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Dennis Road Secondary Modern Boys School

Bob,

I remember Martin Deaner very well - and also the Brain family. I remember there was a lad at the Brain family and a girl and I have forgotten their names.
I used to like Martin and he used to come over to our place quite often. We used to live in those God awful maisonettes on the corner there and it wasn't till we grew up and told our parents that there was such a thing as a mortgage and you could buy a house that they bought somewhere. They moved to Yardley and then Northampton.
As regards snooker I could never play. My pal used to live in a snooker hall on Ladywood Road which is 5 minutes away now but in those days was a long number 8 bus ride. He was a hustler called Lenny Ferris who joined the Green Jackets.
There are a few ways you can read my stuff - at the moment my novel The Storyteller is on https://audible.com - you just put the title in the search or my name.
I read it myself and most of it is deliverered in an Irish accent although I do various degrees of it; that was my decision and my wife thinks I waiver too much but I meant it.
Alternatively you could let me have your e-mail address and I can send a copy on 'word' - it's an Irish novel even though it's set in Los Angeles and is about a manic depressive Irish/Jewish writer who goes to Hollywood to make a killing in the film business and writes a play about James Joyce in the process - it's not too heavy and some of it is funny. Lemme know.
Just had a business lunch - nobody drinks here in the day which is just as well - something I got to learn when I came and it suits me - I used to go to the boozer every Sunday and sleep in front of the Golden Shot and the football.
When I first started as an actor I went to evening classes before going to college and I did The Playboy of the Western World which was directed by a teacher from the big school/high school or whatever it was called from Solihull - where you are now. I have no idea what his name was but he was great.
Chris.
 
Chris,
your boxing photo back row third from the left a play mate of mine Terry Ward i recognize the other lads but i have forgoton their names, and was that teacher the one that used to hit your back side with his plymsole.
 
I can't remember Terry Ward and the boxing photo I found on Tony Slater's page on friendsreunited.

I think the teacher who used to hit us with the plimpsole was Brian Forster who later became an actor (which is what I do) and I've often wondered if I would even recognise him - he used to snap his fingers all the time and when one of the kids asked him why he was doing that he said 'a nervous reaction.'

He used to wear drain pipe trousers and thick sole shoes and had long hair (for the day). The mothers who would be dropping their kids off at the junior school would blow kisses to him when he would walk us across the street from the annex to assembly.

If you look at the teachers on all of the photos they look as if they were from the Victorian era - not necessarily with their clothes but their attitudes; the boxing photo make it look as if he's at an orphanage.

When you think back the attitude of most of the teachers left a lot to be desired. I was with Williams in 1/1; Griffiths in 2/1; Jones in 3/1 and Tebbit in 4/1.

Jones used to let us bring in guitars and he recorded us singing skiffle songs; I couldn't play then but would pretend and strum on a guitar out front with all the others and one day they all stopped before me so the whole class heard my bum note. I could play the harmonica and played a tune to the class one day while Jones recorded it but the whole class proceded to make me laugh and we could hear it on the recording for weeks afterwards.

I think Jones was a good teacher; Tebbit was beneath contempt and taught me a lesson for life - be careful who you trust: one day a male nurse came to talk to us about the facts of life and we were embarrassed to ask questions; so he said write your questions on a piece of paper, put them into an envelope and I'll answer them and your teacher (Tebbit) will not be here so don't be embarrassed. Tebbit confirmed he would stay out of the classroom.
When the next week came the nurse answered all the questions but Tebbit didn't leave the room. He waited for the male nurse to go then tore into us telling us what a disgusting bunch we were; he may have been right but what was he?
 
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Chris,
over the weekend i was talking to an actor/entertainer we had been to a show at Folly-Farm which is a top place down here for children and the family they have a theatre and we whent there to see " that'll be the day " and afterwards we stayed behind for a chat and drinks and i was having a chat with one or two of the stars, this was one of them do you know him. www.Rebeldean.com have a look
 
Thanks Frederick,

I think he's a bit young for me to know him; apart from coming over to do my one man show I haven't worked over there since 1994 and that was in Charles Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit for the BBC.
I used to know the guy who plays the male nurse in Casualty from one of his photos.
Hope all is well.
Chris.
 
Hi Chris,

I went to the other theatre school in Birmingham, Birmingham Theatre School in Islington Row. There was always a friendly rivalry between the two schools. We all used to meet up at Barretts, I think it was, at five ways. But I'm always pleased to hear, whether you went to my school or the other, when someone has success. May you continue to do so.

