I’ll wear a quiet beige suit and simple hairstyle.”

Five long-serving prisoners at Nottingham jail joined a session of cricket coaching. During the coaching, they scurried through a hole in the wire fence, ran into a nearby housing estate and, it’s believed, escaped in a blue Austin Cambridge car.

Television highlights: Sportsview – preview of the Fifth Test Match, England v West Indies, and the forthcoming football season. Fascinating Facts. Here and Now – a man, his dog and his village.

Radio highlights: The Changing Face of Soccer. Topical Tunes.

Weather: sunny spells, showers. Outlook – Cool, rain at times. 19c, 66f.

Thursday 22 August 1963

Another £30,000 of the stolen train loot turned up yesterday. The money – in fivers – was found hidden in the panelling of an empty caravan in Box Hill, Surrey. The caravan site’s owner reported that a woman was with the man who bought the caravan. She had a six-month-old baby girl and a poodle. The woman was attractive with short dark hair. She wore a brown jumper and tight blue slacks. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 clues have been found at “Banknote Farm”, the robbers’ roost.

Four of London’s most hardened criminals are top-of-the-list suspects in the Great Train Robbery hunt. The four men have been missing from their usual West End haunts for two weeks. Two are brothers, a third is a safe-breaker and the fourth just came out of prison. 

Meat condemned months ago by food inspectors has found its way into butchers’ shops in Surrey, Kent, East Anglia, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. More than 6,000 cartons of condemned meat were made into sausages and pies. A spokesman said that butchers involved in this practice had not committed an offence.

Mrs Erika Finger of St John’s Wood, London is suing the owner of a restaurant in Nice. During a mock bull fight, she was attacked by a cow. Mrs Finger said, “They prodded the cow with sticks. It got mad and charged through the restaurant. Everyone started to run, but I was trapped. The cow tossed me, but there wasn’t enough room, so it kicked me. My husband dragged me away and the cow escaped.” The cow was recaptured three days later.

Exhibitions: Thrale’s Japanese Ex-Prisoner of War story presented by War on Want at St Paul’s Churchyard.

Sam Cooke’s updated version of Frankie and Johnny mentions a famous British car, which means it’s likely to receive a BBC ban.

Television highlights: Rag, Tag and Bobtail. Boxing from Liverpool. Don’t Say a Word – mime game with Sheila Hancock and Clive Dunn.

Radio highlights: Swinging UK. World of Song.

Weather: cloudy with rain and drizzle. Outlook – little change. 18c, 64f.

Friday 23 August 1963

Just before midnight last night dozens of teams of detectives in London and the Home Counties were given special stand-by orders. They were told: move in on all train robbery suspects. Police are also looking for a young woman named Sheree who has a six-month-old baby and a poodle called Gigi. The woman was recently seen in Dunfermline, Fife.

A cricket match at Alexandra Park, Wood Green was stopped yesterday when twelve sticks of gelignite were found in a nearby river. The players sheltered behind the pavilion while army experts exploded the gelignite. Then the players resumed their game.

Manufacturers are producing double beds with separate mattresses, zipped together. One of the mattresses will have a built-in board. The design has developed to aid double-bed devotees, one of whom has a slipped disc.

Bad debts have soared since high street betting shops opened. A study found that £1,000,000,000 is gambled on horse racing each year and that the total Britons spend annually on betting is equal to 65% of the country’s defence budget.

The Automobile Association dealt with 1,422 breakdowns on the M1 during July.

In the Fifth Test Match at the Oval, the West Indies dismissed England for 275 with Charlie Griffith taking 6 for 71. Did Griffith bowl too many bumpers? Umpire Syd Buller thought so because he had a word with captain Frank Worrell. Tony Lock was dismissed when he dropped his bat on to his wicket while trying to avoid a bouncer. Now, England’s bowlers must show some offensive spirt. 

Television highlights: Bowls – Amateur National Championship from Mortlake. Ivor the Engine. Ready, Steady, Go! with the Rolling Stones and Hayley Mills.

Radio highlights: Arthur Haynes Show. The Organisation of Crime – an investigation.

Weather: mainly dry with sunny periods. Outlook – cloudy with rain. 21c, 70f.

