AVENUES AND ALLEYWAYS

If Is this way to Amarillo? is probably the most remembered hit from iconic singer Tony Christie, thanks to the great comedian Peter Kay - who used it in his wonderful monument of comedy and poetry called Phoenix Nights (2001-2002), and his cult 2005 video for Comic Relief (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW5eUA0I938), Avenues and Alleyways comes certainly in second position for many fans of Christie. Avenues was written by Mitch Murray and Pete Callender and performed by Tony Christie as an end title song for The Protectors (1972-1973), the ITC television series starring Robert Vaughn.

This week, François Justamand - cinema journalist and chief editor of website La Gazette du doublage (the most important website about French-speaking dubbing), writes about the dubbing of The Protectors on the blog of La Gazette in a brilliant article called Dans les rues et dans les avenues (http://www.objectif-cinema.com/blog-doublage/index.php/2009/05/15/170-dans-les-rues-et-dans-les-avenues - In French). Dans les rues et dans les avenues is actually the title of the French version of the title song, recorded by Christie for the French dubbing of The Protectors (Poigne de fer et séduction in French) - made by a company called SOFI (quasi-exclusive dubbing contractor of ITC at the time).

The most interesting part of François Justamand's piece comes at the end as we learn that there's a litigation over the rights of the French lyrics of the song, written by Marcel Stellman. And according to La Gazette du doublage this is probably why there's no rerun of The Protectors on French television since many years.

By the way, please have a look to this fantastic video of Avenues and Alleyways mentioned to me by François Justamand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z-4IGSk9k0. A classy tribute to Maurice Binder's work for James Bond and to shows like The Professionals. And Tony Christie rules!