"The
Original WWW Pages for remembering the 20th Century" Still
the best memories Web Site. Hundreds of videos and tons of material for your enjoyment. Over three hundred
links to other relevant websites about the past decade The most comprehensive old-time web site. On the
WWW continuously, since 2005 New material added frequently.
American
Graffiti and television shows like Happy Days began to portray the 1950s as a carefree era before the assassination of John
F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War, and Watergate--a decade of tail-finned Cadillacs, collegians stuffing themselves in phone booths,
and innocent tranquility and static charm. In truth, the post-World War II period was an era of momentous changes.
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Memories, the web's biggest resource for Butlins nostalgia and information. Why not click to find out a bit about us,
use the menu on the left to go straight to your camp or follow any of the links below to visit other sections of the site.
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1950s birth of British
rock
The trad
jazz movement spawned an offshoot when Chris Barber's Jazz Band introduced interval entertainment with their banjo player
Lonnie Donegan playing guitar "skiffle". He had an unlikely hit with his version of Leadbelly's "Rock
Island Line", recorded in 1955 and becoming a hit in both Britain and the U.S.A. in 1956. Skiffle introduced the idea
of music being easy to play and spawned "skiffle groups" across the country, including "The Quarrymen"
in Liverpool who would later become the Beatles. The folk scene also increased the appetite for Blues, bringing across artists
like Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee but there was a puritanical insistence on keeping music acoustic.
American rock
and roll had an impact across the globe in the 1950s, perhaps most intensely in the United Kingdom, where record collecting
and trend-watching were in full bloom among the emerging "teenage" culture prior to the rock era, and where colour
barriers were barely an issue. The British were quick to follow the success of Elvis Presley and in 1958 three British teenagers
formed a rock and roll group, 'Cliff Richard and the Drifters (later renamed Cliff Richard and the Shadows). The group
recorded a hit, "Move It", marking not only what is held to be the very first British full-on rock 'n'
roll single, but also the beginnings of a different sound British rock, prophesying "they say it's gonna
die, but let's face it; we just don't know what's going to replace it". In the 60s other British groups
would show them. They were not alone in copying the genre, others included Tommy Steele and Adam Faith.
Cliff Richard and The Shadows
became the most influential band in the UK and set standards for following British (and American) groups. With two guitars,
bass guitar and drums, they also changed the way the guitar was featured, introducing the Fender Stratocaster and the concept
of a "lead guitar" virtuoso (Hank Marvin) to the rock scene and featuring an electric bass guitar instead of the
usual stand up bass. Appealing almost exclusively to and hugely popular with youth in Britain (including the nascent Beatles)
as well as across Europe, Cliff and the Shadows also influenced many UK teenagers to begin buying records, a trend which would
reach a peak with The Beatles a few years later. The group also paved the way for the Beatles in other ways, touring the US
(without much fanfare) and whetting US record companies' appetites for a youth-oriented band to market stateside.
An African American
vocal style known as doo-wop emerged from the streets of north-eastern cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.
Doo-wop, with its smooth harmonies, was the closest rock style to mainstream pop in the mid-1950s. The Orioles helped develop
the doo-wop sound with their hits "It's Too Soon to Know" (1948) and "Crying in the Chapel" (1953).
Other important African American doo-wop groups included the Coasters, the Drifters, the Moonglows, the Teenagers and the
Platters. The style spread to singing groups of other ethnicities, such as the Capris, Dion and the Belmonts, the Earls, and
the Tokens. The term "doo-wop" was taken from the ad-lib syllables sung in harmony in doo-wop songs. Two songs in
particular may lay claim to being the "first" to contain the syllables "doo wop" in the refrain: the 1955
hit, "When You Dance" by The Turbans, in which the chant "doo wop" can be plainly heard; and the 1956
classic "In the Still of the Night" by The Five Satins, with the plaintive "doo wop, doo wah" refrain
in the bridge. It has been erroneously reported that the phrase was coined by radio disc jockey Gus Gossert in the early 1970s.
However, Gossert himself said that "doo-wop(p) was already being used [before me] to categorize the music in California."
It became the fashion in the 1990s to keep expanding the definition backward to include Rhythm & Blues groups from the
mid-1950s and then even further back to include groups from the early 1950s and even the 1940s. There is no consensus as to
what constitutes a doo-wop song and many aficionados of R&B music dislike the term intensely, preferring to use the term
"group vocal harmony" instead
The Fifties remain
a popular nostalgia decade, and are often seen in the United States in simplified terms by both proponents and detractors.
