Rodgers and Hart Today- The TV Special

[skooldem1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpBVn8bdRC4

[jillfoster]

Everyone was really great in this special, however.. the Mamas and the Papas really stole this show.

[honest man]

So good to see again,really must try and make time to pull my old VHS Videos out for viewing,thank god for You Tube etc ,these shows etc would long be forgotten,we are all getting older,cheers for post.

[theboyfromxtown]

What a great posting....as is many of the others by the YOUTUBE poster. Never seent his before and not shown in the UK.

Good to see Petula Clark representing us Euro folk

[rrussi]

The Mamas and the Papas were a great vocal group. Their harmonies were so good. I remember seeing them "live" in the summer of 1966. Brian Hyland was their opening act.

[westgrandboulevard]

I've never seen this before, either. Great entertainment. Very professional. Consistently watchable.

And......instead of being subjected to the top volume vocal histrionics and visual effects of today, what a real pleasure to see people actually SINGING melodies, each in their own styles, and clearly enjoying themselves. :)

[milven]

The Mamas and the Papas were a great vocal group. Their harmonies were so good. I remember seeing them "live" in the summer of 1966. Brian Hyland was their opening act.

I loved their harmony and it made them a real group, not just a lead singer with background singers, even though Mama was undeniably the star of the group. Denny called their harmony the fifth voice and even gave the fifth voice a name - Harvey.


On the other hand, when all programs and participants are working towards the same goal, what results rises above the individual components. In music, when tones of a pure harmonic scale are sounded simultaneously, another harmonic tone is created, a combinational tone. Denny Doherty of the singing group the Mamas and Papas called this the ‘fifth voice’. But it was more than just an additional voice. This harmony transformed the sound of the whole group from four individual voices into one new harmonic voice. Doherty even had a name for this voice - Harvey.

[marybrewster]

Thanks for posting this, and thanks to whomever iploaded to Youtube.

I quickly glanced at it [[can't wait to get home and watch the whole thing!) and see the Supremes had 4 costume changes! Does anyone know when this was released; the last set of gowns, the white with the jackets: wasn't Cindy photographed in those, early into her joining the group?

[sansradio]

Thanks for posting! Truly star-studded; Pet Clark looked and sounded great. This was wonderfully straightforward with no talk and all music. Dig [[and miss) those crazy variety shows of old.

[westgrandboulevard]

Marybrewster...

TV.com advises it is from ABC Stage 67 series, Season 1, episode 21.

Aired at 10pm, Wednesday [[...although that should read Thursday) March 2nd,1967.

[reese]

Thanks for posting this, and thanks to whomever iploaded to Youtube.

I quickly glanced at it [[can't wait to get home and watch the whole thing!) and see the Supremes had 4 costume changes! Does anyone know when this was released; the last set of gowns, the white with the jackets: wasn't Cindy photographed in those, early into her joining the group?

The show was filmed in 1966, but didn't air until 1967.

[supremester]

This is quite the perfect packaging of the biggest pop stars of the day. I like that some of it at least is sung live and that DR&TS, Pet and Bobby were able to get up to performance mode without a live audience. Great cross section of their songs...Pet's clothes are a hoot.

This was shot in August of '66 and it appears it was a long day. The Mamas & the Papas, who I loved [[but not here), might have been too high to finish the show - Cass lost it inexplicably during "Sing For Your Supper" as they are missing from the finale and there is that empty spot after The Supremes. Flo looks a bit happy as well and blows a few lines here and there.

[reese]

This is quite the perfect packaging of the biggest pop stars of the day. I like that some of it at least is sung live and that DR&TS, Pet and Bobby were able to get up to performance mode without a live audience. Great cross section of their songs...Pet's clothes are a hoot.

This was shot in August of '66 and it appears it was a long day. The Mamas & the Papas, who I loved [[but not here), might have been too high to finish the show - Cass lost it inexplicably during "Sing For Your Supper" as they are missing from the finale and there is that empty spot after The Supremes. Flo looks a bit happy as well and blows a few lines here and there.

