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BOY MEETS GIRL
( ABC Television
) 1959 - 1960
BMG was the
successor to 'Oh
Boy!' and like the fifties' show was again produced and presented
by Jack Good, now with occasional assistance from Marty Wilde, introducing
acts like Terry Dene, Freddy Cannon, Joe Brown, Adam Faith and,
of course, Cliff. It was directed by Rita Gillespie. This in turn
was succeeded by
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JUKE BOX JURY
( BBC 1 ) June 1959 - December
1967
see
separate feature page
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WHAM!
( ABC Television
) 1960
A Jack Good
show which brought Keith Fordyce to the fore as a television pop
presenter. As in the previous two series, the Vernons Girls were
resident dancers and the acts on show included the likes of Jess
Conrad, Dickie Pride, Billy Fury and the brilliant Johnny Kidd and
the Pirates. The first show on 23rd April 1960 featured Billy Fury,
Joe Brown and The Bruvvers, Jess Conrad, Dickie Pride, Little Tony,
Vince Taylor and Johnny Kidd and The Pirates.
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VAL PARNELL'S SUNDAY
NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM
( ATV ) 1960
- 1965
First seen
in 1955, a highly popular variety show which ran for 12 seasons
from 25th September 1955, hosted at various times by Don Arrol,
Bruce Forsyth and Norman ( Swinging! Dodgy! )Vaughan. Many mainline
pop acts were featured including ( in the earlier shows ) Frankie
Vaughan, Dora Bryan, Russ Conway, Adam Faith, Helen Shapiro, The
Bachelors, The Supremes and Frank Ifield. The Beatles appeared on
13th October 1963 and The Rolling Stones on 22nd January 1967, causing
a furore by refusing to ride the 'turntable' at the end of the show.
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TIN PAN ALLEY
( ATV ) 1960
Jack
Parnell became head of music for ATV in 1956, a post he would hold
for the next twenty years. He fronted several shows himself including
this 1960 series which featured many of the popular musicians of that
time. Pictured left, Jack presents singer Emile Ford with a gold disc
on the show. |
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THE CLIFF RICHARD SHOW
( ATV ) 1960
1963
Cliff's
first solo TV series, produced by Albert Locke, saw him moving away
from his moody rock'n'roll image towards that of general entertainer.
Jack Parnell's orchestra provided the musical support with choreography
by the George Carden dancers.
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STARTIME
( ATV ) 1960
- 1963
A variety series
which included stars such as Alma Cogan, Russ Conway, The Clyde
Valley Stompers, Helen Shapiro, Ronnie Hilton, The King Brothers
and Jackie Trent.
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YOUNG AT HEART
( TYNE TEES
) 1960
This programme was
first broadcast on Wednesday 4th May 1960 and was one of Tyne Tees
first attempts at targeting a teenage audience. Screened at 6:30p.m.
it was hosted by Jimmy Saville and Valerie Masters, running for
a grand total of eight weeks. Although the programme was transmitted
in black and white, Jimmy ( for reasons best known to himself )
chose to present the show each week with his hair dyed a different
colour each time - pure Sixties showmanship!
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ALL KINDS
OF MUSIC
( ATV ) 1961
was a series of
shows organised by Val Parnell featuring a selection of artists
including Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, Nina and Frederick, Adele
Leigh and Janie Marden.
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SAMMY DAVIS MEETS
THE GIRLS
( ATV ) 1961
No
other information at present
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TUESDAY RENDEZVOUS
(
Associated Rediffusion ) 1961 - 63
Childrens entertainment show transmitted
on Tuesdays and Fridays, presented by Howard Williams, guitarist Bert
Weedon and the beautiful almond-eyed Muriel Young ably assisted by
glove puppets Pussy Cat Willum and Fred Barker. The shows had many
segments in a 'Blue Peter' style and also included a pop spot featuring
many chart-topping groups - not bad for an 'under 12' show. The programme
had evolved from Small Time in 1955 and Lucky Dip in
1958 which had a similar line-up and was to become
THE
FIVE O'CLOCK CLUB
in 1963 by which time another puppet character, a Liverpudlian owl
called Ollie Beak, had joined the show along with ex-Viper Wally Whyton.
