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The Goons: The near impossibility of interviewing Spike Milligan

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Chaos ensues when presenter Bob Wellings attempts to interview Goons Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe, about their single “The Raspberry Song” in this short clip from BBC’s Nationwide, in April 1978.
 

 
Bonus track from Spike Milligan, after the jump…
 
With thanks to NellyM
 

READ ON
Posted by Paul Gallagher
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12.01.2012
07:58 pm
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The Other Side of a Hell Raiser: At Home With Oliver Reed

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Oliver Reed wanted a field for his horse, Dougal, and ended up with Broome Hall, a 56-bedroom mansion, with 50 acres of land. Reed fell in love with Broome Hall and with help of 2 or 3 drinking friends set about renovating the dilapidated property. It was a such a passion for the international star that he refused to become a tax exile, instead giving the bulk of his earnings over the government, to ensure he could live in this beautiful former monastery.

This is a delightful short film from 1977, first shown on Nationwide, which reveals a a funny, charming and sensitive-side to the well-known Hell-raiser. Valerie Singleton asks the questions
 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds

The Incredible Friendship of Oliver Reed and Keith Moon


Oliver Reed: Early interview on the set of ‘The Trap’ from 1966


 
With thanks to NellyM
 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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11.29.2012
05:58 pm
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Bernard Falk: In search of The Beatles’ lost tape

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The inimitable Bernard Falk’s quirky tale of a lost Beatles’ tape, and the men who hoped to make some money from its discovery.

The tape was recorded by Beat musician Teddy Taylor in Hamburg, on Christmas Eve, 1962. Taylor was the lead singer with Kingsize Taylor and The Dominoes, one of the dozens of Merseyside bands formed in the late 1950s, that hoped to match The Beatles’ 60’s success. Kingsize sold one million records on the continent, but had lacked any success back home. This sadly led to the band splitting-up in 1964. Taylor went onto the ordinary life as a butcher in Southport, where Falk interviewed him about the mysterious discovery of a “lost Beatles’ tape”.

Falk died in 1990, and is sadly now remembered for his hosting the ill-conceived late-night, interview series, Sin on Saturday, which was famously pulled after only 3 episodes. Clips from Sin on Saturday regularly make top 10 worst program lists, mainly for the legendary appearance of a drunk Oliver Reed, which is a shame, as Falk was a talented journalist, who made quirky, intelligent, entertaining and memorable TV reports. A hint of Falk’s skill can be seen here, when he catches up with likely lads, Teddy Taylor and The Beatles first manager Allan Williams - who famously gave the band away to Brian Epstein. Both are memorable characters and the footage of seventies disco dancing is fabulous.

First broadcast on BBC’s Nationwide, September 17th, 1973.
 

 
With thanks to Nellym
 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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10.03.2012
06:26 pm
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The 60s in 4 Minutes & 2 Songs: The day the musical ‘Hair’ invaded the BBC

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The London cast of Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical perform 2 songs (“Aquarius” and “The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)”) on BBC’s news show Nationwide, before taking over the studio and getting the presenters, including future coke-snorter, Frank Bough, up to dance.

The original 1968 London production of Hair opened at the Shaftesbury Theater, and provided a starting block for a diverse range of young talent including: Sonja Kristina, Paul Nicholas, Melba Moore, Elaine Paige, Paul Korda, Marsha Hunt, Floella Benjamin, Alex Harvey, Oliver Tobias, Richard O’Brien and Tim Curry. This was where Curry first met future Rocky Horror Picture Show writer O’Brien, and where Alex Harvey conjured up SAHB.  Hair ran in London from 1968-1973, for 1,997 performances, until it was forced to close after the theater roof collapsed. It then relocated to the Queen’s Theater, where it ran for a further 111 performances between June and September 1974, when it finally closed. This was the cast performing before the final show on September 28th, 1974.
 

 
With thanks to Nellym
 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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09.26.2012
07:21 pm
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Unbelievably condescending BBC report on David Bowie’s retirement from 1973

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Here’s another little jeweled sequin to add to the collection called Seventies: A BBC news report on David Bowie, as he prepares for his last public concert at the Odeon, Hammersmith, July 4th, 1973.

This is the edited version of a longer report, which was originally filmed at the Bournemouth Winter Gardens, and aired on the current affairs show Nationwide on May 25th, 1973. It is well worth watching for the unbelievably condescending and inadvertently hilarious commentary by the BBC reporter, who describes Bowie as ‘freakish’ and narrates the whole story with a growing sense of eye-brow raised horror.

Our besuited Man from Auntie then thrusts his microphone at celebratory fans and family: Lulu, Tony Curtis and Mrs Angie Bowie (who gives the best line), demanding to know what they think they’re doing. Alas, the original interview with the man himself is absent, sadly edited out of this version, but we do see him in prep for his big night, giving it laldy onstage before being whisked-off in a limo.

Great stuff. And you can compare this version with the original feature, which is available two parts, here and here.
 

 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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09.10.2012
08:43 pm
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Documentary on Kate Bush’s First and Only Tour, 1979

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Kate Bush was only sixteen when she signed to EMI Records in 1975, on the recommended of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. Over the following eighteen months, Kate prepped, wrote and recorded her first single, “Wuthering Heights”, which went to number one in the UK, and her debut album The Kick Inside, which hit No. 3 in the UK charts.

Following on from her chart success, Kate Bush presented The Tour of LIfe, her first and

only

ever tour, consisting of twenty-eight shows across Britain during April and May of 1979.  The BBC’s quirky news and features series, Nationwide (previously responsible for a fascinating insight into David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust… tour), made this 30-minute behind-the-scenes special of the tour and Kate’s preparation for it.
 

 
Bonus documentary on Kate Bush plus original live TV performance of ‘Wuthering Heights’, after the jump…
 
Previously on DM

Seldom Seen Kate Bush Christmas Song


 
With thanks to Damien Smith
 

READ ON
Posted by Paul Gallagher
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01.14.2011
04:52 pm
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