The Carpenters Legacy Lives On...

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:

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