’Café Continental’ was the first televised variety show in the UK appearing on the BBC Television Service from 1947 and continuing to 1953. Broadcast live from the BBC's studios at Alexandra Palace, North London, the programme opened with Al Burnett as Master of Cermonies welcoming the television audience to the café telling them that "your table has been reserved by the Maître d'hôtel" (played by Claude Frederick). Devised and produced by Henry Caldwell who utilised a variety format he had developed for ENSA in the Middle East, ’Café Continental’ was broadcast on Saturday evenings at 8pm. Lasting for forty-five minutes, the episodes attracted many famous singers and dancers of the day: Josephine Baker, famous star of the Folies Bergêres, appeared in a special edition with her husband, bandleader Jo Bouillon, broadcast on 26th June 1948 and the Italian comedy singing quartet, Quartetto Cetra, three men and a girl, who in their own country dubbed all the tracks for Walt Disney cartoon films, appeared three days later. Many stars of the London theatre also appeared in the series but alas, it appears that only three shows from 1950 exist in the BFI archives.
CANNONBALL
Fun, free-wheeling, undemanding early adventure series, ’Cannonball’ was a series of half-hour family dramas chronicling the adventures of two truckers who hauled freight on the highways of Canada and the U.S.A. U.S. actors Paul Birch (Mike Malone ) and William Campbell (Jerry Austin) in what was essentially a format to the later and classic, ’Route 66’. Filmed around Toronto, Canada, the series was a joint Canadian/UK production, yet another example of Lew Grade's incredibly prolific ITC company co-production output. It aired in Canada on Mondays at 9.30pm on the CBC network.
Apart from its two American leads, the series relied heavily on Canadian talent in supporting roles. Beth Lockerbie was Mary Malone, Mike's wife, and Beth Morris and Steve Barringer were Ginny and Butch Malone. Howard Milsom portrayed dispatcher Harry Butler. Other Canadian character actors who appeared in the show included Ruth Springford, Alfie Scopp, Sylvia Lennick, Eric House, and Cy Mack. Interestingly, the concept was revived fifteen years later in 1974, for the short-lived series starring Claude Akins and Frank Converse; ’Movin' On’.
39 episodes of 30 minute duration. 1958-59.
CASEY JONES
Popular Western series for kids that was made along similar lines to 'The Lone Ranger', 'The Cisco Kid' and other successfully syndicated shows of the late 1950's. Alan Hale Jnr (who was later marooned with the rest of the 'Gilligan's Island' crew) starred as the heroic driver of the Cannonball Express, which traversed the Illinois Central Railroad circa 1890. Unlike the song from which the show was derived Casey Jones (steamin' and a rollin') didn't meet with a sticky end and with the aid of his wife, Alice (Mary Lawrence), son, Casey Jnr (Bobby Clark), fireman, Wallie Simms (Dub Taylor), conductor, Red Rock (Eddy Waller) and faithful dog, Cinders, Jackson Tennessee's most notable citizen outwitted the slimy sidewinder's that attempted to break the law or would otherwise stop him bringing his train in on time.
32 episodes of 30 minute duration. B&W. Columbia: Birskin (USA). 1957-58.
THE CHANGES
An excellent drama from a golden age of children's television 'The Changes' was described as one of the most ambitious series produced by the BBC Children's Drama Department. Legendary BBC Children's producer Anna Home adapted Peter Dickinson's trilogy of novels set in future Britain and took the character of Nicky Gore (from the third novel 'The Devil's Children') and made her central to the storyline. In the first episode, Nicky's father appears to go mad, smashing up the TV on hearing an ear-piercing nose. The family are all effected, wrecking all electrical items. This is repeated in homes all over Britain while at the same time earthquakes and tidal waves hit the country. The Gores pack up and head for France where it is believed that the Noise has no effect, but on the way, Nicky gets separated from her parents. She returns home but soon finds that sickness is spreading through her neighbourhood as the water becomes affected. Nicky joins up with a band of travelling Sikhs who are unaffected by the Noise. They are targetted by stone throwing thugs as they pass from town to town but manage to escape eventually settling at an abandoned farm. A group of bandits attack the local town taking children hostage but they are rescued in a pitched battle with the Sikhs. Nicky decides to move on and find her aunt somewhere in the Cotswolds but she is taken by the self-appointed head of a village who claims that she is a witch. She is tried and found guilty and sentenced to be stoned to death but is rescued in time. She meets up with John and together they decide to try and find the source of the Noise. They stumble across a madman called Furbelow who claims that he can't control the power that he has awoken. He has a journal which is hidden in a cavern and Nicky finds it and deciphers the words written inside which say 'I am Merlin...whoever touches me unbalances the world.' Peter Dickinson's from which this drama was based were: 'The Weathermonger', published in 1969 as was the second book, 'Heartsease'. This was followed by 'The Devil's Children' in 1970. Nicky was played by Victoria Williams who appeared in 3 episodes of 'Holby City' in 2005.
