the wigan casino years book informs us that the footage of the dancers on top of the pops, circa 1974, no longer exists as the original tapes were erased....how very tragic...i suppose like many others, this comes as a devastating revelation or, perhaps im way behind and its old news. however it prompts me to ask the question, much in a similar fashion to the one i posed about 18 months ago, along the lines of does any old footage exist of the casino that was independantly filmed. alas, it appears that is unsolved and as such, remains a holy grail. is it possible that the dancers who appeared on the show, and we all know a good many of them, perhaps may have been presented with copies of their performance as keep sakes ( like as if anyone would have a projector in those days?!). yes, thats quite possibly an ill-concieved longshot, but its not beyond the realms of probability...or someone associated with the production, may have it stored away somewhere forgotten?. i realise the chances are miniscule, especially when it is apparent that the age of the video recorder was so tantalizingly close ( infact i think the first ones appeared in 74...correct me if im wrong).

i, like many old enough, distinctly remember watching this event played out with glowing pride....regardless of the fact, it was footsee, just watching these heroes going through the motions, they had perfected through endless dance sessions at countless all-nighters,mesmerising the cardboard cutouts who, had never seen the likes before!!......

i know steve powell is on here......perhaps, he may have, or know something we dont....if so steve, enlighten me and everyone else.

i cant wrestle with the assumption, this archive film is lost forever,...i thought something as important as this film would be set in stone for all time.

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.....

I know it's slightly off track but just found this re Footsee

https://tinyurl.com/36ytpnu

Dig a little deeper David , and come up with the info on the " Footsee Toy " please .

From the description , it would appear more of a marital aid than a toy

Malc

soul brittania it maybe but, IT DEFINITELY ISNT THE MISSING TOTP EXCERPT FROM 74. i will agree with one intriguing summisation though.....the possiblity that foriegn tv companies may have it stored somewhere. it stands to reason, be it remote, you might say based simply on the fact it was europe's top pop program for well over a decade and virtually every country would have taken it...thats one helluva big warehouse!!.

there is no way the dancers were filmed up that close and certainly NOT at waist height. i suggested earlier that steve powell, from wolverhampton, is on here....he's one of the dancers and he has recited before, the particular times that shooting for the show took place...i think the group were required on 3 or 4 occasions...each time the were payed a fee.

THAT DFINITELY 'IS' TOTP

the dancers were fimed that close ,also the group wouldnt have been required on 3 or 4 occasions as the charts wernt revealed till tuesday miday and record companies didnt get the final call till wed morning,though jethro and the gang probibly had an idea they may go on if footsee didnt drop and pye got the green light. its been said earlier maybee this may have been a rehersal but thats unlikely too one reason is that probibly been ereased with the complete show other reason is they probibly didnt have much time if any to reherse because there was a row going on at TOTP they wanted pans people dave macleer wanted his dancers [thats a fact] they probibly never got the go ahead till quite late in the day

Edited November 9, 201014 yr by ric-tic

Well he's got changed in that clip!

Thats definitely Jethro in the red and white shirt, then he wore his green and white rugby shirt, and bin the other one, Billy.

I knew Jethro pretty well, and I'm sure it is him in the clip, and the girl on the right with jeans & pigtails is definatey Anne Rogers from Shevington/Standish, looking exactly as she did on TOTP. I'm sure it is either a clip of the prog, or a rehersal.

Paul

Edited November 9, 201014 yr by Paul r

I knew Jethro pretty well, and I'm sure it is him in the clip, and the girl on the left with jeans & pigtails is definatey Anne Rogers from Shevington/Standish, looking exactly as she did on TOTP. I'm sure it is either a clip of the prog, or a rehersal.

Paul

Thank you Ric Tic, Billy and Paul, I knew that was Jethro and always believed 100% it was TOTP.

Dig a little deeper David , and come up with the info on the " Footsee Toy " please .

From the description , it would appear more of a marital aid than a toy

Malc

Fook me Malc, I think it is one :yes:

https://www.bonanza.com/booths/keeperscollectibles/items/Vintage_1968_Footsee_Toy_RARE_

Fook me Malc, I think it is one

https://www.bonanza.c...ootsee_Toy_RARE_

Looks a bit scratched, Might be OK to Play Out.

One on ebay >>> LINK <<< Mint still sealed.

Regarding the Video, I believe that It will exist somewhere.

Wondering Who would have the machine to play such a Video Tape in 2010

Are we in the hands of a Very Limited Group of T.V. Companies / Specialist firms.

Looks a bit scratched, Might be OK to Play Out.

One on ebay >>> LINK <<< Mint still sealed.

Regarding the Video, I believe that It will exist somewhere.

Wondering Who would have the machine to play such a Video Tape in 2010

Are we in the hands of a Very Limited Group of T.V. Companies / Specialist firms.

Roger, nice one. Looks even dodgier in it's packet, like summat yer get from one of them machines in the Gents

Seller ought to list as Northern Soul Memorabila, make a killing

i came across an acetate the other day on the label its got a release date of 3/1 75 so top of the pops probibly was in that january, any way something struck me about the sleeve of this acetate something id not really noticed before, which leads me on to a little quiz

how many different footsee u.k sleeves were there in the u.k and in 'what order were they released' [the sleeve i have will probibly reveal the true order ] but can you guess?? you never know that copy you bought from steve glover in oasis could be a first issue!!!!

