RIP Chico Hamilton

[Bad English]

Did you not tell him you were CH III on here? :-)

[Chico Hamilton III]

Did you not tell him you were CH III on here? :-)

I guessed he suspected I was an arsehole for naming my cat after him. I wasn’t about to confirm his suspicion by also telling tell him that I named myself after him as well.

[Brend'Watkins]

About 20 years ago we were having a drink in the Holte pub, just after Lerner had done it up, and Chico was sitting at the bar, relatively unnoticed. I went over to him and asked if I could get him a pint and he asked for a pint of cider. I was a bit nervous/starstruck and the first thing that came out of my mouth was to tell him that our cat was called Chico Hamilton. I must have sounded like a complete dick but he laughed and told me about the polar bear at Dudley Zoo that was named after him in the 70’s. I asked for a photograph with him ( pre iPhone days but it was Robbo1874’s last trip to Villa Park that day before moving to Australia so he had his camera). He couldn’t have been nicer, put his arm around me and held his pint up. Still got the photo.

73, not really old is it? Any details?

A good mate of mine had his budgie named after him. He loved that Budgie for many years until one day he stopped loving it due to the feeding and cleaning out of his cage which wasn't a cool thing to do in your teens. He was convinced that Chico (the Budgie) would never die. He did eventually at the age of 17 or 18 maybe even more if I remember correctly by which time my mate had left home.  It was the source of much amusement to us in our late teens inquiring about 'Chico's' well being.

[Dick Edwards]

73, not really old is it? Any details?
[/quote) I read he had dementia

[ChicagoLion]

About 20 years ago we were having a drink in the Holte pub, just after Lerner had done it up, and Chico was sitting at the bar, relatively unnoticed. I went over to him and asked if I could get him a pint and he asked for a pint of cider. I was a bit nervous/starstruck and the first thing that came out of my mouth was to tell him that our cat was called Chico Hamilton. I must have sounded like a complete dick but he laughed and told me about the polar bear at Dudley Zoo that was named after him in the 70’s. I asked for a photograph with him ( pre iPhone days but it was Robbo1874’s last trip to Villa Park that day before moving to Australia so he had his camera). He couldn’t have been nicer, put his arm around me and held his pint up. Still got the photo.

73, not really old is it? Any details?

Love story’s like that.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Just found this - there was also one named after The Doog!

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/what-team-cute-dudley-zoo-12801191.amp

[Bad English]

About 20 years ago we were having a drink in the Holte pub, just after Lerner had done it up, and Chico was sitting at the bar, relatively unnoticed. I went over to him and asked if I could get him a pint and he asked for a pint of cider. I was a bit nervous/starstruck and the first thing that came out of my mouth was to tell him that our cat was called Chico Hamilton. I must have sounded like a complete dick but he laughed and told me about the polar bear at Dudley Zoo that was named after him in the 70’s. I asked for a photograph with him ( pre iPhone days but it was Robbo1874’s last trip to Villa Park that day before moving to Australia so he had his camera). He couldn’t have been nicer, put his arm around me and held his pint up. Still got the photo.

73, not really old is it? Any details?

Love story’s like that.

Apart from the fact that Ali McGraw's character, Jennifer, dies, I can't see any other similarities.

[Sexual Ealing]

Ha!

[LeeB]

😀

[Bad English]

Sorry about the spoiler!

[JUAN PABLO]

Played in my first ever Villa game v Portsmouth 1974   , we won 4 1  . Loved how he stood out with his flair and hair , bit of my first Villa hero for me bfore I fell in love with Brian Little.

RIP Chico

[purpletrousers]

Just found this - there was also one named after The Doog!

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/what-team-cute-dudley-zoo-12801191.amp

Condolences to the Hamilton family, also a player I knew via my Dad and I’m sure I duly got his autograph at least once, will have to go dig out my book.

Please forgive the tangent on a thread of respectful memories:

I’m still slightly traumatised from seeing the sad sight of the repetitive head banging/swaying Polar Bear on Dudley Zoo visits in the 80s. I learn that it wouldn’t have been Chico or Doog as they’d left the club zoo by then.

I was curious about the reference to Tecton architecture as the enclosure was memorable (not necessarily in a good way, at a tender age I sussed it wasn’t where the sad creature was meant to be)

https://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/tectons/ pretty interesting info about revolutionary modernist design led by a Russian.

Anyway I’ll gently check if my Dad has heard the news, away on holiday so I doubt it.

Gratitude to the heroes of the past, especially those that revived the club to lay foundation to the halcyon days of my childhood [hands folded for prayer emoji]

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Berlin Zoo has a polar bear named Hertha.

[Brend'Watkins]

Thanks for that Andy. I was racking my brains as to where it was when Louzie mentioned it. If I recall it wasn't there for long.

Precinct shopping centre. Buy a nice shirt, come out of Chicos, turn right and walk past the Chinese restaurant and the Natwest Bank and a minute later go and buy  fork handles from Johnny Dixon.

I do remember seeing Chico's shop, never ventured in. Was it where Costa Coffee is now?  Johnny Dixon's hardware shop I ventured into plenty of times.  It took me a while to figure out who the vaguely familiar face was. I used to see Peter Bonetti in the Co Op from time to time before he passed on a few years ago.  I believe his daughter lived in the area.

[Cliftonville Villlain]

One of my originals. RIP Chico.