It's nine ack emma on Sunny morning. The scene? The Royal Garden Hotel in the swish part of Kensington, London. And, if you think that this plush pub got it's name from the old jazz blues number, then you'll be dead wrong.
     Next door neighbor of this ultra modern gaff is Her Royal Highness PRINCESS MARGARET and the gardens are those which surround her Kensington Palace.
     Lovely place - acres of lawns, flowers - and one eyesore. A diabolical statue which QUEEN VICTORIA had erected for her consort PRINCE ALBERT. Quite the most ornate and tasteless hunk of sculpture it is possible to behold.
     I am off, when my manager HARVEY LISBERG arrives, to the other end of London. To the bank, to be precise. Not to pay in - or draw out - any money. But to make a record.
     Now, isn't that crazy? Making a disc in a bank. Let me explain.
     MICKIE MOST, who produces all our discs, uses a studio built in the vaults of the Midland Bank in London's Kingsway. It's a nice warm thought being so close to all that money, nearly as good as cutting an album in Fort Knox.
     Talking about LP's and Princess Margaret, reminds me of the time earlier this summer when our album, Both Sides of Herman's Hermits, was released in the States. That cover cause a hoo-haa - well, here at home when the news got through. Remember? It showed Princess Margaret in a theatre box watching us on stage. Leaning out of the box was her husband, top photographer LORD SNOWDON, taking pictures of the audience which included MAO TSE-TUNG, FIDEL CASTRO, ex-President TRUMAN, PRESIDENT LBJ, BARBRA STREISAND, the BEATLES, etc.
     The sound and the fury blew up in London. It was "controversial" said some. Might prove "offensive" muttered others - could be "banned" whispered more.
     My office pointed out that no offense was intended; it was a harmless, good natured joke.
     This prompted someone to call up Kensington Palace.
     And what do you know - an official statement was issued for Princess Margaret, saying that of course she would not be hurt, and no complaint had or was ever likely to be made by her or Lord Snowdon.
     Me? Because they are switched-on people, I bet they loved the send-up as much as anyone else.
     Recently, I've been having heavy talks with a London firm of real estate managers and agents.
     My father has been on a leave of absence from his firm for some time - attending to a lot of my affairs. So I thought that it would be nice to buy a home in Switzerland for him and my mum - and a business for Dad to get himself involved with.
     I've played Switzerland often. The people are great! And that country is the cleanest I've been in. Quite fantastic!
     Where ever I go around the world I see things I would like to have in my own pad. So I buy them and send them to the London office. They always seen to get caught there for heavy duty.
     Today a ceremonial war mask arrived from the Far East. I've built up quite a collection of these masks.
     Hold on! The phone's ringing.
     Oh. . .thanks. . .sure. . .right. . .thanks. . .
     That was the office. I'd been worried about a package I ordered in Hong Kong. It hadn't arrived. The shippers had mailed it by sea - on a very slow boat from China.
     It is a beautiful, exquisite, set of Ivory Chessmen. Mrs. 'H' has paid the customs tax - and it says she is locking it away in the safe till I collect it.
     Has the Canterville Ghost been shown on ABC-TV?
     I had a tremendous amount of fun making this musical version of the OSCAR WILDE classic - with SIR MICHAEL REDGRAVE and Sir DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS (oh yes, Douglas Fairbanks is a Knight. He was accorded the title by our late King for his great services to Britain - because he is American he does not use the Sir, though he has every right to do so).
     The color TV film cost around $300,000 to shoot, I read in a paper, someplace. It was made in Allington Castle, Maidstone, with great songs by SHELDON HARNICK who wrote the Broadway smash Fiddler on the Roof. The adaption of the book was by BURT SHEVELOVE.
     You know, this was an experience and a half. I took it against the counsel of some of my friends. They wanted me to rest up after the hectic American tour last July and before the follow-up trip in September, but I wouldn't have missed this chance to act with, watch, study, learn from, such great technical actors as Sir Michael and Douglas Fairbanks.
     I'd have done the whole shooting match for nothing.
     That is how much all this experience means to me. Oh, it isn't the first time I've been on a TV set. My first break was in a British series called Knight Errant; then I was signed for the TV soap-opera-to-end-all-soap-operas in Britain, called Coronation Street, number one in the nation's top ten TV programs. A tale of an ordinary street in the North of England - and it's homely flat-capped characters.
     I acted quite a bit before turning to singing.
     So it was of great importance to appear in such a show. It was a chance in a lifetime to get these two great men in close focus - an apprenticeship which money couldn't buy
     Just a minute! The phone again.
     That was WAYNE FONTANA. Great singer he's turning out to be. He and his backing group, the MINDBENDERS, split up - and now their record company have two sets of hit stars, though not exactly for the price of one.
     Whow! There goes that phone again!
     Yes it is. . .who, front desk?. . .right, I'll be down!
     Well, that's that! Havey has just demolished a large breakfast sized portion of scrambled eggs, sunk a pot of coffee without a trace and is asking where am I?
     We are off to the recording studio - mustn't be late or Mickie the Most will be tearing his hair out. Tell you all about the session next time. See you!