New Motown Documentary

**PSansom** · 11-04-2016, 10:26 AM

Hello,

I really hope you guys don't mind me jumping in on the forum here. I'm producing a new, feature-length documentary on Motown with Univeral Music and the support of Berry Gordy. Our aim is to make a documentary that looks behind the scenes at Hitsville in the early years of Motown. We want to create a documentary that celebrates the Motown sound, but which also explains the context in which the company developed; it’s relationship with the civil rights movement and how that changed, the social atmosphere in Detroit at that time of it's formation and the inner workings of the company that allowed it to become a production line of hits. We’d also like to look at the friendships and the family atmosphere in Motown’s early years.

I hope you don't think I'm cheeky for asking - but I'd really like to find some untold stories, or pictures, films, audio - anything that builds up this idea of the family atmosphere at Motown. Does anyone have any memories or photographs of some Motown social occasions such as Christmas parties or celebrations? Does anyone have access to any audio recordings of Motown artists being interviewed in the 60's? [[I'm in touch with Scotty Regan who has been amazing and has sent me some amazing audio clips! But I'm running short on footage and audio from the UK tour of 1965, for instance).

We also want to shine the spotlight on some of Motown's unsung heroes and back office staff - Mickey Stephenson, Barney Ales, Al Abrams, Russ and Ralph Terrena, Ralph Seltzer, Paul Riser, Sylvia Moy, Mike Mclean. I'm struggling to track down Mike Mclean and Ralph Setlzer - is anyone in contact with them?

I hope you don't mind me asking these things - but you guys seem like a fountain of knowledge for all things Motown, and for that I am already grateful. I really want to make this an authentic documentary that tells the Motown story from a different angle - any help would be gratefully received.

Many thanks

Pip

**luke** · 11-04-2016, 10:45 AM

Sounds great! Do you have pics of Marvelettes, Brenda Holloway etc at I believe at Xmas gathering around a piano at Motown? It was a big group photo

**theboyfromxtown** · 11-04-2016, 11:00 AM

Is this a US production which I hope it is. It's certainly long overdue.

I suspect that you will have limited access to information on the 1965 Motortown Revue in Europe from US personnel. You are therefore going to have to reach out to us Brits. Adam White who recently published his book "The Sound Of Young America" would be a good start.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....4,203,200_.jpg

Keith Rylatt is about to publish his own book with unseen pictures from the 1965 tour Keith's book goes on sale this month and there are some promotional events happening in the next 6 weeks. All in the UK of course

http://soulfuldetroit.com/attachment...2&d=1476520089

Gillies Petard would be a good contact for France....he speaks English but his published book is written in French

https://www.amazon.fr/Motown-Soul-Gl...eywords=motown

There are numerous sources in the UK, one of the best known is former Four Tops Fan Club president Sharon Davies. However all these people know each other so one source can lead to another

**marv2** · 11-04-2016, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by PSansom

Hello,

I really hope you guys don't mind me jumping in on the forum here. I'm producing a new, feature-length documentary on Motown with Univeral Music and the support of Berry Gordy. Our aim is to make a documentary that looks behind the scenes at Hitsville in the early years of Motown. We want to create a documentary that celebrates the Motown sound, but which also explains the context in which the company developed; it’s relationship with the civil rights movement and how that changed, the social atmosphere in Detroit at that time of it's formation and the inner workings of the company that allowed it to become a production line of hits. We’d also like to look at the friendships and the family atmosphere in Motown’s early years.

I hope you don't think I'm cheeky for asking - but I'd really like to find some untold stories, or pictures, films, audio - anything that builds up this idea of the family atmosphere at Motown. Does anyone have any memories or photographs of some Motown social occasions such as Christmas parties or celebrations? Does anyone have access to any audio recordings of Motown artists being interviewed in the 60's? [[I'm in touch with Scotty Regan who has been amazing and has sent me some amazing audio clips! But I'm running short on footage and audio from the UK tour of 1965, for instance).

