Saturday Morning Pictures

[rjd0309]

(Hell_driver @ Dec 5 2005, 09:13 AM) That's not King of The Rocket Men you're thinking of is it? I remember watching that on BBC 2 years ago and just recently got a couple of dvd's made up of the complete serial.

I well remember KING OF THE ROCKETMEN shown as a serial on Saturday morning television years ago. Great fun! Campy villains but excellent stunt work by the best stuntmen in the business.

Like you, I recently got the complete serial on DVD, as well as the second serial RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON.

I have not seen the third serial ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE available on DVD yet. Leonard Nimoy has a small part as an alien invader, tho' you have to look closely to see that it's Leonard under all of that makeup.

Robert

[samkydd]

They were still showing the Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft brown and white 1943 Batman series at the Saturday morning fliclks in the 1970s. I wish they'd bring it out on DVD I used to love it!

[Jackdaw]

I attended the Greenford Granada on Saturday mornings, and was thus a 'Greenford Granadier',and required to sing our anthem, which was set to the the tune of 'The British Grenadiers'.
We weren't allowed in the first seven rows,but my mates and I were unchallenged in the eighth,with our 'bitches' ensconced in the row behind.
The appearance of the organist rising from the pit was the highlight of the performance.When he was ascending or descending he was regarded as fair game,but when he was stationary it was regarded as unsporting to lob anything at him.
We then had the singalong with the words up on the screen.Of course we had our own risque lyrics for most of the songs,thus 'Out of Town' became 'In the Bog',and all the time we were supervised by an usherette with the charm and temperament of Biffa Bacon's Mutha.
The poor sod of a manager had to go on stage to compere the various competitions and events and he looked as uncomfortable as Eamonn Andrews in the Crackerjack (Crackerjack!) sketches,but with added irascibility.
The actual programme was a bit of anticlimax after all this,and apart from the cartoons,we weren't that interested.Apart from one day, when we had a film about a young boy who acquired a magic marble,which when rubbed would stop time,apart from his that is.Any ideas anyone?
At the end it was every man for himself in the rush to bundle out before the national anthem got into full swing,something which amused me long into adulthood.Quintessential Britishness.


Jacky
PS. Sam,you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a sucked-out frozen Jubbly.Those things were like bloody meteorites!

[samkydd]

(jackdaw @ Dec 6 2005, 01:45 AM) PS. Sam,you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a sucked-out frozen Jubbly.Those things were like bloody meteorites!

I was on the receiving end, frequently. I was only infants school age when I used to go with my brothers and we'd sit near the front. We used to get pelted with frozen Jubblys from the back!

[arty-dave]

(David Brent @ Dec 5 2005, 03:20 AM) Does anyone remember the luminous ABC member's badge that used to glow in the dark? I kept mine for many year's but unfortunately cannot find it now.

Try..looking..for..it..at..night...

[arty-dave]

(Gettingold @ Dec 5 2005, 03:29 PM) What about Torchy the Battery Boy, or was that the telly

It..was..the..telly

[samkydd]

(arty-dave @ Dec 6 2005, 11:22 AM) It..was..the..telly

Does anyone remember a Sinbad type film which was probably made in the late 50s, early 60s which was shown at our Saturday Morning flicks, where a, arab man was shown this beautiful woman by another arab and she opened her arms to embrace him and then crushed him to death! I think she was some sort of robot.

[Tony Pendrey]

As in kid in Southend in the 60's I had the choice of The Odeon or The Ritz.

Both were a tanner to get in and in all the years I went it never went up.

I favoured the odeon 'cause The Ritz filled up time with an organ player. As he/she emerged from the bowels of the cinema there was a hail of lolly sticks, apple cores and the like. I can remember a furious manager stopping proceedings on a number of occasions !

Proceedings always kicked off with us all standing and singing the national anthem. At the end there was always a mighty great cheer and the first of a number of cartoons began. They were still showing the original Batman stuff and Flash Gordon. I am pretty sure that the projectionist used to mix up the running order of Batman , cause it was often impossible to follow the plot each week. But maybe that was me ;-)

It was nigh impossible to sneak your mates in via the exits. At the slightest hint of light of light the entire audience would erupt with "SHUT THAT DOOR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ", alerting the "committee" SS.

Does any remember the dreaded "Committee". These were slightly older kids who had been given the power to boss everyone else about. They wore sinister red armbands and I believe in former lives they had all been members of the nazi party.

If the film broke down, which was quite often, we would all chant, "we want our money back", over and over till the bloody film came back on. I would imagine the manager could have quite happily opened up on the "audience" with a tommy gun.