Nicknames for the decade include the "Fabulous Fifties" and the "Nifty Fifties".
In the United
States, different decades have approached Fifties nostalgia differently. Few people cared for Fifties nostalgia during the
1960s. The vast societal changes of the Sixties, particularly during the latter half of that decade, made the Fifties look
repressive and square by comparison. Underground cartoonist Robert Crumb satirized Fifties middle-class culture, and Frank
Zappa's 1968 album Cruising with Ruben & the Jets spoofed 1950s doo-wop..
During the 1970s, some people
started viewing the Fifties as a calmer, more innocent time, a time devoid of the scandals, wars, assassinations, riots, and
racial strife that had marked American life during the 1960s and early 1970s. Thus the success of mostly idyllic Fifties-themed
entertainment such as the movies American Graffiti and Grease, and the TV series Happy Days and its spinoff Laverne &
Shirley. Fifties nostalgia also appeared in popular music. 1970s songs such as Don McLean's "American Pie",
Elton John's "Crocodile Rock", and Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" reflected the early years
of rock and roll and how popular music had changed since then.
Tribute to Patsy
Patsy Cline (b. Virginia Patterson
Hensley September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success
during the era of the Nashville Sound in the early 1960s. Since her death at age 30 in a 1963 plane crash at the height of
her career, she has been considered one of the most influential, successful, revered, and acclaimed female vocalists of the
20th century. The story of her life and career has been the subject of numerous books, movies, documentaries, articles and
stage plays.
Cline was best known for her rich tone and emotionally expressive bold contralto voice, which, along
with her role as a mover and shaker in the country music industry, has been cited and praised as an inspiration by many vocalists
of various music genres..
Posthumously, millions of her albums have been sold over the past 45 years and she has
been given numerous awards, which has given her an iconic status similar to that of music legends Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.
Only ten years after her death, she became the first female solo artist inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2002,
she was voted by artists and members of the Country Music industry as #1 on CMT's television special of the 40 Greatest
Women of Country Music of all time, and in 1999 she was voted #11 on VH1's special The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and
Roll of all time by members and artists of the rock industry. According to her 1973 Country Music Hall of Fame plaque, "Her
heritage of timeless recordings is testimony to her artistic capacity." Among those hits are "Walkin' After
Midnight", "I Fall to Pieces", "She's Got You", "Crazy", and "Sweet Dreams".
Did you know ? Britain and France talked about a 'union' in the 1950s and even discussed the
possibility of Elizabeth II becoming the French head of state. Once-secret papers
from the National Archives have yielded the discoveries. On September 10, 1956, French Prime Minister Guy Mollet came to London
to discuss the possibility of a merger between the two countries with Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden.
Film History
of the 1950s The 50s decade was known for many things: post-war affluence and increased choice of leisure time activities,
conformity, the Korean War, middle-class values, the rise of modern jazz, the rise of 'fast food' restaurants and
drive-ins (Jack in the Box - founded in 1951; McDonalds - first franchised in 1955 in Des Plaines, IL; and A&W Root Beer
Company - formed in 1950, although it had already established over 450 drive-ins throughout the country), a baby boom, the
all-electric home as the ideal, white racist terrorism in the South, the advent of television and TV dinners, abstract art,
the first credit card (Diners Club, in 1951), the rise of drive-in theaters to a peak number in the late 50s with over 4,000
outdoor screens (where young teenaged couples could find privacy in their hot-rods), and a youth reaction to middle-aged cinema.
Older viewers were prone to stay at home and watch television (about 10.5 million US homes had a TV set in 1950).
Many people who
visit the British Monarchy web site have a specific purpose in mind - for example, applying for a message from The Queen for
a relative's birthday or wedding anniversary, inviting a member of the Royal Family to visit their organisation or community,
or buying tickets to visit one of the Royal Residences.
Sterling Times
,_"the virtual scrapbook of British nostalgia",_is here in celebration of "Uncool Britannia". It's
the site where etiquette is still more important than political correctness. SterlingTimes focuses upon some of the eccentricities
of British culture. It's about old and vintage radio, television, music and literature. It's about Englishness and
patriotism.
