Rainbow Valley - The Sixties Podcast.

Telling the stories from the decade that shook the world.

The Apollo One Disaster

January 27^th 1967, US astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee way made their way into a brand new spacecraft perched atop a large powerful Saturn Five rocket at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. A routine dress rehearsal, and one of many, for their approaching launch into orbit less than a month away.

All three astronauts were experienced pilots, all harbouring dreams of one day setting foot on the moon. But little did they know, nor did anyone else, that once they entered the spacecraft that chilly winters day, they would never leave it alive.

The Apollo programme would be dangerously close to cancellation before it even got off the ground.

The Apollo spacecraft was condemned from the start, comprising of miles of uninsulated wiring, tons of flammable materials confined in an atmosphere consisting of pure oxygen, and a hatch that wouldn’t open.

Public opinion was already turning against the space race, and the events of that January evening did nothing to boost their confidence in the programme.

It is a story not only of how America continued to fulfil its destiny of placing a man on the moon, but also a valiant tale of the three American heroes who lost their lives in a horrific accident

Ladies and gentlemen, Rainbow Valley is proud to present the story of Apollo One.

Don't forget you can also listen to our weekly sixties chart show evey Sunday on Mixcloud.

Link below:

https://www.mixcloud.com/scophi/rainbow-valley-sixties-chart-show-5th-march-2023/

On August 1^st 1960, an album on the Warner Brothers label reached number one in the Billboard Mono Action Albums Chart. It was the debut album for this particular artist and would remain at the top for fourteen weeks. The album would stay in the chart for two years selling over 600,000 copies near release and ranking as the 20^th best selling album of all time on the Billboard charts.

Its total running time was just short of thirty two minutes, it consisted of just six tracks, and was a recording of a live performance

It won album of the year at the 1961 Grammy awards as well as best new artist for its performer. Yet this was no pop, folk or rock album. It was the first comedy album to win album of the year and the only time that a comedian had won best artist.

That comedian was Bob Newhart and this particular album saved the struggling Warner Brothers Records label and changed the face of modern comedy and the way the world experienced stand up forever.

Ladies and gentlemen, Rainbow Valley is proud to present the story of The Button Down Mind Of Bob Newhart.

Don't forget you can also listen to our weekly sixties chart show evey Sunday on Mixcloud.

Link below:

https://www.mixcloud.com/scophi/rainbow-valley-sixties-chart-show-5th-march-2023/

The Aberfan Disaster

9:13am on October 21st 1966, Pantglas School in the small Welsh mining village of Aberfan

Inside the school, more than 200 children and nine teachers were waiting for their first lesson of the day to begin when the air was filled with the sound of a distant rumble.

A massive coal tip - a mountain of waste generated by the town's mines that employed 8000 people had collapsed and a landslide of mud and debris flooded into the classroom, burying the school and engufing everyone inside

116 children and 28 adults were killed

It was one of the worst industrial disasters Britain has ever seen. An accident that could and should have been prevented and a tragic account of a mistake that cost a village an entire generation of its children.

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @rv_podcast 

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You can also listen to our weekly sixties chart rundown at:

https://www.mixcloud.com/scophi/rainbow-valley-sixties-chart-show-1st-january-1960/

This has been a Stinking Pause production.

Thanks for listening

Scott

1966: The Year We Won...And Lost The World Cup

As we head rapidly towards the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, you may be forgiven for thinking that this episode must surely recount the tale of how England won the world cup in the summer of 1966.

You wouldn’t be far off though as this episode of Rainbow Valley is the story of not how we won the World Cup that summer, but how we lost it.

Three months before the World Cup finals were due to take place, the much coveted solid gold Jules Rimet trophy sat proudly on display in central London only to be stolen in what could only be described as a daylight robbery.

Fast forward a week or so and the thief is apprehended but no sign of the most famous sporting trophy in world….until an incredible canine steps in to save the day.

Ladies and gentlemen Rainbow Valley is proud to present the story of Pickles-the unlikely hero of the 1966 World Cup final

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @rv_podcast 

Join our Facebook group at Facebook/rainbowvalleypodcast 

Or send us your thoughts and feedback to [email protected]

This has been a Stinking Pause production.

Thanks for listening

Scott

The Big Freeze

Boxing Day evening 1962

The Christmas Number One at the top of the hit parade was Return to Sender by Elvis Presley

All around the country, families were settling down after a busy two days of eating, drinking and making merry.

Small screen entertainment on the tv that evening included a hilarious variety show from the London Palladium featuring Bruce Forsyth and Norman Wisdom and the BBCs big Boxing Day movie was Moulin Rouge starring Jose Ferrer and Zsa Zsa Gabor

And then, it began to snow. A day late and tantalisingly close to giving the country a proper White Christmas, but snow nevertheless. The temperature dropped…..and it continued to snow.

And it snowed and snowed, and it got colder. And it snowed and it snowed some more

And that was how it would be for the next one hundred days or so as Britain was plunged into an icy wilderness that would last until the following March.

Industry ground to halt as businesses and schools were forced to close. There was widespread panic as ambulances and fire crews were unable to respond to emergencies. Essential supplies and medication failed to get through to hospitals and over half the natural wildlife population died in the freezing temperatures, unable to forage to food.

