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What was ABC's "Where the Action Is"?
- Thread starter ixnay
- Start date
K
KMRichards
Guest
> Another thread mentioned the premiere of WTAI in 1965. I've
> heard of it (and heard its theme song as sung by Freddy
> Cannon). What was it about? I was only 4 years old in
> 1965. How long did it run. What time was it on?
Shapiro book to the rescue again:
Debuted July 1965 in the 2:00-2:30 slot, moved September 1965 to 4:30-5:00, cancelled March 1967. It was a precursor to ABC's attempt in the 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons to push for younger viewers; September 1965 saw the debut of The Young Set (11:00-12:00, and the earliest cancellation of the season), Never Too Young (4:00-4:30), The Nurses (2:00-2:30), and reruns of Ben Casey (1:00-2:00).
Only The Dating Game (11:30-12:00, debuted December 1965 with the cancellation of The Young Set) was a bonafide hit, staying on the network schedule until June 1973. Never Too Young was cancelled in July 1966, The Nurses also lasted until March 1967 (having occupied three time slots in under two years), and the Ben Casey reruns left the schedule in March 1967 as well.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
> heard of it (and heard its theme song as sung by Freddy
> Cannon). What was it about? I was only 4 years old in
> 1965. How long did it run. What time was it on?
Shapiro book to the rescue again:
Debuted July 1965 in the 2:00-2:30 slot, moved September 1965 to 4:30-5:00, cancelled March 1967. It was a precursor to ABC's attempt in the 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons to push for younger viewers; September 1965 saw the debut of The Young Set (11:00-12:00, and the earliest cancellation of the season), Never Too Young (4:00-4:30), The Nurses (2:00-2:30), and reruns of Ben Casey (1:00-2:00).
Only The Dating Game (11:30-12:00, debuted December 1965 with the cancellation of The Young Set) was a bonafide hit, staying on the network schedule until June 1973. Never Too Young was cancelled in July 1966, The Nurses also lasted until March 1967 (having occupied three time slots in under two years), and the Ben Casey reruns left the schedule in March 1967 as well.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
> > Another thread mentioned the premiere of WTAI in 1965.
> I've
> > heard of it (and heard its theme song as sung by Freddy
> > Cannon). What was it about? I was only 4 years old in
> > 1965. How long did it run. What time was it on?
>
> Shapiro book to the rescue again:
>
> Debuted July 1965 in the 2:00-2:30 slot, moved September
> 1965 to 4:30-5:00, cancelled March 1967. It was a precursor
> to ABC's attempt in the 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons to push
> for younger viewers; September 1965 saw the debut of The
> Young Set (11:00-12:00, and the earliest cancellation of the
> season), Never Too Young (4:00-4:30), The Nurses
> (2:00-2:30), and reruns of Ben Casey (1:00-2:00).
>
> Only The Dating Game (11:30-12:00, debuted December 1965
> with the cancellation of The Young Set) was a bonafide hit,
> staying on the network schedule until June 1973. Never Too
> Young was cancelled in July 1966, The Nurses also lasted
> until March 1967 (having occupied three time slots in under
> two years), and the Ben Casey reruns left the schedule in
> March 1967 as well.
>
The show was produced by Dick Clark and usually used outdoor
Southern California locations, either the beach or the mountains.
Paul Revere and the Raiders was the group most often seen, and they
went on to host It's Happening, which ran on ABC daytime in the
summer of 1968.
There was a followup series: Action '73/'74, which replaced
American Bandstand once a month between July 7, 1973 and
September 14, 1974 (Hyatt book).
Hyatt gives the airdates for the original Where The Action Is:
6/28/65-9/24/65 ABC Mon-Fri 2:00-2:30
9/27/65-3/31/67 ABC Mon-Fri 4:30-5:00
> I've
> > heard of it (and heard its theme song as sung by Freddy
> > Cannon). What was it about? I was only 4 years old in
> > 1965. How long did it run. What time was it on?
>
> Shapiro book to the rescue again:
>
> Debuted July 1965 in the 2:00-2:30 slot, moved September
> 1965 to 4:30-5:00, cancelled March 1967. It was a precursor
> to ABC's attempt in the 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons to push
> for younger viewers; September 1965 saw the debut of The
> Young Set (11:00-12:00, and the earliest cancellation of the
> season), Never Too Young (4:00-4:30), The Nurses
> (2:00-2:30), and reruns of Ben Casey (1:00-2:00).
