The history of the Happy Ballroom, Hastings Pier continues after the enforced break, thanks to BT making such a mess of a simple operation to move my telephone and broadband to our new location – but that’s life. Here we are its Saturday 26th June 1965 and things have not changed with regards to the entertainments that are being offered on the Pier, I did take a look at the minutes of the Pier Management over the last few weeks, and there is almost nothing mentioned about the Ballroom other than something needs to be done to improve the décor. We will have to wait, all that is happening is the Wrestling once a week, and the advanced publicity for the Old Time Musicals that will start in July.
Along the other end of the Promenade – In Marine Court the Witch Doctor is making more use of Record Nights than live bands, but they are still giving the young people in the area some excellent night’s entertainments. This Saturday we have two popular and regular acts – The Sons of Men and The Lonely Ones, sill very good value for 6/-. Sunday bring the Sunday Afternoon spin – 2.30pm – 5.15pm for only 1/6 !! in the Evening The Sunday Club presents from Ready Steady Go – The Cathy McGowan Show 7.30pm-11.00pm for only 4/-. The next live band will be on Friday with the Defenders – who are described as a FAB Band in the publicity. On the other nights is the record spinning crew doing their best to keep everybody happy?
The weekend would have started off with our regular Friday visit to the London Studios for Ready Steady Go this week Cathy and Keith would have presented some excellent sounds from the likes of The Animals – We’ve got to get out of this place : Donovan – Colours : Bobby Goldsbro – Voodoo Woman : The Hollies – I’m Alive : P J Proby – Let the Waters Run Down.
Saturday on the BBC would have a good mix, 10.00am Saturday Club with Brian Matthews, this week included – Solomon Burke, Them, Julie Grant, Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, The Migil 5. Following this would have been the ever popular Jack Jackson record Roundabout. 2.00pm and it would have been Saturday Swings, Bruce Wyndham would have introduced – Tom Jones and The Squires, Dennis Loftus, Julie Jones and the New Faces. Brian Matthews would have been back at 4.00pm with Top Gear this week featuring P J Proby, The Yardbirds, Doris Troy and the West Five. Later that evening 11.00pm Pete Murray would be in the hot seat for late night Saturday, which this week featured the new Matt Monro LP – “ I have dreamed”.
Sunday would be the usual mix of Easy Beat at 10.31 with Keith Fordyce and a selection of the current hits and popular tunes { BBC editorial quote}. At mid-day we would have had the regular “ Two Way Family Favourites” BBC London and BFBS Cologne. For any film fans,3.00pm this week in Movie Go Round, one of the featured soundtracks was from “ The Hill “ with Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen and Ian Hendry. This was followed by Alan Freeman and Top of The Pops.
Television highlights’ this weekend – Juke Box Jury with David Jacobs, and his guests were Sam Costa, Miriam Karlin, Sylvie Vartan and Bobby Vinton. On the other side would have been “ Thank Your Lucky Stars” Brian Matthews presenting from Birmingham – Solomon Burke, The Marvelletts, The Pretty Things, The Searchers, Dusty Springfield and Them. For those waiting for their Saturday night music spots, would have seen on the BBC at 5.00pm The Telly Goons – with Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers.
The Pirate Radio stations were working as hard as ever in keeping us also entertained and giving us a choice of what we want to tune into, so we were very lucky with the choice. The summer was almost upon us and for many like myself the thoughts of summer jobs from college and materialised into work, after a bad start with Butlins in Skegness, when I went all that way to find the job did not materialise I came back to Hastings and this weekend 50 years ago started with Maidstone & District working as a conductor from Brook Street in the town centre – KK 51072 was my licence number and somewhere I still have my badge – but please don’t ask to see it, it is somewhere in all the unpacked boxes and crates. That is one of the down side of moving home, add to that books and tapes and records, and you can see the problems !!
It’s good to be back and many thanks to Alan for keeping you posted as to why “ The History of the Happy Ballroom on Hastings Pier “ had been missing for the last few weeks. Let’s hope that we have some nice weather and that the summer continues to be a happy time. Until next week, you all take care. 2015 © Andre Palfrey- Martin
Pete Fairless… Welcome back, Andre
Andre Martin… Its a pleasure to be back and things working, should be getting some more RAM on the system tomorrow so that should eliminate any technical problems, fingers crossed.
Alan Esdaile… Welcome back Andre, we missed you.
Alex Chapman… Did you moved to Siberia? B|
Andre Martin… No Alex would you believe only about 2 miles, but BT made such a mess of my communications that it has taken since 26 May to last week to get it all up and running, am still surrounded with boxes and crates but we are slowly getting things sorted. xx
Jim Breeds… Welcome back from the vortex Andre, we’ve missed you and these excellent posts! Donovan sang colours when I saw him being interviewed for the BBC Radio 4 Mastertapes programme earlier this month. To be broadcast later this year. He kept saying he was from Bohemia but I don’t think he meant the Hastings one smile emoticon