The sure-fire winner and the summer replacement turkey could well describe
two late 1970's productions Julie on Sesame Street and Bonkers Smith and Hemion had just finished shooting Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments in
Studio C before immediately moving into studio D for Julie's Sesame Street Special..Next door in D, we were preparing
for Julie and a return (this time in force) of Jim Henson's Muppets.
During the Sesame Street shoot, Perry brought
his grand children up to the control rooms, and his cool easy going manner disguised the fact that he also knew control rooms
backwards. The finished show was an obvious winner and it was decided to enter it for the American TV Awards that year. Barbra
Streisand's Special was also entered and secretly, I thought it would beat us. Neither got to the finishing post, it was
won by a cool, easy going singer who hosted THE PERRY COMO SHOW.
Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme did two Specials highlighting the music of George Gershwin and Cole
Porter. The Gershwin starred Gene Kelly. One segment was shot in Paris and the concert spot featured a sixty piece orchestra
playing live to accompany Steve & Eydie's terrific Gershwin medley which, I gather, was the mainstay of their Vegas
act. I have this show on VHS, one of my musical favourites.
The Cole Porter follow-up starred Ethel Merman and Bob
Hope. The concert spot was similar to the Gershwin but the music was pre-recorded and although Steve & Eydie still sung
live it lacked ‘buzz'. Eydie mysteriously lost her voice just before the Cole Porter medley to be performed with
Ethel Merman in a clever mock-up of the Dale Carnegie library set thanks to Designer Brian Holgate. Eydie was reluctant to
perform but to avoid shoot time loss; she was persuaded to mime her portion of the medley (some eighteen minutes long) Ethel
went along with this, singing her bits at normal level. Later that week, Eydie (now just as mysteriously recovered) came into
the dubbing suite where we had erected a television monitor for her to watch the medley while she actually sang the mimed
parts. To our astonishment, she did the entire medley in one take.
The Muppet season took long summer breaks when all the
operators went home to their California pads. Enter the Summer Replacement Show. The American networks had holes to fill and
wanted them filled cheaply. No big names, no big writers, just footage. BONKERS was one of the shows that filled this slot
and it looked like being a turkey long before Christmas came around. Our odd-ball friend JACK BURNS played the part of the
producer of the show. He didn't have a UK acting license so he wore a ‘Lone Ranger' type face mask to avoid
recognition! The whole show was crazy. At one point, a volcano used as a backdrop to a production number caught fire. Security
rushed on to quell the small blaze while Jack pushed them off, saying ‘don't worry we're heavily insured'
this was all ad lib and kept in the show.Muppet director PETER HARRIS kept Jack on a tight rein.
American producer Tom
Battista (who we secretly thought was definitely Mafia) devised a series of sketches for THE HUDSON BROTHERS to re-enact the
Ritz Brother routines. These sketches were heavily laden with sound effects and Tom showed us he knew his onions in that field.
Apart from being professional comedians, the Hudson Brothers were also a rock group and they did a series of Concert Spots
with an audience. Having brought their backing band over from the US (Tom arranged cheap fares) we had a ball recording the
Hudson's with their band.
BOB MONKHOUSE was the British contingent. The Hudson's kept calling him ‘monkey'.
Bob would scream don't call me monkey and somewhere in his written ravings he would mention the word ball; at this point
a wrecking ball swung in and knocked him flying. All written, of course. But, on the final rehearsal of the last show he did an ad lib routine discussing house demolishing and
the machinery required to achieve this without once mentioning wreck or ball. The Hudson's loved it, and him. Bob told me he enjoyed this series more than
any game show he hosted. Our ‘turkey' was turning into a gourmet meal.
Bill Hudson was married (then) to Goldie Hawn.
She was around most of the time holding her cute, beautiful little baby who later turned into a cute, beautiful big baby called
Kate Hudson - now, as big a star as her mum. Mark Hudson fell for one of the dancers (Wendy) and they got married back in
Hollywood. The very handsome Brett Hudson largely kept himself to himself concentrating on his guitar (that's his story
and he's sticking to it!)
