Friday 7 October 2011

The Alternative Pan's People Canon: The Chi-Lites - Homely Girl

Another one from the Pan's People back catalogue while we have time to spare, and while the dresses are relatively well known through repeated clippage when such is required they don't spend the whole routine prancing about in them. In fact this fulfils both our immediate requirements: prime Gillespie and a triumph of literalism. Observe the tumbling, vitality filled locks, that alluringly flashed chest, the winning smile... and as for the girls it's a classic of the Plain Jane genre as ugly ducklings (with the aid of screwed up faces, marker pen freckles and the sort of dungareed outfit not to be seen again on the show until the appearance of minor The Real Thing members) turn every so often into baby-doll dress swans. It's a wonder the 'carousel of disenchantment' move never took off in the clubs.

2 comments:

Arthur Nibble said...

Incredible pre-watershed fayre for the times - five baby doll outfits and a plunging neckline, the latter sadly on a chap who was usually better attired. Also, with apologies to any East Saxons viewing, possibly the first tele-recorded example of the end-of-the-word 'Essex L' which sounds like a 'W', as uttered when the guest announcer says the word 'Girl'.

Simon said...

I know I posted this on Twitter last night but I think it requires a wide audience - it's Pan's dancing to Barry Blue's Do You Wanna Dance, with the show throwing everything at it - visual effects, odd angles, swimming costumes. None of which is much succour to the group of people in the front of shot from 1:09 who start chatting and idly looking around bored, as if disproving the line about how everyone wanted foremost to see them. Even the special guest's gazing off in a different direction.