Eagle Society Weekend and Dinner, 2009

Please note that bookings for this year's previously advertised Eagle Society's Weekend and Annual Dinner at the Guy Chester Centre, Muswell Hill are now closed.

Eagle Times Vol 22 No 1

Spring 2009 contents

• Operation Saturn - but not as we know it. Details of Frank Hampson's original 1952 story outline for Dan Dare's 4th adventure, revealed and reviewed
• Heros the Spartan - a review of EAGLE's popular 1960s sword and sorcery strip, part 2
• By a Hair's Breadth - artwork by Frank Hampson, from Ranger, 1965
• Prisoners of Space revisited - a new review of the Pilot of the Future's 5th EAGLE adventure
• PC49 and the Case of the Murderous Mouse - part 1 of a new story adaptation
• Edward Beal - more information about the creator the Railway Page that appeared in EAGLE's dummy second issue
• Rick Random, Space Detective - a review of Prion Books' recently published collection of 1950s interplanetary adventures
• More memories of Denis Gifford's Ally Sloper magazine
• "I was there" - part 5, memories of the Society of Strip Illustration Awards Dinner, December 1976
• More Crockett and Krispies - from the series Heroes of the West, drawn by Ron Embleton for Kellogg's Rice Krispies
• Eagle Autographs - part 4, the artists and storytellers
  
• Pop Music during Eagle Times - 1964

This issue's front cover features the Valiant spaceship from 'Operation Saturn' (EAGLE, 1953)
superimposed with images of Saturn and the Eagle Nebula (NASA photographs) .

Spaceship Away #17

Spaceship Away is a three times a year, full colour, 44-page A4 glossy magazine that publishes newly created 1950’s Eagle style 'Dan Dare' strip stories (licensed by the Dan Dare Corporation) along with other science fiction strips and articles. Issue 17, which is just out, continues the 'Dan Dare' serial strips 'The Green Nemesis' (written by Rod Barzilay; drawn by Tim Booth), 'The Gates of Eden' (written and drawn by Tim Booth) and 'Rocket Pilot' (written and drawn by Keith Page). There is also a new full colour 'Dan Dare' centre-spread by Mike Noble, plus the humorous strips 'Dan Bear' (by Andy Boyce), 'Mekki', 'Our Bertie' (both by Ray Aspden), and 'Dan Dire' (a satire by Eric Mackenzie).

Factual articles include an original story outline for 'Operation Saturn', by Dan Dare's creator Frank Hampson*, and 'Working with Frank Bellamy', by Dan Dare artist Don Harley. The latter is nicely illustrated with a picture by Don recollecting Frank Bellamy delivering a page of 'Dan Dare'. There is also an article by Jeremy Briggs on Dan Dare's personal spaceship Anastasia. The Anastasia article is accompanied by a cutaway drawing of Anastasia's cockpit by Graham Bleathman. An article on 'Eagle and TV21' by Stephen Baxter is illustrated with examples from the Eagle artists who contributed to TV21: Frank Hampson ('Fireball XL5'), Frank Bellamy ('Thunderbirds'), Don Harley ('Thunderbirds'), Eric Eden ('Lady Penelope'), Ron Embleton ('Stingray') and Keith Watson ('Captain Scarlet').

In addition to the 'Dan Dare'-themed material, Spaceship Away includes three other SF strips: a reprint of Charles Chilton's 'Journey into Space - Planet of Fear' serial that originally appeared in Eagle's rival paper Express Weekly (1956), drawn by Ferdinando Tacconi, 'Ex-Astris', a computer-rendered strip by John Freeman and Mike Nicholl, and 'Nick Hazard Interstellar Agent', written by Philip Harbottle, drawn by Ron Turner and coloured by John Ridgway.

For further details of Spaceship Away, including how to subscribe, please go to the Spaceship Away website.

* Further information and comment by David Britton on Frank Hampson's outline for Operation Saturn will appear in the next (Spring 2009) issue of Eagle Times.

