DROPPED THE MOON

  Biggest turn-off when booking a holiday or a short break are the words "dog-friendly". Some people love dogs, I don't. So, no booking.  Woof!

I wrote this profile of Alan Whicker a couple of years ago. Reprinting on his birthday.  Today, celebrity travelogues on television are ten-a-penny.  Prior to this deluge, Michael Palin ruled the globe as the most popular presenter of such programmes, starting in 1989 with Around the World in 80 days.  Prior to Palin, there was the legendary Alan Whicker, still considered by the older generation as master of the genre.  At his peak it is said he travelled 100,000 miles a year and each travelogue was watched on television by around 15 million viewers.   There is some confusion about his birth year, but most sources have stated 2 August, 1925.  He was born to British parents in Cairo and raised in Richmond, Surrey.  He was a commissioned officer in the Second World War, joining the Army Film and Photographic Unit in 1943.  After the war he chose a career in journalism and broadcasting, skills that led him to join the BBC’s Tonight programme in 1957 as a roving reporter.  One of his repor

From July 2011 to March 2023, I built my Dropped the Moon blog and received 333, 384 views.   Here is the link to that archive of musings, poetry, celebrity profiles, fast fiction, book reviews, music reviews, and much else -  https://droppedthemoon.blogspot.com  Please have a browse any time.   Due to a technical hitch, I have decided to create a new blog called '2023 New Dropped the Moon', to carry on doing what I have done since 2011.   I hope you enjoy both the archive and the continuance of posts. J. Lee Thompson - 1 August, 1914 - 30 August, 2002. 88 years old.  What a director. J. Lee Thompson gave us  these and many others:  Ice Cold in Alex (1958) Tiger Bay (1959) North West Frontier (1959) The Guns of Navarone (1961) Cape Fear (1962) Taris Bulba (1962) Mackenna's Gold (1969) Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Charles Bronson stuff. A great movie maker. Salute!