THURSDAY BACKTRACK: Music and news from 60 years ago - week ending 07 October 1961

At #3 this week is Helen Shapiro's 'Walking Back To Happiness':

Some memorable events (via Wikipedia):

2 October: 'French President Charles de Gaulle delivers a televised address in France and French Algeria, outlining his plans to allow Algerian residents to determine their own future, and pledges to work toward the creation of a "strictly Algerian" security force. He also states that, if necessary, he will again invoke the national emergency powers that he has allowed to expire two days earlier.'

https://fresques.ina.fr/de-gaulle/fiche-media/Gaulle00073/allocution-du-2-octobre-1961.html

3 October: 'The Dick Van Dyke Show, starring Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam, was shown for the first time, making its debut at 8:00 pm EST on CBS. Although the show would go on to become very popular, the initial telecast, competing against Bachelor Father (ABC) and Laramie (NBC) attracted so few viewers that it was not even among the Top 70 most popular programs that week.' 

The Hollywood Reporter's reviewer called it right, though: 'Probably the most encouraging start of any new comedy series in the past 12 months, this debut had most all the necessary ingredients that add up to a winner.' https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/dick-van-dyke-show-first-816638/

    This episode can be seen here in colour: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=SEO----&v=675922793030189

5 October: 'Maurice Papon, the Paris Chief of Police, issued a religion-specific curfew against all "Muslim Algerian workers" within the jurisdiction of his prefecture, even though they were considered citizens of France. The curfew order decreed that the Muslims were "advised most urgently" to stay indoors between 8:30 pm and 5:30 am. A protest by 30,000 of the affected persons twelve days later led to the Paris massacre of 1961.'

6 October: As the Berlin Wall continues to be erected, 'The "Schießbefehl" (literally, "order to shoot") was formally issued by General Heinz Hoffmann, the Minister of National Defense for East Germany, spelling out the rules for shooting anyone who attempted to escape from the German Democratic Republic. After a shouted warning and the firing of a warning shot, guards were ordered to fire their weapons at persons clearly planning "to violate the state frontier."'

UK chart hits, week ending 07 October 1961 (tracks in italics have been played in earlier posts)

Htp: Clint's labour-of love compilation https://www.sixtiescity.net/charts/61chart.htm

1	Michael Row The Boat	The Highwaymen	HMV
2	Wild In The Country / I Feel So Bad	Elvis Presley	RCA
3	Walkin' Back To Happiness	Helen Shapiro	Columbia
4	Kon*Tiki	The Shadows	Columbia
5	Johnny Remember Me	John Leyton	Top Rank
6	Jealousy	Billy Fury	Decca
7	You'll Answer To Me	Cleo Laine	Fontana
8	Wild Wind	John Leyton	Top Rank
9	Sucu Sucu	Laurie Johnson	Pye
10	You Don't Know	Helen Shapiro	Columbia
11	Together	Connie Francis	MGM
12	Get Lost	Eden Kane	Decca
13	Hats Off To Larry	Del Shannon	London
14	Reach For The Stars / Climb Every Mountain	Shirley Bassey	Columbia
15	Granada	Frank Sinatra	Reprise
16	Muskrat	The Everly Brothers	Warner Brothers
17	Michael Row The Boat / Lumbered	Lonnie Donegan	Pye
18	Bless You	Tony Orlando	Fontana
19	Hard Hearted Hannah / Chilli Bom*Bom	The Temperance Seven	Parlophone
20	Sea Of Heartbreak	Don Gibson	RCA