Sixties City Index Page
The Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance
   

Royal Variety 1963  Royal Variety Programme 1963  Royal Variety 1963 The Royal Variety Performances were annually televised charity events which had their fair share of chart talent on view. The first RVP (then known as the Royal Command Performance) took place on 1st July 1912 at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End. King George V and Queen Mary attended. It was stopped during the First World War but became an annual event in 1921. The proceeds are donated to The Entertainment Artistes’ Benevolent Fund which cares for hundreds of entertainers throughout the UK who need help and assistance as a result of old age, ill-health, or hard times. Brinsworth House, in Twickenham, is the Fund's dedicated nursing home, caring for elderly members of the entertainment profession.

It has only been cancelled four times - for Royal mourning in 1936, the Second World War, the 1956 Suez crisis and in 1959 when the Queen was pregnant with Prince Andrew. When George VI was too ill to attend the show in 1951, it was relayed to his sickbed in Buckingham Palace. Although the Royal Variety Performance had already been an annual event for 40 years, it wasn't until 1960 that it was allowed to be televised.

Theatre owners were always worried that over-exposure would prevent people from going to see variety live. Soon to become the main television event to be associated with Bernard Delfont, the first televised 'Royal Variety Show' was held on May 16th 1960 and transmitted on Sunday 22nd May across the entire ITV network. It was held in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Duke Of Edinburgh, topping the television ratings with over 8 million viewers.


The Royal Variety Performance

 

16th May 1960 at The Victoria Palace Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh

Presented by: Jack Hylton, Musical Directors: Billy Ternant & Jack Ansell, Stage Director: Charles Henry
Compere: Bruce Forsyth
Appearing: Max Bygraves, Nat King Cole, Russ Conway, Billy Cotton and His Band, The Crazy Gang, Sonia Rees, Sammy Davis Jr, Lonnie Donegan, Diana Dors, Jimmy Edwards, Adam Faith, Bud Flanagan
Benny Hill, Robert Horton, Frankie Howerd, Hattie Jacques, Liberace, Vera Lynn, Bob Monkhouse, Cliff Richard & The Shadows, The Tiller Girls, Norman Wisdom, Harry Worth

The May 16th 1960 show was produced for ATV television by Bill Ward and was televised for the very first time on May 22nd 1960, lasting 150 minutes.
After 1961 an agreement was reached where television transmission was generally shared alternately between BBC and ITV

The Royal Variety Performance

 

6th November, 1961 Prince of Wales Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Harold Collins, Stage Director: Charles Henry
Compere: Bruce Forsyth
Appearing: Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball & The Temperance Seven, Shirley Bassey, Jack Benny, George Burns, Lionel Blair, Max Bygraves, Maurice Chevalier, The Crazy Gang, Sammy Davis Jr., Arthur Haynes
The McGuire Sisters, Morecambe and Wise, Nina & Frederik, Andy Stewart, Frankie Vaughan

Transmitted 12th November 1961 by ATV - 175 minutes

The Royal Variety Performance

 

29th April, 1962 The Palladium Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Eric Tann, Stage Director: Robert Nesbitt
Compere: Norman Vaughan
Appearing: The Black and White Minstrels, Rudy Cardenas, Rosemary Clooney, Dickie Henderson, Edie Adams, Frank Ifield, Eartha Kitt, Cleo Laine, Johnny Dankworth, Cliff Richard & The Shadows
Harry Secombe, Andy Stewart, Sophie Tucker, Mike & Bernie Winters, Bob Hope with Edie Adams

Transmitted 4th November 1962 by BBC

The Royal Variety Performance

 

 4th November, 1963 Prince Of Wales Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Harold Collins, Producer: Robert Nesbitt
Appearing: The Billy Petch Dancers, The Clark Brothers, Max Bygraves, Luis Alberto del Parana and Los Paraguayos, Dickie Henderson, Francis Brunn, Buddy Greco, Susan Maughan, The Beatles
Charlie Drake with Tessa Davees and The 8 Charlies, Nadia Nerina with the cast of Sleeping Beauty, Eric Sykes & Hattie Jacques, Joe Loss and His Orchestra with Rose Brennan, Ross McManus
Larry Gretton, The Billy Petch Dancers, Michael Flanders & Donald Swann, 'Steptoe & Son' with Wilfred Brambell and Harry H. Corbett, Pinky & Perky and company, Jan and Vlasta Dalibor
Marlene Dietrich with Burt Bacharach, Tommy Steele & the Half a Sixpence company, Harry Secombe with the Pickwick company