Saturday 24 August 1963

Scotland Yard detectives are on the lookout for a racing driver – Roy John James, aka The Weasel. Detectives believe that Weasel James can help them with their inquiries into the Great Train Robbery. Meanwhile, Yard men raided 61 houses, warehouses and factories in London. They are also looking for a blonde woman, her baby and her poodle, Gigi.

Great Train Robbery slang: poppy = money, ricket = mistake, blagger = a thief, nark = an informer, stoppo driver = getaway driver, blag = to rob.

The Edinburgh Festival is in danger because of a lack of cash support. In the seventeen years that the Festival has been going it has never showed a penny profit. Last year’s loss was £115,000. Yet, Edinburgh is packed with tourists. Hotels and restaurants are full. An estimated £3,000,000 is made in trade, but only £18,000 of that money is donated to the Festival fund.

The Conservatives, worried about their prospects at the next General Election, may call in the help of a fantastic brain machine. The machine will predict the public’s reaction to any situation – provided it is fed the right information. Other parties have been offered the machine, but they haven’t showed any interest.

Agony Aunt: “When I kiss my boyfriend, should I keep my eyes open, or shut them?” Jane Adams’ reply, “Depends on whether you like what you see.”

Fifth Test, the Oval. The West Indies have thrown this match away. In reply to England’s 275 they were 165 for 3. But they closed on 231 for 8. England are now favourites to level the series. Conrad Hunte top-scored with 80, while the wickets included two run outs.

Television highlights: Grandstand. Francis Durbridge Presents. Dick Emery Show.

Radio highlights: Saturday Club. Play – The King of Soho.

Weather: showers. Outlook – continuing changeable. 19c, 66f.

Available for order and pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series

https://books2read.com/u/bMqNPG

For Authors

#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on over thirty occasions.

A special offer from my publisher and the Fussy Librarian. https://authors.thefussylibrarian.com/?ref=goylake

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

Categories
Maid Marian and Robin Hood

Maid Marian and Robin Hood #7

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Episode 5: Maid Marian

Introductory minstrel song: “Robin Hood bold and free, of every man is unafraid; ’til one day he meets his match, with Marian the maid!”

Regular Cast

Sir Robin of Locksley – Richard Greene

Maid Marian – Bernadette O’Farrell

The Sheriff of Nottingham – Alan Wheatley

Little John – Archie Duncan

Friar Tuck – Alexander Gauge 

Joan of the Blue Bull Inn – Simone Lovell

John Drake, who appeared as Harold the Smith in episode four, features here as  Ned, an outlaw.

Original air date: 23 October 1955

Screenplay: Anne Rodney (pseudonym of Howard Koch and Anne Koch)

Director: Ralph Smart

Plot: Disguised as a (very shapely) page, Lady Marian Fitzwalter infiltrates the outlaw camp to capture Robin Hood, whom she suspects of stealing her jewels. However, Robin turns the tables and Marian ends up cooking for the outlaws and doing the washing up.

Maybe the subtitle for this episode should have been “Fifty Shades of Lincoln Green”. Read on for an explanation.

Standout scene: bear in mind, this series was broadcast in the 1950s, at teatime.

Robin to Marian: “The years have given you a taste for strange pleasures.”

Marian to Robin. “Quickly, Robin, tie me up and bind me.”

Which he did.

Sword fights – 1. Bow fights/bow skills – 2.

Running total: Sword fights – 5. Bow fights/bow skills – 5.

Bernadette O’Farrell

Born in Ireland, Bernadette O’Farrell broke into film and television in her twenties, after meeting director Carol Reed. Maid Marian became her career-defining role. She left the series in 1957 to avoid type-casting. Ironically, she basically retired from acting shortly after, to live on a Buckinghamshire farm with her husband, film writer, director and producer Frank Launder.

Little John – Fact or Fiction?

Little John aka John Little is one of the regular characters in the Robin Hood legends. A giant, sometimes portrayed as seven feet tall, and a master of the quarterstaff, Little John could be relied upon to provide muscle whenever Robin Hood needed it.

🖼️ Robin Hood and Little John by Louis Rhead

In folklore, Little John met Robin Hood on a tree bridge that spanned a river. They fought for the right to cross, and developed a mutual respect. This is a standard scene in most Robin Hood films.

