The Old Country (Jack Hargreaves)

[sibadd]

I wonder if you could keep an eye out or post a request for any copies of off-air recordings made of Old Country or Out of Town. I would love to borrow these and return them after making the best possible copies for the JH Committee's growing collection. We are also finding original material that has has been remote from the light of day for decades thanks to Kaleidoscope in Birmingham and similar groups of experienced enthusiasts. My stepfather enjoyed live television which is why barring the discovery of mastertapes, quite rare in the 80s let alone the 70s, the best we can get often comes from viewers' atttics. There is however an impressive cache of 16mm film (silent) and 1/4" reel to reel tape of Out of Town and Old Country desposited at South West Film and Television Archive in Plymouth
Democracy Street: Jack's original 16mm film at the archive
The challenge there is to find time to marry up the silent location film and the sound tracks which include the studio 'shed' sequences (apologies to ayone reading this who might be interested but didn't klnow the usual format for these episodes which involved a chat, before going outdoors with Stan Brehaut's camera, in a mock-up of a garden shed in the studio). The commercial DVDs of Out of Town feature JH's real shed beside Raven Cottage in Belchalwell in Dorset. The location film used is Stan's from broadcast Out of Town episodes which have now largely disappeared, we fear.

[nightshade]

I am very glad that you are collecting this material, I don't believe that you can have an opinion on the countryside unless you know some of its history as outlined in Jacks book The Old Country.It was a hard life, nearly everything hand made and nearly everyone working the land.

[Brocakat]

Originally Posted by davecatt

Thanks for that nightshade.
Jack Hargreaves was one of my inspirations along with a bloke called Graham Dangerfield. The tracks on youtube are a later series.


Theme tune for Jacks earlier series was "I'm just a poor country boy" though I CAN'T REMEMBER THE TITLE OF THE SERIES,but it was filmed in black and white.


I remember being totally gob smacked when in one episode he repeated word for word my Uncle Walt's advice on how to cook pigeon. Just slice off the breast meat and fry it in bacon fat and chuck the rest to the ferret!

Wasn't that....."Out of Town" ?

[nightshade]

At one time the government paid for cartridges and pigeon shooting was a regular thing, there were so many of them that nowadays you would not believe it. The breast meat was really all that there was that was worth having so you just rubbed away the breast feathers then hooked away the two breast muscles and threw the rest away! this was for hundreds of birds at a time.

[Brocakat]

Originally Posted by werdnal

He's great isn't he. Shame there is no-one similar on TV now.

Hubby bought me the boxed set of his "Out of Town" DVD's a couple year ago.

Used to watch him on the Kids programme "HOW" too.

Dear werdnal - would you mind posting-up on here - the manufacturer/serial
numbers of this Box-Set, sometime at your convenience?

I'd appreciate it, as I'd like to buy one - and others may follow this. Cheers !

[ruthchmbrs]

Originally Posted by werdnal

He's great isn't he. Shame there is no-one similar on TV now.

Hubby bought me the boxed set of his "Out of Town" DVD's a couple year ago.

Used to watch him on the Kids programme "HOW" too.

Nowadays, no smoking allowed and age and wisdom passed over in favour of exuberant youth!

[Deb London]

I know this is a thread dredge (goodness I HATE that term - sofa restrictive) but I have just finished reading "The Old Country" and oh my god, I have never read any work that could explain the old country ways as clearly as that. I feel I now possess the answer to life, the universe and everything. I need to read it again to remember it all, lest I should forget. And the last chapter has such a refreshing air of honesty that the man should have been knighted for this alone!

[Brocakat]

Originally Posted by Dorts

When I was about 29-30, Jack did one of his 'Out of Town' programmes about me! At the time I was a bit of a 'Wild Rover' and spent some of my time going round painting and restoring among other things, Gipsy Caravans, Totters Carts, Little 'Spinners', Old Farm Wagons etc.

At this time, early 70's, I also happened to be painting a Circus Ring and other bits of circus paraphanalia for a friend who traveled with his circus to Ireland each summer. This chap was a close friend of Jack Hargreaves and when Jack turned up one day, (in his Rolls Royce that he drove!) and saw what I was doing, he suggested there was enough content for one of his half-hour programmes.

He was a lovely chap, an although very business minded, he greatly appreciated the old country skills and traditions.

All of his films (no video then) where shot by one man, no sound, on an Ariflex film camera. The filming was edited as he went, as much as possible, to save studio time and money. So it was necessary for me to re-enact several scenes from different angles to give the impression of more than one camera.

I was very impressed with this 'Ariflex' and asked how much it cost. "£15,000" was the answer, an enormous amout of money then. "you must have to look after that well?" I ssuggested. "This is the 5th. one I have had since I've been working with Jack, all the others I have dropped in the sea!"

The film was shown and everyone in my village watched.

Wonderfull memories of bygone days.
Dorts.

A lovely tale - thankyou.

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by Deb London

I know this is a thread dredge (goodness I HATE that term - sofa restrictive) but I have just finished reading "The Old Country" and oh my god, I have never read any work that could explain the old country ways as clearly as that. I feel I now possess the answer to life, the universe and everything. I need to read it again to remember it all, lest I should forget. And the last chapter has such a refreshing air of honesty that the man should have been knighted for this alone!

So now you need the Videos/DVDs and the other books
Once you appreciate how hard life was in the countryside back then you can
see why countryfolk may appear callous about the local wildlife but then there were many many times fewer people and wildlife flourished and was taken as an additional harvest, 30,000 Red Squirrels taken to Smithfield market

[Deb London]

I did have to cringe at some things. Why was the pike treated as it was? I couldn't see a reason for it as it wasn't eaten. But it happened and he wrote about it and it did make for fabulous reading. Thanks Rod, I'll look up those programmes and other books!