Jill Daniels, started her singing career
in the late 1970s even in those far off days her similarity to Vera Lynn was well recognised and earned her the title "The
Sweetheart of the Midlands" . At that time Jill was selected to work in many of the top Cabaret Nightclub Restaurants such as the Talk of the Midlands (Nottingham), Talk of the North (Eccles) Heart of the Midlands(Birmingham) Embassy Club
(London) as Support to Numerous Star acts and bands. Although at that time Jill was renown for her excellent renditions of
Vera Lynn favourites. She did not actually specialise until she was asked to put on a special Show for the VE DAY 50th Anniversary
Celebrations and a whole new show was produced at considerable expense, the music being especially created from scratch for
all of the Wartime Favourites in Jill'singing key, (which happens to be the same as Dame Vera's)
to recreate as near as possible the original versions, The
VE DAY Shows were a total success and bookings started flowing in for the Wartime Show which is known as "HITS OF THE
BLITZ". The same success was repeated for the MILLENNIUM Celebrations and for The Queens Jubilee Celebrations
and Jill Daniels is now known Nationally and Internationally as Britain's No1 singer of WWII Songs and Patriotic Anthems.
Remembering Rock
and Roll Artists Of The '50s, '60s and '70s
Do you remember
those endless days of Summer, playing football until the sun was long gone, ice creams melting before you could eat them in
the scorching heat? And what about those Winters; snow piled so high you could scarcely see out the window?
I am currently
hard at work building NC version 2.0, or "Son of Nostalgia Central" as I like to call it. This mammoth task is a
complete ground-up re-build of nostalgiacentral.com. The make-over will take some time - probably the remainder of 2007 -
but the end result will provide greatly enhanced content.
Thanks for your patience, and please excuse the dust
. . .
Great British
Vintage antique mechanical coin-operated Penny Machines: amusement machines, allwins, automata, working models, ball catchers,
diggers, cranes, merchandisers, dropcase machines, fortune tellers, fruit machines, one arm bandits, betting, gambling and
gaming machines, coin-op multi player competitive games, jukeboxes, polyphons and mechanical music machines, pinball machines
and printables, weighing machines and scales, electric shock machines, skill games, strength tests, love tests, vending and
service machines, 3D viewers, coin-op stereoscopes, peep shows, mutoscopes - and other old mechanical or electromechanical
penny coin slot devices.
YOU
WILL NOT FIND A WIDER SELECTION OF OLDIES ANYWHERE!
I was ten year
old in July as the second world war broke out in September the things I remember about living through a war was, home service,
that was school in a neighbours house which was only in the morning or afternoon we never did a full day. My Dad was
unfit for the armed forces so he did his bit like many others in his position by being a fire spotter that was being on the
street after the sirens had gone with a stirrup pump government issue, there were buckets of sand outside many houses on our
street. We had an Andersons shelter in our yard, half of which was below ground, the smell of damp was awful, the only light
was from a candles left in the shelter, if you forgot to bring the matches in the haste to get down there then you had to
sit in the dark, so Dad reinforced the cellar roof, so that is where Mum and I sat on Friday night of the Sheffield Blitz.
If you love oldies
MIDI music, golden oldies, free MIDI downloads and oldies lyrics then you have arrived at the right site. It's all here.
bullet The goal of this web site is to provide its visitors with the best quality MIDI music contained on the web. Thanks
for stopping by, enjoy your visit.
This page
is a joint project between the Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Libraries developed to provide access
to Korean War materials related to the two administrations occupying the White House during that period.
The comic first
appeared on 26 July 1938 and was published weekly. During the Second World War, The Beano and The Dandy were published on
alternating weeks due to paper and ink rationing. D.C. Thomson's other publications also suffered with the Oor Wullie
and The Broons annuals falling victim to paper and ink shortages. Paper and ink supplies were fully restored shortly after
the end of hostilities and weekly publication of The Beano and The Dandy soon followed. As of 2007, over 3000 issues have
been published. The Beano is currently edited by Alan Digby, who replaced Euan Kerr in summer 2006. Euan Kerr now edits the
BeanoMAX, a version of the Beano for older readers.
Its iconic characters such as Dennis the Menace, Minnie the
Minx, and The Bash Street Kids have become known to generations of British children. Earlier generations will remember other
notable characters which have been phased out, such as Biffo. Some old characters have made a return like Lord Snooty.
The comics were distributed in some of the British colonies or former colonies as well. Because they were sent by
sea mail, they would go on sale some weeks after the date shown on the cover. The comic holds the record for being the world's
longest running weekly comic.
