VD Blues | |
---|---|
Written by | Donald Fouser Gary Belkin Jules Feiffer [1] |
Directed by | Israel Horovitz Stanley Lathan |
Starring | Dick Cavett James Coco Marcia Rodd Arlo Guthrie [2] |
No. of episodes | 1 |
Production | |
Producers | Gary Belkin Israel Horovitz |
Release | |
Original network | WNET |
Original release | October 9, 1972 [3] |
VD Blues was a one-hour PBS Special of the Week, created by Donald Fouser that aired in 1972 about the dangers of venereal disease. [4]
The show consisted of a series of skits and sketches that were hosted by Dick Cavett and starred well-known performers such as James Coco, Marcia Rodd, and Arlo Guthrie. It was underwritten by the 3M Company. The show featured the Shel Silverstein song "Don't Give a Dose" performed by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
In 1973, PBS made a sequel, [10] VD Blues, Part 2, in which student volunteers from Drama classes at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY were filmed in staged "candid" situations, asking key questions to be answered. An example: turning from a table of students at a seminar, one asks into the camera, "How do I know if I have V.D.?" One of the most memorable images of VD Blues, Part 2 was returning host Dick Cavett brandishing a toilet seat and stating, "You won't get VD from one of THESE!"[ citation needed ]
The show won an Emmy Award in the category of "Special Classification of Outstanding Program Achievements awarded to Donald Fouser." [11] Time Magazine called it the "most venturesome single show" of 1972. [12]
A paperback book containing a transcript of the show was published by Avon Books in 1973. [13]
Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Guthrie's best-known work is his debut piece, "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a satirical talking blues song about 18 minutes in length that has since become a Thanksgiving anthem. His only top-40 hit was a cover of Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans". His song "Massachusetts" was named the official folk song of the state, in which he has lived most of his adult life. Guthrie has also made several acting appearances. He is the father of four children, who have also had careers as musicians.
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He inspired several generations both politically and musically with songs such as "This Land Is Your Land".
James Joseph Croce was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pay bills while he continued to write, record, and perform concerts. After Croce formed a partnership with songwriter and guitarist Maury Muehleisen, his fortunes turned in the early 1970s. Croce's breakthrough came in 1972; his third album, You Don't Mess Around with Jim, produced three charting singles, including "Time in a Bottle", which reached No. 1 after Croce died. The follow-up album, Life and Times, included the song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", which was the only No. 1 hit he had during his lifetime.
The year 1971 involved some significant events in television. Below is a list of notable TV-related events.
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger, occasionally others. The result is comparable in sound to ragtime or stride piano styles. Blues researcher Peter B. Lowry coined the term, giving co-credit to fellow folklorist Bruce Bastin. The Piedmont style is differentiated from other styles, particularly the Mississippi Delta blues, by its ragtime-based rhythms.
Jack Harold Paar was an American talk show host, author, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962. Time magazine's obituary of Paar reported wryly, "His fans would remember him as the fellow who split talk show history into two eras: Before Paar and Below Paar."
Hoyt Wayne Axton was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. Among his best-known songs are "Joy to the World", "The Pusher", "No No Song", "Greenback Dollar", "Della and the Dealer", and "Never Been to Spain".
Richard Alva Cavett is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s through the 2000s.
The Dick Cavett Show was the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:
"Woman Is the Nigger of the World" is a song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono with Elephant's Memory from their 1972 album Some Time in New York City. Released as the only single from the album in the United States, the song sparked controversy at the time due to the use of the word "nigger" in the title.
In Concert is a late-night television series created by Don Kirshner. Hosted by Don Branker, the series was a showcase for bands of the era to be taped "in concert" and then broadcast on ABC on Friday nights.
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is an American television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations, initially through Viacom Enterprises, and later through Syndicast. It premiered on September 27, 1973, with a performance by The Rolling Stones and The Doobie Brothers; its last episode was in 1981.
Washington County is a 1970 album by the American folk singer Arlo Guthrie. It peaked at #33 on the Billboard charts on December 4, 1970, and number 28 in Australia.
Robert Marshall Rosengarden was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A native of Elgin, Illinois, United States, he played on many recordings and in television orchestras and talk show bands.
Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys is a 1973 album by the American singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie.
"Ludlow Massacre" is a song by Woody Guthrie about the Ludlow Massacre, a labor conflict in Ludlow, Colorado, in 1914. A related song is the "1913 Massacre".
ABC's Wide World of Entertainment is a late night television block of programs created by the ABC television network. It premiered on January 8, 1973, and ended three years later. The title was based on the long-running broadcast ABC's Wide World of Sports; there was also an ABC's Wide World of Mystery broadcast from 1973 to 1978.
"Mrs. Lennon" is Yoko Ono's first single from her second studio album Fly, released in 1971. It was written and performed by Ono, and produced by Ono and her husband John Lennon. It includes the B-side "Midsummer New York". "Mrs. Lennon" was featured in the 1972 film Imagine.
Footprint is the second solo album by American musician Gary Wright, released in 1971 on A&M Records. It contains "Stand for Our Rights", an anthem-like song calling for social unity that was issued as a single in advance of the album. Wright recorded the majority of Footprint in London with a large cast of musicians – including George Harrison, Hugh McCracken, Alan White, Klaus Voormann, Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner and Bobby Keys – many of whom, like Wright, had played on Harrison's All Things Must Pass triple album in 1970. Harrison's contributions included an uncredited role as producer, and serve as an example of his support for Wright during the early stages of the latter's solo career. The ballad "Love to Survive" is one of three tracks that feature an orchestral arrangement by John Barham.
Catchy Comedy is an American digital broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. The network, which is mainly carried on the digital subchannels of television stations, primarily airs classic television sitcoms from the 1950s through the early 1990s. Established in 2015, the network was previously called Decades.
To offset the sensitive nature of the topic, VD Blues masqueraded as a television variety show featuring celebrities, musical performances, and comedy sketches that gently educated viewers about the dangers of syphilis.
VD Blues aired on October 9, 1972. Only two stations refused it : one in Jackson , Mississippi , and one in Little Rock , Arkansas . Most not only ran it but mounted local follow - up shows with experts responding to viewers ...
VD Blues (1972), declared "one of the most significant events in the history of television as a medium for education, enlightenment, and raised consciousness," rejected stodgy public television formats in an aggressive attempt to ...
You certainly didn't feel preached at if you were watching VD Blues . Instead , you saw a bizarre , sometimes hilarious , and remarkably informative show — saw it , enjoyed it , stayed tuned to one of numerous " breakaway " half hours ...
... which followed a 1 - hour national program entitled " VD Blues " that starred Dick Cavett . Following this 2 - hour broadcast , WETA-TV aired an additional 1 - hour program in which participants from the " Free Metro D.C. from VD ...
More of the ' VD Blues ' type that inspires local follow - up . " " The objective is actually the objective of our entire schedule and can , I think , be better met by individual series , each dealing with a specific area of the Arts or ...
April 2, 8 p.m. V.D. Blues. A dynamic program of information on venereal disease.