The Vipers

[GoldenStreet]

But there is a guy playing a drum in the background between Booker and Whyton. I'm pretty sure that it is Mike Pratt, best known for the UK 1960s TV series Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased). That series was 10 years after the Vipers clip, by which time he had no beard and his face had filled out. To see him midway between those dates, you'll need the film The Party's Over (1962 but not released until 1965 after extensive cuts demanded by the Censor). Mike Pratt plays Geronimo, a jazz-drumming cuban beatnik! Geronimo? Ah, a link back to The Shadows!

Ray

Yes, it certainly looks like a young Mike Pratt also shown with the kazoo at the start of the video. With Lionel Bart and Tommy Steele he co-wrote numerous songs featured in the films, The Duke Wore Jeans, The Tommy Steele Story and Tommy The Toreador.

Bill

[GoldenStreet]

The attachment MM 1958-06-28 p01 news.jpg is no longer available

Ulrich

The Radio Times billing for Saturday Skiffle Club on 28th June 1958 (10.00-10.30).

Bill

SSC.JPG

(74.75 KiB) Downloaded 2379 times

[Arpeggio]

Fascinating as ever. Congratualtions to all concerned for the brilliant collective 'research' and 'detective' work on untangling all of this. Jim has clearly demonstrated how half - truths and misinformation then subsequently become enshrined as 'fact'. Without threads like this, some things would then become 'truth' to a future generation. Ray!! I had completely forgotten about Mike Pratt's musical roots - but yes, of course, he had connections with both Tommy Steele and Lional Bart in those days. I did recall that......but it was never in my 'consciousness' that he performed with the Vipers. Fantastic. Plus....what a great clip of "Pick A Bale of Cotton"!!!

Rob

[Martin Page]

Donna started a thread with this video.

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8438

Bill

That looks like Dan Farson at 0:58

see: http://www.transdiffusion.org/tv/tvheroes/daniel_farson

Martin.

[GoldenStreet]

Yes it is! The linked Guardian article refers to him.

"Daniel Farson's appearance shows how much skiffle was becoming part of the media landscape. The ITV clip is probably from late 1956, after Tommy Steele's success made the 2i's famous. Farson was a Soho habitue who wrote a series of excellent memoirs, including Sacred Monsters, Soho in the Fifties and Never a Normal Man – in which he discusses his brief TV celebrity: "I was impersonated by Benny Hill, complete with special wig even though our hairstyles were identical."

Bill

[jimbojet]

Is that Jet watching the show at 3.51????

[JimN]

I couldn't spot anyone at 0:58 who hadn't been in shot for some time.

JN

[Martin Page]

I couldn't spot anyone at 0:58 who hadn't been in shot for some time.

JN

?

[JimN]

I couldn't spot anyone at 0:58 who hadn't been in shot for some time.
JN

?

"That looks like Dan Farson at 0:58"

At 0:58 on the (silent) Vipers video, I couldn't see anyone except the group and the people who had been in shot (around them) for some time.

Are we looking at the same video, or have I missed a reference to some other video? I would recognise Dan Farson if I saw him.

JN

[Martin Page]

I think we are cross-purposes Jim and looking at different videos!

See:
http://shadowmusic.bdme.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8438

Martin.