The Carpenters' First Television Special
The Carpenters' First Television Special | |
---|---|
Genre | Music |
Written by | Rich Eustis George Geiger Ray Jessel April Kelly Jim Mulligan Al Rogers |
Directed by | Bill Davis |
Starring | Richard Carpenter Karen Carpenter |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Jerry Weintraub |
Producers | Rich Eustis Al Rogers |
Editor | Gary Anderson |
Running time | 60 min. |
Original release | |
Release | 8 December 1976 (1976-12-08) |
The Carpenters' First Television Special was Richard and Karen Carpenter's first television special produced in the US, airing on December 8, 1976, and their second overall, following a special for BBC Television five years earlier.[1]
In the special, the Carpenters perform a variety of sketches with guest stars Victor Borge and John Denver.[1] The special received mixed reviews.
Segments
After Karen, Richard and the orchestra perform "We've Only Just Begun", they show a clip of Richard conducting the orchestra playing a different version of "We've Only Just Begun", with Karen's voice-over talking about how much Richard loves conducting orchestras. After the orchestra's finished, the Carpenters perform "Top of the World".
On top of that, Richard and Karen perform a "Spike Jones and the City Slickers" style parody version of "(They Long to Be) Close to You", beginning with a harp introduction. The duo also perform "These Are the Jokes".
John Denver and Karen Carpenter do a duet together of a medley consisting of a cleaned up version of Robert Burns' "Comin' Through the Rye" and the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations". In parts, Denver is singing "Comin' Through the Rye", while Carpenter sings "Good Vibrations".
They do a skit about Karen's drumming talent. It begins with Richard and Karen talking about why Karen played the drums, and Karen says, "Why not!!" Then, they reminisce to the high school days, where classmate John Denver played the drums in the high school band, and Karen was stuck with the glockenspiel. They tell how Karen obtained the drums, and fell in love with it immediately. After that scene, Karen plays a medley including "Strike Up the Band" and "'S Wonderful".
In the end, the band and the orchestra combine, and perform a medley of Carpenters hits to close the show.
Reception
Writing for the Associated Press, Jay Sharbutt praised the special, saying that the show "is superior in writing, musical arrangements and pace, compared with other specials of this kind." He applauded the "sly, unexpected flashes of whimsy", and said that Karen "at times shows a deft touch for visual comedy."[2]
However, David Reed in the Lexington Herald called it a "not so special special", saying that "if there are plans for any more, tonight's telecast could end them." He opined, "not even John Denver and Victor Borge can save them both from making their initial television show a disaster."[3]
An article in the Rock Island Argus lauded Karen's talent on the drums, saying, "her first love is the rhythm section, and viewers around the country will have a rare opportunity to see her in a virtuoso drum solo" in the special.[4]
References
- ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (2013). Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936–2012 (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-476-61240-9.
- ^ Sharbutt, Jay (December 8, 1976). "The Carpenters turn in gentle television special". Record Searchlight. p. 32. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Reed, David (December 8, 1976). "Showmanship Escapes Carpenters". Lexington Record. p. 21. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "How about "Close to You" on drums?". Rock Island Argus. December 5, 1976. p. 50. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
External links
- The Carpenters' First Television Special at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- Karen Carpenter
- Richard Carpenter
- Offering (Ticket to Ride) (1969)
- Close to You (1970)
- Carpenters (1971)
- A Song for You (1972)
- Now & Then (1973)
- Horizon (1975)
- A Kind of Hush (1976)
- Passage (1977)
- Christmas Portrait (1978)
- Made in America (1981)
- Voice of the Heart (1983)
- An Old-Fashioned Christmas (1984)
- Lovelines (1989)
- As Time Goes By (2001)
- Live in Japan (1975)
- Live at the Palladium (1976)
- The Singles: 1969–1973 (1973)
- The Singles: 1974–1978 (1978)
- The Very Best of the Carpenters (1982)
- Yesterday Once More (1984)
- Only Yesterday (1990)
- From the Top (1991)
- Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration (1995)
- Love Songs (1997)
- Reflections (1998)
- The Singles: 1969–1981 (2000)
- The Essential Collection: 1965–1997 (2002)
- Carpenters Perform Carpenter (2003)
- Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition (2004)
- The Ultimate Collection (2006)
- 40/40 (2009)
- Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2018)
- Time (1987)
- Karen Carpenter (1996)
- Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor (1998)
- "Looking for Love"
- "Ticket to Ride"
- "(They Long to Be) Close to You"
- "We've Only Just Begun"
- "Merry Christmas, Darling"
- "For All We Know"
- "Rainy Days and Mondays"
- "Superstar"
- "Bless the Beasts and Children"
- "Hurting Each Other"
- "It's Going to Take Some Time"
- "Goodbye to Love"
- "Sing"
- "Yesterday Once More"
- "Top of the World"
- "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"
- "I Won't Last a Day Without You"
- "Please Mr. Postman"
- "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
- "Only Yesterday"
- "Solitaire"
- "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)"
- "I Need to Be in Love"
- "Goofus"
- "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song"
- "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"
- "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)"
- "Sweet, Sweet Smile"
- "I Believe You"
- "Touch Me When We're Dancing"
- "(Want You) Back in My Life Again"
- "Those Good Old Dreams"
- "Beechwood 4-5789"
- "Make Believe It's Your First Time"
- "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore"
- "Little Altar Boy"
- "Honolulu City Lights"
- "Something in Your Eyes"
- "If I Had You"
- "Ave Maria"
- "The Rainbow Connection"
- "Let Me Be the One"
- "A Song for You"
- "This Masquerade"
- "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"
- "Can't Smile Without You"
- "I Just Fall in Love Again"
- "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again"
- "Where Do I Go from Here"
and specials
- Make Your Own Kind of Music (1971)
- Live at the BBC (1971)
- Very First TV Special (1976)
- Space Encounters (1978)
- A Christmas Portrait (1978)
- Music, Music, Music (1980)
- Gold: Greatest Hits (1991 VHS / 2002 DVD)
- Interpretations (1995 VHS / 2003 DVD)
- Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters (1998)
- Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story (2007)
- Discography
- Songs
- John Bettis
- Tony Peluso
- If I Were a Carpenter
- Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
- The Karen Carpenter Story
- Classic Carpenters
Category