They Run Out Of Letters
The Scree n on the Green, rarely misses a tick in its film information.
They Run Out Of Letters
This is one of their best.
The Film That Changed My Life!
Last night, I went to the Hackney Picturehouse to see the newly-remastered digital version of Hard Day’s Night.
The film was originally released in July 1964 and I probably saw it that summer or soon afterwards. I remember I spent that summer in London, as I was working at Enfield Rolling Mills, in the Electronics Laboratory, putting little bits of automation on metal processing machinery.
There was a mixed-sex group of us at school, who spent time together and went to parties, plays and events. Some of us may have gone to see the film together after the summer. We did go to see the Beatles in Hammersmith that Christmas, which was a night I’ll never forget.
But whenever and wherever I saw Hard Day’s Night for the first time, it had a tremendous effect on my life.
I often wonder, if I’d not seen the film and the Beatles live, whether I would have ever considered going to Liverpool University. If I hadn’t, I’d have never met C and my life would have been completely different.
Since that first viewing, wherever it was, that film has always been one of my favourites and I’ve seen it many times. But not as many times, as I would have liked, as C never liked to see a film too many times.
So it was an absolute joy to see the film last night.
The cinema was surprisingly full for a Monday night and the audience was generally about fifty upwards, although there were a few children and teenagers there, with a sprinkling of twenty- and thirty-somethings.
The film still has all the power to delight and inspire and I suspect it will be doing so for many years yet.
As I said to a young couple as I left the cinema last night, the film proved to me that we could all have dreams and live them! I certainly have lived my life to the full!
Without the Beatles and a Hard Day’s Night, the world would be a very much poorer place.
I’d probably have gone to a third-rate University and ended up back in Felixstowe in a semi with a thick ugly wife and 2.4 children. Perish the thought!
If Hard Day’s Night comes to a cinema near you in the next few months, then go and see one of the most significant films of the 1960s, that did a lot to redefine modern cinema.
Praise For Marks And Spencer In An Unlikely Place
Marks and Spencer may not be in the best of health these days, with even their boss saying the results aren’t good enough in this report on the BBC.
He might like this story.
I have a small waist, which needs a thirty-inch-belt. They are hard to find and for the last ten years or so, I’ve always bought them from Paul Smith. Usually at their flagship store in Covent Garden.
Yesterday, I went to get a new one and I found a nice one in brown. I got to talking to the stylish assistant, who came from Bordeaux. He felt I was wearing a very nice pair of chinos.
They were only from Marks and Spencer.
I did buy one of the three pairs I have in a store, but the others were from their web site and delivered to my local store at the Angel.
Their web site worked for me!
Why Would Anybody Have An Exhibition At Olympia?
The only time in recent years, when I’ve seen any class at Olympia, was when I stood on a stand at a telecoms exhibition next to someone, who is now a peer of the realm.
Today, I went to The Allergy Show, but my troubles started before I even arrived. I just missed the Overground train at Highbury and Islington, so instead of waiting half-an-hour for the next train, I decided to go via Victoria and Earl’s Court. I got to Earl’s Court in reasonable time, but then there was no shuttle train to Olympia. So I hsad to get a replacement bus, which somebody had saved from the scrapyard. At least it was clean.
When I eventually got to Olympia, there was an air of dereliction about the place. But it wasn’t any worse than I remember it, when we took the boys to the Christmas Horse Show in perhaps 1971.
John Betjeman would be summing up a friendly bomb.
At least I got home easy enough, but then leaving Olympic is much better than going!
Highbury And Islington Post Office Is Now Shut
The convenient Post Office at Highbury and Islington Station has been closed.
To be fair, it had seen better days and its closure probably makes it more likely, that one of the worse stations in London gets developed as a station for the twenty-first century, hopefully with step-free access everywhere.
Wasting My Licence Fee
The BBC has just broadcast an interview with some Islamic nutcase.
Why is the BBC wasting my licence fee, giving fantasists like this time on the airwaves?
He might even be able to find out if jihadists go to heaven in a few days or weeks!
A Sensible Solution To A Local Religious Problem
The Tour de France is creating a problem for the Jewish community in Leeds, as the synagogue is on one side of the route and the congregation general live on the other. So crossing the road twice is going to be difficult on the Sabbath.
Radio 5 have just had an interview with the local rabbi and it was amazing as he told how he dealt with all the problems and decided to have services on both sides of the route, in a synagogue and a school. He’s also timed everything to fit in with the race, so his congregation can also see the race, if they want to.
This interview should be played to all of those religious fanatics around the world, as a practical example of how to celebrate your religion, without imposing any limits on others.
Glasgow Gets Money For Infrastructure
After the announcement yesterday about investment in the rail route to Penzance, a story broke later yesterday about a large amount of money for infrastructure and City Deal status for Glasgow. Read about it here on the BBC. One major piece of infrastructure included is the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.
So what is a City Deal?
Under the section on Wikipedia for Local Enterprise Partnership, there is a small section on City Deals and several large cities like Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield have got them. Only Manchester seems to have a meaningful entry in Wikipedia.
Type “City Deal UK” into Google and you get all sorts of irrelevant rubbish like transfer deals involving football clubs with City in the name and Groupon.
It stikes me that whoever thought of the name City Deal dropped an enormous clanger.
I did eventually find a government web site, well down the page in Google.
the obvious URL; citydeal.co.uk, is owned by Groupon.
Never trust a politician to get the details and small print right.
Violence In The Middle East
David Aaronovitch in his piece in The Times today entitled, Moderate Muslims – It’s Time To Be Outraged, makes some very good points.
But this fact is telling.
In the Israel-Palestine conflict 10,000 have been killed in the past 25 years, compared to 100,000 in Syria in just three.
All are one too many!
But where are the moderate Muslims trying to sort this violent mess out?
Two Knives From Sheffield At John Lewis
My kitchen knives are rather elderly and blunt, despite proper sharpening, so I thought I’d treat myself to some new ones from John Lewis.
Two Knives From Sheffield At John Lewis
Made in Sheffield, as knives should be! Just like my Sheba cutlery was in the 1960s
The Anonymous Widower 