TCB Special - 2 Versions?

[SupremeBoy]

Are there two versions of this special floating around? In the opening as they show Diana taking to the stage she's wearing a short bobbed wig...as the camera cuts to a mid shot she turns around in what clearly is a different wig and then there is this pic from the show with the girls in mid-performance and Diana is wearing the short bobbed wig. Confused.

http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc506/MarquisDesignStudio/21645_1069_1_lg.jpg

[ejluther]

Good question - I'm guessing they shot it more than once and then edited together the best parts [[without a lot of regard to wig continuity apparently!) - of course, that could mean there's different takes in the video vault somewhere...

[redlabs]

in most variety show and specials there would be two tapings for each show with the best of the two getting editited into a hour long special. i am sure there are many out takes from this show. i know they did the Funny Girl medley but it was later replaced with Dianas dance solo number? and they also did WHEN THE LOVELIGHT STARTS SHINNING but it was also cut.

[redlabs]

also mary and cindy did a duet in the medley of hits from 1968 that was also cut.cant remember the song but it was a latin style song that may have been a hit by brazil 66?

[marybrewster]

also mary and cindy did a duet in the medley of hits from 1968 that was also cut.cant remember the song but it was a latin style song that may have been a hit by brazil 66?

"Mas Que Nada".

[marybrewster]

http://soulfuldetroit.com/archive/index.php/t-589.html

More info, from an archived thread.

[smark21]

Well Diana Ross is an expert in wigs and quick change so maybe she pulled off some magic from the first shot to the next?:D

[franjoy56]

i hope if they release the dvd they include the Mary & cindy dance routine that was done with two of the tempts, but i heard it was cut, because diana didn't want mary and cindy working independently of her [[in other words workin their stuff without her)

[marv2]

"Mas Que Nada".

That was it! How do you like the way Mary performs it in her "Up Close" concert DVD?

[skooldem1]

i hope if they release the dvd they include the Mary & cindy dance routine that was done with two of the tempts, but i heard it was cut, because diana didn't want mary and cindy working independently of her [[in other words workin their stuff without her)

Diana was not the producer of this show. She had no power when it came to editing.

[bradsupremes]

The "I'm The Greatest Star" segment was never completed.

[franjoy56]

I did not make it up it is in several books and backed by a source i am sure


pg. 344 supremes a saga of dreams, success and betrayal:

Wilson said that the seven of us [[5 tempts and two supremes) were extras [[on the show) "The confirmation of that seemed to come when an elaborate song and dance number around the bossa nova tune "Mas Que Nada" featuring Wilson and Birdsong, Kendricks Otis, and Paul Williams performed for the audience and then cut. This must be the Diana Ross Show a disgusted Paul Williams thundered when he was told taking for granted that Ross simply wouldn't permit Mary and Cindy to show their stuff independently of her. With bitterness billowing everywhere, Wilson said the whole situation was a mess that seemed to get worse every day." go figure i didn't pull this out of thin air, and i am sure if this were not true the author would have heard from someone's lawyer.

I would like to see the dance number that was performed whether ross got to the producers or berry to have it stopped or not, and I will only buy it if it is included.
i have seen the video many times.

[RossHolloway]

^^ I wonder if the producers of the show cut the scene. I mean why go thru the paces of setting up the scene, rehersals, performing and filming the segment - just to piss off the Temps and Mary and Cindy? Sounds like a stretch..

[franjoy56]

good point.

[franjoy56]

good point however someone must have influenced the producers to cut it because diana had her
afro vogue number and for whatever reason the show was running over time with both numbers
so naturally the dance number had to go., and who was behind it i can only guess.

[marv2]

good point however someone must have influenced the producers to cut it because diana had her
afro vogue number and for whatever reason the show was running over time with both numbers
so naturally the dance number had to go., and who was behind it i can only guess.

You ain't gotta guess that hard. I was a kid at the time and I knew.......LOL!

[franjoy56]

well Marv in 1968 I thought Ms. Ross was magic, but after all the dirt came out I was deeply
hurt at all the madness that took place. I loved the show TCB, but GIT gave The Sups and Tempts more interaction and fun acting together and Diana got a lovely collage of bway songs to sing [[even if Flo's people was used in that collage) .

