Blog put on hold

As of today I will not be posting regularly as I seem to have scraped the barrel of my newspaper collection and do not want to rehash the same stories. So until (and if) I get any new papers of interest I shall leave things as they are.

For anyone coming across this blog and reading this post, it might be of interest to them that prior to 29^th December 2013 the Sunday posts were more in keeping with the blog’s masthead description as seen above, with the front page and everything else I thought might be of interest from a single edition of a particular newspaper.   From then until the end of September 2014 the detailed Sunday posts were replaced by just a front page story. For the next 7 months it was alternating adverts and cuttings and for the last 3 months just adverts.

Thank you for your support and the 50,000 odd hits. I hope I have entertained those who have strayed this way.

Watch this space.

Mike

P.S. A new blog The Right Words which mostly covers books or films you may have missed can be found here.

Advert - London Underground and Edgware (1925)

Click to Enlarge

1925 and Edgware is the back of beyond, out there where they have to claim to have mains drainage before people will move to it. Edgware station at the end of the Northern Line was opened in August 1924.

Advert - Star cigarettes (1934)

Click to Enlarge

This 1930's advert for Will's Star cigarettes features Evelyn Laye whose career included musical comedy, operetta, films, TV and pantomime. She died at 95 in 1996

'Princess Charming' was a 1934 film with Max Miller, Finlay Currie and Henry Wilcoxon supporting Miss Laye.

Advert - John Pound Cabin Trunk (1923)

Click to Enlarge

This 1923 John Pound and Co. cabin trunk would probably exceed most airlines' weight limits empty. No, these were for proper travel by luxury liner or depositing dead bodies in at Charing Cross Station left luggage office.

Advert - Pro-Plus (1980's)

Click to Enlarge

As essential to the 1980's Young Urban Professional, or Yuppie, as his filofax and brick-sized mobile phone, Pro-Plus tablets kept him high on caffeine. These days it would be Red Bull.

Advert - Rinso (1926)

Click to Enlarge

1926 advert for Rinso the Dirt Dispeller. Rinso dates back to 1918 and was one of the first mass-market soap powders.

Advert - Aspro featuring Dickie Valentine (1950's)

Click to Enlarge

Dickie Valentine had 14 Top 30 hits between 1954 and 1959 and was killed in a car crash in 1971. Aspro (Aspirin) may not harm the heart but if you are brave enough check the side effects online.

Advert - Shredded Wheat (1930's)

Click to Enlarge

Shredded Wheat 1930's style. I'm not sure about the gooseberries though, sound a bit healthy for my liking.

Advert - The Colony Restaurant (1950's)

Click to Enlarge

Felix King had a residency at the Colony Restaurant from 1950 until 1959. As far as I can tell the restaurant was part of the Colony Club where ageing film star George Raft acted as host for several months in 1966 before being deported as an 'undesirable alien'.

Wally Griffin was an American comedian possibly worth staying awake until midnight to see.

Advert - Join the WRAF (1959)

Click to Enlarge

Join the Women's Royal Air Force in 1959 and enjoy all the thrills of sitting in a bunker in East Anglia and staring at a Radar screen for hours on end. But at least you'll get your own personal mirror light!

Advert - Renault cars (1927)

Click to Enlarge

The new Renault cars for 1927. The 9/15 had a top speed of only 39mph, you'd need the 14/45 if you were reckless enough to want to go at 60mph.

Advert - Zee-Kol Ointment (1934)

Click to Enlarge

1934 advert for Zee-Kol which claims to cure a range of horrible skin diseases in a night. According to Wikipedia (and therefore it must be true) George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon (1866 – 1923) was an English aristocrat best known as the financial backer of the search for, and the excavation of, Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings. His death from erysipelas led to the story of the 'Curse of Tutankhamun'.  He should have used Zee-Kol.

Advert - Guinness beer (1950's)

Click to Enlarge

The Guinness 'smiling face' was so well known by the 1950's that this advert doesn't even show the brand name. Drawn by 'Douglas' but I can't identify him online.

Advert - Riley Adelphi car (1930's)

Click to Enlarge

The Riley 1.5 litre Adelphi was produced from 1936 to 1939.

Advert - Rolls Razor (1926)

Click to Enlarge

A 1926 advert for the Rolls Razor with the guaranteed blade. Normal 'safety' razors as opposed to cut-throat razors had to have a new blade put in every few shaves but this had a permanent blade that was automatically honed. Expensive though at £1.25 and £1.50.

