The Carpenters' Very First TV Special
Encyclopedia
The Carpenters' Very First Television Special was Richard
and Karen Carpenter
's very first television special
, aired December 8, 1976.
The Carpenters performed many skits with guest stars Victor Borge
and John Denver
. It ended with a Hits Medley at the end (which could be found without applause on the CD "As Time Goes By").
", they show a clip of Richard conducting the orchestra playing a different version of "We've Only Just Begun
", with Karen's voice-over talking about how much Richard loves conducting orchestras. After the orchestra's finished, the Carpenters performed "Top of the World", which can be found on the VHS "Yesterday Once More" (repackaged as "Gold: Greatest Hits" on DVD in 2002).
On top of that, Richard and Karen perform a "Spike Jones and the City Slickers
" style parody version of "(They Long to Be) Close to You", beginning with a harp introduction. The duo also performed "These Are the Jokes" on the same set as the one of "Top of the World", only with a black background instead of a blue background.
John Denver
and Karen Carpenter did a nice duet together of a medley consisting of a cleaned up version of Robert Burns
' "Comin' Through the Rye
" and the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations
." The amazing thing about this medley is that in parts, Denver may be singing "Comin' Through the Rye," while Carpenter sings "Good Vibrations."
They did a skit of Karen's drumming talent as well. It begins with Richard and Karen talking about why Karen played the drums, and Karen says, "Why not!!" Then, they reminisce to the high school days, where classmate John Denver
played the drums in the high school band, and Karen was stuck with the glockenspiel
. They told how Karen obtained the drums, and fell in love with it immediately. After that scene, Karen plays a medley including "Strike Up the Band
" and "'S Wonderful
."
In the end, the band and the orchestra combined together, and performed a Hits Medley to close the show.
Richard Carpenter
Richard Carpenter may refer to:* Richard Carpenter , American musician and composer, formerly one half of the Carpenters* Richard Carpenter , British screenwriter and actor...
and Karen Carpenter
Karen Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
's very first television special
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
, aired December 8, 1976.
The Carpenters performed many skits with guest stars Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
and John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
. It ended with a Hits Medley at the end (which could be found without applause on the CD "As Time Goes By").
The Skits
After Karen, Richard and the orchestra perform "We've Only Just BegunWe've Only Just Begun
"We've Only Just Begun" is the signature song of The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams , and is often used as a wedding song. The song was ranked at #405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".The song was recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend...
", they show a clip of Richard conducting the orchestra playing a different version of "We've Only Just Begun
We've Only Just Begun
"We've Only Just Begun" is the signature song of The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams , and is often used as a wedding song. The song was ranked at #405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".The song was recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend...
", with Karen's voice-over talking about how much Richard loves conducting orchestras. After the orchestra's finished, the Carpenters performed "Top of the World", which can be found on the VHS "Yesterday Once More" (repackaged as "Gold: Greatest Hits" on DVD in 2002).
On top of that, Richard and Karen perform a "Spike Jones and the City Slickers
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
" style parody version of "(They Long to Be) Close to You", beginning with a harp introduction. The duo also performed "These Are the Jokes" on the same set as the one of "Top of the World", only with a black background instead of a blue background.
John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
and Karen Carpenter did a nice duet together of a medley consisting of a cleaned up version of Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
' "Comin' Through the Rye
Comin' Through the Rye
"Comin' Thro' the Rye" is a poem written in 1782 by Robert Burns . It is well known as a traditional children's song, with the words put to the melody of the Scottish Minstrel Common' Frae The Town...
" and the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations
Good Vibrations
"Good Vibrations" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. Composed and produced by Brian Wilson, the song's lyrics were written by Wilson and Mike Love....
." The amazing thing about this medley is that in parts, Denver may be singing "Comin' Through the Rye," while Carpenter sings "Good Vibrations."
They did a skit of Karen's drumming talent as well. It begins with Richard and Karen talking about why Karen played the drums, and Karen says, "Why not!!" Then, they reminisce to the high school days, where classmate John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
played the drums in the high school band, and Karen was stuck with the glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
. They told how Karen obtained the drums, and fell in love with it immediately. After that scene, Karen plays a medley including "Strike Up the Band
Strike Up the Band (song)
"Strike Up the Band" is a 1927 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was written for the 1927 musical Strike Up the Band, where it formed part of a satire on war and militaristic music...
" and "'S Wonderful
'S Wonderful
S Wonderful" is a popular song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Funny Face by Adele Astaire and Allen Kearns....
."
In the end, the band and the orchestra combined together, and performed a Hits Medley to close the show.