by Paul Feeney
Here is a selection of popular 1950s television shows that will surely bring back some fond memories:
77 Sunset Strip (1958–64) ITV. This was an American private detective series that starred Efrem Zimbalist Jr as Stu’ Bailey, and Roger Smith as Jeff Spencer, both former government secret agents. Edd Byrnes played the wisecracking, hair-combing, seriously cool, valet parking attendant from next door, Gerald Lloyd Kookson III, known to all as ‘Kookie’, the wannabe investigator. The two private detectives worked out of offices at 77 Sunset Strip, next door to Dean Martin’s real-life nightclub, Dino’s. All the girls loved ‘Kookie’, and his frequent use of the comb led to a huge increase in comb sales in Britain. In 1959, Edd Byrnes teamed up with Connie Stevens to release a pop record called Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb), and it reached number twenty-seven in the UK music charts.
Andy Pandy (1950–9) BBC TV. Television’s answer to Listen With Mother, aimed at toddlers. Andy Pandy was a string puppet portrayed as a three-year-old boy that supposedly acted just like the toddler viewers. The programme included songs and games with Andy Pandy and his friends, Teddy and Looby Loo the rag doll.
The Army Game (1957–61) ITV. Comedy drama series about a group of soldiers doing peacetime National Service in the British Army. The conscripts were determined to do as little work as possible, and lots of comedy capers went on behind the back of the fierce Sergeant Major. The cast included many actors that went on to become household names, including Alfie Bass, Bernard Bresslaw, Dick Emery, Harry Fowler, Bill Frazer, William Hartnell, Charles Hawtrey, Michael Medwin, Geoffrey Palmer, Norman Rossington and Frank Williams.
The Arthur Haynes Show (1956–66) ITV. A British comedy sketch series starring the talented Arthur Hayes, who was known for his famous portrayal of a tramp (‘Up to me neck in muck and bullets!’), a character that was created by Johnny Speight. Other regulars on the show included Nicholas Parsons, Patricia Hayes, Graham Stark and Dermot Kelly who played another tramp called Irish. The series only ended because of Arthur Haynes’ sudden death in 1966.
Before Your Very Eyes (1956–8) BBC TV and then ITV. Arthur Askey’s comedy sketch show, which also featured Anthea Askey (Arthur’s daughter), Sabrina (Norma Sykes) and June Whitfield. Sabrina played the dumb blond with a curvaceous figure, and Arthur Askey made endless jokes about her physique. Not one of the most entertaining shows for youngsters, but the talented June Whitfield was always worth a look.
Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (1952–61) BBC TV. This comedy TV series was based on the fictional books by Frank Richards (real name Charles Hamilton), who also scripted the series. It starred Gerald Campion, who was thirty-nine years old by the time the series ended, as the fat jam-tart and doughnut-loving schoolboy, Billy Bunter. Light-hearted, posh public schoolboy banter and comic bullying, with plenty of ‘Oh Crikey!’ and ‘I say, you fellows!’ This series was popular with both children and adults alike, with some episodes being shown twice a day to capture young and old viewers. Future stars that appeared included Anthony Valentine, Ron Moody, Michael Crawford, David Hemmings and Melvyn Hayes. The theme tune was taken from Sea Songs by Vaughan Williams.
The Black and White Minstrel Show (1958–78) BBC TV. This weekly light entertainment and variety show featured The Mitchell Minstrels as ‘blacked-up’ white performers singing Dixie and Country and Western songs. It was hugely popular with the old folk but it ruined many a child’s Saturday night.
Blue Peter (1958–present) BBC TV. Nobody ever thought that Blue Peter would evolve into the programme it has become today, or that it would still be running over fifty years down the line. It was first aired on 16 October 1958, and then appeared as a weekly fifteen-minute programme that was aimed at five-to eight-year-olds. The first two presenters were Christopher Trace and Leila Williams, winner of Miss Great Britain in 1957. In the programme, Christopher Trace would demonstrate boys’ toys, such as model railways, aeroplanes and trains, and Leila Williams would show girls’ toys, mainly dolls, and girls’ hobbies. Occasionally, the artist Tony Hart would appear on the programme, using his drawings to tell children’s stories. There were no Blue Peter badges, pets or ships, and no Blue Peter garden. The theme tune was a sea shanty called Barnacle Bill. In the 1960s, the programme’s running time was extended to twenty-five minutes and it was shown twice a week. In 1962, Leila Williams was removed from the programme by its newly appointed producer. Christopher Trace continued as a Blue Peter presenter until 1967.