When D.C. Thomson's, The Dandy Comic, was released on the 4th December 1937, it
broke the mould on the way comics were to appear forever more. Prior to The Dandy Comic, childrens comics were broadsheet
in size and not very colourful. This is to take nothing away from their content, but when compared to The Dandy Comic, and
later on, The Beano Comic and The Magic Comic, these broadsheets looked rather staid in comparison. Having said all that,
the size wasn't exactly new. The story papers, which had been going for many years, were already tabloid size, it was
just new to comics.
EveryHit.com
is a website for fans of The British music scene from the beginning of the rock 'n' roll era right the way through
to the present day. It aims to inform about the world's fastest-moving and most vibrant music industry and promote it
across the planet. The site is non-profit making. There are no sponsors and no banner advertisements.
Charles Hardin Holley was born
in Lubbock, Texas to Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake on Labor Day, in 1936. The Holleys were a musical family
and as a young boy Holley learned to play piano, guitar and violin (his brothers oiled the strings so much that no one could
hear him play.) He was always known as Buddy to his family. In 1949 Buddy made a recording of Hank Snow's 'My Two-Timin'
Woman' on a wire recorder "borrowed" by a friend who worked in a music shop (not, as is often reported, a
home tape recorder)[citation needed], his first known recording During the fall of that year he met Bob Montgomery in Hutchinson
Junior High School. They shared a common interest in music and soon teamed up as the duo "Buddy and Bob." Initially
influenced by bluegrass music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows. In Lubbock, Holly attended
Hutchinson Junior High School, which has a mural honoring him, and Lubbock High School, which has numerous features to honor
the late musician. His musical interests grew throughout high school while singing in the Lubbock High School Choir.
Holly turned to rock music after seeing Elvis
Presley sing live in Lubbock in early 1955. A few months later, he appeared on the same bill with Presley, also in Lubbock.
Holly's transition to rock continued when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local rock show organized by
Eddie Crandall, who was also the manager for Marty Robbins. As a result of this performance, Holly was offered a contract
with Decca Records to work alone, which he accepted. According to the Amburn book, his public name changed from "Holley"
to "Holly" on 8 February 1956, when he signed the Decca contract. Among the tracks recorded for Decca was an early
version of "That'll Be The Day", which took its title from a phrase that John Wayne's character said repeatedly
in the 1956 film, The Searchers.
For so many years,
historians and casual observers alike have observed the events of World War II through faded black and white images. What
most people do not know is the fact that quite a large portion of the WWII was shot using color film! However, it wasn't
until recently that a lot of the photographs and motion picture footage was de-classified by the U.S. Government. We don't
just have a collection of U.S. images, but we also have a diverse collection of German, Russian, Japanese, British and Italian
photos
British History
Online is the digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern
history of the British Isles. Created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust, we aim
to support academic and personal users around the world in their learning, teaching and research.
The museum shows
the development of Germany's armoured troops from 1917 to the present with displays of vehicles, weapons, equipment, uniforms,
documents and medals. The museum's exhibits cover all branches of the German armoured corps: tanks, mechanized infantry,
armoured reconnaissance, anti-tank, self-propelled artillery, and armoured engineers.
The Twentieth
Century was one of sorrow and joy, pain and excitement, tragedy and hope. As we stand at the threshold of a new millennium,
it is important to take a look back on where our country has been. Let us be your tour guides through these event-filled decades.
When you are finished catching up on all the happenings of this great century, take our Century in Review Quiz to see how
much you really know about this last century of the millennium.
GREAT MOMENTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY features nearly 200 audio clips of
the 20th Century's century's most important events from Marconi's first transatlantic radio transmission in December
1901 to the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square on December 31, 1999.
The U.S. population was 76,300,000.
The Boxer Uprising ended as U.S. Marines helped Great
Britain capture Peking.
A hurricane & tidal wave killed 5,994 in Galveston, Texas.
William McKinley defeated
William Jennings Bryan for the U.S. presidency — the two had faced off with the same results in 1896.
Dwight
Davis established the Davis Cup for tennis.
Lyman Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard Of Oz was published.
The Associated Press was founded.
Popular songs included The Maple Leaf Rag, You
Can't Keep A Good Man Down and Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder.
