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Top Secret (TV Series)
''Top Secret'' is a British TV spy series broadcast in two seasons on ITV in 1961-1962 which was produced by Associated-Rediffusion. It starred William Franklyn as suave secret agent Peter Dallas, over a total of 26 black-and-white episodes, each filling a 60 minutes slot. All episodes also featured Patrick Cargill as wealthy businessman Miguel Garetta, and Alan Rothwell as Dallas's nephew Mike. Outline The series was produced by Associated-Rediffusion Television. The directors were Adrian Brown and Raymond Menmuir, and the main writer was Cedric Wells. The series was set in South America, and was filmed partly in Argentina, with the interior sets in a London studio. The main theme music - '"Sucu Sucu" - was composed by Tarateño Rojas and performed by Laurie Johnson and his orchestra. Laurie Johnson was part of the worldwide trend that was covering this song in many different languages. It was a minor hit and entered the UK pop music charts. List of episodes Episode titles are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ITV (TV Network)
ITV is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television (established in 1936). ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, it has been legally known as Channel 3 to distinguish it from the other analogue channels at the time, BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4. ITV was for four decades a network of separate companies which provided regional television services and also shared programmes between each other to be shown on the entire network. Each franchise was originally owned by a different company. After several mergers, the fifteen regional franchises are now held by two companies: ITV plc, which runs the ITV1 channel, and STV Group, which runs the STV channel. The ITV network is a separate entity from ITV plc, the company that resulted from the merger of Granada plc and Carlton Communications in 2004. ITV plc holds the Channel 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, and one of the " Big Four" companies that between them produced the majority of ITV networked programmes during this period. Rediffusion lost its franchise in 1968, but merged with another franchisee to form Thames Television, which continued to hold the London weekday franchise for another 24 years. History Formation Associated-Rediffusion Television was originally a partnership between British Electric Traction (BET), its subsidiary Broadcast Relay Services Ltd. (trading as Rediffusion), and Associated Newspapers, owner of the ''Daily Mail'', which had been interested in commercial broadcasting as early as the 1920s. In the aftermath of the heavy financial losses made by the new ITV system in its initial years, Associated Newspapers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Franklyn
William Leo Franklyn (22 September 1925 – 31 October 2006) was a British actor, perhaps best known for voicing the "Schhh... You Know Who" adverts for Schweppes from 1965 to 1973. He also performed on stage, film, television and radio, taking over from Peter Jones as "The Book" (the narrator) in the third, fourth and fifth radio series of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. He is also known for his portrayal of Sexton Blake for BBC Radio 4 in 1967. Early life Franklyn was born in Kensington into an acting family: his maternal grandfather, Arthur Rigby, Sr and uncle, Arthur Rigby, Jr, mother, Mary Rigby, and father, Leo Franklyn, were all actors. He was taken to Australia as a baby, where his father toured with musical comedies. The young Franklyn attended Wesley and Haileybury Colleges, both in Melbourne, and developed an abiding love of cricket. He later trialled as a fast bowler for Essex, and opened the bowling for the Stage Cricket Club. He also became a l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patrick Cargill
Patrick Cargill (3 June 191823 May 1996) was an English actor remembered for his lead role in the British television sitcom ''Father, Dear Father''. Career Cargill was born to middle-class parents living in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex. After education at Haileybury College, he made his debut in the Bexhill Amateur Theatrical Society. However, he was aiming for a military career and was selected for training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Cargill became a commissioned officer in the British Indian Army. The stage After the Second World War ended, Cargill returned to Britain to focus on a stage career, and joined Anthony Hawtrey's company at Buxton, Croydon and later the Embassy Theatre at Swiss Cottage in London. He became a supporting player in John Counsell's repertory at Windsor alongside Brenda Bruce and Beryl Reid and scored a huge hit in the revue ''The World's the Limit'', which was seen by the Queen and 26 of her guests one evening. He made his first West End ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Rothwell
Alan Rothwell (born 9 February 1937) is an English actor and television presenter. He played David Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' as a regular from 1960 to 1961, and again from 1963 to 1968. His other acting credits include playing Mike in ''Top Secret'' (1961–1962), a recurring role in '' Heartbeat'' (1994–1995), and various roles in ''Doctors'' (2004–2016). He also presented the children's television series' ''Picture Box'' and '' Hickory House''. Career Rothwell was born in Oldham, Lancashire. He first came to fame playing the character Jimmy Grange in The Archers, then David Barlow in the then new ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' as a regular from December 1960 until June 1961, then appeared for two episodes in June 1963, before returning as a regular from December 1964 to April 1968. The character was killed off off-screen two years later. He also featured as a regular character in all 26 episodes of the 1961–1962 British spy series ''Top Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raymond Menmuir
