Nina and Frederik

Subject: Nina and Fredrick
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 06:16 AM

A totaly unrelated thread reminded me of this. A couple of weeks back on the radio they played a song by Nina and Frederik.

The anouncer then went on to tell quite an amazing story about the couple. Their marriage was, apparantly, a fairy tale romance of the 50's. He was the crown prince (or some such) of somewhere and she was considered to be the most beatiful model from Sweden. Their marriage was the talk of Europe and Scandinavia at the time and the fact that they went on, in the 1960's, to be musical celebreties with lots of TV time was the icing on the cake.

The marriage did not last unfortunately and after their split Nina had some measure of sucess as an actress. Frederik, however, became involved in some very shady activities and some years later was shot dead in Havana during a drug deal!

I have been unble to corroborate this and it could be a result of bad memeory, poor hearing, mis-information or all three - the old grey cells aint what they used to be:-(

Anyone know any more?

Cheers

Dave the Gnome
(Fishing for information)

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: okthen
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 07:43 AM

Van Pallandt (spelling?) was their surname, news to me about the shooting in Cuba tho'.

cheers

bill

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WORM SONG (from Nina and Frederik)
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 07:47 AM

No idea Dave... but thinking Nina and Frederik, I'm pretty sure I learned this from one of thier records - b side to Puff the Magic Dragon.

The Worm Song

The earth it was damp with the dew of the dawn
And sweet scented air hung over the lawn
A handome young worm popped up from the ground
Looking up from his hole he gazed all around

Just then as he stared at the sun in the sky
Another little worm popped up quite near by
Said the first with a squiggle "You're a trim little worm"
"Why not wriggle up hear and we'll go for a squirm"

"If you'd only agree to a brief rendezvous
I would love to surrender my heart just for you
I would build you a home and I'd treat you with care
And happy we'd be as the birds in the air"

Then the trim little worm gave a shake of its head
As it sadly replied "I would love to be wed"
But I fear we can't marry though I know you'd be true
For you see Mr Worm, I'm the other end of you".

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 08:02 AM

Got this from Hollywood.com:

Nina Van Pallandt

Biography
This striking actress is best known for her roles in the films of Robert Altman. A folk singer who toured Europe with fellow performer Baron Frederik Van Pallandt (to whom she was later married for a period), the Danish-born Van Pallandt made her film debut in Altman's neo-film noir "The Long Goodbye" (1973). She has played leads in a handful of obscure international films and contributed offbeat supporting performances to Paul Schrader's "American Gigolo" (1980) as well as lesser Altman fare such as "Quintet" (1979) and "O.C. and Stiggs" (1987). Van Pallandt earned a degree of notoriety for her romantic involvement with Clifford Irving, whose faked biography of Howard Hughes landed him in prison.

Dunno about Frederik!

LFF

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 08:10 AM

This is particularly scary.

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Long Firm Freddie (at work)
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 08:20 AM

Cookie now reset!

A google search shows Frederik died in May 94 in the Phillipines, but nothing about how or why.

Best memory of them is the non-playing Maraccas sketch with Eric & Ernie all those years ago...

LFF

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 08:42 AM

Your right, Dai - scary stuff indeed! Continuing my ongoing quest for knowledge that no-one else needs I came across "Nina & Frederik | Sucu Sucu (DB 4632) | 7 inch | tld7847" on Amazon.co.uk.

Now then. Here is another question. I think I can vaguely remember this song (or one with a very similar title) being the theme for a 60's TV series called 'Secret Service'. The song had a calypso beat - which Nina and Frederik did use quite a lot and I can remember a female voice on it. The opening of the TV show was scenes from a tropical beach i think.

Does anyone else remember this? Was it british or American? Am I totaly loopy? Or just completely bored?

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 08:45 AM

Oh yes - and it probably was Manilla rather than Havana, LFF. You know all them foreign places are the same to us Brits;-)

D.

