Category: Petula Clark

Before the Petula Clark blog links to a particular video, I’d like to post it here. This is from an appearance in France, early in 1973, after Pet had her son and had turned 40. She appeared with the late Claude François, who she obviously liked very much.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JUL07/Pet1973.flv 400 300]

If this isn’t sexy and fun, I don’t know what is. Contrast this captivating performance with the video I posted of Pet from about 12 years earlier.

The blog “Petula Clark: Drive by Emotion” has a post about a special performance that Pet gave in commemoration of the end of World War II for Britain. There’s a link to a recording of her performing just three weeks ago, but for convenience I’ll post it here. CORRECTION: Denro pointed out that as it’s been 62 years since the end of the war, it seemed odd this performance happened this month. He is correct. It was July 10, 2005.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/JUL07/ANightingaleSangInBerkeleySquare.mp3]

Pet turns 75 in November, and considering that, the tricky notes she hits perfectly spot-on more than make up for the few that present more of a challenge for her than they once did.

C’mon, UK residents! Sign the online PETition to award this very special lady the acknowledgment that she deserves. Let there be Dame Petula Clark! Sir Michael Caine has spoken up. Perhaps Dame Julie Andrews could lend her support to the cause, as well.

Last November, the BBC ran a long overdue one-hour documentary on Petula Clark, called Petula Clark: Blue Lady. In thanks to whomever started the Petula Clark blog, here’s the entire show. Honor Blackman, the first leading lady of the The Avengers TV Series and Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, narrates.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Movies/Wordpress/NOV06/PetulaBBC.flv 440 330]

My Pet Posts have been picked up by a new blog called Petula Clark: Driven by Emotion. I don’t have any information yet on the blogger.

If you check the list of virtual signatures on the PETition to grant Petula Clark a Damehood, you’ll see the name Sir Michael Caine, among other notables. This is for real, as reported by The Daily Express. Tony Blair failed to redeem himself before leaving office, so here’s Gordon Brown’s chance to do the right thing and look good!

The cable TV service Music Choice has a channel with the genre that, as a kid, made my skin crawl, but now I’m coming to appreciate. Easy listening! It’s called Elevator Music, but for me the reason it made my skin crawl is that I always heard it at the dentist office, while having my teeth drilled!

The video has 12 minutes of the Music Choice Easy Listening channel, started at a totally random point. I’ll use that as the springboard for the rest of the post.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JUL07/EZListening.flv 400 300]

Well, let’s see what’s in there. A bit of “Something,” followed by Zamfir doing the love theme to Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western, “Once Upon A Time In The West.” Then Acker Bilk did “Jean” — nice coincidence for my sister there — and blind pianist George Shearing had Petula Clark’s “Call Me,” which is a nice coincidence for me! Lastly is a portion of the old standard “Dream.”

Acker Bilk is best remembered for “Stranger On The Shore,” so let’s hear that.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/JUL07/AckerBilk.mp3]

And “Jean,” from the movie The Prime of Miss Jean Brody, was originally a single for Oliver. I have that, too.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/JUL07/Jean.mp3]

I’ve been woefully lax in posting all of the Petula Clark material that I have. I’ll get back to that at some point, with a vengeance. For the moment, I’ll give you the studio recording of “Call Me”…

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/JUL07/CallMe.mp3]

… and here’s Pet’s 1970 appearance on Dean Martin’s show, after she stopped being so stiff and stagy, and was truer to herself — smooth and sexy. But yikes, those corny guest cameos are too much to take! Who wrote this stuff? I can see why variety shows didn’t survive the next generational shift. But having Dom Deluise, Paul Lynde, and Alan Sues, and Charles Nelson Reilly all appearing in the same bit …? The times were certainly changing!

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JUL07/CallMe.flv 400 300]

Sorry about the video quality. It isn’t one of my own transfers. I had to fix the aspect ratio, and that resulted in the jagginess of the image.

Finally, here’s “Dream” from Frankie’s album Nice ‘n’ Easy.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/JUL07/Dreams.mp3]