General Chat

I'm overwhelmed with ancestors - my paternal grandfather was the youngest of 22 and one of my great grandfathers on my mum's side was one of 23!

Still, I suppose there was no telly or cinema in those days, so entertainment had to be sought in other areas ...

I think you're very lucky, I have no brothers and sisters. My family that I have (ie) cousins are all over the place, and there's not many of them either. I've got one cousin in New York and a few in Australia who I've never met! I've got one cousin who is like a brother though. Thank god I've got my kids!

Yes I suppose I am really, but it does get complicated:

Going back about 2-3 generations the eldest son was nearly always named after the father and the eldest daughter after the mother. Then they used the names of their brothers and sisters for subsequent children. As they all lived in the same area, I get cousins that have the same name born in the same year.

My G-G Grandfather also had TWO daughters both called Mary! Then I've got a great aunt who my mum told me about, who she knew as one name that bears no resemblence to her real name - that led me a merry chase for a while! (Mum never knew her real name - she was insistant it was the "known as" name)

Still, I guess that's one of the reasons why we love this hobby - unravelling the past.

Yes that gave me one or two head aches with the name thing! It seems that lots of families didn't use the name for people that they were actually given and that's on the birth certificate! My dad was always known as Vic, yet on his birth certificate it's Harry, Johns were often called jack too weren't they. My Gt Granny on my dad's mums side was always referred to as Poppy...turns out her name was Mary!

Yes it does drive you nuts at times, but as you say it's just great to try atleast to find out about your past. I'm the only one who seems interested in my small family unit though.

I'd love to know more about my mum's side though.

I think they didn't use so many names in the past, no "Brooklyns" or "Peaches" back then, so where cousins had the same name and lived in close proximity, it seems feasible that one of them would be known by a different name in order to distinguish between the two (I'm guessing here).

Mum has her mother's name - which is German - and was always known as the shortened version of her middle name. When she was about 8 or 9, she was told her real name by her dad and burst into tears! Apparently she was inconsolable for about a fortnight!

There are also some very odd names given to people - one of my great uncles, who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, was known as "Jum" and one of my mum's aunts was known as "Nin".

Oh dear your poor mum, it can't be that bad a name Ed!

Think I mentioned I wanted to be known as Romy Schnieder! Sounds bit more glam than Pam!

On that note Romy's off to bed.

"Gute nacht Ed."

nudge

Big production musicals may have ceased becuse we now have television, which hasn't been around that long

Westerns have out of favour for a while, have you noticed, again maybe due to television

Evening David, yes you're right, I actually can't really remember when a 'western' as such was last realeased. I supposed younger people can't really relate to the good old country and westerns anymore...not violent enough maybe!

Talking of violent westerns, 'The Wild Bunch' starring William Holden, Ernest Bognine and Robert Ryan to name but a few was a good film.

Most of Clint Eastwood's westerns and the other "spaghetti westerns" are extreemly violent

Maybe more recent westerns have been made for TV or DVD as cinemas are now closing their doors.

It's cheaper to rent a video or DVD and watch it in the company of your own home

Dean Martin teamed up well with John Wayne in westerns as did Robert Mitchum in Eldorado

Hello all!

Feeling much better now - had enough of browsing jobsites for today and fancy a bit of light-hearted banter.

The most recently made western I saw was "The Quick and the Dead" with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe (yes I know Pam).

I do enjoy Clint Eastwood westerns, especially Pale Rider, High Plains Drifter, Two Mules for Sister Sarah, The Outlaw Josey Wales and of course the "Man with no name" spaghetti westerns, but as far as westerns go, you can't beat John Wayne.

I agree about "The Wild Bunch" - very violent, especially the end!

Ed

Hello chaps, I can always watch the spagetti westerns for the music alone to be honest! Just love Ennio Morricone's music on them. Eli Wallach is so good as the scheming characeter in the Good the Bad and the Ugly...out of us three I'm the good...so out of you two, well you'll have to argue over that! Glad to see you back on the thread Ed, by the way.

Never saw The Quick and the Dead, I'd forgotton abiout that one actually. Yes The Wild Bunch, it did have a violent ending as you say.

David, I also liked John Wayne in films be they westerns or war. The Longest Day being one of my favourites, I know I've mentioned that before I think.

Wonder what Nicky is up to, maybe her computers down.

Just googled Eli Wallach, he's a good age...born 1915!

Rio Bravo, another good one with John Wayne and Deano!

Watched The Dirty Dozen on telly the other night, I always liked Lee Marvin as an actor. Think he earned The Purple Heart.

Audey Murphey was one, if not the most decorated soldiers out of the acting fraternity think.

Hello Pam.

You can't keep a good guy down for long (or should that be a bad guy/ugly guy?)

Always liked "Angel Eyes" - Lee Van Cleef did do a great baddie. Just googled him and apparently he was an accountant to begin with - can you imagine doing your tax returns with him?

Yep Audie Murphy was the most decorated combat soldier in the American Army in WW2 - I think it was that which actually projected him into films.

Talking of Audie Murphy - what about his film "The Red Badge of Courage" set in the American Civil War? Perversely, Murphy plays a young recruit who runs away from battle. Got to be one of the classics - I read the book by Stephen Crane many years ago.

EDIT: Flippin' eck - this was post number 666 - the number of the beast (Have we mentioned "The Omen"?) >:-)

That would bring in actor Gregory Peck.

His best role for me was Captain Ahab in Moby Dick