That fine singer Matt Monro had a string of hits here and across the ‘Pond’, where Frank Sinatra helped establish his name.
When Matt scored his first hit “Portrait Of My Love” in 1960 he already had several club bookings in his diary and even thought he’d become a ‘name.
He appeared on prestige TV shows. He was contractually obliged to appear at all the venues his agent had booked him into, no matter how small the club . . . and the fee.
So it was that, with a No3 record to his name, Matt set out for the long drive to a social club in a mining town ‘Oop North’.
It was dark when he reached the town, but he couldn’t find the venue for love nor money.
After fruitlessly driving around for an hour, he pulled up outside a suburban house and knocked on the door. When a man opened it, Matt asked if he could please tell him how to get to the club in question.
The man said “Thee’s got thy-sen reet lost, me duck. Just down t’road, you’ll see church on t’left. Tek first left, third right and fourth left and you can’t miss it!”
Matt, still figuring out the directions, thanked the man and walked away. Then he heard the man say, “But thee’l not get in’t club toneet, lad”.
When Matt asked why, the man said, “That Matt Monro’s singing there!”
One more quick one . . .
Comedy actor Peter Butterworth was more than a stalwart of the Carry On films.
He was a brilliant panto dame and had a bone dry sense of humour.
He once found himself surrounded by a group of ‘bright young’ BBC producers in a Green Room, who spent half an hour discussing the merits of foreign cinema.
During this time, no one had spoken to Peter, but he was too polite to walk away and join a more friendly group.
Suddenly one of the producers said, “Peter. Have you seen Fellini’s ‘Eight And A Half?’” to which Peter responded with a straight face . . . “No. But I have heard the rumours!”