Published On Jul 19, 2015
Another dazzling sequence which is almost certainly from the early 1960s. Once again rather fuzzy picture but good sound. The tap-dancer is Benny Garcia. More information....
We are treated to a touch of the Blues in "If I could be with you" sung by Penny Nicholls with Leslie Crowther and George Chisholm. I remembered Penny's name, which is fortunate as this programme ended with "The Lost Chord" and had no closing credits! I was foxed for a while as there is an alternative spelling - Nicolls. My attempts to find more about her singing career initially failed, with only an American singer-songwriter coming to the fore. However, an old programme from the Futurist Theatre in Scarborough has provided the following information.
Penny had been in show business since the age of 7 and as a child performer was the holder of ten All England tap dancing medals. She began her adult career as a dance band vocalist and enjoyed a long spell with "Henry Hall's Guest Night". In 1950 she branched out as a solo variety act with the emphasis on comedy, appearing with such well-known comedians as Benny Hill, Harry Secombe and Al Read. In 1958 she was at Scarborough with the Cyril Stapleton Show, the Bristol Hippodrome in 1959-60, then back to Scarborough with The Black & White Minstrels in 1961.
In February 1962 she appeared on BBC TV with the Minstrels at 7.15pm then at 9.50 in "The Good Old Days", presented by Leonard Sachs. A busy lass!
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