Eagle writers - J.H.G. Freeman (1903 - 1972) aka Gordon Grinstead

John Henry Gordon ("Don") Freeman was born in Croydon, Surrey, and attended St. Joseph’s College, Streatham. The youngest of three children, all of whom developed an early interest in writing stories and compiling "magazines" from their efforts, he was the only one to actually go into publishing. When he did, the majority of his lifetime output was as a staff writer for the Daily Mirror, which he joined in 1918 at around the age of 15.

Initially taken on by the Daily Mirror as an office boy, his first published work in the Mirror is believed to have appeared on the children’s page in January 1922, although he also worked on the sports page around that time. He became assistant to Bertram. J. Lamb, who as "Uncle Dick" was the editor of the Mirror’s children’s pages, and he provided story lines and many of the rhymed adventures of ‘Pip, Squeak and Wilfred’ in the Mirror and in the cartoon characters’ associated annuals published between 1923 and 1940. Following, or shortly before, Lamb’s death in 1938, he took over as "Uncle Dick". His contributions included stories credited to himself (as J.H.G. Freeman), and other pieces credited to "Uncle Dick" or other pseudonyms. His poems were published daily for at least five, possibly ten, years in the Daily Mirror. In 1930 a collection of his verses, The Rhymes of Merry Andrew was published. Also in the early 1930s a school story by J.H.G. Freeman, entitled Plain Smith IV: the Story of a Fortune was published as part of the Nelson "Red Star" series, reprinted later as part of the same publisher’s "Captain" series.

Gradually the Daily Mirror’s cartoon page became more adult. In 1936, "Don" Freeman (as he was known) adapted Edgar Wallace’s Terror Keep into a comic strip (drawn by Jack Monk). When that strip was "pulled" for copyright reasons he developed a new character, ‘Buck Ryan’, again with Monk as artist. The strip ran from 1937 to 1962. The number of strips he was scripting increased. From 1938 he began to write ‘Jane’ (“the strip that won the war”) for Jane’s creator, the artist Norman Pett, and when Michael Hubbard took over the drawing, Don continued scripting ‘Jane’ until 1953. In 1943 Don also took on ‘Belinda Blue Eyes’ (created by Steve Dowling), recasting it as simply ‘Belinda’ with its new artist Tony Royle. ‘Belinda’ folded in 1959. In the meantime, from 1944 until 1952 he also wrote ‘Garth’, which since its debut the year before had been written and drawn entirely by its creator Steve Dowling, who continued to draw it. Don was responsible for developing many of the characters and plot devices in Garth, including Garth's origin story.

While Don "wrote" many strips, his technique involved more than that might imply, and his contributions were more collaborative. Rather than typing out his scripts, his technique was to "rough" out the story, sketching it in pencil as he visualised it, for the artist to use as a guide.

In 1941 he had married and in 1945 the family, which by then included a son and daughter, moved to East Grinstead in Sussex, where a second son was born in 1946. Shortly after moving to East Grinstead, Don began using the pen-name "Gordon Grinstead", possibly so that he could take on non-Mirror work. Under his new pen-name, he produced a novel, Angela Darling, which was published by Rylee in 1949. Between 1959 and 1963 he wrote seven children’s educational books for Cassell & Co Ltd under their “for Silver Circle readers” banner. His other freelance work included that for Hulton Press: firstly ‘Sally of the South Seas’ which appeared in Girl and then ‘Knights of the Road’ for Eagle.

‘Knights of the Road’, the adventures of “Sir” Ted Knight, a lorry driver and his younger brother Frank, who were partners in a road haulage business (“Go Anywhere – Carry Anything” was their motto), appeared weekly in Eagle for two years from 19th March 1960 until 7th March 1962, drawn throughout by artist Gerald Haylock. It was no coincidence that the character “Lofty” in the ‘Knights of the Road’ story ‘The Grange Street Gang’ looked remarkably like the younger of Don Freeman’s sons. 'Knights of the Road’ also made a couple of appearances in Eagle Annual, once as a text story, and then in comic strip form.

Don was well read, and largely self-educated. All his stories drew on history and geography, which he researched thoroughly, often taking his family on holidays to research the places he wrote about.

