Merry Christmas - 1970 | The Archivist Presents |

Well, Christmas is cancelled here in London this year. Let's hope that Christmas in 2021 will be just like Christmas was in 1970...
Christmas comes but once a year. But the preparations start well beforehand. Guest of honour at the Variety Club's Xmas Luncheon is Prime Minister Edward Heath. He joins the stars in presenting gifts collected by the Club for children who'll be spending the holiday in hospitals or institutions. The commercial side of the festive season means big sales of food and drink, all of which has to be planned in advance by manufacturers and retailers. Special supplies, too, for Britain's lonely lighthouse keepers. And from lights that burn all the year round to those which advertise the festive season. Power cuts permitting, the Christmas lights in Belfast [sic], London and Glasgow shine out their message of light, hope and warmth. And, of course, holiday time is party time - with the usual reminder for drivers to soft-pedal on the liquid Christmas spirit. But the true Christmas message still gets through to the Children. A time of wonder and delight - when Father Christmas is a reality, even when he appears in every big store. A reminder that the true joy of Christmas is in the giving.
PART 1 (378') GV Variety Club lunch. SV Edward Heath with others. SCU Vera Lynn between Bruce Forsyth and Danny la Rue dressed as Father Christmas. SV Heath with Frankie Howerd. CU Frankie Howerd and Mrs Mills. GV Heath presents gifts to matron & nurses. GV Beechams Factory. CU man tasting sample soft drink in laboratory. SV glasses put on table and notes made. GV lecture room manager briefing sales staff. SCU pan hand points to map indicating sales areas, montage sequence - bottles of soft drinks, filled & packed. CU sign "Merry Christmas" and drinks displayed in shop. AS shopkeeper & sales rep. examine bottles on rack. GV interior supermarket. GV family shopping in supermarket. GV goods into basket (7 scenes). LAS helicopter takes off. GV lighthouse on Lundy Island. CU lighthouse. LAS supplies lowered from 'copter. LAS man lowered from 'copter. LAS helicopter away from lighthouse. MV housewife prepares Xmas pudding. CU housewife. CU mixing bowl. CU mixture in giant bowl. GV Maggie Fitzgibbon mixing pudding ingredients. CU mixture in bowl. CU Australian girl. MS stirring pudding. GV Dublin from docks. GV main street in Dublin. MS street scene at night with illuminations. MS childrens' choir on steps. CUs, GV, MS, MCU ditto. CU crib. MS pan to Christmas tree. PART 2 (266') CU into focus - Regent Street lights. LS ditto. CU bells. TV shot Regent Street lights. TV shot Glasgow lights. TV shot ditto. GV Glasgow lights. CU small girl. GV lights. MS people arrive for party. CU keys handed to driver. MS people drinking at party. MCU driver drinking soft drink. CU Scotch taken from optics. CU beer glass filled. GV interior East End pub. CU piano keyboard. MS people dance in pub. MS people dance at party. MS people dance in pub. MS people dance at party. Pan people dance in pub, quick pan bottles. MCU lights as seen through car windscreen. CU crash sequence. MS wrecked cars. CU revolving lights on ambulance. TS & CU ambulance. MS ambulance with shadow of driver. MS traffic along at night. GV penguins in shop window. CUs (4) ditto, space car, clockwork dog, robot. TS ditto, zoom out child with Father Christmas, ditto another child. CU small boys. MS crying child with Father Christmas. Zoom in small child with Father Christmas. CU sign "Christmas Greetings".
You can license this footage for commercial use through AP Archive - story number is: BM96608
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[@nelliemelba4967]

Take me back there....

[@angelacooper2661]

December 1970 was my first Christmas, aged just six months old!

[@veganvocalist4782]

Love the typical 60’s voice over narration and FANTASTIC music 😄

[@stephenguppy7882]

I was eight in 1970. Brilliant times. And great to see the fabulous Frankie Howerd and Mrs Mills.

[@narasinghbisht9346]

Very very happy happy Marry Christmas 🌲 too all of You Ji

[@marksinthehouse1968]

I was 3 then and can remember some things like my hornby:triang train set the tree going over at the Christmas knees up and my Nan saying please don’t mention the war 😂😂what a lovely time compared with now ,Merry Christmas all and chin up

[@peterm1826]

Train

[@angelacooper2661]

You are therefore the same age as my brother Anthony. I was just six months old and so my first Christmas!

[@josephlezano7691]

Great archived film of Christmas Yesteryear's . Love the combination of the narrator's voice with the background music accompanying the film scene's. Good advise too , on not Drinking and Driving . Happy Christmas and Happy New Year , 2021 . Take Care and Be Safe ! With Best Wishes British Gibraltar ,UK Overseas Territory 🇬🇧 .

[@veganvocalist4782]

That kid rocking back wards and forward 🤣😂

[@rmariate]

That kid looked like the little Damien. No wonder he was uncomfortable.

[@duffymoony]

Wow, a white Christmas on the telly!

[@racheldoesacrylic4089]

dont see any snow hardly anymore in the winter months /snow takes me back to happier timesx

[@stejer211]

Remember kids, you're allowed to drive drunk, just not too drunk!

[@trevorrandom]

Brilliant ☺

[@ticketyboo2456]

I was only 2 in 1970 but this all looks very familiar. The men did often wesr suits snd ties to go to the supermsrket😂. We did have Christmas in Wales too despite what this archive reel might hsve you believe🎉.

[@StephenLyons-tl8ie]

WOW!! There were ambulances then!!!!!

[@MrClingclong]

1970's kids, they were the best, not like the little sh-1-ts these days.

[@clashofgaming7808]

I subscribed

[@adeh503]

Orf licences 😂😂

[@FredericKahler]

"Time for a hard sell, Even with soft drinks." Nostalgic bells marred knell And Fred-e-ric sinks Already destined To make a stink in the town For answers unquestioned And he'll sink further down Too deep in the mud to hang Too wet for bullet's fire They'll come again, bang bang bang Come to him in the mire Like the boy in the loo Hiding in "Schindler's List" For what? Being a Jew No, for being kissed. ... "The wonderful innocence of the children" And we were children, too...

[@friendly1999ph]

The first Christmas in UK under PM Edward's Heath's leadership. Christmas '70 is also the last Christmas when price tags were still in pounds, shillings and pence as shown in this video @1:46 @1:53 and @2:10

[@angelacooper2661]

I was only six months old, so too young to understand or remember that period. Decimalisation arrived when I would have been eight months and still in the pram!

[@AxelFoxK]

China Communist disliked this.

[@controloz3310]

Fuck those parties looked fun