jimmy savile jokes and references before his death

Some excellent, near the knuckle (for the lawyers at least) Jimmy Savile jokes on 'Have I Got News For You' in 1992, plus a banned Johnny Lydon interview with Vivienne Goldman at the BBC in 1978.





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he kills coppers - jake arnott (plus some charlie brown)

'He Kills Coppers' was recommended to me, as l was unaware of  Jake Arnott's oeuvre (so to speak), but l must admit, it was a rollicking tale, and a change from my normal reading.
Three policemen are shot and killed (you could have guessed that bit) while the World Cup is being staged in London, 1966, and there's also a crackdown on vice around Soho, but corruption in the police force. Tony Meehan, (a would be newspaper reporter) is on the case and like Frank Turner,  the police protagonist, is very ambitious (but with a secret vice of his own).   The main killer of the policemen, Billy Porter, manages to escape justice, and the action leaps to 1971 and 1985, taking in football hooliganism, politics, changes in policing tactics, miners strikes, Margaret Thatcher (milk snatcher), CND, Class War, and much more inbetween.
All the more convincing for being a believable story that doesn't go over the top, probably because real events and people are used and referenced (The Krays and Richardsons, Lord Longford etc).  The cop killer himself that went on the run is based on the true story of Harry Roberts, who is still in prison for killing some policemen in Shepherds Bush, 1966, and who also went on the run, evading capture by hiding in Epping Forest. He used to be used by anti police groups as something to taunt the 'rozzers' with ("Harry Roberts is our friend - he kills coppers etc").
This was adapted for TV (as was Arnott's 'The Long Firm') so l may check it out to compare and contrast, although adaptations of books l have read usually let me down, as they are never as good as my own imagination and perception of them.  This goes back for me as far as the Charlie Brown and Peanuts movies, which annoyed me intensely because the accents seemed so wrong after devouring the books and hearing my own voices (l still do!).

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my new (clean) driving licence

I can't believe it!  My new driving licence arrived today, and for the first time in nearly 20 years it is clean. No points, no convictions, nothing. Clean as a whistle, sharp as a thistle.
It doesn't feel right.
It's unnatural.
It's not me.
It won't last.

Now if l can only get the 4 pages of my CRB check seen to and cleaned up as well, l'd be sorted.

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the league of gentlemen (1960) - basil dearden

 

The League of Gentlemen lobby cards

A right old carry on and make no mistake old boy, The League Of Gentlemen has Norman Hyde (Jack Hawkins) assembling a ragtag group of corrupt ex soldiers, all specialists in their own fields, so that they can pull off a bank job (and possibly inadvertently inspire The Great Train Robbery).
The job itself is based on a fictional crime book (The Golden Fleece), and is planned meticulously, but will they get away with it?
There's plenty of the old 'What ho's' and 'I say Darling', and as to be expected, the acting is completely over the top in places, but it is certainly enjoyable if you like old black and white movies.
There's also innuendos towards homosexual behaviour (still a criminal offence at the time) and a short mincing performance from the one and only Oliver Reed (looking very attractive), which is so camp it has to be seen to be believed.
Featuring a great line when Hyde is asked about a portrait of his wife, and if she is dead.  He replies "I regret to say the bitch is still going strong".  Feisty language back in the day, and even now.
The lesson to be learned?  Cover every eventuality, no matter how insignificant they might seem.  I know of what l speak, as l have served some time after not covering my own tracks in the past (obviously l'm now rehabilitated).  You don't want to end up in chokey.



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romanzo criminale la serie (season 2)

It would be a difficult undertaking trying to produce a series as magnificent as the Romanzo Criminale (La serie), but it has been accomplished by the second series.  This was easily as gripping, violent and edge of your seats crap your pants tastic as could be expected.
The gang starts to fragment after the murder of Lebanese, and Danni and Freddo find the gap between them widening.  Scialoja is still on the case, Buffalo takes more of a starring role, and there are deaths a plenty.  Who can be trusted?  No-one.
Absolutely brilliant, and we are blessed to be living in the age of such quality series.
Once again, it pisses all over 'The Bill'.

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jimmy savile - now then now then

This is probably all over the place at the moment, but it is still funny.  Jimmy Savile's grave goes walkies.

As for the allegations about him, this is the latest news.

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the pete townhend book is nearly out!

The long awaited Pete Townshend (of The Who) autobiography is nearly out!  He has also promised that it will deal with his caution in 2003 for downloading child pornography (which he said was for research).
The book has taken over 15 years to complete, but he has done well to knock one off (so to speak) in such a (relatively) short amount of time.
After all, books take a long time to write when you have to keep pausing your research in order to delete your browser history.
And cookies.
And cache.
And hard drive.
And set fire to your office.
And flee the country.
(with thanxs to The Afterword and @Bobtheidiot)


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the young savages (1961) - john frankenheimer (and the savage young beatles)

Three youths from Harlem stroll across to another gangs patch and stab to death a blind Puerto Rican boy.  Burt Lancaster (as Hank Bell) is on the case, and wants to convict the boys so they receive the electric chair.  However, different reasons and views as to what happened are presented, and Bell, as he was part of that culture when growing up, starts to have doubts.  The Young Savages is a pretty good film in my eyes (despite some of the acting) due to the twists and turns as it goes along, and the ending is mostly unexpected.  Lancaster's profile should be on Mount Rushmore, as he is such an iconic figure, but Stanley Kristien, the actor playing Danny diPace (one of the accused) was really strange looking, as his face looked as though it had been molded into a sneer by pouring wax on it.  Dina Merrill (Bell's wife) gave  a pretty poor performance, but Kojak himself (Telly Savalas, with some hair left) made his first appearance in a film (as Detective Gunderside).  Well worth anybody's money.


