Rock Hudson

Rock Hudson 1925 - 1985

On this day in 1925 Roy Harold Scherer Jr. was born in Winnetka, Illinois.  Better known to you and me as Rock Hudson, Roy was the son of an auto mechanic and a telephone operator who divorced when he was only eight years old.  After working for the Postal Service, serving as a Navy Airplane Mechanic during World War II and then driving a truck, Roy's 6' 5" frame and good looks got him into the movies. His name was changed to Rock Hudson and he took lessons in acting, singing, riding, dancing and fencing.  Rock was notoriously bad at remembering his lines and one line in his first film 'Fighter Squadron' in 1948 took 38 takes to get right.  He starred in many films and apart from the films he made with Doris Day I remember him best for his TV series 'McMillan & Wife'.  He was signed to Universal Studios to play McMillan in 1971 for one of the biggest salaries seen in television at the time.

To see some lovely pictures of Rock Hudson and Doris Day and to hear Doris singing, click on the following song title.  'Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps'

Children In Need

Did you know that Children In Need has been going for over 50 years?  The very first appeal was broadcast on the radio on Christmas Day 1927 and raised £1, 143 18s 3d which was shared between four charities.

In 1955 a 'Children's Hour Christmas Appeal' was broadcast on the TV for the first time on Christmas Day and starred Sooty and Harry Corbett.  These Christmas Day appeals carried on until 1979 on both Radio and Television.  

The first telethon format show was in 1980 presented by Terry Wogan, Sue Lawley and Esther Rantzen and the donations increased dramatically. Over a million pounds was raised for the very first time.  Last year in 2011 an incredible £26,332,334 was raised on the night.  The final total awarded to projects throughout the UK was over £46 million. 

Pudsey & Joanna Lumley

Did you know that Pudsey Bear first appeared in 1985 and he was brown?  He was named after the birthplace of his designer Joanna Ball.  It was only the next year that he became the official logo for Children In Need and he was turned yellow and given the red and white spotted bandage.

Terry Wogan is still fronting the show in 2012 with a variety of sidekicks and this years Official Song is sung by Girls Aloud.  Altogether Children in need has raised over £650 million over the years.

Oh! I Wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth!

I have less teeth now than I had when I started school!  (Did I tell you I'm nearly 50?)  Soon I'll be able to say I have falsies......and I won't mean boobs.  Big thanks to Mum for reminding me of this wonderful poem by Pam Ayres when I was whinging about the state of my gob!

Oh! I Wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth

Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth,

And spotted the perils beneath,
All the toffees I chewed,
And the sweet sticky food,
Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth.

I wish I'd been that much more willin'
When I had more tooth there than fillin'
To pass up gobstoppers,
From respect to me choppers
And to buy something else with me shillin'.

When I think of the lollies I licked,
And the liquorice allsorts I picked,
Sherbet dabs, big and little,
All that hard peanut brittle,
My conscience gets horribly pricked.

My Mother, she told me no end,
"If you got a tooth, you got a friend"
I was young then, and careless,
My toothbrush was hairless,
I never had much time to spend.

Oh I showed them the toothpaste all right,
I flashed it about late at night,
But up-and-down brushin'
And pokin' and fussin'
Didn't seem worth the time... I could bite!

If I'd known I was paving the way,
To cavities, caps and decay,
The murder of fillin's
Injections and drillin's
I'd have thrown all me sherbet away.

So I lay in the old dentist's chair,
And I gaze up his nose in despair,
And his drill it do whine,
In these molars of mine,
"Two amalgum," he'll say, "for in there."

How I laughed at my Mother's false teeth,
As they foamed in the waters beneath,
But now comes the reckonin'
It's me they are beckonin'
Oh, I wish I'd looked after me teeth.

Copyright: Pam Ayres

Happy 90th to BBC Radio and Happy 60th to the UK Singles Chart

On the 14th November 1922 at 5.33pm the British Broadcasting Company crackled into the lives and homes of the British public for the very first time.  Read by Arthur Burrows was a news bulletin which featured stories about a train robbery, a rowdy meeting involving Winston Churchill and the latest Billiard scores.  Mr Burrows read each story twice, once quickly and once slowly and asked the listeners to say which one they preferred.  At 5.33pm today a composition by Damon Albarn was played on all the BBC's stations to celebrate this significant Anniversary.  On a personal note, I feel like I was brought up on BBC Radio 2 as my Mum loved having music on when we were growing up. To this day I have happy memories of listening to Terry Wogan, Jimmy Young, 'Diddy' David Hamilton and Pete Murray amongst others.  And who can forget the Grumbleweeds and Roy Castle.  Can you imagine life without Radio and Television? I'd rather not.