There were roughly
200 teashops each with a front shop for selling bakery items and inside one or more cafeteria type counter services for hot
meals and beverages. Each shop had a code number for quick reference. The first was A - Picadilly. The code ran through from
A to Z - Kings Cross and then AA to ZZ followed by A3 - Z9. Provincial and coastal shops had a double letter viz HE - Bournemouth.
I can still remember a few as I was a young draughtsman in the New Teashops works department in the 1950s, drawing the catering
equipment that made up the counters and kitchen.
This three-part
feature with discography appeared in In Tune magazine (November/December 2005 and January 2006). Im publishing it on the web
as Clinton has not have enough acclaim and deserves to have his story told. Whether Ive done him justice of course is another
matter. An appreciation of Clinton Ford by Spencer Leigh In another sense, though,Fanlight Fannyis typical
of Clints songbook. His preference is for little-known but well-written songs from a bygone age. In concert, he resembles
a one-man edition of The Good Old Days as you hear songs that nobody else has sung for years. He is a one-man custodian of
the Tin Pan Alley archives who is entrusted with bringing these songs to life.
Please take the time to look around the various areas of my site, there's plenty to see! Find out
interesting facts about me, my career achievements to date, my current projects, and how I can improve your stations ratings.
Enjoy the great times you grew up in with my Goldmine radio show, available online now-Enjoy.The Latest Goldmine Show is HERE
NOW!
The Tony James Goldmine Radio Show is updated with a NEW PROGRAMME on THE FIRST OF EVERY MONTH.Best
of all it's FREE, Don't miss it!.We're Talking The Great Times You Grew Up In-The 60s,70s and 80s.If you have
spread the word about us-Sincere Thanks, Tony.
Many years ago,
a party of Caroline enthusiasts travelled from Britain to Holland to sail past our ship Ross Revenge and so to celebrate
Carolines 25th anniversary.
Ronan ORahilly spoke to the crowd and wondered if we might meet up again on the
fiftieth anniversary. It seemed like a foolish comment, but come this Easter that milestone date will only be seven years
away. How quickly time and life passes by.
These are vintage
1950s & 1960s rock n roll movies that contain quintessential music performances and vintage footage of important artists
in their prime. If you dig the original rockers of rock n roll, these are the movies for you!
Beginning in
1955 and finally ending in 1976, Dixon Of Dock Green was the longest running police series on British television and although
its homeliness would later become a benchmark to measure the "realism" of later police series, such as Z Cars and
The Bill, it was an enormously popular series.
January 8, 2008 would have been Elvis Presley's
73rd birthday.
Yet to fans,Elvis will
always be the sleek fellow with the wild hips and the mellow singing voice. Fifties Web pays tribute to Elvis Presley, the
true King of Rock and Roll.
Elvis Presley is The King of Rock-n-Roll and to this day people still buy his music. Even though
he passed away 30 years ago, he continues to be worth several million dollars. Elvis was a legend and no other rock star
has ever come close to filling his shoes. Many people are absolutely obsessed with Elvis, but many of them don't know
these little known facts.
Little Known Facts about Elvis #1: In Both the Rock-n-Roll
Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame While Elvis was The King of Rock-n-Roll, he
also had several country music hits as well. Not only is he in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of
Fame, he's even in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Little Known Facts about Elvis
#2: Won Three Grammy Awards, but None of Them Were for Rock Music
This is one of the most
shocking facts. Elvis won three Grammy Awards, but all of them were for his gospel music. The fact that The King of Rock-n-Roll
never won an Grammy Award for his rock music is unbelievable.
Little Known Facts
about Elvis #3: Had Plastic Surgery in the Mid-1970s Another shocker is that Elvis had plastic surgery
in the mid-1970s. He had two full face-lifts and rhinoplasty surgery. During this time he would have been around 40 years
old. Its hard to believe that he actually needed these surgeries. Little Known Facts
about Elvis #4: Was the Biggest Tax Payer in 1973 There's no denying the fact that Elvis was
filthy rich, but many people have no idea that he was the biggest tax payer in 1973.
Little Known Facts
about Elvis #5: Made the First Ever Music Video "Jailhouse Rock" was the first ever
music video. Little Known Facts about Elvis #6: Had $5 Million in His Bank Account When
He Died In August 1977, Elvis had $5 million in his bank account. That is quite impressive, but it's
nothing compared to what he is currently worth. Little Known Facts about Elvis #7: Was Worth
$45 Million in 2004 It may seem like a strange fact, but Elvis was worth more after his death
than he was during his lifetime. In 2004, Forbes listed him as the #1 richest deceased person, with a worth of $45 million. Little
Known Facts about Elvis #8: Only Performed Two Concerts Outside of the US
Reminisce This
recalls the golden era of the late 20th century...namely the three decades that helped define our lingering memory of that
period, the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Coin-operated
music boxes and player pianos carved out a place for automatic pay-per-tune music in fairgrounds, amusement parks and other
public places (such as train stations in Switzerland) a few decades before the introduction of reliable coin-operated phonographs.
