Noele Gordon on Harty 1981
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- Опубликовано: 30 дек 2010
- Actress Noele Gordon appears on The Russell Harty Show on 17 November 1981 to discuss leaving the ATV series.
In memory of Noele Gordon 25 December 1919 - 14 April 1985
And Russell Harty 5 September 1934 -- 8 June 1988
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My grandad was a builder and once built a stone wall for Noele Gordon at her house. She brought him many cups of tea when he was building the wall and gave him a nickname "Ginge".
Fantastic to see this, what a strong and amazing lady, so talented, sincere and realistic. A real star - a trooper, not an "instant" star but a TRUE star on stage as well as on TV. Bless her heart xx
It’s the smile at 2:04 (when she knows she’s nailed the song and performance, and she knows that we know she’s nailed it) that really makes this clip. Amazing charisma!
I was a young butcher in 1969 and Noel Gordon was one of our customers, My Mom was a big fan of Crossroads and Noel gave me a signed Photograph, very nice lady.
Wow, such a heartfelt interview. I love the end credits in the 'crossroads' style of sweeping across and rising. Very touching and rightly so. Noele was a rarity in so many good ways.
Met her many times when I had an after school job in a supermarket in Ross on Wye. She had the most beautiful eyes .
Wonderful video, she had it all, voice looks and great actor. There will never be another Nolly.
Nice to see this. I played in the house band for Russell's BBC live, early evening chat show from 1983 - 85. He was a really nice man.
Also good to see in this clip (at the very end, on the far right) the late, great session guitarist Chris Rae.
The treatment of him by some the tabloid press was beyond disgusting. I remember it well. They have a lot to answer for in respect of the coarsening of culture in UK society in the last forty years.
My bus used to pass her little flat in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham. I saw her once in a big flowery housecoat doing her garden. Saw Adam Chance (Tony Adams) going in there once.
What a class act she was.
From a wonderful era, when certain TV actors really were Stars ✨ They don't exist anymore sadly . Noele Gordon was definitely a Star 🌟
My Mum Loved Cross Roads Noele Gordon was pure class !
I love how the orchestra adapts to noele’s tempo in the final number
adore the way she marches in and sings....you go girl!
pure class! nothing like this around anymore or am I just getting old?
Her entrance is based on her entrance in the stage show. She was a remarkable lady and taken from us all too soon. Miss her still after all these years. :)
Give 'em hell Noele! Magnificently defiant reponse. What a gal!
God Bless You Nolly!
You truly were and still are a legend.
God Bless You x x x
Thats was wonderful, thank you so much for posting it. Crossroads remins me of being at my Nans on Holiday and sitting down to watch it as a child - She was a huge Nollly fan. Will never understand why Crossroads sacked her - she was the show in so many ways. Sadly missed and gone too soon x
Not only did Noele Gordon play Meg Richardson in 'Crossroads', but she was also on the board of ATV. She helped launch ATV. Sad to think when the programme changed to 'Crossroads Motel', the new producer wanted her back, scripts had even been written, but sadly she was so unwell, it never came about as she passed away. Jane Rossington (Jill Richardson) was asked by Paul O'Grady why they got rid of Noele Gordon, Rossington's reply was "it was a political thing, a clash of personalities".
They could take her contract away , but they couldn't take away her public. She was adored! She won ATV Personality of the year for years on end. They tried inventing a lifetime achievement award for her - another step towards getting rid of her perhaps? She still held on. A very brave and dedicated artist.
There is no doubt that she was broken hearted. However those fools could not destroy her - they could not take away her public who love her still. A unique lady - she loved the camera and the camera loved her!
Blimey never knew she could SING😮🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😮 RIP you legend 🎉🎉🎉❤❤
You can see how upset she was at leaving Crossroads 😢 shows how strong she was to sing at full belt feeling that way
Poor Noele. ATV made a dreadful error back in 1981. it was never the same after.
No she was the mainstay of that show.
Yes, absolutely....the show went downhill when Nolly was sacked.
@@mikehudson8884 That's what they wanted, but I think they were hoping it would die a death a lot sooner than it did.
You are so right there really. As others have said here, it seems that the reason she was sacked at the time in 1981 was because of Central taking over from ATV as ITV in the Midlands the following year-1982. I don't know whether this was entirely the reason so, although no doubt it was a part of it for sure. Also as others have said too, Crossroads as a series did sort of go downhill really after she left, which was a shame too. Of course they did try to keep it going, such as in 1985 when Gabrielle Drake was introduced as the new manager Nicola Freeman at the time; but really it all lead to its cancellation with the last episode on Easter Monday in April 1988 at the time. Of course too I know that ITV did revive it between 2001 to 2003, and then it was also cancelled too. Thank you!!
