cliff

my dear old mum would have been 64 this week, so i think its fitting that on her birthday week, Sir Cliff Richard came to town for an unveiling of a plaque in his honour, he's joined here by Sir Tim Rice. "Cliff's still my favorite" is something she would say quite often, especially while watching top of the pops. I have to say i have a bit of a soft spot for him to, as i like small speakers, and i like tall speakers to !


Ciff first came to the wood back in 1959 for the film serious charge playing the character curly thompson, but it's for The Young Ones in '61 and summer holiday in'63, that cliff really came to town !


For The Young Ones a large town was built on the back lot of the studios that stayed for 15 years and was used on... well, ill tell you later - wouldnt want to spoil it. The choreography in both movies was by Herbert Ross - footloose anyone ? Happy birthday mum !

1965-1967

Nupondi & Queen kari
While Loana may have been the most famous cave girl to visit the town, she wouldn't be the last. Just up the road in 1963 on the Bond stages at Pinewood studios in Buckinghamshire, Zora the catfighting gypsy girl was strutting her stuff on the set of From Russia with Love



Zora was played by the excellent Martine Beswick, the first woman to appear in 3 Bond movies, firstly in the opening credits of Dr No and then going on to play Paula Caplan in Thunderball. In '66 she was Nupondi, and would fight it out with Loana in maybe prehistoric man's first cat fight !



This famous fight may have been filmed in Borehamwood, as although most of principal shooting was on location in Spain the sets where built in borehamwood, and this scene looks to me like its on a set.

Martine returned to the 'wood in 1967 for Hammer Films Prehistoric Women (Slave Girls), this time in the staring role as Queen kari


I haven't seen this film (yet) but it looks excellent and i cant wait to see it. I'll be writing a lot more on Martine as she is for sure a legend of elstree studios and Borehamwood! If you want to see more pictures and read a little bit more about her ( and cave girls for that matter ) check out the excellent blog
cave girls in fur bikinis


ending on a little bit of trivia - she came to town again in '65 for a small role in " such men are dangerous " and episode of Dangerman which was shot at MGM.

4000BC

even folks from the mesolithic period where stopping by to maybe chop some "wood".
back in 1984 my Aunt Ruby was having a tree stump removed from her back garden in delamere road when she came across this strange looking object ...



...Ruby took rather a shine to the thing and decided to put it on top of her fire place. Some time later while watching a tv show she noticed some similarities with the topic of discussion, further investigation revealed it to be a mesolithic axe, datable from 8500bc - 4000bc
Its now on proud display at Verulamium Museum in St. Albans.
Id like to thank the museum for sending me these great pictures !

one million years BC, circa 1966

Caveman Tumak is banished from his savage tribe... and ends up in the wood along with Loana, Ahot and Nupondi.

Hammer Films where located in Borehamwood for many years, and One million Years BC became their biggest hit, the movie created the iconic image of Raquel Welch in her furry bikini. I prefer this rather fancy crucifixion shot!


Was Loana crucified in borehamwood ?

1967

I'll be posting soon - here's something to keep you guessing as to whats coming up

1964

and shirley at MGM for filming of The Yellow Rolls-Royce

1969

i drive a rolls-royce 'cause its good for my voice

There have been so many people to have passed through our town its really a who's who of 20th century music film and television - and i dont know where to start ?
tom and engelbert where in town at ATV studios

1968

Electrical and Musical Industries
In 1968 ABPC studio's became EMI, a defining point of both the town and my own personal History. You can see it in the background of the Terry Spencer photograph and here. The studios have changed hands many times over the years and still exist to this day if not in a smaller, less glamourous capacity after some shocking town planning saw this fabulous building demolished and turned it into a roundabout for Tesco.
But as this is a History lesson we shan't dwell on the present, this is about the glorious past. I would go as far as to say if you haven't been to borehamwood, then who the hell are you ?

1969

thanks for vising borehamwood.

the main picture is by Terry spencer. here's a description for the photo.

In the North London suburb of Borehamwood, this gang of youths display the latest 'mod' style. The mod culture demanded that fashions constantly changed, so successive age groups developed their own look that differed from the early 1960s original. These youths have moved into the direction of 'hard mods', who rejected the finery of other mods and the hippies. The photo hints at Black style influences as well as the developing skinhead trend, particularly with the cropped hairstyles of both the girls and boys. There were distinct variations in dress between mods from different areas of London. Terrence Spencer worked for Life Magazine photographing the cults and fashions of youth culture during the 1960s.

more of terry's pictures can be seen here
www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk