Category: Music

Petula Clark in “Trouble at Townsend”

Petula Clark in \The first item I posted about Pet Clark was a scene with her in the classic 1945 movie by Powell and Pressburger, I Know Where I’m Going! But there’s an even earlier screen appearance by Pet as a child actress, in a 20-minute educational film from 1944, called Trouble at Townsend. Petula’s UK fan club has posted the film. A classic this movie certainly is not. The quality of the picture and sound are well below average, and the video player controls are hidden (right-click to pause and resume), but nevertheless it provides a fascinating glimpse into why Petula Clark was a child star in England more than 20 years before most Americans first heard her on the radio, with no preconceptions whatsoever about who she was or what she had done, before bursting onto the American scene with “Downtown.” Click here to watch Petula Clark at age 11, in Trouble at Townsend.

It seems that Firefox uses a Flash player, and IE brings up Media Player. The IE version of the movie has an incorrect aspect ratio.

A Couple More Pet Pics

Petula Clark’s American fan club, PetulaClark.net, has this announcement:

40th Anniversary of the NBC

Petula Clark Special “Petula”

with Harry Belafonte

POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Hey, that must mean Petula will be back in the area! Here’s hoping she does another show here.

D.F. Rogers caught the moment last night that my moment with Petula Clark was caught. Thanks, Dennis.

Victor Lukas, Petula Clark, DOuG pRATt

Even with her head down, Petula takes a lovely picture, and she displays her unmistakable flourish and sense of style even when signing an autograph. Pet has the Rap and Hip-Hop section behind her! Talk about contrasting styles.

Petula Clark signing autograph at Mohegan Sun, May 11, 2008

PETULA CLARK IN PERSON!

Petula Clark put on a wonderful 75-minute show Sunday night, at the Mohegan Sun Cabaret!

Petula Clark at Mohegan Sun, May 11, 2008Petula Clark at Mohegan Sun, May 11, 2008

The place was packed, and it was a truly magical show, with Petula looking her loveliest and performing her absolute best. What a consummate entertainer! Pet is a singer, a story teller, and even a poet. She has a full band touring with her, with horns, and they put out a super sound. I was very pleased to have 60’s Pop Music maven D.F. Rogers there with me, to share the fun of seeing Pet live for the first time.

I sneaked just a few seconds of video. We were sitting too far back for this to look like much, but here it is.

[flv:/Video/2008/MAY/PetulaMoheganSunCabaret.flv 440 330]

After the show there was a meet-and-greet signing with Petula at the Spin Street record store in Mohegan Sun. I grabbed a few moments of video from there, as well.

[flv:/Video/2008/MAY/PetulaMoheganSunSigning.flv 440 330]

That’s Petula’s stage manager, Victor Lukas, with her. Last year, having spotted my blog, Victor asked me to do a favor for him and Petula, and I was of course more than happy to oblige. I introduced myself, and Victor took this picture of me with the one and only Miss Petula Clark. Thank you, Victor!

Petula Clark with DOug pRATt

Petula and I had a lovely little exchange, that went something like this:

Pet: “You’re all dressed up!”
Me: “Uh, yeah….”
Pet: “People don’t get dressed up anymore for shows.”
Me: “Well, it’s for, you know, the occasion.”
Pet: “I think you look very nice.”

You can imagine how I felt about that comment! I thanked Pet and Victor and, as Dennis can attest, I left Spin Street in a daze. I would have loved a longer chat with Pet, of course, but there were a lot of people waiting behind me. I wanted to ask how Thursday evening went at the Paley Center, with the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of her TV special featuring Harry Belafonte. I’m hoping there will be a write-up about it in the next issue of Petula & Company.

Thank you, Petula Clark, for a delightful evening that I shall always remember. Truly you are a superstar talent and the finest of ladies.

Geoff Emerick In Florida

Recording engineer Geoff Emerick, who I’ve featured probably half a dozen times now, has been in Florida lately, working on a Beatles tribute by Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander. Here’s the article. For once a local piece, in this instance from the St. Petersburg Times, and not something from the AP and picked up by everybody.

Kaleidoscopic Mail from Curvebender

As discussed at this blog entry, Curvebender Publishing’s deluxe, limited edition book, Kaleidoscope Eyes: A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper, is out. Everything Curvebender does is unique and classy, even their e-mail, so I’ll share what I received from them today.

Dear Curvebender customer,

We are pleased to announce that our newest title, Kaleidoscope Eyes: A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper, is in stock and ready for immediate shipping. You may have received a pre-order brochure for this book in the mail several months ago, but if not, please read on (we also have a limited remainder of the brochures in stock, and if you would like to receive one, please reply to this email with your mailing address).

Paul McCartneyKaleidoscope Eyes [official release]

As a followup to Recording The Beatles, we are pleased to announce the publication of our newest title: Kaleidoscope Eyes: A Day In The Life Of Sgt. Pepper. Photographer Henry Grossman spent an evening in the recording studio with the Beatles in February 1967. Only a handful of the more than 250 black and white images he captured that night have ever been published. In an exclusive partnership with Mr. Grossman, Curvebender proudly presents his entire collection of black and white Beatles studio photographs in the form of Kaleidoscope Eyes. Housed in a deluxe limited edition volume, the photos are presented in chronological order, allowing the evening to unfold for the reader just as it did for Henry. The result is a stunning photographic essay, an intimate fly-on-the-wall view of the Beatles at work. It is the first of several upcoming volumes showcasing Mr. Grossman’s remarkable body of work.

Strictly limited to 1,967 hand-numbered books, each copy of Kaleidoscope Eyes is hand-signed by Henry Grossman and accompanied by four prints and a contact sheet reproduction. No expense has been spared in creating a true piece of book-art, from the design and presentation, to the choice of materials and packaging. It will undoubtedly be a one-of-a-kind addition to any Beatles fan’s library.

We invite you to visit our website to learn more about this unique title. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Best wishes, from everyone at Curvebender Publishing.