1940/50 life as a wireless kid ..

[fleetwood 10]

When you listen to Suzette Tarri's clever dialogue, I think she was more sophisticated than a Mrs Mop type grinder, I am trying to think of the guy who's act consisted of reciting ode's, 'here's an ode to this ,that and the other'. The dictionary defines an ode as 'a lyric poem marked by nobility of feeling and solemnity of style', he was on the radio and toured the music halls.

 

I put a few key words into Google and came up with the name, Cyril Fletcher 'master of the odd ode'.

[sweetdexter 10]

Don't think so DENLIN.

 

I lived at Ballifield (Handsworth) in the 50's & 60's and we got our first telly in 1961, I think. I remember watching the 1961 FA Cup Final at home but the 1960 Final, Wolves v Blackburn Rovers I watched in a neighbour's house. Out of all my mates we were the first to get a telly. So I don't think you're quite right, begging your pardon, that tellies were readily available in most homes in the EARLY fifties.

 

My favourite radio programme was "Hancock's Half Hour". Sheer classic.

 

Search online for Hhhhhhancocks half hour.

BBC7

[grinder 10]

I remembered the comics of that era usually boys such as Hotsspur and the champion this was cos my cousins bought them and it was a delght to go to their house and put them in the right order and read about Wilson

 

hazel

 

The Champion, Hotspur, Adventure and Rover, were for older kids, they had a little bit more than comics, because they also had stories in them.

For me they were the bridge between comics and books....

[Kelvinlad 10]

The Champion, Hotspur, Adventure and Rover, were for older kids, they had a little bit more than comics, because they also had stories in them.

For me they were the bridge between comics and books....

 

And the 'Wizard'.

[mikeG 16]

I had a crystal set and around 1957 I'd go to bed and listen to the Jack Jackson Decca radio show on Luxembourg. All the labels had their own shows. They'd play only about half of a record - so they could get more tracks in I suppose.

[grinder 10]

And the 'Wizard'.

 

That's the one I couldn't remember.

To be honest I don't remember the Champion at all, but I knew there were four.

 

Cyril Fletcher,

Wasn't he on "What's my line" for a time ?

Edited October 25, 2012 by grinder

[Guest]

I was a child of the 80s, so my radio era was dominated by Bruno Brookes, Gary Davies and Mike Smith (and Terry Wogan for my mum), but I'm a huge fan of radio drama, especially vintage stuff, so I thought I'd recommend these podcasts to other fans of old time radio: Relic Radio. You can also listen to them on the web site, if podcasts aren't your thing.

 

I'm subscribed to The Horror! (spooky tales), Strange Tales (sci-fi and similar non-supernatural weirdness) Case Closed (Detective fiction: Dragnet, Phillip Marlowe, Barrie Craig, Sherlock Holmes, Richard Diamond and such like) and Relic Radio Thrillers (Counterspy, Escape, The Man Called X and all sorts of similarly thrilling stuff).

 

It's mostly from the 40s and 50s, with occasionally some shows from the 30s and 60s too. You'll regularly hear from Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Jack Webb and lots of huge names from the early days of cinema (programmes like Lux Radio Theater used to do radio versions of the big films of the day).

 

And don't forget Radio 4 Extra (Radio 7, as was), where the excellent and much missed Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury can still be heard as Paul Temple and Steve.

[trastrick 866]

The Champion, Hotspur, Adventure and Rover, were for older kids, they had a little bit more than comics, because they also had stories in them.

For me they were the bridge between comics and books....

 

And don't forget the Wizard.

[grinder 10]

And don't forget the Wizard.

 

When they started giving away free gifts with comics I remember getting a WIZ BANG one week with the Wizard.

It was a printed square of thin cardboard folded in half from corner to corner, inside was glued a triangle of brown paper, and when you held one corner of the cardboard triangle and brought it down sharply it cracked loudly...

 

It didn't take much to keep us happy back then ,did it....

[Texas 10]

Does anyone go back as far as Tommy Handley? When I here people moaning about their lot in life I always think of Mrs Mop. Her character always would sign off, after a good old moan, with the words 'It's being so cheerful that keeps me going'. And Colonel Chinstrap. He was always ready for a drink. Somebody would say something like 'There, at the rear,' and Chinstrap would reply 'A glass of beer? I don't mind if I do'.

The Handley Show was famous for it's catchphrases, there were dozens of them.

The shows characters were memorable too, apart from the aforesaid there were, Claud and Cecil, Sam the Scam, Frisby Dyke,( he was from Manchester and his catchphrase was ' If you've never been to Manchester, you've never lived'. ( It was known for it's rainfall was Manchester, and the words were uttered like he had adenoids), and Funf. Funf was a German spy and after a anti-English diatribe,he would sign off with 'This is Funf speaking'.

You've got to remember, this was during the second world war and we needed all the laughs we could get.

Bless 'em all.

[hazel 11]

Can I do you now sir--

was this one Mrs Mop

 

hazel

[terry457 10]

Yes, I remember listening to their bouts too - will have to look them up on the net and learn more about them as I was fairly young at the time.

I think Freddie eventually got in with a bad crowd & got himself shot.

 

I remember working with a yank when I was 15 & he used to wind me up by saying that Cockell was rubbish compared to American fighters (can't remember who he fought) - he may have been right but it certainly got my back up.

 

he fought rocky marciano and the yanks did everything they could to make sure their man won