(78) 'The Wild West Of Surrey'

[Ken]

Western films and and TV programmes played an essential part in the early lives of the five sons of Walt and Ruby Tuffs. They were also quite important to at least two of their four daughters.  Names like John Wayne, Gary Cooper and Randolph Scott were our favourites among the big screen cowboy stars.  I can even remember my mother having a framed photo of Gary Cooper by her bed.  This memory starts with the arrival of television to our family home and tells how important the Western TV shows became to us all in the 1950's .  My father loved them and perhaps it was inherent for his children to love them too.
 
The first time I ever saw a television was in 1953 at the home of a boy called Butch Aylett.  The programme we watched was a children's western about a man called 'Lash LaRue,' who was good with a gun and even better with his bullwhip.  I was instantly hooked and I expect I pestered my family to get our own TV set. I don't think that happened until 1955 for I recall my parents enjoying two shows, one was The Grove Family and another was Dixon of Dock Green, both were new and launched that year.  Another show that the family watched weekly frightened the life out of me.  It was called, The Quatermass Experiment, and Bob would entice me into the room just before it began, knowing that I'd soon be pleading with them to switch it off.  How the sods all laughed to see the nine year old me shouting "Turn it off, TURN IT OFF!"

In those early days of television there was only one TV station available and that was what is now called BBC 1.  We were delighted to watch that on our small 14 inch Pie television and it seemed like a miracle to Dad and I.  However, it wasn't long before what we called the commercial channel was launched by ITV, and I can remember being sad that we couldn't watch it on our set.  Those blooming Aylett's can, I muttered to myself on being told it needed a different television aerial that we couldn't afford.  Bob fondly told me during one of our later oak table conversations how delighted I was the day we finally had that aerial fitted, and how I could barely contain my excitement throughout the evening meal.  It was a surprise for Dad and I was sworn to secrecy not to give the game away.  The plan was that once the meal was finished, Bob was to fiddle with the TV set until Dad asked him what he was doing.  This eventually happened and when Dad asked the required question, Bob replied, "Trying to  tune into ITV."  Dad sighed and said, "We need another aerial to receive it:"  At that moment Bob tuned in correctly and, as ITV appeared, he said, "Not now we don't Dad." It was another unforgettable moment in my young life.

Westerns were what we all loved and in the years to come we had so many heroes to enjoy on a weekly basis.  Dads favourite was ,Wagon Train, featuring Ward Bond as Major Seth Adams.  Sometimes, during the programme, the screen would start flickering and Bob would speedily correct it by adjusting the vertical or horizontal hold button.  However, there were some summers evenings when it would happen when Bob was at Cricket practise.  "Get Bob, Putner," was Dads roared instruction, and I would race to find him. If he wasn't on the village green, I'd know he'd be in the Red Lion Pub and after knocking at the door I'd open it and peer round until I saw my big brother.  "The TV's gone wrong," I'd say, and Bob would immediately dash home to fix it.  I never heard him moan or complain and it says a lot about the respect we all had for my Dad that we did as he asked without question.  Strangely, I have no recollection at all of my brother Len at this time.  It must have been in his courting days leading up to his marrying Pam.

The watching of westerns continued as the years flew.  Dad marvelled at the gun speed of Marshall Matt Dillon, played by James Arness.  He'd smile at the fools who tried to fight with the 6'ft 6'inch, Cheyenne Bodie, played by Clint Walker. We all loved Ty Hardin's character as the handsome and dashing Bronco Layne, I sometimes still sing it's wonderful theme song.  The family Tuffs seemed to have Western's as part of their DNA, and we were spoilt for choice.  We had Clint Eastwood as the handsome young Rowdy Yates in Rawhide and Wyatt Earp starring the enigmatic Hugh O'Brian. We had James Drury and Doug McClure in a series called The Virginian and, my personal favourite of all the TV Western heroes, Robert Horton as Flint McCullough, the handsome, all round good guy and super tough scout of the, Wagon Train.

In the latter part of the 1950's our love of a western film was the cause of my dear sister Dot being upset. It happened one afternoon when Dot was living in Shalford in her caravan home.  During this period her husband Bill was a bus conductor and sometimes, if he was working on a Sunday, Dot would hop on the No.23 bus and visit us with young Shaun.  It would be fare to say that at that time, Shaun was rather a handful, albeit a likeable one.  During our Sunday lunch Bob had remarked that there was a good Western film on the TV that afternoon.  Everyone agreed that was just the ticket for a cold damp Sunday. Even dad enthused over watching it, although his normal Sunday afternoon was spent upstairs, asleep in bed.  As we all sat enjoying the film, mum came in from the kitchen and said, "You'll have to turn the TV off if Dot and Shaun decide to come."  There was a momentary silence as everyone considered this truth and Dad asked Mum to watch out of the window to see if they got off the bus.  Five minutes later that happened and a shared sigh erupted as everyone accepted that the film would soon be switched off.  But ten minutes passed and there was no sign of Dot and Shaun and the mystery was, where on earth had they gone?