In the book TV ROCK, there is something about a pie fight that the Mamas and the Papas staged that got them in trouble with a union. I can't recall which one specifically, as I don't have the book in front of me. But maybe that is why they didn't complete the show.

[supremester]

They seem unfocused and uninterested. I love Mama Cass and in fact am wearing a moo moo and go-go boots as I'm writing this, but geez, it sucks they couldn't hold it together long enough to get a decent take. I wonder if my blessed Miss Flo had a hit or two with them if they were toking as she looks very happy in the finale.

[johnjeb]

Thanks for posting this, and thanks to whomever iploaded to Youtube.

I quickly glanced at it [[can't wait to get home and watch the whole thing!) and see the Supremes had 4 costume changes! Does anyone know when this was released; the last set of gowns, the white with the jackets: wasn't Cindy photographed in those, early into her joining the group?

Interesting in that this was filmed in August 1966 and broadcast in March 1967. The gowns in this Special were also subsequently worn, but first seen, on Sullivan for You Can't Hurry Love, September 1966, and Hollywood Palace for Reflections/Somewhere and What Now My Love, October 1966.

Even though I saw this Special in March 1967 and again when it was rebroadcast in May 1967 I didn't recall that they wore those white dresses with the jackets. I only remember them from pictures with Cindy.

I was amazed when I recently saw a clip from HP with Florence wearing these gowns. I guess all the times I saw the youtube clip with Bobby Darrin I never realized they were wearing the dresses without the jackets.

What Now My Love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRP5DMeHrlQ

But most of all, I don't know why I'm so intrigued by this bit of trivia. Well, I do know, but let's not go there...

[zani57]

More info on the program from The Paley Center's website --

http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=ABC+Stage+67&p=1&item=T77:0119 [[http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=ABC+Stage+67&p=1&item=T77:0119)

[theboyfromxtown]

Interesting in that this was filmed in August 1966 and broadcast in March 1967. The gowns in this Special were also subsequently worn, but first seen, on Sullivan for You Can't Hurry Love, September 1966, and Hollywood Palace for Reflections/Somewhere and What Now My Love, October 1966.

Even though I saw this Special in March 1967 and again when it was rebroadcast in May 1967 I didn't recall that they wore those white dresses with the jackets. I only remember them from pictures with Cindy.

I was amazed when I recently saw a clip from HP with Florence wearing these gowns. I guess all the times I saw the youtube clip with Bobby Darrin I never realized they were wearing the dresses without the jackets.

What Now My Love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRP5DMeHrlQ

But most of all, I don't know why I'm so intrigued by this bit of trivia. Well, I do know, but let's not go there...

So do I...and you won't change after all these years. LOLOL

[johnjeb]

So do I...and you won't change after all these years. LOLOL

Ooops, busted!

[antceleb12]

I'm intrigued as to why they taped it almost a year before broadcast...of why they broadcasted it nearly a year later.

From what I know, this was taped in Aug. 1966, which gave Motown the idea of doing a double-LP special album - "Sing Rodgers & Hart" - that was recorded in Oct. 1966, with the R&H special being broadcast on March 2, 1967, and the album being released in May 22, 1967.

That's a whole lotta Rodgers & Hart!

[Jaap]

Love the way Ross does a Baby Love-esque Ooh-ooh-ooh before Blue Moon.

[jillfoster]

They seem unfocused and uninterested. I love Mama Cass and in fact am wearing a moo moo and go-go boots as I'm writing this, but geez, it sucks they couldn't hold it together long enough to get a decent take. I wonder if my blessed Miss Flo had a hit or two with them if they were toking as she looks very happy in the finale.

It's not that... they just like to horse around alot. Michelle, of course, ALWAYS looks wooden and uninterested, she had ZERO stage presence, that's why Cass became the star of the group, she just leapt out at you in every way. When Cass is introducing "Creeque Alley" on Ed Sullivan, she's holding the entire microphone in her hands, hinge and all.. and the hinge lets out a loud squeak, and she says "Squeak! Topo is in there... Topo?" while she taps on it. In the first performance, they are trying not to laugh, cause Cass sneezes twice during "Glad To Be Unhappy", she always had big allergy issues.

