Louise Clarke - Biography

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Submitted by Gary on Sat, 2011-05-21 22:56
Name: 
Louise Clarke
Date of Birth: 
03 September 1949
Place of Birth: 
London, UK
Date of Death: 
25 August 2012
Troupe(s): 
Pan's People
Appearances: 
TOTP
First TV appearance: 
30 May 1968 (US Male / Elvis)
Last TV appearance: 
? May 1974 (Homely Girl / Chi-Lites)

 

A TRIBUTE

By Gary P. Rose

25th August 2012

 

Louise Clarke was born in Kilburn, London on 3rd September 1949 and was raised in Harlesden. Her father was a music arranger and her mother was of Italian extraction. She started dancing when she was four years old and later went to the Corona Stage School in Hammersmith. Whilst still at Corona, she was chosen for some minor roles in films and television and also did some child modelling. She started her career at the London Palladium, when she was 16 years old, in a Cliff Richard pantomime, Aladdin, which ran for 14 weeks in 1965.  Following this she worked in cabaret and then got a job at the Celebrity Club where she stayed for 8 months. She left to become lead dancer in a company touring Europe. 

Louise's older sister, Carole, had already made an impact on the British public, having scored a massive hit with the song Gone Tomorrow in the summer of 1965. Using the professional name of Carol Friday, she was working in Europe at the same time as Louise and they both appeared on the same music programmes - Carol as a singer and Louise as a dancer. It was whilst working in Europe that Louise met the girls who would later become her colleagues in Pan's People.

Pan's People had been formed in December 1966 by Flick Colby, Dee Dee Wilde and Babs Lord. After several line-up changes, Andrea Rutherford was recruited followed by Louise, who joined in December 1967, when she was 18 years old. She performed with Pan's People in Europe, appearing on many of the top music shows, including the German programme Beat! Beat! Beat!, before returning to England. She perfomed with Pan's People on the BBC programme The Beat Room before Pan's People became resident dancers on Top of the Pops. Pan's People made their initial debut on Top of the Pops in April 1968 when Flick, Dee Dee and Ruth Pearson performed as a three-piece. Louise made her first appearance on the programme on 30th May 1968 when the whole group performed to US Male by Elvis Presley.

Louise remained with Pan's People for seven years before deciding to leave. She had met her future husband, entrepreneur Tony Dobson, on the night of her 21st birthday, in 1970. The same year, Louise took to the West End stage when she landed a major role in the play Lie Down, I Think I Love You.  The play was intended to be the British version of Hair! but failed miserably, achieving a mere 13 performances at the Strand Theatre in London.

After a long engagement, Louise and Tony decided to marry and start a family. Her final performance on Top of the Pops was to Homely Girl by the Chi-Lites in May 1974. Following the birth of her son, the family bought a big house in Sheffield, an apartment in London and a villa in Marbella in Spain. She was a stay-at-home mum in her 30's but later returned to work. She opened a health and beauty club in London called Pan's Place and also started her own motorbike courier service.  In the meantime, her sister, Carole, had changed her name to Caroline Villiers and had carved out a successful career as a television and stage actress.

Louise was widowed in 2010, when Tony died, aged 77. Following his death, she lived with her son, Anthony, who is a financial consultant,  Sadly, Louise passed away in August 2012, just two weeks short of her 63rd birthday.

 

(c) G. P. Rose  25th August 2012

Tags: 
Louise Clarke
Pan's People

29 comments

Submitted by panfan on Fri, 2011-08-12 22:41
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I've heard of two candidates:

? May 1974 (Homely Girl / Chi-Lites); and
 
 16 May 1974 (There's a Ghost in My House / R Dean Taylor)
 
Any confirmation, guys?
Submitted by cornershop15 on Thu, 2011-12-29 12:58
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Homely Girl was broadcast a few weeks earlier on the 11th April 1974. If the other record was the last she danced to, it's sadly lost. This must be among the routines us fans would most like to see rediscovered. Fingers crossed.

Is this the right place to post pictures of Louise, or should they be at the Forum threads?

 Dated 11th February 1970:

Louise Goes West

Lively and Lovely. These are the adjectives levelled at the vivacious Louise Clarke, whose dancing with that bubbling group Pan's People has won her the attention of producers.

It is announced that the effervescent Louise will soon be stepping from the ranks of the dancers to take a major role in a West End of London play. See you on stage, Louise.

The caption for the photograph at the top of the page, from November 1969, says she "will shortly be taking to the stage". Was this still being said two months later, or is there confusion over the dates (again)?

What I do know is that the play was called Lie Down, I Think I Love You. It sounds like one of those sex comedies Leslie Phillips might have starred in but all I've managed to find out is that this curiosity starred Tim Curry, before he was in The Rocky Horror Show, and was performed at The Strand Theatre.