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Micca
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 08:49 AM

Dave, If I recollect, it was South America, the setting for the TV series, Might have been Rio de Janeiro and starred William Franklyn who later made the "Schh, you know who" commercials for Schweppes, It was a British, (ITV ) series I am fairly sure..

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 08:59 AM

As I've recounted before (probably more than once, you know me!) I came to the Mudcat originally looking for the words to Listen to the Oceanonly to discover Ihad it in a song book at home! I also managed to get a copy of the 45 from Amazon z-shops. They don't seem to have been re-released on CD at all.
RtS (PS only one winner at Ascot on Saturday, a favourite so not enough to pay for the other failures!)

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Lanfranc
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 10:18 AM

Dave etc.

I have the sheet music of "Sucu Sucu", which was indeed the theme music from the William Franklyn TV series "Secret Agent".

Following the "scary" link above takes you to the website of a N&F tribute duo, which is indeed scary, but does have an additional link to a newly released CD of the original N&F's greatest hits. Unfortunately, it looks as though some prat has mixed it so that every other track is a Christmas Carol! Fine within the octave of Christmas, but I can see many people ripping their own CD, omitting the Carols (or, maybe, the secular stuff, according to taste and conviction).

Alan

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 10:26 AM

Yes, Lanfranc, two cheers only for that reissue, I think!
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 11:00 AM

Apparently he was shot in 1994:

"The first of the major featured guests on Dave's Place were Nina and Frederik, who attained popularity in Europe during the folk era with their soft, often calypso and spiritual-styled approach to their music. In their two appearances on Dave's Place they performed six songs including one about a worm that fell in love with itself and the popular children's song Mockingbird. Frederik was a descendant of Danish royalty (real name Baron Frederik Jan Gustav Floris Van Pallandt). He married Nina Moller in 1960 but they were divorced in 1975. Nina had some subsequent success in American films. Frederik later married a Spanish artist, Maria de los Rios Coello de Portugal, but he was shot dead at Puerto Gallera in the Philippines many years later in 1994."

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 11:15 AM

Mudcat comes up trumps as usual! I can go to the folk club with an easy mind tonight.

Can't get that bloody song out of my head now though...

Aye, aye, aye the beat is crazy
Sucu, sucu everywhere...

Wonder if someone will sing it for me? If all else fails you will have to come to Swinton FF, Alan, and bring the music and your guitar with you;-)

Thanks all for a pleasant, entertaining and informative interlude in an otherwise boring office bound afternoon in the Manchester drizzle!

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: GUEST,Steve Parkes
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 12:15 PM

Ah, those wonderful Saturday nights of yesteryear! The Billy Cotton Band Show on BBC, Secret Agent on ITV ... now I have to go out if I want a decent night's entertainment. Où sont les Samedis soirs d'antan?

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: nutty
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 05:04 PM

I still have the EP - it was one of the first "folk" records I ever bought

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Lanfranc
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 06:41 PM

Come to the Snug on Thursday, and I'll sing "Sucu Sucu" and "Listen to the Ocean" for anyone interested.

Nostalgia endures!

Alan

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Oct 01 - 07:10 PM

Yes - but nostalgia ain't what it used to be:-)

DtG
('Scuse my igorance Alan, but where's the Snug?)

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Joan from Wigan
Date: 02 Oct 01 - 05:04 AM

A Google search came up with this link: Nina and Frederick

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 02 Oct 01 - 05:05 AM

Joan - see above

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Lanfranc
Date: 02 Oct 01 - 05:33 AM

DtG

The Snug is a PalTalk group where a number of Mudcatters get together for a sing on Thursday evenings at around 9pm.

A search on the Forum for "Paltalk" and/or "Snug" will provide the info needed to get online - look forward to hearing you there.

Alan

O tempora, O mores (O Times, O Daily Mirror)

Subject: RE: BS: Nina and Fredrick
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 02 Oct 01 - 10:14 AM

Ah - course it is! Visited before - couldn't hear it for some reason though. I'll try again this week.