Advert - Granada Video Recorder rental (1980's)

Click to Enlarge

1982 and the must have gadget was a VHS video recorder and you could rent one from Granada for only £14.45 a month, build up a huge library of tapes and then wonder what to do with them when DVD's arrived.

Advert - Philishave Electric Razor (1950's)

Click to Enlarge

Freddie Truman was apparently a cricketer who played for Yorkshire and Peter Haigh a BBC TV announcer. In the 1950's they apparently used a Philishave electric razor. I think Jack Train was an entertainer. Or a cricketer.

Advert - Prams from W J Harris (1926)

Click to Enlarge

1926 advert for prams. Push chairs seem to have replaced the old pram these days. Not much chance of baby falling out of these monsters. Are wheels really 15/- extra?

Advert - Vacuum cleaner from Barkers (1940's)

Click to Enlarge

1940's vacuum cleaner and sink advert. A couple of things cause pause for thought - nowhere does it way who makes the cleaner and the sink is described as 'slightly substandard'. Even if Barkers are 'of Kensington', I'll pass.

Advert - Rex Coronation Souvenir records (1937)

Click to Enlarge

On 12th May 1937 the Coronation of King George VI was held at Westminster Abbey. This advert was published on 13th may 1937.

Note that the records came with a full-colour picture label e.g.

Advert - L C Smith Typewriter (1910ish)

Click to Enlarge

The L C Smith model 8 typewriter from around 1910/11. Having used a manual typewriter in the past I cannot believe the'Silent' claim. The company evolved into Smith-Corona.

Advert - 100 Pipers Scotch Whisky (1980's)

Click to Enlarge

1980's advert for 100 Pipers Scotch Whisky and another nicely drawn cartoon.

Advert - Ferguson Television (1940's)

Click to Enlarge

1940's Television 1 channel, black and white picture and only  broadcasting 18 hours a week. 

Note the screen sizes - 10" x 8" is a bit smaller than an A4 sheet of paper. And that's the bigger of the two priced at the equivalent (allowing for inflation) of about £3000.

Advert - Butlin's for Honeymoons (1950's)

Click to Enlarge

The 1950's were the heyday of Billy Butlin's holiday camps. He started building hotels in 1953, Blackpool and Cliftonville followed in 1955. Who'd want to be woken up on their honeymoon by a hearty 'Rise and shine' every morning?

Advert - Kwiksail Car bonnet mascot (1920's)

Click to Enlarge

The Kwiksail car bonnet mascot guaranteed to inflict maximum damage to any pedestrian you run into. Especially the Biplane (Large) model. Beware of driving too fast or your front wheels may leave the ground. 1920's advert.

Advert - Philco Radio (1936)

Click to Enlarge

1936 advert for a Philco type 444 'The People's Set' bakelite wireless. The auction house Bonhams sold one in 2009 for £144 although another website suggests a going price of £495.

Cutting - Grand National and Lincoln Handicap (1923)

24th March 1923

Click to Read

The 1923 Aintree Grand National was won by a 13 year-old horse, Sergeant Murphy, ridden by the Wodehousian named 'Tuppy' Bennett at 100/6. The three favourites were also rans. In December of 1923 Geoffrey 'Tuppy' Bennett was thrown during a race at Wolverhampton and kicked in the head. He died 19 days later and consequently protective headgear was made compulsory for all jockeys. You can watch the newsreel of the Grand National on the Pathé site or YouTube.

Advert - Gamages Store (1950's)

Click to Enlarge

1950's Gamage Store. I worked opposite it in the 1960's and spent many a lunch-hour exploring its nooks and crannies. Typical that an advert for business suits would also include archery bows - they stocked everything.

Cutting - Michael Rennie dies (1971)

11th June 1971

Click to Read

Michael Rennie was an English born film actor who, after a short career in films on this side of the pond, moved to Hollywood in the early 1950’s where he appeared in about 80 roles in films and on TV. He also appeared on Broadway. His mother-in-law was found murdered in 1954. See this post.

Advert - Turk cigarettes (1910's)

Click to Enlarge

Lovely drawing in this 1910's advert for Turf cigarettes by 'The Tout' aka Peter Ronald Buchanan. His original artworks are now collectable items.

Cutting - Olympia Motor Show (1935)

17th October 1935

Click to Read

The future King Edward VIII, as Prince of Wales, opening the Olympia Motor Show on 16th October 1935.  

