Nightfly
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Post by Nightfly on Dec 2, 2021 19:24:36 GMT
Remember this era very well. Bruce's Big Night had only been going for a couple of months and by the looks of things had already been cut to 90 minutes due to disappointing ratings. It only survived until the end of the year I believe. I'm remember that Alan Bennett play quite well with Neville Smith and a young Derek Thompson. Much different from the Thora Hird type monologues about sponge fingers with a cup of tea that he seemed to churn out a few years later.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Dec 2, 2021 19:25:48 GMT
My first winter of work 1978. Remember crashing Dads Austin 1100 into a fence in the snow in December 78, and doing some of the repairs myself, outside and in the cold afterwards!
For Christmas I got a radio combined with tape recorder, to replace the little self contained tape recorder I had got in December 76, and needed a lead to connect to either the radio or record player. I can still remember a few of the first songs I recorded with my new toy that Christmas.
Olivia Newton John A little more love Sarah Brightman I lost my heart to a starship trooper Billy Joel My life Paul Evans Hello this is Joanie Racey Some Girl's Dollar Shooting Star
Funny how little snippets of TV and chart tunes can invoke memories
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Three Litre
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Oscar 24
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Post by Three Litre on Dec 2, 2021 19:44:40 GMT
Remember this era very well. Bruce's Big Night had only been going for a couple of months and by the looks of things had already been cut to 90 minutes due to disappointing ratings. It only survived until the end of the year I believe. I'm remember that Alan Bennett play quite well with Neville Smith and a young Derek Thompson. Much different from the Thora Hird type monologues about sponge fingers with a cup of tea that he seemed to churn out a few years later. That must have been a bit depressing for Brucie as he was poached from the BBC for that show and then it didn't work. I remember it but not why it failed.
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Post by D.C. Burtonshaw on Dec 2, 2021 19:52:00 GMT
A really great idea Arthur, thanks for these! I can remember bits of that era well! I notice that was the first transmission of The Professionals episode "Blind Run" - an episode with a fairly basic plot but full of action!
Being ITV, Saturday morning kids TV was interesting to see, and had to compete against BBC1's Noel Edmonds Swap Shop, amongst other things. Although my next door neighbour mate was a fan of the Ron Ely Tarzan series. Great memories!
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Nightfly
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Post by Nightfly on Dec 2, 2021 20:24:14 GMT
That must have been a bit depressing for Brucie as he was poached from the BBC for that show and then it didn't work. I remember it but not why it failed. I think it was down to Bruce wanting to shake off the gameshow host tag and be given more chance to do his song/dance/Sammy Davis Jnr act. Unfortunately the public seemed to prefer him as the gameshow king. It probably didn't help when the perception that the Generation Game couldn't survive without him proved wrong when Larry Grayson did a good job as his replacement and kept the ratings. I remember Bruce's first Big Night. It was a bit of a mish mash of song/dance, a mini sitcom "The Glums" which was a remake of the 50s radio comedy and a game appearing in the middle (strangely not hosted by Bruce but by Steve Jones). I was surprised to learn that Cannon and Ball had pre-recorded some comedy sketches for the show but they were never shown. The whole of the first night is on Youtube, recorded a week before transmission. Not the worst thing you'll ever see by any means, but the viewers had other ideas. It reminds me a little of when LWT poached Simon Dee from the BBC with similar results.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Dec 2, 2021 21:28:52 GMT
TBH, I always found Brucie slightly annoying and preferred Larry Grayson on The Generation Game.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Dec 2, 2021 21:37:50 GMT
That must have been a bit depressing for Brucie as he was poached from the BBC for that show and then it didn't work. I remember it but not why it failed. I think it was down to Bruce wanting to shake off the gameshow host tag and be given more chance to do his song/dance/Sammy Davis Jnr act. Unfortunately the public seemed to prefer him as the gameshow king. It probably didn't help when the perception that the Generation Game couldn't survive without him proved wrong when Larry Grayson did a good job as his replacement and kept the ratings. I remember Bruce's first Big Night. It was a bit of a mish mash of song/dance, a mini sitcom "The Glums" which was a remake of the 50s radio comedy and a game appearing in the middle (strangely not hosted by Bruce but by Steve Jones). I was surprised to learn that Cannon and Ball had pre-recorded some comedy sketches for the show but they were never shown. The whole of the first night is on Youtube, recorded a week before transmission. Not the worst thing you'll ever see by any means, but the viewers had other ideas. It reminds me a little of when LWT poached Simon Dee from the BBC with similar results. Can't remember where I saw/heard/read it - but I was led to believe that Brucie himself wasn't too pleased with the slot - he wanted the show in a slightly later billing, and a different length - not sure if it was an extra 1/2 hour, or the show cut to one hour. With ratings being poor, I was also led to believe Brucie jumped ship.
Though, only a year or so later, LWT gave him Play Your Cards Right and then along came Game for a Laugh - in a similar slot.
Also it was around this time that Cannon and Ball got their evening show - also made by LWT.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Dec 2, 2021 21:51:38 GMT
The first edition of Big Night Out is on youtube. It starts with a dance routine to 'O Happy Day', the gospel song which contains the refrain 'When Jesus washed my sins away', bit of an odd choice of lyric to start a light entertainment extravaganza.
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Palmer
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Post by Palmer on Dec 3, 2021 10:50:03 GMT
What a truly amazing day of television...!!!
That episode of The Professionals (Blind Run) is one of my favourites! It's good to see what else was on the box that day.
Absolutely ruddy superb!
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Lord Emsworth
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Dec 3, 2021 10:57:47 GMT
Genius idea - thanks so much Arthur
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