British Movie Annuals 1950s

Back in the 1960s I began to collect movie annuals, volumes probably not familiar to American movie fans. Numerous titles were published each year, usually for the Christmas trade, including Ivy Crane Wilson's Hollywood Album, Picture Show, Picturegoer, Film Fun and Collins, It's taken me until this year (and Covid) to begin reading these many books. Here's a small sample from PICTUREGOER, 1955-56. I've included the long alphabetical list of actors included within, either by way of photos or articles. The numbers refer to the page on which they appear.

Abbott, Betty, 51, 57, Abbott, Bud, 37, Adams, Jill, III, Adams, Julie, 51, 58, Allyson, June, 126‑7‑8, Bacall, Lauren, 55,126‑7‑8, Ball, Suzan, 97, Basehart, Richard, 132‑5, Bergen, Edgar. 76, 89, Bergen. Francis, 76, Blyth, Ann, 16, 17, Bogarde. Dirk, 56, Bogart, Humphrey, 120‑1‑2, Bracken. Eddie, 38, Brando, Marion, 13, 70‑2. 75, Brazzi, Rossano, 122, Burke, Sonny, 100, Cabot, Susan, 99, Calhoun, Rory, 86. 87, Carroll. John, 76, Cass, Henry, 142, Castellani, 114, Cavanagh, Paul, 125, Chandler, Jeff, 98‑100, Charisse, Cyd, 91, Clarke. Lydia, 59, 60, Clift Montgomery, 79, Clooney, Rosemary, 24, 109, Cooper, Gary, 12, 13, 93, Corey, Wendell, 25, Cortesa, Valentina, 122, Costello, Lou, 37, Craig, Michael, 143, Crawford, Joan, 15, 17, Crosby. Bing, 14, 24, Curtis. Tony. 25, 100, Dahl, Arlene, 126‑7‑8, Dailey, Dan, 73, Darcel, Denise, 92, Davies, Marion. 76, Day, Doris, 35, 45‑7, d'Amboise. Jacques. 129‑30‑3, de Carlo, Yvonne, 58, Denham, Maurice, 136, Denis, Armand, 135, Denis, Michaela, 135, 136, Dixon. Reginald, 142, Dors, Diana, 91, 141, Dudan. Pierre, 78, Dunn, Stanley, 113, Duryea, Dan, 99, Elliott, Denholm 142, Ferrer, Mel, 20, Fisher, Eddie, 16, Fontaine, Joan, 79, Forbes, Bryan, 143, Francis, Anne, 66, 67, Gabor, Eva. 97, Gabor, Magda, 97, Gage, Ben, 76, Gam, Rita, 19, Gardiner, Nadia. 77, Gardiner, Reggie, 77, Gardner, Ava, 19, 120‑1‑2, Garland, Judy, 4‑9, Goodwin, Harold, 139, Grable, Betty. 18, 101‑3, Granger, Stewart, 24, Grenier, Hilda, 114, Goring, Marius, 122, Guinness. Alec. 79, Harrison, Rex. 24.107, Hayward, Susan. 76, Haver, June, 60, Heflin Van, 126‑7‑8, Henie, Sonia, 77, Hepburn, Audrey, 20, Heston, Charlton, 59‑61, Hill, Benny, 26‑9, Holden, William, 15, Hope, Bob, 24, 37. 39, Hudson, Rock, 24, 51‑2, 57‑8,123‑4‑5, Huston, John, 40, Johns, Glynis, 84, 85, Johnson, Van, 20, 112, Justin. John, 24, 79, Keel, Howard, 129‑30‑31, Kelly, Barbara. 15, 17, Kelly. Gene. 53, Kelly, Grace. 2. 10‑13. 24, Kerr, Deborah, 112,114, Knight, David. 64, 65, Knox, Alexander, 142, Koontz, Melvin, 115, Kruger, Otto, 124‑5, Lancaster, Burt, 92, Lanchester, Elsa, 48‑50, Lanza, Mario, 89, Laurie, Piper, 58, Lee. Bernard, 139, Lee, Peggy, 14, 15, Leigh, Janet, 25. 