The Tea Ladies (1978)

A BBC sitcom pilot, "The Tea Ladies," produced in 1978, boasted an all-star British cast including Patricia Hayes, Dandy Nichols, and Mollie Sugden, but was never developed further after its initial airing.

Ray Galton and Johnny Speight, creators between them of "Hancock's Half Hour," "Steptoe and Son," "'Til Death Us Do Part," and "In Sickness and in Health," developed this show initially as an Australian sitcom that lasted for eight episodes there. The pilot was intended to be the first collaboration of the writing duo in the UK.

Ray Galton had recently split up from his long-term writing partner, Alan Simpson, who had retired to concentrate on his business interests. Galton found future success alongside Johnny Speight, especially with the ITV Police station comedy "Spooner's Patch."

Dandy Nichols

"The Tea Ladies" has a distinct feel of Johnny Speight's previous work, especially with the wonderful Dandy Nichols who played Alf Garnett's long-suffering wife in "'Till Death Us Do Part." It would have to be said that some of the dialogue is very much over the mark in terms of race and would never be produced or tolerated in this modern age.

Patricia Hayes

The ladies in the Houses of Parliament's buffet are played by Ms Nichols and Patricia Hayes, potentially predating Victoria Wood's "Dinnerladies." 

I have always enjoyed Ms. Hayes' performances, whether they were comedic or dramatic, and watching Dandy Nichols is a joy to behold.

Mollie Sugden

Mollie Sugden portrays a char-lady who has just been awarded an MBE for her extensive service. A solo scene features her interacting with a rather unstable statue of Sir Winston Churchill. Witness her repeatedly climbing up and down a step-ladder in high heels; that must have been quite a challenge! 

Unfortunately, this series did not develop any further, as I actually found it very amusing (click below to watch).

It would be quite interesting to watch the Australian version to see how it might have gone forward.

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Kathy Staff in "No Frills."

Kathy Staff is best remembered as the  battleaxe Nora Batty from "Last of the Summer Wine" and Doris Luke in ATV soap opera "Crossroads." 

However she went on to appear in her own 1988 BBC sitcom "No Frills."

She starred as Molly Bickerstaff, a recently widowed woman who moved from Oldham to live in London with her divorced daughter and goth granddaughter.

Co-starring Belinda Sinclair (best remembered from "Shelley," with Hywel Bennett) as her daughter Kate, and Katherine Schlesinger (niece of film director John Schlesinger) as granddaughter Suzy.

Lasting just one series of seven 30-minute episodes, there are one or two quite funny moments, but on the whole it is no real surprise that the series was quickly cancelled.

No Frills - episode 1

Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies.”

On this day (April 4th, 1971), Stephen Sondheim’s musical "Follies" opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. It ran for 524 performances and became the most expensive Broadway musical at the time.

It is a nostalgic, bittersweet musical set at a reunion of former showgirls in a crumbling Broadway theatre scheduled for demolition. As they gather, past and present collide. Characters confront lost dreams, regrets, and the realities of ageing.

The story mainly follows two couples: Sally and Buddy, and Phyllis and Ben. It shows their relationships unravelling as memories and “ghosts” of their younger selves appear onstage.

Famous Sondheim songs that appear in the production include 

“Losing My Mind”

“I’m Still Here”

“Could I Leave You?”

“Broadway Baby”

“Too Many Mornings”

This original Broadway production was directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett and won seven Tony Awards from eleven nominations.

Dylan and the Nobel Prize.

On this day (1st April), in 2017 musician Bob Dylan received his awarded 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Swedish Academy gave him the prize “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

He was the first songwriter ever to win the Literature Nobel prize, but the award sparked debate about whether song lyrics actually count as literature. In the eyes of the Nobel Foundation, lyrics are considered a powerful form of poetic storytelling.

After the announcement, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, Sara Danius, said it had “not been a hard decision” and she hoped the academy would not be criticised for its choice.

Songs mentioned in the Foundation’s discussions included such classics as Blowin' in the Wind, The Times They Are a-Changin' and Like a Rolling Stone.

Dylan didn’t attend the ceremony in Stockholm, playing the whole affair somewhat mysteriously. He claimed he could not attend due to prior commitments, and his acceptance speech was delivered later as a recorded lecture.

The Times They Are a-Changin'

Shirley Jones - 92 Today!

Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934, Charleroi, Pennsylvania) is an American actress and singer celebrated for her luminous presence in mid-20th-century musicals and her later work in television. 

She won an Academy Award for Elmer Gantry and became a beloved TV icon as matriarch Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family.

Winning her academy award

Jones, who was raised in western Pennsylvania and was crowned Miss Pittsburgh in 1952, started her singing career in church. After auditioning for the legendary musical theatre writing team Rodgers and Hammerstein and being immediately signed, she appeared on Broadway in Oklahoma before transitioning into film roles.

She reprised her Oklahoma role on screen in 1956, followed by roles in Carousel and The Music Man. In 1960, she won the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for Elmer Gantry, which remained a career highlight.

In the 1970s, she became famous to a new generation of fans when she took the role of Shirley Partridge, the matriarch of a family musical group, in TV’s The Partridge Family, alongside her stepson David Cassidy.

The hit sitcom produced chart-topping songs and made both Jones and Cassidy household names. She later appeared in numerous television films and series, maintaining a steady career into her eighties.

I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family

Come On Train - by Don Thomas

Possibly my personal favourite Northern Soul track, “Come on Train,” by Don Thomas was released in 1973. 

Don Thomas, originally named Charlie Thomas, was a member of the Drifters from 1969 to 1971. His birthplace was Richmond, Virginia, and he changed his name when he joined The Drifters to avoid being mistaken for Charles Thomas, who was already a long-standing member.
 

In 1971, he left the group and subsequently wrote and released "Come on Train," a song that achieved considerable popularity in the UK Northern club scene. 

I love the gospel-esque backing chant that backs the song and the bass line throughout is just superb.

Based in the Bronx, New York, Don is still active in the music industry.

Let’s Wade In the Water - Marlena Shaw

With its jazz and R&B leanings, this energetic, soulful song, initially a B-side, was a favourite in Northern Soul clubs throughout the 1970s.

Marlena Shaw was born Marlina Burgess in New York in September 1939. She was brought on stage at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem by her jazz trumpet-playing uncle at the young age of 13 to sing with his band. Marlena’s mother, however, would not permit her to tour with the band at such a young age, halting her developing career.

She started singing in jazz clubs from the early 1960s and became known for songs such as “Woman of the Ghetto” and Ashford and Simpson’s “California Soul.” With a voice that sits between jazz sophistication and raw soul energy, DJs grew to love her records.

Despite its B-side release and being overshadowed by her more famous songs, "Let's Wade in the Water" became a Northern club hit, with dancers performing acrobatically to Marlena's powerful vocals and the song's strong rhythm.

Marlena passed away in January 2024, at the age of 84.