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Birmingham in 1950s

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I hate to say it but I'm gonna, the poorer the area the bigger the pattern, the more paper borders and freizes ,the more christmas lights and union jacks.
 
maggs said:
Yes they would Viv. There were fabrics for curtains etc in these sort of designs too during the 1950's.. I have noticed lately that tea shops and hairdressing salons are going for these big flowery patterned wallpapers now. Well everything comes round again doesn't it? I didn't know that green paint was the only available colour in wartime.
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I'm misleading you Maggs - sorry - but my mum always complained that it was the only paint she seemed to be able to get hold of. She had a serious dislike of green and it even stretched to clothing. Viv.
 
I remember that green paint, it came as gloss for the woodwork or distemper (now known as emulsion) for the walls, it was b****y awful.
 
I stripped my parents' bedroom built in the 40's that was dark green painted on the plaster. And my friend's place built before 1900 was deep greeny blue with ivy leaves painted over the door frames. My other friend in her 80's said it was always all green paint. And they stippled everything. A bxxxxxr to paint. We have it on 2 ceilings still.
 
Being a 50s child, I loved this programme. But they'll always be black and white to me, especially Spotty the Dog! Oooooo I thought they were a wonderful family. Viv.

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Me to Viv I loved the Wooden Tops. I also have a strong recollection for Rag, Tag and Bobtail which I watched at my grandmothers house on a Thursday. We always went there in school holidays.
 
In the 50's my parents house was wall papered with a sort of diamond design, the doors and window frames were all dark brown. Most people pannelled the doors in Victorian houses to bring them up to date. Years later when mom was a widow she had glass doors fitted and it made the house so much lighter.

I'm a fan of 30's green, love the Deco period which emerged again in the 50's. Everything was at a stand still during and after the war while we all recovered and then a very modernist look was in vogue. We married in the 50's and all of our things were 50's modern. Now I sell them together with Deco.
 
And Picture book, I liked the noises when the lady made things, every sound was very clear. Like when she cut some paper with scissors or riddled a bowl in to some sand on a tray to make a pond. And Sausage Dog. I think it was on a Monday say, Woodentops Friday, Bill And Ben Tuesday Rag Tag and Bobtail Wednesday Andy Pandy etc. Five O'clock Club da da da da da. Double Deckers, Banana Splits Oh Oh Chongo! Ring Time Sis - Shazan!The Monkees, Batman, I loved Daktari and the music anything with animals.
I was always at Nan's till mum fetched me on her way home from work in a fluster. Nan cut a bowl of chios and put them in water so mum could just chuck em in for dad. They spat like mad, she did dry them a bit with a cloth first after I had my one raw chip which tasted odd, but I still had it and a bit of raw bacon. Not unlike parma ham which I wouldn't touch with a barge pole now,
 
You could buy 'our 'ouse Di :sneakiness: With it's 40's kitchen 'an all. Will do it up one day. More pressing things at the moment. Mum and dad had a small square bright green clock, picture on the face with a man a dog and a windmill with sales turning the the tick tock a green and gold rafia ottoman I just gave him to the charity shop. Too many memories. Nan's kitchen walls were green as was her drop down cabinet and stair spindles. Parents 3 piece was red studded leatherette. Green bedroom rugs. Nan had a green tatted dressing table set to go under what she also called her dressing table set in glass.She had a lovely lamp in stainless steel a nude lady with her leg up. Parents were given framed bible texts - serve the Lord with gladness. Carpet sweeper was wooden and we each had a guzunder as no bathroom till I was 3 or 4.
 
Watch with Mother and Listen With Mother. Thank you Viv, made me happy and sad, I had forgotten Sam and the music. everything was happy and safe in the and informative in the Woodentops' world. The childrens' voice are irritating though they were to me then. I wouldn't let Nan turn it off till I had seen them wave goodbye. I wasn't allowed to touch her TV. Never. Did you see Spotty Dog on Mastermind?
 
I remember the snoring hedgehog, maybe he was only in one episode. they became alive to me, we had to wait for them to cross the road, and the hedgehog. And Nan liked to be quick!
 
Nico said:
Watch with Mother and Listen With Mother. Thank you Viv, made me happy and sad, I had forgotten Sam and the music. everything was happy and safe in the and informative in the Woodentops' world. The childrens' voice are irritating though they were to me then. I wouldn't let Nan turn it off till I had seen them wave goodbye. I wasn't allowed to touch her TV. Never. Did you see Spotty Dog on Mastermind?
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No Nico, didn't see him on Mastermind. Was he a contestant? Ha ha! Or was he someones specialist subject? Or maybe in the audience? Or the Quizmaster? ..... Will stop now ! ...... Viv
 
Vivienne14 said:
No Nico, didn't see him on Mastermind. Was he a contestant? Ha ha! Or was he someones specialist subject? Or maybe in the audience? Or the Quizmaster? ..... Will stop now ! ...... Viv
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He was a contestant Viv. A person in a Spotty Dog suit. Maybe it was The Two Ronnies show or later, I forget, but he sat in the chair with Magnus Magnusson firing the questions. Maybe it was for Comedy Relief Red Nose save the Brummys day. I know one of Spotty's answers was something like, ...Q How do you feel after a night out Spotty? A. Ruff!
 
Ah bless!

