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D-TV is a music video television series produced by Charles Braverman[1] and edited by Ted Herrmann. Premiering on May 5, 1984 on the Disney Channel,[2] the series combined both classic and contemporary popular music with various footage of vintage animated shorts and feature films from The Walt Disney Company, created out of the trend of music videos on cable channel MTV, which inspired the name of this series.[3]
| D-TV | |
|---|---|
| No. of episodes | 240 |
| Original release | |
| Network | The Disney Channel |
| Release | May 5, 1984 – 1989 |
Most songs used in the series were contemporary hits (e.g., "Kiss on My List" and "Private Eyes" by Hall & Oates), though older songs like Sheb Wooley's "The Purple People Eater" were also featured. These music videos were shown as filler material on the Disney Channel (which refrained from airing commercials at the time), as well as being the focus of several television specials. Home video collections were also released on VHS, Beta, CED Videodisc, and Laserdisc formats. After the first run of D-TV, in 1989, a second series was produced known as DTV².[4]
The main title music, known as "RPM", was created in 1981 by a recording company called Network Music.[5] When the segments were shown individually on television, the title music used was from "Sunset Boulevard", also by Network Music.[6] In the show's opening, a cheese-like Moon zooms out to reveal a black background with blue musical notes. A silhouette of Mickey Mouse's head rises from the Moon, and it exits below the screen. The letter D (in the corporate Disney font) and the letters TV appear and zoom out to attach to the head. Finally, after a few seconds, the screen zooms into the silhouette of the head, which reveals several vintage Disney cartoon clips.
Many songs listed above were released on VHS, in five separate volumes. The first three volumes, entitled "Pop & Rock", "Rock, Rhythm & Blues", and "Golden Oldies", were released in late 1984, as part of Walt Disney Home Video's "Wrapped and Ready to Give" holiday promotion. In the Summer of 1985, two more volumes, "Love Songs" and "Groovin' For a '60s Afternoon", were released.
Disney aired three DTV television specials on NBC in 1986 and 1987: DTV Valentine (Feb 14, 1986, re-titled DTV Romancin' in later airings), DTV Doggone Valentine (Feb 13, 1987), and DTV Monster Hits (Oct 30, 1987).
DTV Valentine
DTV Valentine focused on love and romance music.
Songs
- Betty Everett: The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)
- Stevie Wonder: I Just Called to Say I Love You
- Madonna: Dress You Up
- Stray Cats: Rock This Town
- Lionel Richie: Hello
- Desiree Goyette: Hey Mickey
- Elton John & Kiki Dee: Don't Go Breaking My Heart
- Bella Notte (from Lady and the Tramp) (song lyrics on-screen)
- Elvis Presley: (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
- Eurythmics: There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)
- Once Upon a Dream (from Sleeping Beauty) (song lyrics on-screen)
- Huey Lewis and the News: The Heart of Rock & Roll
- The Contours: Do You Love Me
- Someday My Prince Will Come (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) (song lyrics on-screen)
- Whitney Houston: You Give Good Love
Voice characterizations
- Tony Anselmo - Donald Duck
- Corey Burton - Gruffi Gummi
- Eddie Carroll - Jiminy Cricket
- Mary Costa - Aurora (archive footage)
- Paul Frees - Ludwig Von Drake, Announcer
- Les Perkins - Mickey Mouse
- Will Ryan - Goofy, Pongo
- Judith Searle - Chip and Dale
- Bill Shirley - Prince Phillip (archive footage)
- Lisa St. James - Dalmatian puppies
DTV Doggone Valentine
DTV Doggone Valentine focused on love songs with a tribute to Disney's dog and cat characters.
Songs
- Wham!: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
- John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John: You're The One That I Want
- The Flamingos: I Only Have Eyes For You
- Huey Lewis and The News: Working For A Livin'
- Bee Gees: Stayin' Alive
- Kenny Rogers: Lady
- Patti Page: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?
- "Weird Al" Yankovic: Eat It
- George Thorogood and The Destroyers: Bad to the Bone
- Paul Anka: Puppy Love
- The Siamese Cat Song (from Lady and the Tramp) (song lyrics on-screen)
- The Soul Survivors: Expressway to Your Heart
- Stray Cats: Stray Cat Strut
- Marvin Gaye: I'll Be Doggone
- Deniece Williams: Let's Hear It for the Boy
- Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs: Stay
Voice characterizations
- Wayne Allwine - Mickey Mouse
- Albert Ash - Ludwig Von Drake
- Eddie Carroll - Jiminy Cricket
- Bill Farmer - Goofy
- Maurice LaMarche - Awards Show MC
- Will Ryan - Pongo
- J. J. Jackson - Announcer
- Lisa St. James - Dalmatian puppies
- Russi Taylor - Minnie Mouse, Dalmatian puppies
DTV Monster Hits
DTV Monster Hits was focused on Halloween-themed music and footage. It was also referred to as Disney's DTV Monster Hits by the show's narrator, Gary Owens. By this time, Hans Conried had died and the Magic Mirror, now credited at the end of the show as Man in the Magic Mirror, was played by Jeffrey Jones.
Songs
- Michael Jackson: "Thriller"
- Ray Parker, Jr.: "Ghostbusters"
- Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Bad Moon Rising"
- Bobby "Boris" Pickett featuring The Crypt-Kickers: "Monster Mash"
- Rockwell: "Somebody's Watching Me"
- Electric Light Orchestra: "Evil Woman"
- Stevie Wonder: "Superstition"
- Pat Benatar: You Better Run
- Spike Jones and His City Slickers: That Black Old Magic
- Daryl Hall: Dreamtime
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Heffalumps & Woozles (song lyrics on-screen)
- The Eurythmics: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
Voice characterizations
- Wayne Allwine - Mickey Mouse
- Tony Anselmo - Donald Duck
- Stuart Buchanan - The Huntsman (archive footage)
- Adriana Caselotti - Snow White (archive footage)
- Bing Crosby - Brom Bones (archive footage)
- Bill Farmer - Goofy
- June Foray - Witch Hazel, Pauline
- Sterling Holloway - Winnie the Pooh (archive footage)
- Barrie Ingham - Basil of Baker Street (archive footage)
- Jeffrey Jones - Magic Mirror
- Maurice LaMarche - Leslie J. Clark
- Gary Owens - Announcer
- Vincent Price - Ratigan (archive footage)
- Lucille La Verne - The Evil Queen (archive footage)
- Paul Winchell - Tigger (archive footage)
Notes
- June Foray returned as the voice of Witch Hazel to dub new lines. These can be seen when she introduces Michael Jackson and during the segment where she is reading a book about scary stories, which is a segment lifted directly from a Disneyland episode, The Mad Hermit of Chimney Butte.
- New lines for Donald Duck were dubbed during the Ghostbusters theme, where he says he's "not afraid of ghosts" is a new line.
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