Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Disaster struck the time travel industry, this week in 1982 because it was at that moment the DeLorean Motor Company factory in Belfast was put into receivership.
I don't know. First, they discontinued police phone boxes and, now, DeLoreans. If I was a more paranoid individual, I might start to suspect a conspiracy.
But, at the time, perhaps we were all too distracted to care.
After all, on this every evening, that year, BBC One was transmitting the latest British Rock and Pop Awards, that ceremony we all tend to assume is the exact same thing as The Brit Awards but, it would seem, has nothing to do with them.
Presented by Sue Cook and Dave Lee Travis, 1982's ceremony was broadcast from the London Lyceum via the Nationwide TV show on behalf of the Daily Mirror.
I don't know who won what but I do know the event saw live performances by such musical deities as Alvin Stardust, Bad Manners, Dollar, Duran Duran, Toyah and Ronnie Hazlehurst and His Orchestra. Let's face it, nothing screams, "Rock and Roll," at you louder than the words, "Ronnie Hazlehurst and His Orchestra."
But, surely, the BBC was spoiling us because there was even more popular entertainment to come. For, straight after that ceremony, the same channel presented us with a documentary about the Batley Variety Club.
The programme featured contributions from Shirley Bassey, Cilla Black, Cannon & Ball, Bernie Clifton, Con Cluskey, Paul Daniels, Ken Dodd, Gracie Fields, The Grumbleweeds, Vince Hill, Engelbert Humperdinck, Eartha Kitt, Danny La Rue, Lulu, Vera Lynn, Johnny Mathis, Eric Morecambe, Gene Pitney, Cliff Richard, Neil Sedaka, Derek Smith, Alvin Stardust, Freddie Starr, Frankie Vaughan, Charlie Williams and Mike Yarwood.
I'm pretty sure Gracie Fields was dead, by this point. So, I'm assuming that whatever contribution she made was achieved through the medium of archive footage, rather than just a medium.
I must confess I don't know who Con Cluskey and Derek Smith were.
But it's good to see that Alvin Stardust managed to feature in both shows.
I am, of course, far more clued-up about the contents of this week's presentations from our favourite comics company.
How many times have we seen this phenom before? Just when we were thinking Marvel UK's weekly line is close to death, it comes out with a brand new book.
And this one's a sure-fire hit, as it unleashes a proven property upon the public.
If the front cover's to be believed, the mag gives us picture strips, games and so much more.
And I've no doubt it features more people pretending to be supernatural horrors than you can shake a Scooby Snack at.
I do believe Curt Connors tries to cure the accident-prone astronaut but, it being a Curt Connors experiment, it all goes wrong.
Still, never mind. While we're fretting about that, we can at least try to de-stress by winning a walk-about cassette player.
And to celebrate, we get an updated retelling of his origin!
But, alas, I can shed no light upon what's transpiring in this issue's other strips.
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32 comments:
Note, the term 'Walkman' isn't used. It's a 'walk about' cassette player - or something. Reminds me of the knock-off Walkman I had, called the 'Prinz Cruiser'. I think 'Prinz' was some name Dixons stuck on its products, as Germany tech had a good name!
Phillip
Yes, I had some Prinz binoculars. I remember them as being pretty good but the internet assures me they were poor.
Hold on! Stop the presses!
A quick Google reveals that the first calculator I ever had was a Prinztronic 88P!
I'd always remembered it as being by Texas Instruments. I can only assume Texas must have made the second calculator I ever had.
Ooh! It seems the second calculator I ever owned was a Prinztronic M500, which is a shock, as my dad claimed he'd got it as a freebie from Redgates toy shop when buying something else from them. However, its Prinztronic branding means he must have got it from Dixons.
This does pose the question of what was the Texas Instruments calculator I had?
RE: Searching for your first pocket calculator - "That way madness lies". I've started obsessively searching for mine - to no avail! And so, it begins...
