From our archives:

85 years ago

According to Reuters, Lilian Harvey, the film star, was alleged to be marked down as the next victim of Ernest Waldow, the 17-year-old boy, who was under arrest charged with the murder of a married man and his wife.

Thanks to Waldow’s arrest, the police had stopped him from following through with his gruesome plans.

Hawnby village police had the unusual task of taking the doors off its hinges to the local village hall just 25 minutes before a play was due to be performed.

The hall’s theatre licence had been revoked after an objection by the police over the lighting situation.

The rector retaliated by complaining that the police hadn’t checked that the lamps were paraffin not petrol and that it was one little play that would only last 25 minutes, even though concerts were held there all the time.

50 years ago

In the charts Vince Hill was climbing every mountain in the pop business. While his version of Edelweiss was still claiming air time, out came an LP from Columbia, featuring a dozen top ballads.

Members of York Society of Magicians stood in silence at their meeting in memory of one of their founder members, Mr Charles Allison, who had died at the age 63.

Mr Allison, of Northcote Avenue, Acomb Road, was a past president of the society, which he helped to form in 1946.

The Press racing experts went within an ace of landing the Jackpot at Chester, after four out the six predictions had come in as winners.

One lucky punter at a York betting shop did even better, after he bought one five shilling Jackpot ticket, named all six winners and collected £1,848.

This was thought to be the first time there had been a Jackpot winner in a York betting shop.

20 years ago

The children of game show legend Hughie Green were seething after his funeral was interrupted by a family friend alleging that the TV star had fathered a famous love child.

ITV was to launch a £10 million bid to snatch the National Lottery shows from the BBC, after the network agreed that the popular twice-weekly show was the “jewel in the broadcasting crown".

Easingwold School was celebrating a unique hat-trick after been the only one in North Yorkshire to have received three prestigious National School Curriculum Awards.