Carpenters on DVD

Nick

Well-Known Member
I have a few DVDs with Carpenters as guests and I wondered if there were any others I have missed.

I have and know of:
Close To You - Remembering The Carpenters
Interpretations
Gold/Yesterday Once More
Fifth Dimension Travelling Sunshine Show
This Is Your Life
Christmas Memories
Live at the Budokan, Japan
Live 1972-1974
Perry Como Christmas Special
Ed Sullivan Show

Are there any other dvd appearances? I know they were on the Bob Hope Show, Carol Burnett Show, Andy Williams Show, Midnight Special. Are these available on DVD? Any others?
 
I'm not at home to check my DVD stash but 'London Bridge Special' with Tom Jones was released on video a couple of times, (a bit grainy and not very good visual quality). Isolated clips, (or maybe just one isolated clip), such as 'We've Only Just Begun' outdoors on top of the hill, were later released on DVD in good quality. This clip was also shown in good quality on '8-Track Flashback', also. This might have been the only clip, actually.

'For All We Know', from the Andy Williams special, was released on a compilation series of guest artists from his shows, but that particular DVD seemed to disappear very quickly from the marketplace, where as the others from that series were available for a long time, so maybe there were legal issues for rights for that particular DVD.

There was a performance from Carol Burnette officially released on DVD on a CB collection. I think it was 'Hurting Each Other'.

The spoken section by Karen and Richard from one of their Bob Hope appearances was released on DVD on a Bob Hope compilation.

'Please Mr. Postman', from the UK December 1978 Bruce Forsythe Christmas Show, was officially released on video in the UK and later officially released on laserdisc in Japan, but I haven't seen it on DVD.

The same goes for the original promo for 'Close to You', with Karen in white at the drums in the studio.

There was a clip released in South America on DVD, good visual quality. I think that was 'For All We Know', from 'London Bridge Special' with Tom Jones.

And there was an official / semi-official DVD released in Japan around 2014 showing many Carpenters live performances, such as isolated songs from March 1974 Talkof the Town UK, May 1972 Australia, 1974 Holland and 1974 somewhere else - This DVD was available in reputable stores such as Tower Records, Tokyo, and all around Japan, as I saw it on sale there, so there must have been some legality to the releases.

I'm going from memory here, not able to refer to anything - but I'm sure that's all correct.
 
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Japanese DVD showing many Carpenters live performances - 1974 Holland and 1974 somewhere else -


This DVD was available in reputable stores such as Tower Records, Tokyo, and all around Japan, as I saw it on sale there, so there must have been some legality to the releases.

I'm going from memory here, not able to refer to anything - but I'm sure that's all correct.

I think the fourth live show represented on the Japanese DVD was filmed in Belgium.
 
I have a few DVDs with Carpenters as guests and I wondered if there were any others I have missed.

I have and know of:
Close To You - Remembering The Carpenters
Interpretations
Gold/Yesterday Once More
Fifth Dimension Travelling Sunshine Show
This Is Your Life
Christmas Memories
Live at the Budokan, Japan
Live 1972-1974
Perry Como Christmas Special
Ed Sullivan Show

Are there any other dvd appearances? I know they were on the Bob Hope Show, Carol Burnett Show, Andy Williams Show, Midnight Special. Are these available on DVD? Any others?

From what I know, their appearance on The Midnight Special was through the Disneyland music video for Please Mr. Postman. () I know that parts of that episode were released on DVD a few years ago by StarVista/Time Life (it's on the single disc release, which is Disc 1 of the major collection), but I doubt we'll ever see an official release of the Paul Anka parts, unless they can clear all the rights to the other performers (only Peter Frampton and Joan Boaz were released on the DVD) and present the entire episode. Also, the DVD has an October 10, 1976 air date on it, rather than the May 22, 1976 air date as in the YouTube link. It's interesting that nearly 2 years after Please Mr. Postman was released in 1974, it was still being promoted on TV. By October 1976 I would've expected to have seen something like the There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World) or I Need To Be In Love video on The Midnight Special.
 
'For All We Know', from the Andy Williams special, was released on a compilation series of guest artists from his shows, but that particular DVD seemed to disappear very quickly from the marketplace, where as the others from that series were available for a long time, so maybe there were legal issues for rights for that particular DVD.

There was a performance from Carol Burnette officially released on DVD on a CB collection. I think it was 'Hurting Each Other'.

The Andy Williams Show episode on that disc also included a comedy sketch that featured Karen, Ozzie & Harriet Nelson, and Jonathan Winters. However, the duet between Andy Williams and Karen ("Ticket To Ride/I'll Never Fall In Love Again") from the episode (which you can see on YouTube) was edited out, so it is not the complete episode. The set was out of print for a long time, but is once again available through the Time-Life website. (It is a 10-disc set. The Carpenters episode is on disc 8. You cannot buy the discs individually, but the entire set is excellent and totally worth the money.) Also, the version of "For All We Know" from this Andy Williams Show episode was included in the DVD re-release of "Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters" from a couple of years ago.

