"Oh Boy!" Stage Show
Sunday 25th January to Friday 30th January 1959,
Commodore Theatre, Hammersmith, West London

"The screams and hysteria from the audience was such
I was amazed they could hear anything at all.”
(Vernons Girl Barbara Mitchell)

 
'Oh Boy!' Stage Show - Commodore Theatre,
Hammersmith, West London. January 1959

A look at the "Oh Boy!" stage show by Paul Rumbol,
including an extract of an exclusive recent interview with
Barbara Mitchell, spokeswoman for the Vernons Girls

For 7 days in January 1959 a stage show of “Oh Boy” took up residence at the Commodore Theatre in Hammersmith, West London. There were two shows performed on the first Sunday (25th) at 5pm and 8pm and one show nightly for the remainder of the week at 7.45pm. it featured all the biggest star names the series had created in just three short months on television."

Someone fortunate to have gone to one of those shows on a cold wet January evening was Paul Nihill MBE. He recalls:

“We were treated to a non stop extravaganza of British Rock 'n' Roll at its very best. Cliff complete in his pink jacket etc. really rocked the joint, ably backed by Lord Rockingham's X1 and assisted by The Dallas Boys and the Vernons Girls. Also on the bill, I got the chance to see for the first time Vince Taylor & his Playboys - wow - they were hot. After the show finished, I travelled on the tube train with Vince and he certainly gave me the impression he was American, which of course he wasn't, but he was a great rocker.”

Also on the bill was Cuddly Dudley, Neville Taylor and his Cutters, Peter Elliott and the Vernons Girls.

Barbara Mitchell, known as the “blonde bombshell” and for many years the spokeswoman for the group, recalls those shows:

“Boy they were truly exciting days. The crowds just went wild and all the acts we had were really good, very hot, and the routines so well polished. During the TV transmissions at Hackney the audience was just confined to the balcony and what with all the stage lighting in our eyes all we could see were lots of frantic kids jumping up and down in the balcony. Then we took up this week long residence at Hammersmith where we played to a packed house every evening. The screams and hysteria from the audience was such I was amazed they could hear anything at all.”

“I will always remember that first night at Hammersmith because among the new numbers we performed were “To Know Him Is to Love Him” which I sang with two of the other girls, and on the first house it went wrong. Something didn’t sound right. So we had to have a frantic run through with the band to get it right in just half an hour before the second show at 8pm.”

Very few photographic memories have surfaced of the Hammersmith concerts except this revealing snap of an 18 year old Cliff Richard performing his first hit “Move It!” while being kept at safe distance from the frenzied audience by the bouncers at the front of the stage.

(To read the rest of the interview, please go to 'Vernons Girls page' )

The NME previews Jack Good’s new television series “Boy Meets Girl” starting tomorrow.

Extract:

'Boy Meets Girls' ready to roll!

At 6.30 tomorrow (Saturday) night, ABC-TV raise the curtain on the new pop music presentation -"Boy Meets Girls." Half an hour later, programme planners will know whether or not they have a hit show on their hands capable of attaining the same phenomenal success of its memorable predecessor, " Oh Boy!". "Boy Meets Girls" and "Oh Boy!" have much in common. Same producer - ambitious young ex-Oxford student Jack Good up to a point, the same stars - including singer Marty Wilde, organist Cherry Wainer, tenorist Red Price and the versatile Vernons Girls. The subject is the same, too - pop music. But here we encounter the first major differences between the two shows, for whereas"Oh Boy!" concentrated on rock 'n' roll in particular, "Boy Meets Girls" is a determined attempt to encompass all the varying styles of popular music.

"To my way of thinking, "Boy Meets Girls" will be more up-to-date in approach, and my aim is that it should concisely represent the varied tastes of the pop music fans," producer Jack Good told me. Elaborating on his theme, he added: "I feel that tastes have changed radically over the past few months. For a start, rock 'n' roll isn't the same as it used to be - lets say it's a little more subtle these days. Additionally, I feel there's also a greater demand now for ballads and light beat numbers and we mustn't forget either that the country and western style is growing in popularity. In short" Boy Meets Girls" sets out to present something to suit everybody's tastes. "In this way, we're hoping reach a wider and more mixed audience than "Oh Boy!" and one of my ambitions is to capture adult viewers too."

The format of the show? Basically it will be less frantic though just as colourful as "Oh Boy!", with longer breaks between numbers. Marty Wilde has a plum role as host, compere and resident singer and will be more heavily featured than at any other time during his career. The Vernons Girls will be in the spotlight quite a lot of the time, both in singing and dancing sequences, and Cherry Wainer and Red price will have their own spots. Because of the contrasting musical styles, two bands will be on hand - a big string orchestra and a 10 piece" big beat" unit known as The Firing Squad. Both will be under the direction of Bill Shepherd.