The Buccaneers (1956–7) ITV. Adventure series which starred Robert Shaw as Dan Tempest, the ex-pirate captain of the Sultana gunship. Captain Dan Tempest and his crew of ex-pirates went on a series of swashbuckling high-seas adventures; they were perfectly behaved, with no gambling, stealing or wenching! Children of all ages loved this.
Captain Pugwash (1957–8) BBC TV. Animated television series of short five-minute-long films about the adventures of a fictional pirate called Captain Horatio Pugwash, and his cabin boy called Tom. Captain Pugwash sailed the seven seas with his pirate crew on his ship the Black Pig, often encountering the black-bearded villain, Cut-Throat Jake, captain of The Flying Dustman.
Cool for Cats (1956–61) ITV. A weekly fifteen-minute pop music show in which presenter Kent Walton played records and reviewed them. The Dougie Squires Dancers, including the then teenager Una Stubbs, performed dance routines to some of the music.
Crackerjack! (1955–84) BBC TV. A weekly children’s comedy/variety show. ‘It’s Friday, it’s five to five … It’s Crackerjack!’ Filmed in front of an audience of excited children, this was one of the most popular children’s television programmes ever. The show’s first presenter was Eamonn Andrews (1955–64), who mimed during the singing, and regular performers included Ronnie Corbett, Joe Baker and Jack Douglas. You would definitely have run home from school to see this. It had everything you needed to help you forget a hard week at school: corny jokes, singalongs, pop star guests, games, quizzes, comedy sketches, and ‘Double or Drop’, the game where kids’ arms were loaded up with prizes as they answered each question correctly, or with cabbages if they got them wrong. They were out of the game if they dropped anything or if they got two questions wrong. Everyone that took part got a Crackerjack pencil, and it was an unwritten rule that whenever the presenter said ‘Crackerjack’, the audience would shout back loudly, ‘Crack-er-jack!’
Criss Cross Quiz (1957–67) ITV. A general knowledge quiz game version of ‘Noughts and Crosses’. Jeremy Hawke presented the show in the 1950s.
Dixon of Dock Green (1956–76) BBC TV. Drama series featuring PC George Dixon, played by Jack Warner, who was an old-style London beat-Bobby; solving crime using the soft touch, ‘a nice cup of tea and a chat’, with the odd ‘clip around the ear’ for the young tearaways. Jack Warner was sixty years old when the television series first started, but with all the success he had at solving crime, it still took until he was well past retirement age before he got promoted to the rank of sergeant. This was something that mystified even the youngest of minds! ‘Evenin’ all!’
Double Your Money (1955–68) Rediffusion/ITV. This was a quiz show in which members of the public won cash prizes for answering increasingly difficult general knowledge questions, with the prize money doubling after each answered question. When the prize money reached £32 then contestants had to answer questions from inside a soundproofed sealed glass booth. Hughie Green was the host for the entire life of the show.
Educating Archie (1958–9) ITV. Comedy show similar to that already running on BBC radio. It ran for twenty-seven half-hour episodes on television, and starred Archie Andrews, a ventriloquist’s dummy dressed in a broad striped blazer and scarf, with ventriloquist Peter Brough. It also starred Irene Handle as the housekeeper Mrs Twissle, and Dick Emery as Mr Monty. The show was popular with the 250,000 members of the Archie Andrews children’s fan club, that had been built up from avid listeners to the radio shows. The trouble with the TV show was that you could see Brough’s lips moving – a bit of
a problem for a ventriloquist!
Emergency Ward 10 (1957–67) ITV. One of British TV’s first soap operas, and the first hospital-based drama. It was about life behind the swing-doors of fictional Oxbridge General Hospital. Its stars included Jill Browne as Nurse Carole Young, Rosemary Miller as Nurse Pat Roberts, Elizabeth Kentish as Sister Cowley and Charles Tingwell as House Surgeon Alan Dawson.
Grandstand (1958–2007) BBC TV. The first programme on British television to pull together a variety of sports into one show. Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock, but David Coleman took over the hot seat just a few weeks later, and he continued to present the show until 1968 when Frank Bough took over.