Al Martino

Today is also the 60th Anniversary of the first UK Singles Chart which was published in the New Musical Express on 14th November 1952.  The first No.1 was Al Martino's Here in my Heart which spent nine weeks at the top spot, which also made it the first ever UK Christmas No.1.
The first full chart was a Top 12 which are listed below (Please click on any of the titles to listen to the songs)

1.  Here in My Heart - Al Martino
2.  You Belong to Me - Jo Stafford
3.  Somewhere Along the Way - Nat King Cole
4.  The Isle of Innisfree - Bing Crosby
5.  Feet Up (Pat Him on the Po-Po) - Guy Mitchell
6.  Half As Much - Rosemary Clooney
7.  High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me) - Frankie Laine
8.  Sugarbush - Doris Day & Frankie Laine
     and Blue Tango - Ray Martin and His Concert Orchestra
9.  The Homing WaltzThe Homing Waltz - Very Lynn
10. Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart - Vera Lynn
11  Cowpuncher's Cantata - Max Bygraves
      and Because You're Mine - Mario Lanza
12. Walkin' My Baby Back Home - Johnnie Ray

Obviously I wasn't around in 1952 (not quite that old...although, did I tell you I'm nearly 50?) but I do remember many a happy Sunday afternoon in my youth listening to and recording the Top 40 on Radio 1.
The secret was trying not to get any of the DJ talking on your recording, not always a successful venture it has to be said!

Happy Birthday Tricia

Happy Birthday little Sister.  It only seems like yesterday since you popped into our lives.  David Cassidy was No.1 in the charts with Daydreamer  .... 'The Way We Were' starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford was in the cinemas and you share your Birthday with Grace Kelly, Auguste Rodin and Cote Depablo (Ziva in NCIS)

In the last year of High School, we were asked in English class to write a story with the title 'Red Letter Day'.  This is my effort, which was published in the 1979 edition of the school magazine, 'The Augustinian'!
Hope you like it and are having a nice birthday.

RED LETTER DAY

I'll never forget the day that my little sister was born, 12th November 1973.  It had already been decided that if the baby was a boy he would be called Michael, and if it was a girl, she would be called Tricia.  My mum had been given the date 28th October to expect the baby to arrive, so you can imagine that by the 11th of November we were all getting very impatient, especially my Mum.  My brother and I kept asking her whether she wanted a boy or a girl.  She told us that she didn't care what it was as long as it was healthy.

It was round about dinner-time on 12th November when my mum finally went into hospital.  I didn't know until i arrived home from school to find my Nanna busily preparing tea.  She and my Grandad had come to look after us while Mum was in hospital.  I was so excited that I could hardly eat my tea!

As soon as my Dad came home from work he went straight out again, this time to the hospital.  He said he would ring us up as soon as there was any news.  He rang up at about seven 'clock, to tell us that the baby hadn't arrived yet.  He rang again at nine o'clock to tell us that the baby had been born, but he wouldn't tell us over the phone whether it was a boy or a girl.  It seemed like hours later when my Dad arrived home, but in fact it was only half an hour.  He came into the lounge with a big smile on his face and announced as if to the world at general, "It's a girl, you've got a little sister!"

We went mad, running around the room and cheering and my Grandad opened a bottle of champagne he had been saving.  It was about midnight by the time I got to bed that night and I couldn't get to sleep for ages.  I had the following morning off school, because my Nanna let us stay in bed late.  When I got to school I told all my friends.  They all made little cards for my Mum which I thought was really nice of them.

Happy Birthday John

John and Tracey

Happy Birthday little Brother.... doesn't time fly?  It doesn't seem a day over forty-seven years since you brought me that little patent handbag  (with black and white fur on one side)  from wherever it it is babies come from.... I never did find out.  Where do babies come from? Never mind...I'll google it.

Just look how cute you were....what happened?  Just kidding! That cheeky little grin holds a promise of much mischief to come. 

Did you know you are as old as 'The Sound of Music' and 'Thunderball'? And on the day you were born the Rolling Stones were at No.1 in the singles chart with Get off my cloud  (Cost 33p) 

Charlie Sheen was born the same year as you - as was Robert Downey Jr. Not entirely sure that is something to brag about though.  I think in a competition between the three of you to see who turned out best.... you'd win hands down.

 1965

Some Headlines from the year you were born - hope you don't mind me telling everyone what year you were born.  Well tough ... I'm nearly 50 you know!

• Ronald Biggs escapes from jail
• Krays in custody over menace charge
• Millions watch space probe crash into Moon
• Heath is new Tory leader
• US orders 50,000 troops to Vietnam
• Beautiful baby boy born in Lancashire 7th November. (Just checking to see if  you're still paying attention)

Have a Wonderful Birthday

Lots of Love

from
Tracey A.K.A The Fairy Elephant

xxx