Edited by Azizi Powell
Revised June 29, 2020
This pancocojams post focuses on comments from a discussion thread about a 1960 Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show television film clip of African American Rock and Roll/Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singer Frankie Lymon performing his record "Little Bitty Pretty One".
Several YouTube film clips of 1958-1960 Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show television film clips that include audience close ups are shown to ascertain if the White audiences for those shows were as unenthusiastic for White performers and for Black performers as they were during the 1960s film clip of Frankie Lymon singing "Little Bitty Pretty On" on the Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show.
A few comments from one of the discussion threads for these film clips are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these film clips and thanks to all those who published them on YouTube.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This post follows the recommendation of a commenter in the discussion thread for the Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show's film clip of African American singer Frankie Lymon performing his song "Little Bitty Pretty One". In that comment, which is quoted in Part I of this series, the commenter disagreed with statements by many other commenters that the audiences for that 1960s American television series (who were always White) were racist and/or expressed themselves any differently for Black performers than they did for White performers. Here's that comment, with the expletive that begins that comment removed:
SHAWN owen, 2020
"...."Check out the audiences of this show when the song searchin is performed, or Chuck Berry of Sam Cook. Get over yourself"
-snip-
This post also includes a film clip of White singer Neil Sedaka (as suggested by another commenter in that same discussion thread, as well as a film clip of Paul Anka, another White singer who appeared on that show. I've added some time notes after some of these film clips to point out when some audience close up appear in those film clips.
****
SHOWCASE FILM CLIPS OF BLACK PERFORMERS ON SATURDAY NIGHT "BEECH-NUT SHOW"
[These film clips are given in order of their mention in the comment mentioned above.]
Example #1: The Coasters - Searchin' (Saturday Night Beechnut Show - Mar 19, 1960)
John1948ThreeA, Aug 16, 2014
-snip-
From 1:47 to 1:58 is a close-up of a White female lip synching the words to the song. She's not smiling and doesn't appear that animated, but she clearly likes that song.
****
Example #2: Chuck Berry - School Days (Saturday Night Beech Nut Show - May 17, 1958
John1948ThreeA, Feb 15, 2015
Chuck Berry (Charles Edward Anderson Berry - born Oct. 18, 1926, St. Louis, Mo., U.S.) singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was one of the most popular and influential performers in rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll music in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s...
-snip-
Close-ups from 1:17 to around 1:30 show a much more animated audience.
****
SHOWCASE FILM CLIP OF A BLACK PERFORMER AND A WHITE PERFORMER ON "SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW"
Sam Cooke / Frankie Avalon March 14, 1959
NRRArchives, Dec 15, 2012
Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show. Sam Cooke performs his classic hit "You Send Me" followed by Frankie Avalon singing "Venus"...
-snip-
Around 2:15 to around 2:28 are somewhat animated shots of females' and males' reactions to seeing themselves in close-ups while Sam Cooke is singing. 5:25 to around 5:28 show much more animated close-ups of females while Frankie Avalon is singing. I think the level of the audience's animation increased for those singers who they considered to be "teen idols". Frankie Avalon was a teen idol for that White audience while Sam Cooke wasn't.
****
SHOWCASE FILM CLIPS OF WHITE PERFORMERS ON SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW"
Example #1: Neil Sedaka "Oh Carol"
NRRArchives, Mar 30, 2013
Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show. December 05, 1959
-snip-
Close-ups of the audience (from around.56 to around 1:26) show most females and males with expressionless faces.
-snip-
Here are some comments from this film clip's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. emre barlas, 2129
"Omg this guy like a puppet.. the way he dance, moving his arms. And what is wrong with the audience.."
**
REPLY
2. chris tine, 2020
"Hahahaha"
**
3. Alex Kelly, 2020
"What is wrong with the audience? This is a tune."
**
REPLY
4. fardin khan, 2020
"they have husband at home so they can't smile to an other man
-snip-
Although they look older, all of the audience were teenagers. The males who were shown in close-ups were also mostly expressionless.
**
5. JC Dela Cruz, 2020
"the audience are like being controlled"
**
6. ProneMan OldButYoung, 2020
"So funny to compare the ladies reaction here, to them going to an Elvis show 😂"
**
7. Sivakumar Sannasi, 2020
"Anyone who watched Frankie Lymon's "Little Bitty Pretty One" and claimed the audience was racist, well... It's not has bad as it is.
-snip-
I think that this commenter means that since the facial expressions and lack of enthusiasm shown by this audience for White singer Neil Sedaka is basically the same as the audience close ups showed for the Black singer Franke Lymon, that means that that audience's lack of emotion during Lymon's performance can't be blamed on racism. I agree with that conclusion.
****
Example #2: Paul Anka - Lonely Boy (The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show - 1959)
John1948Ten, Mar 21, 2009
One of the biggest teen idols of the late '50s, Paul Anka moved to the adult sphere several years later and became a successful performer, songwriter, music businessman, and recording artist, remaining so well into the new millennium...
-snip-
Close ups from 1:07 to around 1:34 show an audience that was much less reserved than the audiences for Frankie Lymon or for Neil Sedaka. Maybe the difference was that neither Lymon nor Sedaka were considered "teen idols" for that series' population. That said, the audience still wasn't as enthusiastic as contemporary audiences would be for stars or mega-stars (since the term "teen idols" hasn't been used for a long time.) Also, there were many more smiles in the close-ups shown during African American Chuck Berry's performance [Example #2 above], so I'm not really sure what the differences in close-ups mean.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Revised June 29, 2020
This pancocojams post focuses on comments from a discussion thread about a 1960 Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show television film clip of African American Rock and Roll/Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singer Frankie Lymon performing his record "Little Bitty Pretty One".
