Life before Television

[Jimbo]

Did anyone else commandeer the family radio after dark (the only time that radio waves from abroad could bounce back off the Ionosphere) and search for AFN (the American Forces Network in Germany) when you could listen to all the popular American radio shows of the time, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Amos'n'Andy, My Friend Irma, etc. etc. as well as lots of American music. Then in 1951 Radio Luxemburg arrived on Medium Wave at 208 metres up 'til then it had only been available on Long Wave. Dan Dare Pilot of the Future was one of my favourite shows five nights a week at 7.15pm.

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[JosieStuksis]

afraid not, before my time!

[Jimbo]

An interesting aside, the Eagle comic which introduced Dan Dare in 1950 cost 3 old pence but when it resurrected the strip in 1980 the cover price had increased by 25 times!

[Jimbo]

Just remembered, for a time we had a battery wireless (not a portable, a regular big wooden job) which ran off a glass lead-acid battery called an accumulator which had to be recharged every so often. It was my job to take it to the battery shop for recharging overnight. The shop gave you a fully charged up one until the next time!

[JosieStuksis]

I don't remember ever listening to the radio, only time the radio would have been on would be when my dad was listening to football. Think I was around 2 when we got our first tv. The attached photo looks like the one we had on the sideboard. Don't even think it is the same but in shape and looks it's as I remember it.

[Jimbo]

Josie, before TV you could only listen to the wireless or the gramophone, Record Players came after TV!
Gramophones only played the big shellac 78 r.p.m. records.

[margaretmcgettigan]

Now I am going to date myself, but I remember Mrs. Dale's Diary, which was like a soap opera about a woman who lived in the country. Then there was a story teller who was on at night and told scary stories and finished up the show by saying, "This is your story teller....The Man in Black" with a really scary voice...quivering like....Next I remember "Housewive's Choice" which was a call-in program and you told the DJ, not the name they used then, the song you wanted played that day. This program was for women who stayed home and did not work. I think it was on in the morning. Or course, there was Radio Luxumberg on on a Sunday night giving you the top hits of the week...You had to use your imagination a lot in those days.

[Jimbo]

Those were the days Margaret!

[accobra]

Hi Jimbo,

In our room and kitchen and 6/7 "wee wains" it would have been almost impossible to crowd round the
radio . However when my father bought our first "Black and white telly" it was a fourteen inch screen and we used to sit on the floor and clap at the end of every program that we would watch.
I remember Amos and Andy although it would not be considered politically correct in today's
climate . I also remember Fabian of Scotland Yard but Dan Dare pilot of the Future I remember the comic but I spent my coppers from the "empty bottles on penny dainties" which was a smaller
version of a bar of highland toffee.!! I know that we were not meant to but you had to get close to watch a 14inch tv. screen in the early fifties.

Best regards
Reg

[amelia]

I got my first telly from Napiers in Cumberland St they took over the Maypole shop remember the one you stood and lifted on leg and you thought the two legs were lifted. We had this telly when we flitted up to Castlemilk when Larry Marshal, jimmy Nairn and Charlie Simm Dorothy Paul I think
Our telly had sliding doors and there was a radio in it that you could pick up the police messages, anyway Napiers was like the Bright house shop if you missed a payment you were charged operating costs so a telly that maybe only cost say £100 would cost you treble times that robbing gits they were.
On a Sunday if it wasn't my ma and my aunties it would be my mans pals we used to sit and watch Dotto.
It was a game that they showed a face and asked questions and you tried to find out who it was they kept joining dots up until the face was all joined up now Josie I'm showing my years now I think juke box jury was on at the time and Paul Ankas hit was Diana
Amelia x