From 1965 the show was known as
OLLIE
AND FRED'S FIVE O'CLOCK CLUB. |
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OUR KIND OF GIRL
( ATV ) 1961
Producer: Jo Douglas
A series featuring
Alma Cogan, 'the girl with a laugh in her voice', with musical backing
by the Alyn Ainsworth orchestra. Alma appeared prolifically on television
in the late fifties and early sixties, sadly dying of cancer at
the age of 34 on 26th October 1966.
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THE RUSS CONWAY SHOW
( ATV ) 1961
Producer: Colin
Clews
Pianist and composer
Russ had a string of piano hits in the late fifties and early sixties.
He also performed regularly on The Billy Cotton Band Show. This
was his first series for ITV.
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THE ADAM FAITH SHOW
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 21st June 1961
Director: Grahame
Turner
Adam's first prime
time special with guests Adele Leigh, Richard Wattis and Dick Charlesworth
and his City Gents. Special guest star was Tony Bennett and musical
backing was by the Tony Osborne orchestra.
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CALLING DICKIE VALENTINE
( ATV ) 1961
This series for
the popular fifties and early sixties singer was produced by Colin
Clews. Dickie was supported by the Jack Parnell Dance Band and the
Malcolm Goddard dancers.
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INTERNATIONAL STAR TIME
( BBC1 ) JANUARY
1961
Cabaret-style variety
music show starring Frankie Vaughan
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SUMMER SONG
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 1961
Producer: Alan Morris
This was a series
of music shows set outdoors, with The Johnny Dankworth Orchestra
joined by guests such as Cleo Laine, Dennis Lotis, Lynn Cornell,
Craig Douglas, Matt Monro and Dudley Moore.
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CLIFF !
( ATV ) 1961,
1964, 1967
Producer: Dinah
Thetford
A series of half-hour
shows made for an all-age audience featuring Cliff Richard supported
by the Shadows, Jack Parnell's orchestra and the Vernons Girls dancers.
Guests included Petula Clark, Marty Wilde, Dickie Valentine and
Alma Cogan. The series was produced again in 1964 by Jon Scoffield
and in 1967 by Dicky Leeman.
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PUTTING ON THE DONEGAN
( ATV ) 1961
- 1964
Four
series featuring the skiffle superstar Lonnie Donegan. The 1964
season was more of an all-round entertainment show than a music
show.
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THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS
( ABC Television
) April 1961 - 1966
see
separate feature page
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TRAD WITH A TWIST
( Station unknown
) December 1961
Chubby
Checker and The Chris Barber Jazz Band. No other details currently
available.
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ALL THAT JAZZ
( ATV ) 1962
ATJ
was a series of shows that actually had very little to do with Jazz
but featured a wide variety of mainstream acts such as Karl Denver
and Frank Ifield.
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PARADE
( Canadian series
presented by ITV ) 1962
A series of special
shows each showcasing a different singer.
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LONDON vs. PARIS TWIST
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 9th May 1962
Producer:
Daphne Shadwell
Following
Twist competitions held in both capital cities, David Frost introduced
the 'heat' winners who competed for the grand prize and medals.
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THIS IS SINATRA!
( ABC Television
) 2nd June 1962
On
June 1, 1962, British television captured Sinatra during a midnight
performance at London's Royal Festival Hall. The
concert was part of Sinatra's World Tour for Children. The taped
program, This Is Sinatra!, was broadcast a day later in an abbreviated
form, introduced by David Jacobs.
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LET'S TWIST ON THE RIVIERA
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 20th June 1962
Director:
Rollo Gamble
David Frost
with a another special programme on 'The Twist' dance
craze, this time from the trendy South of France.
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THE STORY OF TRAD
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 1st August 1962
Producer:
Geoffrey Hughes
A one-off
show which featured Stirling Moss investigating the history of Trad
Jazz, with the help of Kenny Ball, The Storeyville Jazzmen and George
Melly.
