Happy Birthday, Petula Clark!
Petula says she’ll continue to work and perform as long as there’s an audience. Judging from this appearance in France a few months ago, she still has an audience.
It was 40 years ago, on Petula’s birthday, that BBC One TV broadcast its first programme in colour. BBC Two had been transmitting in colour for some months. The first colour show on BBC One was, “An Evening With Petula.”
If you’re of a certain age, the Monkees were once a very big deal. For two-and-a-half years I’d loved the Beatles, and “Revolver” had just been released. I was amazed by their progression, but I still loved light Pop music, and I thought the Monkees were great.
Way back in January, the Smithsonian Channel showed “Making the Monkees,” about the fascinating birth, brief life, and demise of the Pre-Fab Four, the all-time greatest manufactured Pop music entity. Here are five minutes from the documentary, focusing on the conflict between the group — especially Mike Nesmith, not so much Davy — and music supervisor Don Kirshner.
Mike’s interview is over ten years old, but the others were interviewed more recently. All of them, after these many years, still speak with anger and bitterness over what happened. Everybody was right, and everybody was wrong, but Kirshner comes across as a fool, for thinking that any four guys could have done what the Monkees did.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2009/NOV/Monkees.flv 512 384]
I had told Prudence Bury-Fuchs a while ago that she should be prepared to sign autographs at the Beatles Weekend in France. Prue thanked me for the thought, but she sincerely doubted that anybody would ask her!
Hi Doug,
You were right, I did not stop signing autographs. People were “thrilled” to meet me!!! So it was most enjoyable. You will have to organise a “Beatles Weekend” across the pond!
Of course I was right! Who wouldn’t be thrilled to meet her? In flawless French, Prue had no trouble charming the audience.
Prue must be the last person with a legitimate connection to the Beatles to make a first appearance at a fan event. I don’t have experience organizing shows, but now that Prue has come out of hiding from Beatles fandom, it is indeed time for her to make an appearance stateside, as well as in her native England, of course.
This is Prue with a gent named Yvon…
…and here she is with a fan named Jean-Claude. You lucky guys!
By now, the Beatles Weekend in Ouistreham, Normany, with Prue Bury as a guest of honor, must be winding down. I hope somebody has been taking pictures. I would love to get hold of some.
I found thumbnails of other photos with Prue and Pattie from “A Hard Day’s Night,” seen nowhere else, that apparently are sealed in the Disney Vault.
I found this “Hard Day’s Night” dress on the Beatles Web site, which looks as though it were made for Prue:
![](http://www.dograt.com/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/bea45757.jpg "\")
When I pointed it out to her, Prue replied…
“That is a great dress!! Can’t think why I haven’t got one!!”
I’m in the middle of helping Prue with a Christmas project she has in the works, by trying to secure performance rights for songs that aren’t in the Public Domain. So far I’ve found only limited success, but I’m hoping for better results this week. I would like to thank Mr. Lawrence S. Kartiganer for his help. He is a Hollywood attorney in the great and grand tradition, and a true gentleman. If there were more like him the world would be a better place.
The Beatles, June 22 or 23, 1961
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/NOV/AintSheSweet.mp3]The Beach Boys, September 15, 1961
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/NOV/Surfin.mp3]I should take more time off from the blog. October has been the third busiest month this year for hits!
While I was away, to my utter amazement, lo and behold, those kooky ladies from Belgium, K3, finally went to #1 on the blog hit list! I suppose that must be due to the interest in the new girl, who was introduced at a live show in Holland a few weeks ago. Her name is Josje, which begs the question, how can they still call the group K3?
http://youtu.be/Rr96GO8ncvg
(BTW… Karen Damen is pregnant.)
