Dancing at the Locarno


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This could have been one night at the 'Locarno''..back in 1960..Teenbeat for 14 to 16 year olds. .........................................Eu up Mavis............on yer own ? Might be........(chew

Wish it was still going........could have our next 'Meet up' there....on a Tuesday night...smoking and drinking 'Coke' Collar up and wearing me 'Winkle Pickers'' waiting for Margie.to come o

Anyway not long after Mavis had reunited with ''Big Ron'' i was back down the 'Locarno' on Tuesday ''Teenbeat nights'' Looking for a bit of a 'dance' and 'Romance'...Was working for Marsdens now

Good bunch they were ...played football for Coop Pathfinders with some of em,,,,still recall their names....Harry..Charlie,,Joey..Pete...Barry,,,and Columbo lookalike Kieth ..oh yes and a Ben,,,looking down to the dance floor and chatting about which girls to approach,,,

           We all smoked and used to hand em round,,,but this other Ben was tight and never handed round,,,

                Saw him fertive get a packet of 20 Parkies out and half looking at us with his body half turned away....push the Packet up to open,,,,,,and the lot fell from the packet and down on to the Dance floor..where a group of giggling girls snapped em up.....we all cracked up laughing...but we looked after him the rest of the night for smokes,,,,,,funny thing is i saw him in Bulwell about 2 years ago and he laughed and could remember...........

 

 

More?

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Time for business       all troop down to the Dance floor having decided who to ask for a jig        Group of 4 girls had caught our eye.......so we approached and asked  ''Dance Duck'''?     we were all turned down.......gutted we all went to the Bar for another Coke..........We chatted and decided we should all go 'Solo''

                 To go solo you have to ask a girl whose seated or pick one from a group dancing round their handbags....

 

to be conti- on request

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At no attempt to steal Uncle Ben's thunder but I once went with a girl named Jean, to the Locarno. We went upstairs on the side ledges to watch the dancing. While up there, some youths set about this lad who was standing next to me. I turned to get out of the way and they thought I was joining in, so had a go at me. I was head butted, punched then picked up and lifted on to the ledge with intention of throwing me over. I managed to fight my way off but fell on the floor and got kicked. They all buggered off at that point and I made my way out and Jean took me home, complete with bloody nose, split lip and black eye.

I never went back !

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I know NOW that what people look like or what they wear has little relevance to what they’re REALLY like, but I can still remember the great feeling of being on the dance floor as a teenager knowing I was being watched by the lads at the edge. 
If I was on the dance floor now, people would still be watching but for different reasons.... “Just look

at that old bird trying to show off her moves, poor old duck”

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Wasn’t that kind of dance  called ‘The Creep’?  
Thinking  back, that certainly referred to some of the lads (not you, I’m sure)

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Well no requests for more   so you'll never know how the night turned out,,,,,great stuff.......you should have been with us Trogg  lol

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After a few more had turned me down went and sat at the side of the floor,,,watching a couple of mates giving it large on the dance floor........

I noticed a girl on the next table sitting alone,,,she was very nice looking..so i thought ''go for it Ben'''

Mind if i join you ?

No

why's a lovely girl like you sat alone ?

Just having a rest,,,im with my mates they all dancing with lads now......

Her name Joyce she was 16 same as me,,,bought her a Coke but she refused a Parkie...we chatted for a while,,and she laughed at some of my comments,,,then we got on the floor for some 'moving''

The band were brilliant at first with some lively numbers  ....could feel the floor undulating,,,then came some great slow songs   'I'm just a lonely boy''' Paul Anka''...''Smoke gets in your eyes''' the Platters,,Dream Lover'' Bobby Darin'' and another great Paul Anka one,,,''Put your head on my shoulder''' we were moving well together and told her '''Joycie you are a lovely Dancer'''

 

More later...if no objections

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Managed to get a little 'Smooch'' while Dancing   she laughed and told me ''don't get too cheeky'''

We returned to the table,,only to find my mate Keith (Columbo) sat there with a girl who was a mate of Joycies,,,they had been dancing as well.....

         Intro's were made..her name was Liz...we had nice conversation ..turned out they both worked at Boots on Station street,,,told them i worked at Marsdens and Keith at the COOP...

                   They both lived on Handel street ,,,5 minute walk from Locarno...so asked ''can we walk you home''?  They said yes and we left Locarno together,,on the way to Handel street we arranged to meet them on the coming sunday down Trent Bridge perhaps take them on a rowing boat........

          Another little smooch in a shop doorway near the 'Vine Pub'' and they departed into their little terraced homes...........

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Feeling chuffed with ourselves me and Columbo headed off to catch our Bus home,,,,the 28 from Trinity square..........

           Upstairs for a smoke and we find 2 girls we were at school with,,,Carol off Teviot and Jean off Andover...both lovely lasses we'd always fancied..

Ey up Girls,,where ya bin?

Down Locarno,,dint ya see us?

No duck

we saw both of you snogging them gels...

Oh right,,,just a bit of fun,,if we had seen you two would have asked you to dance,,

Oh yea  might have said no...

No you wouldnt have,,,laughing)

anyway can we walk you home from the bus stop near Hove road?

 

 

Dont miss final chapter in a bit...........

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They agreed we could walk em home.......i went up Teviot with Carol and Columbo took jean to end of andover,,,

                 I had a snogg with Carol at her gate.....and Columbo tells me he also did at Jeans gate,,,but her Mam came out and cleared him off..........Almost the end of this little Tale now....

Joyce and Liz never turned up on sunday at Trent Bridge,,,but funny enough did see Joyce one more time,,i was working in Marsdens Carlton road about two years later,,,,and she came in Pushing a baby in a pushchair         we had as nice chat   :rolleyes:

 

My mate Keith Columbo passed away in his 40s i didnt know for a few years i was living away from Nottingham.........Jean i still hear about.....and Carol passes me messages from time to time thru one of my sons.........

Enjoyed writing all that,,,,bit of fun int it  ..hope you liked       

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Yes, it was great to read about your exploits Ben!  Had a few similar to them myself!  
However, I won’t be sharing any of them because whereas it’s OK for a man to do so, it’s less so for a woman (even in this enlightened age)

I do like reading your posts, though x

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  • Cliff Ton changed the title to Dancing at the Locarno

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