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THE CHUBBY CHECKER SHOW
( ATV ) 7th
September 1962
Producer:
Dicky Leeman
A special
featuring the 'King of Twist' Chubby Checker with guest stars The
Brook Brothers and Valerie Masters, supported by the Red Price Orchestra.
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THE SHADOWS SHOW
( ATV ) 1962
Produced
by Dicky Leeman, featuring the music of the phenomenally successful
instrumental group, with guest Frank Ifield.
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DISCS A-GO-GO
( TWW ) 1962
Produced by
Chris Mercer and compered by Kent Walton, better known for his wrestling
commentaries, this was the successor to an earlier TWW pop show
called 'NOW'. The show was networked, but never shown in the London
region as its format was considered to be too similar to RSG. Tony
Prince performed on the show before joining Radio Caroline as a
deejay.
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HERE COME THE GIRLS
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 1963
A series directed
by Robert Fleming featuring Alan Freeman talking to, and showing
performances from, various female singing stars and groups.
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THE CLIFF RICHARD SHOW
( ATV ) 1963
Another of Cliff's
many TV series, this time produced by Neville Wortman under the
musical direction of Harry Rabinowitz.
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READY STEADY GO!
( Associated
Rediffusion ) August 1963 - December 1966
see
separate feature page
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STARS AND GARTERS
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 1963 - 1966
Tons of stars
but far too few garters - this was an extremely popular traditional
pub entertainment series featuring the more middle of the road chart
artists among its guests. Hosted by Ray Martine, resident acts were
Clinton Ford, Kathy Kirby, Tommy Bruce, Julie Rayne and Vince Hill.
The show was re-titled THE NEW STARS AND GARTERS for a few weeks
in 1965 when it was introduced by actress Jill Browne assisted by
William Rushton.
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IT'S THE BEATLES
( BBC1 ) 7th
December 1963
A live performance
televised from the Empire Theatre, Liverpool as the second half
of a two-part show, containing 10 of their hits and live 'standards'.
The first half of the show featured the Fab Four as the panelists
in a special edition of Juke Box Jury.
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I HEAR THE BLUES
( Granada Television
) 18th December 1963 - 38 minutes
A 'Blues' special,
featuring Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon, Matt Murphy,
Sonny Boy Williamson, Lonnie Johnson, Victoria Spivey and Big Joe
Williams. A DVD recording of this show on the Shout! Factory label
is due for release on April 26th 2024
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BEAT CITY
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 24th December 1963
Director: Charles
Squires
This was a documentary
presented by Daniel Farson examining the phenomenon of Merseybeat,
with contributions from Gerry and The Pacemakers, Rory Storm and
The Hurricanes and other less well-known Liverpool groups. Pictured
are one of the best, The Undertakers
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THE DES O'CONNOR SHOW
( ATV ) 1963
- ?
Now almost a national
institution, Des's series were an annual event up to the middle
of the seventies, when the show continued under the name of 'Des
O'Connor Tonight'. Despite Eric Morecambe's opinion of his singing
he had many high-ranking chart hits during and after the Sixties
and his television career is one of the longest and most successful
of all time. Virtually everybody has appeared on his show at some
time or other.
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THE MERSEY SOUND
( BBC TV ) October
9th 1963
A
30-minute documentary about the Liverpool pop phenomenon which included
a Beatles interview and a privately-recorded session on which the
audience sounds were later over-dubbed.
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LUCKY STARS ON MERSEYSIDE 'SPECIAL'
( ABC Television
) 21st December 1963
A special edition
of the 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' programme which featured The Beatles
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THE FRANK IFIELD SHOW
( ATV ) 1963
- 1967
A
collection of general entertainment series and specials was made
by ATV under this general heading, starring the highly popular 'Australian'
singer ( he was actually born in Coventry ) and special guests.
The show screened on 1st September 1963 was live from the Prince
of Wales Theatre, London, produced by Albert Locke.