The heyday of ATV's productions was not entirely devoted to the US market. HMS Pinafore
was a particular highlight. With a fifty piece orchestra the entire Doyle Carte Company pre-recorded the musical items in
Studio C. Later that week, the set was constructed and the artistes performed the perennial favourite miming the tracks and
performing the dialogue live with impeccable perfection. From a sound perspective, the transition from mimed song to spoken
dialogue was perfect. An audience of staunch Gilbert & Sullivan devotees ensured a happy production.
On the music record session,
a new recruit joined the crew, one Roger Banks (see Peter Pan). Roger watched the recording through the sound control window,
conducting and singing along with the lyrics. Hello- hello, I thought, we've got an odd one here. I wasn't wrong.
The ATV HMS PINAFORE is available commercially on VHS and DVD
Charlie
Drake came to ATV from the Beeb in a series called ‘Who Is Sylvia' directed by Shaun O'Riordan. During camera
rehearsal Charlie sat in a director's chair with a telephone to both Shaun in the gallery and to me in sound control.
As the show was being rehearsed (with a Charlie Drake double) he would give directorial tips to Shaun and often telephone
me requesting a sound effect, or similar. ‘I think a clap of thunder would be appropriate here Edward?' (Often he
would say ‘ere Hedward' whether in jest, or not, I never figured out). Charlie always called me Edward, and everybody
always called him Charles.
Many years later, totally out of the blue, he crept into sound control while we were doing a Muppet Show.
Apparently, his budgerigar had ceased conversing and Charlie wanted a budgie talking sound track to try and ‘gee'
his little birdie up. Still keeping the talent happy we naturally obliged
Reg Varney played a mean piano and that facet of his talent was, to him, more important than the comedic
angle. After the outside rehearsal, which all the crew heads attended, Reg would corner me and play his two musical items
on the old rehearsal room piano, often hitting the wooden bit at the end of the high notes in his enthusiasm. Reg had a perennial
smile and a charming manner. Apparently, he is also a very fine artist
Another keen pianist, also more concerned with his musical performance was Dudley Moore. During the ATV
Pete n'Dud series his concern over the mixing of his group was paramount. Dudley was a very fine musician and had not
a Hollywood career beckoned, his musical talent could easily have propelled him into the book of jazz greats, if not already
there. Check out his album ‘A GENUINE DUD' (great title).
Russ Conway
appeared on many ATV shows at Wood Green Empire and Elstree studios. His repertoire appeared to consist of half dozen items
usually of ragtime nature. He was extremely popular with the audience. I recollect Russ being very nervous, literally shaking
in the wings before emerging on stage to give a flawless performance. Russ was another performer with a winning smile.
Obviously Liberace had quite an influence on pianists. Although on reflection,
I don't remember Dave Brubeck smiling too much on his Sunday Night at the London Palladium appearance. But, I do remember
taking great care to describe the exact placing of the drum microphones to the superb drummer Joe Morello, who was virtually
blind. Apart from Buddy Rich, Joe is my absolute favourite drummer.
Petula Clark starred in a superb drama/music Special called TRACES OF LOVE.
with Paul Jones, David Kernan and the Norman Maen Dancers. Directed by Jon Scoffield, TRACES was shot in several very long
sequences almost always in one take. Superb lighting by Jimmy Boyers allowed booms to roam at will without degrading his plot.
Roy Simper's camera crew were, as always, impeccable. Make-up-wise, I don't think Petula has ever looked better thanks
to Mary Southgate. Pet's musical director Kenny Clayton, arranged all the music and conducted the Jack Parnell Orchestra
and Richard Plumb's set designs were brilliant.
