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  1. #1
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    JMC and their own tv special

    toying around with new topics for threads. this idea popped into my head as a while back we had a thread going about what Sups/Tempts could have done instead of the lame GIT.

    So if JMC had hosted an hour-long tv special, what material should they have performed and how should they have positioned their hits?

    what guests should have been invited?

    any skits [[like GIT or Diana!) or skip the skits [[like TCB and Smokey)

    should there have been a theme or maybe include concert footage like Going Back to Indiana?

  2. #2
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    Would have happened in 1971.

    Supremes open the show with UP THE LADDER, then go into a 60's hit medley.

    Enter the Four Tops. They sing their recent hit STILL WATER [[Love).

    The Temptations and Smokey had their own show, and had the token white guest stars; Kaye Stevens and Fran Jefferies. So, I suppose the Supremes would have had.....Frankie Valli. Comes out and sings MY GIRL medley, including SHERRY and BERNADETTE.

    Supremes come back and sing STONED LOVE.

    Frankie and the Four Tops sing a medley of each others hits. Afterwards, in a skit, make him an honorary Fifth Top.

    Supremes and Four Tops close with RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by marybrewster View Post
    Would have happened in 1971.

    Supremes open the show with UP THE LADDER, then go into a 60's hit medley.

    Enter the Four Tops. They sing their recent hit STILL WATER [[Love).

    The Temptations and Smokey had their own show, and had the token white guest stars; Kaye Stevens and Fran Jefferies. So, I suppose the Supremes would have had.....Frankie Valli. Comes out and sings MY GIRL medley, including SHERRY and BERNADETTE.

    Supremes come back and sing STONED LOVE.

    Frankie and the Four Tops sing a medley of each others hits. Afterwards, in a skit, make him an honorary Fifth Top.

    Supremes and Four Tops close with RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH.
    nice show lineup! agree about the Tops joining them

    I think they could do some sort of origins skit/feature with the Supremes. They did that little story leading into the Hits Medley of "three little girls in a kingdom by the sea." so each of the girls are princesses and they do the story of jean joining or something.

    for the Tops/Supremes segment, maybe they do some footage of them preparing the duets albums. so clips of the groups recording together in the studio [[staged most likely), goofing off, having fun. Then a medley from the albums

    as for guest stars, i think a comedian would have joined. Maybe Dick Van Dyke. gene wilder. or a mainstream star like Sean Connery

  4. #4
    I've always wondered why Diana wasn't on The Smokey Robinson Show in 1970.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Diana Ross Fan Club View Post
    I've always wondered why Diana wasn't on The Smokey Robinson Show in 1970.
    Because once she became a solo artist, Diana hardly did television except when she was starring in one of her own specials, promoting a film, or hosting an awards show. There were exceptions of course but they were few, and if so, usually something special, like performing on the debut of Dick Clark's Live Wednesday or hosting the Tonight Show.

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    If MOTOWN had to put the Supremes with the Four Tops I would of had Redd Foxx or George Burns on. Also, Ike and Tina would have been good and the Jackson 5. They could have done a cameo with Diana looking for the studio or calling Mary.

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    Quote Originally Posted by captainjames View Post
    If MOTOWN had to put the Supremes with the Four Tops I would of had Redd Foxx or George Burns on. Also, Ike and Tina would have been good and the Jackson 5. They could have done a cameo with Diana looking for the studio or calling Mary.
    haha love the Diana cameo!

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    Would love them to do a tv special. But I don't think skits would have worked with Jean. She wasn't that bad on Flip Wilson but still think they should skip it. I don't even like the skits with Diana in the group as they always seemed too rehearsed. I think it definitely had to be done soon after Stoned Love and their duet with the Four Tops or even before that. I think Jean was genuinely more excited about being a Supreme early 1970 up till mid 1971.

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    Actually I would have them do a skit if Flip Wilson was the guest star. Imagine Flip doing Geraldine trying to join the girls with some wild sequins on

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    Quote Originally Posted by blackguy69 View Post
    Actually I would have them do a skit if Flip Wilson was the guest star. Imagine Flip doing Geraldine trying to join the girls with some wild sequins on
    hahaha - i'm getting visions of En Vogue on Martin. with Shanene trying to rejoin the group! lolol

    agree that the skits probably couldn't be avoided. but hopefully they would have been minimal. agree that Jean never seemed comfortable in the Flip skits

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    They should just do the bit of talking in between and engage with the audience and no skits. I guess it also depends on who they were aiming at. Didn't the Supremes have different sets depending on for who they were performing? As a young teen I wouldn't want to hear the standards but now in my mid 30's I actually like some of the standards [[not all) and have grown liking their rodgers and hart album.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by TYK1986 View Post
    They should just do the bit of talking in between and engage with the audience and no skits. I guess it also depends on who they were aiming at. Didn't the Supremes have different sets depending on for who they were performing? As a young teen I wouldn't want to hear the standards but now in my mid 30's I actually like some of the standards [[not all) and have grown liking their rodgers and hart album.
    i don't know how much they really did have alt versions of their show. that's one thing that i've complained about. I get it that when they would play Frontier and Vegas, they needed more MOR content. but i don't know that they did college dates with just the hits

    the story goes that when they did Operation PUSH in 72 they did their basic Vegas shows with Cabaret and all. the audience was NOT appreciative.

