Hire and higher...

Whilst listening to Danny Baker this morning talking about television repairmen this morning, it provoked a thought. Some of you might say 'What a first one in years?' But it begs the question, is the box the corner just like a chair?

In our family we were a renting family for many years from Radio Rentals, until a win on the pools got us a brand new Goldstar television set (Goldstar? Nah, me neither...) thought that for me was the last of the television sets which were a portal to world away from my own and rather a bit of furniture. Nostalgia maybe rose tinted but there was always a thrill of a set looking like it was carved rather then just being moulded from plastic, plus it gave something to the viewing experience. Can you imagine watching Brucie and the Generation Game on what is amount to an ice cream tub?

"Thunderbird Seven is go!"

The set itself way before FST, Fasttext was a rudimentry affair it seemed. Though the workings needed a gentle touch from a repairman with the valves inside or a good old whack on the side whenever the vertical hold went,
take for instance my grandparents had a repairman who was local to them in Cosham called Mr Head, he would come out brown jacketed and booted to twiddle with knobs and recalibrate the set. But it was a skill to be able to this, with proper workshops and tools which seemed they were from the Soviet Union. A set could be gone for ages whilst it was repaired, but it made the love for the set grow even stronger like a child going into hospital.

"Good wood?"

"Balsa!"

"No, its true!"

My first set me and my brother had was an old Pye set high up on a wardrobe, until it let out a puff of smoke telling us that it was knackered. But that set had seen everything, watching The Muppets, the launch of Breakfast Television, the launch of Channel 4. It was a friend to me and I got over it, we got a new set to replace but in this age of widescreen when I see a set like the Pye Colourmaster, it gives me a warm glow. Overall, with televisions today I would always take HD and stereo sound. But the thrill cannot match getting a new set from Radio Rentals, it might seem like a joke to have set with 'Supersound' years before a full stereo service but those touches made it for me, even Danny Baker reminded people that he had a set with a hue button to be able get the skin tone right by increasing the browness or blueness. These quirks are what make greats sets great, the clunk of the buttons as you switch it over, even with a Grundig set we he, there was that ability to tune it in yourself without any micro technology to do it for you and you knew you had done it.

To some, looking at old sets maybe boring, but think how far we've come from the early days of a disc spinning around to create a picture. The love of an old set is something, but nuturing them like a classic car is another thing...

 Pure sets machine...

Great Summer Holiday Experiences No1 - Digby, The Biggest Dog in the World

All too often the summer comes around and the schools break up for the marathon six weeks ahead. To parents trying to keep children amused is half the battle, now its even more difficult to do so....

Boredom, boredom...

Without sounding all 'When I were a lad, all the grass were green...' etc. Only in hindsight can we look back at those six weeks when the sun shone, well almost all the time...

First starting off with a movie which seems to be have forgotten by television, but after the event a glimpse of how good British comedy used to be...

In December 1973, a film came out which was to be a precursor to tales to come... At that time Britain need an escape from what was a very dull, depressing time. Like Ian Botham, there was a new hero needed and that hero was of the four legged variety. When the movie was first released, it didn't really pull its weight at the box office but having been on the shelf like most movies of the time. It was forgotten by people until New Years Day 1982, when Digby was sent for to help launch the new ITV franchises and was put on as a remedy to sore heads.

With appearances all through the eighties, especially on Bank Holidays but mostly as a way to fill the time where schools programmes would be without spending money on making new programmes, so it was an ideal solution for ITV really...

Digby, Digby...

Even then we haven't scratched the surface of why this film is enjoyable, it might not be the best film in the world. But as a romp, it ticks all the boxes...

Taking for a start the cast itself, starting with a post Carry On... and pre Disney and Harry Potter in America audiobook reader Jim Dale. Jim himself was a part of the Carry On from the mid-sixties right up to Carry On Again, Doctor with a gap until 1992's Carry On Columbus. He was family friendly and the kids loved his knockabout style, so he was the perfect choice to be the main human lead as Jeff Eldon, the scientist who accidently super-sizes Digby to extraordinary size leading to Digby, to be stolen by John Bluthal and Norman Rossington ready to be paraded a la King Kong in a circus...