[marv2]

well Marv in 1968 I thought Ms. Ross was magic, but after all the dirt came out I was deeply
hurt at all the madness that took place. I loved the show TCB, but GIT gave The Sups and Tempts more interaction and fun acting together and Diana got a lovely collage of bway songs to sing [[even if Flo's people was used in that collage) .

I think we all did. I just never singled her out, it was all of them I enjoyed when we saw those TV specials.

[atcsm]

you are an ass.

I think we all did. I just never singled her out, it was all of them I enjoyed when we saw those TV specials.

[George Solomon]

"Mas Que Nada" was not an elaborate dance number. It ran 1:06. It was part of the medley with Mrs. Robinson. Too much has been made of this. I've worked closely with the producers of this show. Edits had to be made. Diana Ross had nothing do with nor was she aware of any of them.

[simplysupreme]

"Mas Que Nada" was not an elaborate dance number. It ran 1:06. It was part of the medley with Mrs. Robinson. Too much has been made of this. I've worked closely with the producers of this show. Edits had to be made. Diana Ross had nothing do with nor was she aware of any of them.


Thanks for being so sensible, George. Maybe some of these others will learn what that means one day.

[jobeterob]

Another ass kicking was just administered. Good man George.

The bigger the star, the more the resentment, the more the embarrassing haters yap. And to think, Mary Wilson asked this to stop a few months ago. Only they won't listen. It's an illness............

[smark21]

well Marv in 1968 I thought Ms. Ross was magic, but after all the dirt came out I was deeply
hurt at all the madness that took place. I loved the show TCB, but GIT gave The Sups and Tempts more interaction and fun acting together and Diana got a lovely collage of bway songs to sing [[even if Flo's people was used in that collage) .

People is not a Flo song, it's a Barbra Striesand song for the show Funny Girl. When I finally h eard The Supremes recording of People on the box set that came out in 2000, I was very underwhelmed after hearing all the hype. Best part of the recording is Diana's part. Flo's lead part is very hesitant and uncertain. Flo is so overrated.

[skooldem1]

I've been saying this for years, but it's the Diana Ross part of that song, when the song truly comes to life. That song, and the verses they sing are the pefect opportunity to compare their individual styles of singing. It, IMO shows exactly why Diana Ross was a "better" singer than Flo on certain songs.

[RossHolloway]

"Mas Que Nada" was not an elaborate dance number. It ran 1:06. It was part of the medley with Mrs. Robinson. Too much has been made of this. I've worked closely with the producers of this show. Edits had to be made. Diana Ross had nothing do with nor was she aware of any of them.

George thanks for the insight from someone who was there.

[George Solomon]

You're welcome...but I wasn't there. I was in grade school. :o

[lakedistrictlad1]

I would much rather have had 1:06 of "Mas Que Nada" than that dumb dance routine of Diana's. It is the one lowpoint of the show. It tried too hard to single Diana out and just wasn't that entertaining. The Mrs. Robinson medley was a gem though.

[skooldem1]

Well that dumb dance routine was African dancing, a nod to her roots. I'd rather they offer that in the program than another middle of the road, crossover attempt, singing bland standards. White people loved them, but they were black women. That dance sequence is now legendary.

[marv2]

You're welcome...but I wasn't there. I was in grade school. :o

Hey, me too!

[marv2]

Anyway! She may not have had any authority to change anything, but she sure was close enough to make "suggestions"! Check out the afro comb in Berry's back pocket, hehehehehe....

[skooldem1]

Great picture.

[marv2]

Well that dumb dance routine was African dancing, a nod to her roots. I'd rather they offer that in the program than another middle of the road, crossover attempt, singing bland standards. White people loved them, but they were black women. That dance sequence is now legendary.

That sequence was hokey, bland and over done with all the pictures. "Mas Que Nada" is a popular Brazilian, Portuguese song, hardly what anyone would consider MOR, crossover or bland! Mary Wilson performs it in her current "Up Close" concerts.

