Week's End - John in Black & White

The Beatles are in the middle of recording Strawberry Fields Forever, when John makes a guest appearance in a sketch for the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Christmas show of Not Only But Also... John plays the doorman of a 'members only' gents lavatory. The outside shots were filmed in Broadwick St, London W1. (from The Beatles/Unseen Archives, compiled by Tim Hill & Marie Clayton, Parragon Publishing, Bath, UK; my crummy scans from the book.)

I cannot find the photographer for these stills, so if anyone knows, let me know. We're lucky there's anything at all left of Not Only...because the BBC re-used so much film stock from it. (Though Peter Cook reportedly offered to pay for it). This was not John's first guest appearance on the show but the video available is the clearest for this sketch. He's quite funny in it, too. This bewilders many YouTube Youth. (Yes, actually. I can imagine John at 70.) (Update - click here for GG's post & the link to Imagine Peace website where you can leave birthday wishes.) Another update: From crivens, jings and help ma blog (yea, that's in Scotland:) - Alistair has posted a wonderful video of genius Peter Sellers interpreting A Hard Day's Night. If we couldn't laugh....

As Peter Cook would say, no matter the time, Good Evening.

Good Evening, Bedazzler

Stanley Moon: Apart from the way He moves, what's God really like? I mean, what colour is He?

George Spiggott (Devil): He's all colours of the rainbow, many-hued.
Stanley Moon: But He is English, isn't He?
George Spiggott (Devil): Oh yes. Very upper class.

Peter Cook as the Devil (of course), Dudley Moore as poor little Stanley. There are so many funny scenes, but the quote above because I was a religion major undergraduate, descended from, um, people who are (still) annoyed with the English upper class, etc. Here he is, up to "routine mischief"(it's his job, remember) & his explanation re: Fall from Grace.

Here's a link to the hilarious b&w sequence with Cook as Drimble Wedge, top pop star, filling girls with squeals of delight as he drones on with cold, mean, & dismissive statements. To the utter bewilderment of Dudley Moore's Stanley-as-singer.

Good evening.

[Peter Cook wearing very cool specs via 24media tumblr]

Update-If the blog looks weirder than usual, I'm trying to reinsert Googley Analytics properly. I know that this blog isn't up there with the big dudes, but it is surprisingly well visited. Since changing the template, I have been informed by a computer analysis that no one has visited. Not even the people who have commented. Ahem.