January is going past very quickly, we are now at Saturday 29th January 1966, and from all accounts the weather has turned a little bit cold, but more about that later. The Happy Ballroom remains the same, closed, and cold and quiet! The wind, rain and blustery sea is all that you hear when you wander down towards the sea end of the Pier.
The weekend would have kicked-off with Ready Steady Go on Redifussion TV at 6.30pm – on the show this week we saw Sandie Shaw “Tomorrow”: Small Faces “Sha La La La Lee”: The Who “ Circles”: Paul & Barry Ryan “ Have Pity on the Boy” the show would have been in the good hands of both Cathy & Keith. For those who might have had time to watch TV earlier that day, depending on your tastes, you might have seen Watch With Mother, Jackanory, Crackerjack and The New Comers !
Along towards the western end of the seafront, in Marine Court, the Witch Doctor is in full gear with entertainments 4 days a week, on Saturday we saw the return of “All Things Bright”, supported by “The Amboy Dukes”. Sunday Afternoon is now the regular slot for Trevor Olive with his Sunday Session. On Tuesday the Candlelight Spin is in the hands of a Witch Doctor regular Johnny Mann. Thursday Night is as always “ The Muscles Maxted Show “ All of these nights entertainments were tagged as “The Heat is On” – I will let you draw your own conclusions to that.
BBC TV & Radio output was very much the same, Saturday Radio – 10.00 “Saturday Club” with Brian Matthew and Matt Monro, Dusty Springfield, Fortunes, Silkie and The Echoes. 12.30 it was “The Jack Jackson Record Show”. 1.30pm : “Fanfayre” this week based on the music of Lionel Bart, later in the afternoon “Band Stand” with the music of the Band of The Grenadier Guards. 6.30pm Jazz with Herbie Goins & the Nightimers plus The Dave Davani Five. Early evening included “A Night at the Music Hall” and later the Ray Conniff Singers.
Sunday Radio, 10.30 : “Easy Beat” and noon “Two Way Family Favourites”, a weekly link up with UK and BAOR families and friends. The afternoon included Al Read, Jimmy Clitheroe and Joe Brown & the Bruvvers. “Pick of the Pops” preceeded “Movie Go Round” this week featured “The War Lord” “He who Rides a Tiger” and a special on the musical films of Elvis Presley.
Television on Saturday: “Grandstand”, “Juke Box Jury” with David Jacobs and his guests – Spencer Davis, Maurice Kinn, Marion Ryan and ano. The schedule later that evening included “Dr Who” : “Dixon of Dock Green” the film that evening was “ The Great Sioux Uprising “ starring Jeff Chandler. “Max Bygraves Entertains” & “Bewitched”
Sunday included “Bonjour Francoise” absolute beginners in French. Later in the day – The Lucy Show, Pinky & Perky, Songs of Praise, Dr Findlay’s Casebook and World Bobsleigh Championship from Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Over on the Pirate Stations, Big L was going well, with the no 1 record for this week from the Overlanders – Michelle. Radio Caroline was having technical problems with regular transmissions as a result of running aground the previous week and never transmitted a top ten until the middle of February. That’s about all to report from 50 years ago, time is moving quickly and as mentioned the weather is colder!! But spring is just around the corner so we can look forward to some better weather – I hope. Until next week stay safe and warm. Andre Palfrey-Martin ©2016