Little John appears in Robin Hood ballads throughout the fourteenth century. In these ballads he is portrayed as intelligent and cunning, or uneducated and slow-witted. In Thomas Love Peacock’s Maid Marian, published 1822, Little John serves as Robin Hood’s treasurer, distributing the money taken from the rich to give to the poor.

Numerous actors have portrayed Little John in films and on television. This list is far from exhaustive – it merely offers my personal highlights.

James Robinson Justice in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, 1952

Archie Duncan in the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1955-59

Nigel Green in Sword of Sherwood Forest, 1960

Leon Greene in A Challenge for Robin Hood, 1967

In the medieval compilation, A Gest of Robyn Hode, Little John takes the alias Reynold Greenleaf, and it’s been suggested that Reynold Greenleaf was a real person. However, Reynold Greenleaf appears in his own right in other ballads. All of which offers thin evidence to support the idea that Little John was based on a real person. 

With no solid trail to follow, I think it’s safe to say that Little John is purely fictional.

🏹 🏹 🏹

What to make of this film, a modern German take on the Robin Hood legend seen from Maid Marian’s point of view?

I enjoyed the forest scenes and the medieval buildings (many of these were in ruins, but that was built into the script). Also, good to see a story from Marian’s point of view. The legends were well adapted and made sense in the film’s narrative.

I’m was not so sure about the plot-line and some of the action scenes. The film reminded me of my sons’ video games – lots of running through a landscape, a violent encounter, then a moment of reflection. Repeat, ad infinitum. 

Marian was the main protagonist in the violent scenes, some of which I thought were unrealistic. Robin received two injuries where he was basically sliced in half – his role in the film was as an invalid.

If you enjoy modern action-adventures, you will enjoy this film. If you prefer something more traditional, you can give this a miss.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #43

Sunday 11 August 1963

Is justice being served in Britain, or is there something nasty in the woodshed? Is the legal system protecting the privileged? In the Stephen Ward case, why were three key witnesses – Lord Astor, Douglas Fairbanks and John Profumo not called? There is a sense of jiggery-pokery to protect the privileged. A fairer system is needed now.

Plans to help the housewife with the cost of her weekly shopping have caused major disagreement in the Cabinet. Some want to abolish price-fixing, a system that allows big firms to take legal action against shopkeepers if they lower their prices. However, senior Tory ministers and experts are in favour of the current system, and against shopping price cuts.

A lorry found abandoned in Nottinghamshire might offer a clue to the Great Train Robbery. Local detectives believe there is a connection. However, Buckingham CID, who are investigating the robbery, said, “There’s nothing in it for us.”

Scientists at a laboratory in Leatherhead, Surrey are searching for the Perfect Sausage. Seventy scientists are employed to look into all types of food. Another example is the Problem of the Pips. Housewives like to see pips in raspberry jam because it reassures them that the jam was made from real fruit. However, the pips disintegrate in the boiling process. Also, the scientists are trying to discover if peeled potatoes can be prevented from turning brown when left out of water.

Church bells at Gotham, Notts will remain silent today because two swarms of bees have nested in the 70 foot high church steeple.

Television highlights: Robin Hood – The Charm Pedler. Sooty. Fireball XL5.

Radio highlights: Meanwhile Back at the Parthenon. Who Do Men Say That I Am?

Weather: cloudy at first, but sunny later.

Monday 12 August 1963

The £252,500 treasure train haul may be hidden within twenty miles of the ambush spot. The robber-gang might be hiding there too. Those are the theories being followed by Scotland Yard. Hundreds of phone calls have been made received by the police following the offer of a £260,000 reward. Meanwhile, detectives are checking all the buildings around Sears Crossing. There is a suspicion that the gang might be hiding in a barn or cottage.

Passengers and spectators who order meals and snacks at airports will not be called “luv” by the staff anymore. The friendly word has been blacklisted by the big catering firm Forte’s. From now on, staff must address their customers as “sir” or “madam”.

St Ives, Cornwall, the seaside town that wants to freeze-out beatniks faces a new-style counter-attack – friendliness, lots of friendliness. A beatnik spokesman said, “We’ve established a headquarters in the woods above the town. We will create no disturbance. We will do the same as other people do. The real root of this anti-beatnik business is that we don’t scatter our money around like confetti. If we did, we’d be as welcome as the flowers in May.”

