Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Big T.N.T. Show Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 26, 2016

Note: This film is available as part of T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show.

Horace William Sargent, Jr. may not be a name familiar to many of you, but how can you not love a guy whose obituary in Variety contained the following memorable tidbit:

His ambitious but often-unrealized schemes included. . .a proposed closed-circuit fight between a man and a great white shark, stopped by the United Nations.

In another online tribute to Sargent, a former collaborator of his stated, "He's Mike Todd and P.T. Barnum rolled into one. I have never met a more flamboyant or brilliant promoter," though Sargent never seemed to be able to actually hold on to that vaunted brass ring after he fleetingly grasped it at various times. Sargent (who went by the nickname Bill) was at the forefront of early quasi pay per view events, those these weren’t transmitted to televisions but rather via closed circuit to theaters. Sargent got the bright idea of videotaping live events and then transferring them to film in what for all intents and purposes amounted to that era’s version of a “high definition” kinescope (with over 800 interlaced lines of raw video data, over twice that of “standard” television broadcasts), something that allowed the product to be projected on large screens without much degradation of image quality. Sargent dubbed this technology Electronovision, and debuted his idea with a perhaps intentionally highbrow effort, Richard Burton’s celebrated turn as Hamlet, then a recent Broadway smash hit. Sargent followed up Hamlet with something decidedly more “populist” in nature, a concert video entitled The T.A.M.I. Show, though it’s perhaps indicative of some cracks in Sargent’s ostensible promotional acumen that no one seemed to be able to decide what the acronym T.A.M.I. stood for. The trailer for the film clearly states Teen Age Music International (whatever that means), while other materials proffer Teenage Awards Music International, a definition which perhaps more accurately implies that Sargent’s original conception was an annual concert highlighting the best in youth oriented music. Both the appealing commentary on The T.A.M.I. Show as well as the in depth essay included in the insert booklet with this two disc set (a relative rarity for a Shout! release) detail how Sargent’s failure to manage funds (not entirely his fault) led to the quick demise of Electronovision, at least in its iteration as Electronovision. (For those interested, there is an absolutely fascinating book called Dueling Harlows by Tom Lisanti which documents Sargent’s post-T.A.M.I. attempts to bring his Electronovision version of a biographical film about Jean Harlow out while Joseph E. Levine was prepping another version of Harlow’s tale—with neither “film” doing very well nor it should be added providing anything close to an accurate accounting of Harlow’s life.) The T.A.M.I. Show is often cited as one of the most remarkable concert videos of its era, with a really fascinating blend of acts that includes everyone from Lesley Gore to Gerry and the Pacemakers to James Brown to The Rolling Stones. The concert has had a pretty spotty history on home video, with many bootlegs appearing over the years, often shorn of the performance by The Beach Boys. Shout! released a restored version on DVD, and is now offering the first high definition version of the concert, along with what was for all intents and purposes another Electronovision-ish (for lack of a better word) follow-up, The Big T.N.T. Show, another concert which featured the same videotape to film technology, but without Sargent’s involvement.

Though some fans of American pop music may associate folk trends more with late fifties and early sixties aggregations like The Kingston Trio or Peter, Paul and Mary, there was another mini-folk incursion that occurred in the wake of The British Invasion, and it’s on display in The Big T.N.T. Show, courtesy of such performers as Joan Baez, Donovan and (some might argue) The Byrds. One of the odder seeming participants might seem to be David McCallum (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as host and putative conductor of the large orchestra, but lovers of mid-sixties kitsch will know that McCallum actually recorded several decent selling albums for Capitol in the mid- to late sixties as a conductor (and ostensibly arranger, though I have my doubts).

Those folk and easy listening proclivities blend surprisingly well with other performers, including a sweet set by The Lovin’ Spoonful (who blow their first intro to a song, having to start over). John Sebastian’s cradling of his autoharp is kind of weirdly lovable. Petula Clark gives a more pop oriented approach that probably appealed to parents as much as teens back in 1965, with a more glamorous ambience that is reminiscent of weekly variety shows from that era.

