'50s Literature

Late Film Alert

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:32:52 GMT

Very late alert but might be useful. Tonight 10.45pm BBC1 - Film - "Copycat" (1995) , Sigourney Weaver stars.
Genuinely exciting adult thriller. Very good indeed. Most will probably have seen it anyway (it's been on several times) but if you havent its well worth watching.

Daily Mirror questions

feeds@yuku.com (jelly ) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:12:20 GMT

We get the Daily Mirror, and I was wondering what was on the front page of the very 1st issue of the Daily Mirror?,also what year did "Pip, Squeek and Wilfred" first start in the Mirror? Is it posible to see the first Daily Mirror, on-line?

Bandwagon Magazine

feeds@yuku.com (camaygirl) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:00:24 GMT

Does anyone remember this magazine........

....this issue is December 1949 but I know it was still being published in 1951.

It is a great magazine featuring Cinema, Stage, Radio, Music, Records, Sport, etc.

It had two sister magazines, Courier and To-Day. I certainly don't remember it but 1/6 was maybe a lot to pay in those days.

Childrens adventure book

feeds@yuku.com (billbasset) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:45:46 GMT

In the eaarly 1950's I read a book, the title of which was Captain Quid. It was set in the Perth area of Australia. At the time it seemed quite thrilling. It may well have been published earlier than the 50's as I inherited it from one of my sisters. Does anybody remember this book and/or the name of the author.

Frank Crisp

feeds@yuku.com (pendelfin phumph) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:08:30 GMT

Did anybody read any books by Frank Crisp in the 50s? I remember reading several of his sea stories including The Sea Robbers, The Haunted Reef, The Sea Ape and The Coral Wreck. They were rip-roaring, Boys Own type adventure stories but with a very authentic details of life at sea. He also wrote a couple of good historical novels The Golden Quest and The Weird Archer. Possibly the book I enjoyed most of his was The Adventure of Whaling which though classed as a novel was really the story...

Dennis Wheatley

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:13:40 GMT

I don't think this author has been mentioned before. He wrote in many genres. His main theme was black magic. Howver he did write other types of novels including crime novels. Some of these were done in the form of case notes in a folder.I used to like his black magic books. A couple were turned into films but as is the case of many novels turned into films I always felt they didn't work as well as the novels.

The Wind In The Willows

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:13:42 GMT

Kenneth Grahame's classic children's book "The Wind In The Willows" is celebrating it's centenary since publication.
It totally captivated me as a child but failed to make an impression on either Mrs Brown (as a child), or either of my daughters. Was it simply a "boy thing"?

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:23:09 GMT

This was considered a classic book in the 50s. It was written at the end of the war though by Elizabeth Smart. I had often read about it over the years and in the 90s I came across it in a charity shop. I don't know if any of you have read it. It like a stream of thoughts being rapidly written down. I seem to recall that it was by a women who was to meet her lover at the station and he doesn't turn up. She had loved him and he was married. The book is more prose work than a novel. If...

Commando magazine

feeds@yuku.com (col bloodnock) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:59:52 GMT

The post on the Western stories reminded me of those other little Comic/books thyat were popular for fifties school kids and it seems they are still going strong. The one I recall is Commando magazine and here is a little pastiche of the artwork which some may recall. I remember that when a 'jerry' or 'jap' was shot they all bubbled the scream "Aieeee!2 or something like it. I loved 'em when I was a kid anyway.

www.bibliophilebooks.com
Tell her Sandy sent you.................

School Prizes

feeds@yuku.com (essexgirl10) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:55:11 GMT

In my youth my school used to give prizes for coming top of the class and that sort of thing, and these were usually books. I remember winning Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Lorna Doone, in fact I probably still have them somewhere (I rarely get rid of a book)

Did other people's schools do the same sort of thing and if so what did you get?

Alan Melville..................

feeds@yuku.com (julesnsand) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:41:01 GMT

I am putting this in the literature section, as I am reading his autobiography, 'Merely Melville' ,at the moment. I could have equally placed it in the 'theatre' 'music' or 'television' sections , for Alan was a giant of them all.

He is now virtually unknown. WHY?

This from a Brighton website:

Largely forgotten now, Alan Melville was a talented all-round entertainer who was best known in the first 30 years after the Second World War. He was a revue author, playwright and...

Western Stories

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:31:57 GMT

Do you recall these little mags which used to be on sale at every railway station back in the fifties.
Never read them myself but they were all prose other than the cover picture.
Do they still sell these?

It's a bit strong!..............

feeds@yuku.com (julesnsand) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:51:27 GMT

I was looking forward to getting Joan's autobiography and have just been informed it's 'not available'. Anyone know why?

Cartoon By Willoughby Gray

feeds@yuku.com (mikehenfron) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 12:41:34 GMT

Not sure that this is the right place but wanted to show the rest of the forum a cartoon we have included in our latest edition of the Sherwood Forester featuring the cast and crew of The Adventures of Robin Hood from 1955.

Simply follow the link and then scroll to the article headed Class of '55

www.robinhood-tv.co.uk/mag15/mag15.htm

Regards

Mike

John Bull

feeds@yuku.com (william brown) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:51:08 GMT

Along with "Weekend" covered in another thread, my father used to regularly bring home a magazine (newspaper?) called John Bull. Again, not quite a mag but more than a newspaper.
Cant recall any of the content now except for the occasional short story and surprisingly the kind of colour graphics which illustrated it (artwork but very realistic).
The only detail is that my father used to enter and send away to a weekly competition called "Bullets" or...

Weekend magazine

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:14:32 GMT

Besides Titbits and Revillie there was Weekend Magazine. This had showbiz news stories. It also had stories that were about such things as where does and how far does your TV programme go when it goes out to space. I always enjoyed that paper and bought for many years.

Companion Book Club

feeds@yuku.com (Ray) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:24:24 GMT

David Corne's comments about this book club brings back memories. My dad used to buy books from them and then in the sixties so did I. They were excellent value and the books were all the best titles. Paul Brickhill books like The Dam Busters, Or The Kon-Tiki Expedition or novels from the likes of Victor Canning. I often see these books in the charity shops or car boot sales and yet everyone I see are ones I have read. I gave all mine to a charity shop some years ago. Now of course I want...

Richard Pape...............

feeds@yuku.com (julesnsand) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:58:30 GMT

Anyone remember his book about life in a POW camp, 'Boldness Be My Friend'?
I read it as a lad and it is a ripping yarn.
I saw in 'Oldie', this month, that it has been republished. Do get it if you haven't read it.

BTW: It was never made into a film,because they thought it a bit too 'meaty' for the cinema in the 50s