David Allen

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One of my fav noir movies, right alongside The Blue Dahlia in which William Bendix also appears as another 'heavy'. Mark Stevens and Lucille Ball develop a great partnership as P.I. and secretary, with what seems to be real chemistry. Ably assisted by Cathy Downs as the 'femme fatale', Clifton Webb and Kurt Kreuger as villains of different shades and dependable Reed Hadley as a benevolent police lieutenant what starts off as routine kind of private eye yarn becomes something on a higher level altogether with its mix of low-life and high society. There's also a great score featuring the Eddie Heywood Orchestra who also appear in a nighclub scene.

I have most of the dvds of the series which I first saw back in the 1960s and which had a profound effect on me. I seem to watch it every year. The episodes I don't have, I watch on Youtube. I always seem to learn something I ddn't perhaps notice on a previous viewing. Of course every participant, military or otherwise has passed on as have most of the production team although Max Hastings was a researcher on the series when still a lad. One thing that intrigues me is the music played. I've managed to find recordings off 'Little Dolly Daydream', a popular tune before the war featured in Episode 1 but am still trying to find out what the other piece of folksy music featured is that evokes the summer of 1914. Butterworth or Delius perhaps or more music hall? An absolutely unmissable series that can't help one thinking how this war led inexorably to the Second World War of 1939-45 as well as some wars before and after. Some famous talking heads such as writer Henry Williamson relate their own experiences.

I used to listen to the original show hosted by the late, brilliant, witty, funny and very nice Nicholas Parsons. I also remember some of the original participants which included Peter Jones, Kenneth Williams, Derek Nimmo and Clement Freud. I'll need reminding of who else appeared on it over the years and who has hosted it more recently. Apparently, as Nicholas was fond of saying, several times I believe, people studying English in countries as far away as China would listen to the show, avidly, as it helped with their learning the language. I hope they enjoyed the humour as well as the different meanings of words and phrases with the odd double-entendre and innuendo. I hope I didn't use too many repetitions or deviations or that I didn't...er...hesitate too much.

An entertaining yet informative television show for young people where a mixed bunch of experts and professional television presenters answered the sort of questions that we could never ask our parents or teachers. For instance, I've noticed that when I put the kettle on without needing to refill it because it feels heavy enough, by the time it has boiled I think I'm going to struggle to fill two cups. Has the kettle leaked? Has the water evaporatedeor did I imagine the apparent heaviness of the kettle? Now I asked my wife that today and she said there mus be a leak. My dad would have given me short shrift and my mother would have thought I hadn't put enough water in. My teachers would have thought me an idiot but I know Fred and co would have seen some humour in it and perhaps Doctor Miller would have given me a proper scientifically worked out logical answer. Perhaps some of my classmates fancied Bunty James? We certainly loved old Jack Hargreaves, veteran of great country based programmes such as Out Of Town, whilst Fred Dineage was a popular figure on several sports shows in th 60's, 70's and 80's.