Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Flashback II: Revenge of the Scopitones

In the 60's, I felt my first oncoming thrusts of manhood, and while it really didn't take a lot to get my attention, the kicky birds featured in the musical productions every afternoon on Dick Clark's "Where The Action Is" were particularly ginchy!


Unbeknownst to me at the time, there were 16MM film clips of current hit songs running in clubs in a sort of jukebox called "Scopitones!"  They were actually more popular in Europe, but there were some in the U.S.  Fortunately, this bit of pop culture has been preserved and is now readily available at YouTube!  These are racier bits than one would have seen on broadcast television at the time.  Fairly facetious now, but then-- Ooh La La!


This Nancy Sinatra tune holds up very well




As for Freddy and Roberta... I stare transfixed, but for somewhat different reasons now than I might have at age 14.  And some of the same reasons.


Click the links and marvel at the ancestors of MTV, you know, way back when it showed music vids.




Hm...Y'know, one of my aunts had that exact hairstyle!

6 comments:

  1. Wow what a grat flashback of memories and well yes coming of age. Nancy Sinatra I remember too well, again, always trying to see her panty but she was hot. Had many a night of fantasy, for lack of a better word, thinking of her pulling me over her lap, wow!!!

    Thanks for the great flashback!

    Also American Bandstand, always was a great source of a panty shot or two, I would have loved to be a camera person on that show.

    Great and hot memories
    Thanks
    Ron

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  2. "Coming of age" is another good phrase, Ron! Ah, the women of our youth... for me, Barbara Eden, Diana Rigg, E.J. Peaker, Miss Nancy here, Connie Stevens, Liz Montgomery, and quite a few others!

    Funny you mention AB, a lot of the local TV versions of the dance shows featured even more butt shots! Mostly the work of the director, of course, but the cameramen certainly played their part! Stout fellows, thank you!

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  3. I remember wearing miniskirts but not quite that mini, ah, those were the days.

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  4. Farm out, and out of state! And other hippie hyperbole!

    Yeah, I do remember Where the Action Is. Came on around 4 or 4:30, right when I was getting home from school. CUTE chicks on that show, man. Our garage band even played the theme, just because somebody bought the sheet music, but it was really pretty lame so we stuck to the standards - Gloria, Hang On, Sloopy, Louie Louie, Good Lovin', House of the Rising Sun, In the Midnight Hour with 3 minute alto sax solo (thanks very much, I'll sign autographs later) plus any other Top 40 tunes we could do in three chords or fewer. Oh! Hey There, Little Red Riding Hood. Musn't forget that one. :-)

    I'll have to check out more of these Scopitones - but who WERE those nerds doing Tweedlee Dee? What's a Freddie Bell? Yeesh!

    Love the costumes though. Oh yeah.

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  5. Elizabeth Montgomery, oh my, you hit it totally. We get reruns now here and I still have fantasies about being over her knee!! Oh my, she had some lap.

    Barbara Eden was over my knee many times growing up and even now, in my dreams of course!!

    Thanks for great memories.

    Regards
    Ron

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  6. Dev! Yeah, right arm, dude, right arm! Oh, wait, that's "rat own, rat own."

    Y'know, Phil sent me a disk with HIS old band! They played weddings and bar mitzvahs and such, doing a lot of Herb Alpert stuff! Phil played the trumpet. I suggested that if the band ever re-formed, he could be the front man so they could rename it "Phil and the Harmonics."

    Anyway, if you also have any saved recordings, I for one would LOVE to hear a sample at your blog!! Or you could just re-record that solo, putting the lie to Benny Hill's remark that "a saxophone is an ill wind that nobody blows good."

    Hey, Ron! Remember the time Samantha called out a spanking threat to cousin Serena? "And don't think I can't do it!" I wish they HAD; they would have had to shoot it twice with the double, so we could get good face reaction shots, but, hey, that would have been okay by me!

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