Originally Posted by
TheMotownManiac
I believe the majority of the television appearances visually worked contrary to the promotion of the new group. I understand how Mary felt, she told me how she felt, I very very very casually mentioned a couple times slightly questioning using the old gowns and perhaps getting some thing that looked more like Labelle. I was a kid and I was afraid to step on any toes and ruin my ability to speak to the girls, but I knew how awful it was and I knew what everybody was saying. There was often tension in the group, Mary was on edge a lot , of course at the time I didn’t know about the pressure she was under with Pedro, Motown and finances. Most of the younger people didn’t really care about the Supremes anymore. They’re affinities moved on to newer more modern groups. I don’t know if using the old gowns and a lot of the new gowns were 100% responsible, but I do think if they had a definite look and style that was more mid 70s, they would’ve been taken more seriously on television. I agree with you the black gowns were disastrous. And often times it look like the gowns were wearing the girls and not the other way around. Most of the 70s Supremes lacked glamour and did not look right in the old gowns. I think a lot more about this now that Mary is gone for whatever reason.
I like the gowns on the tonight show I just hated the choreography so much and the entire act, that it made the gowns look distracting. Most of the performances of his my man are very difficult to watch
but there are TV appearances that I think are hurt by what diana ross wears as well. The ridiculous buffoonery of dance 10 looks three still haunts me. Her appearance on the tonight show singing let’s go up in that matronly suit still gives me the creeps when I see it. I could see her slipping away with appearances like that and a Succession of poor single releases. Both I’ve heard stents hosting the American music awards were wasted by many changes of unremarkable outfits. She was now stuck in the time warp The Supremes were stuck in 10 years earlier and they both wound up in the same place.
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