In 1968, British pop star Petula Clark (on right), best known for hits like “Downtown” and “Don’t Sleep on the Subway,” hosted an NBC special that included a rare TV appearance by African-American singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. When the two sang Clark’s anti-war song, “On the Path of Glory,” Clark gently put her hand on Belafonte’s arm in a gesture of compassion and connection which was also the first interracial touch in prime time. An executive from one of the show’s corporate sponsors demanded the scene cut – or that another, contact-free take be used instead. “He told the show’s producer that he found the touch offensive and absolutely unacceptable,” Belafonte later said. Clark and her producer erased the first three takes, leaving only the one with her touching Belafonte left so that it had to be aired.
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