Motor City Radio Flashbacks

In less than three weeks the new Electronovision movie is due to open in 1000 theaters throughout the United States, while it promises to be the biggest grossing rock film ever

 

Two a day. In less than three weeks the first TAMI (Teen-Age Music International) show, called “Teen-Age Command Performance,” in Electronovision, will open in 1000 U.S. theaters. Opening day is December 19. The movie, which stars the top U.S. and British acts in the rock and roll sphere, will run for 24 days, through January 11. The picture will be shown twice a day in the 1000 theaters, once in the morning and once at midnight. Price for the morning show will be 99 cents, for the midnight show, $1.25.

It is believed by many in the music-record business, especially those who are hip to the rock and roll field, that the TAMI show will be the ‘biggest-grossing U.S. teenage rock film’ since “Don’t Knock The Rock” started the film industry series of rock and roll movies during the past decade.

Imaginative presentation. The reason for this belief is due to the quality of the TAMI show, as against most of the rock pictures which have preceded it. The one exception to this is probably the Beatles film, “A Hard Day’s Night,” which has had grosses as spectacular as the sales of the lads’ recordings. (Which may also be due to the fact that an amazingly large number of adults have accepted the Beatles film as an “art” picture.)

Where the TAMI show leaves the old fashioned rock and roll films behind is in the manner of presentation. Like the current TV teen success, “Shindig,” TAMI makes use of teen dancers who perform while the acts are singing. And like “A Hard Day’s Night,” the artistic use of the cameras have added a dimension to the TAMI show that was certainly rarely present in any of the hastily assembled rock films of the late 1950’s.

The opening of the TAMI show alone, with its swift succession of staccato photography shots, sets up the picture as artistic as well as musical, and the manner of photographing the performers in action leaves nothing to be desired on that level.

Filmed “live.” In order to achieve the excitement that a rock show has for rock fans, the artists in the TAMI movie all performed in front of 18,000 youngsters jam-packed into California’s Santa Monica auditorium. Their filmed excitement adds to the excitement of the film and make the entire picture seem more like a live show than a filmed one.

The Electronovision process, a tape filming method for theaters, has been used once before for a film, the modern dress version of “Hamlet” starring Richard Burton. According to those who saw both “Hamlet” and the TAMI show, the Electronovision process has been much improved since the Burton movie. In fact many tradesters consider it equal in quality to any other film process.

Powerful performers. The power of the TAMI show basically lies in its performers. The manner of presentation, the artistic camera shots, the exciting opening, the screaming finale, a real icing to the cake. The cake is of course such hot rock names as Chuck Berry, Gerry and The Pacemakers, the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, The Supremes, James Brown and the Flames, and the Rolling Stones. (A new group, the Barbarians, are also featured but they are too new to be considered a box-office draw.)

There has never been such a potent line-up of teenage box office power concentrated in any one film. Add to this the fact that all of the artists do a large part of their complete stage act, making the two hour film sock entertainment for rock fans, and even for dispassionate observers of the genre.

Huge potential. Electronovision’s “Hamlet” played only 44 theaters, and ran for only two days. It made money, the actors made money, and according to Elec-tronovision President William Sargent, the theaters made money. With 1000 theaters playing the TAMI show for 24 days, the rock picture could gross much, much more, even at lower admission prices.

If it succeeds as everyone expects it to do, there will be many more TAMI shows in Electronovision, and the TAMI show could be as important in breaking an act on a national scale as records have been, and as TV’s “Shindig” is on its way to becoming.

There is little doubt that Electronovision and the TAMI show could be a major factor in boosting the sale of records to teenagers for a long time to come. END

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Information, credit and source: Music Business, December 5, 1964