Titch and quackers
Posted by 1troy3 on January 21, 2009
I was reading Tony Hart’s obit the other day and came across the aforementioned ventroliquist act. It set off one of those primordial memories – I guess I must have been about three when that was on the TV and I know I couldn’t even pronounce it.
Isn’t it weird the way these things lie dormant for decades and then suddenly spring to life wheny they are given the right trigger.
My parents moved house when I was three so I can gauge the vintage of some of those early kids’ programmes. The only one I can positively say I remember by title was Top Cat (in shaky black-and-white) but there was another Amercian thang I used to watch (with my eggy soldiers) which was all about smoke jumpers – you know, those guys that parachute into forest fire zones to tackle the blazes. Blowed if I know what it was called. Can anyone help me out? Might even be on YouTube if someone can come with a name. Al – you’re good at this stuff.
Alan W said
Mmmm not sure – was it a cartoon? If not, could it be ‘Forest Rangers’ maybe? Heroic tales in the Rockies I think. My memories of kids progs back then are the badly dubbed foreign series – Belle & Sebastian and White Horses (great theme song recently butchered by Cerys Matthews) spring to mind.
Did anyone used to buy ‘Look-In’ – the junior TV Times? I well remember the first issue had a free cardboard television studio to cut out and assemble – I thought it was the best thing ever!
DaveG said
Ah no – not a cartoon. They wore those massive silver suits (which, incidentally, you could get for your action man). Must be circa 1965.
And it’s a shame they don’t rerun that old stuff – I loved Belle and Sebastian and White Horses. Would be fascinating to see them again.
I didn’t get Look-in. But my dad used to buy me Shoot! magazine on the way to the match. Halcion days.
Ian said
Hi all, – good to hear the discussion on childhood TV as within the last week I have trawled Utube looking for memories and found The Double Deckers clips as well as the Banana Splits. It is odd how a clip or a song can place you back at that time with other memories springing forth. Then I found a lot of Spike Milligan clips from the “Q” series as well as Steptoe and Son. That kept me entertained for ages. I can’t see any reason for not digitising old programmes for baby boomers to access on line? Forest Rangers sounds familiar too.
Alan W said
I was discussing Double Deckers only last week with Mr.Everett – we both had a crush on Billie, the older girl who didn’t carry the stuffed tiger. Brinsley Forde went on to have a No 1 single with Aswad, but we both forgot Peter Firth (Scoop), who went on to be a proper actor of some standing. Follyfoot was also mentioned, as we both fancied the female lead.
lan said
l wonder what career move it was to be a Banana Split!
Alan W said
Well, Billie Piper is a dead ringer for Bingo – reincarnation maybe?
Dave G said
Hey Snorky, why you draggin’ that piece of string?
Snorky: You ever tried pushin’ one?