The Neverly Brothers (Russ Abbot parody of The Everly Brothers)

This is where we find out whether fans of the Everlys have a sense of humour or not! By quite a distance, this good-natured parody is my favourite part of Russ Abbot's Summer Madhouse (from 1985). In real life, the Everly Brothers had recently reconciled after years out of the public eye and were performing again. The thing was, while Phil and Don had once resembled each other fairly closely, now, they didn't. In this sketch, they explain why.
The song is performed by Russ and Jeffrey Holland, and it actually vaguely similar to The Everly Brothers' comeback single, On the Wings of a Nightingale, which was written by Paul McCartney.
(Please remember that this is an off-air VHS recording, so don't go expecting 1080p HD quality. I'm fairly certain that this video isn't commercially available, and I've uploaded it for its historic interest only. That said, if you are a copyright holder and object, please don't hesitate to contact me.)

[@alanwann9318]

Still laughing at "The SPANNERS" Skit .

[@yvonnesavage8215]

Brilliant ❤😂❤😂

[@mummygiraffepresentsclassi8722]

This was broadcast as part of "Russ Abbots Summer Madhouse" on Itv in the uk in the mid 80's, still got it on vhs hurrah xxxx

[@richardparry6488]

Brilliant.

[@VideotapeFTW]

Your welcome - glad you enjoyed it! It's high time they repeated these shows, in my opinion.

[@davidhenrywall8619]

Great laugh.

[@helaineberman9221]

This is great!

[@simon201063]

Thank you for uploading: great quality.

[@davidjones6470]

Great entertainment 😂😂

[@VideotapeFTW]

Certainly puts a whole new slant on the song! :-)

[@VideotapeFTW]

@sirtinycreep Actually, it was broadcast - but it was on a one-off summer special, rather than part of Russ Abbot's actual series.

[@gailguest3603]

i loved russ abbot- good fun

[@VideotapeFTW]

+paul guest I wish they'd repeat the shows. Couldn't be worse than most daytime telly.

[@VideotapeFTW]

You're very welcome - glad you enjoyed it!

[@v-g-z3689]

This is really swell! And they got it quite right, Phil keeping it together, staying clean, still looking looking fresh in the 80´s, and Don, well, not so much :D

[@cak8132]

I don’t agree. Don did put on a little weight during their 10 year hiatus but I thought he carried it well and looked great. I thought he looked his best when he was in his 40s and 50s.

[@v-g-z3689]

@@cak8132 I understand your point! I also think thar he looked pretty good in the reunion concert in ´83, but in the years after, he, to me, looked somehow rough in comparison to Phil. But that might just be my eyes.

[@cak8132]

@@v-g-z3689 I think Don had gone through that suit and tie phase for so long when they were first starting out, that when he had the chance, he wore clothes that were more expressive of himself. He definitely went for comfort as most of the clothes he wore when he was older were rather loose fitting (that might have been weight-related, too). He loved wearing scarves and he also loved his hats. He went through a phase , too, in the late 80s - early 90s of wearing fishing vests with lots of pockets. Phil was definitely a bit more tailored and conservative with his attire but it was always fun to see what outfit Don was going to wear. He certainly wore them with panache.

[@v-g-z3689]

@@cak8132 That is probably true. I´ve noticed the fishing vests too, I find them quite amusing ;) But his clothes represented his way of thinking, so it fits quite well that he dessed loosely in comparison to Phil, who was indeed much more conservative (except for a phase where he wore cargo pants with lots of pockets ;)) That also goes for the look of Dons head, much wilder hair and "free" facial expression from the 80´s onwards.

[@cak8132]

@@v-g-z3689 I think the ten year hiatus did Don a world of good. He seemed a lot more comfortable with himself (and the world) after 1983. He seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders in his 20s. The Everly “brand” was very important to him and I’m sure it still was post-1983, too, but he just seemed to handle it better. His hair… I loved those curls of his. I think for years he tried to kind of subdue them but he looked so fabulous when he just let his hair go curly. I liked when he wore ponytails, too, in the early 90s. And he hardly ever took a bad photo. He always looked fabulous. Wonderful smile. (Can you tell I’m a big Don fan?)

[@VideotapeFTW]

Ha! No, the word was "bombed". As in drunk/plastered/off his face.

[@VideotapeFTW]

Will do. :-)

[@sirtinycreep]

Not seen this before.

[@sirtinycreep]

@VideotapeFTW Oh, I see. Gotcha.

[@sirtinycreep]

By the way, why wasn't this ever broadcast?

[@sr7791]

Russ abbot cliff

[@scoopermanu]

Abbot never did much once he left Costello

[@tomcollinslive]

Besides married for life. 3 series of september song 2 series of the bloomers 2 runs in oliver the musical and dr doolitte and the producers no not much at all

[@scoopermanu]

Abbot never did much once he left Costello