'Heat Wave; and 'The Boys in the Band'

[PeaceNHarmony]

Recently watching my favorite film critic Steve [[Tired Old Queen At The Movies) Hayes review 'The Boys in the Band' on his YouTube channel I wondered if we have any real information about Motown licensing the record to be used in the Broadway play then the film. Anybody know anything? Quite and audacious move at the time.

[reese]

No info on the licensing arrangements at all, I'm afraid. I do know that the film also included GOOD LOVIN' AIN'T EASY TO COME BY by Marvin and Tammi.

Re the show, I saw the Broadway revival a few months ago. I was seated down front and one of the first things I noticed before the show even started was a copy of the HEAT WAVE album in Michael's record collection. In the film, they used the album cover of MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS LIVE! even though it was the studio version of HEAT WAVE being heard.

[zani57]

Peace and Reese,
Being a gay man "of a certain age," I am quite familiar with the film, and also just saw the current 50th anniversary production of "Boys in the Band" on Broadway.
I, too, am not familiar with the licensing arrangements. However, although "Boys in the Band" was first produced as a play in 1968, when I was 11, I am pretty darn certain that Motown songs were blasted in gay bars back in the day and that Motown knew that a sizable share of its audience were gays and lesbians.
Prior to the start of the Broadway show I saw on Saturday, June 30, the Motown songs being played in the theater pre-show were "25 Miles" by Edwin Starr and also "Stop! In the Name of Love" by The Supremes. I did notice the album cover of "MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS LIVE!" As Reese stated, it is the studio version of the song that is played during the performance [[and is the crux of a party dance).

Spotify has a "Boys in the Band" playlist. It includes "[[Love Is Like a) Heatwave" but not the other Motown titles. The pre-show also included a version of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" but not by Nancy Sinatra.

Here is the link to the Spotify playlist --

https://open.spotify.com/user/3vdgkffjlw036azc3n4td0cle/playlist/1lVN2lv32KJAMRM9ZqgS5N?si=ck3Ao5OtSs6XPNiETj5Xkw

[thommg]

The pre-show version of These Boots Are Made For Walkin' is by a duo named Teddy & Darrel from the recording "These Are The Hits You Silly Savages" released in 1966.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Thanks, guys, for the info. I'm looking forward to seeing the show. My question about the very concept of Motown licensing HW is still of great interest.

[keith_hughes]

Why would Motown NOT received fees for licensing "Heat Wave"? Their legal people were very hot in the sixties, "re-claiming" such songs as Len Barry's "1-2-3" and Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time" for Jobete, after either getting a court judgment or the publisher conceding their claim in an out-of-court settlement. They surely wouldn't have missed the use of a real Jobete tune.

[BigAl]

Every time I watch The Boys in the Band film, I notice a [[to me) big goof. They mention remembering "last summer at Fire Island" and start doing a kick line to "Heat Wave." Later, one of them picks up the Martha & The Vandellas Live album, which doesn't contain the studio version of that song, which is what they were dancing to. I'm guessing the propmaster or propmistress probably couldn't locate the Heat Wave album, or just didn't feel like looking for it, and just made do with the Live one, probably figuring no one would notice the difference. Wrong!