The first jukebox was an automatic phonograph produced in 1927 by Rowe International, then known as AMI. Some of these automatic
musical instruments were extremely well built and have survived to this day in the hands of collectors and museums. But commercially
they could not compete with the jukebox in the long run since they were limited to the instrument (or instruments) used in
their construction, and could not reproduce the human voice.
The immediate ancestor of the jukebox, called the
"Coin-slot phonograph", was the first medium of sound recording encountered by the general public, before mass produced
home audio equipment became common. Such machines began to be mass produced in 1889, using phonograph cylinders for records.
The earliest machines played but a single record (of about 2 minutes of music or entertainment), but soon devices were developed
that allowed customers to choose between multiple records. In the 1910s the cylinder gradually was superseded by the gramophone
record. The term "juke box" came into use in the United States in the 1930s, derived either from African-American
slang "jook" meaning "dance" or from a name given to it by critics who said it would encourage criminal
behavior, this came from the fake family name Juke. The shellac 78 rpm record dominated jukeboxes until the Seeburg Corporation
introduced an all 45 rpm vinyl record jukebox in 1950.
The hula hoop
is a toy hoop, usually made of plastic, that is twirled around the waist, limbs, or neck. Although the exact origins of hula
hoops are unknown, children around the world have played with hoops, twirling, rolling and throwing them throughout history.
Traditional materials for hoops include grapevines and stiff grasses. Today, they are often made of plastic. In Egypt around
3,000 years ago, hoops made out of grape vines were propelled around the ground with sticks. The word "hula" was
added in the early 18th century as sailors who visited Hawaii noticed the similarity between hula dancing and tripping hoops.
From 1954, for
generations of children, Saturday morning was one of the great highlights of the week. Although the weekday "Children's
Hour" provided rich entertainment for those between the ages of potty and puberty , Uncle Mac's selection of record
requests was something very special: you might even hear your name being read out! Sheer bliss!!! His opening words "Hello
Children Everywhere!" and the string orchestra signature tune of 'Puffing Billy', became symbols of the Fifties
every bit as evocative as Dan Dare, Meccano and grey flannel shorts.
Children's Hour—at first:
"The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational
service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") during the period when radio dominated broadcasting.
Children's Hour was broadcast from 1922 to 1964,
originally from the BBC's Birmingham station 5IT, soon joined by other regional stations, then in the BBC Regional Programme,
before transferring to its final home, the new BBC Home Service, at the outbreak of World War II. Parts of the programme
were also rebroadcast by the BBC World Service. For the last three years of its life (until 27 March 1964), the title Children's
Hour was no longer used, the programmes in its "time slot" going out under the umbrella heading of For the Young.
In the United Kingdom, Children's Hour was broadcast
from 5pm to 6pm on weekdays, this being a time when children could be expected to be home from school, and was aimed at an
audience aged about 5 to 15 years: in its earliest years, at least, the concept of the "teenager" had scarcely
been invented. Programming was imbued with Reithian virtues, and Children's Hour was often criticised, like "Auntie"
BBC itself, for paternalism and middle-class values. It was nonetheless hugely popular, and its presenters were national
figures, their voices instantly recognisable. Derek McCulloch was closely involved with the programme from 1926, and ran
the department from 1933 until 1950 when he had to resign for health reasons.
Dan Dare
is a classic British science fiction comic hero. The comic hero was first created by Frank Hampson in his "Dan Dare -
Pilot Of The Future" science-fiction strip-cartoon series in 1950. The series was distinguished by its snappy dialogues,
meticulously illustrated artwork and complex story lines. The popularity and quality of the comic series remained high throughout
the 1950s.
