Tag: Mystery Fiction

Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #38

Monday 8 July 1963

Ten men were arrested last night at a meeting addressed by Oswald Mosley in London’s East End. Over 250 policemen were on guard at the event.

A new high-speed automatic technique for transcribing books into braille has been invented. A large book can be copied in a few days instead of several months. 

The Mini is proving to be a great success in Australia. The Morris 850 and the Morris Mini Cooper recorded 1,861 registrations in May compared with 1,819 for the nearest rivals.

Prediction Spot: Brian Poole and his Tremolos are certain to have a hit with their latest disc, Twist and Shout.

Personal advertisements: leatherette gents corsets made to measure. From 56s 6d. – Barnsbury Square, London.

It has been a rotten Wimbledon. One of the reasons is a complete lack of class amongst the men players. To survive, the tournament must admit professional players. Miss Margaret Smith is the only great player at the championships, man or woman.

Despite requests from the BBC, there will be no rise in the licence fee this year.

Television highlights: The Patch Card – play about death by computer. The Borodin String Quartet. Fireball XL5.

Radio highlights: Letter from Great Britain. Shanty Time.

Weather: scattered showers and sunny intervals. Outlook – similar. 21c, 70f.

Tuesday 9 July 1963

Is property racketeer, Peter Rachman, boyfriend of Mandy Rice-Davies (pictured), really dead? Or was there a switch of bodies? Rachman built a slum empire exploiting his tenants. Ben Parkin MP said, “All Fleet Street is alive with the idea that Rachman is not dead.” However, Miss Rice-Davies said, “Even though I was in Paris when Peter died, I’m fully convinced he is dead.”

Transport Minister Ernest Marples has announced that parking meter charges in Central London will go up to 3s an hour – an increase of 2s 6d. A spokesman for the RAC and AA said, “We see this as the first step in pricing motorists off the roads of Central London and other big cities.”

Despite a last minute attack of nerves, Miss Margaret Smith beat Miss Billie-Jean Moffitt 6 – 3, 6 – 4 to win the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles title. Miss Smith also won the mixed doubles with Ken Fletcher, but along with Robyn Ebbern she lost the women’s doubles final to Darlene Hard and Maria Bueno.

Cricket – Third Test at Edgbaston, fourth day scorecard: England 216 and 226 – 8, West Indies 186. On a wicket as capricious as a flighty widow, England have placed themselves in a position to win. The ball is turning and if it turns tomorrow the West Indies are doomed.

University Challenge has brought a new lease of life to television quiz programmes. Instead of its late night slot, the programme deserves a place at peak time. Maybe it should swap places with Coronation Street. This would give several million viewers a shake up.

Television highlights: Polo – live from Ham Polo Club. All Sorts to Make a World – Britain in 1963, the mass producers. On Safari – around our gardens.

Radio highlights: Workers’ Playtime. The Reshaping of British Railways.

Weather: cloudy with some rain. Outlook – similar, but cooler. 20c, 68f.

Wednesday 10 July 1963

Rally driver and show jumper Pat Moss married fellow rally driver Erik Carlsson yesterday. In black tails, a green waistcoat and a grey topper, brother Sterling Moss arrived on a lilac coloured motor scooter. Sterling recently failed his L test, so his scooter was still sporting L plates.

Fire destroyed goods and property valued at £55,587,000 last year. This is £11,000,000 more than the previous peak figures in 1959. To counter this trend, the Fire Protection Association is recommending an increased use of automatic alarms and sprinkler systems.

Sir Charles Musgrave, 49, who advertised for a wife after his recent divorce, received a reply from Miss Dior Angel, a New York striptease dancer. Miss Angel said, “I’m willing to give up my career to marry you.” However, Sir Charles said, “I don’t know any Americans and I’m not sure that Miss Angel and I would be on the same mental wavelength. My next wife will be the outdoor type.”

The BBC has been given the go-ahead to broadcast its second channel to three-quarters of Britain from the end of 1966. The new service will come on air in London next April. Ten million people will then have the choice between two BBC channels and one ITV channel.

Cricket: the West Indies were bowled out for 91 at Edgbaston yesterday with Fred Trueman taking 7 – 44. On a “sporting” wicket England won the Third Test by 217 runs to level the series. Now it’s all to play for at Headingley and the Oval.

Television highlights: Gardening Made Easy. Professional Boxing From Cardiff. Taxi! New series with Sid James.

Radio highlights: Jazz Session. Modern Greek Poetry.

Weather: cloudy, mainly dry. Outlook – little change. 18c, 64f.