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    I think the cabaret/vegas just doesn't work for a younger audience. I don't mind but early 70's is well before my time so someone from then could tell. I do tend to skip most of the standards and cover songs when listening to their live albums. Songs like Michelle or Somewhere just don't do anything for me. Maybe when I'm 60 or 70 lol.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    toying around with new topics for threads. this idea popped into my head as a while back we had a thread going about what Sups/Tempts could have done instead of the lame GIT.

    So if JMC had hosted an hour-long tv special, what material should they have performed and how should they have positioned their hits?

    what guests should have been invited?

    any skits [[like GIT or Diana!) or skip the skits [[like TCB and Smokey)

    should there have been a theme or maybe include concert footage like Going Back to Indiana?

    I think that’s a great idea! I would’ve done it with just the two groups and make it a straight full on hour of music without any skits or guest stars or anything to detract from what the girls do best: sing. If it were to air in January 1971, it would be the perfect time to showcase both groups but especially for the Supremes who had two records in the top 20 at the same time they were never bigger and it could only have helped sales for both records. That leaves about 45 minutes for music, 15 minutes for each group and 15 minutes for duets.

    I would try to feature a lot of very up-to-date, very well charted arrangements for songs and not do any standards at least for the Supremes unless there’s something that they could do extra special.

    off the top of my head, I think I would have it start with a montage of newspaper clippings showing the rise and the success of the two groups until it gets up to the point Maybe where one headline says diana ross leaves the Supremes and another one says something to the effect Jean Terrel to lead The Suptrmes And have them do the medley from Ed Sullivan, and just as they finish, have the four tops walk on also singing nothing can stop us now have that go into a song the two of them sing together, and supreme’s go off so the tops sing. They could close with a rousing River deep Mountain high. The Supremes could do together we could make such a sweet music and have that go into stoned love, edit carefully arranged like the record arrangement of up the ladder to the roof. The two groups could do a medley from their album, as long it was it was very well conceived and produced, it could’ve been a big boost to both groups. But they have to be able to sell it to a network and I don’t know that they could do that. They don’t have a star. The Temptations solo special didn’t get picked up by a network and had to be syndicated. You notice they didn’t do another one of those. Smokey got a special because he’s a name, a star and he hasn’t sold anywhere near as many records as the Temptations he wasn’t half as big as the Temptations at the time. Very interesting idea!

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheMotownManiac View Post
    I think that’s a great idea! I would’ve done it with just the two groups and make it a straight full on hour of music without any skits or guest stars or anything to detract from what the girls do best: sing. If it were to air in January 1971, it would be the perfect time to showcase both groups but especially for the Supremes who had two records in the top 20 at the same time they were never bigger and it could only have helped sales for both records. That leaves about 45 minutes for music, 15 minutes for each group and 15 minutes for duets.

    I would try to feature a lot of very up-to-date, very well charted arrangements for songs and not do any standards at least for the Supremes unless there’s something that they could do extra special.

    off the top of my head, I think I would have it start with a montage of newspaper clippings showing the rise and the success of the two groups until it gets up to the point Maybe where one headline says diana ross leaves the Supremes and another one says something to the effect Jean Terrel to lead The Suptrmes And have them do the medley from Ed Sullivan, and just as they finish, have the four tops walk on also singing nothing can stop us now have that go into a song the two of them sing together, and supreme’s go off so the tops sing. They could close with a rousing River deep Mountain high. The Supremes could do together we could make such a sweet music and have that go into stoned love, edit carefully arranged like the record arrangement of up the ladder to the roof. The two groups could do a medley from their album, as long it was it was very well conceived and produced, it could’ve been a big boost to both groups. But they have to be able to sell it to a network and I don’t know that they could do that. They don’t have a star. The Temptations solo special didn’t get picked up by a network and had to be syndicated. You notice they didn’t do another one of those. Smokey got a special because he’s a name, a star and he hasn’t sold anywhere near as many records as the Temptations he wasn’t half as big as the Temptations at the time. Very interesting idea!
    you MIGHT have been able to sell is based on the Supremes' fame. they would obviously be headlining the show with the Tops as their guests.

    I might pulled the air date back into December so that it would be a holiday broadcast. not necessarily a holiday themed show although now that i think of it, JMC could have done some gorgeous soul renditions of holiday classics. but i think you're idea of the Sups and Tops would work

    bill it as "A Night with The Magnificent Seven!" staring The Supremes and the Four Tops

    maybe have some motowners as guest stars. a segment that is sort of "Behind the scenes" with the groups working with frank Wilson, A&S. maybe get berry in a clip or two. rehearsing, recording. and that works its way into the duets medley on the show

    I think fans would have loved a "look inside" to see the recording and all.

    shame that motown didn't plan things ahead of time. had they known they were going to record all of these duet albums, why on earth didn't they work to coordinate some tour schedule. i realize dates are booked well in advance but there is some degree of advance planning with recording too. I know the groups eventually did some dates together but a well organized tour could have helped.

    Changing Times by the Tops and Just 7 Numbers were release pretty much on top of Mag 7 too. both groups suffered by having their own material competing against the duets. looks like the release dates of CH and J7N was a bit messy too. the album was released in 70 but the single not until early 71.

    had they held the albums to allow NWBLS and CT become hits, then they could have kicked off with a tv special, tour and the duets. that would have made for a solid spring and summer 71 period

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