Phillip
I'm watching that Bately Variety Club doc on Youtube right now Steve, about the (apparently) legendary light entertainment venue in west Yorkshire, the kind of place the older generation went to while their kids were off raving at the Wigan Casino or Blackpool Mecca.
Fascinating stuff, although as you might imagine from that cast list, possibly not so much so that I'll make it to the end. Or even the middle.
Its worth catching the first five minutes though, to see various 70s celebs baffled by the idea that there are people oop north "a long way from the glamorous world of stars and neon lights", and that they might actually have a life.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjGzSruor2Y
-sean
Batley!!!
Phillip
Sean - Isn't the Northern Soul symbol a clenched fist, thumb facing outwards (a bit like the black power salute)?
Phillip
Often not even facing out, Philip.
And sorry about the Batley typo earlier. No offence intended - thats anti-northern predictive text for you. Honest.
-sean
All this excitement over pocket calculators — I don’t think I’ve ever seen Steve this enthusiastic about ANYTHING before :)
b.t.
"Prinz" is a Dutch name. Trust me on that. American Hollanders. I have more cousins, second cousins, etc. named Prinz than I can throw a rock at.
...Note to self: I'm going to need more rocks at the next family reunion.
M.P.
A few days ago I bought a bottle of J.J. Whitley's Blood Orange Russian Vodka but now I fear that my £19 has contributed towards Putin's war machine! Should I instigate my own sanctions and boycott Russian vodka from now on? Perhaps I should be patriotic and stick to Scotch and gin.
Phillip, it is indeed. Except it's known as the Black-Pudding Power symbol.
Sean, thanks for the link. I'm proud to boast that I managed a full ten minutes of that show before I drifted off.
Bt, it's heady stuff, indeed.
MP, from this, I assume Freddie Prinze Jr is of Dutch extraction?
Colin, it's a matter of conscience that only you can make. It is, of course, possible to get Ukrainian vodka. Or even Horilka. Not to be confused with Horlicks.
Hi gang. Just a few random comments.
I too recall my first pocket calculator- a bulky beige Texas Instruments model. At the time it seemed the absolute ultimate in technological advancement. Little did I know what lay ahead...
Not familiar with the "Prinz" brand, but had my share of 'discount ' merchandise. Had a Realistic radio from, well, Radio Shack. Had a telescope from Montgomery Wards. Among others...
I'll now risk the wrath of our Estimable Host Steve by going off topic (that never happens here, does it?). To anyone interested in Paleontology (you there, Colin?)- saw a mention on the BBC site of an upcoming tv documentary: "The Final Day" with David Attenborough. Covering the truly remarkable fossil assemblage in North Dakota relative to the KT extinction. This old fossil simply MUST watch that show about some other old fossils...
Red, I didn't know about 'The Final Day' documentary but I've just been reading all about it - definitely a must-watch! And only yesterday BBC Radio 4's weekly science show 'Inside Science' revealed that the asteroid impact occurred in Springtime in the Northern Hemisphere - they know it was Springtime by studying fossil fish which were killed in the impact.
I forgot to mention that I've never heard of the Prinz brand.
Obviously I never bought anything from Dixons!
I'm currently reading the latest issue of INFINITY magazine (it's a nostalgia mag) which has an article all about The Monkees so obviously I had to go to YouTube to watch the opening credits of the TV show...
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees...
And by a weird coincidence I heard 'Daydream Believer' in Tesco just a few days ago - I was definitely bopping in the aisles to that one :D
It's the "e" on the end, Steve, that makes it Hispanic.
Although some Dutch names do sound a bit Hispanic, probably due to the Netherlands belonging to Spain for a very long time. The was some mixing. Spinoza, for example, was born in Amsterdam, and was of Portuguese-Jewish heritage.
My dad had a buddy named Kruse, and he was of Dutch heritage.
(And was as crazy as the day is long.)
M.P.
Thanks, MP. :)
Red, the thing I loved about my first calculator was that, aesthetically, it looked like something that should have been in Space:1999. I feel all technology should look like it belongs in Space:1999.
