Steve's Retro Blog
This blog is all about the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s in the news. I have tried to include anything retro that I think might be of interest to readers of this site.
Mod Mastermind
11 September 2008
Tune into BBC1's Mastermind on Friday 19 September to see James Corcoran of Didcot, Oxfordshire answering questions about the Mod Movement. I look forward to seeing how he does.
If you want to mug up on the Mod Movement, see 60s Mods. See how many Mastermind questions on Mods you get right!
Update - 19 September: James demonstrated amazing knowledge of the Mod Movement from its origins in the Modernists of the late fifties, through to its peak in the sixties and to the Mod revival bands of today on this evening's Mastermind. In the first round, he scored 16 points on the Mod Movement, with no passes; I managed about half that total. He went on to win with a total of 29 points. James will have to master another subject for the next round. If he wins that, we might have questions about the Mod Movement in the final. Retrowow wishes him every success on his next appearance on Mastermind.
The Sweeney
8 September 2008
Look out for 'Call the Cops: The Sweeney' on BBC4 on 9, 10, and 15 September. The Sweeney was the definitive police drama from the 70s. Hard nosed cops, Regan and Carter (John Thaw and Dennis Waterman) redefined the way we viewed the police. It was fists, fast cars and hard drinking. Although I don't subscribe to the view that they were little different from the villains they were pursuing.
BBC4 looks at how the series was made and finds out it wasn't too far from the truth.
The end of an era for Annabelinda in Oxford
4 September 2008
According to The Oxford Times, the founder of the iconic Oxford dress shop, Annabelinda, is to retire and the business is to be sold as a going concern.
The shop was founded by Belinda O’Hanlon with her friend, Anita Woodhead, after Mrs O’Hanlon dropped out of Oxford University in the 1960s. Drug smuggler Howard Marks (Mr Nice) persuaded Mrs O’Hanlon to move her business to the site it occupies today in Gloucester Green in Oxford in 1971. Little did Mrs O’Hanlon know that Howard Marks was using Annabelinda’s premises as a front for his drug smuggling business. Fortunately, Howard Marks moved on from Oxford and left Annabelinda to become a highly success business supplying dresses to the rich and famous as well as Liberty’s and Harrods.
So if you still desire an iconic Annabelinda creation, hurry along to the shop now before Belinda O’Hanlon retires at the end of the year.
There is an exhibition of Annabelinda's creations from 1971 to 2008 at the Abingdon County Hall Museum. The exhibition is 'Annabelinda, Oxford's Couture Designer, A Retrospective 1971-2008'. It runs from 6 September to 9 November 2008, admission is free. See www.abingdonmuseum.org.uk for more details.
Alf Ventress' old banger
10 August 2008
Did anyone notice Alf's old banger in Heartbeat this evening? It looked like an Austin 1300 Mk III, which was not introduced until 1971. They gave it an 'H' plate, issued from August 1969 to July 1970 . Taking the number plate at face value, it must have been brand new in 1969, when Heartbeat is meant to be set. Alf called it an old banger. What does he do to them?
Torquay hotel gets 50s makeover
7 August 2008
We have just watched an episode of Channel Five's "The Hotel Inspector" featuring Number Nine in Torquay. The bed and breakfast had recently been taken over by 1950s enthusiast, Rachel Roffe and was suffering because of low occupancy rates. Rachel called in the Hotel Inspector, Alex Polizzi, niece of Sir Rocco Forte. Rachel had hoped to run her bed and breakfast with a 1950s theme, but Alex disagreed initially. However, a compromise was reached and the rooms were given a subtle 1950s theme.
Following a visit from an inspector from Visit Britain, Rachel received three stars for her establishment and is now enjoying increasing visitor numbers.
We would like to congratulate Rachel at Number Nine for her achievements and wish her every success with her 1950s bed and breakfast. For more information on Number Nine at Torquay, visit www.numberninetorquay.co.uk
Wispa – back for good
4 August 2008
Ring the date in your diaries – Monday 6 October 2008 – Cadbury is bringing the Wispa bar back for good.
The Wispa bar was revived by Cadbury in 2007 for a seven-week trial and sold over twenty million bars during that time. These sales figures were enough to convince Cadbury to bring it back for good this time.
The Wispa bar was first launched in 1981 in the Tyne Tees area and then nationwide from 1983. Falling sales lead to it being dropped in 2003, but internet campaigns on MySpace and Facebook convinced Cadbury to return the Wispa bar to shops permanently.
See www.wispa.co.uk
Radio Luxembourg
2 August 2008
Fancy listening to a dose of nostalgia this weekend, 2 and 3 August? Radio Luxembourg, which was broadcast from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 1930 to 1992, will reunite some of its former DJs this weekend.