Thursday 11 July 1963

A lucky rabbit’s foot hanging from the dashboard sways slightly as the little red sports car touches 90 mph on the A10 out of London. “Sterling Moss’ father gave it to me,” explained my driver, motor racing ace Jim Clark. He added, “I’m not really confident about anything. My nerves are all knotted up. The only time I’m relaxed is when I’m in the driving seat. I race because I like doing it more than anything else in the world.”

Spot-checks revealed that seven race horses were doped between mid-April and the end of May this year. Around 100 tests were made, sometimes on heavily backed beaten favourites. Two of the doped horses were steeplechasers, the other five flat racers.

Agony Aunt: Margaret from Newcastle writes, “Whenever friends call round for the evening, my husband will insist on showing them our holiday films. We’ve seen these films 28 times and I’m going bonkers. What can I do?” Jane Adams’ advice, “You can either put up with his hobby with good grace, or try telling him that he’s a big bore.”

Thought for the Day: Nothing can be purchased which is better than a firm friend – Tacitus. 

Cricket: Knockout Cup Semi-Final Results – Worcestershire beat Lancashire by 9 wickets, Sussex beat Northamptonshire by 105 runs.

Television highlights: Try Out Your French. Golf – the Open Championship. Road Works Report.

Radio highlights: Thanks for the Melody. Greek Serenade.

Weather: showers, rather cool. Outlook – cool and showery. 17c, 63f.

Friday 12 July 1963

A planned £7,200,000 take-over bid by the Wellcome Foundation for British Drug Houses, makers of the no-birth pill, has been called off. The news sent BDH shares down 2s to 16s 3d, knocking £720,000 off the company’s value on the stock markets.

Postmaster General Reginald Bevins said Britain must not be rushed into a decision on colour television systems. Britain, he said, must wait and see what technical system was chosen by the rest of Europe.

Renee Shann on the modern romance novel: “You can be a bit franker nowadays. A little realism has crept in. You can actually mention sex. But just the same you’d be mad to have the heroine doing anything about it. You can take them to the bedroom, even through the bedroom door, but never, never into bed – until they are actually married.”

More international matches will be played under floodlights, the Football Association announced. The FA believes that evening matches will attract bigger crowds than games played on weekday afternoons.

Advertisement: Breakthrough in Hearing from Ingrams. Instant hearing with unbelievable clarity. No background noise. The patented “Tympano Technique.” Completely invisible. Post this coupon to receive a free hearing test long-playing record.

Television highlights: For Deaf Children. Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Pepote – Spanish film.

Radio highlights: Non-Stop Pop. Take Your Partners – old time dancing. 

Weather: cloudy with rain, cool. Outlook – cool and showery. 18c, 64f.

Saturday 13 July 1963

Some local Tories are using race hate for political ends, the Labour Party has claimed. Labour said the Tories are promoting the slogan, “If you want a n****r neighbour, vote Labour.” Labour has challenged the Tories to hold an immediate inquiry into this slogan.

In an exciting experiment, dogs are being trained to assist the deaf. The dogs are being taught how to obey sign language, warn people that there is someone at the front door, alert owners if there is an emergency, and respond to notes on a dog whistle. There are 45,000 totally deaf people in Britain today, of whom 5,000 cannot speak. Ten thousand children are amongst the deaf.

The biggest problem for the duck breeder is that drakes go terribly queer. Once they “go off” lady ducks it’s a fearful business getting them interested again. However, the good thing about ducks is they are divine when eaten with a cherry sauce.

Housewife Kathlyn Ridyard walked into her bathroom and found a council electrician wearing only his trousers and washing two pairs of his socks in her bath. The council sacked the electrician. Twelve of his colleagues have now gone on strike in protest.

Top spins this week: Heinz – Just Like Eddie, The Springfields – Come on Home, Sing Along With JFK – President Kennedy.

Television highlights: Summer Grandstand. Juke Box Jury. Maigret.

Radio highlights: Joe Loss Band Box. Pet From Paris – records played by Petula Clark.

Weather: cloudy, showery and cool. Outlook – rain. 18c, 64f.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #36

Wednesday 26 June 1963

Cricket: The Second Test at Lord’s yesterday, on its fifth and final day, achieved the incredible, the nigh impossible. With nerves already on edge, the game boiled to a mighty crescendo. England needed 234 runs for victory. Came the last over with eight runs the margin. Hall to Shackleton. A scrambled single off the second ball – seven wanted for victory.

