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When Jack Benny ruled the airwaves

in Anthony Looks Back, Children's Books, Lord Ferrister, Lord Ferrister Books

1936 Morris eight

I have always loved cars and used to spend hours sitting by the roadside or at the window if it was raining, watching cars passing by and noting down their numbers.

Then I got more discerning and learned all the different models.

For some reason, the Morris 8 was my favourite,; maybe because it had a friendly face brought about by the design and positioning of radiator and headlamps.

What an array of classics passed me as I watched, with Austin, Morris,Lanchester, Singer, Morgan, MG, Daimler, Vauxhall and Jowett joining the parade. Perhaps the occasional Rolls Royce too; not many of those though in the working class North of the 1940s.

As an adult I got the chance to tour the Morgan factory and saw these beautiful cars still mainly being made by hand and with a reported 10 year waiting list.

Lord Ferrister has a collection of vintage cars, including a Maxwell as driven by Jack Benny on his famous radio programme and a Stanley Steamer – not too many of those left.

I recall a memorable line from Jack Benny when he was showing his Butler Rochester a picture of his Maxwell.

“Rochester, did you know that that’s the first car I ever owned,” said Jack.

A 1910 Maxwell - maybe this was Jack's?

“Boss,” replied Rochester, “that’s the first car anybody ever owned.”

Ah happy memories of those innocent radio days.

Anyway, we have @BasicsMatter Radio to look forward to now. Can’t wait!

Find Anthony’s Lord Ferrister books on Kindle 

..or hear me read a sample - Lord Ferrister Finds a Circus Chapter 1 

Go back to Basics Matter 

 

 

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The world of Lord Ferrister

A Kindle for me

in Anthony Looks Back, Children's Books, Lord Ferrister Books

These bring back nice memories.

Yes, among other presents from my brilliant family, I received a Kindle reader for my birthday last weekend.

In fact I share a birthday with the Queen- April 21st.

I’m much younger of course.

I’ve always had mixed feelings about Kindle as I do love a printed book still and have many here on my shelves, including a Biggles book won as a Latin prize by my late  brother back in the 1940s and a number of Just William books, that I had to buy for myself. I was never any good at Latin.

There are  many annuals too belonging to my children and later read by my grandchildren and I remember well , the excitement engendered by the latest Dandy, Beano or Rupert Annual on Christmas morning.

Still, move with the times is my motto; Kindle can live happily alongside print as far as I am concerned and just to prove it, the latest editions of the first four Lord Ferrister books are now available in Kindle format.

Living in harmony

Here’s the link, see what you think 

 

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What’s in a name Engelbert?

in Anthony Looks Back, Lord Ferrister, Lord Ferrister Books

 

(The Ferrister Coat of Arms

by @AndPinkDesign)

More about Lord Ferrister  

What’s in a name?

Well, rather a lot actually.

Jerry Dorsey, talented singer, was getting nowhere until his manager changed the young man’s name to Engelbert Humperdinck and as  Engel confesses in his autobiography, when asked for his autograph for the first time, he couldn’t spell his new name.

What a difference it made to his career though. Would he have succeeded so well without the change? Probably not, it is an attention grabber after all.

Would Marion Morrison have been the movie star he turned out to be if he hadn’t turned into John Wayne somewhere along the way?

Or Archie Leech into Cary Grant?

And more local to me; I once had the chance as a young man to go and see The Silver Beetles at a club in the North West of England where I lived.

We decided not to waste our time and money on these unknowns and witnessed instead the marathon piano player Syncopating Sandy.  Whatever happened to him?

A  few years later the newly named Beatles took the world by storm and deservedly so. They really did have talent.

Maybe if the other chap had been The Syncopating Beatle?  No maybe not!

I always fancied myself with a tough name and told a girl at a dance one time that my name was Rock.

She didn’t think I looked at all like a Rock  so I just walked away trying to look unfazed and rock-like.

So I’ll stick with what I’ve got. I’m used to it after all these years and  it is an aristocratic name backed up by a coat of arms.

Honestly!                                                    Find Lord Ferrister books on Kindle

Th name Molyneux dates back to the 15th century in England

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