Nothing could be done to stop the bitter temperatures and the relentless snowfall

Ladies and gentlemen, Rainbow Valley is proud to present the story of The Big Freeze

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @rv_podcast 

Join our Facebook group at Facebook/rainbowvalleypodcast 

Or send us your thoughts and feedback to [email protected]

This has been a Stinking Pause production.

Thanks for listening

Scott

WE’RE BACK!!

Our first episode in two years is finally with you – and it’s a cracker. Join Scott as he tells the story of the making of the movie Zulu.

RAINBOW VALLEY – THE MAKING OF ZULU

Rainbow Valley is a monthly podcast where your host, Scott takes a look at key events and personalities that shaped one the most influential, vibrant, tumultuous and swinging decades in history. Join us as we celebrate the 1960’s with the stories surrounding the music and news events of the decade that shook the world.

22^nd January 1879, Rorkes Drift, Natal, South Africa. A remote mission station, the setting for one of the most famous, battles in British history.

But until 1964 and the release of the movie Zulu, the story of the events of those ten hours were not particularly familiar to the British public.

In reality, 100 British soldiers defended a series of attacks by approximately 4000 Zulu warriors. By the end of the battle, which lasted from late afternoon until dawn the following morning, 15 soldiers were dead, two mortally wounded and surrounding them, the bodies of some 350 Zulus

Possibly one of the most celebrated and documented battles in British history you might think. But you would be wrong, for if it were not for the release of the movie 85 years later, it’s likely it would have remained a mere postscript in the annals of military conflict.

The story of the making of Zulu begins with a magazine article written in 1958 and takes us on a journey that will change the lives of many people along the way. People such as director, Cy Endfield, producer and actor Stanley Baker, Zulu tribal leader, Chief Buthelezi and a certain young actor from south London called Michael Caine.

A movie that remained on cinema screens almost constantly for 12 years before becoming one of the most regarded and best loved British movies of all time, the story of its creation is almost worthy of a movie in its own right.

Ladies and gentlemen, Rainbow Valley is proud to present the story of the making of Zulu.

You can find all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts.

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Thanks for listening

Scott

@scophi

NEXT TIME – THE BIG FREEZE OF 1963

The return of Rainbow Valley – the podcast that tells the stories about the swinging decade.

Episode 023  The Theft Of The Duke Of Wellington

Dr No, the first big screen outing for Ian Fleming’s James Bond. Its 1962, and the movie would start to lay out a successful formula for most of the other movies that would follow in the series.

Of course when we speak about  Dr No, most of us will remember Bonds introduction at the casino, Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder emerging from the sea in ‘that’ bikini or the scene where the spider crawls up Sean Connery’s arm. But what about this scene….and in particular, one specific moment.

James Bond and Honey Ryder have just met the evil Dr No in his underground lair. Before crushing an ornament with his metal hand and telling the pair of  SPECTRE’s dastardly plan to hold the world to ransom, they are led away. As they walk up a small set of steps, Bond stops, noticing an oil painting on an easel to his right ….

The painting was a portrait of Arthur Wellesly the first Duke of Wellington, painted by Francisco de Goya - and only several months before the release of Dr No it had been hanging on display in London’s National Gallery. When it was stolen however, one early August morning, it made national and international headlines. The story would develop with an unlikely villain, who like Dr No, would hold the British government to ransom. A story that would span many decades and involve a high profile court case, the introduction of a new criminal offence, and, of all things….the British tv license!

Ladies and gentlemen, Rainbow Valley is proud to present the story of the theft of the Duke of Wellington.

You can find us on Player FM

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This has been a Stinking Pause production.

Thanks for listening

Scott

The return of Rainbow Valley – the podcast that tells the stories about the swinging decade.

Episode 022 - Tammi Terrell

Join us as we tell the story of one of Motown's greatest stars. The story of a life cut tragically short, but thankfully a life that brought us one of the greatest soul singers of all time. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Rainbow Valley is proud to present the story of Tammi Terrell.

You can find us on Player FM

…and anywhere you download your podcasts

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @rv_podcast

Join our Facebook group

Or send us your thoughts and feedback to [email protected]

#Podpals

#podernfamily

This has been a Stinking Pause production.

Thanks for listening

Scott

The return of Rainbow Valley – the podcast that tells the stories about the swinging decade.

Episode 021 – The Zapruder Film.

Season three opens with the story of a sequence of film that runs for approximately 22 seconds.

A piece of 8mm film that is only 25 feet in length and yet is possibly the most watched piece of celluloid in history….and certainly the most famous home movie ever.

For within that 22 seconds, Dallas dress manufacturer, Abraham Zapruder managed to capture the death of the most powerful man on the planet on November 22nd 1963.

Ladies and gentlemen, Rainbow Valley is proud to present the story of The Zapruder Film

This and other episodes are available on our website  rainbowvalley.libsyn.com

You can also find us on Player FM

Sticher

Spreaker

I Heart Radio

…and anywhere you download your podcasts

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @rv_podcast

Join our Facebook group

Or send us your thoughts and feedback to [email protected]

#Podpals

#podernfamily

This has been a Stinking Pause production.

Thanks for listening

Scott