Ann
 
Hello Ann,

Yes I remember the Birmingham Theatre School - Mary Richards - and I went there for a year to night-school before starting at Chappies.

I used to go to the pub at Five Ways which was near the shopping centre and later they built another new pub across the street on Hagley Road; I don't remember the names of them though.

I auditioned for Mary Richards but couldn't get a grant from the council so went to the evening classes there and learned a lot - then the year after, I auditioned for Chappies and got the grant too. I never auditioned for any other drama school - hadn't heard of RADA or any of the other top line London drama schools.

I was in a talk show recently on an American local (Los Angeles) station and mentioned my audition:
- have a look [ame="https://youtube.com/watch?v=VrGBnPB8IN0"]YouTube - The Stanley Dyrector Show with guest Chris Sullivan - clip.[/ame]

Chris.
 
ChrisSullivan said:
I think Jones was a good teacher; Tebbit was beneath contempt and taught me a lesson for life - be careful who you trust: one day a male nurse came to talk to us about the facts of life and we were embarrassed to ask questions; so he said write your questions on a piece of paper, put them into an envelope and I'll answer them and your teacher (Tebbit) will not be here so don't be embarrassed. Tebbit confirmed he would stay out of the classroom.
When the next week came the nurse answered all the questions but Tebbit didn't leave the room. He waited for the male nurse to go then tore into us telling us what a disgusting bunch we were; he may have been right but what was he?
Click to expand...

Chris I was in the same class that day and after the nurse had left Tebbit called us "a dirty minded load of individuals"! I can tell you he was not right, he was the one with a dirty mind.

You say that the teachers looked as if they were from a Victorian era; well they were at least in spirit. This must have been the worst school in Birmingham yet some of us "made it" despite everything. Most of my time there was a waste of time. Most mornings I fainted through lack of food and had to be carried outside, but not one teacher ever thought to ask how I was or why I was sick every day. Mr Jones gave me a zero on my rapport for PE with the comment "very weak". As you know a few years later I became world champ in just about the toughest sport there is, cycle road racing. https://www.birmingham-revisited.com/GrahamWebb/tabid/56/Default.aspx

I too was in the BirminghamSchool's Choir, not just the Dennis Road one, and we were carted off to some other school, can't remember the name at this moment, to practise singing "Hiawatha", which we then sung at the BirminghamTown Hall. I'm not on your choir photo.

Graham.
 
ChrisSullivan said:
here are the photos mentioned above.

Chris.

(10) Alan Harvey; (16) Tony Deakin; (32) Derek Lavelle; (34) Barry Smith;
(37) Kevin Breeze; (41) Freddie Bishop; (42) John Yarwood; (43) Geoffrey Potter;
(44) Derek Smith; (45) Geoffrey Hill; (46) Douglas Murdoch; (49) Gary Satterthwaite; (51) Tony Green; (52) Tony Slater; (53) Chris Sullivan – me; (55) Trevor Pete.
Maybe people could put names to the others – if you can see the numbers.
Click to expand...

I remember A. Harvey and Bendy very well as they were both in the Air Training Corps (ATC) with me in 492 Squadron based on the Stratford Road, Hall Green. Both really great lads to know.
 
Cadeau said:
Chris I was in the same class that day and after the nurse had left Tebbit called us "a dirty minded load of individuals"! I can tell you he was not right, he was the one with a dirty mind.

You say that the teachers looked as if they were from a Victorian era; well they were at least in spirit. This must have been the worst school in Birmingham yet some of us "made it" despite everything. Most of my time there was a waste of time. Most mornings I fainted through lack of food and had to be carried outside, but not one teacher ever thought to ask how I was or why I was sick every day. Mr Jones gave me a zero on my rapport for PE with the comment "very weak". As you know a few years later I became world champ in just about the toughest sport there is, cycle road racing. https://www.birmingham-revisited.com/GrahamWebb/tabid/56/Default.aspx

I too was in the BirminghamSchool's Choir, not just the Dennis Road one, and we were carted off to some other school, can't remember the name at this moment, to practise singing "Hiawatha", which we then sung at the BirminghamTown Hall. I'm not on your choir photo.

Graham.
Click to expand...
The photo of the choir wasn't taken when we went to the town hall; this was taken on the evening of a play - I can't remember what the name of the play was but I couldn't get into it; which is a bit ironic when I earn my living as an actor now; maybe I should have taken the hint then and packed it in!!!!

Chris.
 
