Wilson Keppel and Betty - Yet Another Sand Dance

[5grosvenor]

wonderful, evergreen entertainment!

[tonymarco2000]

Some buskers used to do this in Leicester Square, I saw 'em once while queueing to see The Graduate in about 1968!

[blueplz00]

AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN! so god damn epic and funny and cool and awesome and epic... ^^

[TheBarryM8]

How could anyone dislike this? it's superb!

[PAULLONDEN]

@TheBarryM8 You shouldn't worry about the occasional politically "correct' nag.

[banrionaiasc]

Haha, my grandma used to do her version of this all the time at home, unfortunately now she can't walk but she still reminds us she did a mean sand dance :P

[BritishAlienCompany]

Am researching the timelessness of these kinds of acts for a school project which i picked the subject for. I'd heard of Wilson Keppel and Betty, naturally, and i'm ashamed to say that until now i've never actually seen what they did. But now i do! And its brilliant! I've watched it several times, first few times i laughed and now i smile at its pure hypnotic powers! This is entertainment! x

[mujawooja]

will always be brilliant every time you watch this

bernie

[llandudnoboy]

My late father can remember them playing at the Grand Theatre in Swansea in South Wales oh so many blue moons ago.

[voyager7575]

Play this over The Shapeshifters 'Lola's Theme' it works a treat

[Johnnyafc2008]

The Chuckle Brothers Started Early then.....

[Nojnotpu]

This has got to be onr of the most iconic variety acts of all time. When you think of how many jugglers, ttrick cyclists, trapeze artistes and other novelty acts of all kinds struggled to make a living somewhere down the bill in weekly variety, this supporting acts rise to fame is quite incredible.. Even today, they are being imitated for a "Go Compare" commercial on television.

[Nojnotpu]

Isn't it a wonderful tribute to this incredible act that, all these years later, it is now being imitated by "Go Compare.com"" in there advertising on televisioni

[crankbv1]

They did indeed take their own sand with them because it was a particular type of grit. On one occasion they arrived in the USA only to find that their supply of sand had gone missing in transit. But,the story goes that such was their esteem that a supply was flown out to them courtesy of an RAF flight. lmagine...Wilson Kepple and Betty and no sand!...lt must have caused quite a stir back at the Ministry of Defence. One has to get ones priorities right in matters of national importance!

[VUNCOOL]

Many thanks for posting - like areyoureceivingme my father told me about them; but where did GoCompare's ad agency hear or see them?

[xxjonboy]

Wilson and Keppel used about 16 different Bettys during the course of their theatrical career,

[areyoureceivingme]

My dad, who is 83, saw them. Just showed him this and it has really made his day! Thanks.

[layorseniram]

BRILLIANT STUFF,i really believe the sound is actually made as they move if it isn't than the dubbing by the members of the orchestra pit is second to none,at the other end of the scale,i am a northern soul fanatic and we use talcum powder to help us slide across the dancefloor it reduces friction,dancing on sand is very tiring i should imagine and if we used that stuff nowadays the dance hall owner would have a fit !!

[thespisthefirst]

Joe Keppel took care of the sand. Best coarse-grained Bedfordshire sand it was, which they carried round with them in sackloads to be sprinkled on stage before the sand dance. According variety journalist Bert Ross: ‘he searched all over England for the right textured sand. In time he became a sand expert and knew more about this commodity than a desert Sheik. He even took

some of his favourite English sand back to Las Vegas when the trio fulfilled an engagement in the gambling city’. 

[MrGraphis]

No, while the live audience would have heard the sand, the recording would not have picked it up unless they had microphones attached to their feet. Even today, most sound effects on film are added in post production by so-called "Foley artists" (Google it). The sand sound would have been added along with the music track, which would have been recorded later in the studio.

[BritishCompilations]

YES, to anyone who wants to know, whether they made the noise with the sand, yes they did, no orchestra reproduction,

[Bluequotations]

fabulous! ive seen a remade tribute on the royal variety perfomance, but the original is wonderful

[finnstan]

taking their own sand makes them pros  lol

[thefrecklepuny]

Great stuff!

[1JimiJames1]

haha when i was at primary school final year 2 kids in my class had to learn that dance for the end year thing it was funny

[Nunheadgreen]

Wonderful, timeless comedy. X Factor has nothing on this, and what legs!!

[snoopybob3]

i loved it they're my idols x

[whiteman703]

Superb !!!

[cx2601]

jajajajajajaja..... q es esto?????

[44rdv4rk1959]

This is an all time classic. Apparently there were eight different Bettys over the years LOL

[lulita1234]

old school 118 118 lol

[martysoulshine]

Did not know Frank Zappa was Egyptian and a sand dancer... :)))

[Revyphil]

Saw this group when I was about 8 - 10 years old in Brighton they had me in stitches, I still get a good laugh60 years later. Thanks for posting it, wonderful, a good reminder of the old musical acts.

[Dantovsky]

Que maravilha!

[Wiganmaher]

I grew up watching this kind of thing. It still looks good even now

[curlypete1]

Fantastic brings back memorys of when entertainment was great.

[Tenderness6]

Awesome! One of my favorite videos!

[Ronniethefish]

They did indeed make the sand noise themselves, and in fact were such pro's that when they performed in Vegas, they took their own sand with them.

[FJMLAM]

absolutely brilliant-Fresh and entertaining even today. A real piece of theatrical magic!

[incongra]

I have watched this clip huindreds of time and I still find "Betty's" legs amazing. She was a fine filly!!.

[lewisner]

@incongra My thoughts exactly.

[JohnnyFavorite1970]

@incongra

Yes, Wilson and Keppel on the other hand look like pipe cleaners with a moustache on top.

[throovest]

`yes. Thanks for that. I remember vividly seeing then as a young boy. Outstanding piece of theatre

[throovest]

Couldn't put it better.....