10 epsides of 30 minute duration. BBC TV 1975.
CHECKMATE
Checkmate Inc., was a very expensive investigative agency operating in San Francisco and owned by Don Corey (Anthony George) and Jed Sills (Doug McClure), protecting the lives of people who had become targets of the criminal underworld. Aiding and abetting the duo was Oxford professor of criminology Dr. Carl Hyatt (Sebastian Cabbot) who was employed as a special consultant to the firm. Investigator Chris Devlin (Jack Betts) joined for the final season.
60 minute episodes. 1960-62.
CHEYENNE
Made during an era when TV Westerns were hugely popular, Clint Walker (real name Eugene Walker) starred as half-breed frontier scout, Cheyenne Bodie, who travelled the Wild West in the years following the Civil War. The show was given more of a lavish look by Warner Bros by including action scenes taken directly from their all action Western movies. Behind the scenes the series was beset with problems. At the end of season two Walker entered into a contract dispute with the studio and was promptly dropped. The series retained its title but now starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne. Then Walker was re-instated and the show continued as part of an anthology series where it rotated with ’Sugarfoot’, and Hardin's new series, ’Bronco’. In 1962 it went solo again but only for one more season, at the end of which Walker rode off into the sunset for the last time.
107 episodes of 60 minute duration. US ABC 1956-63.
CHiPs
An acronym for California Highway Patrol this US cop-series starred Erik Estrada as devil-may-care Officer Francis 'Ponch' Poncherello and Larry Wilcox as the more down to earth Officer Jonathan Baker. Together the twosome patrolled (on motorbikes) the highways and byways around the vast Los Angeles freeway system where the action was divided between enforcing the law and eyeing the City of Angels' foxy ladies. Typical of its time the series downplayed the violent aspect of a policeman's lot to concentrate on the 'human interest' and humorous elements of their work although the action was beefed up with auto-crashes galore. Estrada fell out with the studio over pay and was replaced by former Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner as Officer Steve McLeish, but this proved a temporary absence and Estrada returned. However, Wilcox then left permanently (rumour has it the two stars never saw eye to eye) and in 1983 the series was cancelled. Michael Dorn, who would go on to find success in ’Star Trek: The Next Generation’ starred as Officer Turner from 1979 to 1982.
132 Episodes of 60 minute duration. 1977-1983.
CITIZEN JAMES
When Tony Hancock decided to do away with the services of Sid James the BBC offered the actor a series of his own, written by Hancock's scriptwriters, Galton and Simpson.
Within a few years, Hancock, his career in steady decline, took his own life -whilst Sid, the master of the dirty laugh, became the star of no less than 19 'Carry On' films and in the process walked into the hearts of an adoring British public. The character of Sidney Balmoral James in 'Citizen James' was set in the same mould as the growling, fast-talking, quick thinking Cockney gambler of the Hancock series', aided on this occasion by his girlfriend, Liz (Liz Fraser) and sidekick, Bill (Bill Kerr -another former Hancock regular). Although the character had somewhat dubious morals, as the series progressed he became less of a layabout and more of a champion for the underdog, until finally, by the third and final series (scripted by Dick Hills and Sid Green) Sid had a fully developed social conscience with which he championed many a good cause. With this change of character Sydney Tafler as Sid's new assistant, Charlie Davenport, replaced both Kerr and Fraser.
