Tune In and Fire

 I've always loved little radios. As a kid I had a small portable transistor. I don't think I had a radio gun but I would have loved these.

The Transogram Girl from Uncle Radio Pistol. How cool is that! The Flashlight Whistle is pretty smart too!

Here's another fab toy bullet firing radio from Japan. It looks really ace.

Do you have any toy radio guns?

Buxton Bounty

On a frosty day trip to the Peak town of Buxton nestled betwixt snowy hills the Missus and me mooched among the many charity shops.

Prices of vintage toys and games have shot up in Charities of late, especially old board games, of which I saw a few like Airport, Hotel, Escape from Colditz and Totopoly.

I did pick up some some old tech, namely a 1989 VHS pre-cert Kung Fu Horror film called The Men from the Monastery, a 1974 Shaw Brothers production. I collect old horror and thriller videos, preferably big box but small and pre-cert are fine too. This is the first 1980's horror video I've seen in a charity shop for years, so I was chuffed.

I also got a set of BBC Radio cassette tapes of their 1981 production of Lord of the Rings. This is the 2001 re-issue and just part 1, The Fellowship of the Ring, which I first heard, along with the rest, in the Spring and summer of 1981, whilst volunteering for the RSPB at the Ouse Washes. It was all very Middle Earth!

I like Tolkien tapes and books and have a few. The older the better and preferably with classic art on the covers. I have sold some old computer games like the Hobbit and regret it, as the box art was fabulous.

Have you any old VHS or Videos or Lord of the Rings books and cassettes?

The Search for the Radio Times Lord of the Rings Art

In 1980/81 I worked and lived on an RSPB nature reserve, where in the winter evenings I listened to the BBC radio serial of Lord of the Rings in our cabin. Volunteers, hippies and punks gathered round the wireless to listen to Tolkien's tale.

It was a really wonderful production and fitted right into my Middle Earth craze at the time. I loved it.

I've loved all things Tolkien forever and remember seeing the amazing artwork connected to that BBC radio play, in particular this fantastic golden illustration on the big BBC box-set of cassette tapes that were released, one I still hope to own one day.

But here's a blog entry from Brian Sibley about searching for and eventually owning something much more unique, the actual original BBC and Radio Times artwork itself!

His story of how he tracked it down from the Radio Times is a truly fascinating tale. 

I hope you enjoy it on Brian's blog. I sure did.

https://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/cover-story-lord-of-rings-on-radio.html?m=1 

Ring Round: my Home-Made Radio Premium Rings

 My latest interest (read obsession!) are American Radio ring premiums from the 1940's and 50's.

True objects of desire, here's a beautiful array featured on Hakes. They really are gorgeous and must have been thrilling to get in the post or in a cereal box.

So smitten was I that I've begun to make my own versions of some of them.

Here's my first four.

The first one I made and the first one that caught my eye way back in the 1990's was the Carey Salt The Shadow ring, bottom right.

A lovely simple cream ring with crocodile jaws, a black ellipse lozenge and it glows in the dark. What more could an American kid want in 1949, after listening to The Shadow on the radio.

I couldn't find an ad for the Carey Salt ring but here's the mailing pack for it's stablemate, the Blue Coal The Shadow Ring (borrowed from Martin Grimes' fabulous site. Just Google his name)

The two rings I've 'copied' are these, although the lower black coal ring is a fan custom I understand, as Blue Coal only issued blue coal rings.

Here are my much simpler impressions using a plain white ring and bits from my tat box.

Mere shadows, I was pleased how these simple attempts turned out. Glow in the dark paint is on order!

Much more complex, the Quaker Pirates Gold Detector ring must have been stupendous to own and wear back in the day.

Here's a cereal ad and the magnificent ring itself courtesy of Hakes. Just send one box top! I wish! 

And my own pirate rendition comprising of a plumbers' clasp and red caps from my late Father in Law's toolbox. You can't see but I've installed a tiny film lens inside the bigger cap.

Last but not least, this is purported to be the biggest premium ring ever issued, Sky King's Tele-blinker Ring!

Here's an original comic ad and the spectacular telescopic ring courtesy of Hakes. What a fabulous beast!

And here's my MoonBase Tele-blinker.

What do you think? 

Did you ever have any of these?

Do you own a ring?

The Clock

The Clock is considered to be the first masked comic hero to appear in American comics in the Golden Age. He was created by George Brenner.

Wearing a sort of black hanky over his face, the Clock was a hypnotist crime fighter with a cane. He fought his bad guys in Chicago.

He debuted in November 1936 and his alter ego was the catchy-named Brian O' Brian.

DC eventually acquired the Clock but let him slip silently into the public domain in the 1950's.

His calling card read The Clock Has Struck!