We also want to shine the spotlight on some of Motown's unsung heroes and back office staff - Mickey Stephenson, Barney Ales, Al Abrams, Russ and Ralph Terrena, Ralph Seltzer, Paul Riser, Sylvia Moy, Mike Mclean. I'm struggling to track down Mike Mclean and Ralph Setlzer - is anyone in contact with them?

I hope you don't mind me asking these things - but you guys seem like a fountain of knowledge for all things Motown, and for that I am already grateful. I really want to make this an authentic documentary that tells the Motown story from a different angle - any help would be gratefully received.

Many thanks

Pip

Hello Pip and welcome. If I/we are able to help you, what is the best way of getting in touch?

**PSansom** · 11-04-2016, 11:32 AM

Feel free to email me on my work email pipsansom@fulwell73.com
Thank you so much for your support!
x

**marv2** · 11-04-2016, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by PSansom

Feel free to email me on my work email pipsansom@fulwell73.com
Thank you so much for your support!
x

Thank you.

**PSansom** · 11-04-2016, 11:36 AM

Hi, and thank you for your swift response. Adam is actually consulting for us on this project - he's such a great support and mine of information, and his book was an impressive glimpse into the inner workings of Motown. We're hoping to achieve similar things with our documentary - but with moving image and audio archive! It's tricky to find as archive from that period has been lost - but we will hopefully find some gems of archive material as we dealve into things. Thanks for those book suggestions, I will indeed take a look at them and see if there's anything in there that fits the spirit of our movie.
Thanks for your advice and support!
x

**snakepit** · 11-04-2016, 11:48 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLW-41Nlxa0

**snakepit** · 11-04-2016, 11:51 AM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1RxYKDMIQU

**PSansom** · 11-04-2016, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by snakepit

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1RxYKDMIQU

Thanks! I LOVE this Teen Town episode! We think there may be another Motown episode floating around somewhere, so we are trying to track it down!

**PSansom** · 11-04-2016, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by snakepit

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1RxYKDMIQU

Thanks! I LOVE this Teen Town episode! We think there may be another Motown episode floating around somewhere, so we are trying to track it down!

**grapevine** · 11-05-2016, 10:40 AM

Hi Pip

You should check out Al Abram's book... Hype&Soul

http://hypeandsoul.blogspot.co.uk/

Good luck

Grape

**wilxy** · 11-05-2016, 04:21 PM

I'm always receptive to any new "output" with regard to the Motown sound.....bring it on!
wilxy

**snakepit** · 11-05-2016, 06:00 PM

Pip
Did you check that BBC documentary above...all about the 1965 tour?

**carlo** · 11-06-2016, 03:37 PM

Good luck and best wishes with this project! There is a rare interview [[video footage) with The Supremes from 1966 in CBC's archives that has not been seen since the 60's on a talk show called "Luncheon Date". Maybe this can be worked into the documentary? Here is a link to their site.

https://archivesales.cbc.ca

They also have a separate public digital archive that contains an audio interview with Diana Ross at the 1967 Expo, which has been posted here in the past.

**PSansom** · 11-07-2016, 06:06 AM

Originally Posted by carlo

Good luck and best wishes with this project! There is a rare interview [[video footage) with The Supremes from 1966 in CBC's archives that has not been seen since the 60's on a talk show called "Luncheon Date". Maybe this can be worked into the documentary? Here is a link to their site.

https://archivesales.cbc.ca

They also have a separate public digital archive that contains an audio interview with Diana Ross at the 1967 Expo, which has been posted here in the past.

Amazing info - thanks so much, I'll try and track it down! Any information about lost or unseen archive is gratefully recevied, thank you! xx

**theboyfromxtown** · 11-07-2016, 06:43 AM

The Dick Clark archives is where a lot of the unseen stuff is - The Marvelettes, the Miracles, Mary Wells Martha & the Vandellas are some acts that are still to be seen by most fans.

There are some related Motown artists of the late 50's eg Marv Johnson and Jackie Wilson on youtube from Ed Sullivan and countries as far away as Australia which can be checked out.