In the early 1960s Don moved with his family to Bexhill on Sea. He continued his historical research joining associations in pursuit of his interests, but gradually he wrote less, though he continued with some editing work. It had been his ambition to write a Great Novel, but this remained unfulfilled when he died at Bexhill on 8th July, 1972.

Eagle Strips (writer): 'Knights of the Road'

• First story (untitled) (Vol 11 No 12 – Vol 11 No 27)
• 'The Hoodoo Run' (Vol 11 No 28 – Vol 11 No 47)
• 'The Grange Street Gang' (Vol 11 No 48 – Vol 12 No 14)
• 'Pilgrimage of Peril' (Vol 12 No 15 – Vol 12 No 32)
• 'Carnival of Death' (Vol 12 No 33 – Vol 12 No 51)
• 'Dutch Courage' (Vol 12 No 52 – Vol 13 No 9)

Eagle Annual (writer):

• 'Snowbound! But the Knights of the Road get through' (text story) Eagle Annual No 11, 1962
• 'Knights of the Road in ‘Treat her Rough!’' (strip story) Eagle Annual No 12, 1963

Note: The text story in Eagle Annual No 11 is credited to “George Grinstead”. The strip in Eagle Annual No 12 is uncredited. Illustrations are by Gerald Haylock.

Links:

• Pip Squeak and Wilfred Wikipedia
• Jane Wikipedia
• Jane Toonpedia
• Jane Bear Alley
• Belinda Wikipedia
• Garth Wikipedia

ET Refs:

• Gould, David. Eagle Scriptwriters No 4: J. H. G. Freeman (Gordon Grinstead) Eagle Times Vol 2 No 2 pp 16 - 18.
• Sheaf, Richard. A Weekend at Ely: The Society’s 15th Annual Dinner Eagle Times Vol 14 No 2, pp 32 – 35.
• Gittens, John Mortlock Biography of John Henry Gordon Freeman - dictated to Tom Rawlinson. Eagle Times Vol 15 No 3 pp 2 - 4.
• Gould, David. Recollections of J.H.G. Freeman (aka Gordon Grinstead) - as told by his sons Richard and Nick in April 2002. Eagle Times Vol 15 No 3, pp 5 – 9.

The Eagle Society Weekend and Annual Dinner, 2009

The Guy Chester Centre

Muswell Hill

24th - 26th April 2009

Our Social Secretary, Nigel McMurray, has again asked me to post, for the benefit of Members, the highlights for the Eagle Society Weekend, which this year will be held at the Guy Chester Centre, Muswell Hill, London.The package will include 2-night’s accommodation and most meals, including the Society’s Annual Dinner, plus two days of activities including talks and tours, beginning in the late afternoon of Friday, 24th April and concluding after lunch on Sunday, 26th April. The centre, which is a Methodist Retreat set in 10 acres of gardens and woodlands, has a car park, en-suite rooms and disabled facilities. Highlights of the weekend will include:

• The Eagle Society’s Annual Dinner at the Guy Chester Centre
• A visit to the RAF Museum at Hendon
• A History of Muswell Hill presented by a local historian
• Lunch at the Spaniards Inn (with its claimed association with Dick Turpin)
• Special Tour of Highgate Cemetery
• Fights in Eagle - a themed talk from by Eric Fernie
• “He wants to be ... a cab driver”
• Nostalgia isn't what it used to be - a look back at previous Eagle Weekends
• Treasure Island with John Worsley, Millar Watt and Dudley Watkins - a presentation and talk by John Swan
• Speedway and Eagle - Terry Stone, President of the World Speedway Riders Association, addresses the Eagle Society. And he's bringing a 1928 speedway machine!
• Sunday Service at Muswell Hill Methodist Church

For Members of the Eagle Society, the cost for the weekend, which includes two nights accommodation, is £110 sterling per person for a shared room, with an extra supplement of £20 per person for single rooms (subject to availability). Non-members wishing to take part should enclose in addition the appropriate (UK or Overseas) Membership Fee (separate cheque, please) with their application.