Thanks

DtG

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 Sep 06 - 09:25 PM

There are a couple of Nina and Frederik CD's:

• The Nina & Frederik Collection: Listen to the Ocean
  
• Sippin' Cider with Nina & Frederik

In a moment of weakness, I bought them both - and I like them.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 02 Sep 06 - 04:59 AM

fantastic thread!

Secret Agent was Friday - I was always despatched for the chips immediately before it. This annoyed me considerably as I really liked the theme tune and I frequently missed it. And there wasn't so much nice music around in those days - so you really valued the little snatches of what music there was.

A Nina an frederick Tribute Act - wish I'd thought of that!

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Northerner
Date: 02 Sep 06 - 05:23 AM

I also have a record of Sucu Sucu. On a 45 I think. It was a very popular series at the time.

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 10:56 AM

A little googling reveals that Frederick Baron von Palland was shot in 1994 in the Philippenes, having become involved in drug smugging to Australia. The drugs syndicate murdered him because they owed him 20 million Aussie dollars for a huge cannabis operation... talk about Puff...

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 11:14 AM

They were on a rerun of Juke Box Jury last night!

Oi'll give it foive..

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Mr Happy
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 11:36 AM

'drug smugging?'

Perhaps he got too conceited?

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Mr Happy
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 11:37 AM

..........or did you mean 'drugs mugging?'

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: GUEST,Bobby Bob, Ellan Vannin
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 12:32 PM

Two programmes in one, manitas in work!

Juke Box Jury was the BBC show hosted by David Jacobs with four 'celebrity' panellists. They had a choice of either Hit or Miss, and in the event of a draw, some audience members had a hit/miss sign to hold up and that gave the casting votes.

Over on ITV it was Thank Your Lucky Stars, presented by Brian Matthews, where there was a spot for new releases with marks out of five, and the audience were invited to comment on them.

It was a TYLS audience member called Janice who came up with the immortal phrase, "(Oi wouldn't boi it meself, but) oi'll give it foive," and became a regular to say what she thought (including her 'catch phrase' as often as possible, of course).

That was about all the pop music we got on TV back then!

Regards,

Bobby Bob

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Rog Peek
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 02:34 PM

I'm with you Dave, that 'bloody song' haunted me for years, thought I'd passed the worst, and then someone has to bring it up again. Ha ha hee hee ha ha hee hee heeeeeeeeeeee...........

Rog

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 03:34 PM

Janice made Wednesbury famous, didn't she?

Kitty

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: GUEST,jaahda
Date: 03 Feb 09 - 05:30 AM

I have been singing -aye aye aye the beat is crazy - suco suco everywhere to my months old grandson who completely loves it. now i've come looking to know what tvshow it was from - and if i can hear the original.
i know the tune LOL

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Will Fly
Date: 03 Feb 09 - 06:04 AM

It was the title theme of the British secret agent TV series, "Top
Secret", which was broadcast in the USA in 1961 and 1962. The action
took place in Argentina, thus the South American flavoured theme.

The title theme's original name was "Sucu Sucu", composed by Tarateno
Rojas and Ren Jan Van Hoogten. The English vocal version had the
title "Step Right Up (And Say You Love Me)", though it is known as
"Sucu Sucu"; the British lyricists were Ray Maxwell and Phil Belmonte.
It was played by the Laurie Johnson and his Orchestra, the same who
later also did the famous title theme for the British TV series "The
Avengers". The single became a 1961 Top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at
#9 on 30 Sep 1961.

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Will Fly
Date: 03 Feb 09 - 06:05 AM

Sorry - should have said - not my research, but from a Google answer page!

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Mr Happy
Date: 03 Feb 09 - 07:33 AM

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dW8oq5fCEGQ - Sucu Sucu

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 03 Feb 09 - 10:26 PM

Well - I loved them.......

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Little Robyn
Date: 04 Feb 09 - 04:20 AM

Me too!
But I was very young.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 04 Feb 09 - 11:56 PM

me too

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: GUEST,Doc
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 03:16 PM

Loved Nina anyway! Frederick had the reputation of being so laid back he was horizontal.