The Best of The Andy Williams Show - Time Life

I own every Carol Burnett Show DVD release and I can absolutely assure you that Carpenters' appearances on the show ARE NOT among the episodes that were released in any of the various collections. There was a bit of confusion stemming from the fact that a comedy sketch called "The Carpenters" is listed in the contents, but that was a skit with Carol and the cast portraying actual carpenters (the woodworking kind) and has nothing to do with the duo.
 
...There was a bit of confusion stemming from the fact that a comedy sketch called "The Carpenters" is listed in the contents, but that was a skit with Carol and the cast portraying actual carpenters (the woodworking kind) and has nothing to do with the duo.

Those damn "Carpenters...(the woodworking kind)!" They always seem to get in the way when I'm doing a Carpenters search here and there. They just seem to come out of the woodwork...
 
hammer-nail-hammer-and-nails-not-every-church-problem-is-a-nail-hammer-nail-quote-meaning-german-hammer-nail-game.jpg
 
A side note... I hope that the 5th Dimension Travelling Sunshine Show is re-transferred from the tape to DVD (or even Blu-ray) because the current DVD version is waaayyy too bright (over-exposed). That being said, I quite enjoyed watching it!
 
Also, keep your eyes peeled for new items at Treasury Collection (Treasury Collection). I believe that TJL and "My Music" release their DVDs here, if you're not interested in going through a local PBS station.
 
A side note... I hope that the 5th Dimension Travelling Sunshine Show is re-transferred from the tape to DVD (or even Blu-ray) because the current DVD version is waaayyy too bright (over-exposed). That being said, I quite enjoyed watching it!
That might’ve been how it was shot. Also, it was shot on videotape snd 70’s video camera’s were using CRT-vacuum-tube-technology to convert the optical image to electronic information, versus cameras that have been used since 1985 that have computer chips. And those old CRT camera’s suffered from burn ins from overly bright areas, like ligh bouncing off a shiny guitar. Check out the following video at 1:26 and you’ll see comet trails that are caused by those old camera’s, as the old cameras could not process those bright lights fast enough.

 
That might’ve been how it was shot. Also, it was shot on videotape snd 70’s video camera’s were using CRT-vacuum-tube-technology to convert the optical image to electronic information, versus cameras that have been used since 1985 that have computer chips. And those old CRT camera’s suffered from burn ins from overly bright areas, like ligh bouncing off a shiny guitar.
Thank you for the insight! I'm curious, because the transfer of "Superstar" from the same show on the Interpretations DVD to me looks better with regard to the whites.

Here's the Travelling Sunshine Show:
Superstar-Travelling-Sunshine-Show.png


Here's Interpretations:
Superstar-Interpretations.png


Especially given Karen's dress is a bright white, I think the Interpretations transfer preserves a lot more details. But the Travelling Sunshine Show version is softer. (Maybe less artificial sharpening?)
 
That might’ve been how it was shot. Also, it was shot on videotape snd 70’s video camera’s were using CRT-vacuum-tube-technology to convert the optical image to electronic information, versus cameras that have been used since 1985 that have computer chips. And those old CRT camera’s suffered from burn ins from overly bright areas, like ligh bouncing off a shiny guitar. Check out the following video at 1:26 and you’ll see comet trails that are caused by those old camera’s, as the old cameras could not process those bright lights fast enough.


I do love those light trails. One of my favorite videos that plays with the light trail is "Junior's Farm" by Wings on TOTP:

 
Thank you for the insight! I'm curious, because the transfer of "Superstar" from the same show on the Interpretations DVD to me looks better with regard to the whites.

Here's the Travelling Sunshine Show:
Superstar-Travelling-Sunshine-Show.png


Here's Interpretations:
Superstar-Interpretations.png


Especially given Karen's dress is a bright white, I think the Interpretations transfer preserves a lot more details. But the Travelling Sunshine Show version is softer. (Maybe less artificial sharpening?)
I think the “Superstar” film was maybe done on its own—-it may’ve been licensed to CTV (which produced the 5th Dimension show) and the version in the show is suffering from generational analog signal degradation. The way it’s introduced in the show it’s clear that it was its own seperate element, plus the background is different from the earlier “Reason To Believe” video (I think it’s the same set as the “Hideaway” video, just lit differently, but I also remember the “Superstar” set appearing in another promo film lit like that). Remember, in the 70’s most people would’ve been seeing a composite signal that was sent over air of the show, and the signal may not have been the best (also in 71 a number of stations would’ve still been broadcasting the show from kinescope copies because they were not setup for videotape, so there’s another major generation loss—-video to 35 or 16mm film!). So if there were slight changes in color and brightness, it didn’t matter that much, because the home viewer was not going to see that level of detail, whereas digital video brings out all the “sins” of analog video.

The DVD probably used the final edit master, and in 1994 (when “Interpretations” got its original VHS & Laserdisc release), that analog master was probably copied to a digital master (Digital Betacam, D1 or D2 videotape) and then digitally edited into the program master that was probably compiled on digital videotape. Whereas in the 70’s that analog master was probably copied to another analog tape that was sent to CTV who then edited the program onto the programs analog final master.
 
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I just purchased the whole Andy Williams Show Time Life box set... just for the "For All We Know" appearance.

Was the price tag worth it? Absolutely, yes. I will take down the old "For All We Know" upload on my YT channel and put this one up when I get the box set in the mail (hopefully in a couple of weeks).
 
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