If you would like more details, or to confirm details and/or availability of places, please contact Nigel by e-mail . Or to make a definite booking would Members please write, enclosing payment (in £ sterling, please, cheques made payable to the Eagle Society) to:

Adrian Perkins
19, Wolsey Way,
Cherry Hinton,
Cambridge,
CB1 3JQ
United Kingdom

The illustration is the opening frame of 'Black Bess', from the series 'Famous Horse Stories', drawn by Raymond Sheppard. It appeared in Eagle Vol 5 No 40 (1st October, 1954).

Eagle Times Vol 21 No 4

Winter 2008 contents

• Memories of Christmas Past - seasonal cards and drawings by some of the best
  
• A Kennedy Christmas - some of Ian Kennedy's Christmas-themed comics and annual covers
• The Career of Ian Kennedy - part 2, from the eighties to the new millenium
• More of EAGLE's 2nd issue dummy, including Norman Thelwell's 'Pop Milligan' and Frank Hampson's 'The Great Adventurer' - with Joan Porter's recollections of the Bakehouse Studio in the 1950s
• Frank Hampson at the Festival - a contemporary note written by Frank Hampson on the Angouleme Comics Festival, 1978
• PC49 - The Case of the Galloping Ghost
• An account of the Chad Varah Memorial Service at St Paul's Cathedral, held on 12th November, 2008
  
• "I was there" - the launch of Denis Gifford's Ally Sloper Magazine in 1976
• Who's who No. 50
• The Eagle Annual of the Cutaways - book review
• Heros the Spartan - part 1, beginning a review of EAGLE's popular 1960s sword and sorcery strip
  
• Tony Weare - part 2, concluding the life of a favourite artist
  
• Books for Christmas - a seasonal review
• EAGLE on the web
  
• Pop Music in EAGLE Times - 1963

This issue's cover shows some Memories of Christmas Past - cards by Peter Jackson, Tony Weare and Keith Watson - courtesy of Alan Vince.

Dan Dare helps Science Museum to Tourism Gold

The winners of the Visit London Awards 2008 were presented at the Royal Albert Hall on 27th November. The Science Museum, which among its many attractions is currently exhibiting 'Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain', won 'Gold' as the Visitor Attraction of the Year. The award recognises the Science Museum's appeal to adults and children, with its world-class collections, exhibitions and events.

The 'Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain' exhibition has certainly given the museum a boost. Not only has it provided an excellent exhibition (see the review at our earlier post) but it has brought the museum additional publicity through press exposure. For example, apart from its coverage when it launched back in April, 2008, The Times has since chosen to list the exhibition among its Top Five Museums on at least five occasions.

David Britton has provided a quote from John Liffen, who is a co-curator of the exhibition with Professor Andrew Nahun. The following came in response to David's question on the how the exhibition was going:

As you know, we had a good press reaction and an independent study thought that the value to the Museum of the exposure was high. I quote from Andrew Nahum: ‘It was done by an able PR professional and it rates value of every mention according to size of the article and each paper or magazine's advertising rate. There is also an industry convention multiplier reflecting the fact that editorial material is far more influential than paid for advertising and “can't be bought”. According to these calculations, the Science Museum would have had to spend almost £700k to achieve the same presence in the media with “paid for” marketing. Of course, this publicity contributes to public perceptions of the whole Museum and not just to the Dare show.’ “Aside from that, the exhibition was well-received internally (which matters a lot!) and the visitors seem to like it. I haven’t yet seen a qualitative visitor survey, but I hope we shall have done something on those lines. People are stimulated to write in with notes of appreciation about the whole exhibition, but often they focus in on just one item which has particularly caught their attention ... I haven’t heard of any adverse comments, and perhaps that’s a good test, too”

The Exhibition runs until October 2009, so there is still plenty of time to see it, if you haven't already.

The picture (from the Science Museum's Dan Dare Exhibition press pack) shows one of the murals drawn for the Museum in the 1970s by Frank Hampson, Dan Dare's creator.
Dan Dare is © The Dan Dare Corporation Ltd.

Footnote: Those interested in memorabilia might like to note that the Science Museum now has sets of 'Dan Dare Exhibition' tie-in souvenir postcards and notepads, 'Dan Dare' (and Mekon) T-shirts (small and medium only, unfortunately!) and badges, and some very attractive 'Dan Dare' spaceship LED keyrings.