Peggy Lee on TV

In this centennial year is there any chance of seeing the two Peggy lee TV specials she did in the UK on ITV - one was with Charles Aznavour. Both were in the 70's/80's.

Failing that it would be good to see a video compilation of her TV appearances over the years. One thing that frustrates me is how much material there may be out there, that was shown on commercial television and never gets shown again - I guess its a rights issue but what a waste of material that fans could enjoy!

I had seen an announcement that there will be a DVD of a 1967 TV special being released which if I am not mistaken will be the Something Special show which has already been released previously. Fans want material never before released - you get snippets (in varying quality) on YouTube but there must be a market for good quality video to excite us in this centennial year.

Here's hoping!

Totally agree. What a waste of greatness not being able to see Peg's TV work.

In 1971 after Peggy sang at Louis Armstrong’s funeral, she appeared on CBS with Dizzy In a tribute to Louie. I had it on video years ago, but don’t have it now. Is it still available?

Quote:

Markb37UK
I had seen an announcement that there will be a DVD of a 1967 TV special being released which if I am not mistaken will be the Something Special show which has already been released previously.

The DVD’s main program indeed consists of the special (but read my additional comments, further down below).

As you say, Mark, this special has been released in the UK -- originally on VHS and, years later, on DVD. If I’m not mistaken, both releases were bootlegs, not officially authorized. The DVD was actually recalled, not long after it came out. (The occasional copy continues to show up on eBay, from time to time.)

It is worth clarifying, though, that this televised US special has never been commercially released in the United States. It will thus be new to a large portion of the prospective audience. Younger generations will appreciate that it is in color, too. (The bulk of it will be fresh to those viewers. Only a few of the performances have been posted in YouTube -- most notably, “Fever.)

Quote:

Markb37UK
it would be good to see a video compilation of her TV appearances over the years. One thing that frustrates me is how much material there may be out there, that was shown on commercial television and never gets shown again - I guess its a rights issue but what a waste of material that fans could enjoy! Here's hoping!

Rights (and such) doubtlessly have a lot to do with it. But guess what? In addition to its main program, the new Something Special DVD is slated to include over 15 bonus tracks, taken from a variety of Peggy shows. If you are a dedicated or longtime collector of Peggy’s TV work, you will have seen a fair share of those performances ... but not all of them. Speaking for myself, I believe that there are no less than five of those bonus items that I have never ever seen, including some about whose existence I was unaware. Thrilling!

Answer, in advance, to an obvious follow-up question: no, I don’t have a track listing to share. I imagine that we will all get to see a detailed list when PBS is ready to make it available.

Quote:

Markb37UK
want material never before released - you get snippets (in varying quality) on YouTube but there must be a market for good quality video to excite us in this centennial year.

I can only wonder if a sizable market exists anymore ...

Quote:

Markb37UK
In this centennial year is there any chance of seeing the two Peggy lee TV specials she did in the UK on ITV - one was with Charles Aznavour. Both were in the 70's/80’s.

I imagine that ITV and Thames are the same -- or perhaps one was a branch of the other? If so, and in addition to the 1977 special with Aznavour, you must be referring to the shorter Big Night Out special from 1983, Mark. I confess that I’m not a huge fan of the 1977 special, but the 1983 showing (30 or maybe just 15 minutes long) is thoroughly great, and I would really, really love to see it released one day! I have no idea, though, if the TV network taped and kept those specials in its archives, let alone how costly or feasible a commercial release would be ...

Ivan

Thank-you Ivan for your detailed response -- the two specials being later Peggy are not that great, I agree, but as a completist I would love to see them appear on YouTube or commercially in their entirety. I didn't realise the DVD of Something Special (which I have in my collection) was a bootleg, but if the new release contains extra material from other TV shows, I would certainly buy it (if I can from the UK that is!)

Being a fan, I guess I have every commercial recording she made, so any radio broadcast material would be of obvious interest. I would have thought that the estate has an audio recording of PEG - the Broadway show I sadly missed - now that would be a great addition! I agree that in this modern age, my kind of singer doesn't get a lot of attention these days from the media, so maybe it isn't feasible to release material commercially but I will go on hoping!