[supremester]

Mama Cass was a delightful performer - I loved her. i used her as my worst case scenario as to what might happen when Miss ross left The Supremes: bubble gum, bouncy, Bobby Sherman rejects in go go boots and a moo moo on Dick Clark. That's what happened when people left groups back then: relative oblivion. Cass really tries hard especially on the last number - however breaking character to the point that she's cracking a joke rather than lip the lyric is prolly why they evaporated from the rest of the show.

[johnjeb]

Many Specials were recorded weeks and months in advance of broadcast. This program is a bit different in that it was not a one-time yearly special hosted by a star but part of a series of special programs called ABC Stage 67. Here is some info I found online.

From wikipedia:
ABC Stage 67 is the umbrella title for a series of 26 weekly shows that included dramas, variety shows, documentaries, and original musicals.

It premiered on American Broadcasting Company on September 14, 1966 with Murray Schisgal's The Love Song of Barney Kempinksi, directed by Stanley Prager and starring Alan Arkin as a man enjoying the sights and sounds of New York City in his last remaining hours of bachelorhood. Arkin was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance By An Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama and the program was nominated as Outstanding Dramatic Program.

Future programs included appearances by Petula Clark, Bobby Darin, Sir Laurence Olivier, Albert Finney, Peter Sellers, David Frost, and Jack Paar.

ABC's effort to bring culture to the masses was a noble but unsuccessful experiment. Scheduled first against I Spy on Wednesdays and then The Dean Martin Show on Thursdays, the show consistently received low ratings. Its last production, an adaptation of Jean Cocteau's one-woman play The Human Voice starring Ingrid Bergman, aired on May 4, 1967.

"Stage 67" was not actually a part of the primary ABC facilities in Los Angeles. It was produced at the old Monogram Studios backlot that was later sold to KCET.[1]

From paleycenter.org
Summary
One in this series of entertainment specials presented under the umbrella of "ABC Stage 67." This program is a tribute to the music of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, and features performances by Bobby Darin, the Supremes, the Doodletown Pipers, the Mamas and the Papas, Petula Clark, Count Basie and his Orchestra, and dancer Peter Gennaro. The program includes the following performances: Bobby Darin sings a medley of the Rodgers and Hart tunes "I Could Write a Book," "Little Girl Blue," and "The Lady is a Tramp"; the Supremes sing "Lover," "With a Song in My Heart," and "My Romance"; Peter Gennaro leads a dance performance to the Doodletown Pipers' rendition of "Wait Till You See Her"; the Mamas and the Papas sing "My Heart Stood Still" and "Glad To Be Unhappy"; Petula Clark performs "Where or When" and "Thou Swell"; Count Basie and his Orchestra back the Doodletown Pipers for "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"; Peter Gennaro leads a dance to "Dancing of the Ceiling" and "Give It Back To The Indians"; the Supremes sing "Manhattan" and "Blue Moon"; Clark and Darin sing a medley of the tunes "Any Old Place with You," "The Gateway of the Temple in Minerva," "Dear Old Syracuse," "Way out West on West End Avenue," and "I Feel at Home with You"; Peter Gennaro dances to "Johnny One Note," performed by Count Basie and his Orchestra; Clark sings "Spring is Here" and "On Your Toes"; Darin and the Supremes join to sing "Falling in Love with Love"; Darin sings "I Wish I Were in Love Again"; and the ensemble performs "Mountain Greenery." Commercials deleted.
Details

NETWORK: ABC
DATE: March 2, 1967 Thursday 10:00 PM
RUNNING TIME: 0:50:43
COLOR/B&W: Color
CATALOG ID: T77:0119
GENRE: Music
SUBJECT HEADING: Jazz
SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1966-1967
COMMERCIALS:

