'Prepare To Be Bedazzled'

Recently, a band of volunteers at Music Street, an arts group that curate local events and promote 'Musical Routes To Wellbeing', discovered rare footage of the Dudley Moore Trio available for sale online and bought it, not only because they are huge fan's of Moore’s work, but also because as arts event organisers they felt it deserved to be shared more widely.  

Having secured these quadruplex reels; tape that was used by TV companies from the 1950's till the late 70's, the first thing they had to do was get it digitised. Chairman of Music Street, Pete Corby said, "We haven't touched the visuals, which are good for a tape of it's age, but there were many audio problems that had to be fixed without harming the original soundtrack, which is now as crisp as the day it was recorded, and we're very pleased with the results.

As we are all huge Pete 'n Dud fans, we were beyond excited when Dudley's concert footage became available – it is a unique piece and the perfect showcase of the talents of a man, whose massive musical talent was rather overshadowed by his comedy and acting. As soon as we watched it, we knew that something this rare and this good had to be shared, and so the idea to put on a special tribute was hatched."

Music Street's resident film maker Claire Minett said, "It is a stand alone event, a one off, so we thought where better to have it than Hebden Bridge Picturehouse where it can be shown in style. It has been a great opportunity for Music Street volunteers to create a special programme around this newly discovered film that we hope will excite all local jazz aficionados, as well as Peter Cook and Dudley Moore fans; as we are pleased to be able to the screen the legendary comic duo in the cult classic Bedazzled. Wittily written by Peter Cook with an intoxicating score by Dudley Moore, Bedazzled stands as the double acts best performance on the big screen at the height of their creative powers."

It promises to be a fabulous afternoon and evening of entertainment as The Chris Ingham Quartet take the stage for a stunning homage to Dudley's jazz as they perform and tell his story through music magnificently.

Ingham said, “As for Dudley, it’s simply that he is an undervalued British musician whose work in the 1960s, as a player and composer, was essentially whitewashed from history as his fame in other areas grew. Our Dudley album and live shows are heartfelt efforts to help address this historical imbalance. I was reading Alan Bennett’s Diaries and he remarked in his entry soon after Dud passed in 2002, at how little had been said about his prowess as a musician. Everyone who was lucky enough to encounter it first-hand was dazzled.”

Bedazzled: A Celebration takes place on 25 May 2024 between 3 – 10pm at Hebden Bridge Picture House. Tickets cost £15 or £10 for concessions and are available at https://www.hebdenbridgepicturehouse.co.uk/movies/bedazzled-a-celebration