This
rare 1967 album was basically a reissue of the earlier
Decca album Late Joys but is significant because
it not only features pictures of the artists on the back
of the sleeve including Clive Dunn, Hattie Jacques and
Bill Owen.
Clive is also pictured on the front of the sleeve
on stage at the Players Theatre, London attired in Victorian
garb.
The show was performed in 1964 and was a special re-creation
of a Victorian Music Hall night at The Players Theatre
in Villiers Street, Charing Cross,
London (where it is still located today, underneath the
arches).
The Players was originally located in Soho, but relocated
to King Street, Covent Garden in the 1930s which was formerly
Evans - Late Joys hotel.
The hotel was so named because it was previously owned
by a Mr. Joy, but was taken over by a Mr. Evans, and it
was he who introduced music and comedy shows in his supper
rooms which was how Music Hall was born. The original
album was titled Late Joys in memory of the theatre's
most famous address.
In
the special all-star show Clive sings a charming version
of the Albert Chevalier favourite My Old Dutch,
while Hattie Jacques sings Waiting At The Church
and Bill Owen gives us The Future Mrs. 'Awkins.
Of
course Clive went to to cover other old music hall classics
on both his album (Trifling Occurences, written
by his grandfather Frank Lynne) and on the B-side of Thinking
Of You This Christmas (Arry, 'Arry, 'Arry).
He
also performed similar material on the TV show The
Good Old Days in the 1980s.
The
poster reveals that the album presented an edited version
of the original show show which was performed on 17th
December 1963.
The
list of 'Artistes' also reveals that there were a number
of other famous names on the bill including Ian Carmichael,
Maria Charles, Erik Chitty, Bernard Cribbens, James Robertson
Justice, Bernard Miles, Eleanor Summerfield, Peter Ustinov
and Ian Wallace.
One
can only guess which songs they performed but it must
have been a night to remember!
David Noades
