SINGER PRESENTS: BURT BACHARACH {THE BURT BACHARACH SPECIAL} {TOM JONES, BARBRA STREISAND} (TV)
Summary
This musical television special celebrates the work and collaborations of composer and singer Burt Bacharach. The program begins as Bacharach plays a snippet of his song “All Kinds of People.” He then chats with singer Tom Jones, who famously sang Bacharach’s song “What’s New Pussycat?” for the 1965 film of the same name, and Jones notes that he is a “complete musician” with many skills. Bacharach guesses that he has written around three hundred songs, although not all of them have been noteworthy. Jones then performs “Any Day Now,” after which he and Bacharach discuss the first time they met and Bacharach’s surprise at the Welshman’s American-esque “soul” style. Jones briefly discusses his working-class background and his desire to avoid a life as a miner, like his father. They then perform “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” together, and are soon joined by a pub full of singers harmonizing along.
Bacharach then teams up with famed ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, stating that he is nervous because they come from “two different worlds.” The collaboration soon proves successful, however, when Nureyev and partner Bettie de Jong perform a circus-themed ballet to Bacharach’s music from “Butch Cassidy.” Next, Bacharach discusses his love of racehorses and the multiple horses he owns, giving credit to his top-notch trainer and jockey. He attends a race and his horse loses, having gone lame, and he sadly accepts that she must be retired and made into a broodmare, noting that horseraces are as unpredictable as music can sometimes be.
Bacharach then talks with Barbra Streisand, saying that one can become “kind of blasé” about music until meeting someone of her talent. They chat about her work and her love of recording, and she sings “One Less Bell to Answer” with his accompaniment, followed by “A House is Not a Home.” They joke about the proper order of their billing together, and then perform “Close To You” together, followed by a new song he has written for her, “Be Aware,” backed by a full orchestra. He then conducts a medley of his other songs as played by the orchestra, including “Alfie,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “What the World Needs Now” and others. The program closes with a reprise of “All Kinds of People,” during which Streisand and Bacharach are joined by a large, diverse chorus of people. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: March 14, 1971 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:15
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:55152
- GENRE: Music
- SUBJECT HEADING: Music
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1971
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Singer products
CREDITS
- Gary Smith … Producer
- Dwight Hemion … Producer, Director
- Frank Badami … Associate Producer
- Bob Ellison … Writer
- Marty Farrell … Writer
- Peter Matz … Conductor
- Johnnie Spence … Conductor
- Paul Taylor … Choreographer
- Burt Bacharach … Performer
- Tom Jones … Performer
- Rudolf Nureyev … Performer
- Bettie de Jong … Performer
- Barbra Streisand … Performer