Raymond Edward Menmuir (10 September 1930 – 26 March 2016) was a British-Australian director and producer. His career included producing 44 episodes of ''The Professionals (TV series), The Professionals'' and directing 12 episodes of ''Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), Upstairs, Downstairs''. He also produced an Australian version of ''The Professionals'' called ''Special Squad (1984), Special Squad'' for the Ten Network in 1984. Early life Menmuir was born in Perth, Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, as the eldest of four children to Edward Menmuir and his wife Dorothy (née Williams). His father ensured Menmuir had a good education, at Wesley College (Western Australia), Wesley College. Work His first employment was as a reporter at the Daily News (Perth, Western Australia), Perth Daily News, but he then transferred to the Australian Broadcasting Commission as a radio producer. He was deeply impressed by European culture, by seeing various films at the 1953 Fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country in the world. It shares the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, and is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. Argentina is a federal state subdivided into twenty-three provinces, and one autonomous city, which is the federal capital and largest city of the nation, Buenos Aires. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and a part of Antarctica. The earliest recorded human prese ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sucu Sucu
"Sucu Sucu" is a dance and a song written by Tarateño Rojas from Bolivia, who recorded his version in 1959. It became very popular in the 1960s and many singers and bands from all over the world made their own version of the song often in their own language. The song became even more popular worldwide once it was chosen to be the theme of ''Top Secret'', a 1960s TV series, performed by Laurie Johnson and his orchestra. Diverse acts such as the Skatalites and Alberto Cortez did their own version of the song. Different versions Czechoslovakian version *Sláva Kunst Se Svým Orchestrem - Sucu Sucu Danish version * John Hatting – Sucu Sucu *Posten Fra Ranum - Sucu Sucu Dutch version *Eddy Christiani – Sucu Sucu (Mijn sombrero) (1961) English versions *Harry Stoneham - Sucu Sucu (1970) *Nina & Frederik - Sucu Sucu (1961) * The Polka Dots - Sucu sucu (1961) Finnish version *Brita Koivunen - Sucu Sucu (1961) * Kai Lind - Sucu Sucu (1961) * Seppo Pirhonen - Sucu Sucu (1961) *Iskelm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tarateño Rojas
Rigoberto Rojas Suárez (January 4, 1917 – August 7, 2001), better known as Tarateño Rojas, was a Bolivian singer, musician and composer based in Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th .... He sang and played traditional Andean music and is a symbol of friendship between the Bolivian and Argentine people, Argentine people. Biography Rojas was born in Tarata, Cochabamba, Tarata in the department of Cochabamba Department, Cochabamba to a family of musicians. Tarateño Rojas emigrated to Argentina after the Chaco War searching for a better life. There, he took part in the diffusion of andean instruments like the Charango and it was him who started the diffusion of the Trompo music instrument in Argentina in the 1940s. He became part of the group "Pachamama" formed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laurie Johnson
Laurence Reginald Ward Johnson, (born 7 February 1927) is an English composer and bandleader who has written scores for dozens of film and television series and has been one of the most highly regarded arrangers of instrumental pop and swing music since the 1950s with works often serving as stock production music. Career Johnson was born in Hampstead, England, and studied at the Royal College of Music in London, and spent four years in the Coldstream Guards before moving to the entertainment industry in the 1950s. One of his first major projects was as composer and music director in a musical adaptation of Henry Fielding's ''Rape Upon Rape'', entitled '' Lock Up Your Daughters'' (1959), which opened in Bernard Miles' Mermaid Theatre. The score, with lyrics by Lionel Bart, won an Ivor Novello Award. Johnson's stage work included music for the Peter Cook revue, ''Pieces of Eight'' (1959), and '' The Four Musketeers'' (1967), starring Harry Secombe. In 1961, Johnson entered the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wiping
Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant proportion of early television programming was never recorded in the first place. Early broadcasting in all genres was live and sometimes performed repeatedly. Due to there being no means to record the broadcast or, later, because the content itself was thought to have little monetary or historical value it was not deemed necessary to save it. In the United Kingdom, early programming was lost due to contractual demands by the actors' union to limit the rescreening of performances. Apart from Phonovision experiments by John Logie Baird, and some 280 rolls of 35mm film containing some of Paul Nipkow television station broadcasts, no recordings of transmissions from 1939 or earlier are known to exist. In 1947, Kinescopes (preserving the image on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1961 British Television Series Debuts
Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (Koivulahti air disaster): Douglas DC-3C OH-LCC of Finnish airline Finnair, Aero crashes near Kvevlax (Koivulahti), on approach to Vaasa Airport in Finland, killing all 25 on board, due to pilot error: an investigation finds that the Captain (civil aviation), captain and First officer (civil aviation), first officer were both exhausted for lack of sleep, and had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol at the time of the crash. It remains the deadliest air disaster to occur in the country. * January 5 ** Italian sculptor Alfredo Fioravanti marches into the U.S. Consulate in Rome, and confesses that he was part of the team that forged the Etruscan terracotta warriors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. ** After the 1960 Turkish coup d'état, 1960 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
