Writing about R.A. Ladd took me back to some of the other daftness of growing up in Kirkby in the 1960’s. Some of the reflections still have me crying with laughter, especially things like my brother thinking Nightation meant a bad gas, as in a fart, until I clarified his error as Nitrogen.
Then other silly things came back.
The famous Jimmy who misheard everything. There was a song released in 1965 by the soon to be specially noted Rolf the Nonce Harris (we had no idea at the time that he had an eye for kids like us). Anyway, the song was called Jake the Peg, which Jimmy decided was Jake the Pake – he refused to be corrected. Was that my first encounter with Narcissism?
But he had other classics too. If you asked him a question he would reply onya a tonya – then when you said what he would reply ernie meh a leh.
Pure nonsense.
My favourite was when he was trying to sell his tent after he quit Scouts. For context, we didn’t have dome tents or geodesics in those days. They were basically ‘A’ frame tents – two upright poles and a ridge pole. One advance was to add a rounded section at the back of the tent for extra storage; I once had a tent that even added extra wide flaps at the front to create an entrance porch!
Anyway.
The sales negotiation. The potential buyer was asking for details before asking for the tent to be set up for inspection.
Buyer – ‘Is it a bell end?’
Jimmy – ‘No it’s in good condition.’
Fairy Hanny 