I couldn't find any Clock merchandise but I imagine there's still time.

Have you any Clock stuff? 

It was a Toy Gun Transistor

A while back we were discussing the possible ID of a mystery red plastic box.

Turns out it was this.

https://images.app.goo.gl/DfmdRpkucy6TUwC47 

Did you have a transistor that fired small toy bullets? Did you get one for Xmas?

Station to Festive Station

 There are plenty of old radios online to admire. Here's two spacey ones that caught my ear.

This satellite-like fellow has a clip-on alligator clip. Where does that go? and a classic ear plug. I know where that goes. Simple and beautiful. How do you tune it?

This solid state [what does that mean?] shuttle radio is just a gorgeous. All your favourite tunes from the shuttle cockpit!

Did/ do you have a spacey radio? Is it something you got at Christmas as a kid?

Novelty Torch and Radios

Here is a You Tube video featuring some novelty merchandise. 

A beer bottle that is actually a torch; a Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottle that is actually an AM radio; then a pair of model cars, a Cadillac convertible and a Ford Mustang, that are also radios.

Novelty Radios and a Schlitz Light - YouTube

Do you or did you have a novelty radio?

Does anyone get a radio for Christmas still?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

DID YOU RECORD THE CHARTS?

Reader EW recently mentioned his old mix tapes t'other day and it reminded me of making my own tapes back in the early Seventies on my rectangular cassette recorder, the ultimate tech of the day.

I taped from the radio using a mic set up in front of it. This way I recorded the Charts on a Sunday. I think they played the top 40 but I probably only taped the top twenty. Would that have fitted on a C60? I seem to recall having to turn the tape over at some point! How awkward and I bet you could hear it on the recording!

Did you record the pop charts onto cassettes readers? Anyone still got any?

Star Wars: A New Hope Radio Drama

hi Woodsy, Have you seen heard of this? On You Tube.

I found it a while ago and just got round to playing it, I remember recording it from Radio 1 either 1978 or 79, I remember the dialogue like it was yesterday, there's also Empire strikes back and Return of the Jedi. 

I don't recall Radio 1 broadcasting those stories. 

Enjoy! Regards 

MJ Southcoast Base

https://youtu.be/0-29uKdckL4

WINTER EVENING SHOCKS: MEAT AND SKIN

In 1970 a couple of schlockers were screened as a grisly double at cinemas in the States in American cinemas.  

Now enjoying a cult following, this cheapo feature was called I Drink Your Blood and I Eat your Skin. 

I've always liked these  titles and the simple lobby poster, although I've never seen either flick.

Alas, I can't offer you the original combo this dark Friday night - you could always track down the flicks yourself - but I can riff on the title and have come up with my own winter night double feature, sort of!

I give you They're Made out of Meat and The Skin of the Fathers.

I first heard They're made out of Meat driving home from work about five years ago. It was a short radio play but what a fabulously scrumptious slice of sci-fi.

There are a number of versions of it online. Here's a brilliant acted version set in an American diner!

If you fancy a listen, enjoy!

As for The Skins of the Fathers, I first read this years ago in Clive Barker's fabulous Books of Blood. Its classic Barker, ancient and modern alike. 

Here's an audio production on You Tube I found. If you fancy some skin then maybe give it a whirl.

THE CUT RING

I've been boning up on more Super Hero rings. I dunno, I'm just attracted to these small things and thats despite not wearing any jewelry at all. It may be something in the past.

My own super heroes were my parents. Long gone now, they both wore rings. Personal, circular, emotional things.

My Dad wore a signet ring, which I still have, nestled in a tin of his medals.. The band is cut, as I assume it had to be snipped by the mortician to remove it from his finger. Its always very poignant when I see his cut ring, the circle severed. It has a tiny stoned star on the face and always makes me think of my Dad's motto, per ardua ad astra; through hardship to the stars, a motto I have always loved.

My Mum wore lots of rings. I don't think I have any now. We all got some though. I did sell one in a pawnshop in Chester circa 1984 together with a silver spoon from my young Missus. 

I was newly married, skint and young. With cash from the pawnshop stuffed in my pocket I stopped at an ear salon and then proceeded to go home on the train to Llanfairfechan with the first of the two most ridiculously impulsive things I ever acquired, a green stud ear-ring inserted into my hitherto pristine earlobe with money we sorely needed for our baby on the way.

Only now do I see the irony of me selling a chunky old and precious maroon garnet ring kept safe and sound for decades by my Mum in order for me to sell it to a stranger to pay for my cheapo green stud ear-ring bought on impulse and which stayed in situ for less than ten years. At least it was a ring for a ring I suppose. The hole in my ear has now closed.

