Hill's Angels in
Chez Ben Grand Gala

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Chez Ben Grand Gala

Airdate: 02/6/80

Featuring:
Anne Easton, Louise English, Debi Gaye, Julie Kirk, Lisa Price, Clare Smalley, Samantha Spencer-Lane & Sue Upton.

Anne Easton

IMDB Entry

A still of Anne Easton as she appeared in the "Chez Ben Grand Gala" number of Feb. 6, 1980.

Louise English

Regular Performer/Hill's Angel (1978-1986)

IMDB Entry

Louise English as she appeared in the "Chez Ben Grand Gala" number of Feb. 6, 1980. For many, Louise English is considered the "unofficial" leader of Hill's Angels, alongside Sue Upton. They were both very important to the Benny Hill Show, not only as Angels, but as supporting actors in many short skits with Benny Hill. Of course today, Louise English doesn't seem to make any more TV appearances, but works on the theatrical stage in England. There was a brief period where she even had her own official website, but for some reason, the site was discontinued. Louise, if you're watching, we all miss you very much and would love to see you again in some connection with the Benny Hill Show, especially in a DVD tribute.

Debi Gaye

IMDB Entry

Debi Gaye as she appeared in the "Chez Ben Grand Gala" number of Feb. 6, 1980. One of the charter Hill's Angels from the 1980 series, who appeared in the first two shows to feature the troupe, was Debi Gaye. She is seen here in the Jan. 16, 1984 "Fingers McNee" sketch, (top) where she played one of his accomplices (the other, of course, being Sue Upton). And (bottom), from the Jan. 16, 1984 "Club Bizarre" segment.

Julie Kirk

IMDB Entry

Julie Kirk as she appeared in the "Chez Ben Grand Gala" number of Feb. 6, 1980. Appeared as a receptionist in the 1978 film What's Up Superdoc! which also had TBHS soon-to-be mainstay Sue Upton (qv) in the cast; she was also among once and future Hill's Angels as one of the dancers in the 1984 flick Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Lisa Price

IMDB Entry

Lisa Price as she appeared in the "Chez Ben Grand Gala" number of Feb. 6, 1980. Lisa could be considered a "bookend Angel," as she appeared on the very first show to feature the Angels, Feb. 6, 1980 as well as the aforementioned 1982 edition which was the very last to credit individual Angels on the show (she was also one of the dancers in the "Little Dimpton Street Party" number.) Coincidentally, Ms. Price had entries in The Spotlight (London) in each of the years she appeared on TBHS - in the 1980/81 and 1982/83 editions, respectively, with her look pretty much mirroring how she appeared on each of the shows in question.

Clare Smalley

IMDB Entry

Another popular Hill's Angel, Clare Smalley, as seen in the "Chez Ben Grand Gala" number of Feb. 6, 1980. She was a charter Hill's Angel, figuring prominently in the dance routines in the first five shows to feature the group. In her last credited appearance (the aforementioned 1981 show), she was the woman at the bus stop who, after many aggravations, turns into a "She-Hulk" (as played by Alison Bell). Post-TBHS, she was part of another troupe called "Auto Angels," and made an appearance in an episode of Not the Nine O'Clock News, as well as appearing with some once and future Angels as dancers in the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. On her last two credited TBHS appearances, her name was spelled Claire Smalley.

Samantha Spencer-Lane

IMDB Entry

Actress, singer, dancer, and fan favorite Samantha Spencer-Lane, as seen in the "Chez Ben Grand Gala" segment of Feb. 6, 1980. A charter member of the Hill's Angels from its inception in 1980, Sam (as she is affectionately known to many fans) appeared in all but one of the shows within the first three series of the Angels' existence within the Hill show. Her electric smile and magnetic personality lit up many an Angels routine she appeared in (or, as quoted elsewhere on this site, "she was always giving 110%"). After the 1982 series wrapped up production, Ms. Spencer-Lane became part of a vocal trio, 'Girls Can't Help It,' which also consisted of Billie Adams and Jacqueline Bucknell; they put out an EP in 1983 on the Sire label, Pure Wild, and invited comparisons to another female group starting out around the same time, Bananarama; unfortunately, 'Girls Can't Help It' were never commercially successful, and disbanded in 1984. She would have one more go-round on TBHS in 1986, two of the shows of which had her as a supporting player in filmed sketches, but on the April 16, 1986 edition she figured prominently as one of the dancers in the "Funny Old World" number. In recent years, she has made a name as a choreographer in Britain. Ms. Spencer-Lane and Sue Upton accompanied Benny to see former Angel (and Hill protegée) Louise English in her first major West End (London) stage show, Me and My Girl, a few days before his death in 1992.

Sue Upton

IMDB Entry

Benny Hill's favorite Angel (and many others', too), Sue Upton, seen in "Chez Ben Grand Gala" segment of Feb. 6, 1980. She first joined the show during the 1977 series, among her highlights there being as the Bionic Boy's first crush. By her third appearance on Dec. 26, 1978 (she would be in every remaining Hill show from then on), Benny noticed her upturned face lent itself to an old lady character, which she first played in the "Grand Wheelchair Rally" sketch; this led not only to the "Wondergran" sketches, but a recurring characterization as a feisty old lady - the archetype once played in the show's early Thames years by such genuine old ladies as Connie Georges. On the next-to-last Thames show in 1989, she even played Stan Laurel to Mr. Hill's Oliver Hardy in a silent sketch. Ms. Upton also figured very prominently in the Hill's Angels routines in their early years, indeed is regarded as one of the unofficial leaders of the troupe (the other being Louise English); in the show's final years, she also had a hand in the selection of future Angels. Her children, Richard and Louise Whatling (qv's), were among the "Hill's Little Angels" in the fading years of TBHS; she and her family have been widely cited as being like a "second family" to Benny outside the confines of his show. There is a website, SueUpton.net, which can give more about her illustrious career, as well as film and TV credits other than the Hill show, and several photos (in one of which she posed with Mr. Hill, Suzy Mandel, Jenny Westbrook, Anne Bruzac, and the then-current members of Love Machine of which she had been a part before either they or she first appeared on the show), than can be put in so short a space here.

Commentary

The great thing about this routine is that locations are ones we all remember from growing up. Whether it was a desire to get near that sexy girl in the bikini on the beach or that other girl at the school dance. The music in this routine really punctuates the "disco" feel of the routine or the free-spirited antics of a day at the beach. I also like the waist bracelets the girls wear on the beach. A fashion I don't think that has never been revived since the time of this routine.

"Boogie Wonderland"

Dance, boo-gie won-der-land.
Dance, boo-gie won-der-land.
Mid-night creeps so slow-ly in-to hearts of men
who need more than they get.
Day-light deals a bad man to a wom-an
who had laid too man-y bets.

The mir-ror stares you in the face and says,
"Ba-by, uh, uh, it don't work."

You say your prayers though you don't care.
You dance and you shake the hurt.

Dance, boo-gie won-der-land.
Dance, boo-gie won-der-land.
I find ro-mance
when I start to dance
in boo-gie won-der-land.

I find ro-mance
when I start to dance
in boo-gie won-der-land.

Dance, boo-gie won-der-land.
Dance, boo-gie won-der-land.