100, Lewis, Joe E.. 103, Liberace, 77, Long, Richard, 97, Loren, Sophia, 118‑9, Macdonald, Marie, 18, MacMurray. Fred‑126‑7‑8, McKenna, Virginia, 56, McNamara, Maggie, 62, 63, Mansfield, Jayne, 19, Marlow, Lucy, I, Mason. James, 7, Mattox, Matt, 129‑30‑31, Maurey Nicole, 107, Maxwell, Marilyn, 57, Medwin, Michael. 143, Merman, Ethel, 73, Milland, Ray, 25, Miller, Jan, 143, More, Kenneth. 143, Moore, Terry, 54, 57, Moorehead. Agnes, 123‑4‑5, Monroe, Marilyn, 15. 16, 74, Montiel, Sarita, 93, Murphy, Audie, 82, 83, Nader, George, 68, 69, Nelson, Gene, 89, Nelson, Lori, 57, Newton, Robert, 108, North, Sheree, 88‑90, O'Brien, Edmund, 120‑1, Palmer, Gregg, 123‑4, Peck, Gregory, 41. 42, 43, Platt. Marc, 129‑30‑31, Powell, Jane, 80,81. 94,129, Rall, Tommy, 729‑30‑31, Ray, Johnnie, 77, Redwing, Rodd, 117, Reid, Elliott, 126, 127, Rennie, Michael, 24, Richards, Jeff, 122‑30‑31, Rooney, Mickey, 39, Rothschild, Vic, 76, 77, Rush, Barbara, 123‑4‑5, Russell, Jane. 99, Rutherford, Ann, 76, Saint, Eva Marie, 14, 15, Scott, Janette, 21, Scott, Lizabeth, 18, Sellars, Elizabeth, 121, Shane, Sara. 123, Shawlee, Joan. 36, 38, Shearer, Moira, 79, Sheridan, Ann, 18, Sheybani, Jamshid, 113, Simmons, Jean, 24, 114, Stack, Robert, 79, Stark, Mabel, 114, 115, Steel, Anthony, 22, 23, Stevens, Warren, 120, Tamblyn, Russ, 129‑30‑31, Taylor, Elizabeth, 110, Taylor, Robert, 24, Taylor, Ross. 117, Tierney, Gene, 57, Turner, Lana, 19, Tyler, Beverley, 89, Van Doren, Mamie, 57, Vera‑Ellen, 25, 76, 109, Wagner, Robert, 15, Watt, Harry, 23, Wayne, John, 104‑6, Webb, Clifton, 126‑7‑8, Wilde, Cornell, 126‑7‑8, Williams, Esther, 76, Winters. Shelley, 95‑7, Withers, Jane, 89, Wyman, Jane, 123‑4‑5

 MECCANO

Back in the 1950s I recall receiving a no.5 Meccano set one birthday. It provided much enjoyment for years and enabled me to build a girder bridge for my Tri-ang railway layout in the early 1960s. Eventually it was sold through the Trading Post for 10 quid, the same amount my Hornby clockwork set achieved. Flash forward 30 years; having mentioned Meccano to several people, various bits began to arrive. Eventually I built a small crane for Barbara's doll display. That cured me of the desire to acquire any more, probably as I used the worst bits to give the crane an aged look. 

These photos (in reverse order) illustrate the remaining pieces, red and green in various shades, 60s and 70s shades, a few odd non-Meccano bits included. There's also a circa 1940 no.3 set (unchecked)  that came from a friend who received it as a present at the outbreak of WW2 and a 1960s/70s no.1 set (unchecked) plus the Meccano jigsaw (unchecked). Condition varies. Selling as one lot including containers for collection only. Details on the Meccano buy and sell site. http://melright.com/meccanosales/