COLOR 8mm TAPE FROM EPISODE # 56
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Shortly before Christmas 2024 I received an email from Marc Sico to say that he had an 8mm tape in COLOR that his father had taken during the taping of episode # 56 on January 15, 1966. This exciting news from Marc makes the footage an extreme rarity from the show. There is nothing else out there like this and we are indebted to Marc for being so generous to share it on this platform. And there is a story that goes with just how this tape came to be, so let's turn the clock back sixty years .......
In late 1964 Nick and Anne Sico had married. They were New Yorkers living in the Bronx. Nick worked for Del Monte Foods. In early 1965 he was offered a transfer to Del Monte headquarters in Oakland, California (Walnut Creek to be exact). Nick was an avid music fan and followed HOLLYWOOD A GO-GO which was syndicated on WPIX in the New York market. He would have had the chance to watch the show for three months before heading west. His wife, Anne, was 20 years old and a follower of music and dance. In short, California was a great match for them when they packed things up and moved to Oakland in March 1965. But even after the move they were still 375 miles north of the KHJ studios in LA where HOLLYWOOD A GO-GO was produced. Not a problem. After the 2900 mile journey from New York, heading down to LA from Oakland must have been a breeze. So there they were on Saturday, January 15, 1966, ten months after leaving the Bronx, in the studio for a live taping of a TV show that captivated both of them. Surprisingly Nick had no trouble bringing his 8mm camera into the studio and filming whatever he chose.
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This four minute look at what it was like during an episode taping gives us some new insights. First, everything just appears better, much better, in glistening color as opposed to the monotone black & white looks we get from the broadcast tapes. The show likely would have had a higher viewership if it had been taped and broadcast in living color into viewers' homes, but doing so probably would have exceeded the KHJ budget. None of the big three TV networks were financing this show. There are about a dozen performances from various episodes that have been colorized over the last few years, which is quite a remarkable technological achievement, but they pale in comparison to this 8mm footage. The earliest episodes in black & white showed low lighting levels in the studio which added to the appeal of HOLLYWOOD A GO-GO compared to the competing shows. However as time went by the lighting levels as they appear on the existing tapes seem to have brightened quite a bit. The existing black & white footage of episode # 56 looks nothing like what we see on the Sico tape. It really was dark on the dance floor. That atmospheric vibe from the early episodes was still there. What changed was the brightening up of the broadcast product, likely through editing, which we can now see was not indicative of how it looked in the studio, or to TV viewers across America and around the world. However, during the closing of the show the lighting was turned back up.
The link to the Nick Sico tape below. Note that the audio is not the original audio broadcast on the show.
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Here's a second by second guide as to what to look for on the tape. It can be viewed full-screen by clicking the upper right corner of the video.
From episode taping:
0:05 JACQUI up close, GWEN in background
0:24 Fortunes
0:29 MIMI, DeANN, DAWN
0:31 JACQUI, GWEN
0:55 Billy Jo Royal
1:00 GWEN up close
1:44 cameraman
1:50 MIMI
1:57 Gale Garnett
2:01 Pair Extraordinaire
2:11 MIMI, Peter Asher in background
2:24 GAZZARRI DANCERS:
back: DAWN, GWEN, DeANN, MARIA / front: JUNE, JACQUI, MIMI
From backstage:
3:02 Gordon Waller, Peter Asher, Gale Garnett, Anne Sico
From the closing:
3:17 SAM, Roy Clark, Kingsmen
3:20 MARIA, MIMI
3:34 GWEN and the groping audience member
3:47 SAM, Billy Jo Royal
3:58 Anne Sico
4:03 KHJ studio signage
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The three stills below extracted from the 8mm footage show the GAZZARRI DANCERS on the main stage going through a routine during the Roy Clark performance. These seven dancers, DAWN, GWEN, DeANN, MARIA, JUNE, JACQUI, and MIMI are who we refer to as "the Magnificent Seven". They were a well rehearsed group of professionally trained dancers mixed in with some of the best amateur LA club dancers at the time.
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Above and below are a pair of still extractions from the tape taken during the show's closing. There were only two more episodes after this in the show's run and the closing scenes appear to have grown wilder as the end neared. In the 8mm tape we can see an audience member seemingly groping GWEN SELVAGE. According to JUNE FAIRCHILD, even by this late date, none of the dancers or staff had been given the news yet that the show was about to be cancelled.
In the top image we see the Kingsmen in their white suits on the left. Roy Clark can be seen against the wall with his guitar. Next to him is Gale Garnett with a member of the Fortunes next to her, and SAM in front of him.
The bottom image show Roy Clark, Gale Garnett with a few members of the Fortunes next to her, and Peter Asher on the far right.
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Photo on the left of Nick Sico. The right photo of his wife Anne Sico. These were likely taken on their long drive from the Bronx to Oakland, CA in March 1965. Exciting times awaited them.
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But wait ....there's more! Marc has also sent the actual backstage footage of Anne having a chat with Peter & Gordon. We see Peter Asher chatting with her while Gordon Waller (seated) looks on. The prankster behind Gordon is Gale Garnett who was making her third appearance on the show (episodes # 3, 50, 56). Anne is positively beaming from ear to ear, and why wouldn't she. Here's a 20 year old girl from the Bronx having a chat with Peter & Gordon who were one of the major British Invasion artists touring America at the time. Sadly, Nick and Anne are both deceased and can't give us their direct recollections of this memorable day for both of them. Gordon Waller passed away in 2009, but both Peter Asher and Gale Garnett are alive. Peter still performs.
The link below to the Anne Sico tape:
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Dated October 1965 photo of Anne Sico above along with a similarly dated promotional photo of Peter & Gordon. Nick and Anne never forgot their special visit to the HOLLYWOOD A GO-GO set on January 15, 1966.
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