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 04:38 PM

This YouTube recording has actual video of Nina and Frederik (not just an album cover) from the 1958 movie Verdens rigeste pige. They're billed as "Lisa and Jacque" - I don't quite figure why, but I'm guessing it's a movie about fictitious folkies and they're the main characters.
If you speak Danish, you can find a summary of the plot here (click). The English title of the film is The Richest Girl in the World described on one Website as "Farcical musical comedy, describing hectic courtship between poor little rich girl and a calypso singer." Whatever the case, it's a good example of their singing.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: GUEST,Allen in OZ
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 05:01 PM

Was it the Two Ronnies or Eric and Ernie who did the skit concerning

" Fredrick and Nina
Nina and Fred"


All good stuff

AD in Sydney ...40c temperature predicted today . And so it goes

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: oggie
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 05:47 PM

Somewhere in Dad's record collection is the Nina and Frederick album of calypsos that I listened to as a kid. Heard Jamaica Farewell, Tallyman and Buy me Mangoes on there long before I got into folk music.

Steve

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Joybell
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 06:32 PM

"Sun touches Earth with a lover's kiss..."
has stayed with me since the 60s.
For a while during the 60s the ABC used a love duet with Nina and Frederik as a filler. (Not the song with the lines above though.) So sweet. So pretty. It's gone from my head now. Quite gone. Must go searching.
Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 06:38 PM

I used to have the 45rpm record of them singing Oh Sinner man.

I just loved the way fred broke the word 'man' into two syllables and the second syllable was really low. I listened to it over and over - just to hear that vocal trick that he did once in the record.

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Feb 09 - 09:55 AM

Just listened again to 'Sinner Man'. I can remember how impressed I was at the time that a white man could sound so 'black'. Maybe he's using a South-African accent? Same as in 'Mary's Boy Child'.
That EP was amongst the first that my parents bought, along with Harry Belafonte in Carnegie Hall (with Odetta and the Chad Mitchell Trio - incl. John Denver at the time). Ah - that was in the days where our whole family would sit together and listen to music.
Wonderful memories.

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Jim McLean
Date: 08 Feb 09 - 01:32 PM

Nina was booked to appear solo in a Scottish show called Folk of the North sometime in the late sixties or early seventies ... I'm not quite sure. I had to 'interview' her in the TV studios at Shepherd's Bush. She was a really striking lady and had a girl friend with her, I'e no idea where Frederik was.

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: Dave Roberts
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 12:20 PM

I met Nina in 1989 when she lived on the Island of Ibiza. Is she still there? She was done up in the standard uniform of headscarf and big dark glasses favoured by famous people who don't want to be approached (comedy actress Paula Wilcox adopted similar garb when wishing to drink undisturbed in the country pubs around MIddlewich). Also living close by was actor Denholm Elliott.
Enough name-dropping....
Anyway, I always loved N&F's songs, particularly 'Listen To The Ocean' which is one of those songs capable of conjuring up lovely images in the mind.
And regarding the 'Oi'll Give it Foive' girl, I used to regularly win bets on the name of the show she appeared on. Ninety-nine people out of a hundred would say it was 'Juke Box Jury'. I proved my point by writing to Thames TV and asking the question, using their letter of reply as proof.

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: GUEST,OldManila hand
Date: 01 Jul 09 - 02:08 PM

Prince Frederick was indeed murdered in Puerto Galera in the Philippine in 1994. It was probably a contract killing over either a yacht or a drugs deal. A certain Englishman long resident in the Philippines, with a checkered career, who dealt in yachts and arms was rumoured to be behind the deal but was conveniently out of the country at the time. He was subsequently picked up in Hong Kong on other charges that looked like a set up to get him given they couldn't prove his involvement in the Frederick affair. He was jailed in Stanley prison in HK and transferred to the UK before the handover to China. He was subsequently released and is back living in the Philippines.

Subject: RE: Nina and Frederik
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 01 Jul 09 - 09:23 PM

If it wasn't Juke Box Jury then what was it????????