Here's another return to a Pan's People clip that I posted in the early days of this blog, before I'd got the hang of embedding playable video. This routine from 1972 is danced to The O'Jays' Back Stabbers.
Update 24 Feb 2014: Embedded clip replaced: thanks to Andeebee for the YouTube post.
Watch this clip on mobypicture | youtube | Download from Rapidshare (22.2 MB)
Here's a rare and strange clip: Legs & Co. appearing at the 1979 British Rock & Pop Awards, dancing to a medley of hits from 1978. But what's going on? There are three separate sections, with three sets of costumes, and they're fairly obviouslly designed for a quick on-the-fly change: the basic colour-coded one piece outfits stay the same throughout, with accessories added (first the tied-on skirts, then the big overcoats and spangly bowler hats, and finally the sparkling tops). So why then is there an obvious video edit at each costume change? Did the quick changes not really work properly? Whatever the reason, the edits do weaken the whole live-on-stage performance feel. I couldn't swear to it, but I'm pretty sure that these sorts of event weren't usually broadcast live on the night back then: more likely would be an edited hoighlights show on the next evening.
The records featured in the medley are: Rod Stewart's "D'Ya Think I'm Sexy?", The Bee Gees' "Night Fever", Brian & Michael's "Matchstalk Men" and "You're the One That I Want" from the Grease Soundtrack. The less said about the choreography to the third number the better: except that I doubt anyone else could do better, giving the awefulness of the material.
I would guess that Flick (I'm assuming the choreography is hers) didn't have any say in the camera positions, moves & angles, or even any knowledge of them beforehand: so she's had to choreography the performance towards the audience in the room, rather than to the cameras. This, combined with the music being a live studio band arrangement of the music, rather than the hit records themselves, gives the whole performance a light-entertainment, ITV, Brian Rogers/Dougie Squires "feel". Even Davis "Kid" Jensen has been made to wear a tie. Aesthetically unsatisfying, but a fascinating piece of history nonetheless.
Thanks once again to pattiforPM for this clip.
Cringe Alert: the following video clip is a historical document from the nineteen seventies: back then although "blacking-up" was on the way out, Old school comedians like Benny Hill were still happy with that kind of racial-stereotype "humour". If you don't want to be offended, look away.
Here's a Benny Hill Show parody of Hot Gossip, complete with a Kenny Everett-style "naughty bits" introduction from Henry McGee. Featuring Benny's usual cast of beautiful Girls (Pauline Crawford, Louise English, Nola Haynes, Abigail Higgins, Sue Upton, Francesca Whitburn and Sarah Woollett) Benny and Jackie Wright in some seriously dodgy make-up. And Jackie's stereotypicall "afro" fright wig seems calculated to offend.
Benny's chosen the obvious piece of music to dance to here: his studio orchestra's version of Supernature, since Cerrone's original was already associated with Kenny Everett's Show and Hot Gossip in the public's mind.
This routine seems an obvious precursor to the Hill ANgels routines that later became a regular feature of Benny's shows.
Here's another Hot Gossip performabce from their 1986 return to Kenny Everett's TV show. Music here is their own version of janet Jackson's Control.
Watch on mobypicture | telly.com | Download from Mediafire (43.1 MB)
Thanks again to PattiforPM, who sent me this clip of Ruby Flipper from Lena Martell's show, dancing to her singing Neil Diamond's Beautiful Noise. Lots of literal choreography here...
Watch on mobypicture | telly.com | Download from Mediafire (23 MB)
Legs & Co dancing to David "Hutch" Soul's Don't Give Up on Us: January 6th 1977.
Upgrade: I've already posted this routine, in a clip taken from a grainy VHS recording of a UK Gold TOTP repeat. Here's a much clearer version, from BBC 4's ongoing series of TOTP reruns.
Here's Heart-Throb, Teri Scoble's dance group from Marc Bolan's 1977 ITV series Marc, dancing to his Celebrate Summer. With more of that analog bluescreen video compositing that made the seventies groovy.
Posted by special request for Jez.
Here's another performance from Legs & Co dancing to Stars on 45 Vol. 2, built around massacring Abba songs. Once again they're dancing behind the show's end credits, this time with some lucky audience blokes joining in (including one in full evening dress).
I'm afraid I've lost track of which kind person sent me this clip. If you're out there, please let me know who your are, so that I can credit you properly.
Watch this on mobypicture | telly.com | Download from Mediafire (24.8 MB)
My thanks once again go to PattiforPM, who has sent me another Ruby Flipper clip from Lena Martell's TV show.
In this clip, Lena sings Joe South's Country classic Games People Play, while the Flipsters dance dressed as arguing petulant kids.
Watch this on mobypicture | telly.com | Download from Mediafire (30.3 MB)
Here's a short collage of Flick Colby performances on the BBC's Review of the Year 2011. Also featuring the Sainted Sir Jimbo. Music? The Weavers Answer by Family is the consensus on the discussion board.
Thanks to the good folks at PansPeople.Com who were on the ball enough to catch this, and Katy Miss Queenie who brought it to my attention.
There are two reasons to consider the early eighties as the nadir of Top of the Pops: one is the mushrooming of souless cut-and-paste medley records: occasionally by original artists, but more often as here, by Tin Pan Alley Zombies like Enigma. The other, of course, is the slow sidelining, and eventual disappearance, of dancers Legs & Co. Here they are, in one of their too-often front-of-the-audience appearances.
Watch this on videobam | youtube | Download from Mediafire (29.1 MB)
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