My listing
the crew in detail points the choice
of this show as my favourite UK program and my favourite Jon (classy at all times) Scoffield production. I have an off-air
copy (1975) still fresh and entertaining apart from the corny commercials in the breaks.Some ten years later, I had lunch
with a director at Limehouse Television in Canary Wharf. Alma Cullen joined us and at one point I reminded her of Traces of
Love (which she had written). She surprised me by stating that the interpretation of the show (by Jon Scoffield) was, in her
opinion, appalling. I think I put her clean off her lunch?
After the Muppet
Shows finished in 1981, we did a series called STARBURST directed by David C. Hillier (now living in Florida). The stars were
always of the highest quality. I recollect a young Michael Barrymore fresh over from Australia doing his comedy routine whilst
standing on his head (a challenge for the boom operator). On one show, I was called in the following day because Rita Coolidge
was unhappy with the band sound and wanted it remixed. We got the multi-track out and she listened to every track and requested
I drop the brass, the reeds and most of the strings. It seemed a bit empty to me, but she left delighted. Always keep the
talent happy
During 1982 the amount of productions was
beginning to drop off. The writing was on the wall. Elstree ATV Studios were doomed to extinction. It had been ordained ‘from
them above' that a television production company had to reside in the area it served. At a celebratory lunch in the ITCA
building for the successful first year world sales of The Muppet Show, I was introduced to a certain ‘Lady X' who
on being told my job remarked‘Oh how
fascinating, do you make those ‘clippity cloppity' sounds with coconut shells?' Great minds such as that compelled
nearly a thousand people to relocate to Nottingham where a new studio was being built.
We were all given the option to relocate,
all expenses paid. I well remember one gentleman having quite a fight to claim for the removal of several dozen garden gnomes
in their exact environ from his emporium in Boreham Wood to his new abode in Nottingham.Having gone through the ATV years
from my perspective (and a much potted version it is) it occurs to me that I have ignored so many productions. From the three
outside broadcast and four studio crews operating at Elstree I have concentrated on only one, crew 4. The other crews could
write up their experiences and fill these pages probably four times over. Even considering crew 4's output,
I haven't touched on GEORGE AND THE DRAGON with the hilarious pairing
of Sid James and Peggy Mount, the booms operators dream team. Arms dealer HINE played by Barrie Ingham had the boom operators
nightmare, a quiet actor in the back of shot with a very loud actor foreground. Barrie was appearing nightly at The Old Vic
in two different Shakespeare roles aside from his Hine weekly turn round drama series. He never fluffed his lines and always
appeared to be calmly reading a newspaper in outside rehearsal.
I also missed out
the great fun we had on the TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD Special recorded in the sixties. Jack Burns wrote THE SANDY DUNCAN Special
starring Gene Kelly - their chemistry was dynamic - I would love to see it now. The ANN-MARGRET Special. The six TOM JONES
SHOWS I was lucky enough to sound direct while Bill Nuttall was having a vacation. (After Enge, Tom was a walk in the park!)
The spoof spy game-show MASTERSPY series starring William Franklyn was devised
and written by Ronnie Taylor. A chapter should have been devoted to the NORMAN WISDOM sit-coms and Leslie Crowther's hit
multi-series MY GOOD WOMAN again both written by Ronnie Taylor who also devised and wrote an innovative drama series starring
CILLA BLACK with six episodes of different stories in the same set. Ronnie's last series was A SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH
featuring David Jason.
There was also the SANDLER & YOUNG
series Two funny Canadians not known here but mega in Canada. The RED SKELTON Show probably not seen in the UK, laden as it
was, with American gags. The classic British series THRILLER ran for years while one-off dramas and a cacophony of ad mags,
soaps and children's programmes poured out of the studio with almost monotonous regularity - but it all came to an untimely
end.
Prior to closure, a massive party was organized
in Studio C. Jack Parnell's Orchestra played on stage while a variety of people gave speeches lamenting the demise of
ATV Lester. The wine and cheese flowed until BILL WARD the ultimate (and fearful) ATV studio boss gave a moving speech that
virtually brought the house down. I would later work with Bill in Israel on an Easter Special (see the Freelance life).