If you were in the market for a shiny new 1936 car then why not try the Riley Kestrel 6 at £450 and only £7 10s a year road tax? Rover had 9 models ranging from a 10 horsepower model at £248 to a 14hp at £415. The cheaper Austin range had 12 models between £120 and £187 or 20hp Alvis for a whopping £800. 

For those must have accessories who could resist a trip meter which computes average speed  and times the car over a set distance down to 1/5th of a second?

Advert - Fine Fare (1980's)

Click to Enlarge

Founded in 1951, Fine Fare was an offshoot of its parent company Welwyn Department Stores of Welwyn Garden City. The name disappeared from the High street in 1988 when it was re-branded as Gateway.

If they were really confident that their prices were cheap they'd have written 'YOU DISPROVE IT' as a challenge.

Cutting - Jack Hylton Dies (1965)

29th January 1965

Click to Read

Jack Hylton was a very popular band leader in England and on the Continent (even playing for Herman Goering in Berlin) throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s. In 1936 he took America by storm and toured Canada. He also dabbled in entrepreneurship, having brought Duke Ellington over the Britain for the first time in 1933. In 1940 he stopped performing and concentrated on theatrical and TV production, having London West End hits with shows like ‘Kiss Me Kate’, ‘Kismet’ and ‘Salad Days’. At the age of 70 in 1963 he married 29 year-old Beverley Prowse and, as detailed above, died in 1965.

Advert - Kan-U-Go (1940's)

Click to Enlarge

Kan-U-Go looks suspiciously like a Scrabble rip off but in fact pre-dates the better known game. Kan-U-Go was copywrited in 1934 and Scrabble wasn't invented until 1938. This is a 1940's advert. And for the really sad and lonely - Kan-U-Go-Alone.

Cutting - Lady Drummond Hay reports from the Hindenburg (1936)

8th May 1936

Click to Read

The 'Maiden Voyage' of the Hindenburg airship from Germany to the USA in May 1936. It wasn't actually the first commercial trans-Atlantic flight that the Hindenburg had made; it had been to South America earlier in the year. 

Lady Drummond Hay was a journalist for William Randolph Hearst's newspapers. She had covered the 1929 Graf Zeppelin Around the Globe flight sponsored by Hearst and a marvellous documentary film of the flight and her participation can be seen on good old YouTube. 

The 'Saint' author Leslie Charteris was among the many celebrities on the Hindenburg flight and a very entertaining fictional account of his fictional investigation into a fictional murder on board can be read in Max Allen Collin's book 'The Hindenburg Murder'. 

It was at Lakehurst almost a year to the day later that the Hindenburg crashed in flames on 6th May 1937 and in doing so ended the era of the great passenger airships.

For anyone interested in the so called 'Maiden Flight' I recommend this website.

Advert - Kodak featuring John Mills (1958)

Click to Enlarge

1958 advert for Kodak camera film featuring film star John Mills star of that year's 'Dunkirk'.

Cutting - Steam Wagon Overturned (1926)

31st August 1926

Click to Read

An overturned steam wagon in High Road, Tottenham. How on earth did a 6-ton vehicle with a top speed of less than 10mph manage to topple over? Still an ideal opportunity for those that like that sort of thing to view the bottom of an undertype chain drive steam lorry. Everyone to their own.

Advert - Houses for Sale (1920's)

Click to Enlarge

A house for £25 deposit, £60 on completion and £1 11s a week for the next 40 years. 1920's advert for houses in Ifield, Mill Hill, Banstead and Taplow.

Cutting - Gordon Richards Wins St Leger (1937)

8th September 1937

Click to Read

Gordon Richards won his first race as a jockey in 1921 and went on to ride a further 4869 winners before retiring in 1954. He was Champion Jockey in 26 years and was knighted in the Coronation Honours in 1953. This race, the 1937 St Leger, can be seen in a Pathe newsreel on YouTube.

Advert - Postal Bargains (1936)

Click to Enlarge

Christmas postal bargains from 1936. A sugar dispenser for Auntie Flo? The Pip cigarette puter-outer for Uncle Silas? And, of course, the Ni**er Money Box for your favourite nephew? I wonder what the Dragons would make of the Spork?