Oddly enough I still have to this day the receipt for the pawned ring and the ear-ring itself. Why I hear you say. I dunno really. What I actually want is my Mum's ring back!

Coming full circle of sorts I'm now reading my old book about super hero rings again and with the added facility of the internet I'm able to fill in some gaps about a time that was dominated by that other invention in every home, the radio, when kids in the 1940's listened religiously every week to ....

The Shadow.

Till next time.

DAN DARE LOST RADIO LUXEMBOURG SERIAL

At some pint this year someone mentioned the Luxembourg Dan Dare lost radio series. I think it was reader Terranova47. If like me you are unaware of it then here's a few links about the subject:

https://downthetubes.net/?p=739

https://downthetubes.net/?p=18114

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wKmNz-qQlM

Is it something you're aware of readers?

PASS ME A SAUCER

I like this vintage Tandy flying saucer I saw on an online auction.

Its a radio!  You turn the clear dome to tune it! Made in Korea and very neat by the looks of it!

Radio and space toy seems the perfect marriage to me. Where there any more I wonder?

For some reason this Tandy beauty also reminds me of that other handsome Saucer of Japanese origin, Billy Blastoff's.

You can watch some endearing footage of Billy in his dome on this clip I found on You Tube.

https://youtu.be/Y6OA3PKjv_k?t=57s

Have you any toy flying saucers?

PROMO PICTURES OF THE TELEGOONS 1964

Woodsy

I don't know if you listened to the Goons on the radio, or for that matter know that some of the stories were re-recorded and acted out by puppets as The Telegoons. 

Believe it or not these are contemporaneous with Stingray from 1964. I actually paid for these and they are not even signed like 'Biggles' 

Terranova47

NYC

USA

Young World Goodwin walkie talkies from 1978

The box art of this auctioned Young World walkie talkie set caught my eye.

Its not often you see a Saturn V and its MLP on toy box art.

The walkie talkies look pretty damn cool as well. 'space age styling'! They could have come from the set of UFO!

I remember getting and playing with plastic telephones one Christmas in the Sixties. Don't think I had any walkie talkies.

Have you or did you have walkie talkies, toy or otherwise?

novelty dog radio anyone?

I remember this radio from the Seventies.

A Snoopy-like hound with a woolly hat and a plastic strap.

For some reason I thought he was Muttley off the Wackey Races at the time.

No idea were the controls were now.

And just where did we take these things? Out in public?

Did you have a dog radio?

poe's the cask of amtilldado on celtica radio for halloween night

Just to let you know that Squaring the Circle has a creepy Halloween story read immaculately by Christopher Ross from New York.

The story is by the master of fright, Edgar Alan Poe.

Sweet Dreams!

Bill Ev

Celtica Radio

http://s124347079.websitehome.co.uk/audio/circle.mp3

Art: Reed Crandall Creepy Comic

newsflash!

hop frog: leaping into halloween

When I was a wee lad in the Sixties I was monsterized.

While playing with my Project SWORD, Major Mat Mason, Lite Brite, Action Man and Glow Globs, my older brothers were fully immersed in the monster craze and used to read the brilliant Creepy and Eerie Comics by Warren publishing. 

This came into its own during the dark season starting at Halloween and peaking at Christmas, when new comics arrived as if by magic!

I was hooked!

When I was old enough to go up town on Saturday I continued where they'd left off, buying back issues and new ones from a fabulous comic stall on Preston market. 

But it was my Brothers' earlier copies that have stuck in my mind to this day, as the stories were so genuinely scary and the illustrations out of this world.

One such dastardly tale was Hop Frog. It was originally penned by Edgar Alan Poe and adapted for Creepy. Like the similar Cask of Amontillado [check back here tomorrow for Celtica Radio's Halloween reading of this] it scared me to death! 

You can find it in full online either as Poe's grim original from 1850 or if you have Warren's Creepy comic Issue 11 check out Reed Crandall/ Archie Goodwin's comic-strip masterpiece.

Better still, get hold of an old book of Poe's works, settle in your favourite armchair and read the 'old fashioned' way in front of a roaring fire!

But be warned! Hop Frog, a classic tale of tyranny and revenge, is not for the squeamish or easily offended. 

However, if like me, you like the dark matter of Sixties monster comics, Hop Frog is dripping with gothic grue and ideal for a dark night''s reading this ghostly season.

Hop Frog got another chance to shine, this time in the Roger Cormen 1964 movie masterpiece, Poe's Masque of the Red Death, in which the diminutive jester Hop Toad is superbly played by the talented Skip Martin, pictured below.

Not for the faint hearted, Masque is a tale of love, wrath and grisly revenge in the court of Prince Prospero played exquisitely by Vincent Price.

What will you be reading, watching or listening to this Halloween?