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1970's, 1972, 70's, art, artist, arts, canvas, chalk, chalker, chalking, chalks, cult, england, film, history, itv, london, maclaine, pavement, pavement art, paving, philip, screever, screeving, shirley's, social, stone, street, television, telly, tv, uk, urban, urbancanvas, world
Screevers on the Telly
Shirley's World - Original Press Pack cover: 1971
To Dream the Improbable Dream
This follows on from my previous blog, a few days ago regarding Episode 7 of SHIRLEY’S WORLD, starring Shirley MacLaine, and first aired in the UK on ITV: Saturday the 4th March 1972.
I’ve finally managed to track-down a copy of this, so I thought I’d share some stills of this episode.
The entire plot centres on a pavement artist: Photographer, Shirley Logan (SHIRLEY MacLAINE) comes across Mathew Quick (RON MOODY), a pavement artist, chalking a picture of Tower Bridge outside the Tower of London.
Opening credits of Episode 7: TO DREAM THE IMPROBABLE DREAM 1972
Shirley decides that, Quick has potential and decides to sponsor him. This brings her into conflict with Quick’s “manager” Beanie.
It’s an interesting storyline that is well played and directed, and is surprisingly, still very watchable after all these years. Very 1970’s in style, light-hearted with nice comic touches. The acting of the main characters is strong, with some laugh-out-loud moments. Moody in particular, makes a convincing comic stereotypical pavement artist, the artist with a troubled soul and a much more believable ‘cockney accent’ than his Mary Poppins counterpart.
SHIRLEY’S WORLD has often been classed as a ‘cult TV’ series, due to the fact that it was cancelled after only 17 episodes. It is said that Shirley MacLaine didn’t get along with the British production crew and that “Both were mutually happy when it was cancelled.”
An episode was recently included on the Blu-Ray release of RETRO-ACTION 3, which included DANGER MAN, THE SAINT, THE ZOO GANG & THE BARON. The cool age of television in high definition!
RON MOODY is Mathew Quick, the pavement artist: 1972
This pavement artist edition was directed by Ralph Levy, and outside scenes were filmed on location at The Tower of London / Lower Mall, W6 / Gliddon Road, London. The inside scenes were filmed at Pinewood Studios.
You can still get the entire series of Shirley’s World on DVD, published by GRANADA Ventures.
Photographer, Shirley Logan (MacLaine) with Mathew Quck (Moody) 1972
Official synopsis and cast list of TO DREAM THE IMPROBABLE DREAM:
“Genius may be under your feet as you step on the faded remains of a street artist’s pictures. Masterpieces? Perhaps. But Shirley’s efforts to sponsor a pavement artist prove that patronage of the arts has its problems.”
Pavement art of Tower Bridge: signed by Mathew Quick 1972 (original artist unknown)
Guests Ron Moody and Nicky Henson
Original story by Philip Mishkin and Bob Reiner
Directed by Ralph Levy
Original ITV Transmission 19th May 1972
Written and researched by Philip Battle