Transmitted 10th November 1963 by ATV          See The Beatles performance - click here

The Royal Variety Performance

 

2nd November, 1964 The Palladium Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Eric Tann, Stage Director: Robert Nesbitt
Appearing: The John Tiller Girls, Tommy Cooper, The Bachelors, Gil Dova, Dennis Spencer, Morecambe & Wise, Gracie Fields, The Moiseyev Dance Company, Ralph Reader & The Gang Show
Jimmy Tarbuck, The Shadows, Cliff Richard, Bob Newhart, Lena Horne with The Chico Hamilton Quartet

David Jacobs introduced Cilla Black, Millicent Martin, Kathy Kirby and Brenda Lee

Televised 8th November 1964 by BBC - 160 minutes

The Royal Variety Performance

 

8th November, 1965 The Palladium Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Eric Tann, Stage Director: Robert Nesbitt
Appearing: Shirley Bassey, Tony Bennett, Jack Benny, Max Bygraves, The Carmenas, The Dave Clark Five, Peter Cook, Ken Dodd, Johnny Halliday, Arthur Haynes, Hope and Keen, Frank Ifield
The Kaye Sisters, Neville King, Spike Milligan, Dudley Moore, Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Sellers, Dusty Springfield, Sylvie Vartan

Transmitted 14th November 1965 by ATV

The Royal Variety Performance

 

14th November, 1966 The Palladium Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Eric Tann, Stage Director: Robert Nesbitt
Compere: Des O'Connor with introduction by David Jacobs
Appearing: The Bachelors, Bal Caron Trio, Gilbert Bécaud, Sammy Davis Jr, Jack Douglas, Hugh Forgie, The Seekers, Nadia Nerina, Juliette Greco, Frankie Howerd, Jerry Lewis, Kenneth McKellar
Henry Mancini, Marvo & Dolores, Matt Monro, Wayne Newton, The Pietro Brothers, Gene Pitney, Christopher Gable, Tommy Steele
The entire England football team also took to the stage after their World Cup triumph

No transmission details (BBC)

The Royal Variety Performance

 

13th November, 1967 The Palladium Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Eric Tann, Stage Director: Robert Nesbitt
Compere: Dickie Henderson
Appearing: The Bluebell Girls, Tanya, Rolf Harris, Lulu, Sandie Shaw, Val Doonican, Tommy Cooper, Harry Secombe, The Romanian National Dance Company & Orchestra, The Rockin' Berries
Ken Dodd, Vikki Carr, Mireille Mathieu, Tom Jones, Bob Hope

Transmitted 19th November 1967 by ATV

The Royal Variety Performance

 

18th November, 1968 The Palladium Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
accompanied by Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Princess Margaret and The Earl of Snowdon

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Eric Tann, Producer: Robert Nesbitt
Compere: Des O'Connor
Appearing: Aimi Macdonald & Lionel Blair, Arthur Askey, Valente Valente, Morecambe & Wise, Sacha Distel, The Czechoslovakian State Song & Dance Ensemble, Ted Rogers, Manitas de Plata & Company
Engelbert Humperdinck, Agnes O'Connell's London Irish Girl Pipers, Val Doonican, Petula Clark, Ron Moody, Andre Tahon & Company, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Morecambe & Wise

No transmission details (BBC)
The Royal Variety Performance
 10th November, 1969 The Palladium Theatre, London
Held in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh

Presented by: Bernard Delfont, Musical Director: Russell Wright, Producer: Robert Nesbitt
Compere: Des O'Connor
Appearing: The Veterans, Roy Castle, Cilla Black, Danny LaRue, Shari Lewis, Harry Secombe, Ginger Rogers, Buddy Rich, Moira Anderson, Scene de Ballet, Ronnie Corbett, Mireille Mathieu
Herb Alpert and His Tijuana Brass, Frankie Howerd, Johnnie Spence and His Orchestra, The Mike Sammes Singers, Tom Jones

Transmitted 16th November 1969 by ATV - 125 minutes




UK web hosting by
All Original Material Copyright SixtiesCity
Other individual owner copyrights may apply to Photographic Images