Saturday morning flicks meant everything to me back then, and I am sure many others have a thousand happy memories of the films seen then.

A question. Were "Jubblies" those frozen orange drinks that came in a triangular package ?

I myself could only run to a "Zoom" ice lolly 6d.

[Jackdaw]

(Tony Pendrey @ Dec 6 2005, 05:07 PM) A question. Were "Jubblies" those frozen orange drinks that came in a triangular package ? I myself could only run to a "Zoom" ice lolly 6d.

You've got it,Tony!
But in the fifties Jubblies were only 3d,rising to an extortionate 4d in the sixties.
You must have been a posh boy.

Jacky

[David Brent]

Occassionally we would go mad and spend ninepence and sit in the "luxury" seats in the balcony.
It was great to look down on the rabble below.
Only trouble was, when the cinema used to have the occassional on-stage competition's it was near impossible to get to the stage in time.
I remember too that for awhile,until management woke up, there used to be a few bigger kids being let into the cinema through the "Exit" doors by their mates inside. Without paying of course.

I also remember the Flash Gordon serials being shown.
Not exactly quality stuff but very entertaining just the same.

Oooooohhhhhh! Just remembered those excellent Raspberry Ripples on a stick.
Can you still get those in the UK?

Dave.

[samkydd]

(jackdaw @ Dec 6 2005, 01:45 AM) We then had the singalong with the words up on the screen.Of course we had our own risque lyrics for most of the songs,thus 'Out of Town' became 'In the Bog',and all the time we were supervised by an usherette with the charm and temperament of Biffa Bacon's Mutha.

Slightly off topic but harking back to old TV series they'd show in the school holidays, does anyone remember Alan Hale Junior as Casey Jones? At school when we were about 12, me and another lad re-wrote the lyrics to the TV series Casey Jones on the school bus. The opening song was changed to:

Stop your pissin' you've got gonorrhoea,
A brand new story 'bout a queer engineer
He's the queerest of them all we claim
Number One his reputation Casey Jones his name.

Casey Jones, schemin' and controllin'
Casey Jones, you never have to dress
When you hear the tootin' of his penis
It's Casey at the throttle of the bum boy express

The end credits song was:

So long for now we'll be seeing you when
Casey goes a chasin' after the men
With his steaming penis and his smoking crack
And has balls striking thunder on the railroad track.

There'll be Bum Boy Junior and old Red Cock too,
Queer man Wally and the rest of the crew,
In a thrilling adventure that's a lot of fun
When Casey goes a searchin' for another bum!

Terrible but the sad thing is I still remember the words from over 30 years ago!

[Fellwanderer]

(Tony Pendrey @ Dec 6 2005, 05:07 PM) As in kid in Southend in the 60's I had the choice of The Odeon or The Ritz. Both were a tanner to get in and in all the years I went it never went up. I favoured the odeon 'cause The Ritz filled up time with an organ player. As he/she emerged from the bowels of the cinema there was a hail of lolly sticks, apple cores and the like. I can remember a furious manager stopping proceedings on a number of occasions !

I seem to remember there was one on the London Road - at about the junction with Crowstone Road, I think. That was the one I went to in the late 50s. Wasn't the Odeon down by Southend Central Station?

FELL

[arty-dave]

I..dont..suppose..anyone..else..here..went..to..th e..Odeon..in..Morecambe?

[Tony Pendrey]

(Fellwanderer @ Dec 7 2005, 08:29 PM) I seem to remember there was one on the London Road - at about the junction with Crowstone Road, I think. That was the one I went to in the late 50s. Wasn't the Odeon down by Southend Central Station? FELL

That was The Mascot, Fell. Was burnt to the ground around 1964 after kids had been throwing fireworks around.

Mind you, The Essoldo was also down that way too. Mascot was North side of the road and Essoldo was South.

The Odeon was indeed down by the station. The building still stands but that area is currently all being turned into The University of Sarfend.

[Fellwanderer]

(Tony Pendrey @ Dec 8 2005, 05:26 PM) That was The Mascot, Fell. Was burnt to the ground around 1964 after kids had been throwing fireworks around.

That was the one. I certainly remembered it as being on the north side of the road. Not guilty on the fireworks - lived at the far end by then.

Mind you, The Essoldo was also down that way too. Mascot was North side of the road and Essoldo was South.

I'd forgotten all about the one on the south side but I'm getting hazy recollections now.

The Odeon was indeed down by the station. The building still stands but that area is currently all being turned into The University of Sarfend.

It's 41 or 42 years tomorrow since The Odeon hosted the biggest event in it and Southend's history with the appearance of The Beatles.

FELL