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THE MAX BYGRAVES SHOW
( Thames Television
) 1963 - 1966
"I wanna tell you
a story . . " The ever-popular middle of the road entertainer with
backing from the Jack Parnell orchestra. Max had many chart hits
during the Fifties and Sixties but his best known recordings are
probably the L.P. 'SingalongaMax' series and the wonderful 'Fings
Ain't Wot They Used T'Be'. They're certainly ( and sadly ) not.
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BIG NIGHT OUT
( ABC Television
) 1963 - 1964
A series of variety
shows presented by the comedy duo Mike and Bernie Winters. The shows
frequently starred top pop artists as the headline act, who not
only performed their hits but also took part in comedy sketches
with the hosts.
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THEY'VE SOLD A MILLION
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 1963 - 1965
Each program in
this part-music part-documentary series featured a pop star or group
who had sold a million or more records, including:
30th October 1963
Alan Freeman talking to Gerry and The Pacemakers
15th April 1964
Gordon Williams talking to Freddie and The Dreamers
10th February 1965
Alan Freeman talking to Cilla Black
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TOP OF THE POPS
( BBC 1 ) January
1964 -
see
separate feature page
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OPEN HOUSE
( BBC2 ) 1964
A
Saturday afternoon programme transmitted from the London Riverside
Studios which was a mix of fashion, film, current technology and
music featuring artists such as Adam Faith, The Rolling Stones and
Brian Poole and The Tremeloes.
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MAINLY MILLICENT
( BBC? ) 1964
A song and
dance series starring Millicent Martin which won her the Light Entertainment
Personality of the Year award |
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BEAT THE BORDER
( BORDER ) 1964
Pop television series
presented by Tom Edwards - no other information currently
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NOW HEAR THIS
( ULSTER ) 1964
Pop
television series - no other information currently available
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DAD, YOU'RE A SQUARE
( SOUTHERN )
1964
Hosted
by DJ Barry Langford this was similar to Juke Box Jury but featured
four teenagers giving their views on new releases - three 'hip'
and one 'square'. HIT or MISS cards were held up and, if a record
was voted a 'MISS', a cannonball would slide down a chute and demolish
it. A regular 'square' on the programme was Ken Chaplin who went
on to manage pop group 'The Untamed'. Wendy Richards also appeared
on the programme.
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WHAT'S HAPPENING!
( Station and
transmission date unknown ) 1964
Documentary film
made for television by Albert and David Maysles about The Beatles
U.S. Tour. No other information.
The Beatles at Shea Stadium
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YEAH YEAH YEAH
( Granada )
12th February 1964
Producer:
Dick Fontaine
A
documentary of The Beatles visit to the Big Apple, especially the
hysterical fans at the airport.
AROUND THE BEATLES
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 6th May 1964
Paul
McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Taped before a studio audience Tuesday April 28, 1964. A Beatles
special produced by Jack Good which featured 6 full songs and a
medley of 5 other hits. They also took part in a parody of part
of a Shakespeare play in which Paul played Pyramus, George played
Moonshine, John was Lady Thisbe and Ringo was The Lion. The
Beatles participated In only two of the show's main items their
music set and the interlude section of A Midsummer Nights Dream.
Apart from this John, Paul and George were seen miming a trumpet
fanfare, while Ringo was seen hoisting the title flag and setting
off a cannon ball. The 60 minute production was repeated, in a slightly
edited form, on Monday June 8th (6:08-7:00 pm). Although Around
The Beatles would give the appearance of a live perfomance, they
were miming to a pre-taped soundtrack recorded at the IBC recording
studio In London on Sunday April 19th. The songs were: complete
versions of Twist & Shout, Roll Over Beethoven, I Wanna Be Your
Man, Long Tall Sall and Can't Buy Me Love. They also performed a
medley of the following tunes: Love Me Do, Please Please Me, From
Me To You, She Loves You, and I Want To Hold Your Hand, finishing
with a version of Shout.
