Back in the late 70s and early 80s, I used to stay up late on the weekend, since it was not a school night, to watch all the rock and roll TV shows like "The Midnight Special" and "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert." One of the odd ones was a show from England called "Let's Rock" in the States but in the UK it was called "Oh, Boy" since it was a revival of the original show of the same name from the 1950s.
The show was a revue of 1950s songs by major UK talents like Lulu and Shakin' Stevens. But the highlight--for me--was the host, GBH, as he called himself: Scottish actor and singer Billy Hartman. He was absolutely gorgeous, rivaling James Dean himself. Stunningly handsome... and he could sing too!
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So gorgeous-I remember at the end of each show he'd say " This is GBH saying "Be There" . I think this is where I got my love of rock n roll! Wish they'd re run it for us : D
Thanks so much for sharing. I have been years trying to find out who he was ha ha. I was beginning to wonder if he was a figment of my teenage imagination. Kept getting a punk band called GBH when I tried to find him- then found a listing for Oh Boy this evening and got palpitations ha ha. Again so lovely to have read your page. Thank you very much Jeff.- Gina x
My introduction to Billy Hartman was in the movie Slaughter High. Immediate crush. It's a fun B movie. Randomly getting online during some downtime at work today to look at what else he's done. I would LOVE to find some episodes of Oh Boy to watch. Also see that he was on a TV Soap called Emmerdale that's on Amazon Prime. He is dreamy.
"Oh, By The Way" is my digital scrap book of things I like, things I would share with a close friend and say: “Oh, by the way, do you know of this artist/ clothing or interior designer/ model/ singer/ actor/ gorgeous man… or, have you seen this video/ photo/ film... or heard (or do you remember) this song/ band... or, read this book/ poem/ inspiring quote... or, visited this place/ museum/ restaurant/ famous building... or, have you heard of this amazing new scientific discovery?”
I am dedicated to posting the positive, the fascinating, the beautiful, the interesting, the moving, and the inspiring and uplifting. Sometimes I post cultural as well as personal observations, milestones, and remembrances. And just like life, all of these things may often have a bit of melancholy or even sadness in them, which is what makes our time here so lovely and bittersweet and precious.
Some of the photos, art, poetry, and prose are my own original work, credited with my initials, JEF. When it isn't, I always try to post links to the original source material, but often I find photos on the web that are not linked or other material that is not sourced. In these instances, I post them without malice since it is assumed that such things, by being globally posted on something as uncontrollable as the internet to begin with, are in the public domain. If you identify the source of an image that is not linked, please politely let me know (without accusing me of theft) and I will be happy to provide a link. If you are the owner of an image and would prefer it be removed, I am happy to do that as well.
I hope to inspire and entertain my readers with things that inspire and entertain me. There is a startling amount of beauty and creativity in the world and it enriches us all to participate in it.
All-time Favorite Films
2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick)
After Hours (Hysterical, hair-raising ride through NYC at night)
Amelie
American Beauty (Alan Ball)
Baraka (Stunning, transcending—the "spiritus mundi" on film)
Belle et Bete (Cocteau)
Big Sleep, The (The epitome of film noir)
Bringing Up Baby (Hepburn & Grant—the epitome of screwball comedy)
Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover, The (Greenaway)
Crash (Cronenberg—DIFFICULT subject, not for everyone)
Don’t Look Now (Nicolas Roeg—ultimate modern gothic horror)
Drowning By Numbers (Greenaway)
Easy Rider
Edward II (Derek Jarman)
Erendira (From magic realist Marquez’ brilliant short story)
Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick's last film)
Fearless (Jeff Bridges—life and death)
Funny Bones (Leslie Caron, Jerry Lewis, and the brilliant Lee Evans)
Holiday (Hepburn & Grant)
Howard’s End (The ultimate statement of the unfairness of class systems)
Hunger, The
Ice Storm, The
Inland Empire (David Lynch)
Interiors (Woody Allen's ode to Bergman)
Jetée, La (French short that inspired Gilliam's "12 Monkeys")
Jules et Jim (Truffaut)
Juliet of the Spirits (My favorite Fellini)
Kwaidan (4 Japanese ghost stories)
L’Age d’Or (Bunuel)
Last Temptation of Christ, The (Jesus was a shaman)
Latcho Drom (Beautiful visual documentary of Romany culture around the world)
Lion in Winter, The (Hepburn!—Like “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” but circa 1183)
Living End, The
Logan's Run
Lost Highway (David Lynch)
Magnolia
Maurice (Boy gets boy, they live happily ever after!!!!!)
