BBC TV – well that is all there was at the time – covered Wimbledon in 1952. This is quite topical because of course we start the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament today.
This Poster is actually the front cover of the magazine ‘TV News’ of June 1953 which shows the scene at Wimbledon as HRH The Duchess of Windsor presented the Women’s Singles Trophy to a young Maureen Connolly after she had defeated the famous Louise Brough the previous year 1952.
It also adds ‘ Viewers will be anxious to see whether the scene will be repeated this year’ ( 1953) In fact it Maureen Connolly did win in 1953 but this time she was against Doris Hart- although she again defeated Lousie Brough in the final in 1954 but Louise Brough won the title in 1955 – not against Maureen.
We can link the sport of tennis to film land with pictures as below :-
ABOVE: Terry-Thomas – ‘School For Scoundrels’ 1960
ABOVE: Farley Granger from ‘Strangers On A Train’ . This was part of the storyline as Farley Granger’s character was a Professional Tennis Player.
Katharine Hepburn – Just a leisurely game
Patricia Roc had a sister Barbara who was married to the legendary Tennis Player Fred Perry
When we first had a television set installed at our then home in Cheadle Heath, Stockport, in the last week of June, 1952 (when I was five years and two months old), the first image we saw on it as the television engineer set it up and turned it on was tennis from Wimbledon. As Michael Caine might say: “Notta lotta people know dat.”
Interesting David. We got our first Television – an Ekco – earlier the same year and I can remember many of the programmes we first saw. There used to be a film night presented by Peter Haigh which reviewed up and coming films. I always remember clips from Tarzans Savage Fury with Lex Barker. It looked very exciting. Neil
The programmes didn’t actually start in those days until gone 2 in the afternoon. In the mornings there were test films to enable television engineers to set up the sets, the most memorable of which was the BBC fit a surpressor to your car film. I remember watching Andy Pandy and throughout 1952 and 1953, I remember watching The Quatermass Experiment; Victory at Sea and Heidi with eleven years old Julia Lockwood.
By..Jove..those..memories..came..rushing..back.. I..also..recall..spending..many….happy.. hours..watching..the..telly..at..my..dear..Nan..s..house..back..in..the..early..fifties..Do..you..remember..a..programme..called..The..Three..Little..Engines..it..was..on..around..the..time..of..the..Coronation..I believe..I..cant..quite..recall..what..it..was..about..although..being..one..of..the..first..programmes..i..had..ever..watched..as..a..kid..it..left..a..lasting..impression..on..me..and..sparked..my..lifelong..fascination..with..railways