Back in the day, the highlight of Sunday night viewing was Sunday Night at the London Palladium. A variety show, it ran for many years and even today there is a version hosted by Bradley Walsh.
Watching the earlier editions it is amazing just how abysmal they now seem. Compere Tommy Trinder was even less funny then than today's crop of comedians are now which is saying something!
However, every so often there was a gem and, in 1958, courtesy of the Talking Pictures TV channel, one of those memorable nights was resurrected with four wonderful songs by Sarah Vaughan.
After, with no disrespect to the Cherokee nation, the worst singer I have ever heard - Marvin Rainwater - we had an American "comedian" called Dick Shawn, puppets Pinky and Perky and a stupid game show ... I opened another can.
Then, suddenly, it all happened!
Enter the Divine Miss Sarah Vaughan ...
Sassy looked great and sounded terrific. No vocal excesses, just pure jazz inflected renditions of four songs. If This Isn't Love; Poor Beautiful; They All Laughed and I'll Never Smile Again - all complete with verse.
Magic! I don't know who's on next week but, even it's Ella, they are on a hiding to nothing!*
Lance
*I may eat my words! Next week it's Bobby Darin and ex Goodman/Harry James singer Art Lund!
1 comment :
Much of television was terrible way back when, little has changed! The one exception, no make that two exceptions, on this dismal variety show were the Divine Sarah making her British television debut and the Teletubbies of their time, Pinky and Perky!
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