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They Were Caught In Our Old Street Pics...

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Very clever to do that on a film and makes us think about what those soldiers went through.
Presumably each single frame of the film has to have colour added. It does seem to add more depth to the scenes and brings them to life.
 
According to the report on the BBC they also had lipreaders trying to interpret what people were saying or singing, and, where they could, added this to the film
 
Just remembered that I went to see 'How The West Was Won' at the Gaumont. It was in 'cinemascope' and you could see the joins in some of the sceneS.
 
Had another look at the pic in post#2075 showing an early 1950s scene outside the Bell Hotel, Northfield, and my laptop added colour ...:)
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oldMohawk said:
In Northfield a man on the motorbike stares at the tram and hopefully he is not moving too fast otherwise he could run into the photographer. A group of women decide to have a chat as they are boarding the tram and two happy looking youngsters upstairs on the front seat maybe on their way to the Lickey Hills. The tram driver (motorman) stands looking in his mirror wondering when he can start off ... well that's my story about the pic ...
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On Fox Hollies Road the bus driver and his mate wanted to be in this pic. The man walking on the pavement wasn't bothered and the lady pushing the pram was in a hurry. Those were the days when you could pay extra to buy a car with decorative wood fixed on it.
mof227sky3.jpg
It's from another post but with colour added ...
oldMohawk said:
MOF 227 '00 Service Extra' on Fox Hollies Rd seems to be making a turn into Summer Rd as the driver and his mate look out at the camera. But why would they turn into Summer Rd when Acocks Green Bus Garage is 80 yds in front of them on Fox Hollies Rd ? No date for the pic but perhaps it was last day in service for the bus and they were doing a little swerve for the photographer !
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Reviewing the Northfield photos, post 2588, having seen the black and white on before shows how colour brings out some details which were not prominent or missed on prior viewing.
The motor cyclist reminds me of someone who was the husband of a friend of the family. He lived in Hanging Lane which was not far away from where the photo was taken. Motor cycle and chairs were not that common; his chair was black. Behind the man and child, on the right of the photo appears to be the brown painted post for a bus stop plate; the plate is not yet fitted. This could suggest a date in 1952 as the trams ceased operation on the Rednal (70) and Rubery (71) routes (72 was a short working to Longbridge of the 70) in July of that year. Bus routes 62 and 63, respectively, replaced the trams.
The fine building with the turret and clock is still there but the Bell Inn, I understand is gone.
 
Looking at the motorbike sidecar it seems that passengers would have to climb over the back to get in and unroll the canvas cover if it was raining. It was normal for tram passengers (even unaccompanied children) to get on and off in the middle of the road but the BCT did fit Tideswell Lifeguards (cow-catchers) to the trams to scoop us up and prevent the wheels running over us if we fell in front of a tram ... and the young lad in the pic is only interested in the puppy he is holding ....:)
 
Didn't the top of the sidecar hinge on the side of the bike and there would be a door in the body of the sidecar. In late 1940's one of my uncles had such a combination and he would take me for a joyride usually along the dual carriage Fox Hollies as in #2589.
 
I did ride in my uncle's large two seater side car when I was a youngster and seem to remember getting in through a door on the near side. In the late 1950s I went to Nottingham and back in an open side car, low down shaped like a bullet, and remember the noise from the BSA Gold Star engine.
 
My abiding memory is the sound of the motor bike engine, inches from my right ear. And hoping the seemingly flimsy bracket that connected the side car to the bike would be secure and I wouldn't be cast adrift on one wheel!
 
I often look at the folks in these old pics and imagine what they were doing. This pic is tagged by shoothill as a Photographic Booth at a Birmingham Fair. That women on the right stares and marches towards the photographer, perhaps she about to thump him! The young lad by the umbrella looks round as if he is expecting some 'fun'.
Maybe it wasn't as I imagine it .... :)
photobooth.jpg
 
oldMohawk said:
I often look at the folks in these old pics and imagine what they were doing. This pic is tagged by shoothill as a Photographic Booth at a Birmingham Fair. That women on the right stares and marches towards the photographer, perhaps she about to thump him! The young lad by the umbrella looks round as if he is expecting some 'fun'.
Maybe it wasn't as I imagine it .... :)
View attachment 129544
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Screenshot 2018-12-10 at 22.27.49.png

I have an example of a picture of my great grandmother on my mother's side, that was on glass and blacked on the back. the glass was badly cracked, but a scan and a few hours in photoshop produced a nice picture.

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/2254674/47814098
 
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Pedrocut said:
View attachment 129546

I have an example of a picture of my great grandmother on my mother's side, that was on glass and blacked on the back. the glass was badly cracked, but a scan and a fews hours in photoshop produced a nice picture.

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/2254674/47814098
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A very interesting story about Caddick's, Pedro and a very nice photo of your great grandmother. It is always great to see some background information about these old pics.
 
oldMohawk said:
On Fox Hollies Road the bus driver and his mate wanted to be in this pic. The man walking on the pavement wasn't bothered and the lady pushing the pram was in a hurry. Those were the days when you could pay extra to buy a car with decorative wood fixed on it.
View attachment 128450
It's from another post but with colour added ...
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The photograph is of 3227, a Daimler CVG6 with a Crossley body. The photograph would have been taken pre- 1969 as it still has the BCT crest on the side. In 1969 it was transferred to West Midland PTE. It was the last of the buses with open rear platforms and was destined to be preserved. However it was involved in a collision and written off so no 3225 was preserved instead and still resides at Yardley Wood Garage.
The lady with the pram in the background seems to be stepping it out with determination, no chance of her getting on the bus with her pram in those days!
 
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oldMohawk said:
I often look at the folks in these old pics and imagine what they were doing. This pic is tagged by shoothill as a Photographic Booth at a Birmingham Fair. That women on the right stares and marches towards the photographer, perhaps she about to thump him! The young lad by the umbrella looks round as if he is expecting some 'fun'.
Maybe it wasn't as I imagine it .... :)
View attachment 129544
Click to expand...

The angry-looking woman is probably about to shout, "Damn you, paparazzi!"
 
I believe she is helping some one else to carry something reasonably heavy. The other person is out of shot. If you think she is angry then you have never encountered a very angry woman.
 
In 1957 a Birmingham Mail photographer climbed down into the hole left by the demolition of the Theatre Royal and photographed a small crowd looking in. I suppose it shows typical clothing worn by Brummies for city centre shopping in those days and all their clothes would have been made in Britain.
TheatreRoyalDemolition.jpg
 
cracking photo phil...just been scanning the kids and adults faces in the hopes mom dad and myself were there...alas no but one day maybe:)

lyn
 
Hi Lyn,

There are a lot of forum members and not one of us was in an old street photo unless it was taken by ourselves.

Phil ... :)
 
I spent half of 1957 away in the RAF and don't remember the demolition of the Theatre Royal, so I'm not surprised I know know no one there. However, the building behind was mostly the offices of Shell-Mex in those days and my future brother-in-law was one of the workers there. I've no idea who occupies it now - anyone know?

Maurice
 
sospiri said:
I spent half of 1957 away in the RAF and don't remember the demolition of the Theatre Royal, so I'm not surprised I know know no one there. However, the building behind was mostly the offices of Shell-Mex in those days and my future brother-in-law was one of the workers there. I've no idea who occupies it now - anyone know?Maurice
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I worked for Shell-Mex and BP Ltd in the second half of the 1960s and by that time they were in Calthorpe Road Edgbaston although many of my co-workers used to talk about the Bennetts Hill offices so I think it was only a couple of years before that they had moved
 
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