Old English Customs Record C (1950-1959)

“A British Travel & Holidays Association Film“ Commentary by John Glen. Produced by Associated British-Pathe Ltd. Continued. Hungerford, Berkshire. C/U of a man in a top hat blowing a 17th Century horn. This signals a “kissing custom“. Men who carry poles with bunches of flowers on top are Hungerford “Totty Men“. They knock at doors and demand kisses or coins! When a woman answers the door, the Totty Man grabs her and gives her a big smacker. C/U of another of the Totty Men kissing a woman who leans out of her window. She looks a lot younger and prettier than him and it is quite a long kiss! An orange is given in return for the coin or kiss. I’d want a bit more than that to kiss either of those two blokes! M/S of one of the Totty Men throwing coins to the waiting children. They scramble for the money. “A proper show of coyness is always expected from the ladies“ says the narrator as a Totty Man climbs up a ladder where a woman looks out of a window. One woman slams her window so she does