ChrisSullivan said:
The photo of the choir wasn't taken when we went to the town hall; this was taken on the evening of a play - I can't remember what the name of the play was but I couldn't get into it; which is a bit ironic when I earn my living as an actor now; maybe I should have taken the hint then and packed it in!!!!

Chris.
Click to expand...

Chris, because I was quite good with my hands (ask any woman) I was always given the job of drawing and painting the back drops for the school plays. I was given an empty classroom to work in and I could choose a whole team to help me. I chose all my best mates and those were the best days for me at Dennis Road.

You see what a bad judge those teachers were; you made it as an actor and I made it in my chosen sport.
 
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That's the way it goes, Graham; I still have to audition to do voice-overs though; Australian one day and something else the next. Incidentally most Americans can't tell the difference between Irish, Australian and British accents; I'm always asked if I'm an Aussie!!
 
Chris was it you that mentioned Terry Ward on this thread? I have a photo of him dressed as an Arab at the Coronation street party fancy dress in 1953 at Leamington Road; which I won as the clown.
 
Two answers for the price of one coming up - yes I can still do a Brummy accent but it's not much in demand - especially over here; it was the one accent that used to hold Brum actors back in that nobody ever wanted one only on Crossroads. I did Crossroads in 1971 and then what?
So you have to learn other accents too and as my very first accent was Irish and then I did the Brum to fit in till it came naturally, accents came easier to me.
I have noticed from seeing the recent footage on the news item I was in and listening to the bit on the Les Ross show that the younger brummys have a slightly different accent. They talked about the telegram boys and the busses on the radio and they pronounced busses as buzzez and boys as boiz whereas I have heard younger Birmingham people say bussez (using the middle 's' sound) and boys as boyz.
Accents will probably disappear and be replaced by the estuarry accent as spoken by Paul Merton and Jonathan Ross - who sounds almost Dickensian.
All this must be very boring for people not interested in accents.
I couldn't remember Terry Ward - I think he was on the boxing photo which I got from FriendReunited (if we're allowed to mention that site on here); strange how you can remember some people so clearly and others just disappear into the abyss.
Chris.
 
Thanks again Chris.

I'm very interested in accents, dialect and languages, in fact I now live in the land of dialects; Flanders. When I first moved here in 1967 just every town, village or street had their own dialect and I've mastered most of them. The nearest city to me is Ghent and I believe that they are the only city in the world to have their own dialect still intact. In the 70's there was a national drive here to get everyone to speak the same language but luckily it failed and there is now a healthy interest in saving the different dialects for future generations.

Graham.
 
hi Graham,
it was me that noticed Terry Ward on the boxing photo, is the Arab Terry Ward i thought that was Barry Bulivant, the girl dressed like a fairy her name was Carole she lived next to the shop but who are the little ones
 
Hi guys
sorry to butt in on you two, but was Terry Ward a bit of a Joker as I seem think that Terry became a club comic on the midland circuit!

PS
Did any of you also remember the Rooney family Gerry and Mick from Esme Road off Stoney Lane in Sparkhill , that also went to our Sec Mod? Mick played in the Group called "The Modernairs" who played all the local clubs and Discos from the Mid 60's untill the 90's. Well Chris he now runs a bar called "The Britannia" in Santa Monica high street, up from the Pier, on the right hand side, with his family, Wife Emily ans his daughter Sonia, thats another Student done well in LA! Dennis Road School must have had something going for it!!??
 
hi Bob,
Terry Ward tryed his hand at singing he got onto opportunity knocks but he dident get anyware on there so he would have been a singer
 
I remember the Modernairs as they played regularly at The Ritz in King's Heath - where I used to play but I wasn't on the stage!!!!!
Actually saw The Beatles there a couple of times.
Dennis Road School seemed to have sent us to all corners of the world.
I have never been in The Britannia - I've been in to The King's Head in Santa Monica and it's full of English people and I used to meet Vic Flick in there - he played the James Bond theme on the original recording. I know him because he played the music on the film I directed about 18 years ago in London.
It's the kind of place that attracts people who are over here on their holidays but as I live in the Hollywood Hills it's a bit far to go for a drink.
The only time I have a drink in Santa Monica is after I do my Irish show there once a year at Santa Monica Playhouse and we have to go to a bar on 3rd Street as the rest of the pubs and bars are packed.
You can't get into Molly Malone's on Fairfax at all unless you queue outside till someone comes out.
Small world isn't it really?
 
frederick said:
hi Graham,
it was me that noticed Terry Ward on the boxing photo, is the Arab Terry Ward i thought that was Barry Bulivant, the girl dressed like a fairy her name was Carole she lived next to the shop but who are the little ones
Click to expand...

