|
Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes ('' né'' Hyams; born 11 January 1935) is an English actor and voice-over performer. He is best known for playing the effeminate Gunner (later Bombardier) "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom '' It Ain't Half Hot Mum'', for appearing in the Cliff Richard musical films '' The Young Ones'', '' Summer Holiday'' and '' Wonderful Life'' as well as '' Here Come the Double Deckers'' (1970–1971). Professional career Early life and stage roles Born in Wandsworth, South London, Hayes attended Sir Walter St John's Grammar School For Boys, Battersea. As a youth he worked in Fleet Street, carrying advertising print blocks between newspapers. In 1950, he saw an advertisement seeking an assistant for the conjurer The Great Massoni. He got the job and was soon "disappearing twice daily for £4 per week" performing the Indian rope trick in Maskelyne's Mysteries at The Comedy Theatre in London. He was also in a theatrical troupe called Terry's Juveniles and later appear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wandsworth
Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name from the River Wandle, which enters the River Thames, Thames at Wandsworth. Wandsworth appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Wandesorde'' and ''Wendelesorde''. This means 'enclosure of (a man named) Waendel', whose name is also lent to the River Wandle. To distinguish it from the London Borough of Wandsworth, and historically from the Wandsworth District (Metropolis), Wandsworth District of the Metropolis and the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, which all covered larger areas, it is also known as Wandsworth Town. History At the time of the Domesday Book (1086), the manor of Wandsworth was held partly by William, son of Ansculfy, and partly by St Wandrille's Abbey. Its Domesday assets were 12 hide (unit), hides, with ploughs and of me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sir Walter St John's Grammar School For Boys
Sir Walter St John's was a boys' school in Battersea. As the population and the English educational system changed, so did the school. The school was colloquially known as "Sinjuns" and was finally closed in 1986-7. Early history In September 1700, Sir Walter St John, 3rd Baronet (1622–1708), of Battersea and of Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire, signed a deed that established a charity to form a school to "teach twenty poor boys of said parish" (Battersea). This was the start of Sir Walter St John's School, which was to survive for 286 years. By 1750, 83 boys and 5 girls were given instruction at the school. Battersea at the start of the 18th century was a village of some 200 dwellings containing about 1500 inhabitants. The rapid expansion of the London area during that and the following centuries, meant that there was a need of education for many more boys. A document of 1800 shows that the operation was based on the rules laid down by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Dracula
''Little Dracula'' is a British series of children's books and an American animated television series that originally aired on Fox. ''Little Dracula'' revolves around a green-skinned child vampire who aspires to be like his father, Big Dracula, yet also enjoys rock 'n roll and surfing. Little Dracula also has a monstrous friend named Werebunny, and his Transylvanian family of strange characters is often threatened by the villainous Garlic Man. Book series The ''Little Dracula'' book series, originally published by Walker Books and later reissued in the US through Candlewick Press, debuted in 1986. It was penned by writer Martin Waddell and illustrated by Joseph Wright; although, a joke book was written by Alan Durant with illustration by Paul Tempest. The paperback stories, recommended for ages 4–8, rely heavily on Wright's gory yet humorous illustrations. They detail Little Dracula's spooky lifestyle which includes bowling with skulls and drinking a glass of blood before slee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Dreamstone
''The Dreamstone'' is a British animated television series that aired from 1990 to 1995, with four series and 52 episodes. The series' original concept and artwork was created by Michael Jupp, and it was written by Sue Radley and Martin Gates and produced by Martin Gates Productions (MGP) for a wholly-owned subsidiary of Central, a part of Independent Television, and FilmFair. Distribution rights for the Martin Gates catalogue, including ''The Dreamstone'', are currently owned by Monster Entertainment. ''The Dreamstone'' is set in the dream worlds of the Land of Dreams and the Land of Nightmares and follows the struggle between good, personified by The Dream Maker, and evil, personified by Zordrak, Lord of Nightmares. Principal characters Land of Dreams The Land of Dreams is populated by the humanoid Noops, whose lifestyle is similar to humans, and the Wuts, defenders of the realm who fly around on leaves and use staffs to communicate with each other and ward off Zordrak' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SuperTed
''SuperTed'' is a Welsh language superhero animated television series about an anthropomorphic teddy bear with superpowers, created by writer and animator Mike Young. Originally created by him as a series of stories to help his son overcome his fear of the dark, SuperTed became a popular series of books and led to an animated series produced from 1982 to 1986. An American-produced series, '' The Further Adventures of SuperTed'', was produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1989. The series was the first British animation acquired by the American based Disney Channel. Creation The character was created by Mike Young in 1978 for his son to help him overcome his fear of darkness. Later Young decided to put the stories into book form, originally as a bear from the woods who was also afraid of the dark, until one day Mother Nature gave him a magic word which gives him superpowers and transforms him into SuperTed. His early attempts were unsuccessful, until he made some adjustments with the h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crooks In Cloisters
