They took Hart
This seven-minute compilation of clips from Vision On is not only a joy for those of "a certain age", but a fitting tribute to Tony Hart, who has died, aged 83. He was as important as Rolf Harris in demystifying art for a whole generation, including me. What I loved was the way he framed a drawing or collage using a frame that had clearly been pre-glued, so that it stuck as if by magic, et voila, actual art. Made all the difference.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 6:30 AM
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All these gentle old men of our youth, dying off. Oliver Postgate, Tony Hart, and the bloke who always did things with batteries and copper wire from 'How', in the last few months alone. We never knew a thing about their lives outside the studio, and I personally never wanted to. Unlike today, where it seems obligatory to be made aware who every Blue Peter presenter is 'doing'.
Pass the Werthers Originals...
I'm at the younger end of age who will know of him, but I used to watch his shows and wish I could draw well enough to appear on them.
Sad day for art.
Our childhood is being erased at rate of knotts. David Vine, Patrick McGoohan, Oliver Postgate - now Hart.
Who's next? Judith Hann? Dave Lee Travis? Gaz Top?
It's not surprising that so many bloggers are posting about the sad passing of Tony Hart. Another part of our collective childhood gone.
I used to like that there was sometimes a bit of good old BBC Bristol crossover between Take Hart and Why Don't You...?. Didn't they always make out that Tony's art studio was directly underneath the tea chests that the WDY Bristol "gang" used to sit on? It was a rare - and special - episode when Tony would pop his head up to say, "Hello."
All good fun, but let us never speak of caretaker, Mr Bennett and his (ahem) "whacky" interventions.
.. We never knew a thing about their lives outside the studio, and I personally never wanted to...
That's quite pertinent, as after having listened to all of the podcasts, I now can't take Collings that seriously without a lot of effort as all I can hear (in my head) is herrin in the background making some disparaging remark about wanting to Bum him or kiss him with his moustachioed mouth.
Podcasts are a double edged sword
Can you imagine a Postgate and Hart Podcast in the same vein?
A very sad loss. In your post you say how he turned a whole generation onto art, actually i'd say he turned two whole generations onto art, as I'm only 22 and loved his programmes as a kid. A great artist and seemingly a very nice bloke too.
Keep up the good work with the podcasts.
John
Ishouldbeworking - Fred Dinenage isn't dead...! You had me worried there, had to check wikipedia.
All those tunes bring on great waves of nostalgia. And has anyone noticed that the track backing the wood printed crane piece is over exactly the same chord sequence as "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" by Junior Walker and the Allstars (also James Taylor et al)?
I guess this means I never will get one of my pictures on The Gallery.
Penry
I always like his politely abbreviated sentences -
'going to try this today, just need a few ...'
Swines - I didn't mean Fred! He's still on Meridian News ( tonight I imagine he'll be doing a piece on how the inauguration of President Obama will affect business rates in Southampton).
The sadly deceased How! man was called John. He had crinkly grey hair did 'the science bits'.
Ah, Jon Miller, who sadly died last August. Although my abiding memory of How is the one where they showed you how a zip works, and Bunty turned to Fred so that he could zip up the back of her dress. In my fevered and confused boyhood memory, you could see the strap of her bra and everything.
I was of the Fred, Gaz and Carol era... so my apologies for jumping to conclusions.
And I've just realised I don't actually know how a zip works.
For us who are hurtling towards middle age these recent loses are really showing up the complete gulf in how children's television nowadays is seen by those TV executives compared to back in our childhood. Gone have the educational and entertaining shows like Take Hart/Vision On, Record Breakers, Play Away, Think of a Number. Instead these days where a mass of advertising led cheap cartoons from America is mixed with unchallenging mind numbing pap. Shows that when trying to loosely educate (thanks to modern TV ways) try to hide the facts under a mass of flashing imagery and noise that means nothing is ever really mentally digested.
So while they are still around get the likes of Johnny Ball, Brian Cant and Derrick Griffiths back on our screens and save the next generation before it's too late....
Anyway rant over and RIP Tony et al.
Ah, How2. Taught me two things: how to say "one, two" in Japanese ("Itchy knee") and what to do if your two-ply toilet paper becomes out of sync so the perforations don't line up and it all separates (loop it back over itself somehow). Both of which have come in immensely useful, especially in a futuristic toilet in Japan.
Who sez TV don't teach the yoof nuffink!
Neil J: Thats a bit of a nostalgic take on things. It's not like the screens weren't flooded with American Imports and products selling shows in the late 70s and early 80s.
Maybe what has gone is the childrens presenter who does the job out of a love for the job instead looking at a bigger career in entertainment.
I was always taken by the way Tony Hart used to casually chuck away his brush, or other application implement, when he had finished a work of art.
Rob: well maybe the old rose tinted specs were in evidence just a bit. It does seem that those ad led programmes didn't have the same effect on me that they seem to do to the kids today. I was never a 'Me want' child, well I don't remember doing the whole screaming and begging bit you see a lot in shops today.
As for those presenters from yesteryear well indeed they all had a common passion for their subject and never seemed (even to a younger me) to be either concerned with fame or showing off and pationising unlike several I could mention nowadays.
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