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Post by Arthur Pringle on Jul 13, 2020 18:47:30 GMT
The asking prices for those Richard Allen books are pretty high on ebay. Not really been tempted to buy any, much like James Herbert novels I'm sure they're bound to be a disappointment. I can imagine them being passed around at school like 'The Rats' & 'The Fog' were. Skinheads & mods with their dress code & predictable behaviour probably don't make for very interesting reading.
No disrespect intended to these groups but I've always found them to be posers, more interested in looking a certain way than anything else. Clothing is something I can't get enthusiastic about though I have tried, I went through a phase of buying John Smedley knitwear a few years ago, the moths got to them & left them full of holes
It's surprising that Budgie captured the imagination enough to have a jacket named after him.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Jul 13, 2020 21:40:39 GMT
It's quite a lairy jacket even for those times.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Jul 13, 2020 22:04:48 GMT
I vaguely remember a lad in my class at secondary school, when I was in the second year, which would have been 72-3, having one of those books, I think it was called Suedehead or something like that. I thought it looked a bit crap and, agree with Arthur on this kind of stuff. I put it in the same category as films etc about football hooliganism.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Jul 13, 2020 22:10:57 GMT
Must be a market for them as they're new jackets rather than vintage ones. I went to a pub in Bethnal Green about 20 years ago called The Pleasure Unit, they had a dj playing 60's music & most of the people in there were wearing 60's clobber ( authentic gear not fancy dress ), they were mostly in their 20's, I expect these are the types who shell out £300 for these jackets.
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Lord Emsworth
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Jul 14, 2020 14:58:50 GMT
I found this article on the Denim Disco blog It's very hard to read as it's blue type on a black background so I've pasted it below. Nothing we don't already know but I just thought it was a great little write up....
''From the bright busy streets of the Charing Cross Road
To the dark little alleys in old Soho From the smart noisy clubs where everybody goes To the dark little streets that nobody knows''
BUDGIE was one of the great BRITISH TV DRAMA series of the 1970's.It was first broadcast in the UK during 1971/72 and has become one of the most fondly remembered TV Shows of the era.The programme showed the gritty reality of everyday life in a way that was rarely touched upon in other TV shows of the day and the passing of time has not lessened the shows impact The central role of small time crook RONALD 'BUDGIE' BIRD was played by the former teen pop idol ADAM FAITH.Faith had only really dabbled in acting before.He'd performed in a couple of movies in the wake of his chart success and after the pop career tailed off he appeared in some minor theatrical roles. The show was created by two experienced and successful writers:KEITH WATERHOUSE and WILLIS HALL and a few eyebrows were raised when they choose Faith for the lead role
Throughout the series Bird attempts to become a player in the SOHO CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD. He possesses of a fair degree of charm,but a lack of the requisite amount of cunning places him firmly at the bottom of the criminal 'food chain'
Faith played the part with such conviction that the public began to question where RONALD BIRD finished and where ADAM FAITH began.During a 1974 TV interview RUSSEL HARTY said to Faith that he would be ''Frightened to come up against you in a dark alley''.Adam was forced to remind him ''Thats Budgie,thats not me.I can't help what Budgie is''.Another striking character in the programme was the gangster Charlie Endell {played by IAN CUTHBERTSON}.Cuthbertson stood at 6ft4 and also turned in a remarkably believable performance.I doubt if HARTY would have even walked into a room if 'Charlie Endell' had been present! The show proved to be incredibly popular and soon every 'JACK THE LAD' worth his salt would be attempting to emulate BUDGIE in the fashion stakes.In an early episode Faith wore a short zip up cotton jacket by STIRLING COOPER which had large lapels and patch pockets in contrasting colours. Similar jackets were also manufactured in suede and leather and these became known as 'BUDGIE' jackets.
The 'FEATHERED' haircut he sported in the show {created by KEITH WAINWRIGHT of SMILE} was also widely emulated.Before long the BUDGIE haircut and jacket teamed with FLARED trousers,wide collared shirt and broad STACK HEELED became THE LOOK for working class white males in the UK and made ADAM FAITH the much emulated 'FACE' of STREET FAHION.
BUDGIE was more than just a character in a TV drama show. BUDGIE was no less than THE WIDE BOY JAMES DEAN OF THE TELEVISION SCREEN ADAM FAITH.THE JESUS OF COOL WITH HIS ERBERT' DISCIPLES
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Post by Dirty Epic on Jul 14, 2020 17:52:42 GMT
Thanks again LE, I'll be tuning in later so will read your post properly after I've watched it.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Jul 14, 2020 21:06:47 GMT
I reckon Hazel deserves Budgie, she's a right pain, never stops moaning. Budgie himself is very naive considering he's supposed to be a wideboy, getting conned by those snooker hustlers. As for Endell, hard to judge whether he's just a complete b___d or he's being cruel to be kind. Either way I think they're all quite hard to like.
I was reading about Lynn Dalby who plays Hazel, she was married to actor Ray Lonnen who by humourous coincidence was one of the voices on the cartoon tv series Budgie The Little Helicopter.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Jul 15, 2020 20:15:55 GMT
Glad to see it in colour. The early colour years programmes always have a certain glow to them. Is it the technology in its infancy or is it to do with the studio lighting etc ? I am not sure maybe Sparky will know. Anyway this was a better episode than last week and I too was surprised that Budgie fell for the snooker hustle. Incidentally using my trusty Bank Of England inflation calculator B.O.E Inflation Calculator £800 in 1971 works out at a whopping £11,393 in today's dough (given a 5.7% inflation per annum) No wonder Budgie was himself. Annoying how Maurice didn't say owt though. Thought that was very odd. There was more Charlie Endell railroading of her indoors. His proud boasts of not letting her work even when they were skint and saying men should be out grafting and women should be in the house was most definitely the rule rather than the exception in those days although times were changing quickly for women. As for Hazel, she really encourages the worst of Budgies behaviour by offering him a free pass to come and go when discussing a flat The social comment of these relationships really is a sign of the times.
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Post by Steve Austin on Jul 15, 2020 20:54:45 GMT
Unlike Hazell which I struggled to get into initially (subsequently bought the DVD), I'm finding Budgie really hard going. Not sure why, but it's a hard watch. Still see Iain Cuthbertson as Scunner Campbell in Supergran, his acting does not seem very lifelike in Budgie, the titular character who the viewer does not warm to as he does not seem to have any redeeming qualities.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Jul 15, 2020 21:30:39 GMT
Tend to agree Steve, I have seen Budgie before & I still feel the same watching them on talkingpictures. Not sure about Iain Cuthbertson, he's a 'big' actor as they call it in the biz, whereas Faith is naturalistic, more or less playing himself, it's a strange pairing. The script is surprisingly weak too given the writer's pedigree, the show relies on Faith's cockney charm to keep it afloat. Not saying it's a bad show but I watch it more for the period charm than anything else. I think they should've kept the original title of 'The Loser' & maybe made it less comic as the tone is a little uncertain.
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