 Although both The Beatles and The Stones have had successful tours in the States, and indeed The Beatles have been called the biggest thing to ever happen to America in the annals of American show-business, there are two English groups in particular who have had almost as much success as The Beatles in the States, and can be truly have said to have captured the American people on behalf of British pop music. Strangely enough, neither of these two groups has had anything like the success on the home front as they have had in America. The two we are referring to are, of course, The Dave Clark Five and Herman's Hermits. Dave Clark was the first to make the States after The Beatles and, right from his first visit, he managed to score an enormous success. This was not to be wondered at really, for Dave Clark had everything that appeals to the Americans. He was good-looking, dressed well, had his hair short and he played English beat music. The Beatles had got the Americans going on the English Music but they weren't, when Dave went over there, all that ready to accept The Beatles' looks and far from ready to accept The Stones, whose first American tour was not a tremendous success. Probably the height of Dave's fame in the States came with the release of his film, "Catch Us If Your Can" which was renamed for the Americans "Having A Wild Weekend". Although I have no doubt his second film will do as well ... "Wild Weekend" was not only a sensational success for Dave Clark, but as a British film was as big a success as the previous all-time record breaker, "Tom Jones" a film that was made with three or four times the budget of "Weekend". Herman took his Hermits on their first Stateside pilgrimage somewhat later than Dave Clark and with no more success on this side of the pond than a No. 12 in the charts. Once again, here was a British boy who had everything the Americans admire, as well as the fact that he was young and had a cherubic smile on his face which brought out the maternal instinct in every American mother. Herman was an instant success and in no time at all was on his way to Hollywood to make his first American film. Herman scored a fresh big success in the States when he recorded and released there his version of an old English music-hall song, "I'm 'Enery The Eighth I Am". From there, Herman has gone from strength |
 Peter Noone, to give Herman his real name, is the most likeable personality who was, before he became a pop singer, considered to be an up-and-coming young juvenile actor on TV, in which he had a large number of parts, including one in the everlasting serial, "Coronation Street". If you ask Herman today he will tell you that he doesn't like acting and doesn't much like actors ... Well why not, he is happy in his present success. However, this statement is not one that needs to be taken too seriously, for sooner or later Herman is going to find himself in front of a film camera playing a nice big fat acting part, and there aren't likely to be any complaints from Herman. Dave Clark will also, I predict, end up in Hollywood. I cannot see those astute Hollywood producers overlooking Dave Clark's obvious potential as a new Errol Flynn for very long ... if they do overlook him Hollywood isn't the place it used to be. For the present, Dave is happy enough. He has five companies of which he is chairman and they are all making money. He has a lovely home in North London, most of the interior of which he designed himself, and very well too, the choice of a Rolls-Royce or an E-Type Jaguar to drive and more offers of work than he can handle. What more could anybody in show business want? |
Herman appears on "Thank Your Lucky Stars".