How about guest stars? "I aim to make "Boy Meets Girls" an international show and want to feature artists from all over the world." Jack explained to me. "As you've already reported, country and Western star Johnny Cash is our first major American booking on September 19. "Our first continental guest is Italy's rock 'n' rolling Little Tony and his Brothers, who'll be seen in the first three shows. Marino Marini's Quartet, also from Italy, will be appearing as soon as their heavy commitments allow. "Finally, there's two Swedish artists under discussion - Little Gerhard, who I'm told is rated very highly by Elvis Presley, and Little Babs," Jack declared. He went on: "Of course, I also intend to sign British singers for guest spots - the first is Terry Dene on September 26. Who else? Well, naturally I'd love to have people like Cliff Richard, Frankie Vaughan , Lonnie Donegan and Alma Cogan, but there's nothing settled yet. Bands? That's a good idea, but I haven't gone into it at this stage," he emphasised.

In conclusion, how does Jack feel about the show? "I'm delighted to tackle something new. It's necessary to avoid stagnation - and that applies equally to artists and producers" he said.

Boom time for Marty Wilde

MARTY WILDE'S starring role in "Boy Meets Girls" - the most demanding and important assignment he's yet tackled - comes at a crucial point in his career. The success which everyone so confidently predicts should keep him at the top of the ladder for a long, long time. Why a crucial point? Right now, everything seems to be happening at once for Marty. Today (Friday), his latest Philips single "Sea Of Love" is released, tomorrow marks the debut of "Boy Meets Girls", on Sunday his first film "Jet Storm" is premiered at the Regal in London's Old Kent Road, and within a week or so his first LP "Wilde About Marty" reaches the shops.

Marty has so much on his plate at the moment that he hardly knows which way to turn. Not the least of his worries is "Boy Meets Girls," and the headlining part he will play in the production. "It's a challenge, and because of that, I'm looking forward to it. "Nervous? Who wouldn't be?" the tall gangling star told me at a crowded press conference last week. Of course, Marty has every right to feel nervous since the show is largely built around him.

"I've never done anything quite like this before, but it's what I've wanted all along. After all, singing is one thing, but on this show, I'll also be compering and doing allmanner of different things." he went on. "I'm hoping that the series will eventually help me to become a ... personality, instead of just a singer," he continued. "You see, my aim is to become an all-round entertainer, and with a show like "Boy Meets Girls" I hope to reach a wider audience. I'd really like to be accepted by adults as well as teenagers." he added thoughtfully.

One of the first songs Marty will perform on the series is "Sea Of Love," already a smash hit in America for Phil Phillips. He's hoping that it will take him to the hit parade's coveted No. 1 spot - an honour which has just eluded him on three occasions in the past.

In charts

Marty's first big disc hit "Endless Sleep" climbed as high as No. 4. "Donna" crept into third place, while more recently, "A Teenager In Love" reached No. 2. Working on the theory that progress is gradual, "Sea Of Love" seems a likely contender for top honours. At the start of the "Oh Boy!" series last September, Marty told me: "I know it's going to be a great show because we have such a fine producer - Jack Good. He feels the same way about "Boy Meets Girls" - for similar reasons. So let Jack , who is equally enthusiastic about Marty, have the last word here: "It's the hardest job he's ever had, but I know he's going to be good. In fact, I think a lot of people are going to be surprised just how good he really is"!

Little Tony From Italy

"Cliff Richard is very good - until you have heard Little Tony and His Brothers!" That was the opinion of Marino Marini, when he was over here earlier this year. You'll have a chance to judge for yourself tomorrow night (Saturday) when Little Tony and His Brothers (2) make their British TV debut in "Boy Meets Girls." And when their Decca recording of "I Can't Help It" is released next Friday (Sept. 19). Marino Marini's chance remark came while he was at rehearsals for "Oh Boy!" Producer Jack Good, ears always open, heard and was interested. A few weeks later in Italy, Jack found Little Tony and His Brothers. Jack signed them up on the spot.

Born in a war-torn Italy during the early 1940's, the three brothers were raised in San Marino. Their family was poor. The boys biggest ambition now is to become really good performers, go to the United States and make enough money so that their parents can retire and live in comfort. There's Alberto (19), Tony (18) and Enrico (17), but it is singer Tony who attracts the attention when the group appears on stage or in front of the television cameras. As you'll see...

The text of the Jack Good article - "Jack is no back room TV producer" is reproduced at the bottom of the Jack Good page.

The camera goes into a close-up shot of Marty Wilde seated next to Cherry Wainer at her keyboards, with Joe Brown standing at left of foreground.

Cliff and the Drifters perform live on the last edition of the BBC TV pop show “Drumbeat.”