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BIG BEAT '64
( ABC Television
) May 1964
Director:
Mark Stuart
This NME poll-winners
concert was televised from the Empire Pool, Wembley, and introduced
by David Jacobs and Jimmy Savile. It featured performances from
The Beatles, Joe Brown and The Bruvvers, The Dave Clark Five, Freddie
and The Dreamers, Gerry and The Pacemakers, The Hollies, Big Dee
Irwin, Kathy Kirby, Billy J.Kramer and The Dakotas, Joe Loss, Manfred
Mann, The Merseybeats, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, Cliff Richard,
The Shadows, The Rolling Stones and The Swinging Blue Jeans.
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STRAMASH
( BBC SCOTLAND
) 1964 - 1965
A weekly pop programme
for Scottish viewers hosted by Christian.
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TOP BEAT
( BBC2 ) 1964
- 1965
A monthly hour-long
pop concert which featured eight or nine top chart groups
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TOP BEAT POP PROM
( BBC2 ) 25th
May 1964
A
special pop concert recorded at The Royal Albert Hall on 27th April
1964. Featured The Rolling Stones performing 'Not Fade Away', 'High
Heel Sneakers' and 'I'm Alright'.
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WORLD IN ACTION
( Granada Television
) May 1964
Not generally known
for its contribution to the world of Pop Music, this was a serious
documentary program on the 'pop
pirates' of Radio Caroline and Radio Atlanta. It included rare
location shots from the port at Greenore, the Atlanta recording
studio and footage of the ships. Session musicians were used to
overdub background music from the recording studio due to objections
from the music regulating authorities.
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BEATLES ON TOUR
( Granada
Television ) 23rd June 1964
Producer:
Dick Fontaine
Another documentary
on The Beatles, introduced by Bill Grundy, looking at their life
on the road.
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THE BEAT ROOM
( BBC2 ) 6th
July 1964 - 1965
Produced by
Barry Langford and hosted by Pat Campbell, the show was originally
billed as '25 minutes non-stop beat and shake' which was later extended
to half an hour. The format was the standard regular guests and
new releases, and the resident dancers were The Beat Girls ( pictured
). It leaned quite heavily towards R&B music and included artists
such as Sonny Boy Williamson, John Lee Hooker, Little Walter, Chris
Farlowe and Long John Baldry.
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BLACKPOOL NIGHT OUT
( ABC Television
) July 19th 1964
A one-off
spectacular Summer season edition of Mike and Bernie Winters' 'Big
Night Out' show featuring special guest stars, The Beatles.
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A DREAM SINGING
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 22nd July 1964
Director:
Robert Fleming
A one-off
special starring Adam Faith and Patsy Ann Noble featuring songs
with the theme of 'dreams'.
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THE ROY ORBISON SHOW
( ATV ) 5th
August 1964
Producer:
Albert Locke
A special
from the legendary Big 'O', with guests Julie Rogers and Daniel
Remy. Also featured the Pamela Davis dancers with musical backing
by the Jack Parnell orchestra.
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THE MAN THEY CALL GENIUS
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 26th August 1964
A special on the
inimitable Ray Charles, recorded on 20th July, with many famous
guests from the world of pop in the studio audience.
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7.10.64
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SHINDIG!
( American ABC
Television ) September 16th 1964
'What's that doing
in here?' I hear you cry. Well… Shindig! ( ABC ) and Hullabaloo
( NBC ) were two Sixties American 'live' pop television shows, Jack
Good-produced, each lasting about eighteen months and showcasing
a lot of British groups. Shindig started as a half hour show but
was increased to an hour in January 1965. Brian Epstein introduced
the acts on a few of the first NBC shows which started in January
1965. On occasion the shows were televised live from London and
the first Shindig! show on September 16th 1964 was actually an episode
of Ready Steady Go! with the titles altered
for the American market. Videos of these classic shows are available
to buy on the internet.
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IT'S BEAT TIME
( BBC2 ) September
/ October 1964
The
Oxfam National Beat Group Competition featured 11 unknown bands
in a contest decided by a panel of judges that included Beatle Ringo
Starr.
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THE KATHY KIRBY SHOW
( BBC1 ) 16th
October 1964
An
18-show series, transmitted on a fortnightly basis, made Kathy one
of the highest-paid TV performers of the time at £1000 a show.