32 episodes of 25 minute duration. Black and White. 1960-1962.
CLUFF
Sergeant Caleb Cluff (Leslie Sands*) who first appeared in an episode of the anthology series 'Detective' (an episode entitled 'The Drawing' broadcast on 6th April, 1964) was a plodding sort of detective, much more at home taking a good walk with his pipe in his mouth, his chestnut walking stick in his hand and his faithful dog, Clive (a half-breed black and tan) by his side. But any no-gooder underestimating the tweed-suited detective would do so at their own cost because Cluff's slow methodology belied a skilfully perceptive insight into human nature and behaviour, particularly in the criminal mind. This slow style of his was often the cause of much frustration from his superior, Inspector Mole (originally played by Eric Barker and later Michael Bates), but no one could argue with Cluff's detection rate and his junior sidekick DC Barker (John Rolfe) certainly benefited from working alongside the bachelor sergeant who lived alone with daily visits from his housekeeper, Annie Croft (Olive Milbourne) in the fictional Yorkshire moorland town of Gunnershaw. The series was created and written by Gil North and ran for two series, Terence Dudley and Alan Seath sharing the production credits. Cluff was fairly described as a sort of ‘Maigret of Yorkshire’ and in fact Rupert Davies as Maigret introduced the first episode.
19 episodes of 50 minute duration BBC TV 1964 - 65.
*Bradford born Leslie Sands got his first education at the local High School before reading English at Leeds University, where he opened his dual career by taking part in amateur productions and also writing his first play, before the R.A.F claimed him for five years' war service. At the war's end he found himself with Peter Sallis, running the station theatre at Cranwell and made his final decision to risk the professional stage. Within two days of demobilization he had fixed a small part in a production of Antony and Cleopatra, in London's West End, and he followed this with Michael Redgrave's Macbeth. Two years with the Bristol Old Vic polished his classical technique yet further, and he then decided to move to commercial repertory. His reasons were, of course, carefully worked out; on the one hand he could enlarge his professional range, on the other he could get on with some writing. Subsequently he adopted Z-Cars, still in his dual author-actor capacity. He wrote three episodes, appeared in six as Superintendent Miller. But then caution told him to let it go at that. "Miller's a strong character," he says, "a bit too memorable - and I didn't want to become identified with him". (Radio Times, August 27, 1964).
COLONEL MARCH OF SCOTLAND YARD
Based on (John) Dickson Carr's collection of short stories first published in 1940 under the title 'The Department of Queer Complaints', Colonel March was a British series made in 1953 by Sapphire, although it didn't get a UK airing until the birth of Independent Television in 1955, by which time three of its (compilation) episodes had been released as a feature film; 'Colonel March Investigates'. Playing the one-eyed detective was Hollywood screen legend Boris Karloff, who had won recognition in Universal's acclaimed 1931 production of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's classic horror story, 'Frankenstein'. Working out of D-3, Scotland Yard's department for seemingly unsolvable cases, March's investigations brought him into contact with the impossible, the unnatural and the supernatural. However, with dogged determination the good detective, aided and abetted on occasions by Ewan Roberts, Eric Pohlmann and Richard Wattis managed to solve such mysteries as 'The Case of the Lively Ghost', 'The Sorcerer' and 'The Second Mona Lisa'.
26 episodes of 25 minute duration 1953 (but aired 1955 to 1956).
COLONEL TRUMPER'S PRIVATE WAR
It is June 1940 - and Britain stands alone. The choice of Colonel Trumper (Dennis Price) to rescue a Polish professor proves that our backs are indeed against the wall. Following his rescue the professor, (played by Warren Mitchell), joins Trumper's unit which also included Pvt. Hicks (George Tovey). Each week Trumper and his unit are sent on a different undercover mission in Europe, but not before they complete preperations at a highly secret School of Espionage where they manage to pass their final test-with some degree of success. Trumper, of British Counter-Intelligence, was described in a 'TV Times' article as the man "with the mind of a criminal and the morals of a Borgia." Somehow, though-he managed to muddle through each assignment. He took his orders from a Lt. Hasting (William Gaunt). This was television's first attempt at making a sitcom set during the War years. The series first aired at 8.55pm on Friday 15th September 1961. By October the cast had been demobbed.