The Big Question: How many Pan's People routines did Louise miss, if any, when she was in this play?

Submitted by Gary on Sat, 2011-09-03 13:40
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Louise's play, Lie Down, I Think I Love You, premiered in London on 14th October 1970. It was was intended to be a British version of Hair!  It failed miserably, achieving a mere 13 performances at the Strand Theatre.

It was a musical and starred Tim Curry. Also in the cast was Ray Brooks, Antonia Ellis, Vanessa Miles, Malcolm Reynolds and a young actress called PATRICIA HAMMOND!

Submitted by panfan on Sun, 2011-08-21 06:36
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Thanks for the photo Cornershop. Interesting article.

Yes this is as good a place as any to placer her images.

When I can get this gallery module working properly we can sort things out then.

Submitted by Gary on Sat, 2011-09-03 08:56
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Louise Clarke celebrates her birthday today. From everybody at panspeople.com HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOUISE. Hope you have a good day. X

Submitted by Gary H on Sat, 2011-09-03 10:53
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Pan's People lost a bit of magic when Louise left & I've missed her ever since.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! xx

—

Gary H

Submitted by Gary on Sat, 2011-09-03 11:22
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I agree, I think her departure spelt the beginning of the end. No disrespect to Sue, Mary and Lee, of course!.

Submitted by mojo2007 on Sat, 2011-09-03 16:32
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Happy birthday beautiful Louise.

In  my many years  I  have known three  women who would walk into a room and stop conversation. I saw it happen at a funeral  !!  Several other ladies could do so if they wished  but that was something different.

  Louise would have been a fourth.  It is beyond being beautiful, all Pans are beautiful,  it is about the goddess look. 

mojo

 

 

Submitted by cornershop15 on Sat, 2011-09-03 16:39
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Many Happy Returns to our beloved Louise:

Photographed during the visit to the HMS Intrepid in 1969.

Submitted by Gary on Sat, 2011-09-03 18:21
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Thanks for posting this fantastic photo of Louise.

Submitted by panfan on Thu, 2011-12-29 15:40
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Methinks the photographer needs shootin' for losing her legs and including the ship! :)

Then again, it would have been intended as an environmental shot, and so including the situation was required.

Submitted by Suefan on Sun, 2011-09-04 08:09
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No it didn't.  It simply opened the door, through which stepped the best girl of the lot, and led eventually to Legs & Co.  A much superior group on all counts.  No disrespect to A, B, C, DD, L and R of course! 

Submitted by Lee and Mary Fan on Sun, 2011-09-04 08:28
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Its impossible to say which was the best dance troupe on TOTP as we all have our own favourites and opinions.

My personal favourites are:

1 Pans People.

2 Ruby Flipper.

3 Legs & Co.

I have no interest in Zoo to be honest

Submitted by cornershop15 on Thu, 2011-12-29 13:33
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Did you notice Louise is wearing the same dress in the first and fourth pictures?

Still not sure this is the right place, panfan, but I have to post it somewhere:

I think it's that dress again. Probably the same photo session as pic #1, also taken by George Greenwell.

Submitted by panfan on Thu, 2011-12-29 15:47
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Well spotted, Cornershop!

I wondered how many of these might be shots from the same session, but the hairstyle looks different.

Submitted by cornershop15 on Thu, 2011-12-29 13:46
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I'll have to transcribe the text in that article (difficult to read):

Dancer Louise Clarke isn't likely to remain in the showbusiness undergrowth for long. She'll soon be emerging from the gyrating line-up of the Pan's People dance team to take a major role in a West End play.

Louise, 20, from Kilburn, has appeared with Pan's People in TV''s "Top of the Pops" and the Bobbie Gentry series. Dancing, obviously, is one way for a girl to get a step up in her career.

Submitted by panfan on Thu, 2011-12-29 15:37
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Thanks again for these great Louise images, Cornershop.

Yes, until I sort out the gallery module, which has been a source of endless grief, please do post them here or in her thread in the forum.

When the Gallery is sorted, we can have folders according to troupes, group shots, singles, etc, and tag them too for ease of search.

Submitted by cornershop15 on Fri, 2011-12-30 11:28
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For the one day only, Louise was the Mirror's Page 3 girl:

It's quite a rare thing to see Louise Clarke actually standing still like this. As one of the dancers with Pan's People, she's generally swinging through a lively routine. Or dashing off to one of a dozen countries where the group have regular dates.

And off-duty, twenty-one-year-old Louise, from Wembley, plays chess. A dab hand at the game, she is now teaching her colleagues the finer points. A girl, clearly, who likes to keep moving. 

So was she from Kilburn or Wembley? Both near to where I live. Does Louise still play chess?

You're right about "endless grief". Wait 'til you see the next article ...