Thank you there!
I do remember her as a kid on the ship waving goodbye. You can tell she was hurt by it all !
Me too. My whole family shed a tear watching the QE2 scene play out.
Yes I do remember it vaguely at the time too-I think of course it was all on the news at the time no doubt too. I think she left on the QE2 from Southampton Docks as others will know too. Thank you!!
She is so theatrical in a way that we dont see so much nowadays
Karma bit all their arses off - Crossroads died....ATV died.....Central died.....and I am SO glad....this woman was a major part of the lives of SO many. TV chiefs misjudged ..... and paid the price. NEVER sack a legend. You are not Gods.
TBH Central would have died anyway as the 1990 Broadcasting Act and it’s effects would have happened regardless of Crossroads.
She comes across as really lovely, - was treated v badly by ATV!
It still remains today one of most classic examples of a creative decision being made that defied all logic and reason that subsequently proved utterly disastrous.
Thanks for this seems nolly lives on. met her once lovely lady.
Class personified.
She is truly unbelievable.
For all the talk of 'celebrities' these days. 5 minute Wonders of so-called talent shows, and no marks who get their bits out on 'reality' shows, Nolly was, and still the example of a true star. Whether it was 18 years in charge of the Crossroads Motel, the first woman to interview a Prime Minister on television, learning to fly for a tv show, studying tv in the US and coming back here to have a huge role in the setting up of ATV, her stage career, or just her sheer guts, presence and the love the public had (still have for her). These idiots would do well to learn a hell of a lot from her. God bless you, Nolly
And, lest we forget, THE face of Logie-Baird's trials of colour television back in 1938!
People of my age grew up with both of these characters very much in their lives - Noele was an icon of dominant fun, entertainment and confidence, Russell was easy-going and made a chat show entertaining without seemingly being an interrogation technique as it is often projected today. I miss both of them. Top pros in every way !!
You are so right there-they were both icons in a way at the time-and I guess we must be glad that they were there on the telly at the time that they were too. Thank you so much of course!!
Yes so too of course. It was a shame that Noele died in 1985 and then Russell died in 1988 alas of course too. Noticing by the way that she was born on Christmas Day 1919, I guess Noele was called that for her name too. Thank you!!
I watch this one daily, can't get enough of her.
daily??
The end credits in the classic Crossroads criss-cross style was a nice touch.
Love how she bursts into song. Remember we need a little christmas?😁😂😂
I remember it. Everyone crammed into Meg's sitting room with the Johnny Patrick trio, half of the cast not knowing the words lol. And when Meg breaks the fourth wall, well it is ludicrous but she triumphs.
Wow she sang that with great heart, and emotion
great voice of course !
@edidsbury Glad you enjoyed watching it. I'll be uploading some more archive stuff soon. Enjoy!
Both gone now RIP
Such a lovely lady
I found this very entertaining
My goodness I remember this!
Too bad her amazing blue eyes don't come through on this clip, still happy to see it though 30 years on. Thanks
I suspect she was not an easy person - but clearly v wounded and hurt
Oh boy was she a fighting force but very talented x
Noele Gordon was part of that breed that doesn't really exist anymore. Soap stars, often with a theatrical background, whose small screen fame goes somewhat to their heads. They end up with a kind of amusingly diva-ish, theatrical, over the top persona. Of course, the soaps were much bigger back then, with much bigger audiences, but the over the top personas were very ripe for mockery, as Victoria Wood did so well in Acorn Antiques. Noele Gordon was effectively caught between eras. She was sacked when that kind of personality was going very much out of fashion.
True, but it was a kind of classicism. The same way many ‘old fashioned’ comedians disappeared when the Alt comedians came along. And agin now, when the over 50s are listed from everything
She would always be chauffeur driven to venues in her Rolls Royce, as she said it was the only car one could be comfortable and relaxed in and arrive refreshed after a long journey.
Just loved her in Acorn Antiques.
Wonderful
There'll never be another Nolly.
What a stunningly beautiful woman she was.
I also loved the end credits, unique idea, and it worked! although at the time i believe it was difficult to do the credits that way, but as i say, the idea worked. On very odd occasions one credit started coming in from the right and the other one going up (and off the screen) went off the screen a bit late and the two partly touched each other. also loved the theme music, (both versions), the regular Tony Hatch version and Paul McCartney version, (McCartney's used if something sad happened.
She was Crossroads' and Crossroads was her , hence it flopped after they sacked her .... Jealousy is a destructive tool & what a star she was ...
