Petula Clark and Harry Belafonte sing ”On the Path of Glory” in a 1968 performance with a place in history.

When Nancy Sinatra bailed on a special sponsored by Plymouth, Petula Clark, who turns 90 on Tuesday, stepped in and headlined her first American television special in 1968. Clark co-wrote ”On the Path of Glory” and sang it with her sole guest star, Harry Belafonte.

Clark putting her hand on Belafonte’s left arm during their performance caused an uproar with Plymouth executives. Clark, her husband and director Steven Binder had the previous takes of the number erased so only this one was available for broadcast.

Binder tells the tale of what became an international story below in an interview with Archive of American Television. It’s 9 minutes and 50 seconds, a brush stroke of life 54 years years ago.

Published November 13, 2022.