Celluloid can only fade, never age

Last night had a bit of a retro television evening.  After a good day recording, finishing the vocals on two tracks I sat down after dinner only to see a reminder that Taxi was about to start (this reminder I set about three weeks ago but last night was the first time I actually caught it!).

Bob James’ theme and the footage of the taxi crossing the river in New York still manages to evoke strong memories for me.  It was an early episode, with Danny DeVito, Jeff Conaway, Tony Danza and Marilu Henner – no Christopher (Jim) Lloyd yet.  Nice episode, so sad about Jeff Conaway (best know for playing Kenickie in Grease; he passed in 2011 at a relatively young age).

Following Taxi was the pilot episode of Dallas, the original series.  We had literally been talking about it the night before; I was saying how the series developed and changed from the early episodes, which are actually quite bleak and more ‘gritty’.  I was struck by how young the actors all looked, Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, etc.,but this was 1978, thirty-five years ago! 

It has always been of interest to me; how film, celluloid, preserves age, it is like an elixir, it never ages.  I wrote a song about it years ago, Never Age.  With all the classic television stations and the reruns from years ago, new younger audiences are seeing these actors for the first time.

A few weeks ago I caught an early episode of Carla Lane’s The Liver Girls, and was struck with just how pretty Nerys Hughes is in the programme, (and how short the skirts were!), but of course this was over forty years ago and Nerys is now in her seventies.

Celluloid can only fade, never age.

Never Age

I watched a movie today

I've seen it before

Once or twice or .......

It was made many years ago

The picture had faded

The songs had aged

But they say it's a classic

for its day

It's strange to have your childhood

Saved for eternity

Recorded on celluloid

There's no privacy

Anyone can see

I can read about myself

In the papers

See myself on tv

The star

who used to be me

The lines on my face

Don't show on the movie screen

Lighting

Makeup

And time

Time has really been kind to me

Celluloid only fades

It can never age

Through my early youth

Through the years turning grey

I've tried to hide my age

But my youth wouldn't stay

Now

At least I can recapture

My childhood days

Through reruns and video

I will live forever

Through those reruns

And stay the same

Never age

Celluloid only fades

It can never age