As an afterthought, The Savage Young Beatles (Hamburg 1961) is an old bootleg featuring The Beatles that was also featured on the front of the Anthology series.  Obviously the name would have been nicked from this film, but that's not important.  What is, is the fact l am such a nerd and l need to get out more, but with my sore chest and back........

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romanzo criminale (2005 film) - michael placido

The Romanzo Criminale film, although highly praised and award winning, was a bit of a disappointment for me, as l felt it did not have the same impact as the series of the same name, which was outstanding.
The story is still based on the real life exploits of the Magliana gang and the book by Giancarlo De Cataldo, but it is also different in places as to what is depicted in the series, and in the series, the events and characters have more time to develop so the tension slowly gathers as a result of that. It has however, made the FPO want to watch the series now, which, fortunately for her, has just started to be repeated on Sky.
A good film, but it would have been better if l hadn't seen the series first.

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the bridge (bron / broen) tv series (2011)

As the FPO has been off work this week, it has given us a chance to catch up with some of the stuff on the Sky+ box, one of which has been the series 'The Bridge'. A joint Danish and Swedish production (known also as Bron and Broen), this was ten one hour episodes of pure class. A woman is found on the Oresunde    Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, and it turns out that it is two separate women, cut in half. The two police forces have to work together to try and find the killer, who then starts putting out messages on the internet, and uses a reporter to relay messages. The two people heading the investigation are the polar opposites of one another. Martin Rohde  (Kim Bodnia) is a jovial philandering man trying to unite his (current) family, while Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) is a serious straight talking woman who finds it difficult to relate socially (probably due to some aspect of Autism / Aspergers). Of course they have to learn to get along and trust each other, but there is lots more to it. Lots, lots more. Like 'The Killing', it kept the levels of suspense up all the way through, the acting and writing was great, and it had you guessing at various outcomes with each passing episode. Superb.
Next up - Borgen!

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camorra clan member nicola schiavone's home and clothes

I am NOT, l repeat NOT making any comments on the home or taste of clothes of jailed Camorra clan member Nicola Schiavone's home near Naples, as l don't want any kind of hit put out on me (better safe than sorry).
His father (Francesco) went on the run a few years ago and was found in his own home in 1998, in a secret room behind a sliding granite wall. Now that is class.
Saying all that, in a mad way, l kind of like the toilet.

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boardwalk empire season 2

At long last! Finished watching season 2 of Boardwalk Empire tonight and it was certainly not a let down in any way, shape or form.
I wasn't that keen towards the end with the Jimmy at college storyline, but l suppose it gave him more of a back-story and helped you empathise with him more.
Series 3 is in the pipeline, and l'll certainly be perusing the networks and t'net for when that is broadcast.
The whole series has been excellent, with plenty of twists and turns, double crossings, outrageously authentic sets and clothes, and of course, lots of violence (l had to keep the idiot rabbits eyes diverted from that).
Why isn't there more TV like this?
Don't bother writing in - l know the answer. It's too time consuming and expensive.

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boardwalk empire, al capone and stephen graham

I am currently ploughing through Boardwalk Empire at the moment, and although there is a lot of fine acting (plus bloodshed), one of the roles that stand out for me, is Stephen Graham playing Al Capone. As l have seen him before in 'This is England' (amongst others), l still can't get over the fact he hasn't got a Scouse accent and is so believable. Top stuf indeed.

As a diversion from that, this is Al Capone's cell (as it is today, untouched and available for viewing) at the Eastern State Penitentiary. Capone, as most people know, was jailed for tax evasion. What a lot of people don't know, is he went delusional and reverted to the mental capability of a 12 year old due to Neurosyphilis. A bit like me.

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the non apology letter to a crime victim

There has been a bit of a fuss in the last couple of weeks because a burglar was asked to write to the victim of his crime as part of his rehabilitation. He (the burglar) was obviously not sorry for what he had done, and, rather than playing the game and writing something false, decided to write an honest letter which (in his mind) blamed the victim for being stupid and leaving his property open to burglary. The letter was never actually sent, but people have been commenting that 'Society is going to the dogs' and 'The state of Britain today' etc, but whose fault is it? Now l have no idea who the writer of the letter is, but l would bet my life savings (luckily for me, that is bugger all) that it is a young 'working class' male, probably from a broken home, with his father either having left home, died, or being alcoholic or abusive (in whatever way). The young lad has obviously had a very poor education, and will live in a violent and poor environment (with the accompanying peer pressure). Now l accept he may be a little git and may have done nothing to help himself (apart from the burglaries obviously), but if he had decent parents and a nice middle class upbringing, l bet he would not be in the situation that he is currently in. I thought l was an inarticulate drunken fool (still am actually), but just take a look at the handwriting and mistakes on the letter. That person probably only had a very slim chance of avoiding the courts as soon as he was conceived. Improve poor peoples social environments, aspirations and education, and a lot of these crimes would disappear. I bet there are no convicted burglars amongst the Chipping Norton elite or any of the Eton crowd. Saying that, l would still want to twat the little git if he robbed my house.

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les valseuses (1974) - bertrand blier

Les Valseuses (slang for waltzers/testicles) was released as Going Places in the UK, and stars Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere as a couple of bad boys getting into trouble, stealing cars, and trying to have sex with people. The film pushes the boundaries in a couple of places, and can be shocking in places, but l liked it (because l like that sort of thing). They pick up a hairdresser (Miou-Miou) along the way, then a released female prisoner, then her son, then get into more trouble. It's hard to say whether there is a happy ending (OK, l don't think so), as the film ends with a number of options. They carry on to do more mischief, they crash in the tunnel, or they are in the car that they had previously doctored (but with a different number plate). The audience gets to decide. In French with subtitles.

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