Jack Black not included...

Along with Angela Douglas, who Jim had played opposite to her as Marshall P. Knutt in Carry On... Cowboy with her playing Annie Oakley. It seemed like the right chemistry had been found with young actor Richard Beaumont playing Billy White, Digby's child owner and friend of Jeff. Added to the mix were Milo O'Shea, Dinsdale Landen and also Victor Spinetti plus Bob Todd putting in turns to the film.

The interesting thing is the director of the film. Mr Joseph McGrath, who is better known as one of the Executive Producers on Pete and Dud's 'Not Only, But Also'. Having cut his teeth on Peter Sellers vehicles Casino Royale and The Magic Christian, he seemed like a natural choice to helm a film which need laughs and slapstick for the kids but also enough to keep the adults entertained at the same time.

But there's something missing, maybe a bit of pepper or spice if you will... The added ingredient to make the film, that comes in the of a post-Goons Spike Milligan. Milligan is exceptional in the film as Dr. Harz, his little asides come close to stealing the film to add that surreal edge which is needed to keep the story going along at a good pace. If you ignore the attempt at German accent, Spike shows that he can hold it against the new generation and some of his peers as well. On reflection, he is always good at the smaller parts just popping up in films as a relief from the main action. But it wasn't to be him who got the better deal, Jim went onto do Disney films leading the way for Michael Crawford in Condorman it seems. Finally getting the recognition for his turn as the narrator on Pushing Daisies, he have moved to America... He made part of the school holidays pleasurable....

Here is the title music to the film, everyone sing along now!

http://soundcloud.com/boggenstrovia/digby-the-biggest-dog-in-the

Thanks Jim...

Candy for insomniacs...

As a young child I fascinated with television and how it worked. By seeing the identity and trails of each channel this gave me an insight into this, but there was one thing which almost seemed golden to me and that was 'What happens when television starts up and closes down each day?' I had heard about closedown from people and what it did. Not all true though, everyone's image and thoughts always seemed to vary. Wheither it was always to give an easy answer to stop a young child asking all the time, I might like to think so.

So it came to a time when I was allowed to record something on our old Betamax video which was on late at night. Before you ask, it was NBA basketball which BBC1 used to show late on Saturday nights after Match of the Day in the mid-80's. So I worked out that they would close down not long after the programme had finished, deliberately I added ten minutes longer then what was needed to see this magical thing.

Clocking off...

To tell the truth, the first idea of a closedown had come from a clip of Not The Nine O'Clock News sketch with Rowan Atkinson as the announcer closing down BBC2 at the end of the night. It used freak me out a bit, that Rowan would appear from behind the BBC2 clock and it felt it was my fault that I had caught him out. But without knowing it was a comedy, I thought it was real at a very young age.

So the next day, when I played the recording back of the basketball, I waited till the end and went through the weather and to the closedown itself. The announcer said that BBC1 was closing down for the night and that they would be back in the morning and I thought that would be it and they would switch off the signal for the night. The most exciting thing was that this voice gave a name check as who'd been announcing that night... That night it was David Miles, I couldn't have said his name but would have recognised his voice straight away. The national anthem played and then they closed down for the night after that.

But if it wasn't for these voices in-between the programmes, it would be moving wallpaper just looking the same and sounding the same as can be said of many of the digital channels nowadays, they make a channel sound human still in an auto playout world. So you wouldn't recognise Duncan Newmarch, Peter Offer or Dean Lydiate if they were walking down the street, but raise a glass that they can bring a smile to your face with a comment before a show. Because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't know when to go to bed at night...

And that's all from us on Boggenstrovia's Bit for now, we hope you've enjoyed this post and don't forget to join us next time for more ramblings... From Boggenstrovia Van Borwick, I wish you a very goodnight... Goodnight....

(National anthem plays...)

And don't forget to wipe you feet on the way out.... Goodnight, wherever you are!