The Baez and Donovan segments are interesting, if kind of a drag on the show’s overall energy. One of the most interesting moments comes when Phil Spector (who was in charge of general music direction for the concert) sits next to Baez plunking out a few chords on the piano as she does a creditable job with The Righteous Brothers’ signature tune “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.” Another folk-ish interlude comes courtesy of Roger Miller, then enjoying a surprising run of country-fied hits. Probably the most energetic sets in this concert come from some of the African American performers, including Ray Charles, Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes, and especially Ike and Tina Turner. The Big T.N.T. Show doesn’t quite replicate the excitement of The T.A.M.I. Show, but as a time capsule of the incredible variety of music that was capturing young folks’ attention circa 1965-66, it’s invaluable.

The Big T.N.T. Show features the following performances:

David McCallum (conducting the orchestra): (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (instrumental)

Ray Charles: What’d I Say

Petula Clark: Downtown

The Lovin’ Spoonful: Do You Believe in Magic, You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice

Bo Diddley: Hey Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley

Joan Baez: 500 Miles, There But for Fortune

Ray Charles: Georgia on my Mind, Let the Good Times Roll

Joan Baez and Phil Spector: You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling

The Ronettes: Be My Baby, Shout

Roger Miller: Dang Me, Engine Engine #9, King of the Road, England Swings

The Byrds: Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season), The Bells of Rhymney, Mr. Tambourine Man

Petula Clark: You’re the One, My Love

Donovan: Universal Soldier, Summer Day Reflection Songs, Bert’s Blues, Sweet Joy

The Ike & Tina Turner Revue: Shake, A Fool in Love, It’s Gonna Work Out Fine, Please Please Please, Goodbye So Long

David McCallum (conducting the orchestra): 1-2-3

The Big T.N.T. Show Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Big T.N.T. Show is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. I really wish there had been a commentary included with this release like there is on The T.A.M.I. Show, for I'd love to know some of the technical background of the shoot, since this presentation has some subtle but noticeable differences from its sibling included in the two disc set. There's relatively little of the blooming (i.e., haloing) that's on display in The T.A.M.I. Show, and in fact I'd say overall that this has a more traditionally "filmic" appearance, with less of the video underlay that gives The T.A.M.I. Show such a distinctive "hybrid" appearance. That said, there is definitely a mish mash of appearances here, as can be seen in the screenshots, and the grain field on this presentation is less organic looking (if admittedly less noisy appearing at times) than the one in The T.A.M.I. Show. There are moments here when the grain seems to line up in parallel vertical lines, giving the presentation a weird patterned look. Things are still relatively soft looking most of the time, though close-ups offer at least reasonable levels of detail. Contrast is a bit more consistent on this presentation than with The T.A.M.I. Show.

The Big T.N.T. Show Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Big T.N.T. Show features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track which, like its video component, has at least a bit less damage than its The T.A.M.I. Show counterpart. While hiss is still very much in attendance (you can hear in quieter moments like some of the Petula Clark or Joan Baez songs), there's less (but not a total absence of) distortion and other issues like pops and cracks. Fidelity is fine, though there's still a somewhat boxy sound that is evident, especially in some of the louder moments. While the audience is about as enthusiastic as the one in The T.A.M.I. Show, there's a bit less of the omnipresent screaming going on, meaning the performers can be heard a bit better overall.

The Big T.N.T. Show Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interviews (1080p; 27:12) feature good (and sometimes funny) reminiscences from Petula Clark, John Sebastian and Henry Diltz.


• The Big T.N.T. Show - An Eclectic Mix (1080p; 8:26) features more snippets of the same interview sessions used in the above feature, with a focus on the different styles of music in the concert.


• Trailer (1080p; 3:02)

The Big T.N.T. Show Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kind of unbelievably, The Big T.N.T. Show was directed by Larry Peerce, probably better remembered for such efforts as Goodbye, Columbus and Two-Minute Warning. Peerce manages his forces quite well, though, and Phil Spector's musical influence is felt far beyond acts like The Ronettes. There's more of a variant energy level in this concert than in The T.A.M.I. Show, but there is some wonderful music that lovers of the sixties' sound(s) are sure to enjoy. As with The T.A.M.I. Show, the technical deficiencies of the presentation can't undermine the ultimate worth of the release, and The T.N.T. Show comes Recommended.