I've finally identified my first pocket calculator. Unfortunately, it's not a Prinz! It's the Silver-Reed mini IV:
https://vintage-technology.club/pages/calculators/s/silverminiiv.htm
Charlie - According to the internet (so it must be true), as well as Dixons, the Prinz name has some connection to Bass cameras, of CHICAGO!
https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/prinz-lens-manufacturer.173991/
Phillip
Gents! Charlie just had his bowl of Ready Brek and his body feels like a central heating system!!! Time to read the comments above!
A cultural question…
On Talk Sport they were discussing the arrival of a new sport from america called pickle ball. Weve been playing for a good 5 years here at least and it is growing in leaps and bounds in popularity. Truly!
Any of you guys play it or at least hear of it?
DW in Australia? McScotty in Scotland?
I can't help noticing that NONE of the comments so far have mentioned the Marvel UK weeklies!
So continuing the non-Marvel UK theme, the latest issue of INFINITY magazine also contains articles on the classic TV series 'Children Of The Stones' plus the radio adaptation of 'Star Wars' which was made by America's National Public Radio but here in the UK it was broadcast by BBC Radio One and I listened to all the episodes! But I didn't know that NPR also made versions of 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return Of The Jedi' - did the BBC ever broadcast those?
Continuing on the theme of not commenting about Marvel comics, lol… Colin you are listening to national public radio which we refer to as NPR. There is a certain political party which incessantly tries to defund them because… Well… You know the story…
Phillip- i am not aware of Bass cameras of CHICAGO! But, as I grow older, and I’m at the age now or one wonders how much older one is growing to grow, lol… Chicago did have many significant manufacturers of things from pianos to cameras to television shows. But those days have passed primarily due to competition from overseas.
Charlie, the article I was reading about the radio version of 'Star Wars' mentioned that Ronald Reagan (who you voted for - sorry to mention it!) cut NPR's funding in the '80s so they couldn't make their radio version of 'Return Of The Jedi' until 1996.
Charlie - I suppose Chicago's so big, it's nigh impossible to know every defunct camera shop. Besides, it might have been when you were in Gary, not Chicago. Nevertheless, it's strange that UK electricals shop, Dixons, should share a house name with a Chicago camera store.
Colin - I was just about to say that I'd got an old video of 'Children of The Stones'; but I've just checked, and it's 'Into The Labyrinth'. Just shows how appalling my memory's getting!
Phillip
Ole Charlie hangs his head in shame… he voted for Reagan, Bush, Dole, Bush Jr., McCain, even Romney. Then he started thinking after his boss in the National Guard had her legs and arm blown off in Iraq in 2003. She is now Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.
Steve, I lasted a bit longer with the film, but I guess Batley isn't as exotic to other Yorkies.
The Delorean Motor Company - not the original, but the Texas based one that acquired the name in the mid-90s, and restores and services DeLoreans - have announced the car is going into going back into production this year. Apparently theres a high demand for new ones.
After the receiver shut the original company down, the workers occupied the Beal Feirste factory and came up with a proposal to carry on, but of course the government weren't interested. They'll give away millions to some dodgy businessman like DeLorean who cost them around £80 million (and that was in '82), but a bit of money for the workers...? No chance.
-sean
Colin!
No comments on this week’s UK Marvels?! Not ONE???? We can’t have that, now, can we….
Um….
JJJ looks like he slept in his clothes.
That’s all I got.
cheers!
b.t.
Charlie, like yourself, I am very much an admirer of Tammy Duckworth. I loved it when she trounced Joe Walsh (not the cool Joe Walsh, the other one, the guy that didn't pay his child support)
This...war, that's happening, I really shouldn't talk about here and bring everybody down.
But I suspect you're as angry right now as I am.
The U.S. and Europe need to stand together, lockstep, because this bullshit is not acceptable.
The only goddamn thing we did right in the last fifty years was end the Cold War.
M.P.
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