Theres was a word going around the casino there looking for good dancers to appear on the top of the pops, they pick the best of the bunch, as i said earlier thats definitely Jethro in the red and white shirt, but on the footies clip in the studio it was a green and white shirt, theres one chap on here who i know quite well still one of the best dancers on the scene, who was in the footies clip dave goldie come on dave your on here, what do you say about it, Billy.

dancer.bmp

Theres was a word going around the casino there looking for good dancers to appear on the top of the pops, they pick the best of the bunch, as i said earlier thats definitely Jethro in the red and white shirt, but on the footies clip in the studio it was a green and white shirt, theres one chap on here who i know quite well still one of the best dancers on the scene, who was in the footies clip dave goldie come on dave your on here, what do you say about it, Billy.

is this himdancer.bmp

Roger, nice one. Looks even dodgier in it's packet, like summat yer get from one of them machines in the Gents

Seller ought to list as Northern Soul Memorabila, make a killing

Also heard in the barbers after having a trim ........

" Something for the weekend Sir ? "

Malc

peggy , youre absolutely right

from the point of view of commercialism, but it musnt be taken out of context jusr how important this fleeting moment in time was...its part of our history and heritage.

Context? History and heritage? It's the very antithesis!

It's our "Escape To Victory"

Just say NO

Babs

I remember about 18 years ago, I photocopied the Northern page from every Black Echoes up to then, and threw the entire lot of original papers away. Earlier this year I came across the hundreds of photocopied pages. And I threw them away as well

i think maybe, this has been taken slightly out of context. if tim was aware that he could have sourced the information he required via people on the scene, im sure he would have considered it worth the attempt. as it was, it appeared easier to access the collection of the british library. lets face it you'd need first of all, to find out who keeps collections of mags, what theyve got, the condition they're in and then set up a meeting to view them. he could have ended up travelling all over the uk, with the distinct possibility of it being a wild goose chase. is it registered anywhere who has got what and are they there to be viewed on request?. anyway lets get back on track here, after the edinburgh comedy club interval!!. i cant believe we're disputing coloured hooped shirts, isnt it more important who the person was wearing them?. are we seriously going to believe that a "practise session", prior to the real deal exists whilst the original film dosnt?. look, i might not have been so eagle-eyed to spot a bbc logo in the foreground so ill give you that, but at the end of the day what i REALLY want to see isnt showing on youtube, so unless someone wakes up from their comatose state to profess they have a copy in the loft, you can keep offering up wannabee film clips but it aint gonna solve the mystery. our brother on here, attempted to locate some super 8 film shot at the casino, but the trail's gone cold....that smacks of COULDNT BE BOTHERED....even in this century, we're still of the mind....OH LEAVE IT.....WE'LL GET ROUND TO IT SOME DAY,IT'LL KEEP.....we sell records that we wish we'd kept, we record over cassettes again and again, wiping original material, we dont go to venues for years, then when we fancy it, we find to our dismay they've shut..."OH BUGGER, I WISH ID GONE SOONER".

we ALWAYS leave it too late, dosnt matter what it is because when it comes to the crunch, not ENOUGH people care. in this case, the bbc is a third party not involved in the scene but it just so happened to have in its posession, something of significance and relevance to all of us....a piece of footage that was a milestone and a turning point in our scene. when the innovation of cd and dvd came about, it should have been sought out there and then so this thread wouldnt be necessary. so for everything we've achieved, for the greatest cult music phenomenon the world has ever seen,....all we have is...THIS ENGLAND

and we're going to settle for that.

one tiny piece of film you say...whats the big deal? i couldnt give a toss if any of you think im off my trolley harping on about this, the fact is IT MATTERS!...try telling the original dancers who are still alive that it dosnt matter, they went along and did the gig...whose going to tell them its of no importance and think they wont be offended?. that top of the pops appearance was a pivotal moment, it showe the rest of the country what it was that drove us on, it was the scene's platform and as a result even more people flocked to the casino.

lets have the list of dancers up here on this post for reference and then, hopefully some may come on here to talk about the event and give us the facts, and in the meantime, perhaps somebody may come on here with some useful information that sheds light on weather a copy of the program does exist anywhere or, if indeed it is lost for all-time...and a sad,sorry statement that will be.

https://www.youtube.c...h?v=fEGCklaJSF0

heres some footage of the lads just before there got all punky and supported the ramones -i tell you what these cats can play!!!

I gotta get my gear out for a Winter chill! LOL

first time ive seen this footage

I've seen that before and the guy with Funk on his back, with the Sax, reminds me horribly of Benny Hill

this is the same year folks -the famous soul train line dance -interesting comparison !!some top moves here !!

https://www.youtube.c...h?v=r7MiG2fe8lE

I LOVE SOUL TRAIN... so contrived yet natural

The Mackem Mover was fucking BRILLIANT!