Hi Fred,

I knew that someone had mentioned Terry Ward but had forgotten that it was you; I only saw his name while flicking through the threads trying to catch up after my hols. Yes Fred I know that I always thought that the Arab was Barry but after finding Barry down under (I'll have to try and get him on the forum) my penny dropped that it was Terry Ward.

Bob,

Dennis Road had nothing to do with it; it was something in the water! Lol. If we made a list of the good 'uns' that came out of the area I think it would be quite long. Can't you get Powley on the forum?

Chris,

Isn't it a small world now that we can all get together again like this on the net. Wouldn't it be great if we could just re-live one of our school days with the whole bunch from 1958? Until that miracle happens this is the next best thing.

Graham.
 
frederick said:
hi Bob,
Terry Ward tryed his hand at singing he got onto opportunity knocks but he dident get anyware on there so he would have been a singer
Click to expand...


Hi Frederick
I thought it was Terry Ward when I saw him a singer / comedian! his only problem although he looked good and youthful for his age is that he was a ringer for the "Yorkshire Ripper"
 
Chris,

Isn't it a small world now that we can all get together again like this on the net. Wouldn't it be great if we could just re-live one of our school days with the whole bunch from 1958? Until that miracle happens this is the next best thing.

I don't know about that - I don't think I'd like to spend even one minute back there; well maybe a game of football in the playground and instead of being useless I was good.
 
Cadeau said:
Bob, where did you find that, and can't you post the link?
Click to expand...

Graham
I put Terry Ward Comedian into Google search and it came up with this site 3 down from the top.
Does it look like the terry u knew, as i know its definatly the terry Ward that went to our school

www.acesentertainments.co.uk/entertainment_agency_uk/comedians/index.php?action=view_acts&page=3
 
bobsummers said:
Graham
I put Terry Ward Comedian into Google search and it came up with this site 3 down from the top.
Does it look like the terry u knew
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob, yes it does look very much like him. I'll take a look at your link.

PS, I've looked at the link to Terry Ward but this one does look too young to be the same one, might be an old photo.
 
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ChrisSullivan said:
I don't know about that - I don't think I'd like to spend even one minute back there; well maybe a game of football in the playground and instead of being useless I was good.
Click to expand...

Chris you do make me laugh (but then that's your job isn't it?). I can understand what you mean but I did say "only for a day", then back out 'home' like a flash.
 
Well California is burning as I write - Los Angeles County and Ventura County have been declared a state of emergency by our gubinator Schwarzenegger - a state of emergency frees up funds in Sacramento to pay for the fighting of them.
One of the fires seems to be burning exponentially so we don't know where it's going to stop- maybe the ocean.
The 118 freeway was closed due to tha fact that someone was killed whilst trying to drive through the smoke and many homes have been evacuated under a mandatory order.
That's the news from my neck of the woods - there is some dirty politicizing here with a lot of smears but this is America - what's it like where you are guys and gals?
 
ChrisSullivan said:
Well California is burning as I write - Los Angeles County and Ventura County have been declared a state of emergency by our gubinator Schwarzenegger - a state of emergency frees up funds in Sacramento to pay for the fighting of them.
One of the fires seems to be burning exponentially so we don't know where it's going to stop- maybe the ocean.
The 118 freeway was closed due to tha fact that someone was killed whilst trying to drive through the smoke and many homes have been evacuated under a mandatory order.
That's the news from my neck of the woods - there is some dirty politicizing here with a lot of smears but this is America - what's it like where you are guys and gals?
Click to expand...

Chris, surely a 'Robo Cop' can solve all your problems?

I live in Belgium and they say that it is one of the most corrupt countries in the world; and a government? We still haven't got one even though there were general elections more than a year ago! The stumbling block is that one half speaks Flemish and the other half speaks French. The Flemish half, where I live, are more affluent than the French half and many Flemish people want to break away from the French part. But there is a King in-between that wants to keep it together; otherwise he would be out of a job! The French lot want to keep this land together because they get supported by us, yet they want more than half a say in everything. There is also a German speaking area of Belgium, just to make life even easier.

This is a country with wonderful people and never a dull moment; I just love it (and they are cycling crazy).

Maybe off thread but this is just to let old Dennis Roadies know how the other half live these days.

Graham.
 
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