The
Carpenters TV Shows
Here
we take a closer look at some of the more memorable Carpenters
TV moments that both Karen and Richard Carpenter made on some
of the other noted television shows. The TV shows listed here
are Carpenters moments that aren't included in the "Specials"
or "Documentaries" lists.
Please
note, as far as I know these Carpenters TV shows have never
been officially released to the general public on video or
on DVD. The only way to see some of these classic 1970s Carpenters
Television moments, is to trade with individuals who have
home recordings of them.
As many of you know, you can sometimes purchase "bootleg"
copies of these Carpenters TV Shows from places like eBay,
but technically they're not legal. I'm hoping, like many of
you, that over time, more of these TV shows will be released
to the general public either on video or DVD. I mean, Why
not? so many other wonderful "classic" TV shows
and specials are being released all the time.
This
Is Your Life - The Carpenters
1971
Even
though the "This is Your Life" TV show lasted for
only a half hour. I think it's one of the best TV appearances
of the Carpenters. Even though Richard and Karen Carpenter
were only in their 20s, they were having their entire lives
overviewed by Ralph Edwards, the host of the classic "This
is Your Life" TV show. Several guests are brought out
to surprise both Karen and Richard, including individuals
like Wes Jacobs, their friend from the "Battle of the
Bands" concert, also Frank Pooler who wrote the song
"Merry Christmas Darling," along with several others.
It's a great show because it shows both Karen and Richard
as "regular" people having a good time, meeting
old and not so old friends, and even cracking a few jokes
along the way. What a treat! I don't know how anybody could
watch this show and not like Richard and Karen Carpenter as
people.
Great
News! You can get this classic 1970s TV show on DVD. The
"This Is Your Life - The Ultimate Collection, Vol 1"
TV Show Boxset is available from places like Amazon.com and
other places that sell movies and DVDs. Some of the other
"This Is Your Life" TV shows included on this DVD
boxset include Shirley Jones and Betty White.
The
Dating Game - The Carpenters
1970
How
would you like to date Karen Carpenter? Or Richard Carpenter?
Well, the way you answer those two questions will greatly
depend upon if you're a man or a woman. Seriously, the Carpenters
actually appeared on the Dating Game Television show in 1970.
I think it was partly done to promote thier new song/album
"Close to You," which the Carpenters perform at
the beginning of the show. Karen first had the opportunity
to pick out a guy for her date. Karen's expressions are great
because she sometimes looks like she's thinking "Why
am I doing this TV show?", yet she still tries to have
a good time. Karen ended up picking a guy from England named
James Anthony. Richard was up next with two other guys and
was chosen for a date by a young lady named Linda Russell.
I don't know if Karen and Richard actually went on those dates,
but I hope they had a good time on the show, even if at times
they both seemed a bit uncomfortable - who wouldn't be?
The
Carpenters Live at the BBC - UK Concert
1971
In
my opinion, this is one of the best Carpenters concerts ever
seen on TV. The clarity and sound of all the classic Carpenters
songs is just great. The carpenters rendition of the Burt
Bacharach medley is one of my favorites. But my favorite song
is "And when he smiles", which Karen sings perfectly,
and as far as I know can only be found on the "As time
Goes By" CD. It was also great to see and hear the Carpenters
sing "Love is Surrender", which was written by one
of my favorites, Ralph Carmichael, who wrote one of my favorite
albums "His Land", with songs sung by Cliff Richard
and Cliff Barrows. This TV show concert includes special guest
Tony Joe White, a singer with a great, almost "Elvis-sounding"
voice. Tony sings a hilarious song called "Lustful Earl
and the Married Woman". Some of the diagonal camera angles
are a bit strange during this concert, a bit like the old
Batman television shows, but overall, this is a fantastic
TV show concert.
The
Carpenters Live at Budokan - Japan Concert
1972 (recorded), 1974 (Broadcast)
In
1972 the Carpenters appeared live on stage in the Budokan
Japan concert. The concert was apparantly not shown to the
TV public until 1974. Before the concert there's some great
candid behind the scenes footage of the Carpenters arriving
in Budokan and preparing for the concert. Carpenters guitarist
Tony Peluso does a great Chuck Berry impersonation with his
"duck walk" on stage. Karen sings "Sing"
partly in Japanese, with some Japanese school children. When
Karen is introducing the band members, there's a cute moment
when Cubby O' Brien is introduced. Cubby quickly pops on a
Mickey Mouse hat to remind us all of his days as a Mouseketeer.
Overall, a great concert, which was officially released on
DVD, but is very rare to find.
The
Carpenters Television:
Timeline
- Specials -
Documentaries - Shows
