Pop on Crackerjack

[John Stewart Miller]

According to my research, Crackerjack should be an interesting source for 60s & 70s pop clips. Tom Jones appeared in 65. Troggs appeared twice, once for 'Wild thing', also one which was felt to have an inappropriate lyric for a kids show (?)

1967, Paul Nicholas may have been the face behind clown makeup as 'Oscar' singing the David Bowie penned 'Over the wall'.

In 68, The Hollies, The Love Affair, Small faces & the Who appeared.

In 73, friend of a friend appeared on a show where Mud played 'Crazy'. The same year Sweet played 'Teenage rampage', which I hear has turned up on the collectors circuits.

Apparently the Crackerjack database was incomplete, and had no entries pre Feb 1974 marking a Doctor Who related item.

I wonder about the other lost performances, chances on turning up, and whether the Database has been updated to reveal any more editions?

[Laurence Piper]

You mean the Kal database or the BBC archives one? Presumably you mean Kal, as the children's guide featured an incomplete listing.

[Kev]

I imagine very few Crackerjacks survive hence the fact the clips never turn up.

Apart from the Shadows and Peter and Gordon from sots, I can't think of any.

[andrew martin]

There are sadly no existing "Crackerjack" episodes between 1965 and 1973. The episodes that do survive are 18/12/57 (clip only), 19/3/58, 18/3/59, 27/4/61, 2/11/61, 11/10/62, 25/9/63, 7/5/64; then 22/3/74, 29/3/74, and 24/12/74 (the Christmas Pantomime, Aladdin); thereafter the holdings seem to be complete...

It's also a shame no Basil Brush Shows from the first couple of series exist - they used to have quite decent musical guests...

[Richard Hunter]

Andrew

Do you know which musical acts are featured on those few early surviving 60's and 70's shows?

[William Martin]

and don't forget oppertunity knocks and new faces.

[Wombat43]

I remember reading that The Who appeared on Crackerjack.

I think it was in 1968 whilst promoting Magic Bus.

[William Martin]

does Billy J Kramer's off key singing performance exist (couldn't hear the backing track Dido style)?

[andrew martin]

Guest-Richard said:

Andrew

Do you know which musical acts are featured on those few early surviving 60's and 70's shows?

19/3/58 - Pinky and Perky, Winifred Attwell

18/3/59 - Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson, Dickie Valentine

27/4/61 - The Shadows

2/11/61 - Harry Secombe

11/10/62 - Pinky and Perky

25/9/63 - Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band

7/5/64 - Peter and Gordon

22/3/74 - Lieutenant Pigeon

29/3/74 - The Wombles

24/12/74 - The Goodies, Dana

[John Stewart Miller]

Guest-Wombat43 said:

I remember reading that The Who appeared on Crackerjack.

I think it was in 1968 whilst promoting Magic Bus.

I remember Myself & a colleague researching using 'Radio times' as my source & we came across several bands of interest billed for 1968, which did include The Who, Small faces & The Hollies.

I've always wondered about that big apparent gap, and thought someone else who was interested in the pop acts may have taken telecines home as I would guess some were made; like the earlier examples? Don't know if it was sold abroad?

My memories of 'Crackerjack' start late by rule, as they stem from 1966 when I was 5. I almost definitely didn't take an interest till then. I seem to think access may have been obstructed by something, possibly as 'Ready steady go' was on the other side. I know my older Brother and sister had the say, my sister liked 'Doctor Who' in '65 and my Brother and I liked 'Forest Rangers' on ITV which led to some battles.

An early memory was Leslie Crowther introducing presenter Christine Holmes as a seperate pop act in it, for some reason; as if it was a big deal!

Think I recall 'Puppet on a string' on it, but don't know if this was Christine Holmes' cover or S. Shaw.

The clearest was of a spoof of 'Daktari' sketch, '67 or '68. The scene is illustrated by a still in the 1969 crackerjack annual. Interestingly, the annual shows two colour photos of the Small faces & Hollies which may be from the editions they appeared on. Also theres two 'thumb nail' animation sequences at the corners of pages. By flicking through, the successive stills play as live action. One of these is the soda syphon bit I think is in one of the existing early editions, but the other shows Michael Aspel getting a custard pie in the face & obviously doesn't exist. Nor a set of telesnaps for a Musketeer sketch with Rod McLennan in the book. Does anyone know what period his shows covered? All I recall was seeing an edition round a friends in 1971 by when Ed Stewart had taken over.

The next period I recall is early 1973. I hadn't seen it for a while, and mistook Don McLean for Rod McLennan. Actually McLean was much more successful than McLennan and formed the most successful team after the Crowther - Glaze partnership. The sketch had the two dressed as schoolboys with minature puppet bodies in a puppet tent singing something called 'My Brother'.

Many thanks to Andrew Martin for the info. on existing editions. I've heard a performance of Sweet 'Teenage Rampage' on the show has been unearthed, so will keep you posted on this.

[John Stewart Miller]

One thing has occured to me since - Can anyone confirm if CRACKERJACK went out live? I wondered about the existing T/Rs and also whether that indicates the shows were shown abroad?

My feeling is that the T/Rs for the 1960+ period were taken from ampex off air recordings made for short term depatmental review purposes. I also think at one time there may have been more oddments from different time patches, though an obvious temptation to 'take home' items could have been some of those great pop acts!

[phil moss]

Hi Guys
As I have said in another post, I'm new here, so forgive me if this is old ground.
I have a video of Sweet performing "Teenage rampage" on "Crackerjack".
If anyone would like to see it, I could upload it to Rapidshare.
Phil

[Stephen Doran]

;Di bought video off ebay recently called sixties mix;and downtown by petula clark was on it it looked like it came from crackerjack.

[Tim Another]

phil said:

Hi Guys
I have a video of Sweet performing "Teenage rampage" on "Crackerjack".
If anyone would like to see it, I could upload it to Rapidshare.
Phil

Yes, i'd love to see this

Tim

[Mick Capewell]

Here are some of the more "Poptastic" Crackerjack appearances from the mid to late 60s:

Oct 1966:

Spencer Davis Group (14th), David Garrick (21st)

Nov 66

Cat Stevens (4th), Paul Jones (11th), Eric Burdon & The New Animals (18th), Paul & Barry Ryan (25th)

Dec 66

Dave Berry (2nd), Small Faces (11th)

Jan 67

Wayne Fontana (6th), Dave Dee etc (13th)

Oct 67

Procol Harum (6th), Bee Gees (13th), Troggs (27th)

Nov 67

Tremeloes (3rd), Flowerpot Men (17th)

Dec 67

Cat Stevens (15th), The Herd (22nd), Simon Dupree & The Big Sound (29th)

Jan 68

Small Faces (5th), Spencer Davis Group (19th), Tremeloes (26th)

Feb 68

Manfred Mann (2nd), Love Affair (9th), The Symbols (16th)

Oct 68

Status Quo (26th)

Nov 68

The Who (22nd), The Casuals (29th)

Dec 68

Tremeloes (again! 6th)

Jan 69

Harmony Grass (17th), Manfred Mann and also The Move (24th)

Feb 69

Love Affair (14th), Status Quo (21st)

Nov 69

Tremeloes (yet again!! 7th)


As for presenter Christine Holmes, she had been a member of the group Family Dog, one hit wonders who also included singer/songwriter Albert Hammond. That's probably why they gave her a big build-up on the show. If I remember correctly, she re-appeared in the 70s as "Kristine Sparkle" in a failed attempt to cash-in on Glam-Rock.