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Early TV memories have to be dredged up from somewhere inside and trying to remember your first ever television programme is virtually impossible. For instance I remember a ridiculous cartoon character called Twizzle. Now through the wonders of the internet I am able to re-live those days and find out just what attracted me to some of these strange programmes.
Twizzle was a doll with the ability to extend its arms and legs to amazing lengths. She lived in a toy shop but at 2s 6d was just too expensive to buy - until Sally Cross comes in and purchases him for two shillings.
The importance of Twizzle is it stopped puppeteer Gerry Anderson from going bankrupt. It was 1957 and I was just five years old when dear old Gerry changed directions, lost his credibility as a film-maker but turned into a family entertainer.
The first episode of The Adventures of Twizzle was broadcast on November 13th, 1957 at 4.30 pm. I suspect I was there sitting on the floor (as I usually did) to see this ground-breaking show. The show also led to the meeting of Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Thamm who later became Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Of course I wasn't aware of any of this lovey-dovey stuff going down. I was more likely to believe that a doll could twist himself (and sorry to have to say that my recollections were that Twizzle was a girl) up to huge heights. That was much more likely than people "falling in love" whatever that was.
I believe that my presents for Christmas 1957 included a Twizzle annual. I just had one of those "I wonder what happened to that and how much would it be worth if I had kept it?" moments. Well the answer is not a lot apparently. As I build up my television heaven (and hell) I will often refer to the e-bay auction site.
A visit there showed that a Twizzle adventure book was going for £3.99, an early annual for £1.99, but there had been no bids, and a Twizzle puppet described as having "strings in a terrible tangle and a missing box due to the seller moving house when a bit of the back of Twizzle's hat also went missing" was going for just £21. Original episodes of Twizzle cost all of £450! The seller goes on to explain just who Twizzle is (or was). I can't imagine anybody would buy a string tangled puppet without knowing anything about it.
Well that's Heaven and Hell TV for you. Tomorrow I will tackle a couple of famous from the past quiz shows.
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For some reason I often find myself driving the car on a Sunday afternoon. When I am I hope the journey co-incides with Johnny Walker's Sounds of the Seventies show on Radio Two.
Unfortunately yesterday I got to my destination just before it came on. And that meant I had to suffer Elaine Paige's show tunes programme.
I have nothing against show tunes. There are many musicals that I love and thankfully on Sunday she played a load from Les Miserables. Every time I hear "Bring Him Home" or "One Day More" or "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" a chill goes up my spine.
The problem I have with Elaine Paige is I fear her laugh. Yes folks somebody's laugh fills me with foreboding. Why so I hear you ask?
Well if you'd ever heard Elaine Paige's laugh you would know exactly what I mean. It is plain ridiculous. Some people apparently love it and that's exactly why she does it. It's put on for effect (or should that be affect, I never know). It's raucous and sounds like a rutting hyena (that's if you've ever heard what a rutting hyena sounds like and do hyenas rut anyway)?
Thankfully on one whole hour Ms Paige didn't guffaw once. So we were saved.