Music: prediction spot – Freddie and the Dreamers will soon be top tenwards with I’m Telling You Now. Pet Clark has a new disc – Let Me Tell You. And mums will lend a an ear to Ken Dodd going serious with Still.

Tower crane erectors and lorry drivers – only first class men talking pride in themselves and their work need apply for these top-rated jobs with exceptional conditions: Record Tower Cranes, NW10.

Television highlights: Blue Peter. Tonight – series return with Cliff Michelmore. Points of View with Robert Robinson.

Radio highlights: Melody on the Move. Letter From America.

Weather: sunny spells, showers. Outlook – similar. 20c, 68f.

Tuesday 13 August 1963

The Flying Squad are receiving more than 30 phone calls an hour as they seek the mail train robbers. Also, it’s been revealed that over half of the missing £2,554,000 was in notes that can be traced. 

Eire’s CID passed on vital information to Scotland Yard about the mail train gang. The Irish police believe that three Dublin crooks were involved in the robbery. A pair of police handcuffs, presumably lost, were used in the raid.

Ma Gasking has received five offers to buy her Ringlestone Inn. Ma is now receiving fan mail of over 100 letters a day. Will she sell? “I’m not saying,” she said. If she does sell, Ma insists that the 17th century pub must retain its character with oil lamps and not electricity, and water drawn from a pump.

In a match between Lancashire League club Darwen and a Commonwealth XI, West Indies fast bowler Roy Gilchrist, playing as a guest for Darwen, bowled a “bumper”, which hit Australian professional Lou Laza on the glove. Laza then hit Gilchrist with his bat. Gilchrist replied by hitting Laza with a stump. Later, the two men shook hands and had a drink.

Lord Gladwyn says that the English are the most class-conscious and snobbish nation in the world. Not the Scots, Welsh or Irish – they do not fall into this category – but for the English snobbishness is their besetting sin. He believes that class barriers should be broken down and the government should become involved in a united Western Europe.

Thieves who broke into a factory in Camden Town found no money. Instead, they stole £1-worth of the firm’s products – peanuts.

Television highlights: Comedy Playhouse – Impasse with Bernard Cribbins and Leslie Phillips. Smugglers’ Cove. How to Enjoy Jazz Without Really Trying.

Radio highlights: Sing Us the Old Songs. Family Favourites.

Weather: bright intervals. Outlook – cool, some rain. 18c, 64f.

Wednesday 14 August 1963

‘The Squealer’ gave Scotland Yard ten names. An informer, a snout in criminal slang, told the police that the railway robbers had used a remote Buckinghamshire farmhouse as their hideout, Leatherslade Farm. The police swooped on the farmhouse and discovered that the robbers had fled in a hurry.

The locals are now speaking out about their suspicions. Postman Bill Claridge said, “I was surprised to see no movement in the farmhouse. I thought the ‘new owners’ had not moved in.” John Alfred Marvis, a cattle herdsman said, “I noticed a strange man in a car coming and going in the village and driving to and from the farm.”

Police are now taking Leatherslade Farm ‘to pieces’, searching for clues. Scotland Yard have practically transferred the Yard to the farm site. For the first time, the whole of the forensic laboratory staff – the Yard’s scientists – have moved to the scene of the hunt, together with fingerprint men and photographers.

Secret plans are being drawn up by the council in Chudleigh, Devon to thwart teenagers who are using phone boxes to comb their hair, paint their faces, and meet their boyfriends. There have been reports of “shocking behaviour”. A police spokesman said, “If we are called in, we shall act immediately.”

A sculpture of a nude man apparently trying to do the Twist was unveiled in Eastbourne. A year ago, town councillors invited sculptors to submit designs, and this was the only one submitted. The sculpture was created by bearded Bernard Davis of Hayward’s Heath, Sussex. His figure is called Idiene. 

Television highlights: International Athletics – England v Italy. Stars and Garters with George Melly. Zero One – air security series.

Radio highlights: Yes, It’s Great Yarmouth. Play – Big Bertha.

Weather: sunny intervals and scattered showers. Outlook – little change. 20c, 68f.

Thursday 15 August 1963

In their search for the mail train robbers, the police have found a clue – a loaf of bread. They are looking to track the man from “Banknote Farm” who bought the bread at a local store. Meanwhile, the police are continuing to search the farm for more clues.