Allen, a single to leg. Six wanted. Shackleton swipes, misses, starts late for the bye. The ball is hurled to Worrell who whips off the bails. Shackleton run out for four. Enter Colin Cowdrey with his broken arm in plaster. A word to Allen – play safe; I can’t face a ball. Allen jabs at the penultimate delivery. Still six runs to win for England, one wicket to win for the West Indies. 

Worrell tells Hall – don’t bowl a no-ball. Hall tears in and puts his heart and soul into the delivery. Allen defends. A draw. A glorious draw. Overcome with excitement, the crowd invades the field. The result was a draw, but the game of cricket was the winner. 

A court heard yesterday that toffee bars were used to dope racehorses. One of the doped horses, St Paddy, ran at Ascot. The intention was to slow the horse down, but he won by twenty lengths. Giving evidence, “Michael” said, The dope must have been a goer, not a stopper.” The case continues.

The prices of almost all “pop” records are to go up from Monday. EMI have put up their “single” prices by 5d to 6s 8d. Extended-play records will jump by 8d to 10s 9d. “Pop” long-play discs will go up by 1s 1d to £1 12s. EMI said the increases are due to rising costs. The Pye company is not increasing prices at the moment.

London Transport is now short of 3,000 bus drivers and conductors, despite a 10s wage rise in March. Currently, there are 27,000 busmen in Greater London.

Television highlights: President Kennedy in Europe – four programmes, four hours. Men of Our Time – Mahatma Gandhi. Glamour ‘63.

Radio highlights: Scandinavian Dances. Postal Bingo Show.

Weather: sunny intervals and showers. Outlook – similar. 18c, 64f.

Thursday 27 June 1963

Charles Houghton, the head porter who was coshed when bandits stole £250,000 worth of gold bullion from a London warehouse four weeks ago, has been sacked. Mr Houghton, his wife and two daughters must also leave their flat above the warehouse. They must be out by tomorrow. 

Wives who work should think twice about accepting promotion because the additional responsibility makes them irritable. Dr Amy Cohen said, “Over-conscientious women at work take their business worries home with them – and take their home worries to work.”

There’s been a five percent drop in cigarette smoking. Britons now consume 3,000,000 lbs of tobacco a year. This is the first significant drop since 1950. However, cigar and pipe smoking has increased.

After the thrill-packed Lord’s Test Match, a West Indian cricket supporter appeared in court in north London, accused of being drunk and disorderly. The magistrate, Mr Frank Milton told him, “You had reason to celebrate. There has not been a Test Match like this in a hundred years, so you are discharged.”

Is Elvis on the slide? His new disc, Devil in Disguise, will either confirm or deny it. Highest new entry this week – number nineteen, Da Doo Ron Ron by the Crystals.

Television highlights: Don’t Say a Word – gameshow with Michael Medwin and Maxine Audley. Alfred Hitchcock Hour with Robert Redford. News, weather and road-works report.

Radio highlights: Listeners Answer Back. Swinging UK. 

Weather: sunny intervals and showers. Outlook – similar. 19c, 66f.

Friday 28 June 1963

Nearly one-third of all households in Britain had the use of a car in 1961. And seven in 100 had the use of two or more cars. The average mileage over one week was 135 miles according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Transport.

The Conservatives have pledged that the channel ITA 2 will be on the air by 1966. The BBC’s second channel is due on air in April next year, in the London area, and will probably extend to the Midlands by the following year.

The typhoid outbreak has spread to St Thomas’ Hospital, Waterloo. Further cases were also confirmed in the North East and Norwich.

Twenty women in Rome’s telephone exchange fainted yesterday when temperatures climbed into the mid-90s.

Englishmen in their holiday togs are an embarrassment. They should realise that baggy flannels went out with silent films, and tweed jackets and braces are not a sight for the beaches. Undone shirt buttons revealing string vests are also off-putting, and don’t get me started on knotted handkerchiefs worn on sun-sensitive heads.

The New Musical Express’ half-yearly poll places Cliff Richard at number one followed by the Beatles, the Shadows, Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Springfields. Elvis Presley has dropped from number one to sixteenth place.

Stirling Moss, one of the greatest motor racing drivers of all time, failed his motor scooter driving test yesterday. He said, “I am not so much disappointed as frustrated.”

Television highlights: Wimbledon. Robin Hood. Dad, You’re a Square.

Radio highlights: Play – The Mating Season. Continental Melodies.

Weather: showers or rain. Outlook – probably dry. 18c, 64f.

