Arena (1975)

Slim Gaillard's Civilisation: Part 1 - A Traveller's Tale (1989x15)

: 22, 1989

"Look at the clocks - it doesn't matter if they're wrong. Somewhere in the world the time is right." A typical line from Slim Gaillard. He became a jazz legend, collaborating with Charlie Parker; he was a Second World War bomber pilot; Marvin Gaye's father-in-law; and is fluent in Greek, Arabic, Spanish and his own 'Vout-o-Reenee' language; he appeared in 25 films including 'Hellzapoppin'' and 'Roots'; and drove a hearse for the notorious Purple Gang. Since he was stranded alone in Crete, aged 12, on a voyage from his native Cuba, Slim's life has been a spectacular, and sometimes traumatic, adventure. He tells his amazing story over four episodes with Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison, his and Marvin Gaye's family, Frankie Laine (whom he discovered), and the peanut that went to the moon.