Seventy years ago, in 1953, EAGLE celebrated the last Coronation in style. For five issues the centre pages were entirely devoted to Coronation matters, including the Coronation route and how the B.B.C. would film the event. There were also several features about the Kings and Queens of Britain, the Royal Family and the Coronation itself. There was a Coronation Competition with prizes and EAGLE's editor, Marcus Morris even released a record in which he explained the significance, the events and the traditions of the Coronation for readers. In 1953, two of EAGLE's most popular strips 'PC 49' and 'Riders of the Range' were also successful B.B.C. radio series and two days after the Coronation, both were featured in a special Gala Night on the 'Light Programme' as the above extract from the Radio Times shows. Brian Reece, who played P.C. 49 introduced the programmes in character, along with Noel Johnson (also in character), as Dick Barton, the special agent he had played for three years in the popular daily serial. 'Riders of the Range' was one of the shows featured in the Gala. This was a short special edition of the western, but it featured all the major characters, including Paul Carpenter, who played Jeff Arnold, Charles Irwin as Luke and Macdonald Parke as the rancher J.C. Macdonald. The episode also featured Guy Kingsley Pointer, who would go on to play Doc in Charles Chilton's next radio series 'Journey Into Space' and Alan Keith, who played several parts in 'Riders of the Range' and would later create the long running 'Your Hundred Best Tunes' for B.B.C. radio, which he would present from 1959 until 2003, when he was ninety four. Sadly, the final series of 'The Adventures of PC 49' ended on radio shortly before this Coronation Special, so this was Reece's last appearance in the role. 'Riders of the Range' also ended its radio run later in 1953, but continued in EAGLE until 1962. 'PC 49' would continue in EAGLE until 1957. Dick Barton's radio adventures had concluded in 1951 and Noel Johnson had left the role in 1949, but as this was a Gala Night with the focus on popular programmes from the previous seven years, the character's inclusion made sense. 'Dick Barton: Special Agent' was still hugely popular when it ended and there were major protests at its cancellation. Some people are still feeling bitter about it now!
7 comments:
Jim,
Once again, well done on keeping the blog going and finding interesting snippets, as well as outlining the latest issue of EAGLE Times. I have already submitted an article to Darren on the "first" Dan Dare, which elaborates on your post.
Best regards
David Britton
I hope you won't mind me asking but why was Eagle banned in South Africa?
Mark,
Hi.
Jim may well have the answer and already working on a response. I have some thoughts on it, but have passed your question on to one of our members who was living in South Africa at the time. I'll reply with his comments, once he responds.
Best regards
David Britton.
Mark,
Hi.
I have spoken to my friend who was brought up in South Africa. He was not aware at the time that EAGLE was banned, as he used to receieve 6 copies at a time, sent by his grandmother in England. His thoughts on the reason for the ban are the same as mine. The content of EAGLE especially P.C. 49, had examples of children of colour mixing freely, on equal terms, with white children. P. C. 49 ran a boxing club for youngsters. Where people of colour were involved in any stories, unless they were villains, such as in Luck of the Legion, their activities and uninhibited behaviour would not have been appreciated by the apartheid regime ruling in S. A. at the time.
I hope that answers your question. Jim Duckett may have some further thoughts.
Best regards
David Britton
Hi Mark, As far as I know, EAGLE wasn't banned in South Africa. Every issue of EAGLE actually listed the Central News Agency as the distribution agents for South Africa.This is referred to in Joe Hoole's article about the Gordon and Gotch Agency reprinted on this blog. As David (Britton) has indicated, PC 49 had a young and heroic black African boy in his club who took an active part in his adventures, but EAGLE was certainly imported to South Africa during this period. The back page biographies also showed heroic black Africans, as in the strips about David Livingstone and Baden Powell and there was criticism of the attitudes of the Boers towards black Africans. It is possible that individual issues were banned, but I don't think there was an extended ban on EAGLE in the country. I hope this has helped. Jim Duckett
Hi Mark, Further to my previous comments, the reference you read about EAGLE being banned in South Africa probably comes originally from Sally Morris and Jan Hallwood's book 'Living with EAGLES', later quoted on Wikipedia. They quote the 'World's Press News' as their source "..that EAGLE had been banned in South Africa", but give no more information than this. There is no mention of when this happened, why it happened or for how long. A few pages later they write "The Chairman of a Motor Racing Club in South Africa asked for back numbers containing pictures of sports and racing cars to decorate his club room." The acknowledgement of a named source gives the story credence, but the later reference to the South African club Chairman shows that he must have seen EAGLE. Morris and Hallwood's book is very well researched and full of information that cannot be found elsewhere. It is probably the best book about EAGLE, but there are a few errors. These are not the fault of the authors, but of people they sought information from giving opinionated rather than factual answers but presenting them as facts. The 'World's Press News' should be a reliable source, so I believe we can conclude that at some point EAGLE was banned in the country and presumably for at least one of the reasons that have been suggested. But it might only have been a single issue, for if EAGLE had suffered a long term ban then it wouldn't have quoted the Central News Agency as its South African distributors in every single issue of the publication from start to finish. Jim
Towards the end of the first 'Dan Dare' serial, when Earth invades Venus to fight the Mekon, the U.N. troops are led by a black officer. This could be the reason for a short term ban in South Africa - perhaps even a single issue ban.
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