+asa1973100 By all accounts Noel Gordon was a hard-faced egomaniac and people who worked with her were afraid of her! Let's face it, without 'Crossroads' she'd have just been a middling actress no one had heard of. She had a very good innings on 'Crossroads' and never did anything of note after it. I don't think we should feel too sorry for her!
she was diagnosed with cancer after crosswords during her run in the theatre so how could she go on to do anything of note?
BTW crossroads ended up in such a bad shape the new guy in charge begged for her to come back and they had the stories and scripts ready then she dropped down dead after she agreed.
Unfortunately for some she was crossroads and that was a huge threat to her fellow thespians who craved her stature. She lived across the road from my family home in Handsworth Wood and I’ll always remember her as a delightful characterful charming lady who always had time for an autograph “ I remember fans out her home photobombing her flats “ . A truly lovely neighbor and a pleasure to have lived by her . Ps Larry Grayson was a regular visitor to .
I loved 'Crossroads' when I was a kid.
Forget 'Blue Peter' and kid's stuff. Home from school, tea time and Crossroads.
A trooper with star quality, the last of the dlsummer
Fab i'd love a clean copy of this
Terrific - thanks for posting. I remember its original broadcast! Used to love Russell's twice-weekly show on BBC2.
Yes so did I and my family too. I think his shows at the time were produced by the then BBC Manchester, as it said it at the time in the Radio Times billing/listing from what I remember. I think the producer was Ken Stephinson, but am not too sure on that one though. Thank you of course!!
@Bruce Danton looking forward to Russell T Davies 3 part for Itv X (not sure if on itv1) about Noele sacking (saw small clip on Graham Norton show BBC 1 and the reason why im here) at the time of the sacking and what was was shown for TV news and what actually was said and 'not' shown for the public eyes at the time!!
@@derekhart3308 Indeed so too I am sure of course!
What a wonderful lady..
People forget how huge Crossroads was in those days. I was a young kid when the programme started in 1964 and my mother always watched it and so did I up until the end of the original era. It had more viewers than anything on TV nowadays and was a teatime staple. Noele's dismissal was another example of producers thinking they know better than the viewers. Crossroads went downhill after she left and it was never the same again. I'm glad Noele wowed them and proved the vile critics wrong in her roles in the musicals she did afterwards.
Also love the credits doing what Crossroads did !!...lol....in from the right...up from the bottom...never seen it since :-)
Never? Haven't you ever seen Acorn Antiques?😂
Those closing horizontal and vertical credits were achieved by using two TV camera's, camera 1 would film the horizontal and camera 2 the vertical, there would be a props boy each, one taking the cards off horizontally and the other props boy taking them off vertically. It was all done relying on timing, only a few times the timing would be out and they would 'collide' slightly, but 9 times out of ten it was a perfect cross over!
They don't make them like her any more ...
What an amazing woman! You just look at her and she had that presence of a star! Wow!
I'm gonna do some digging, I wanna know a bit more about her. Helena did a fantastic job playing her.
What a bloody pro she was
Just watched Nolly on ITVX. She was such a character!
Just starting that now.
Gorgeous lady xxxx
Noele might not have been bitter but she was definitely larger than life 🍻
RIP Noele Gordon (died #otd in 1985) 🌹🌹🌹
@ATVNETWORKLIMITED Guess we have to agree to differ, she helped get ATV Midlands on the air. She was the only one on Staff, Central took over from ATV so to me it was a firing. Without her the station may never have lasted as long as it did, therefore Central may never had the chance to take ATV over. But like I say we have to agree to differ I think.
ATV were asked, as a condition of winning their franchise in the 1980 franchise round by the IBA, to rename themselves to a more regional name, provide a dual service in the West and East Midlands, sell their Elstree studios and relocate to a base in Nottingham and also to sell 49% of the shares and take control away from Lew Grade's parent company, ITC. So really it was Charles Denton who decided Noele should go as she wouldn't have easily fit into Central's new image.
@@christopherwilliams2093 this isn't true. Jack Barton, Producer of Crossroads decided she had to go. He wanted a more ensemble series - no star! I think too that Ms Gordon who was much loved by the public but wasn't quite as sweet natured off-screen. I think Jack Barton tired of having to deal with her - he was the boss and his decision was final. That is the job of a Producer. He informed the Head of Drama and Director of Programmes that he wanted to make changes and they agreed with his decision. They also took the flack publicly. Jack Barton would have found it awkward dealing with his cast if they had known that the decision to write her out was indeed his.