The Flowerpot Men (1952–4) BBC TV. Part of the Watch With Mother series, created and written by Freda Lingstrom. It was about the adventures of a pair of stringed puppets called Bill and Ben, made from small flowerpots that lived side-by-side in two giant flowerpots at the end of the garden, and their friend Little W-e-e-d. The Flowerpot Men would pop out for their adventures when the gardener went for his lunch. They spoke in a strange language of ‘flibodobs’ and ‘flibadobs’, while Weed warned them of any danger using her high-pitched voice to say ‘Weeeeeed’. There was usually a mishap while they were out of their pots, but who did it? Only the viewers and W-e-e-d knew they were there. ‘Was it Bill or was it Ben?’
Hancock’s Half Hour (1956–69) BBC TV. This was the television version of the popular radio comedy series. As with the radio shows it starred Tony Hancock as Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, who continually failed in his attempts to rise above his humble origins. Sid James was the only other cast member to transfer across from radio, although Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques made some guest appearances. Liz Frazer, Irene Handl, Hugh Lloyd, John Le Mesurier, Warren Mitchell, Arthur Mullard and Richard Wattis made other guest appearances. Wally Scott composed the distinctive tuba-based theme.
Highway Patrol (1956–8) ITV. This popular American crime/drama cop series made Dixon of Dock Green look pretty tame. It starred Broderick Crawford as the fast-talking gravel-voiced Highway Patrol Chief, Dan Matthews, solving crime somewhere in California, with lots of police patrol cars, motorbikes and helicopters chasing down the criminals. Dan Matthews often led the investigations from a patrol car and was known for his police-car-radio catchphrases: ‘Ten-Twenty’ (report your position), and the one that all the kids mimicked, ‘Ten-Four’ (message received and understood).
I Love Lucy (1955–65) ITV. One of the first ever family sitcoms shown on ITV when the new channel started in 1955. It starred Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo, the scatty wife of singer/bandleader Ricky Ricardo, played by Lucy’s real-life husband, Desi Arnaz. In the series, Lucy gets herself into all sorts of madcap situations with friends and landlords Ethel Mertz, played by Vivian Vance, and Fred Mertz, played by William Frawley. This was one of the funniest shows on television in the ’50s. Kids and grown-ups loved it!
Ivanhoe (1958–9) ITV. This adventure series starred Roger Moore, in his first leading television role, as Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a medieval knight on a white charger, complete with shiny armour, chainmail and plumed helmet. The heroic knight fought many swashbuckling battles with the wicked Prince John’s men, and had never a hair out of place on his neatly quiffed brylcreemed head. All the kids loved it!
Juke Box Jury (1959–67) BBC TV. A pop music panel show in which the host, DJ David Jacobs, played excerpts from the latest pop records and the four-panel celebrity jury made comments and voted the record a ‘hit’ or a ‘miss’. The panel in the early shows featured Alma Cogan (then twenty-seven), Gary Miller (then thirty-five), Pete Murray (then thirty-three), and Susan Stranks (then nineteen). In later series the panel was changed from week to week. The original theme was Juke Box Fury, written and performed by Tony Osborne under the name of Ozzie Warlock and the Wizards, but the theme was changed in 1960 to the more familiar Hit and Miss by the John Barry Seven.
The Larkins (1958–60) ITV. Comedy situation drama about a family living in the London suburbs and their next-door neighbours, the Prouts. The cast included David Kossoff as Alf Larkins, Peggy Mount as Ada Larkins, Shaun O’Riordon as Eddie Larkins, Ronan O’Casey as Jeff Rogers, Ruth Trouncer as Joyce Rogers, Hilary Bamberger as Myrtle Prout, Barbara Mitchell as Hetty Prout, and George Roderick as Sam Prout.
The Lenny the Lion Show (1957–60) BBC TV. Lenny the lion was a ventriloquist’s animal-puppet dummy, and Terry Hall was the ventriloquist. Lenny played a bashful lion with a lisp, unable to pronounce his Rs. He would regularly raise his paw across his head with embarrassment and say his catchphrase ‘Aw, don’t embawass me!’
Mr Pastry (1950–62) BBC TV. Richard Hearne had been playing Mr Pastry, a comical old man with a walrus moustache in a black suit or raincoat and bowler hat, since 1936. The doddery old Mr Pastry got up to lots of slapstick adventures. In 1958, Richard Hearne started to make a comedy series for ITV called The Adventures of Mr Pastry with Buster Keaton, but Buster Keaton became ill and returned to America. The one and only episode that was made of this series was shown on ITV on 21 June 1958. You will also remember Mr Pastry films being shown at Saturday Morning Pictures.
