Barry Sheene - the king of Seventies motorcycling. He was a long-haired leather clad hero of burning rubber. Sheene was the British equivalent of Evel Knevel. He died in 2003. Don't recall any Barry Sheene toys.
Uri Geller - spoon bender extraordinaire. Geller became an unlikely celebrity who was bending spoons and showing off his hair virtually everywhere in the Seventies. Uri is bending time and is still alive. He even got his own board game!
Tony Soper - OK Tony wasn't mega famous but he was a regional naturalist of some import. A TV birdwatcher, his lilting accent drew us budding birders into the reeds where he was watching a nice warbler. Tony is 91. It pays to watch birds.
Leslie Crowther - the anchor, along with Peter Glaze, of the famous TV show Crackerjack, which with Blue Peter and Thunderbirds, formed the Holy Trinity of Kids TV when I was a little telly watcher in the 60's. Crowther was hilarious and his laugh infectious. He died in 1996.
Shari Lewis - I was in love with this gorgeous American puppeteer. Lamb Chop was funny and cute too but I secretly wished that I was that sock. Shari died in 1998.
Morticia Addams/ Lily Munster - there wasn't much difference between these two scream queens as I liked them both. The Munsters and the Addams Family were must-see TV in our house. Lily/ Yonne De carlo died in 2007. Lily/ Carolyn Jones died in 1983.
Paul Nicholas - Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, this cheeky blonde frizzed big smiler seemed to be everywhere at one time. Not really on my radar but I knew he was there. Eventually I was much more interested in his similarly-frizzy big-smile lookalike Peter Frampton the ace guitarist. The Germans had there frizzed big smiler too called Thomas Gottschalk in the 80's. I think they may all be the same person! Nicholas is 75.
Suzi Quattro - I really was in love with Suzi. When she first wielded her massive bass guitar on Top of the Pops I was smitten by her leather jackets, her faded jeans and that unusual and incredibly alluring upper lip. Can the Can and Devilgate Drive are the rock soundtrack of my youth and she didn't half put some umph into it. Suzi is 69 and is not married to me for some reason.
That's it for now. Who would you add readers?
I think you'd have to add Noakes, Singleton and Purvis.
ReplyDeleteYep, for sure Kev. The Holy Trinity of Blue Peter.
DeleteHalf of these people I have never heard of - perhaps they were only mega famous in Britain. Uri Geller, Paul Nicholas, Suzi Quattro (she was in Happy Days, playing Leather Tuscadero), Carolyn Jones, Yvonne De Carlo, and the wonderful Shari Lewis, are the ones I do know.
ReplyDeleteTo these I would add French underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau - Revell did kits of his research ship the Calypso and PBY Catalina flying boat (in which Cousteau's son Philippe was killed in 1979) in the 1970s, and the song Calypso by John Denver; and Rolf Harris and his amazing paintings done with house brushes.
I think you may have to look at what Rolfie's now more famous for, Paul, and then reconsider having him on the list.
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John Craven and Johnny Morris are another two childhood legends that I remember. Happy days.
Suzi Quattro was in Happy Days? Now that I will have to check out. I loved Suzi!
DeleteHow about James Burke, the TV science presenter from Tomorrow's World and Connections, as well as the BBC's moon landing and other NASA coverage.
ReplyDeleteHe was to space science on TV what David Attenborough was (and still is) to natural history shows.
Mish.
Yep, I remember him clearly Mish. James is in! I loved Tomorrow's World. Essential viewing back then!
DeleteI would second Johnny Morris, and add Oliver Postgate (Noggin the Nog etc.), John Ryan (creator of Pugwash) and Patrick Moore.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Andy. Legends all and all go on the list! I might add the old chap on How or was it Magpie? Anyway, he was a folk crafts expert. He smoked a pipe.Jack Hawkins?
DeleteThat's Jack Hargreaves Woodsy.
ReplyDeleteHe went on to present 'Out of Town', a magazine type show with 2 or 3 inserts, covering outdoor and countryside issues like steam tractor fairs or sheepdog trials. He presented it from a set that looked like the inside of an old toolshed.
Mish.
Of course! Jack Hargreaves! He was God at one time. if Jack didn't know it it wasn't worth knowing! Was he on How?
DeleteYup, he was. I remember seeing the first episode of How back in the '60s.
DeleteThanks Kid. Do you recall an episode of How where Kung Fuer Joseph Cheng bent a spear just using his adam's apple?
DeleteCan't say that I do, but like a lot of things these day, I don't remember remembering something until I see it again (if that makes any sense).
DeleteYep. Know what you mean Kid.
DeleteTerry Nutkin king of the skullet hair cut!! As I remember a zoo-oligist at Bristol zoo but as I got older I realized his unbounded enthusiasm might have been as a result of smoking something that was in abundance at the zoo!- MJ Southcoast base
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention Terry MJ. Me and the Missus like Gavin Maxwell novels -Ring of Bright Water etc - and his history. Terry was a young volunteer at his otter sanctuary in Scotland. I understand that an otter bit part of Terry's finger off!
DeleteTerry 'otter' have watched what he was doing.
ReplyDeleteMish.
ha ha. It's odd though. I'm sure Gavin Maxwell asked Terry's parents if he could adopt him or something like that.
DeleteRobin Askwith ! I went to his "An Evening with..." a few years ago and he was an extremely gifted raconteur and very friendly welcoming chap in the bar afterwards
ReplyDeleteFenton
The Confessions of a Window Cleaner guy Fenton? Yep , he was mega famous back then. I remember seeing him in the early Seventies in a cinema film called Tower of Evil, a flick I've loved ever since. Great stuff. He's from Southport like our Scoop!
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