Movin' with Nancy

Movin' with Nancy was a television special featuring Nancy Sinatra in a series of musical vignettes featuring herself and other artists. Produced by Nancy's production company, Boots Enterprises, Inc., and sponsored by Royal Crown Cola, the show was originally broadcast on the NBC television network on December 11, 1967 (8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern). It produced a companion soundtrack album, and was later released on DVD. The booklet for the CD soundtrack mentions several times that the special aired on CBS, but it aired on NBC.

This article is about the television special. For the soundtrack album, see Movin' with Nancy (album).
Movin' with Nancy
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Written byTom Mankiewicz
Directed byJack Haley, Jr.
StarringNancy Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., David Winters
Theme music composerBilly Strange
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1
Production
ProducerNancy Sinatra
EditorsDavid E. Blewitt, David Saxon
Running time60 mins.
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseDecember 11, 1967

Summary

The TV special was unlike most musical programs of its time, with the numbers performed outdoors on locations instead of the usual stage-bound production filmed before a live audience. Sinatra sang while driving down the highway, strolling in the California countryside, and aloft in a hot-air balloon. She performed duets with the guest stars she encountered along the way, with no introductions or interstitial dialog. The general effect was of a dream-like fantasy that flows from one location to the next, with segments resembling the later format of music videos.

The program included a for-the-era uncommon on-screen "interracial"—meaning white and black—kiss wherein Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. give each other a simultaneous kiss on the cheek. It took place at the end of a song-and-dance number by Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., with him kissing her affectionately on the cheek. Sinatra states in the commentary track on the DVD release that the seemingly spontaneous kiss was carefully planned, and deliberately done at the end of filming, when Davis had to leave for another job and could not shoot a retake.[1]

The production

Movin' was produced and directed by Jack Haley, Jr., with Nancy billed as executive producer as well as star, and featured guest appearances by her father, Frank Sinatra, her "fairy God-Uncle" (Dean Martin), who does a solo song and a duet with Nancy, Lee Hazlewood (who wrote most of her hit songs), dancer David Winters (who was also nominated for a special Emmy for his choreography), and Sammy Davis Jr. RC Cola sponsored the show and created five lavish commercials — in two of them, Sinatra danced and sang the RC jingle ("It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Cola!"). Art Linkletter served as the narrator for two of the commercials that opened and closed the program. Jack Haley Jr. won his first of two Emmy Awards for directing.

Song list
Song list
Title Written by Performed by
"I Gotta Get Out of this Town" Lee Hazlewood Nancy Sinatra
"Up, Up and Away" Jimmy Webb Nancy Sinatra
"Sugar Town" Lee Hazlewood Nancy Sinatra
"Some Velvet Morning" Lee Hazlewood Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood
"Jackson" Jerry Leiber, Billy Edd-Wheeler Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood
"This Town" Lee Hazlewood Nancy Sinatra
"Just Bummin' Around" Pete Graves Dean Martin
"Things" Bobby Darin Dean Martin, Nancy Sinatra
"What'd I Say?" Ray Charles Sammy Davis Jr., Nancy Sinatra
"Wait Till You See Him" (orig. "Her") Rodgers and Hart Nancy Sinatra
"Younger Than Springtime" Rodgers and Hammerstein Frank Sinatra
"Friday's Child" Lee Hazlewood Nancy Sinatra
"See the Little Children" Lee Hazlewood Nancy Sinatra
"Who Will Buy?" Lionel Bart Nancy Sinatra

Sequels

Two other "Movin' with Nancy" specials followed after the original was such a success. "Movin' with Nancy on Stage" aired in 1971[2] and was presented by "The Ed Sullivan Show." It featured the Osmond Brothers, among others, as guests. "Movin' with Nancy Nice 'n' Easy" was produced in 1973 (but unfinished) and featured The Muppets. Although Nancy hoped to release the two other specials on DVD, as of 2009, no plans have been made.

Home media

The special was released on DVD by Image Entertainment on May 2, 2000. It features a commentary track by Director Jack Haley Jr. and Nancy Sinatra. Sinatra reminisces about the outfits she was wearing in the show, and regrets not including her signature song, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", as part of the production. At the time, she states she wanted to showcase her other songs instead. Sinatra also mentions that the RC Cola commercials were designed to be an integral part of the show.[1]

See also

References
  1. Nancy Sinatra (2000). Movin' with Nancy (DVD Commentary Track). Chatsworth, CA: Image Intertainment.
  2. Staff (1971). "Movin' with Nancy on Stage". Variety. New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
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