CREDITS

Richard Lewine........ Producer
James S. Stanley........ Associate Producer
Tom John........ Production [[Misc.)
Bob Mackie........ Production [[Misc.)
Bill Davis........ Director
Quincy Jones........ Music [[Misc. Credits)
Peter Gennaro........ Choreographer
Richard Rodgers........ Composer
Lorenz Hart........ Lyrics by
Count Basie and His Orchestra........ Music Group
Doodletown Pipers, The........ Music Group
Mamas and the Papas, The........ Music Group
The Supremes........ Music Group
Petula Clark........ Singer
Bobby Darin........ Singer
Basie, William "Count"........ Instrumentalist


User review from imdb.com:
Television in 1967 had two distinct masters to serve, and bridging the generation gap often resulted in strange bedfellows [[talk about mixing metaphors!)..think Frank Sinatra doing the Twist..stuff like that. Anyway, ABC used their Stage 67 anthology series to present this tribute to the music of Rodgers and Hart, featuring Bobby Darin as host/performer, and sharing this non-stop variety show included The Mamas and The Papas, The Supremes, Petula Clark, Count Basie, Peter Gennaro and the Doodletown Pipers [[I have never typed "Doodletown Pipers" till now...). Music of "the parents era" performed by somewhat "contemporary" artists so as to appeal to "the teens" as well as Mom and Dad. A thrill for Darin fans to see Bobby as front man, doing a number with Diana Ross and the girls.

from tv.com:
Having lived through the era of 1960s TV as a teenager, there was nothing more irritating than the Variety Show in which too-little music, lots of bad comedy and little-known "guest-stars" prevailed.

Along then came Shindig and Hullaballoo, devoted entirely to music with practically no chatter, where one musical guest segued seamlessly into the next, as you can see by watching these shows on Youtube.

Inspired by that format, amazing talents of the day, Petula Clark, the Mamas and Papas, the Supremes, Bobby Darin offered their "modern" take on the huge catalog of Rogers and Hart songs. There is no banter or chatter, no tired jokes or no-talents...just amazing performances by superstars of the day singing classic American songs known the world over.

This is a fantastic presentation that hopefully will be available on quality remastered DVD, as for now only poor-quality bootlegs are for purchase online.

[jillfoster]

Mama Cass was a delightful performer - I loved her. i used her as my worst case scenario as to what might happen when Miss ross left The Supremes: bubble gum, bouncy, Bobby Sherman rejects in go go boots and a moo moo on Dick Clark. That's what happened when people left groups back then: relative oblivion. Cass really tries hard especially on the last number - however breaking character to the point that she's cracking a joke rather than lip the lyric is prolly why they evaporated from the rest of the show.

She never went into oblivion, though.. she was on every show known to man, and played a sold two weeks at the London Palladium right before she died, not to mention her three TV specials, and the music series she co-hosted in 1970, and her being a regular on Lulu's series in 1970, as well. Light pop hits are wonderful things, espceially when they have such important messages of Self acceptance. And top all that off, she had an IQ of 165.

[carole cucumber]

Worth a second look:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryFSc6ZNj5s

[DJMoch]

Thanks for sharing that. I had heard of this special, but never seen it -- obviously, as it aired almost a decade before I was born, though I have no idea if it ever re-aired in later years. Very nice performances from all concerned. It's sad that specials like these aren't made anymore. I found it very entertaining.

[greg jones]

This TV special was presented in around 2001 at the Museum Of Broadcasting/Paley Center in Beverly Hills. It was great to see it in full colour and on a movie screen. I believe they tried getting some of the people involved in the special to come talk, but no such luck. It was presented very early on a Saturday morning and I remember several Petula Clark & Supremes Fans in the Audience. There were probably about 75 people in attendance.

[sup_fan]

Yes cass did a fine job on Sing For Your Supper. But why on earth didn't the sups sing this? The song was written for a female trio! And shocking that they didn't do a version on their lp.