Radio Luxembourg was particularly popular for teenagers during the 1960s who would listen to the broadcasts from a transmitter at Marnach on 208 MW. The radio station was responsible for launching the careers of many DJs including the legendary Jimmy Saville, Pete Murray, the late Alan "Fluff" Freeman, Noel Edmonds, David "Kid" Jensen, Mike Read, Timmy Mallett and the late Tommy Vance to name but a few; all of whom went on to have careers with BBC radio and television. Many of these DJs will broadcast live from Radio Luxembourg this weekend to numerous radio stations over the UK.
The English service of Radio Luxembourg relaunched in September 2005 on digital AM and on the internet – for more information and to listen in online visit: www.radioluxembourg.co.uk
Skylon to return?
8 July 2008
The iconic Skylon, from the Festival of Britain in 1951, could be rebuilt in time for the Festival's 60th anniversary in 2011. This architectural feat took centre stage on the Festival site. The 300 ft tower was illuminated at night. Some wag at the time claimed it was meant to resemble the British economy - slender, with no visible means of support.
Originally built at London's South Bank in 1951, the rebuilt Skylon could be located at one of 12 different places. There is a public vote on the location at http://www.voteforskylon.com, which starts 10 July. See also www.bdonline.co.uk.
Has Porsche gone retro?
28 June 2008
I happened upon a new Porsche advertisement in a Saturday newspaper supplement. There, in the picture, was a gleaming 911, complete with chrome hubcaps, bumpers and other detailing, just like the original 911 from the 60s. Could I walk into a Porsche showroom and order one of these beauties brand new? Sadly not. It's part of new promotion about Porsche's heritage. Have a look www.porsche.co.uk for more details. The video clips featuring Dr Ferry Porsche are fascinating.
As for a Porsche entry into the retro car market, I'm sure the purity of the spirit of the marque would prevent it.
George Gently returns
23 June 2008
Look out for two new episodes of the detective drama, George Gently, starring Martin Shaw, on BBC1 soon. I enjoyed the previous episode screened last year. It captured the twilight world of coppers on the take in the 60s, as illustrated so well by 'He Kills Coppers'.
The new series also features Lee Ingleby as the young sidekick, Sergeant John Bacchus. I liked Bacchus' mode of transport in the previous one-off drama, an MGB, a little too flash for a detective sergeant, thinks George Gently.
The first episode, 'Bomber's Moon', centres around the death of a German PoW. The War was still a raw memory for some in the 60s. The second is an investigation into the death of an IRA man, found burnt to death. In this episode Robert Glenister plays a hard nosed special branch officer with dubious interrogation methods. I'm sure I won't be the only one to draw a comparison with this part and that of Gene Hunt in Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, played by Robert's brother, Philip Glenister.
The drama is based on the George Gently novels by Alan Hunter.
Retro wins Gold at Chelsea
21 May 2008
The Good Gifts Garden, designed by Adam Woolcott, Jonathan Smith and Cormac Conway, has won a coveted Gold Medal in the Courtyard Gardens section at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The garden is inspired by memories of the 1950s and holidays at the British seaside and the designers have sourced their authentic props from antique markets and online auctions.
See BBC Chelsea - Good Gifts Garden
It is good to see that Retro designs win medals. If you are inspired, why not visit our retro gardening page.
Last chance to see the Get Carter Car Park?
27 April 2008
If you want a last chance to see the Get Carter Car Park in Gateshead the building will be open for guided tours. Visitors will need to wear hard hat. There will be an opportunity to go onto the top five floors, which are currently closed for safety reasons, although Cliff Brumby's restaurant will remain off limits. The building will be temporarily flood lit at night, basking in an eerie glow. See the following press reports:
On BBC Tyne and Wear - Final Curtain for Carter Car Park and Get Carter car park set for demolition in the Guardian. The Guardian article has a stunning view of the building.
See also Gateshead Council - Last chance to Get Carter.
Neither of these reports say whether the bid to save the Get Carter Car Park has failed. Jack Carter said he wasn't finished until he was dead. The Get Carter Car Park is not finished until it's down. Whilst the building is still standing, there is still hope.
Battle to save Get Carter Car Park
6 April 2008
There is no place in the new Gateshead for the iconic Trinity Centre, which featured in the film, Get Carter (1971) starring Michael Caine. If the car park and accompanying shopping centre are demolished, it will be another victory of the bland and boring over the distinctive and interesting.
Campaigners for the RealTyne Preservation Group want to save the Trinity Centre. It is an outstanding example of Brutalist architecture from the late 60s. Built by the Owen Luder Partnership, also responsible for the Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth, it is a unique building of its type.
Spalding Tulip Parade 50th Anniversary
31 March 2008
This year, at 2pm on Saturday 3 May 2008, the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire will be hosting its 50th Annual Tulip Parade; the first Tulip Parade was in 1959. The Spalding Tulip Parade was originally started as a way of making use of the tulip flowers from plants grown to harvest the bulbs. As an annual event, it attracts visitors from all around the country. In the 60s, it was a popular event with people from the Midlands and further a field, as well as from the Spalding area.
