Charles Atlas, Horace Batchelor and.......

[indalo]

Ever since that reference to Horace Batchelor, I've been searching my mind for the name of another pools forecaster from the old Radio Luxembourg days. I'm sure Batchelor had a competitor but the name I thought of doesn't show up on Google. That name is Alfred Oliver but if that's wrong, then it's something similar.

Someone will probably know it although I'm not even certain the ad was from Luxembourg. What I do remember though is that one of the DJs back in the 50s was one, Kent Walton. Most readers will probably remember him as the voice of wrestling on TV when such stars as Mick MacManus and Jacky Pallo reigned supreme.

Today, it was reported that Janet Brown passed away at the age of 87. She was an excellent impressionist and comedienne, most famous for her take-offs of Maggie Thatcher and not to be confused with that other well-known Thatcher impressionist, Faith Brown. Many readers under the age of 40 might not remember either of those ladies and that's a shame because they were funny women.

What has all this to do with electric bikes you may ask....? Well, not a lot of people know this but neither of them ever owned or rode an electric bike as far as I know.....unless you know different!

Ah, nostalgia just ain't what it used to be!

Indalo

 

[Blew it]

I remember Radio Luxembourg "The station of the stars" on 208 meters very well. One evening each week, I think it was Thursdays, we all piled into a school-friends house at 7pm waiting to hear the latest episode of 'Journey into space'. His parents were the proud owners of a magnificent wireless set with a green winking eye on the front panel. As the sun went down, this (tuning valve) would gradually change to green as the signal got stronger. Although we didn't understand at the time, we were of course waiting for the ionosphere to de-ionize, providing a high altitude radio 'mirror' for the hf transmissions from Europe.

A few years later, my Aunty owned a new-fangled thing called a 'television'. Every Sunday evening the entire family piled into her house to watch 'Sunday night at the London Palladium'. Alma Cogan singing 'Picking a chicken' resulted in my first 'crush' at the tender age of twelve. Also recall 'What's my line' chaired by that grumpy old sod Gilbert Harding, the very elegant Lady Isobelle Barnet attracted more than a little heroine worship from me.

We are getting soooo bloody old, ( I don't really mind, it's quite good fun actually )

All the best
Bob

 

[flecc]

We are getting soooo bloody old, ( I don't really mind, it's quite good fun actually )

All the best
Bob

My sentiment too, I've enjoyed getting older, each passing decade bringing it's own rewards. Can't understand those who hate the process since I can't imagine anything more tedious than to remain the same for ever.

 

[Alex728]

I'm not yet 40 but remember Janet Brown and her Thatcho impersonations (as well as the real thing). Also the local ILR station where I lived in Reading was Radio 210 so at night time Luxy used to bleed across into it on some receivers I owned.

In my era though it was Laser 558, and also the first FM pirates from London...

Also remember in 1980s watching a testcard from Norway in Reading on an old black and white TV due to the sunspots, also trying to get other regions on these TV's during summer...

I remember Mick McManus (who is still around) was interviewed in the South London Press in the early 90s. He said once an old granny lady who had took exception to his behaviour in the ring actually stubbed out her lit cigarette on his buttock as he exited the ring - he rushed back to his dressing room howling in pain, to be consoled by the chap he'd been fighting!

 

[mike killay]

I am pretty certain that Journey into Space (Doc the Aussie, Jet Morgan, Lemmy etc) was on BBC, and Eamonn Andrews was the question master on What's my Line? I can remember Gilbert Harding and Lady Isobel but the other two I cannot. Strange thing was they all wore evening dress!
And of course Sylvia Peters the announcer who announced that we were all going over to the Coronation.

 

[Blew it]

To tell you the truth Mike, I've thought about this a couple of times since posting. It seems my memories have become a little discombobulated with the advancing years.

You are of course quite right, 'What's my line' was chaired by Eamonn Andrews. Gilbert Harding was the ringmaster of 'Twenty Questions', and that's possibly wrong as well.

 

[indalo]

It's amazing how memory allows us to remember stuff from 50 years ago yet sometimes we can't remember what we had for dinner yesterday....well, that's the way it is for me anyway!

I remember all the names mentioned and you are right Blewit; Gilbert Harding did chair Twenty Questions. You're right too in that he was a grumpy sod but he wasn't actually old. He dropped dead when he was 53. Curiously, many of the names mentioned failed to make retirement age, Isobel Barnett for example, committing suicide after being found guilty of shoplifting in the late 70s or early 80s. Alma Cogan died from cancer in her late 30s or early 40s and while she may well have sung, "Pickin' a chicken" on the Palladium show, I remember Eve Boswell having a hit with that song.

Eamonn Andrews was in his early 60s when he pegged out; Dickie Henderson only made 62; Eric Morecambe didn't make 60; Tommy Coooper was early 60s and Hancock, incredibly, was only in his early 40s when he passed away. Leonard Rossiter was another who never owned a bus pass. Mario Lanza, arguably one of the greatest tenor voices ever to have lived, though never formally trained, didn't even see 40! Ruby Murray managed 61 years and Billy Fury was gone in his mid 40s.

Now, while I'm not entirely certain whether any of those spent much time on electric bikes, I remember well a young guy by the name of Barry Sheen who did spend a lot of time on bikes, though his choice was the IC engine variety. He, famously, broke more bones than I knew existed but was rebuilt many times by clever orthopaedic surgeons only to succumb to cancer in his early 50s. Steve McQueen, whom we all remember sitting astride that motor cycle contemplating the fence, also couldn't beat cancer at the age of 50.

For those of us who are old enough to remember all those people performing, I suppose we really ought to be grateful that we've had the privilege and are still around to reflect on such talent as well as the many others who entertained us all those years ago.

Have you ever noticed how so many old people just seem to live in the past?

Regards,
Indalo