Ex-pirate radio DJ Dave Cash had briefly co-hosted Top Of The Pops in 1968, and had
been a panellist on Juke Box Jury a couple of times, but never really became the
television personality that his old radio partner Kenny Everett had become.
The NME in December 1969 ran a short report that Cash would be going to New York
in the summer of 1970 to shoot his own thirteen-part TV series. Record Mirror also
reported Dave's enthusiasm for the show "It's a groovy show and will be going out
in America during the summer, probably on ABC. It's going to cost something about
140,000 dollars a week to shoot. We're making 13 shows to start with and the first
one one will probably have the Beatles and the Stones. But it won't be a 'Top Of
The Pops' type show in that it won't deal with the new chart entries or current hits
so much. I went to New York earlier this month to sort the TV show out and everyone
was very enthusiastic about it. I don't know whether it will be shown in Britain
or not though."
The New York show came to nothing, so he decided to take the matter into his own
hands. A pliot show, The Dave Cash Comedy Hour, was made in 1972 and featured actresses
Hilary Pritchard (previously seen in Braden's Week), Patricia/Tricia Gently and The
Golden Shot's Anne Aston in supporting acting and comedy roles, while Chris Andrews
and The Spectrum were among the musical guests.
A twenty-minute film reel (probably another pilot) appeared on eBay in September
2020. Despite the dealer dating the reel as 1969 it was actually from 1972, while
the title caption on the reel says "The Dave Cash Radio Program", the American spelling.
The show featured Carmen Munro, an interview with Mick Taylor, Nina, Chris Andrews,
Microbe (a Dave Cash discovery) and Sammy Davis Jr.
After a re-jig a new version of The Dave Cash Radio Programme was proposed featuring
music and comedy clips combined. It appears to have been a co-production between
HTV and NBC in the US. Cash presented the show from a mock radio station, a bit like
All Systems Freeman from a few years' earlier. The Melody Maker reported on the show
in December 1971 stating that it was a "situation comedy about a disc jockey." The
radio show idea was quickly abandoned and Cash would now present the show from different
locations each week. One week he would be presenting the show on board a plane, while
another came from the Beaulieu Motor Museum and so on. Hilary Pritchard was kept
on from the pilot to play his secretary. The pop clips he introduced were also shot
on location across the west country, with Dana, Lulu and The Moody Blues among the
first to be filmed, with each act usually performing two songs. In several clips
Cash is seen intercut in 'zany' sketches, similar to Kenny Everett's appearances
on Nice Time a few years' before.
According to the Internet Movie Database twenty-six shows had been prepared, but
only fourteen were shown by HTV. It was sold throughout Europe, so it's possible
that they showed more editions than we saw here in the UK, while Record Mirror reported
in May 1972 that the show had also been sold to America.
Other ITV stations would pick up the show, but it was never fully networked with
Thames showing it weeks, or months later. There would be no second series.
Deciding that maybe TV wasn't suited to his talents he returned to Radio One in late
1972. He told DeeJay magazine in 1973 "... I thought I'd try my hand at television
and we did 26 programmes for HTV - 'The Dave Cash Radio Programme', which I had a
lot of fun doing, but which was really far out of my media - in fact it was really
work for me - by the time Friday night came each week I finally collapsed in a heap.
I was also writing the series as well as performing in it I nearly ended up with
a nervous breakdown." Despite this claim he would be back in 1984 as he attempted
to persuade ITV to produce his chart show set to rival the long-established Top Of
The Pops. It would be made by Cash's Buzz production company. ITV refused.
The Dickie/Richard W Jackman referred to as co-producer and co-director was none
other than Cash himself.
After the show finished many of the clips were later made available in the 8mm home
movie format and later on twelve, half-hour home videos under the Music Unlimited
banner, with a credit for KTV Films. Many of these clips had not been previously
shown in the UK edits of the show.They include…
Heads Hands and Feet - (Let's Get This) Show On The Road
Barry Ryan - From My Head To My Toe (at the Royal Crescent, Bath)
Middle Of The Road - Sacramento (on a steam train)
Slade - Look Wot You Dun
Vinegar Joe - Ride Me Easy Rider
Hot Chocolate - Mary-Ann (in a cellar)
Laura - Life Is For Living (by a flyover)
Kris Kristofferson - Josie (in an outdoor theatre) Rita Coolidge is in some scenes
Danta - Freeway
Middle Of The Road - Soley Soley (by a swimming pool)
The Flirtations - What's Good About Goodbye My Love (at Bath Abbey ruins)
Julie Felix - Fire Water Earth And Air (on shore of river)
Heads Hands and Feet - Safety In Numbers
Tony Kelly - Bring Me Back (in a lumber yard)
The Flirtations - Nothing But A Heartache (at Bath Abbey ruins)
Marmalade - Sarah (in castle gardens)
The Sweet - Poppa Joe (in sand dunes)
Kris Kristofferson - Me And Bobby McGee (live in an outdoor theatre)
The Equals - Stand Up And Be Counted (in courtyard)
Tony Hazzard - Got To Be You Got To Be Me (in a field of flowers)
The Flirtations - Give Me Love (in a lumber yard)
White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin' (Clevedon, Bristol)
Marmalade - Radancer (probably at Bath Abbey ruins)
Christie - One For The Road (by a motorway)
Lelsey Duncan - Fortieth Floor (by a block of flats)
David Elliott - The Invisible Man (in steam train yard)
The Equals - Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys
The Beach Boys - You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (on roof of the Brighton
Dome) Dennis Wilson on keyboards
Mungo Jerry - Northcote Arms
Tony Hazzard - How Can A Woman Like You Smile (riding on the back of a vintage Daimler
lorry)
Hot Chocolate - Could Have Been A Lady (in bowling alley)
Laura - Tell All The World
The Beach Boys - Don't Go Near The Water (by Brighton Pier)
New World - Something's Wrong (driving along an aircraft runway)
Dana - Isn't It A Pity (by a burned out boat)
Kris Kristofferson - Loving Her Was Easier (in an outdoor theatre)
Julie Felix – Clotho's Web
David Elliott – Kid's Stuff
Barry Ryan - Eloise
Heathmore – Jean The Machine
Sylvia McNeill – San Francisco Bay
Kenny Young – Rosalis (sitting on a park bench)
Kenny Young – Simple Joys
Slade – Get Down And Get With It
Tony Kelly – Making The Same Mistake
New World - Sister Jane (by a plane)
White Plains - Beachcomber
Gilbert O'Sullivan – Nothing Rhymed
The Sweet – Jeanie
Plus there was a music press announcement that It's A Beautiful Day were to film
a segment on 9th June for the show and Argent on 13th June 1972.
