My uncle from Oldham near Manchester had danced to rock’n’roll in his teens in the early-to-mid 1950s and on his many travels through Europe during the 1960s (he had by then become a university physics lecturer) he was left with the distinct impression that there existed no youth culture in France or anywhere else in […]
The Golden Era
1958 dancing to rock’n’roll at home in the East End
Taken from a short 1958 documentary ‘The More we are Together’ on the extended Gladden family of Bethnal Green. We can see an excerpt showing young girls and their parents amusing themselves dancing to rock’n’roll tunes at home.
1957 Blackpool holidays
This 1957 colour film ‘Holiday’ is a great illustration of the traditional holiday season in Blackpool. 1John Taylor, the director was shooting a standard 1950s travelogue of the Lancashire Coast for British Transport Films and ‘Holiday’ was created from the spares by editor Ralph Sheldon who had established a reputation for setting pictures to music. This […]
1959 BBC documentary on New York youth gangs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/panorama-new-york-juvenile-delinquents/z7yn2sg
1955 BBC documentary on two London teds
The long-running BBC documentary series ‘Special Enquiry’ (1952-57) broadcast a half-hour documentary on ‘Teenagers : What are they ? What do they want ?’ on the 1st of November 1955 in which there was a short 6-minute slot on ‘The Teddy Boys’. The 6-minute slot in ‘Teenagers’ of two London teds, Pat and Mike, is just […]
1964 rockers’ good deeds in Southend
Nick Vince identifies near the Arches cafés on Western Esplanade Southend on Sea. Tomassis café in rear at start of reel. All looks the same 50 years later. Southend Pier features later …
