• 180

    17th March 2019 / 0 Comments

    Saturday 5 January 1963

    Panel: Alan Freeman, Spike Milligan, Anne Shelton, Eric Sykes

    Producer: Neville Wortman

    Records played:
    Dance The Bossa Nova – Frankie Avalon (Pye) HIT
    Don’t You Ever Change Your Mind – Patsy Ann Noble (Columbia) HIT
    Diamonds – Jet Harris & Tony Meehan (Decca) HIT
    All Alone Am I – Brenda Lee (Brunswick) HIT
    It’s Up To You – Rick Nelson (London) MISS
    Some Kinda Fun – Chris Montez (London) HIT
    Bossa Nova USA – Dave Brubeck (CBS) MISS
    Little Town Flirt – Del Shannon (London) HIT
    I Will Follow Him – Petula Clark (Pye) HIT

    Dick James was told Please Please Me would be reviewed on this show

    For the first time, Eric Sykes wore a hearing aid on television. He felt he needed it to hear the records properly. Several papers commented on his hearing loss.

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  • 211

    17th March 2019 / 0 Comments

    Saturday 17 August 1963, 6-6.35pm

    Panel: Pat Boone, Polly Elwes, Carol Ann Ford, Vic Lewis

    Producer: Richard Evans

    Records played:
    Martian Hop – Ran-Dells (London) HIT
    Two Silhouettes – Del Shannon (London) MISS
    Don’t Do Me Any Favours – Rose Brennan (Philips) MISS
    Your Baby’s Gone Surfin’ – Duane Eddy (RCA) HIT
    Searchin’ – Hollies (Parlophone) MISS (all four)
    It’s Over – Mike Stephen (Decca) HIT
    Look At Him – Connie Francis (MGM) MISS
    A Little Like Lovin’ – Cascades (RCA) HIT
    I’m Wondering – Statesmen (Decca) MISS
    My Baby Loves To Dance – Chris Montez (London) HIT
    Dum Dum Dee Dum – Johnny Cymbal (London) HIT

    Drownin’ My Sorrows was Connie Francis A-side in US.

    Norman Jopling wrote a piece about the Hollies, A Hit Despite JBJ, for Record Mirror
    Pat Boone urged fans to buy the original by the Coasters. (He should talk!)

    On Lucky Stars, Chubby Checker twisted up a storm.
    NME, 23 August 1963

    Around this time, there was a summer series on Grampian, Dad, You’re A Square

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  • 164

    16th March 2019 / 0 Comments

    Saturday 15 September 1962

    Panel: Rupert Davies, Dion, Fenella Fielding, Jane Asher

    Producer: Neville Wortman

    Records played:
    Point Of No Return – Gene McDaniels (Liberty) HIT
    There Is No Greater Love – Wanderers (MGM) MISS
    Chattanooga Choo Choo – Xavier Cugat (Mercury) HIT
    House To Let – Eden Kane (Decca) HIT
    A Forever Kind Of Love – Bobby Vee (Liberty) HIT
    Let’s Dance – Chris Montez (London) HIT
    Ramblin’ Rose – Nat ‘King’ Cole (Capitol) HIT
    Don’t You Believe It – Andy Williams (CBS) HIT
    Venus In Blue Jeans – Mark Wynter (Pye) HIT

    Producer Neville Wortman: “I used to see the guests first to make sure that they had an interest in music per se. If they didn’t, there was no point in having them on the panel at all. I remember Rupert Davies brought a different slant on it. We were always trying to cater for the largest possible audience and not just a teenage audience. The audience for Thank Your Lucky Stars was mostly teenagers. The BBC has mostly broadcast programmes for the family.”

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