From rarely-seen 1983 Joan Collins movie, "Nutcracker", here's a strange disco/ballet hybrid, featuring Cherry, Patti and Anita.
You can also play spot-the-british-actor while you watch, too: I got William Franklyn, Leslie Ash, the great Murray Melvin, and Joan herself of course. Can anyone identify the other dancers? Thanks once again to PattiforPM (who spotted Paul Nicholas), for sending this clip.
Why am I posting this Top of the Pops appearance by (seventies comedy giants) The Goodies? The clip, from the 10th of April 1975 episode, is actually a repeat from two weeks before: but in an attempt to integrate it into this week's show, the producers have cut in various clips of the presenter (Emperor Roscoe) audience (including, strangely the Goodies themselves in cartoon Ecky Thump flat caps) and... Pan's People, mucking about on the set of their own performance for that show (Swing Your Daddy).
Blink and you'll miss them at 2:06, then a whole six seconds at 2:23, then another two scant moments at 2:36 and 2:40.
With her priceless monkey faces, Cherry clearly missed her calling as a gibbon impressionist.
I've posted an inferior quality version of this clip on the blog already, but since that video is hosted on flakey old videobam, I thought I'd post this improved version, captured from this week's TOTP repeat.
I'd assumed the murky dark lighting was a function of the quality of the original clip, but it's just as dark on this version. What's going on? I can only assume they've kept the lighting low in order to show that the paper "lanterns"* are lit from inside. But if the lanterns are so important, What about the one with the obvious tear? The whole routine's shot from a single camera postion (well, tracking in and out a little), it could easily have been hung at a different angle. I dunno.
*Looking a lot like cheapo habitat paper & wire lampshades to me.
Suefan has kindly sent me a clip of Legs & Co.'s performance dancing to Kool & the Gang's Jones Versus Jones: it's much higher quality (and more complete) than the one I previously posted. Many thanks.
But wait: before I get a thousand messages asking if that's really Johnny Depp, I must assure you all that it's not: although Patti with that little moustache does spookily resemble him, doesn't she?
Over on the discussion forum, Floid Fan pointed out that this rare early routine (from Ruby Flipper's first week on TOTP was missing from the blog. So here it is! Thanks to our friends on panspeople.com who tracked this routine down (at Ryan's instigation) and Floid Fan for bringing it to my attention.
Download from mediafire (11.4 MB)
Here's Pan's People making a guest appearance on Morecambe & Wise's 1975 Christmas Special. They're dancing with the boys while Brenda Arnau sings Big Spender.
In a style M & W often used, the routine starts as an apparently straight music number, focusing on the singer: only after two minutes have passed, about halfway throiugh the performance, do the boys appear, dressed as sleazy showgirls a la Sweet Charity, amongst Pan's People. Since the boys are the stars, obviously the camera stays on them: unfortunately as the routine is mimicking the Sweet Charity all-in-a-line choreography, that means we barely get to see Sue and Cherry at the ends of the line: only Ruth and Mary, right next to M & W, get much camera time.
Watch this clip on youtube | youtube (shorter) | Download from Mediafire (36 MB)
Thanks to Andeebee for the YouTube post.
Forum regular Suefan sent me a copy of this routine, and I posted it ages ago: but that was from a TOTP2 rebroadcast, with all those smart-alec remarks plastered over the bottom half of the routine. Still, I was and am happy to get it. But unsatisfied, he continued his search, and has succeeded in tracking down this unspoiled version. Hooray!
Thanks again to Suefan for taking the time and trouble to find and send this.
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