Saturday 29 June 1963

Scientists are trying to talk with dolphins. The scientists claim that the dolphins can say the words “no”, “okay” and “food”. If we learn to talk with dolphins then the scientists believe it will be easier to communicate with any creatures we might find on other planets.

Giving evidence at the Stephen Ward trial, Mandy Rice-Davies told the court that Ward said they ought to get married sometime. She also said that at Ward’s suggestion she entertained gentlemen and, by accident, she broke a two-way mirror that looked into a bedroom from the lounge.

Exclusively for Women: Win an Hillman Imp de Lux. Six new super mini-cars, taxed and insured for a year, to be won. In Balmoral grey this super car could be yours. Details on Monday.

Tennis: this year’s Wimbledon has been the dullest for years. The seeding committee botched their job and seeded the wrong players; the matches, bar the odd exception, have been one-sided, and now the weather has intervened bringing rain, which has descended like a plague on the Championships.

Ruptured? Start a new life with Myo-Plastex the modern appliance that brings unique “as with the fingertips” relief without fixed pads or springs. Thirty-day money back guarantee.

Television highlights: Juke Box Jury featuring John Lennon. The Winifred Atwell  Show. Lucky Stars Summer Spin with the Beatles.

Radio highlights: It’s Latin. Motoring and the Motorist.

Weather: sunshine and showers. Outlook – probably little change. 16c, 61f.

Sunday 30 June 1963

In the Stephen Ward trial, Mandy Rice-Davies told the court that she had “relations” with Lord Astor. Mr James Burge, defending Ward, said to Miss Rice-Davies, “Do you know that Lord Astor has made a statement to the police saying that these allegations of yours are absolutely untrue.” The crowd erupted with laughter when Miss Rice-Davies replied quickly, “Well, he would, wouldn’t he?”

Lord Hailsham angrily lashed out yesterday at the people, who he said, were filling London with “the most extraordinary rumours” associated with the Profumo scandal. London, he said, “Has been filled with the filthiest rumours, seemingly systematically spread, affecting all manner of persons”. He added, “I am neither the man without a head (this was a reference to the Duchess of Argyll divorce), the man in the iron mask, the man who apparently goes about clad only in a Masonic apron, or a visitor to unnamed orgies.”

Housewives who want to aid Britain’s tragic thalidomide babies can now do so by collecting Green Shield Stamps. The Green Shield Stamp Trading Company will give £10,000 in cash in exchange for 15,000 full books of stamps. The stamps are available from a growing number of shops with one stamp given for every sixpence spent.

Music: the sick disc season is here. Following the American trend, the British charts might soon be invaded by songs about brides stranded at the alter because their fiancés have been killed in an accident. Tin Pan Alley has discovered that ghoulish death is a big money-maker.

Television highlights: Coronation of Pope Paul VI. The French Grand Prix from Rheims. Lorna Doone – serial with Jane Merrow as Lorna.

Radio highlights: Music Magazine. The Countryside in June.

Weather: cloudy with heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Monday 1 July 1963

A new do-it-yourself wine craze is sweeping Britain. The are now 164 wine-making clubs. Members are making wine from bananas, primroses, broad beans, marrows, spinach and rose petals. Wine-making sets are selling at 35s.

A female tennis player is being linked with a “black market” ticket racket at Wimbledon. “Miss X” is believed to be the key player in a five-strong syndicate. Players get free books of six tickets. It’s alleged that “Miss X” has bought twenty books at £10 a book, then sold them on to spivs who, at a higher price, sell them to spectators.

London’s most with-it pub is the Thomas a Beckett in the Old Kent Road. There, people like Stanley Baker and Richard Burton drink side by side with taxi drivers and dockers. However, the “Knees Up Mother Brown” days are over. Landlord Tommy Gibbons has installed a swinging band and a juke box which, for a shilling a time, also shows appropriate films.

Handwoven tweed ties with fringed ends are the top neckwear for German men.

Cut Your Own Hair. Penn’s Easytrim is easier and quicker than clippers. It cuts as it combs. For use with either hand. Suitable for gents and ladies. Send 7s 6d to Penn Ltd, Finchley, London.

Personal advertisement: Ursula – I know what has happened. I wish to help you. Write to your old address, Gordon.

Television highlights: Destiny 63 – play about neo-Nazis. The Choice is Yours – popular melodies. What’s New? Inventions and ideas.

Radio highlights: Housewives’ Choice. Top of the Morning.

Weather: showers and bright spells. Outlook – little change. 18c, 64f.

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.

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

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For Authors

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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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