A digression from vintage playthings I admit but Honey West aka Anne Francis's beauty spot has caught my attention.
I'm perplexed by the allure of such dark spots but they do add a special something or other wouldn't you say?
Anyway, Miss. Francis reminded me that my teenage heartthrob Linsey De Paul had her own beauty spot, albeit located above her upper lip rather than the lower. Migrating beauty spots aside, Lindsey was what was called a dreamboat back in the early Seventies. Yes, she was my dreamboat and I adored Linsey.
Although most famous for her song Sugar Me, the high point of my own adulation was later when she appeared on Top of the Pops singing Won't Somebody Dance with Me circa 1973. I was 12 and in love and yes I would have danced with you Linsey!
In an odd quirk of serendipity I had the chance to sort of tell Linsey around 1985. Despite being 24 and already a Dad, when my friend told me, as we walked through London, that the flat above where we were strolling was that of one Miss. De Paul. In an inexplicable fit of nostalgia I began to loudly sing Won't Somebody Dance With Me below the flat's balcony Romeo style!
I'm pleased to say that it garnered zero response from anyone inside and I'm thankful its all in the past! I certainly wouldn't do anything so impulsive or downright intrusive now!
Described as a renaissance woman, Linsey was a huge pop star in her time and influenced many other artists. Coming full circle back to spies, she was romantically linked to both Mr. Sean Connery Bond and Mr. James In Like Flint Coburn!
Sadly Linsey de Paul died suddenly aged just 66 in 2014. RIP Linsey.
Did you have any teen idols as a teen and did you ever get the chance to tell them readers?
Attractive as Linsey de Paul was, I was a Stephanie de Sykes 'man' myself.
ReplyDeleteMish.
Mish, can you believe I've never heard of her!
DeleteBlondie - No, Linda Lusardi - No, Susan Saranden - No, Sigourney Weaver - No! But I did get to meet Rumpole of the Baily (bloody nice chap) and Rudolf Hess (C**T)!
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you how nice Leo mcKern was . . . the whole production crew were in fiorst class and had to pass me and my two mates and all out kit in the corridor every time they went to the restaurant car or the loo, they all looked down on us riff-raff squaddies, except Mr McK., who looked as in the eyes and said something like "Hello boys, going to save us from the Russkies?", I knew instantly who he was (wall to wall BBC and he did the R4 episodes too I think) said something really crass like "Hi Rumpole! Can we have a picture?", "Yes" says he, "if you have a camera", well we did, so a shot was procured, but then (and this is the best bit) he turned to the photographer and said do you want an autograph, he got his notebook out and received the moiniker, but when us other pair proffered our notebooks, 'Rumpole' said no, you've got the photograph . . . which I still have somewhere.
I though that was so Rumpole!
H
You were Baileyed Hugh! ha ha. Great story. Planes, Trains and Autographs!
DeleteHave you seen him in The Day the Earth Caught Fire? Its one of my fave sc-fi films and not so sci-fi anymore!
Don't think so I'll keep an eye out for it Woodsy!
DeleteSoz for the typo's, I was clearly in a hurry! Or melting . . . worse today, at least you lot up North have the release of storms to look forwards to!
H
Typo's are always fine. As for storms. no sign of them yet Hugh. I'm currently a puddle on the floor so I'll just wash away in the rain!
DeleteDe Sykes was a sort of one hit wonder in 1974 or 75, with a song called 'Born with a Smile on My Face' and appeared on kids pop shows like Lift Off and Supersonic.
ReplyDeleteHowever, she looked like my teenage crush at school, Felicity, so I always put her top of the list, at that time.
Mish.
Ah, I completely understand Mish. I did the same thing and went on to marry! Not Felicity! My Missus, who looked like teenage heartthrob Judie Tzuke, who I went to gawp at at her gig at Lancaster Uni!
DeleteNever met any of my teenage (or adult) female celebrity crushes, but met Bob Hope, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Archie Goodwin, and Rikki Fulton. Had my photo taken with Bob, Stan, and Archie (separately), which you can see on my blog somewhere. Obviously they were thrilled to meet a legend like myself.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a super-heroic line-up Kid! Were you star struck meeting any of them?
DeleteAll of them. Who wouldn't have been?
DeleteAbsolutely, my knees would have been quaking Kid! I'm crap at approaching stars and have regularly bottled it. I had the chance of meeting Phil Jupitus at his studio in Pittenween last summer but walked straight past with my pulse pounding! I'm sure you strolled up with conviction and took their hand in a firm grip Kid! Meeting Stan the Man and Will Eisner must have been terrific!
DeleteOh, I was cool on the outside, but awestruck on the inside. Phil Jupitus? I'd have walked past him too, Woodsy. Not of the same stature, is he? (Pardon my frankness.) I'm not really an autograph hound, in that I wouldn't ask just any 'celebrity' - only a few who I remember from movies and TV shows I saw in childhood.
DeleteNo, not the same I agree.
DeleteInteresting. I had met Linsey when we were students at Hornsey College of Art in the 60's. A pity you didn't post a photo of her before her musical career had taken it's toll on her.
ReplyDeletei thought it was quite a good picture. Blimey, Terran, so many of your fellow students became famous!
DeleteI confess I had not heard of her, and had to look her up. Listened to a couple of her songs. Is it Linsey or Lynsey De Paul ? The same with Stephanie de Sykes. My top female singers were Paula Clark, Sandie Shaw, Dusky Springfield, Lulu, and two NZ sisters who sang together as The Chicks. Really, where have all the good singers gone ?
ReplyDeleteDo you mean Petula Clark Paul? Lulu was great and a big pal of Dave Bpwie's so that made her extra cool for kids like me in the early 70's. I think Dusky works, she had a dusky voice for sure. Hard to imagine now how big she was back then. Dusty was a massive star with her own TV show and everything. Only recently understood the pun that is Sandy Shaw as in Shore! ha ha. better than Stony Beach! Alas, I have not heard of the Chicks. Having looked them up they sound interesting, covering a song by Laura Nyro. I loved Nyro because she was on Fill Your Head With Rock, one of my all-time fave rock compilation LP's.
DeleteSorry, just spotted my mistake, that should be Dusty, not Dusky, Springfield. Great voice.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I managed to get the names of two of my favourite singers wrong. Clearly not having a good day. I also forgot to mention Cilla Black. The Chicks were the Donaldson sisters, but were completely different in appearance, one European and one Maori. Suzanne was blonde, and Judy was dark. They seemed to be on TV every week in the late 1960s/early 1970s. You Tube has clips of them from TV, along with other famous NZ acts of the day. Have you seen Ray Columbus and the Invaders doing the classic She's A Mod ?
ReplyDeleteCilla Black is a legendary singer and personality and contemporary of the Beatles in Liverpool. Iconic. Thanks for the tips on the Chicks. I'll check them out. Don't know the Invaders sorry.
DeleteMy error too. Lynsey was always her name though she changed her last name when entering showbiz. During the time of the sit-in/student takeover of the college in the summer of 1968 she came to my annex of the college to get signatures on a petition, of which there were many. When I signed and wrote my name she realised we had a mutual friend who had asked her to meet me!
DeleteBlimey Terran! Meet you as in fixing you up?
DeleteNo. Just two mutual friends at the same college. I might have given her a lift to Hampstead in my old taxicab along with her boyfriend who was also a student.
DeleteA student with a taxicab! I bet you were popular!
DeletePolice regulations for that model taxi was four passengers in the back. I carried ten!
ReplyDelete