Home » Jazz News » Interview

1

Millicent Martin: Bye TW3

Source:

View read count
Back when the Beatles, the Stones, Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and all the rest were still toiling away in the U.K., one of the finest sophisto-pop vocalists on British TV was Millicent Martin. In the early '60s, the comedian, singer and film and theater actress was best known for her coiffed flip and appearances on the satirical and timely That Was the Week That Was (also known as TW3).

The show was an early English Daily Show meets The Tonight Show hosted by David Frost in 1962 and '63. After the British Invasion began in early 1964, NBC brought the show over the U.S. along with Frost. It aired in 1964 and '65.

But back to Martin. The show's hip, jazzy U.K. theme song—which had a difficult but addictive melody—was sung each week by Martin. At the end of '63, Martin bid farewell to the broadcast when she was given her own show. She also would appear in Alfie in 1966 before becoming more widely known in the U.S.

Here is Martin in December 1963 singing a farewell to the show in a duet with herself—thanks to trick camerawork and a darn good ear. Those vocalese lyrics are pretty tough as well...



And here's the show's catchy theme by Martin and how it and Martin were integrated into each episode...

Continue Reading...

This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved.

Tags

Interview Millicent Martin JazzWax by Marc Myers AAJ Staff


Comments

News

Popular

Negative Press Project Delivers Its Most Accomplished Album Yet With 'Cycles I,' Set For Release January 30 On Envelopmental Music
Recording
Negative Press Project Delivers Its Most Accomplished Album Yet With 'Cycles I,' Set For Release...
Terri Hinte Publicity
Persephone's Dark Perspective Brings Hope: New Ep 'Harvest Moon'
Recording
Persephone's Dark Perspective Brings Hope: New Ep 'Harvest Moon'
Sora X
Reconstructing The Map: Vatan Singh Rajan And The Expanding World Of Experimental Jazz
Music Industry
Reconstructing The Map: Vatan Singh Rajan And The Expanding World Of Experimental Jazz
All About Jazz
Jazz Generations Initiative Connects Jazz Scenes In New York & New Orleans, Announces Initial Programming
Award / Grant
Jazz Generations Initiative Connects Jazz Scenes In New York & New Orleans, Announces Initial...
Carla Parisi
Amana Melomé Announces New Single 'Con C.ALMA,' Featuring Acclaimed Jazz Pianist Deron Johnson
Recording
Amana Melomé Announces New Single 'Con C.ALMA,' Featuring Acclaimed Jazz Pianist Deron Johnson
Cyber PR
Composer/Pianist Gregory Golub Unveils Third Original Jazz Album — 'African And Other Jazz Passions’
Recording
Composer/Pianist Gregory Golub Unveils Third Original Jazz Album — 'African And Other Jazz...
Gregory Golub
Jazz Pianist Bill Anschell Releases Debut Book Of Stories From 40 Years In And Out Of The Trenches
Book / Magazine
Jazz Pianist Bill Anschell Releases Debut Book Of Stories From 40 Years In And Out Of The Trenches
Mr. P.C.
Rin Nagaya ('123'): A Global Voice At The Edge Of Electronic, Pop, And Jazz
Music Industry
Rin Nagaya ('123'): A Global Voice At The Edge Of Electronic, Pop, And Jazz
Frank Gazerro

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.