WHO'S A NAUGHTY THEN?

The year was 1959, and in an often overlooked corner of Hackney, one of the world's most recognisable Hollywood beauties was bringing just a touch of Californian colour to a peculiarly English affair: a budgie show.

Jayne Mansfield, living in London while making the film Too Hot To Handle, was invited to the All Saints church in Haggerston in September 1959 to help judge the East London Budgerigar and Foreign Birds Society show.
The society secretary knew of the actress' ornithological interest, and she was asked to be guest of honour. To the amazement of locals, Mansfield and her husband showed up and hundreds of people clamoured for a glimpse of genuine Hollywood glamour in the East End.

The event, which made the front page of the Hackney Gazette, is described in a new book by Iain Sinclair, ‘Hackney: That Rose-Red Empire’,which will be published later this year. The author enlisted the help of local artist Susanna Edwards to recreate the event in a fundraiser for the church.Billed as a "general celebration of the budgerigar", the event, held on 10th May brought budgie-owning folk from across Hackney to come and display their pets' plumage. Photos from the day will be displayed in an exhibition at the Tatty Devine gallery in June.

Dirty drawers created a special publication to mark the occasion - "Who's a naughty then?" is now available from dd.co.uk...