Muffin The Mule (1952–5) BBC TV, and then repeats appeared on ITV during 1956–7. A series of fifteen-minute puppet shows featuring Muffin the mule, with its television creator, Annette Mills (older sister of John Mills), at the piano.
Noddy (The Adventures of Noddy) (1955–6) ITV. The adventures of Enid Blyton’s ‘little nodding man’ and his many puppet friends, including Big-Ears, Mr Plod and Bumpy Dog.
Oh Boy! (1958–9) ITV. Rock and roll live music show, produced by Jack Good and presented by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall. It may have only been on the smallest of silver screens with rubbish sound quality, but it was a very entertaining and exciting show for kids of all ages. The show included live performances by British artists like Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde and Billy Fury, as well as top American artists like The Inkspots, Conway Twitty and Brenda Lee. Lord Rockingham’s Xl were the house band, supported by The Vernon Girls, the Dallas Boys and Neville Taylor’s Cutters. Other heart-throbs of the day that also appeared included Ronnie Carroll, The Drifters (later changed their name to The Shadows to avoid confusion with the successful American group called The Drifters), Tommy Steele, the John Barry Seven, ‘Cuddly’ Dudley (Dudley Hessop), The King Brothers, Terry Dene, Lonnie Donegan, Alma Cogan, Don Lang, Shirley Bassey, Gerry Dorsey (later changed his name to Engelbert Humperdinck), Marion Ryan, Tony Sheridan.
Perry Mason (1957–66) BBC TV. This American legal drama series starred Raymond Burr as a fictional Los Angeles defence attorney, Perry Mason, who always won his cases. Perry would solve the cases with the help of his investigator, Paul Drake, played by William Hopper, and his confidential secretary, Della Street, played by Barbara Hale. They did it all by themselves, sometimes they even found the body! And of course the police and the district attorney always charged the wrong person with the crime. The drama would end with Perry Mason getting the real villain to break down in the courtroom’s witness box and admit to having done it.
The Phil Silvers Show (1957–61) BBC TV. Phil Silvers played the fast-talking Sergeant Ernie Bilko in this American situation comedy in which Bilko and his subordinate team of soldiers undertake all sorts of get-rich-quick schemes behind the back of Colonel John T. Hall, played by Paul Ford, at the fictional Fort Baxter. Other cast members included Harvey Lembeck as Corporal Rocco Barbella, Allan Melvin as Corporal Steve Henshaw, Herbie Faye as Private Sam Fender and Maurice Gosfield as the slovenly Private Duane Doberman.
Picture Book (1955–73) BBC TV. Part of the Watch With Mother series, created by Freda Lingstrom. Patricia Driscoll initially introduced Picture Book, but she left in 1957 to play the part of Maid Marian alongside Richard Green in the ITV series, The Adventures of Robin Hood. You will remember Patricia’s soothing voice, and her catchphrase, ‘Do you think you could do this? – I am sure you could if you tried’. Vera McKechnie replaced he
r and kept up the good work. Each Monday the picture book would be opened to reveal a drawing of a house, and the camera would take us through the window to set the scene for a story to be told.
The Pinky and Perky Show (1957) BBC TV. A pair of puppet pigs that wore different clothes but were indistinguishable on 1950s black and white televisions. Pinky and Perky spoke and sang in high-pitched squeaky voices, created from speeded-up recordings, and they performed comedy sketches. They became very popular in the 1960s.
Popeye! (The Sailor Man) (1958) ITV. The cartoon adventures of Popeye the sailor man, his girlfriend Olive Oyl and his love rival, the villainous brute Bluto. There was also the infant, Swee’ Pea, who was found abandoned, and the hamburger-munching J. Wellington Wimpy. The adventures always involved a punch-up with Bluto, with Popeye eventually winning after gaining some extra muscular strength by swallowing a can of spinach. This show was a firm favourite with the kids.
Quatermass – The Quatermass Experiment (1953), Quatermass II (1955), and Quatermass and the Pit (1959) BBC TV. These science fiction dramas frightened the life out of everyone and sent kids to bed with nightmares. Aliens taking over the world, dramatised with eerie sound and visual effects. Very amateur by today’s standards, but realistic enough for the 1950s.
Rag, Tag and Bobtail (1953–65) BBC TV. Part of the Watch With Mother series, produced by Freda Lingstrom using stories by Louise Cochrane, about the woodland adventures of a hedgehog, a mouse and a rabbit.