He Kills Coopers
21 March 2008
Look out for the ITV dramatisation of 'He Kills Coppers', by Jake Arnott. The BBC did a good job of Jake Arnott's book 'The Long Firm'. If ITV can pull it off, 'He Kills Coppers' should be worth watching. It is about the murder of a policeman on World Cup Day in 1966. The crime goes unsolved for two decades and a reporter and a policeman continue to pursue the killer into the 1980s.
So look out for plenty of 60s, 70s and 80s nostalgia. It is also a great book and well worth a read.
For more information, see ITV He Kills Coppers
The Bank Job
21 March 2008
I watched The Bank Job last week and have to admit I liked it, in spite of the mixed reception from film critics. It is the story, based on fact, of a 1971 bank raid that was kept out of the news by MI5.
In the film, dodgy car dealer, Terry Leather (Jason Stratham) is persuaded to organise a bank robbery by glamorous model, Martine Love (Saffron Burrows). MI5 want to recover some compromising photographs of a member of the Royal Family and are using the robbers to recover them from a safety deposit box. Martine is co-operating to avoid a drugs charge.
The robbers' plan was to tunnel under a restaurant next to the bank and break in under the vault. Whilst the plot itself is fast moving and the film is generally enjoyable, what made it for me was how it captured the atmosphere of 1971. There was the dandy, male porn star, Dave Shilling, part of the gang; the car lot selling clocked motors and a great performance from David Suchet as the bent night club owner and porn mogul, Lew Vogel. The style was right, it was just still before the flares for everyone era. I loved the chicken restaurant and the night club. I spotted a couple of mistakes though - a quartz clock and an 'L' reg car.
The film also stars Keeley Hawes and Stephen Campbell Moore from BBC1's Ashes to Ashes.
Go and see The Bank Job. It is an enjoyable film and a great period piece by Likely Lads' writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.
Forever Retro
24 February 2008
Forever Retro is a new magazine covering the 70s and 80s. The first issue is bursting with memories from the late 70s and early 80s. There are features about the Smurfs and toy collecting. Retro never stands still; collectables from the 80s are now joining and sometimes out selling those from the 60s. Do people remember Transformers and Cabbage Patch Kids?
Another feature takes us back to the often dimly lit world of arcade games. Long before Play Stations kids hung out in dark rooms basking in the light from the machines. Do you remember Space Invaders?
Forever Retro also looks at 70s fashion and finds it not too different from what is on sale today, save for a few outlandish nightgowns and some terrible pairs of trousers.
Forever Retro is published in Canada and is written from a Canadian/US perspective.
See www.foreverretro.com.
Flying in the 60s: glamour, luxury, style?
10 February 2008
In these days of mass economy class travel, flying has lost its glamorous appeal. In the 60s it had a certain cachet; being part of the jet set meant you had made it.
We look at flying in the 60s and ask if it really was that much better. Fewer people flew, but there were still moans about queues and the legroom in economy.
See Flying in the 60s. Also Flying in the 50s.
Ashes to Ashes
5 February 2008
This Thursday, Ashes to Ashes hits our screens. It will be interesting to see if Life on Mars can reinvent itself as well as David Bowie did. Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) is back. This time he is working in London for the Met.
The 80s
2 February 2008
It's a new year and a new departure for Retrowow. We thought, if Gene Hunt from Life on Mars could be dragged into the 80s, then so could we. The truth is I've got people itching to write about 80s music and 80s fashion, so I decided to finally give in. Time moves on for nostalgia as well as everything else!
See our new section on the 80s.
Retro Christmas
24 December 2007
Retrowow wishes all readers of this site a groovy Christmas and a fab New Year!
Retro blog: November/October
Watneys Pale Ale
You Tube is wonderful source of old advertisings, such as this classic from the 60s. The Scaffold advertise Watneys Pale Ale in a modified version of Lily the Pink.
Watneys also promoted Red Barrel with a television campaign and a slogan "Roll out the barrel". The campaign was supposed to suggest that drinking Red Barrel would promote "good fellowship, friendliness and happiness associated with beer drinking". In the early seventies Watneys decided to change the name of Red Barrel to just Watneys Red. Does anyone remember "Join Watneys RED army"?!
Is beer a drink of the past?
20 November 2007
Modern drinkers are turning their backs on the traditional pint. The amount of beer drunk in the UK is 22% lower than the peak year of 1979 and sales in pubs are down to their lowest level since the 30s.
Our taste for wine has improved since the days of Blue Nun and Mateus Rosé and more people are buying beer in the supermarkets to drink at home. In the 60s, wine drinking was a minority activity, with most preferring a pint of bitter or mild at the local.