The answer was home.  Although we didn't know that for certain until Dot told us a few days later.  It seems that when she approached the back door and was about to come in she found a large note pinned to it.  Written on the note in Bobs unmistakable handwriting were two words of welcome for his sister and her son.  Those words said, 'BUGGER OFF,' and that is what Dot did, for it upset her.  Obviously it was meant as a joke but it backfired, for on that day our sister must have felt vulnerable.  She said she walked around the village and then caught the next bus home.  Nine times out of ten that would have made Dot laugh, for it was typical of Bobs humour, but we all have off days and that was one of hers.  Although we did get to watch our Western film, we were all in agreement that we'd much rather have had our sister visit!

In addition to all the grown up Western TV shows, we youngsters had even more of our own to watch.  Late every afternoon, at about 5'pm, there would be a half hour adventure for us to enjoy.  I can still remember the order of those shows and on a Monday it was, The Cisco Kid.  Tuesday was the turn of, The Range Rider, and on a Wednesday we had the adventures of a cavalry dog called, Rin Tin Tin.  Thursday's show gave us, Steve Donovan-Western Marshall, and Friday was the turn of the masked stranger, The Lone Ranger.  Every evening during the summer, a crowd of us youngsters would play at whatever cowboy show we'd just watched.  My friend, John McEntee, had a dog called Teddy, and he stood in for Rin Tin Tin every Wednesday.  We were also spoilt with the availability of some 64 page comic books in a series called, The Cowboy Picture Library.  I wonder if my young friends from yesteryear can recall how we'd eagerly swap and trade them.  They featured names almost forgotten now, like Kit Carson, Buck Jones, Davy Crockett and The Kansas Kid.  I'm not sure who the biggest fans of those Cowboy heroes were, us kids or our Dads!

John Chisum was the name of  the lead character in a film called, Chisum.  It was at a cinema during this film that the newly married Jenny and I had our first big tiff.  The injustice of that event still irritate's me all these years later.  First I should explain that my Jenny had always been made aware that she was not the only love of my life.  I also adored someone called Marion Morrison.  For those of you whose education may be lacking I should remind you that Marion Morrison was the birth name of the worlds finest actor, Mr John Wayne.  John Wayne was the star of the film we were both so enjoying on that long ago winters evening in 1971.  Half way through the film, with Jenny's arm locked in mine and us both enjoying our sweets and popcorn, another couple arrived and took the only available seats.  They sat directly behind us and immediately commenced to hold a loud conversation on what they should do the next day.  I felt myself getting angry at their selfish ignorance but held my tongue, for in those days Jenny hated conflict.

However, Mr Loudmouth behind us then went too far, for he said loudly to his girlfriend, "I hate John Wayne, don't you think he's completely pathetic."  Sacrilege, within the hearing of my true love changed everything, for his words were worse than the foulest profanity.  Turning in my seat I boomed at the idiot, "No, I don't think he's pathetic, but you are, so SHUT YOUR BIG MOUTH."  He never said another word during the rest of the film but neither did my Jenny.  When she'd finished whispering how angry she was with me her arm ceased to be lovingly locked in mine.  No more popcorn was shared and the sweets were put away.  I was seething inside and it was the first time I hadn't enjoyed a John Wayne film since ---- forever.  I can recall that when we arose to leave at the films end, Mr Loudmouth whispered about me to his girlfriend, "He's not even that Big!"  That was all I had to smile at for the rest of the evening and, to this day, I cannot see how Jenny could be so cross at me.  Judge Judy would have given me a medal!

When Peter Tuffs visited us we had a great time and there was no doubt he was a Tuffs to the core.  But I got the feeling he wasn't a great admirer of the Western movie?  Could it be that the blood of Walt and Ruby could run through ones veins and still not be a fan of such heroes?  I know that my nephew Neil loved them, but what about Shaun, Philip, Kevin, Ian, Andrew and Robert.  I'm not talking about the later films like The Wild Bunch, for they were full of the anti heroes, thank God those Westerns were made after my dads time.  I'm talking about those films where the hero always wore a white hat, and those with the black hats were defeated.  We the five sons of Walt and Ruby were the white hat wearers of Shamley Green and we righted wrongs and defended the weak.  Just like my old western pal, John Wayne always did!

     

[Ken]

This memory travels back to when television first came to the living rooms of Shamley Green. It recalls a day when my sister Dot felt sad and a loudmouth got his just deserts.  It tells of an injustice still not righted and of the two true loves of my life.