>
> Only The Dating Game (11:30-12:00, debuted December 1965
> with the cancellation of The Young Set) was a bonafide hit,
> staying on the network schedule until June 1973. Never Too
> Young was cancelled in July 1966, The Nurses also lasted
> until March 1967 (having occupied three time slots in under
> two years), and the Ben Casey reruns left the schedule in
> March 1967 as well.
>
The show was produced by Dick Clark and usually used outdoor
Southern California locations, either the beach or the mountains.
Paul Revere and the Raiders was the group most often seen, and they
went on to host It's Happening, which ran on ABC daytime in the
summer of 1968.
There was a followup series: Action '73/'74, which replaced
American Bandstand once a month between July 7, 1973 and
September 14, 1974 (Hyatt book).
Hyatt gives the airdates for the original Where The Action Is:
6/28/65-9/24/65 ABC Mon-Fri 2:00-2:30
9/27/65-3/31/67 ABC Mon-Fri 4:30-5:00
J
Joseph_Gallant
Guest
Re: "Where the Action Is"
Besides Paul Revere and the Raiders (who became superstars thanks to their frequent appearances on the show), there were two other musical regulars on "Where The Action Is": One was Linda Scott (then in her early twenties), who a few years earlier had a big hit titled "I've Told Every Little Star" and had a string of minor-to-moderate hits between that time and the premiere of "Action". The other was a young man named Steve Alaimo (sp?), also in his early twenties at the time, who I don't think had any major hit records before, during, or after his "Action" stint. There was also a troupe of dancers who showed-up from time-to-time called "The Action Kids", I believe a very young Toni Basil (who would have been about 16 or 17 years old when "Action" premiered; she became a recording artist in the mid-1980's and had a smash hit with "Mickey") was among them.
Dick Clark was host, but you never saw his face. You'd just hear him as a voice-over, such as the following: "We're Stepping Out To The Santa Monica Amusement Pier To Hear Paul Revere And The Raiders 'Steppin' Out'...".
During the Spring and Summer, frequent locations (the show was taped entirely on-location) were Malibu Beach, Venice Beach, the already-mentioned Santa Monica Amusement Pier, and a few other outdoor locations, mostly (but not entirely) in Southern California. During the Winter, many segments originated from the Big Bear Lake ski resort (I think they may have also taped segments at Squaw Valley and Aspen, but I'm not sure).
If me memory serves me correct, both Alaimo and Revere's Raiders recroded their own versions of the theme song "Action", which in 1966 and (until the show was cancelled) 1967 would occassionally be heard with the opening and/or closing credits instead of Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon's original version.
As a youngster, I loved this show!! During the Summer of 1965, my Mom and I had arguments about watching the show. We had a backyard swimming pool and my Mom insisted we go in at 2 P.M. I wanted to stay in the house until 2:30 to watch "Action". Sometimes, I'd catch a few minutes of the show before Mom forcibly dragged me out to the pool. But then came a rainy afternoon, and I got to see a whole show. Mom saw it too (she wanted to know why I was crazy for it), and she fell in love with the costumes of Paul Revere and the Raiders. As for their music, she liked it a little bit less. After that, I got to see the show in full every afternoon.
One of my favorite TV shows from my early childhood. I wished Dick Clark would put together a "Best-Of" DVD box set containing several complete episodes of "Action" and perhaps some additional performances from other episodes of the series.
There was a sequel of sorts on ABC in the Summer of 1985: "Rock 'N Roll Summer Action", which was a weekly prime-time, much-bigger-budget version of "Action", hosted by Christopher Atkins. Unlike the original "Action", "Summer Action" was taped entirely at Malibu Beach and Atkins' face as well as voice appeared. In one episode, producer Clark paid tribute to the original "Action" by bringing on Paul Revere and the Raiders to do a medley of their many mid-and-late 1960's hits.
Besides Paul Revere and the Raiders (who became superstars thanks to their frequent appearances on the show), there were two other musical regulars on "Where The Action Is": One was Linda Scott (then in her early twenties), who a few years earlier had a big hit titled "I've Told Every Little Star" and had a string of minor-to-moderate hits between that time and the premiere of "Action". The other was a young man named Steve Alaimo (sp?), also in his early twenties at the time, who I don't think had any major hit records before, during, or after his "Action" stint. There was also a troupe of dancers who showed-up from time-to-time called "The Action Kids", I believe a very young Toni Basil (who would have been about 16 or 17 years old when "Action" premiered; she became a recording artist in the mid-1980's and had a smash hit with "Mickey") was among them.
Dick Clark was host, but you never saw his face. You'd just hear him as a voice-over, such as the following: "We're Stepping Out To The Santa Monica Amusement Pier To Hear Paul Revere And The Raiders 'Steppin' Out'...".