Initially, Dan Dare was surrounded by a varying cast of characters
that included Digby, Professor Peabody, Hank Hogan, Sondra and Sir Hubert Guest. The series was also aired five times a week
on Radio Luxembourg during 1950s. Dan Dare appeared in the first issue of "2000 AD" magazine in 1977. The strip
got a major changeover in 1987 and became more like a space opera. Dan sported a "tough guy" look and led a team
of space commandos. Dan Dare starred in a series of three computer games during the 1980s. The series featured spacecrafts
of various designs as products of the inhabitants of other planets. Later an experimental time-traveling ship "Tempus
Frangit" was also introduced into the series.
Freddie Baker
LIVERPOOL SINGER/SONGWRITER
Welcome to Reel
Classics, the Internet's most comprehensive site dedicated exclusively to Classic Movies. Comprising over 2500 pages
and more than 3 gigabytes of content (with much more on the way), it may well be the biggest too. Enjoy your look around
and remember to come back soon. Reel Classics is constantly being revised and updated.
Fred Dibnah passed
away on Saturday 6th November 2004 at Bolton Hospice following a brave battle with cancer. Fred's family pass on
their thanks for the messages of condolence they have received. In the Spring of 2005 Fred's last series for the
BBC will be screeened but in the meantime if you require any information on Fred's past series, videos or books please
contact the BBC.
Often dismissed
as 'greasy spoons', classic cafes are actually little gems of British vernacular high street design. This site celebrates
their ambience and architecture with over 130 vintage London Formica caffs reviewed, revealed and reappraised.
The 60s also
saw the most spectacular technical achievement of the 20th Century when America won the Space race and man landed on the moon
in July 1969 - but the greatest shock of the decade was the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.
The
second half of the sixties were the years of change. No year in the decade saw greater change than 1967. It was the year of
Peace and Love. It was a year perfectly summed up in San Francisco by Scott McKenzie. Dressed in a kaftan, beads and bells
and wearing flowers in his hair, McKenzie looked a right pratt.
The village by
village contact site for anybody researching family history, genealogy and local history in the UK and Ireland. Every UK county,
town and village has a page for family history, local history, surname and genealogy enquiries. Use the search box to find
your village or town.
"For this
is total war, and total war is war right inside the home itself. Emptying the clothes cupboards and the larder, screaming
its threats through the radio at the hearth - burning and bombing it's way from roof to cellar."
J
B Priestley. Postscript 1940
When the Young@ Heart began in 1982
the members all lived in an elderly housing project in Northampton, MA called the Walter Salvo House. The first group included
elders who lived through both World Wars. One of our members had fought in the Battle of the Somme as a 16 year old and another,
Anna Main, lost her husband in the First World War. By 1983 our
original group was ready to create our first stage production. We enlisted the support of Roy Faudree from No Theater to stage
“Stompin’ at the Salvo”. No Theater was doing the most intriguing theater work in town and I was stunned
when Roy agreed to stage the first show. That first production was memorable for the sensation and buzz it created in town.
The show sold out four times and brought in a broad cross section of younger and older people from the community. It also
brought us new performers. In early 1984 Eileen Hall, Warren Clark, and Ralph Intorcio joined the group. Warren and Ralph
were both very good at doing female impersonations. Warren took on the persona of Sophie Tucker, a popular vaudevillian stage
performer and Ralph did a send-up of Carol Channing’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”. Eileen
was born and raised in London and brought us an array of different routines, including strip, mime and the song “Nobody
Loves a Fairy When She’s ...Ninety.” Y@H decided to combine these performances with a group of Latino break-dancers
from another local housing project. The result was “Boola Boola Bimini Bop”. These two shows were the first of
many collaborations Y@H created with different arts groups in town.
Although
most people know me as a researcher of West Texas rock ‘n’ roll music of the 1950s, and a historian of
Buddy Holly and the Crickets, I’m really interested in the big picture, that of the entire 1950s music
era. This website is devoted, as the title states, to the Rockin’ 50s. This is the title of my website, my
magazine, and my business. Aside from various lists of related items for sale, I also offer a News And Announcements
board and an interactive message board where you can ask any question pertaining to the 1950s and someone will
come along and answer it for you. I have a lot of very knowledgeable people supporting this board and the
amount of information they possess is scary, but very useful for all of you!So have fun exploring and browsing the
various links and I hope you find whatever you are looking for.
"Ain't nothing
but a hound dog" was barely heard through a crowd of wild teenagers of the 1950's listening to their teen idol, Elvis!