''Crooks in Cloisters'' is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Jeremy Summers and starring Ronald Fraser, Barbara Windsor, Bernard Cribbins and Melvyn Hayes. It was written by T. J. Morrison and Mike Watts. Plot After pulling off a train robbery by tricking the train into stopping with false signal lights, 'Little Walter' and his gang are forced to hide out on a remote Cornwall, Cornish island in a monastery (which they buy with their "ill-gotten gains"), disguised as monks. With them comes 'Bikini', Walter's girlfriend, who is given the job of cook to the group, despite never having cooked in her life. After a few initial setbacks, they slowly adjust to their new contemplative life of tending animals and crops, surviving the added tribulations of visits by a group of tourists and two of the real monks who had been forced to sell the monastery after falling on hard times, including Brother Lucius. Gradually, the gang adjusts to its new pastoral life, which turns out to be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bottoms Up (1960 Film)
''Bottoms Up'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi, and starring Jimmy Edwards in a spin-off of his TV comedy series ''Whack-O!'', playing the seedy, alcoholic, cane-wielding headmaster of Chiselbury School, a fictional British public school. The screenplay was by Michael Pertwee, with additional dialogue by Frank Muir and Denis Norden. The cast includes juvenile actor John "Mitch" Mitchell who in the late 1960s was the drummer in The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Richard Briers in his first film appearance. Plot Professor Jim Edwards is the headmaster of Chiselbury School, a private boarding school for boys. A new head of the school's Board of Governors threatens to replace him as headmaster unless he can drastically improve the school's performance. When Edwards is also confronted by his bookmaker demanding money he owes and which he cannot pay, he devises a plan to deal with both problems by agreeing to accept into Chiselbury the bookmaker's son who will ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Amsterdam
''Operation Amsterdam'' is a 1959 black and white British action film, directed by Michael McCarthy (film director), Michael McCarthy, and featuring Peter Finch, Eva Bartok and Tony Britton. It is based on a true story as described in the book ''Adventure in Diamonds'', by David E. Walker. The action of the story covers 12–13 May 1940 (Whit Sunday and Whit Monday) during the German invasion of the Netherlands. The composer Philip Green (composer), Philip Green composed two original pieces of music for the film, the ''Pierement Waltz'' and the ''Amsterdam Polka''. Plot In May 1940, as the German invasion of the Netherlands is under way, the British government decides to send a team to the Netherlands on board to secure stocks of industrial diamonds before the invaders can get to them. According to this plan, two Netherlands, Dutch diamond experts, Jan Smit (Peter Finch) and Walter Keyser (Alexander Knox), with a British Army Intelligence officer, Major Dillon (Tony Britton), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victor Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character who first appeared as the titular main protagonist of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. He is an Italian-born Swiss scientist who, after studying chemical processes and the decay of living things, gains an insight into the creation of life and gives life to his own creature (often referred to as Frankenstein's monster, or often colloquially referred to as simply "Frankenstein"). Victor later regrets meddling with nature through his creation, as he inadvertently endangers his own life and the lives of his family and friends when the creature seeks revenge against him. He is first introduced in the novel when he is seeking to catch the monster near the North Pole and is saved from potential fatality by Robert Walton and his crew. Some aspects of the character are believed to have been inspired by 17th-century alchemist Johann Konrad Dippel. Certainly, the author and people in her environment were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Midlands
The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. For statistical purposes, the Midlands is divided into two statistical regions: the West Midlands and East Midlands. These had a combined population of 10.9 million at the 2021 census, and an area of . The northern part of Lincolnshire is part of the Yorkshire and the Humber statistical region, and not part of the Midlands. The modern borders of the Midlands also correspond broadly to the early-medieval kingdom of Mercia. The region became important in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, which led to one of its parts being named as the Black Country. Cultural ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the west. The largest settlement is Woking. The county has an area of and a population of 1,214,540. Much of the north of the county forms part of the Greater London Built-up Area, which includes the Suburb, suburbs within the M25 motorway as well as Woking (103,900), Guildford (77,057), and Leatherhead (32,522). The west of the county contains part of Farnborough/Aldershot built-up area, built-up area which includes Camberley, Farnham, and Frimley and which extends into Hampshire and Berkshire. The south of the county is rural, and its largest settlements are Horley (22,693) and Godalming (22,689). For Local government in England, local government purposes Surrey is a non-metropolitan county with eleven districts. The county historically includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terry's Juveniles
Terry's Juveniles were a troupe of young dancers who performed regularly on British theatre stages, and in films, from about 1919 until the late 1960s, with regular changes of personnel. The group was founded and trained by Theresa Freedman (22 January 1884 – 4 February 1973), known as "Miss Terry". Freedman was born in Swansea, the daughter of Polish Jewish immigrants, but moved to London with her parents as a child. She became a dance teacher and established Terry's Juveniles in about 1919, at a time when choruses of children were a central part of pantomimes and other theatrical shows. At one time Terry Freedman ran several stage schools, and an office in Shaftesbury Avenue.Richard Anthony Baker, "Terry's Juveniles", ''Music Hall Studies'', No.12, 2013, pp.512-515 The girls involved were aged about 12, about tall, and were selected through Miss Terry's visits to schools as well as through advertisements and recommendations. Once they grew too tall or appeared older, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
