708 Petula Clark (1932- ) “Downtown” 1964

During the rehearsal for a 1968 TV special with Harry Belafonte, Clark held his arm during an emotional rendition of an anti-war song. One of the NBC executives objected, “Screaming…because a white woman had touched a black man on screen.” Belafonte wrote, “Perhaps, I told her, we should pick another fight, another day—at least while her best interests were at stake. ‘Forget my best interest,’ she said. ‘What would you do?’ I grinned. ‘I’d nail the bastard.’ ‘So we will,’ she replied” (Simon Goddard, The Guardian (London), 4/2/2018). 

Petula Clark “Downtown”