Men Don’t Leave (Jessica Lange’s gorgeous delicate performance)
Nights of Cabiria, The (Fellini)
Orlando (Tilda Swinton’s pristine performance and Sally Potter’s ravishing visuals)
Orphée (HEAVEN! Cocteau was a genius)
Pennies From Heaven (Steve Martin/ stunning Edward Hopper sets!)
Philadelphia Story, The (Hepburn)
Pillow Book, The (Greenaway)
Planet of the Apes (1968...NOT 2001!)
Postman Always Rings Twice, The (Nicholson/Lange--WOW)
Prospero’s Books (Greenaway)
Rebel Without a Cause ("I got the bullets!")
Satyricon (Fellini)
Shining, The (Kubrick)
Thin Red Line, The (Terrence Malick--existential poetry cleverly disguised as a war film)
Titus (Julie Taymor does Shakespeare)
Tommy (Brilliant, audacious Ken Russell film of The Who's rock opera)
Tree Of Life, The (Terrence Malick masterpiece)
Un Chien Andalou (Bunuel and Dali, need more be said?)
Wall,The (Pink Floyd)
Wings of Desire (All the feelings of the entire human race in one film)
Woman of the Year (Dated yet charming Hepburn vehicle)
Zabriskie Point (Empty, open, classic early 70s)
ZOO, A Zed and Two Noughts (Greenaway)
The Sounds My Soul Makes: Music
Annie Lennox
Brian Eno
Cocteau Twins
David Bowie
David Sylvian
Dead Can Dance
Durutti Column
Elbow
Everything But the Girl
Gang of Four
Gem Club
Goldfrapp
Joni Mitchell
José González
Junip
Kate Bush
Laurie Anderson
M83
Morrissey
Nine Inch Nails
Peter Gabriel
Peter Murphy
Rickie Lee Jones
Sigur Ros
Simple Minds
Smiths, The
Sufjan Stevens
Talk Talk
Tears For Fears
This Mortal Coil
Tori Amos
William Orbit
Zero 7
Important Books That Have Influenced Me
100 Years of Solitude—Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Doorway (for young people but worth it)—Madeleine L’Engle
5 comments:
So gorgeous-I remember at the end of each show he'd say " This is GBH saying "Be There" . I think this is where I got my love of rock n roll! Wish they'd re run it for us : D
Glad I found someone else who shares my view of GBH! That pompadour, those eyebrows, those lips... *sigh*
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Best,
JEF
Thanks so much for sharing. I have been years trying to find out who he was ha ha. I was beginning to wonder if he was a figment of my teenage imagination. Kept getting a punk band called GBH when I tried to find him- then found a listing for Oh Boy this evening and got palpitations ha ha. Again so lovely to have read your page. Thank you very much Jeff.- Gina x
Billy Hartman is about to appear in 'Gypsy' at the Savoy Theatre, 28March through 28th November.
My introduction to Billy Hartman was in the movie Slaughter High. Immediate crush. It's a fun B movie. Randomly getting online during some downtime at work today to look at what else he's done. I would LOVE to find some episodes of Oh Boy to watch. Also see that he was on a TV Soap called Emmerdale that's on Amazon Prime.
He is dreamy.
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