6 episodes of 30 minute duration. Black and white. Granada Television 1961.
These related images, shows and articles on this website:
RELATED IMAGES Claude Frederick, Sally Anne Howes and her father, Bobby Howes in 'Cafe Continental.'
Alan Hale Jnr. - Casey Jones.
Clint Walker - Cheyenne.
Eric Estrada, Bruce Jenner - 'CHiPs'
Sid's James and Tafler - Citizen James.
Boris Karloff - Colonel March.
Leslie Crowther and Peter Glaze - CRACKERJACK!!!
Patrick Allen as Crane
Cheryl Miller, Clarence and Marshall Thompson - 'Daktari.'
Peter Vaughan as Joe Dunn, news editor of The Globe - 'Deadline Midnight.'
Richard O'Sullivan as 'Dick Turpin.'
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Reviews: Laurence Marcus 2000/2001/2002/2007
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Fun, free-wheeling, undemanding early adventure series, ’Cannonball’ was a series of half-hour family dramas chronicling the adventures of two truckers who hauled freight on the highways of Canada and the U.S.A. U.S. actors Paul Birch (Mike Malone ) and William Campbell (Jerry Austin) in what was essentially a format to the later and classic, ’Route 66’. Filmed around Toronto, Canada, the series was a joint Canadian/UK production, yet another example of Lew Grade's incredibly prolific ITC company co-production output. It aired in Canada on Mondays at 9.30pm on the CBC network.
Checkmate Inc., was a very expensive investigative agency operating in San Francisco and owned by Don Corey (Anthony George) and Jed Sills (Doug McClure), protecting the lives of people who had become targets of the criminal underworld. Aiding and abetting the duo was Oxford professor of criminology Dr. Carl Hyatt (Sebastian Cabbot) who was employed as a special consultant to the firm. Investigator Chris Devlin (Jack Betts) joined for the final season.
Sergeant Caleb Cluff (Leslie Sands*) who first appeared in an episode of the anthology series 'Detective' (an episode entitled 'The Drawing' broadcast on 6th April, 1964) was a plodding sort of detective, much more at home taking a good walk with his pipe in his mouth, his chestnut walking stick in his hand and his faithful dog, Clive (a half-breed black and tan) by his side. But any no-gooder underestimating the tweed-suited detective would do so at their own cost because Cluff's slow methodology belied a skilfully perceptive insight into human nature and behaviour, particularly in the criminal mind. This slow style of his was often the cause of much frustration from his superior, Inspector Mole (originally played by Eric Barker and later Michael Bates), but no one could argue with Cluff's detection rate and his junior sidekick DC Barker (John Rolfe) certainly benefited from working alongside the bachelor sergeant who lived alone with daily visits from his housekeeper, Annie Croft (Olive Milbourne) in the fictional Yorkshire moorland town of Gunnershaw. The series was created and written by Gil North and ran for two series, Terence Dudley and Alan Seath sharing the production credits. Cluff was fairly described as a sort of ‘Maigret of Yorkshire’ and in fact Rupert Davies as Maigret introduced the first episode.
It is June 1940 - and Britain stands alone. The choice of Colonel Trumper (Dennis Price) to rescue a Polish professor proves that our backs are indeed against the wall. Following his rescue the professor, (played by Warren Mitchell), joins Trumper's unit which also included Pvt. Hicks (George Tovey). Each week Trumper and his unit are sent on a different undercover mission in Europe, but not before they complete preperations at a highly secret School of Espionage where they manage to pass their final test-with some degree of success. Trumper, of British Counter-Intelligence, was described in a 'TV Times' article as the man "with the mind of a criminal and the morals of a Borgia." Somehow, though-he managed to muddle through each assignment. He took his orders from a Lt. Hasting (William Gaunt). This was television's first attempt at making a sitcom set during the War years. The series first aired at 8.55pm on Friday 15th September 1961. By October the cast had been demobbed.
