Author: DOuG pRATt

Beatific Beat

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Movies/Wordpress/JAN07/TheSingingNun.flv 320 240]

One more song in French! The most famous and successful French language song in America wasn’t French. It was Belgian. The Singing Nun’s Dominique was #1 when JFK was assassinated.

The short video above has the real Singing Nun, from the Ed Sullivan show one month before The Beatles made their first appearance. Jeanine Deckers of Belgium took the name “Soeur Sourire” when she took her vows. Here’s the song, then the lyrics.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/Dominique.mp3]

Dominique, oh Dominique
Over the land he plods along
Never looking for reward
He just talks about the Lord,
he just talks about the Lord,
he just talks about the Lord

At a time when John Lackland
Over England was the king
Dominic was in the backland
Fighting sin like anything

Now a heretic one day
Among the thorn forced him to crawl
Dominic with just one prayer
Made him hear the good Lord’s call

Without horses or fancy wagon
He crossed Europe up and down
Poverty was his companion
As he walked from town to town

To bring back the straying liars
And the lost sheep to the fold
He brought forth the Preaching Friars
Heaven’s soldiers brave and bold

One day in the budding Order
There was nothing left to eat
Suddenly two angels walked in
With a load of bread and meat

Dominic once in his slumber
Saw the Virgin coat unfurled
Over Friars without number
Preaching all around the world

Grant us now oh Dominic
The grace of love and simple mirth
That we all may help to quicken
Godly love and truth on earth

In 1966, Debbie Reynolds starred in the movie “The Singing Nun.” The lyrics were in English and had not much to do with the actual song. This recreation of Ed Sullivan presenting “Sister Ann” is at least semi-factual.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JAN07/SingingNun.flv 320 138]

Hmm. How about a TV show where the nun does something crazy — I dunno, how about flying? — instead of singing?

Anni-Frid Benny Björn Agnetha

How did you like France Gall? If you haven’t watched her yet, go back! Go back! OK, you’ve seen her? That was the winning entry in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest.

Now let’s see who won in 1974. There. That’s more like it. Talent!

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Movies/Wordpress/JAN07/ABBAWaterloo.flv 400 300]

Edit: I neglected to include the original studio recording of the song, because I’d misplaced the CD. But here it be. As you would expect, this was a huge hit in Waterloo, Belgium, according to a friend who attended school there at the time.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/Waterloo.mp3]

French Gaul

Hi, again. Oh? You really liked that video with Petula Clark singing in French? Hey, great!

But now what? You want more singing in French? And it has to be from France? And you even want somebody who is actually named France?? This is getting ridiculous! But let me look.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Movies/Wordpress/JAN07/francegall.flv 400 300]

Hmm … How about France Gall? She won the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest with ”Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son” (“Wax Doll, Sawdust Doll” — or, as some suggest, Wax Doll, Singing Doll”. Or you could go with my favorite, Google’s toolbar translation — “Headstock of Wax, Headstock of Sound”!).

France had a great face for singing. She seemed very pleased with herself that she got all the way through the song without flubbing it.

Wet Pet

Hi! What? Oh, you want more Petula Clark? Sure! We love Petula Clark.

But … but you want WHAT? Pet singing her 1961 song “Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea)”? A video of her singing it? In FRENCH?? AND her original English single, too? Sheesh, you’re asking a lot, you know that?
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Movies/Wordpress/JAN07/Sailor.flv 320 240]

OK! All right! Here. Anything to make you happy.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/Sailor.mp3]

Pet Sounds

The mystery girl from the previous post is the lovely and talented Petula Clark! The movie clip with Pet at age 12 is from “I Know Where I’m Going!” Having been well-known in England and France for many years, Petula was 32 when she hit it big in America in 1965.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Movies/Wordpress/JAN07/Downtown.flv 400 300]

The audio player has the studio recording of “Downtown” and, from 1968, Petula’s superb tear-jerker, “Kiss Me Goodbye.”

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/Downtown.mp3,http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/KissMeGoodbye.mp3]

Morty Gunty – 3

funnycompany.gifThe Morty Gunty Show, WOR-TV, Channel 9, NYC

  • Monday, September 28, 1963 — Premiered as the “The Funny Company”
  • Monday, June 1, 1964 — Renamed “The Morty Gunty Show”
  • Friday, January 1, 1965 — Cancelled

Source: TV Party.com

New York TV had a lot of great kid shows. My favorite hosts were Soupy Sales, Chuck McCann and Morty Gunty. Sandy Becker was also great, and who could forget Sonny Fox’s show, Wonderama?

For some reason I particularly enjoyed watching Morty Gunty, who came on the air when I was only 8 years old. Gunty clowned around like Sales and McCann, but in a different way. I agree with the opinion on the TV Party.com link that Gunty didn’t seem to want to be a TV kid show host. And I guess maybe I liked that.

Towards the end of 1964 Morty offered free, autographed pictures of himself. Wow! Without delay I wrote a letter to the station, asking for my free autographed photo of Morty Gunty. And a week or two later it came!

The photo was on the front of an oversized postcard. That was fine with me. It was printed in blue ink, and that was all right, too. But the autograph was obviously only part of the printing process, and that wasn’t all right. I had expected Morty would sign his photo personally!

So I wrote back, expressing my disappointment. Keep in mind that I was all of 9 years old. I don’t remember exactly what I wrote, but I’m pretty sure I was nice about it. I was a huge Morty Gunty fan, and I was desperate for his autograph, so being nice about it was the only way to be.

Some weeks later, on a Friday, at the end of his show, Morty sat in front of the TV camera, looking rather quiet and somber. He said he wanted to read a letter he had received. It took only a few moments to realize it was my letter! I sat stunned, listening to my own words being read out loud by my idol, right on TV!

Then I sprang into action and ran to the stairs to call for my twin sister Jean to come downstairs. I remember yelling for her to hurry. When I got back to the TV I knew immediately that it was a bad idea to have left the set, because Morty had already finished reading my letter, and I had missed some of what he said. I don’t know if he gave my name over the air.

The gist of what I caught was Morty Gunty explaining that my letter had caused some trouble, and that day’s show would be his last. And it was. The Morty Gunty Show was gone forever from New York TV.

I don’t know where the postcard is. I’m pretty sure I kept it and didn’t return it with the letter, but I can’t find it amongst any of my childhood keepsakes.

After a few years, as I began to grow up, I wondered what had happened. Had I really been the cause of Morty Gunty losing his show, and being fired from WOR-TV? Then, after our family moved to Massachusetts, Morty confirmed that yes indeed, it had been my fault.

The story concludes in Part 4.