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The Big T.N.T. Show is a 1965 concert film featuring performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and the United Kingdom.[1]
| The Big T.N.T. Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Blues Rock Folk Country |
| Directed by | Larry Peerce |
| Starring | David McCallum Ray Charles Petula Clark The Lovin' Spoonful Bo Diddley Joan Baez The Ronettes Roger Miller The Byrds Donovan Ike and Tina Turner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Samuel Z. Arkoff James H. Nicholson Henry G. Saperstein |
| Producer | Phil Spector |
| Production locations | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Cinematography | Bob Boatman |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Release | December 1965 |
| Related | |
| The T.A.M.I Show | |
A sequel to the T.A.M.I. Show (1964), the film was directed by Larry Peerce and produced by Phil Spector. It was distributed by American International Pictures.[2]
The film was shot before a live audience at the Moulin Rouge club at 6230 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles on November 29 and November 30, 1965.[1]
The Big T.N.T. Show was aimed at the teenage demographic and featured 3,000 teenagers in the audience.[3] "T.N.T." was an acronym for Tune 'n' Talent.[2] The film was a follow-up to the T.A.M.I. Show, which was released a year prior. "T.A.M.I." was an acronym for "Teenage Awards Music International."[2]
The concert was shot on videotape and transferred to 35-millimeter film.[4][5] Director Larry Peerce used four television cameras to record the performances. Record producer Phil Spector was the producer and musical director.[1]
According to executive producer Henry G. Saperstein, 140 minutes of footage was shot,[1] but the film was cut down to 90 minutes for the theatrical release.[6] Each of the acts performed their set three times.[1]
Its pre-release title was This Could Be the Night—The Big T.N.T Show.[7] The film's theme song, "This Could Be the Night", was written by Harry Nilsson, produced by Phil Spector, and performed by the Modern Folk Quartet.[8]
Notable appearances
During the opening sequence of audience shots, Ron Mael and Russell Mael, who would later form the band Sparks can be seen at 4:44 and Sky Saxon, singer and frontman for The Seeds can be seen at 5:21. Frank Zappa appears very briefly in the movie at 6:30 as an audience member and can also be seen in the movie's trailer. Marilyn McCoo of the Fifth Dimension also appears as one of the backing singers during Ray Charles' performance.[9]
The Big T.N.T Show premiered in theaters in late December 1965.[10][11][12][13] A general release date was initially planned for January 26, 1966.[1]
UPI Hollywood columnist Vernon Scott wrote that the "film is aimed solely at kids who buy recoding of the performers in the cast. It's a musical orgy for pubescent swingers."[2]
In order of appearance in the film:
| Artist | Song Title |
|---|---|
| David McCallum | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (instrumental) |
| Ray Charles | "What'd I Say" |
| Petula Clark | "Downtown" |
| The Lovin' Spoonful | "Do You Believe in Magic", |
| "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" | |
| Bo Diddley | "Hey Bo Diddley" |
| "Bo Diddley" | |
| Joan Baez | "500 Miles" |
| "There but for Fortune" | |
| Ray Charles (reprise) | "Georgia on My Mind" |
| "Let the Good Times Roll" | |
| Joan Baez (reprise) | "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" |
| The Ronettes | "Be My Baby" |
| "Shout" | |
| Roger Miller | "Dang Me" |
| "Engine Engine #9" | |
| "King of the Road" | |
| "England Swings" | |
| The Byrds | "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" |
| "The Bells of Rhymney" | |
| "Mr. Tambourine Man" | |
| Petula Clark (reprise) | "You're the One" |
| "My Love" | |
| Donovan | "Universal Soldier" |
| "Summer Day Reflection Songs" | |
| "Bert's Blues" | |
| "Sweet Joy" | |
| Ike & Tina Turner | "Shake" |
| "A Fool In Love" | |
| "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" | |
| "Please, Please, Please" | |
| "Goodbye, So Long" | |
| "Tell the Truth" | |
| David McCallum (reprise) | "1-2-3" (instrumental) |
Some footage from the concert film was reused in the film That Was Rock[5] a.k.a. The T.A.M.I. / T.N.T. Show (1984).[14] The Shout! Factory released it on DVD and Blu-ray in 2016.[15]
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