Digging out Pet Clark songs for my radio show I came across this gem, I had heard of the controversy but never seen the clip. The show was broadcast but was to be her only US tv special. During a taping of the show in March 1968, while singing a duet with Belafonte titled On the Path of Glory, an anti-war song that she had composed, Petula Clark innocently and naturally touched Belafontes arm toward the end of the song. Doyle Lott, a vice president from Chrysler, the shows sponsor, was present at the taping. Lott objected to the interracial touching and feared the brief moment would offend Southern viewers -- this at a time when racial conflict was a major issue in the U.S. Lott insisted they substitute a different take -- one with Clark and Belafonte standing well away from each other. But Clark and her husband, Claude Wolff, the executive producer of the show, refused. They destroyed all the other takes of the song, and delivered the finished program to NBC with the touching segment as part of the show. Clark, who had ownership of the special, told NBC that the performance would be shown intact or she would not allow the special to be aired at all. Meanwhile, at Chrysler, by March 10, 1968, Doyle Lott was relieved of his responsibilities. The Clark-Belafonte-Chrysler incident soon made the news, as American newspapers and magazines reported on the controversy. The press stories, however, only heightened viewer interest in the show. Advertising for the Petula Clark Show ran all across the country, with some local TV guides featuring Clark and Belafonte on the cover. The show was broadcast on April 8th, 1968 with Clark doing several numbers on her own as well as Belafonte doing several on his own before they sang together. It marked the first time a man and woman of different races exchanged physical contact on American television. When the show finally aired, it received high ratings and critical acclaim.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:37:23 +0000
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