Star of music, stage and TV
QUESTION Was Mike Pratt of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) fame, involved in the late Fifties pop music scene?
Mike Pratt had a successful musical career in the late-Fifties before finding acting fame.
He began working life as an advertising copywriter before securing a role as assistant on the London revue Memories Of Jolson — starring the young, and then unknown, Shirley Bassey.
afterwards, he ‘bummed my way around europe in an old taxi’, with a group of friends. One was composer and song-writer Lionel Bart (of Oliver! fame), with whom he formed a firm friendship.
On their return, Pratt and Bart frequented the 2i’s Coffee Bar in Soho, home of the fledgling skiffle movement. as an accomplished pianist and guitarist, Pratt played sessions with resident band the Vipers.
Bart introduced Pratt to a merchant sailor named tommy Hicks. the three formed a skiffle group called the Cave-men, named after the Cave, a coffee bar under the arches near the embankment.
Hicks was soon ‘discovered’ by rock impresario Larry Parnes who re-chris-tened him tommy Steele. Steele was signed to Decca in 1956 and his career was launched with the single rock With the Caveman, penned by Pratt and Bart.
the single was backed by the Steelmen, a band featuring some fine jazzmen including saxophone player ronnie Scott. it reached No 13 in the Uk charts.
Pratt and Bart were subsequently invited to write the songs for the film the tommy Steele Story (1957). Water Water/ a Handful Of Songs from the film was a top-five hit and a Handful Of Songs won the ivor Novello award. Pratt later co-wrote Steele’s famous novelty hit Little White Bull (1959). He also wrote songs for P.J. Proby, Lulu and Petula Clark.
in 1961, Pratt wrote the music and lyrics for the Big Client, a play which was produced at the Bristol Old Vic.
He subsequently turned his talents to acting and started out with small parts in tV shows such as the Villains, redcap, Z Cars, Danger Man and Secret agent.
in 1964, he made his stage debut as Biff in Death Of a Salesman, in Glasgow. in 1965, he starred in the roman Polanski film repulsion and the following year joined the royal Shakespeare Company.
in 1969, he was chosen to star in the tV series randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), where he played rugged detective Jeff randall, aided by his ghostly partner Marty Hopkirk played by kenneth Cope. it ran for 26 episodes to 1970 and was a huge success.
Pratt continued a successful acting career, starring in such films as Goodbye Gemini (1970), horror anthology the Vault Of Horror (1973) and Swallows and amazons (1974).
Sadly, he died, aged 45, from lung cancer in July 1976. in august of that year, a show was staged at the aldwych theatre in London in his memory. the cast included Glenda Jackson, kenneth Haigh and John Le Mesurier.
Michael Cotton, Lancaster.
QUESTION What was the first official Fifa World Cup Song?
LOS ramblers, a respected Chilean rock group, created el rock Del Mundial (world rock) which is regarded as the first official World Cup anthem. the rock ‘n‘ roll song was created in support of the Chilean team, hosts of the 1962 tourna-ment which was won by Brazil.
the song became the most sold single in Chilean music history, achieving cult status. its success gave birth to the traditional World Cup anthem, with dif-ferent styles and integrating cultures. Tony Matthews, football historian, statistician and author, Cabrera, Almeria, Spain. QUESTION Is it true that the Spanish and French alternate ownership of Pheasant Island in the River Bidasoa every six months? If so, why? PHeaSaNt island is a 1.6 acre isle in the centre of the river Bidasoa, which forms the border between Spain’s northeastern Basque Country and France. it is techni-cally known as a ‘condominium’, a terri-tory belonging to two separate nations at the same time. the island is unique in that the sovereignty is formally exchanged every six months when dignitaries from the two countries meet on the island to exchange official papers. Members of the public are not allowed on the island.
Despite its innocuous appearance, the site has great historical significance. it was there, in 1659, that representatives from France and Spain met and signed the treaty of the Pyrenees, officially ending the thirty Years War.
as a neutral venue, it has been used as a meeting place between French and Spanish monarchs and as a place where prisoner exchanges took place.
Louis XiV met his future wife Maria theresa of Spain on the island. and, in 1721, Louis XV (then aged ten) met his intended bride there — three-year-old Mariana Victoria of Spain (1718-1781) — though the two never married.
Tim Lawrence, Birmingham.
QUESTION Where is the most unusual place birds have been found nesting?
FUrtHer to the earlier answer, in the Seventies i owned a red Mini estate in which i travelled to work every day.
i was a car mechanic, looking under plenty of bonnets with the exception of my own vehicle. One day, i decided to check the oil and water as my engine had not seen the light of day in months.
as i raised the bonnet a bird flew out, which frightened the life out of me. On further inspection, i found a nest had been built on top of the gearbox housing and was home to a family of sparrows!
they were perfectly safe and comforta-ble, and i kept an eye on them until they safely flew the nest. Don Featherstone, Ashford, Kent.
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