This teen idol was perfect for this crowd of teens. Teenagers in the fifties wanted to be different and alike at the same
time. They wanted to be cool, but "different". This is why Elvis was perfect for them. Rock and Roll was brought
into the world at this time and most parents thought it was unsuitable for a family audience. The teenagers loved him though,
they thought he was the greatest thing on Earth. The 1950's was a very exciting decade and it still is. It was a time
of happiness, individuality, and plain old fun.
The Wayback Machine
plays the greatest songs ever recorded from 1955 through 1979, starting with Bill Haley and the Comet's Rock Around the
Clock, the song that started it all
Paul J. Warwick is Boston's half baked Bean bringing you the"Wayback
Machine" covering the 45 RPM sounds of 1950s to late 70s. Paul's humorous look at these areas is not only entertaining
for all ages of listeners, but also a wonderful trip down memory lane that everyone enjoys. A wonderful addition to the Flaming
Oldies Showcase Series.
Hey Chickie
Baby, this site is rated Cool for Cats, hep Chicks, Greasers, Motor heads, Beats, Cool Kittens and Sandra Dee's. Site
contains over 400 Photos of Fifties Cars, Fabulous 50's Visitors memories and pictures, nostalgia, Pinups, Retro Fashions
and Fun Shopping. Oldies Clip-art, all the Fifties, all the time, completely modern and up to date.
YouRememberThat.com is an online community
focused on sharing and reminiscing about pop-culture video, audio, and images that stir our memories of the past - old television,
theme songs, commercials, print advertisements, and more. We've got the sights and sounds you remember from the 30s, 40s,
50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond...
Come join our friendly community and start sharing your memories! If you
are a Baby Boomer or Gen Xer, you will find this to be the site for memories!
This site is rated G (maybe PG on
some posts) you can always feel comfortable sharing this site to your mother, kids or grandkids!
Welcome to the Early Blues Website There is precious little evidence that the commercially
inspired fusion of black and white music that lay at the heart of rock and roll has made a significant contribution to inter-racial
understanding or that the new generation of white blues fans has much appreciation of the context of human suffering from
which this suddenly trendy music evolved. Still as they see the promise of socio-economic advancement that was once assumed
to be nothing less than their national birthright give way to diminished hopes and frustrated expectations, a number of
Americans of every race in every region may one day come to appreciate the difference between hearing the blues and feeling
them. If so, just as the blues once so clearly chronicled the failure of Delta society to live up to its ideals
(or to celebrate ideals, consistent with the life experiences of the majority of its members), their remarkable musical legacy
may eventually transcend geographic boundaries and racial barriers to focus critical popular attention on the discrepancies
between the real and ideal in not only regional but national life as well.”
Lost in the Fifties ''close your eyes baby, follow my heart, call on the memories,
here in the dark, we'll let the magic take
us away, back to the feelin's we shared when they played ..''
Welcome to British
TV History, which concentrates on historic broadcasts, timelines, archive issues and TV technology, from the earliest days
of mechanical television to todays digital broadcasts
Everyone feels
some nostalgia for the TV programmes that they watched when very young, so here we attempt to bring back to you some of the
flavour of television in the Fifties. An introduction to TV in the Fifties, testcards, the BBC Clock and the major milestones
of TV progress in the '50s feature in this section. A few video clips are included to illustrate how it all worked. The
Potter's Wheel, London to Brighton in Four Minutes and those Announcers with the BBC accents like MacDonald Hobley and
Sylvia Peters. Woodentops, Mr.Turnip, Hank the Cowboy, Hopalong Cassidy, The Bumblies, Billy Bunter, Sooty, Ivor the Engine,
Tony Hancock, The Cisco Kid, Crackerjack, Robin Hood, Rin Tin Tin, Dixon of Dock Green, Captain Pugwash, Maigret, Bilko, Whacko!,
Whirlybirds..... and loads more!
We're talking
about Fifites Rock 'N' Roll, Rockabilly, Doo Wop, Rhythm & Blues, Pin-Ups, Tattoos, Hot Rods, Weekenders etc.
Welcome to British TV History,
which concentrates on historic broadcasts, timelines, archive issues and TV technology, from the earliest days of mechanical
television to today’s digital broadcasts updated
23 Jan 2009
The early 1950s
was a time remembered for its innocence, timeless style (excepting perhaps pink tail-finned Cadillacs), the end of the Korean
War, and the end of the big band era. By the end of 1953 "Rock Around The Clock" would be an international hit for
Bill Haley and the Comets, and shortly thereafter Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Elvis Presley would take the
limelight away from the crooners.