Third Picture: Billy Bean toy.
Billy Bean and his Funny Machine.
Now here is a programme which I am sure many of you have forgotten. It appeared around the time of The Wooden Tops, the Flower Pot Men and Rag, Tag and Bobtail.
Do you remember Billy Bean and His Funny Machine the children’s TV series which was broadcast by the BBC, (there was no other channel at the time), in 1954 and ran for two years until 1956. It featured a uniformed puppet engine driver from an un-named railway, his name was Billy Bean. Apart from being part of this unidentified railway company, operated a large fantastic and puzzling machine that could somehow produce anything that Billy Bean drew on a special screen that was called a "cartoonorator". Many mistakes were made with humorous results, which was the aim and charm of the programme. The machine which featured such devices as a windmill, a Dorset-Faucet (whatever that may be!) and the cartoonerator. The voice of Yoo-Hoo was supplied by Ivan Owen, who later went on to voice one of the Britain's best loved puppets of all time, Basil Brush. Many back-room staff, who later went on to be involved in other puppet series, were involved in this early TV production. Peter Hawkins, who went on to make a career in children’s puppet TV, provided the voice of Billy Bean.
To a degree it could be said that the programme was an American import as it was based upon an American children's show dreamt up by Chuck Luchsinger's and called "Jolly Gene & His Fun Machine". There were many similarities, Jolly Gene dressed as a Railroad Engineer and drove a train; Billy Bean also drove a train and was dressed as a British train driver. For the programme John Wright made the puppets and all equipment including the funny machine, the series was written by Lisa Lincoln and the puppetry was by Jane Tyson and Elizabeth Donaldson. The show was produced by Vere Lorrimer.
In the show Billy Bean usually operated the funny machine assisted by a cuckoo named Yoo Hoo that emerged from a clock and laid an egg at random intervals during each performance. Ivan Owen provided the voice for Yoo Hoo, he is probably better known for, in later years, providing the voice for Basil Brush.
The programme has never had any VHS or DVD releases. Hence, the show is almost forgotten. Whether or not the show is truly lost is unknown however only one screenshot remains as visual proof of its existence and that is featured as the top picture this week.
For some strange reason years later the programme became popular in Czechoslovakia! Maybe there are all the episodes that have been lost to UK audiences in existence somewhere in the Czech Republic!!
Now how many of you remembered the programme?
He made it out of sticks and stones and nuts and bolts and glue.
Cannot believe that the 10th of this month marks our Golden Wedding !!!!!
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