During the Spring and Summer, frequent locations (the show was taped entirely on-location) were Malibu Beach, Venice Beach, the already-mentioned Santa Monica Amusement Pier, and a few other outdoor locations, mostly (but not entirely) in Southern California. During the Winter, many segments originated from the Big Bear Lake ski resort (I think they may have also taped segments at Squaw Valley and Aspen, but I'm not sure).
If me memory serves me correct, both Alaimo and Revere's Raiders recroded their own versions of the theme song "Action", which in 1966 and (until the show was cancelled) 1967 would occassionally be heard with the opening and/or closing credits instead of Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon's original version.
As a youngster, I loved this show!! During the Summer of 1965, my Mom and I had arguments about watching the show. We had a backyard swimming pool and my Mom insisted we go in at 2 P.M. I wanted to stay in the house until 2:30 to watch "Action". Sometimes, I'd catch a few minutes of the show before Mom forcibly dragged me out to the pool. But then came a rainy afternoon, and I got to see a whole show. Mom saw it too (she wanted to know why I was crazy for it), and she fell in love with the costumes of Paul Revere and the Raiders. As for their music, she liked it a little bit less. After that, I got to see the show in full every afternoon.
One of my favorite TV shows from my early childhood. I wished Dick Clark would put together a "Best-Of" DVD box set containing several complete episodes of "Action" and perhaps some additional performances from other episodes of the series.
There was a sequel of sorts on ABC in the Summer of 1985: "Rock 'N Roll Summer Action", which was a weekly prime-time, much-bigger-budget version of "Action", hosted by Christopher Atkins. Unlike the original "Action", "Summer Action" was taped entirely at Malibu Beach and Atkins' face as well as voice appeared. In one episode, producer Clark paid tribute to the original "Action" by bringing on Paul Revere and the Raiders to do a medley of their many mid-and-late 1960's hits.
K
KMRichards
Guest
Re: "Where the Action Is"
> One of my favorite TV shows from my early childhood. I
> wished Dick Clark would put together a "Best-Of" DVD box set
> containing several complete episodes of "Action" and perhaps
> some additional performances from other episodes of the
> series.
My guess is that the music licensing rights would be a legal nightmare.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
> One of my favorite TV shows from my early childhood. I
> wished Dick Clark would put together a "Best-Of" DVD box set
> containing several complete episodes of "Action" and perhaps
> some additional performances from other episodes of the
> series.
My guess is that the music licensing rights would be a legal nightmare.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
Re: "Where the Action Is"
> > One of my favorite TV shows from my early childhood. I
> > wished Dick Clark would put together a "Best-Of" DVD box
> set
> > containing several complete episodes of "Action" and
> perhaps
> > some additional performances from other episodes of the
> > series.
>
> My guess is that the music licensing rights would be a legal
> nightmare.
=================================================================
Probably so. However, something must have been worked out for the sets put out from the "Ed Sullivan Show" and the video hits collections you see hawked on infomercials.
<P ID="signature">______________
"Be seeing you..."</P>
> > One of my favorite TV shows from my early childhood. I
> > wished Dick Clark would put together a "Best-Of" DVD box
> set
> > containing several complete episodes of "Action" and
> perhaps
> > some additional performances from other episodes of the
> > series.
>
> My guess is that the music licensing rights would be a legal
> nightmare.
=================================================================
Probably so. However, something must have been worked out for the sets put out from the "Ed Sullivan Show" and the video hits collections you see hawked on infomercials.
<P ID="signature">______________
"Be seeing you..."</P>
Re: "Where the Action Is"
> Probably so. However, something must have been worked out
> for the sets put out from the "Ed Sullivan Show" and the
> video hits collections you see hawked on infomercials.
>
The issue isn't music rights clearance, it's that Dick Clark Productions will not let any of their shows go on video for another reason. These are often the only film or video of many acts in existence. Clark knows this, and sells the video to be used in Time-Life music collection commercials or in various TV programs ("Biography", "E! True Holywood Story", etc.) They're earning more money that way, from what I understand.
> Probably so. However, something must have been worked out
> for the sets put out from the "Ed Sullivan Show" and the
> video hits collections you see hawked on infomercials.
>
The issue isn't music rights clearance, it's that Dick Clark Productions will not let any of their shows go on video for another reason. These are often the only film or video of many acts in existence. Clark knows this, and sells the video to be used in Time-Life music collection commercials or in various TV programs ("Biography", "E! True Holywood Story", etc.) They're earning more money that way, from what I understand.
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