Yes they were black women. Why couldn't all three of them do all or portions of the African dance sequence? Maybe it would not have come off so bland. They do dance in groups in Africa!

[marv2]

Great picture.

Thank you. They were about business as you can tell from their facial expressions.

[marv2]

I would much rather have had 1:06 of "Mas Que Nada" than that dumb dance routine of Diana's. It is the one lowpoint of the show. It tried too hard to single Diana out and just wasn't that entertaining. The Mrs. Robinson medley was a gem though.

I agree. I am sure watching this as a kid we were thinking "dang, when will this sh#% be over [[the dance sequence) because it was boring to us. I have the show on tape and DVD and even now it comes off as rather boring. They tried too hard and it backfired.........

[marv2]

Another ass kicking was just administered. Good man George.

The bigger the star, the more the resentment, the more the embarrassing haters yap. And to think, Mary Wilson asked this to stop a few months ago. Only they won't listen. It's an illness............

Hey Rob, you like to use the term "ass-kicking" a lot lately. Come to New York and I can show you the true meaning of it........hehehehehehe.....

[marv2]

This does seem a bit strange. Maybe they did do two seperate tapings:

[selinasian]

I think we all did. I just never singled her out, it was all of them I enjoyed when we saw those TV specials.
Especially the gowns?

[smark21]

Well that dumb dance routine was African dancing, a nod to her roots. I'd rather they offer that in the program than another middle of the road, crossover attempt, singing bland standards. White people loved them, but they were black women. That dance sequence is now legendary.

The Afro vogue dance sequence is not legendary, except maybe in die hard Diana Ross fan circles.

[SupremeBoy]

The Afro vogue dance sequence is not legendary, except maybe in die hard Diana Ross fan circles.

The Afro Vogue dance sequence IS legendary.

Legendarily BAD. Hands down THE WORST part of the show. It brought the show to a mindless crashing halt. Diana was given a special solo spot with her rendition of "Somewhere". Afro Vogue was so unnecessary and a complete waste of time, time that could have been put to much better use like say a rendition of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" by the two groups as that song was hot on the charts at the time of the special's airing.

[bradsupremes]

TCB was filmed before "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" was released as a single, so there was no way they could have filmed a duet of the two groups together performing the song.

To me, the Afro Vogue scene is the weak spot in the show. I know Berry wanted to spotlight Diana, but couldn't they have done something better to showcase her. Her skinniness is very unattractive in several of those outfits and I find some of her dance moves very stiff. I feel the same way now as when I first saw the segment when I was 12 years old. There's no doubt that Diana worked hard and it shows, but I never found her to be the dancer of the group. She lacked the smoothness in her movements that Mary had.

One thing I wish Berry did was make GIT based on their albums together. I know it was a push to show how versatile Diana was and that she could do anything, but GIT lacks the quality of TCB. The Broadway material just doesn't work. I think GIT would have been a better special if they had the Supremes and the Temptations performing songs from both of their albums together. Maybe include the Leading Lady medley to showcase Diana, but stick with the Motown material.

[franjoy56]

I know very well That "People" was a song by Barbara Streisand she recorded it in 1964 probably in 1963, and it is in the film "funny girl' The Supremes attempt to cash in on it when the movie came out in 1968 was a failure unfortunately. However I prefer the Ballard lead on the duet that is on the box set in my opinion Ross ruins the song with her whinning compared to Flo's belting soprano. Ross does a better job on the song on the Funny Girl lp but again she is straining. a better job on the GIT special, however Flo conceived the song for the group, and that is what i meant when I said Flo's "People" and her power behind the song speaks for itself. As far as the dance routine that was deleted in the TCB special of the two supremes and three temptations who is anyone to say that it was not an elaborate dance routine we have not seen it so I am not taking the word of someone who says it was not an elaborate dance number when it has never been shown I don't care who George Solomon is, no one is the absolute authority when others have not seen it, it would have been nice if Mary and Cindy had been given an independent number in the show so it wouldn't seem like a one woman show, even the Temptations weren't happy with what went down on that set, and the photo of Berry Gordy, Ross, and the producer speaks for itself when deciding which number would be cut and which ones would be televised.