Submitted by panfan on Fri, 2011-12-30 11:51
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Not sure if I can handle more in the same vein, Cornershop- too busy picking myself off the floor! Just kidding!

Wasn't is Louise who was also a model?

Submitted by Gary on Fri, 2011-12-30 12:46
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Louise looks remarkably like Sharon Tate in this photo. There is a strong resemblence to Sharon in some of Louise's other photos too.

Submitted by Lee and Mary Fan on Fri, 2011-12-30 19:09
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I guess she does, same era, late 60s/ early 70s, I always feel sad when I hear Sharon Tates name mentioned or see an old film clip of her, such a horrible and heartbreaking thing to happen.

On a brighter note, I think Louise is very beautiful, she always has a cool & stylish look about her, I would love to know if Sue has ever met Louise?.

Submitted by cornershop15 on Sat, 2011-12-31 22:57
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I can't be sure of any of the more vague memories from my early life but I'm certain I recognise the previous picture from somewhere. Long ago. I was only 7 then and we didn't have The Daily Mirror in our house so that doesn't make much sense. Could it have been a documentary?

The last of the three Daily Mirror articles I found with our lovely Louise:

Apologies, once again, for the picture quality.

I don't know why this photo makes me feel sad. Must be because she's young and smiling ... and because it's so long ago (very nearly 40 years).

All the girls have had an incredible effect on me this year, but especially Louise and Flick, followed by Sue. Something to do with the Late 1960s/Early 70s, which I've been haunted by since childhood, feeling I just missed something important, and really special  

I wish her and everyone else, notably her colleagues, a Happy New Year. Another new year ... 

Submitted by cornershop15 on Sat, 2011-12-31 23:37
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The words are again difficult to make out. This is what the article says:

This 19-year-old girl (below), who was dancing again last night on BBC1 with Pan's People in "Top of the Pops", gets letters from viewers throughout Britain.

But as none of the dancers is named, the mail is addressed to "The girl with the very long hair" or "The girl with the slanting eyes." Fortunately, the BBC pass on the letters.

In case you wanted to know, her name is Louise Clark. We thought we'd make it easier for everyone.

Especially as it's Spring.

 

Unfortunately, there's no information at OFTD for the routine that's alluded to. A rather silly article, not helped by the incorrect age and misspelling of her name. I tried searching with and without the E so think I've found everything relating to Louise, I just wish they were of the same standard as today. No such problems with The Daily Star.

 

Submitted by andrzejgk on Tue, 2012-07-24 22:30
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I enjoyed seeing the pics of Louise - she has always been my favourite. I was sad when she left pp, but pleased to hear when she got married and moved to a good life in spain. How sad to have heard that her husband had passed away. I understand that she and her son have moved back to the UK to East Anglia. I hope that they are happy. Louise is 8 months younger than i am, but i am sure that she is still as stunning and elegant as when she was on the pp special a few years ago. Thank you for the special memories x 

Submitted by Andy on Thu, 2012-07-26 00:33
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I remember years ago I found this site which was about a family (which now no longer exists) which I got doing a search for Pans People it had a recent reunion picture of the girls and made reference in the caption that one of the girls was a member of the family

Also on this site was some photos one which appeared to be dressed up for a wedding in the 70s one woman in a large brimmed hat looked like Louise, as there were being photographed in a persons house I noticed on the wall was a professional portrait photo of Louise.

Submitted by panfan on Sat, 2012-08-25 23:10
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Thank you to Gary for adding this tribute to Louise.  News release of Louise's passing.

Submitted by panfan on Sun, 2012-08-26 22:38
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Amazing to note her biography has had over 7,000 views in the last 24 hours, and we have had a lot of condolences on our Facebook page.  Thanks to all fans new and old, for taking the time to express your feelings....

Submitted by andrzejgk on Sat, 2012-09-01 13:48
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searched the net for 'louise clarke, pan's people' the other day, to find any new info & pics. found a Louise tribute video someone had compiled; pp routines with Louise highlighted. Well done to whoever compiled it. On one page i saw an illustrated dvd (front and back covers) with pp pics on it, stating that it was a 4 dvd set about Pan's People. As it was the early hours, i logged out soon after. Is this dvd commercially availabe. I think 'Cornershop' was connected to it. Any info, anyone?

Submitted by Fresh Lettuce on Sun, 2012-09-02 21:39
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Oh, this is just awful, I am so very sorry for Louise's family as well as for those lovers of this site that have held her in such high regard.

Was sitting quietly in a cafe on holiday in Pembrokeshire with my family when Lady Lettuce and I overheard the man at the next table mention Pan's People as he browsed his Sunday newspaper. What can this mean, I thought. 

I'm so sorry that it took such bad news for PP to get mentioned in the national press again.