Cutting - Daily Express Comic Strips (1958)

26th July 1958

Click to Read

Despite Ian Fleming's misgivings about letting the Daily Express to strip cartoon his books, this 'James Bond' strip started on 7th July and ended on 13th December 1958 and was based on Fleming's book Casino Royale. It was scripted by Henry Gammidge and drawn by John McLusky who went on to illustrate 12 more Bond stories up to 1966. 

'Jeff Hawke' was created by Sydney Jordan and he had 69 adventures between 1955 and 1975. This strip is from the story 'The Dream Peddlers' which was scripted and drawn by Jordan. William Patterson wrote some of the stories. 

The surreal 'Four D Jones' by Peter Maddocks was about a time travelling cowboy and ran from 1955 to 1965. 

'Gun Law' drawn by Harry Bishop was based on the US TV series Gunsmoke that aired from 1955 until 1975. The star of the TV series, James Arness, is readily recognisable as Wyatt Earp in the strip.

Advert - Triumph Dolomite (1970's)

Click to Enlarge

A 1970's Triumph Dolomite from Henley's of Bournemouth, what more could you want?

Cutting - Hitler Dead (1945)

1st May 1945

Click to Read

Adolph Hitler actually committed suicide in the Fuhrer Bunker in Berlin on 30th April 1945 along with Eva Braun, who he had married the previous day. Hitler's last Will and Testament surprisingly named Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz as the new Fuhrer. The expulsion of both Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Goering from the Nazi Party for 'betraying Germany' meant that the leaders of the Army and the SS were out of the running as Hitler's successor so the head of the Navy was next in line i.e. Doenitz. Goebbels was made Chancellor but he committed suicide on 1st May. 

On the 4th May Doenitz surrendered to Field Marshall Montgomery and after the War was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He was released in 1956 and died in 1980.

Advert - Ferguson Radiogram (1940's)

Click to Enlarge

For those that are too young to know, a radiogram is a radio receiver and record player in one cabinet. If you don't know what a radio or a record is then Google it. This advert is from the late 1940's. 47gns? Approx £1585 allowing for inflation.

Cutting - Doctor in the House (1969)

3rd July 1969

Click to Read

The 'Doctor in the House' TV series ran to 26 episodes and was originally aired in 1969/70 starting on the 12 July. As well as Barry Evans, it starred Robin Nedwell and George Layton with Martin Shaw popping up in 10 episodes and the beautiful Yutte Stengaard in 5. The writers included Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Graham Chapman and John Cleese. Evans also starred in 'Doctor at Large' with Nedwell and Layton, who went on to 'Doctor in Charge', 'Doctor at Sea', 'Doctor on the Go', 'Doctor Down Under' and 'Doctor At The Top'. Barry Evans is probably best remembered by my generation as the star of the film 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush'.

Advert - Austin Healey Sprite (1958)

Click to Enlarge

The Austin Healey Sprite was introduced in 1958 by BMC and made at their MG factory at Abingdon. 0 - 60 in 20.5 seconds and a top speed of 83mph.

Cutting - Tommy Farr from Happy! (1937)

8th September 1937

Click to Read

If you thought punning headlines were a modern invention think again.

Tommy Farr was born in Blaenclydach in 1913 and had a boxing career from from the age of thirteen until 1953 during which he had 84 wins, 34 losses and 17 draws. He fought as a Light-heavyweight up until 1936 and then switched to Heavyweight. Ted Broadribb managed him from 1935 but they didn't get on and the American trainer Babe Culnan took over after the failed attempt to take the World Championship off Joe Louis in August 1937. Broadribb went on to manage (and become father-in-law of) Freddie Mills among others. 

Advert - Hoover (1929)

Click to Enlarge

The new Hoover is a British Empire product! By the look of these ladies in this 1929 advert it was probably the maids that were cleaning from floor to ceiling rather than them.

Cutting - Head-Hunting to End (1927)

28th April 1927

Click to Read

The mountain ranges known as the Naga Hills straddle the border between India and northern Burma. Despite considerable investment in schools, hospitals and roads on the Indian side, the Naga people of Burma remain almost entirely undeveloped and headhunting has been reported from the region as recently as the 1980's. At the time of this report in 1927 the writer George Orwell was a member of the Colonial Police Force stationed in the Sagaing region which included the homelands of the Naga peoples.

Advert - Oldsmobile car (1939)

Click to Enlarge

Another car leaping out of the page at you. From a 1939 US paper this is an Oldsmobile for $939 - except for State taxes and local taxes and optional equipment and accessories.