Secret delights of being an Ovaltiney
MIKE Shaw, former editor of the Colne Valley Guardian, says he was never a member of the ABC Minors, but instead joined a secret society. He was an Ovaltiney.
The Minors were children who attended the special weekend matinees at the ABC cinema group. More than a million children were members in the 1950s and they even had their own song.
“I never joined,” said Mike. “Living at Marsden, it took half an hour on the trolley bus to get into town so I didn’t bother. The cinema I went to for children’s matinees was The Winston in Slaithwaite.”
He joined The Ovaltineys instead, that had a weekly show on Radio Luxembourg. “It became a sort of cult between us kids. You got a bronze badge, a membership card and a secret password and a newsletter sent regularly with new passwords.
“There were a handful of Ovaltineys in our class and we got great pleasure out of using coded messages.”
The first show was broadcast in 1935 but stopped during the war. When they started again afterwards, TV personality Leslie Crowther got his first break in show business as one of the children. The show went out on Sunday evenings but its popularity eventually waned in the 1960s.
The theme song We Are The Ovaltineys was released as a record when it was used in a TV advertisement for the drink in the 1970s.
Mike says he continued to drink Ovaltine as an adult for a few years and even took a tin with him if he went abroad. He remembers that the dairymaid on the front was once described as: “the plump personification of country goodness.”
Bet you couldn’t get away with that these days.
But who remembers the song? We are the Ovaltineys, Happy girls and boys.
We share each other’s troubles. And share each other’s joys.
At your request we’ll not refuse you, We are here just to amuse you.
Would you like a song or story, Will you share our joys?
At games and sports we’re more than keen, No merrier children could be seen,
Because we all drink Ovaltine. We’re happy girls and boys.