472 Royal Variety Performance

First  viewed : 23  November  1980

I  might  have  seen  bits  of  earlier  ones  but  this  is  the  first  one  I  can  remember  clearly. It  marked  the  Queen  Mother's  80th  birthday.

The  big  draw  in  1980  was  an  appearance  by  man-of-the-moment  Larry  Hagman. Although  he  could  sing  well  enough  to  appear  in  musicals  earlier  in  his  career  he  chose  to  do  a  number  as  J.R, in  Rex  Harrison  style. The  song  was  "My  Favourite  Things"  from   "The  Sound  of  Music"  ( first  performed  by  his  mother  Mary  Martin  on  Broadway ) . Larry  changed  the  lyrics  to  fit  his  persona  so  it  became  "My  Favourite  Sins"   but  neglected  to  learn  them  properly  and  they  deserted  him  on  the  night. Larry  did  his  best  to  keep  smiling  and  laugh  it  off  but  the  performance  was  acutely  embarrassing. After  completely  screwing  up  in  his  solo  spot  he  then  had  to  introduce  his  mother  as  an  unbilled  special  guest  and  she  blew  him  away  with  a  performance  that  belied  her  66  years. But  we  still  loved  him.Apart  from  Hagman  the  other performances  I  remember  are

•  an  interminable  "comic"  turn  from  pianist  Victor  Borge. When  I  complained  at  how  long  it  was  dragging  on  for   my  mother  snapped  "Well  other  people  like  it"  or  words  to  that  effect.
• a  solo  Rowan  Atkinson  doing  his  father  of  the  bride  turn
•  the  inescapable  Sheena  Easton  doing  the  crushingly  boring  "When  He  Shines"

It's  interesting  to  look  at  the  mix  on  the  bill  that  night, the  music  hall  boys  on  their  last  legs  - Athur  Askey, Chesney  Allen , Tommy  Trinder, the  Hollywood  vets  - Danny  Kaye, Sammy  Davis  Junior,  and   the  TV  reliables - Brucie  and  Lionel  Blair. Besides  Rowan  and  Sheena  the  younger  stars  on  view  were  Grace  Kennedy,  a  black  singer  who  won  Opportunity  Knocks  but  gradually  faded  from  view  as  the  decade  progressed  and  now  runs  a  successful  wedding  planning  business   and  Paul  Squire, a  young  Mancunian  comedian  who  completely  disappeared  from  public  view  a  few  years  later   although  you  can  still  find  him  on  cruise  ships  and  in  regional  pantomime.