See inside a pub in the 60s. For more on beer drinking in the past see the 60s and 70s beer guide.
Retro Christmas at Selfridges
17 November 2007
Selfridges on Oxford Street, London has always had a great window display. This year they've gone retro for Christmas. There's a Mini (left), a phone box (right) and a Raleigh Chopper (below left). All all are covered in shiny sequins.
It shows how much the 60s and 70s are now a part of modern culture. Let's hope it lasts.
More on the Mini.
Heartbeat is back
10 November 2007
ITV's Heartbeat TV series is back for another run from this Sunday. We are all looking forward to another chance to indulge in a spot of sixties' nostalgia.
I've had so many enquiries about DVDs of the series that I've decided to start a petition. If you would like ITV to produce a DVD of the Heartbeat TV series, please sign up on Heartbeat DVD Petition.
I love the sixties, seventies and more
8 November 2007
Sorry I've been away from the blog for a while. A few things have been happening in the retro world. Firstly the BBC have stopped updating their "I love the 60s" and "I love the 70s" pages. See BBC - I love the 60s.
There is a warning sign up there saying "Sorry we're no longer updating this site. We've left it here as a reference". Well reference it may be, but come to RetroWow for a site about the 60s and 70s that is updated. I wonder if this was one of the casualties of the BBC cuts, all in the name of forcing everyone into the digital world, whether they like it or not. Die hard fans are still mourning the passing of 405 lines - see 405 Alive I wonder what they will make of the death of terrestrial television altogether. By the way, no one thought of calling it terrestrial until digital came along.
We've added some more pages to Retrowow. There's now a fab new article about 60s music and a new piece on 60s fashion. We've also started a new series about recipes from the 60s and 70s. So if you fancy a real retro treat, give one of these a try.
My new book The G Plan Revolution is in the shops now. You can get signed copies direct from Retrowow. If you remember the original G-Plan, it should bring back some happy memories.
Did anyone see the excellent evening on BBC Four devoted to the cult Mike Leigh play - Abigail's Party? There were interesting insights provided by the play's stars, Alison Steadman (Beverly), Tim Stern (Laurence), Janine Duvitski (Angela) and John Salthouse (Tony). Sad to say Harriet Reynolds who played Sue had passed away and was much missed by the cast.
There is also a new Bob Dylan film out soon. See I'm Not There on IMDB It's due for release on 21 December. I've not seen it, so I can't comment, but if you do see the film in December, then please do post a review on the forum.
Bite it and believe it - Wispa is back
17 October 2007
Cadbury's Wispa bar, first launched tentatively in the Tyne Tees area in 1981 and then nationally in 1983, is back in the shops for a trial period. Wispa was intended to be a rival for Nestlé's Aero bar. It became a symbol of the 80s. Falling sales led to Cadbury's dropping the bar in 2003, but an internet campaign helped to bring it back.
The relaunch is only a trial, so if you love Wispa - buy it now!
More on Wispa see Wispa on Wikipedia.
The beehive is back
7 October 2007
The early sixties fashion for the beehive hairdo is the latest thing. The beehive went out in the swinging sixties when Vidal Sassoon's geometric short hair styles were all the rage. It seems to be having a revival. Inspiration is drawn from Marge Simpson's exaggerated blue version and singer Amy Winehouse's new look. See The beehive is back and better than ever
For most women in the early sixties, the original style was more restrained (right). At the time it was worn with smart, understated suits. The beehive hairdo was an essential part of the brief era when two tone chrome laden cars ruled the road and teenagers chose between rock'n'roll and jazz.
For more on the beehive and instructions on how to do it, see www.hairarchives.com/private/archive2/beehive/beehive.htm
Is 70s food the greatest insult?
30 September 2007
I've been following the series on BBC2, The Restaurant in which contestants compete for the prize of running a restaurant with with top chef, Raymond Blanc. It's a bit like The Apprentice, only with food. Anyway, one thing Raymond Blanc and his inspectors don't like is 70s food.
In one episode, inspector John Lederer told Martin, the prison chef, whose restaurant Bravo! in Banbury was closed last week, that it was like stepping into Life on Mars. In last week's "Challenge", Royal Marine cook, Jeremy's microwave gourmet meal, chicken in a rich orange sauce, was also likened to 70s food.
These days eating out is polarised. There are gourmet pubs and restaurants, great food that costs an arm and a leg, or chips with everything. Most people's experience of dining out in the 70s was at a Berni Inn, Trophy Tavern or Toby Grill. Most of these have disappeared. I wonder whether there is a gap in the market for a restaurant selling classic dishes at value for money prices. Just the way they did it in the 70s.
Martin and Emma should reopen, and call their restaurant Life on Mars. There's a free plug on Retrowow if they do!
Read more about 70s Food Classic 70s recipe - Chicken Chasseur