Produced by Ernest Maxim, musical backing
for the girl with glossy lips was
by the Eric Robinson orchestra and the George Mitchell Singers.
The
first four shows of the series were recorded and the remainder transmitted
live.
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THE GLAD RAG BALL
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 25th November 1964
A
charity fancy dress event recorded at the Empire Pool, Wembley,
on 20th November and introduced by Jimmy Savile and Anne Nightingale.
Acts included The Animals, Long John Baldry, Susan Maughan and The
Rolling Stones.
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THE POP SPOT
( ABC Television
) 1964
Director: Geoff
Ramsey
Producer: Mark Stuart
A series where top
recording stars sang their own particular favourites from their
hit songs.
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JAZZ 625
( BBC2 ) 1964
- 1966
Producer:
Terry Henebery
Introduced
by Steve Race ( later, Humphrey Lyttelton ) each program featured
a particular aspect of Jazz, starring such artists as Dizzy Gillespie,
Duke Ellington, Henry 'Red' Allen, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck,
Errol Garner, Woody Herman, Tubby Hayes and Chris Barber. The title,
of course, related to the fact that BBC2 was broadcasting on 625
lines, producing a much improved picture quality.
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WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN' GOIN'
ON
( Granada Television
) 30th September 1964
Director: Philip
Casson
Producer: John Hamp
Jerry Lee Lewis
gave an unrehearsed performance in Granada's Studio 6, with The
Animals and Gene Vincent. Apparently, the audience were so hyped-up
by Jerry Lee that the camera crews had to fight to get any footage
at all.
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THE GIRLS IN MY LIFE
( Associated
Rediffusion ) 18th November 1964
Director: Robert
Fleming
Adam Faith, interviewed
by Ronan O'Casy, looked back at the girls in his life through conversation
and song.
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CALL IN ON . . .
( ATV ) 1964
- 1965
This was a collection
of series and 'specials' under a general heading featuring a top
singer as the main artist with weekly or specially invited guest
stars. The artists featured included:
CALL IN
ON CARROLL - Ronnie Carroll series
(Ronnie pictured
)
CALL IN
ON TOM - Tom Jones special
CALL IN
ON VALENTINE - Dickie Valentine series
CALL IN
ON WYNTER - Mark Wynter series
This led to a 1965
spin-off series for Ronnie Carroll with the tongue-in-cheek title
of
CARROLL CALLING
( ATV ) 1965
Producer: Albert
Locke
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THE BILLY FURY SHOW
( ATV ) 1964
A series produced
by Colin Clews for Billy, the rock'n'roller turned ballad king,
who never achieved the chart topping success his talent deserved.
Supported by Jack Parnell's orchestra and the Ross Taylor Dancers.
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LUCKY STARS SUMMER SPIN
( ABC Television
) 1964
In addition to the
Winter scheduling, a Summer season version of 'Thank Your Lucky
Stars' was introduced in 1964 from the Teddington Studios which
kept more or less to the same format and featured Billy Fury as
a regular guest performer ( I have a fab video copy of him singing
'Ain't nothing shakin' but the leaves on the trees').
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LUCKY STARS 'SPECIAL'
( ABC Television
) 5th December 1964
A special edition
of the programme recorded on 29th November which featured The Rolling
Stones performing 'Around and Around', 'Little Red Rooster', 'Off
The Hook' and 'Empty Heart'.
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LINE-UP
( BBC2 ) 1964
- 1972
This
began as a 10 minute prologue to the evening's viewing but by the
end of its first year had been extended and placed at the end of
the evening schedule as a live late night arts discussion programme
in its own right and re-named Late Night Line-Up. The show
ran for six or seven nights a week, a total of over 3000 shows,
with its own music slot, dealing mainly with folk, jazz and progressive
rock and is noted here for being the parent program of Colour
Me Pop (see 1968). Presenters included Joan Bakewell, Dennis
Tuohy, John Stone, Michael Dean, Nicholas Tresilian, Sheridan Morley
and Tony Bilbow.
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