I remember browsing through Littlewoods catalogues and checking out all those wonderful items I couldn't have, but what fun. Catalogues must have really raised epectations in the 50s. Look at the cover of this 1952 edition ..... well, another world, picnic by the lake (complete with picnic basket, vacuum flasks and salt & pepper pots!) And they have their best frocks and shoes on. No wonder catalogue shopping caught on. Viv.

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hi

Where's Andy Pandy and Muffin the Mule plus Humphrey Lestocq
with the Saturday show with that obnoxious string puppet Mr. Turnip (the invention of Joy Laurey) and his hapless stooge Humphrey Lestocq, known to all as HL. Mr Turnip ...

mike jenks
 
I remember all those Mike jenks. I liked Mr Turnip can't remember when he was obnoxious, too young to be critical I suppose.

Viv, I too loved the catalogues, and I had Trafford. It was quite difficult to find enough customers to be able to have the account I remember. I think you had to get at least 4/5 people to place an order so that you got accepted. The quality of the clothing etc was excellent too. All made in England no doubt, a bit different to today eh?
 
Ahh I'd forgotten about Trafford catalogue Maggs. Think that catalogue was a bit more fashionable, maybe it was to attract younger customers. We had lots of things from catalogues, especially coats for some reason. I expect it spread the cost. I think I had a bed and dressing table from Littlewoods catalogue. This was well before credit cards appeared on the scene. I think my mum called it 'paying her club money'. Funny to think of a catalogue as a club. Viv.
 
There wasn't much for kids on TV in those days was there ? I was still enjoying "Listen with mother".

Michael Bentine's show "The Bumblies" was great.

My mother was just reminiscing about how my kid brother and me used to roll around the floor in agony, laughing at Norman Wisdom's antics.
 
In the 1950s I worked at a factory in Birch Road Witton and used to cycle home in the lunch hour to the Beeches Estate, listen to the Goon Show as I ate my lunch, then cycle back to work - I think the 'lunch hour' at that time was actually an hour and a quarter !
A short reminder of the Goon Show can be seen and heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tjHlFPTwVk
 
Mum had Freemans and Burlington. She called it club money too. There was hardly anything for real women (fuller figures) so she had several. Then came Ambrose Wilson. Dad had Big and Tall much later on. I used to get the teenage stuff when I was much older as it often trendier and was cheaper. That's when I was slim enough to get in them.
 
Nico, the lamp would have been chrome. I've got some and have sold dozens, they are harder to find now.

One of the 50's 'treasures' I've managed to find is our 'best' dinner service it's Midwinter and is white with a red border. I also have a deserts set, one large and six small dishes. It has to be washed by hand, it can't go in the dish washer!!
 
The 40's and the 50's was all about the radio to me(no tv till 1959) loved Dick Barton and yes listen with mother.
 
hi podgery
yes i can recall those years only with the radio do you remember dick barton
we all sat around the table with our parents tuned into old dick barton; we was all quite andears pricked listening to it ;
we never got a tv until the late fifties when most people had colour we only got a brown 12inch small screen with a green screen ;
we would nipp down to the trowmanns family windows and peep through the netted curtains just to watch the sunday night advertsement of the first esso petrol
advert wich was ; oh the esso sign means happy motoring ; when we laughed the trowmans got wind that some kids was looking through there window
and shouted to us clear off ; then we would run out of there garden as my mate colin lived opersite them but he had a black and white one we must have been the last in the terace to get a tv ; cor blimey they was the days you never forget best wishes astonian;
 
oldMohawk said:
In the 1950s I worked at a factory in Birch Road Witton and used to cycle home in the lunch hour to the Beeches Estate, listen to the Goon Show as I ate my lunch, then cycle back to work - I think the 'lunch hour' at that time was actually an hour and a quarter !
A short reminder of the Goon Show can be seen and heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tjHlFPTwVk
Click to expand...

I used to be glued to the radio, (wireless, in those days !), when the Goons were on, then next day we'd all be going over it again in the playground, trying to make the same noises.

A masterpiece of sound effects.
 
podgery said:
The 40's and the 50's was all about the radio to me(no tv till 1959) loved Dick Barton and yes listen with mother.
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The radio was allways on in our house. Well it had to be, it took about three weeks to warm up !

I hated the sound of the Victor Sylvester orchestra, still do, but mercifully it doesn't get played much these days.
 
Hi Astonian We did just the same Dad Mom me and my sister huddled round the radio I seem to remember Dick Barton was on a Sunday evening am i right? The other thing i remember from those days was the comics, every Friday for a treat dad would bring home the dandy beano film fun radio fun and the eagle, the eagle i think was his bit of pleasure but i liked it to. In out terrace there were 2 families with a tele and like you we would take a peak when we could. I think tv is the one thing that change our lives out of all recognition ond i don't think it was for the best.
 
hi

as ive said before the BBC scrapped a whole host of wonderful programmes. Dick Barton
Special Agent was replaced by some country yokels from Ambridge. Amazing how a No 1
programme could be sensored out by a Tory Government.
A number of programmes were felt by the Government to be too violent including PC 49
and the BBC were virtually told to scrap it. A more sedate softer tone was the order of the
day from now on. There were a number of Political issues at the time whilst the War Spirit
clearly stimulated interest in such programmes a return to the moderate days of Broadcasting
was the Order of the day. Complete and utter rot in a few years ITV came Dixon of Dock Green
on BBC with all that Violence!!!!. Murder Bag on ITV wow .

Mike Jenks
 
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