LOSE YOURSELF IN 1955
SUNDAY NIGHT INSTITUTION
Those who had a television in 1955, could sit around it on a Sunday evening and watch Sunday Night at the London Palladium, produced by ATV for the opening weekend of commercial TV in the UK. Broadcast for the first time on 25 September, the host was comedian Tommy Trinder and among the top acts were Lancashire lass Gracie Fields and American singer Guy Mitchell. The Sunday night programme became an institution and contemporary versions have been revived into the 21st century.
A FISHY BUSINESS
To make the most of a glut of herring in the post-war years, Clarence Birdseye tried out herring fish fingers with the name Herring Savouries. Tested in Hampshire and South Wales, consumers stated a clear preference for cod sticks. The term fish fingers can be traced back to a recipe that appeared in the Tamworth Herald in 1900 and they were first introduced in frozen, ready to cook form in 1953 by American fisheries company Gorton’s. Commercial fish fingers were introduced by the US-based company Birds Eye and home firm Youngs in the UK during the mid-1950s. We suspect that Stirling Moss preferred crumpets.
BEFORE ROCK ROLLED IN
While the rock ‘n’ roll blockbuster Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and his Comets would make its revolutionary presence felt later in the year, the UK number one to be heard at the time the saloon cars were racing round Oulton Park was the gentler tones of Rose
Marie by US Country star Slim Whitman. This show tune topped the charts from July to October, having knocked Alma Cogan with Dreamboat from the top spot. Alma’s hit had replaced Jimmy Young’s version of Unchained Melody.