There is no doubt that the reorganisation of the Midlands franchise put all programme producers on the back foot. Jack Barton was now having to report to a new head of drama, Margaret Matheson but they were also aware of the financial stability that Crossroads brought the company.
I think fans like to imagine a great conspiracy. The truth was that Ms Gordon had become very awkward to deal with and the producer had enough. Whatever anyone thinks, Crossroads went on and was very successful long after Noele Gordon. If anything it became more of an ensemble show rather than a star vehicle for one actor.
@kennysyt I meet Noele in 1979/80 in Halesowen West Midlands at the local football club. A charity football match Bev Bevan of ELO was playing in the match.Noele wore a cream 2 piece suit. A double decker bus was her dressing room. I have a autographed picture, and recall asking about Larry Grayson. I have a friend Tom Bun who was Larry Graysons best friend. I post Big Ben medley on here with lizabeth webb and nolly on.
The powers-that-be couldn't handle her as she was a strong-willed woman. Had it been twenty years later it would have been a different situation.
Everyone knew Crossroads WAS Noele Gordon.
Good that ATV lost the franchise soon after then! Should never have sacked her
TBH, ATV didn’t even re-apply for the franchise because their parent company - ACC - set up a new company - Central - with its own executive board to apply for the franchise and won.
I think that is Max Harris at the piano at 13'15 who wrote the sig tune for several TV series including Porridge.
Kool star i remember her !A
She was a star one of they kind that has now gone. ATV/ .Carlton made a big mistake.
TV Royalty she was
Noele Gordon a great star and legend how dare ATV as they were then treat a great star ✨ in this way absolutely disgraceful Shame on them! they should have been fired not Noele Gordon she was a great star! God bless her 🥰🙏
The only actress who when on the phone actually paused and you felt she was actually talking to someone. EVERYONE else the person in shot never pauses
She reminds me of Angela Lansbury Murder She Wrote here.
what a shame. She was TV history
they should'nt have sacked noele from crossroad bad mistake
They don't make Stars like that anymore...
Marched on like General Patton.
@kennysyt Halesowen 1979 charity football match.
@gf1001 Oh really? Where did you meet her?
@ATVNETWORKLIMITED She was on contract though with ATV the only one that was. I would think that meant she was fired.
The way she was treated was cruel.
She’s full of life her!
she was amazing, and of course sadly Gypsy didn’t transfer to London.
Staggered to realise that she died less than four years later.
So what was the real reason Noele was got rid of?
An ongoing power struggle over control of the show between her and the producer Jack Whatsisname.
Acting jobs come to an end no matter who you are, but the way she was told would have annoyed me too.
Is the guy who got slapped by Grace Jones?
Absolutely hunni
Yes. God she thrashed him.😂
Your only a number in any job ... or on Tv 📺 to get 5 years yr tops !,, but to make a series over twenty five years in ‘Crossroads’ your a top Actess it’s life new style , new script, new ideas...it’s the world we live ... A number)) Gosh! people only last 1 x year or less on many Soap 🧼 boxes.... on Tv. Ageism ...................."............."..................."................"......................................⏱.......⏱
in every walk of life. But wait and I tell the world & all the fans you made this soap wonderful and special .... never forget brilliant acting ,a lady & nice person.. I grew up with a terrific Tv series 🎥 Dooooooo duuuuu dooooo do thouuuuu’ 🎬🇮🇪
Karma. ATV sacked Noele Gordon....the main anchor....and then BOOM...Crossroads died a death. ATV / Central shot themselves in the genitals as this was the lady an entire generation grew up with....and remained steadfastly loyal to. I'm glad the show died with her....despite the most pathetic attempt to resurrect it in 2000....that died before the ouija board directors realised it was dead at their expense. !!! Some people in the TV networks THINK they know the score....but actually are nerds not able to judge public opinion. Noele and Roger led this thing....ATV / Central....became the biggest failure in the IBA network. No surprises. Charles Denton and Margaret Matheson: Absolute unprofessional aresholes.
It didn't really 'die a death'. It went on until 1988! And Jack Barton, the Producer decided she had to go. His boss, Charles Denton was happy to support the decision of his Producer but it wasn't Margaret Matheson or Charles Denton who said she had to go. Is was her direct boss, the Producer of the show.
23111963 I remember hearing that it wasn't Charles Denton and the Crossroads fan club did a documentary about it, (with some Crossroads cast, crew and fans like Bill Buckley) which I never got the chance to see, to find out who was actually responsible.
Noele singing on stage at that event with a photo of Charles Denton, and all the guests there including Noele, believing Charles was responsible when I find out just now it was Jack Barton, makes it all wrong and pointless as Charles was blamed when it was never his fault.