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Like everyone I am, in great part, a product of my time and in my case that’s late 1950’s innocence and austerity through the 60’s loosening of mores, morals, trouser bottoms and regular visits to the barbers. Whilst much of the 1960’s still resonates the 50’s do not really get a look in and pre-50’s is consigned to the history books.
My young world was filled by The Eagle and Boys’ Own. It was all Dan Dare and Roy of the Rovers. The bookshelf was filled with Just William and Jennings and yes – I’ll admit it – Biggles. Laugh all you want, I was an avid fan of Biggles and his adventures with Ginger and Algy and there were, of course, a huge number of books to read. He may not have been a literary genius but Captain W.E. Johns was nothing short of prolific. He made Barbara Cartland look like an amateur by comparison and rumour had it she could knock off one of her titles in an afternoon!
Rolling forward to 2007, Biggles is really the sort, along with characters like Billy Bunter, that I never expected to hear from again. If nothing else, the stories will break every politically correct rule ever conceived. They are filled with racial stereotypes, the class system, the old establishment and a complete lexicon of stiff upper English expressions which died with the wholesale importing of trashy American television.
But I was wrong. Browsing through my local Waterstones yesterday there it was. A Biggles anthology of four of five books in one big tome. Pride of place it had on one of the tables. So… I say old boy, Biggles flies again!
I know it’s all about age, but when I here the name Biggles, I always think of Russ Abbott doing his Fighter Ace routine
Oh dear. I know the name but I have never seen Russ Abbott. Sorry! Is he good?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/russabbotshow/index.shtml
The top picture is Basildon Bond – but the air ace was called Stirling Boggles…
Tall, twinkly-eyed, Chester-born comedian and impressionist who entered showbiz as a member of the Black Abbots cabaret group. His TV breaks came from appearances in who do you do?, The Comedians and Bruce Forsythes Big Night and led to a series he shared with its named star, Freddie Starr’s Variety Madhouse. With Starr’s departure, the show became Russ Abbot’s Madhouse in 1980 (sometimes Saturday Madhouse) and allowed Abbot to begin introducing the farcical creations for which he became famous, such as inept superhero Cooperman (an exaggerated impersonation of Tommy Cooper), detective Barratt Holmes, air ace Boggles, Irish crooner Val Hooligan, rock’n'roller Vince Prince, secret agent Basildon Bond, and C. U. Jimmy, the indecipherable, kilted Scotsman.
Boggles wore a flying jacket, riding breeches and silk scarf, the breeches and scarf were both oversize and had wire frames inside, so the breeches stuck out at 90 degrees and the scarf was in the same position as when flying a plane.
Tacky and childish, but in 1980 I was both of those…. (strange how life has changed me so little…)
Recognise the face but I never saw him on TV. Don’t really watch much to be honest! I guess the equivalents for me were the likes of Tony Hancock, Charlie Drake and Sid James…
I remember Russ Abbot’s shows even though I was young at the time! My parents used to watch him all the time, he was really funny, it’s a shame he’s not about anymore. Does anybody know what happened to him?
Janet: I saw him interviewed very recently although I am not sure whether the interview itself was recent. Didn’t recognise him though