Several YouTube film clips of 1958-1960 Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show television film clips that include audience close ups are shown to ascertain if the White audiences for those shows were as unenthusiastic for White performers and for Black performers as they were during the 1960s film clip of Frankie Lymon singing "Little Bitty Pretty On" on the Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show.
A few comments from one of the discussion threads for these film clips are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these film clips and thanks to all those who published them on YouTube.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
This post follows the recommendation of a commenter in the discussion thread for the Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show's film clip of African American singer Frankie Lymon performing his song "Little Bitty Pretty One". In that comment, which is quoted in Part I of this series, the commenter disagreed with statements by many other commenters that the audiences for that 1960s American television series (who were always White) were racist and/or expressed themselves any differently for Black performers than they did for White performers. Here's that comment, with the expletive that begins that comment removed:
SHAWN owen, 2020
"...."Check out the audiences of this show when the song searchin is performed, or Chuck Berry of Sam Cook. Get over yourself"
-snip-
This post also includes a film clip of White singer Neil Sedaka (as suggested by another commenter in that same discussion thread, as well as a film clip of Paul Anka, another White singer who appeared on that show. I've added some time notes after some of these film clips to point out when some audience close up appear in those film clips.
****
SHOWCASE FILM CLIPS OF BLACK PERFORMERS ON SATURDAY NIGHT "BEECH-NUT SHOW"
[These film clips are given in order of their mention in the comment mentioned above.]
Example #1: The Coasters - Searchin' (Saturday Night Beechnut Show - Mar 19, 1960)
John1948ThreeA, Aug 16, 2014
-snip-
From 1:47 to 1:58 is a close-up of a White female lip synching the words to the song. She's not smiling and doesn't appear that animated, but she clearly likes that song.
****
Example #2: Chuck Berry - School Days (Saturday Night Beech Nut Show - May 17, 1958
John1948ThreeA, Feb 15, 2015
Chuck Berry (Charles Edward Anderson Berry - born Oct. 18, 1926, St. Louis, Mo., U.S.) singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was one of the most popular and influential performers in rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll music in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s...
-snip-
Close-ups from 1:17 to around 1:30 show a much more animated audience.
****
SHOWCASE FILM CLIP OF A BLACK PERFORMER AND A WHITE PERFORMER ON "SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW"
Sam Cooke / Frankie Avalon March 14, 1959
NRRArchives, Dec 15, 2012
Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show. Sam Cooke performs his classic hit "You Send Me" followed by Frankie Avalon singing "Venus"...
-snip-
Around 2:15 to around 2:28 are somewhat animated shots of females' and males' reactions to seeing themselves in close-ups while Sam Cooke is singing. 5:25 to around 5:28 show much more animated close-ups of females while Frankie Avalon is singing. I think the level of the audience's animation increased for those singers who they considered to be "teen idols". Frankie Avalon was a teen idol for that White audience while Sam Cooke wasn't.
****
SHOWCASE FILM CLIPS OF WHITE PERFORMERS ON SATURDAY NIGHT BEECH-NUT SHOW"
Example #1: Neil Sedaka "Oh Carol"
NRRArchives, Mar 30, 2013
Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show. December 05, 1959
-snip-
Close-ups of the audience (from around.56 to around 1:26) show most females and males with expressionless faces.
-snip-
Here are some comments from this film clip's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. emre barlas, 2129
"Omg this guy like a puppet.. the way he dance, moving his arms. And what is wrong with the audience.."
**
REPLY
2. chris tine, 2020
"Hahahaha"
**
3. Alex Kelly, 2020
"What is wrong with the audience? This is a tune."
**
REPLY
4. fardin khan, 2020
"they have husband at home so they can't smile to an other man
-snip-
Although they look older, all of the audience were teenagers. The males who were shown in close-ups were also mostly expressionless.
**
5. JC Dela Cruz, 2020
"the audience are like being controlled"
**
6. ProneMan OldButYoung, 2020
"So funny to compare the ladies reaction here, to them going to an Elvis show 😂"
**
7. Sivakumar Sannasi, 2020
"Anyone who watched Frankie Lymon's "Little Bitty Pretty One" and claimed the audience was racist, well... It's not has bad as it is.
-snip-
I think that this commenter means that since the facial expressions and lack of enthusiasm shown by this audience for White singer Neil Sedaka is basically the same as the audience close ups showed for the Black singer Franke Lymon, that means that that audience's lack of emotion during Lymon's performance can't be blamed on racism. I agree with that conclusion.
****
Example #2: Paul Anka - Lonely Boy (The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show - 1959)
John1948Ten, Mar 21, 2009
One of the biggest teen idols of the late '50s, Paul Anka moved to the adult sphere several years later and became a successful performer, songwriter, music businessman, and recording artist, remaining so well into the new millennium...
-snip-
Close ups from 1:07 to around 1:34 show an audience that was much less reserved than the audiences for Frankie Lymon or for Neil Sedaka. Maybe the difference was that neither Lymon nor Sedaka were considered "teen idols" for that series' population. That said, the audience still wasn't as enthusiastic as contemporary audiences would be for stars or mega-stars (since the term "teen idols" hasn't been used for a long time.) Also, there were many more smiles in the close-ups shown during African American Chuck Berry's performance [Example #2 above], so I'm not really sure what the differences in close-ups mean.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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