Sent an e mail to Illuminations media who produced Dance Brittania who hopefully can put this thread to bed...........

i think maybe, this has been taken slightly out of context. if tim was aware that he could have sourced the information he required via people on the scene, im sure he would have considered it worth the attempt. as it was, it appeared easier to access the collection of the british library. lets face it you'd need first of all, to find out who keeps collections of mags, what theyve got, the condition they're in and then set up a meeting to view them. he could have ended up travelling all over the uk, with the distinct possibility of it being a wild goose chase. is it registered anywhere who has got what and are they there to be viewed on request?. anyway lets get back on track here, after the edinburgh comedy club interval!!. i cant believe we're disputing coloured hooped shirts, isnt it more important who the person was wearing them?. are we seriously going to believe that a "practise session", prior to the real deal exists whilst the original film dosnt?. look, i might not have been so eagle-eyed to spot a bbc logo in the foreground so ill give you that, but at the end of the day what i REALLY want to see isnt showing on youtube, so unless someone wakes up from their comatose state to profess they have a copy in the loft, you can keep offering up wannabee film clips but it aint gonna solve the mystery. our brother on here, attempted to locate some super 8 film shot at the casino, but the trail's gone cold....that smacks of COULDNT BE BOTHERED....even in this century, we're still of the mind....OH LEAVE IT.....WE'LL GET ROUND TO IT SOME DAY,IT'LL KEEP.....we sell records that we wish we'd kept, we record over cassettes again and again, wiping original material, we dont go to venues for years, then when we fancy it, we find to our dismay they've shut..."OH BUGGER, I WISH ID GONE SOONER".

we ALWAYS leave it too late, dosnt matter what it is because when it comes to the crunch, not ENOUGH people care. in this case, the bbc is a third party not involved in the scene but it just so happened to have in its posession, something of significance and relevance to all of us....a piece of footage that was a milestone and a turning point in our scene. when the innovation of cd and dvd came about, it should have been sought out there and then so this thread wouldnt be necessary. so for everything we've achieved, for the greatest cult music phenomenon the world has ever seen,....all we have is...THIS ENGLAND

and we're going to settle for that.

one tiny piece of film you say...whats the big deal? i couldnt give a toss if any of you think im off my trolley harping on about this, the fact is IT MATTERS!...try telling the original dancers who are still alive that it dosnt matter, they went along and did the gig...whose going to tell them its of no importance and think they wont be offended?. that top of the pops appearance was a pivotal moment, it showe the rest of the country what it was that drove us on, it was the scene's platform and as a result even more people flocked to the casino.

lets have the list of dancers up here on this post for reference and then, hopefully some may come on here to talk about the event and give us the facts, and in the meantime, perhaps somebody may come on here with some useful information that sheds light on weather a copy of the program does exist anywhere or, if indeed it is lost for all-time...and a sad,sorry statement that will be.

You just don't read other people's posts do you, I have explained that I was able to get loads of footage from a source at the BBC in the 80's, much of it unbroadcast, even down to things like "The Young Ones", I had over an hours worth of them rehearsing shows from the second series, you've never ehard of that have you? I have a BBC Nationwide special on David Bowie's Aladdin Sane tour, never rebroadcast in full though the odd clip has been shown. I've got tons of stuff like this, yet you don't believe there might have been a rehearsal for Footsee, next time you come here I'll show you Bowie doing an unbroadcast run through of Queen Bitch on the OGWT, guess what, supposed to have been wiped except I've got it.

i think maybe, this has been taken slightly out of context. if tim was aware that he could have sourced the information he required via people on the scene, im sure he would have considered it worth the attempt. as it was, it appeared easier to access the collection of the british library. lets face it you'd need first of all, to find out who keeps collections of mags, what theyve got, the condition they're in and then set up a meeting to view them. he could have ended up travelling all over the uk, with the distinct possibility of it being a wild goose chase.

.that smacks of COULDNT BE BOTHERED.... (Your words about others )

we ALWAYS leave it too late, dosnt matter what it is because when it comes to the crunch, not ENOUGH people care.

About what? A piece of film of some lanky teenagers doing acrobatics to a third rate slice of musical travesty?

that top of the pops appearance was a pivotal moment, it showe the rest of the country what it was that drove us on, (Eh? You're havin a laff aren't you? )

if indeed it is lost for all-time...and a sad,sorry statement that will be. (I'll get over it I'm sure! It won't be easy but I'll do my best! )

Barking! Absolutely Barking!

/quote]

Regards,

Dave

Edited November 11, 201014 yr by Dave Moore

As an aside to this, the TOTPs appearence of the soulies dancing to Footsie nearly cost me a beating from a bullying scouser. I was an apprentice on day release to Clarence street tech in Liverpool at the time & there was a slightly older bloke who was known as a real hard case. My "classmates" told him that I could "do the footsie", he insisted I do in on a table, I told him to fook off. eventually he backed away & I lived. Was a scarey moment though.

Paul

Thats definitely Jethro in the red and white shirt, then he wore his green and white rugby shirt, and bin the other one, Billy.

wrong billy, l knew jethro from his very first foray's on the scene...back in the cats days............he always wore that hooped green shirt in the early days........and deffo on totp's......atb peggy