For absolutely no reason other than that they’re great, above are some screen-grabs taken from BFI Flipside’s recent Blu Ray/DVD release of Malcolm Leigh’s ‘Legend of the Witches’ (1970) – primarily from the film’s final half hour, which is definitely the best bit. Recommended viewing, needless to say.
For quite a while now my brain has been telling me that when I was very very young there was a program on Saturday lunch times call Zokko.
I have the occasional memory flashes of watching this program but could never be 100% sure or if I had just imagined the whole thing. After much searching (typed Zokko into Google) I have found a few bits and images relating to it. Zokko did exist and was a kids tv series that ran from 1968 to 1970. Strangely the first series used to be repeated on Wednesday afternoons, but the 2nd series never was. It was devised by children's TV producer Molly Cox and Paul Ciani. It featured animations, music hall jokes, narrated comic strips fast zany humour, variety acts and a sic-fi serial called Skayn. This was all linked up by a Pinball machine who served as the programs presenter.
By the 2nd series The pinball machine was gone and replaced by bubbling tubes of liquid, but the voice remained the same. The Zokko Pinball machine was designed by Mike Ellis (Father of Blue Peter Present Janet Ellis) the voice of the Pinball was created by the Radiophonic Workshop’s Brian Hodgson. It would seem that only two episodes from the 2nd series are all that remains of Zokko (BFI Archive) For a lot more in depth info on Zokko go to The Curious British Telly site.
New series
All for fun! Fun for all! Tar-rah! Zokko! is back - your own, your very own electronic comic!
The old favourites return with some new ones as well... There's Skayn, the space-hero, in an exciting serial; plenty of jokes; a weekly Walt Disney choice; and a brand-new music machine, the like of which has never been seen before.
Featured this week on the flying trapeze The Sisters Inaros; Skayn and the Moon People: with the voices of Sheelagh McGrath, Gordon Clude, Anthony Jackson, and pictures by Leslie Caswell.
Zokko! music by Brian Fahey. Animation by Ted Lewis.
Devised and produced by Paul Ciani and Molly Cox.
(BBC recording)
If you have been fortunate enough to read Rob Young's rather wonderful piece in Sight and Sound Magazine, The Pattern Under The Plough (Aug 2010) you might be familiar with the 1924/1926 Claude Friese Greene travelogue film The Open Road, which was originally intended to be shown in 26 weekly installments in Cinemas around the Country. In this film Claude Friese Greene documented a road trip round Britain from Lands End to John O'Groats. Frieze Green wanted to capture and create a record of British life using the new British Frieze Greene Natural Colour process. Footage of Mount St Micheal, London, Lancahire, Blackpool, Villages, Farm/Rural life, Cardiff, Stirling, Bath (with very run down Roman Baths with fish in the main baths) Restored to full colour glory by the BFI, this is a superb and beautiful look at Britain at work and play between the wars. As Simon Garfield from The Guardian put it"a Britain infused with optimism and sunshine, a place where the First World War has been forgotten and a second one will never happen. Much of it looks like a long bank holiday; even the work scenes are studies in contentment. It is a picture devoid of cynicism and one where poverty is never regarded as hardship"