A boy in Oakley, near “Banknote Farm”, collects car numbers. He has shown his notebook, which contains 47 numbers recently recorded, to the police. Ace detectives, Tom Butler and Peter Vibart – the “Terrible Twins” are also on the case. They are among the most successful detectives Scotland Yard has ever known.

A survey classifies 1,700,000 old people as lonely. Of these, 400,000 are “very lonely”. The loneliest people of all are those no longer visited by their children – the lack of visits makes them feel unwanted.

Accidents, poisonings and violence send more people to hospital than any other cause. The next largest cause is tuberculosis. Men stay in hospital, on average, nineteen days, women eighteen days. Of 1,400,000 major operations, twenty-six percent were for stomach troubles.

Seven of the discs in this week’s top ten are British – two are American, the other Japanese. Nineteen of the top thirty are British. The main reason – the current crazy for beat music. Of the top fifty, twenty-five are beat songs. Britain is getting into the beat groove, and I think that groove is going to stay with us for some time.

Television highlights: It’s My Opinion – people from Port Talbot air their views. Pinky and Perky. True Adventure – the search for the brown walrus.

Radio highlights: Star Parade – Hank and Hannah. All Together – community singing.

Weather: showers, cool. Outlook – drier, warmer. 20c, 68f.

Friday 16 August 1963

A Bournemouth woman is in hiding after tipping-off the police about the train robbers. She is frightened that other members of the gang might try to reach her. Police hurriedly drove her away to a secret location.

In their search for the mail train robbers, the police have put a blackout on their next moves. However, it is clear they are poised for big developments. Five people have been arrested, including two women. The police also found £100,000 in two £50,000 bundles.

Henry John Burnett, 21, was hanged at Aberdeen Prison yesterday for the shotgun killing of a merchant seaman. It was the first execution in the city for more than a century.

A breadline menu for the unemployed: Breakfast – stewed fruit; egg, bread and tea – 3s 2d. Dinner – cold meat left over from Sunday, or hotpot, or shepherd’s pie, potatoes and vegetables; blancmange – 2s 3d. Tea – macaroni cheese, bread and tea – 2s 6d. Supper – bread, jam and tea – 1s 3d.

Three footballers – Keith Williams and Esmond Million of Bristol Rovers, and Brian Phillips of Mansfield, have been banned for life after accepting bribes to fix the result of the Bradford v Bristol Rovers game, played on 20 April. “Other matters” regarding corruption in football are being investigated.

Agony Aunt: Question – should a wife be suspicious if her husband arrives home reeking of perfume? Jane Adams’ reply – not if he works in a perfume factory.

Television highlights: The Marriage Lines – new comedy series with Richard Briers and Prunella Scales. Ready, Steady, Go! – pop show. Tales of the Riverbank.

Radio highlights: Golden Treasury of Music and Song. Non Stop Pop.

Weather: rain. Outlook – sunny periods. 17c, 63f.

Saturday 17 August 1963

Navy ships are keeping a look-out for a motor-yacht, which might be carrying a part of the Great Train Robbery loot. Meanwhile, £100,900 of the haul has been found abandoned in a Surrey wood. The official total for the amount stolen – £2,631,784. Of that amount, police have recovered £243,107. 

The police are working on the theory that members of the train robbery gang have bought cheap cars and are storing these cars, along with the loot, in lock-up garages. Detectives believe that the big share-out among the gang took place on Sunday, before they fled their hideout at Leatherslade Farm.

The Chief Constable of Exeter said that all weekend-drivers should take a refresher course because they are not as safe as motorists who drive all the year round.

Meat prices have rocketed again with pork the only meat selling at a steady price. Potatoes and salad items are plentiful while herrings offer the best deal on fish. Crab meat is now available in cartons – ideal for picnics.

Miss Hannah Ede of Helham Green is 105 today.

Harlequins RFC will break with tradition and play their first evening mid-week match at Twickenham. Their opponents will be Italian club Roma.

Television highlights: Summer Grandstand featuring the second half of the Charity Shield match, Everton v Manchester United. Juke Box Jury with Carol Ann Ford. Eric Sykes. 

Radio highlights: A Century of Soccer. Geoffrey Chaucer – talk.

Weather: showers and sunny spells. Outlook – similar. 16c, 61f.

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