[marv2]

I know very well That "People" was a song by Barbara Streisand she recorded it in 1964 probably in 1963, and it is in the film "funny girl' The Supremes attempt to cash in on it when the movie came out in 1968 was a failure unfortunately. However I prefer the Ballard lead on the duet that is on the box set in my opinion Ross ruins the song with her whinning compared to Flo's belting soprano. Ross does a better job on the song on the Funny Girl lp but again she is straining. a better job on the GIT special, however Flo conceived the song for the group, and that is what i meant when I said Flo's "People" and her power behind the song speaks for itself. As far as the dance routine that was deleted in the TCB special of the two supremes and three temptations who is anyone to say that it was not an elaborate dance routine we have not seen it so I am not taking the word of someone who says it was not an elaborate dance number when it has never been shown I don't care who George Solomon is, no one is the absolute authority when others have not seen it, it would have been nice if Mary and Cindy had been given an independent number in the show so it wouldn't seem like a one woman show, even the Temptations weren't happy with what went down on that set, and the photo of Berry Gordy, Ross, and the producer speaks for itself when deciding which number would be cut and which ones would be televised.

Florence Ballard's version of "People" for the Supremes was the only one that ever really mattered to anyone. When Diane re-recorded and when she began performing the song in concert, people saw it just as another attempt by Ross to hog all of the spotlight to herself. Florence did it best!

[marv2]

it would have been nice if Mary and Cindy had been given an independent number in the show so it wouldn't seem like a one woman show.

They couldn't take that chance with Diane being as insecure and yep selfish as is; and for the public to find out that the other two ladies, Mary and Cindy were also very talented. That is why I really appreciate those appearances on the Flip Wilson Show so much. It gave each lady more of an opportunity to be seen and heard in front of a national televison audience.

the Temptations were all but wasted on those specials. They were the top male singing group in the World at that time and they used as if they were "extras". I believe they were even more popular than Diana Ross & the Supreme in 1968.

[franjoy56]

i think you are on to something about the tempts being more popular marv because for the first ten months of 1968 the supremes couldn't hit the side of a barn with 2 flop singles and two flop albums to boot. i think the smokey robinson special was a welcomed relief for the supremes with Ms. Terrell taking the forefront & temptations in 1970.

[SupremeBoy]

Well, the song was at least recorded at the time the special was filming as the "Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations" and the "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" single were released in November of 1968 about a month before the special hit the airwaves. ANYTHING would have been better than that horrible Afro-Vogue segment.

[REDHOT]

I must say,i would have loved to see The Supremes,and The Temptations sang,I'm Gonna Make You Love Me,together,it was a hit.
Please stay positive

[marv2]

I must say,i would have loved to see The Supremes,and The Temptations sang,I'm Gonna Make You Love Me,together,it was a hit.
Please stay positive

That would have been a great and memorable segment. They did perform the song together on TV. The Temptations did sing a bit of it on the Ed Sullivan Show and Diane & Stevie Wonder sang it on the Hollywood Palace .

[redlabs]

great picture Marv.
Funny,people talk about the funny girl medley being editied but it would not have been edited until the entire show was completed and the director /producer decided to cut it.
how can you edit something until it is completed? and the Funny Girl album had just been reelased a few months earlier so it would have made sense to include it in the show.
i have a cdr copy of tcb with the out takes and the medley seemed completed to me but it seemed to need a final cut. not sure if BG was producer of the special but he may have wanted it cut.?
perhaps we will one day get TCB on dvd.

[detmotownguy]

i think you are on to something about the tempts being more popular marv because for the first ten months of 1968 the supremes couldn't hit the side of a barn with 2 flop singles and two flop albums to boot. i think the smokey robinson special was a welcomed relief for the supremes with Ms. Terrell taking the forefront & temptations in 1970.

Good point about Miss Jean, she was a much needed relief for the fans. And when she joined, they immediately had a bit hit abd were on top again. The focus on Ross was getting to be a bit much.