Saturday 11 February 2006

Another fine mess !

Saturday !though I'm not sure quite what that means anymore ,since Maurice went on to this new shift pattern !Three days ,three nights ,then three days off ,the first of those don't really count as he goes to bed ,for some of that day ,I'm not complaining ,its just that a weekend is now a movable feast !(quaint old saying that )I'm not such a creature of habit ,that Icant adapt ,and because I'm not working anymore (till they ask me again lol)It does'nt matter at all .

It was just that how I was thinking about days as a child ,apart from school holidays everything had a routine ,school all week ,sunday school on Sunday ,but the high light had to be the Saturday morning pictures ,

           How we enjoyed those shows ,which were held in the village hall,we sat on rows of benches,all on floor level !no staggered heights ! so sometimes you had to jiffle to be able to see ,which often got you into trouble ! I remember the man who brought these fantacies to us,I'm nearly sure he was called Mr Barnes ,as well as the delightful couple above we would see various comedys ,Old Mother Riley and her daughter Kitty ,(Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane) George Formby ,Norman Wisdom .What we did enjoy was the cowboy films ,usually black and white !Roy Rodgers and Trigger ,whats his name and Tonto ,we loved 'The Duke' of course! good old John Wayne,and if George (Gabby )Hayes was in it so much the better .We sometimes saw a news reel ,But best of all,Mr Barnes would sometimes show film he shot himself ,of the surrounding villages,cricket matches I remember ! and very occasionally we featured in those films ,queuing to get in to the show or coming out of school ,at garden fetes etc (I wonder does the film still exist ? somewhere!) .When it was all over we would burst out in to the sunlight ,and gallop home slapping our hips ! 

          

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved saturday morning pictures, especially Davy Crockett (and the old joke about him having three ears......a left ear a right ear and a wild front ear!!!!). I danced with Norman Wisdom at our youth club when I was fourteen, I think he was doing the waltz but I was trying to do the Twist!! Jeannette xx

Anonymous said...

Nice signature Jan, clever you!! I was never allowed to go to Saturday morning cinema!! Having heard what a lot of people have said about it I realise I missed out on one helluva adventure!!! Looking back I was not allowed a lot of things as I grew up, think I may feature that in my journal today...thanks for giving me an idea Jan! love, Joan

Anonymous said...

Saturday Morning club - was it The Lone Ranger and Tonto.so long ago I can't remember...Lovely memories Jan....thanks for sharing them....Ally

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh we didn't live close enough to a cinema to go saturday morning club...They actually still have that up here...All 3 of the cinemas here show kids films on a sat morning and they can join a club to get in cheap etc...Sometimes the boys used to go with andy to see one that they'd missed or just wanted to see on the big screen again...They must be popular even in these days of video & dvd's or they wouldn't carry it on...Have a nice weekend :o)    Caff xxx

Anonymous said...

happy memories

Anonymous said...

Sounds as if you have a lot of habby memories. Helen

Anonymous said...

What lovely memories :)

Anonymous said...

I used to love old Mother Riley.......unfortunately he died in the late 60's.  Sat pics always remind me of patiently waiting for ages in the longest queue that stretched  along the street and round the corner, to get in to see Singing in the Rain...and not long before we got in the cinema manager came out to tell us the price had gone up from 6d to 9d and that meant I couldn't get in to see it. I was SO disappointed and embarrassed.   Eve

Anonymous said...

I remember Satuday Pictures too we used to go to the Princess Club  in Dundee admission 6d What a bargain I think you mean The Lone Ranger and Tonto.What a treat it was. Love Joan.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jan, you forgot to mention the Cisco Kid, he was my favourite. What was is sidekick's name? My mum bought be a poncho (Or more likely, she made it) because I used to like the ones they wore in the show. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, you've made a happy man very old, lol.
B. x

Anonymous said...

Oh what memories you have brought back.  All the boys screaming and yelling, flicking bits of paper everywhere.  Lots of Roy Rogers films and we also got Captain Video and Flash Gordon.  It was a real treat. There were always those who tried to get in through the side doors without paying.  Walking home, we would act it all out.  Thank you Jan for reminding me of those wonderful far off days.

http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/

Anonymous said...

Hi Jan,  Saturday morning pictures, how I remember them!  it was sixpence for the stalls and ninepence for the balcony seats.  Nobody liked to sit directly below the balcony or they would be showered with crisps, orange peel, peanuts or whatever came to hand!  What fun we had but somehow I can`t imagine kids today enjoying it half as much. :o))

Sandra xxxx

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a good memory :-)  It would be interesting to see if those films exist still :-)  Hope you have a good weekend.

Anonymous said...

I like that expression: movable feast and I love your Laurel & Hardy! I seem to have missed out on the Saturday morning pictures, but they sounded fun.

http://journals.aol.co.uk/irisclyde/LaDolceVita

Anonymous said...

I have great memories of the Saturday morning movies.  As the oldest child I had to chaperone my younger sister and brother, but we had so much fun.  I really like Flash Gordon and his cliff hangers, but my biggest  all time favorites were Laurel and Hardy.  Great entry!  Pennie

Anonymous said...

LOL! Jan,
What lovley memories, you have. I never went to Saturday morning pictures, here across the pond. lol. But love the old Laurel & Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Duke Wayne movies. Hope your weekend is a wonderful movalbe feast! lol.        ~Deborah

Anonymous said...

Wow! what memories - Our Cinema was a few yards up the Road, and on the opposite side. I went to Saturday matinees, but mainly to the main showing in the week. It changed twice a week, and I was allowed to go twice- I remember, you had to have an adult with you, I can never remember my Parents going, but you had to ask an Adult, who you thought was 'kindly' to take you in! Good lord, now I've started looking back, imagine doing that now?
Fun to remember, Allan is a lot younger than me, but loves Laurel and Hardy, and has a collection of Blk/White videos he has recorded. But I saw them the first time around (lol).
Aileen....X

Anonymous said...

Ah I loved going to the Saturday morning pics.  Loved Old Mother Riley and Laurel & Hardy, and The Three Stooges.  Also The Marx Brothers and there used to be a jungle themed serial called 'Nyoka'.  The show always used to end with a scary film and for the life of me I cannot remember what it was called, but the villian/phantom always wore a black cloak and you never got to see his face.  It always ended in a really scary cliffhanger.....woo-hoo    =:-O
Mainly, Duncan Renaldo played The Cisco Kid and Leo Carillo his sidekick Pancho.  As soon as you mentioned the Cisco Kid, I thought of Leo Carillo who was very funny and so a favourite of mine. But lots of actors played these two characters including Gilbert Roland (you can tell I've been on the internet, can't you? lol)
Freda
(Freda's Diaries)

Anonymous said...

Another great entry. I don't remember too much about the pictures only the stamping of the feet when the picture was lost. Very clever grahics....Love Jeanxx