I just get chills everytime I view this video of these wonderfully talented people & it brings back such stirring memories of that time in our history. The person who said "especially in these times" was so correct. Peace and Love to you all. Great seeing some of you I know from the website, performing it.
@BaronM Hi from the windy Caribbean! Its true the BIG young guy, with black hat, and long sideburns at :16, then at 5:36, wearing a long black vest, jean, not Levi´s jean, shaggy hair, look his rock and roll style, how he is moving his arms and last at 8:40, how he is clapping, Larger than Life is Meat Loaf! He was part of that historical era. ¨I loved that show¨ (To hell and back, p. 103). Meat, God bless you wherever you are!
I love this video because my dad was part of the cast. He has been deceased since 1979. I had to show this to his grandkids tonight. It tripped them out to see their grandpa on this video. I need to find where I can purchase this Smothers Brothers episode.
Hello, that would be wonderful to see in person. My dad is Johnny McKinnis. This would have been great for my mom, his wife to see. My mom was looking for this before she passed.
Where has the love gone? The love turned into a bunch of angry old Socialists and Marxists who now run this country and want to strip it it of everything it was founded upon. That's where the love went.
@mnsnake I suspect that you've fallen into the common error of conflating hippies and student activists, two groups of people who, in reality, had little to do with one another. Hippies wanted to drop out of society; student activists wanted to transform it. Those activists who went on to run this country are certainly older now but hardly Socialist (no self-respecting Socialist would identify with them), and the anger, I suspect, is a projection of your own emotions. Peace and love!
I like your video now check out "MR CLUB BANGA on youtube" the black male with blonde hair and white eyes. The song is called "THROW YA COLORS UP". You say crazy, but I say kool!
Your average middle American watching this performance must have been scared out of their minds! (not that they'd be watching the Smothers Brothers show)
Hi everybody there! I am correcting: you are watching the young Meat Loaf wearing a black hat on the right side at (.16-.18 secs) and on the left side at (5.34-.38). To Meat Loaf: your whishes all came true,your song be sang, you stay forever young!
Hi everybody there, from the hot Caribbean!That is the young Meat Loaf, wearing a black hat on the right side (.26 -.27 sec.): He borned with Rock ¨N¨ Roll inside,you can watch him dancing on the left side (6.45-.47).I like his shaggy look.!
Hi everybody there!Thank 2oldRock for posting this valuable historical vd.This pionneering play, transcendental miror of this time, those greatest babies boomer that formed our nation.That generation that knew where they had and gave to the world more than love and peace.I wonder why we do not have them today?
Absolutely wonderful! Too see all of us again as kids, weren't we just grand? Jim looks great and Jerry was such a stitch. And there was Joey and all the "kids" as we were. sigh
whoever posted this video of Delores Hall singing Aquarius IT IS ABOUT TIME!. It is the best recording of Hair Productions in Los Angeles. There is also one performance of "Hair" at st. Johns Catheral in New York of 1970. I don't know who has that one and should be released to the internet.
Yes, he is the one that looks like Meat Loaf. After the west coast cast he appeared on Broadway. Oddly enough, or not, Richard O'Brien and Time Curry also got their start in Hair, in the London cast.
Being in my late teens while Hair was in it's original heyday I absolutely loved everything about the show. Never got to NY to see the Broadway prod but saw it in both Chi and Madtown WI....as well as this clip when originally aired. I was totally mesmerized thoughout those shows. The concept at the time, being so radical, added to the fun of the experience. To me, one of the little things that added so much to the sound was the use of the bass and sax in some of the music. Truly loved this!
my mom saw the original and has nothing but good things to say about it.. i just saw the revival on broadway and where i cant compare it to the memories you have my mouth hung open the entire time.. i absolutely loved it
so.. soo... sooooo beautiful. So amazing. Such profound words and poetry. I wish so badly I could be in this musical. AND. It gives me a kind of nostalgia I don't quite understand.. but I wish I had been "there". Love!!!
No... Diane was in the original BROADWAY tribe, replacing Lynn Kellog. The first West Coast tribe's "Sheila" was Jennifer Warnes, who later went on to fame singing in two #1 duets, "I Had The Time Of My Life"(from DIRTY DANCING), and "Love Lift Me Up Where We Belong" (from AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN).
"HAIR 1980" was short lived and memorable I was the graphic Artist of the show but surprisingly my talents werent need for the stage as previously stated. We performed on a blak and dark stage with no props worthy of the name and was yet gave powerful performances----"Rich" Kiambu AbdulMalik Akhdarr
We redid HAIR in he early 80s calling it "HAIR 1980" up dateing it with events of the time and surprisingly it turned out great and rememberable but short-lived. Stanley Ramsey played Hud . Rik Malone was dynamic as Claude and was the star of the show but how could you forget Michale Camacho[of the group SLY FOX] as Berger? But the show was so powerful that we didnt need any scenery to help carry it along,all we had was a black darken background.
The audience was still well dressed back then...I see yonger types are still in jacket and tie! Remarkable. I remember the commotion this show caused back then and I wanted soooo bad to be a hippie!!! Alas!!
I went to this play with this same cast when it at the aquarius theatre in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. Thanks for this post. Actually, Thanks for all the Smothers Brothers shows its great seeing them again.Sure would be great if they would come out on DVD but I know it cant happen cuz I heard all the masters are gone, like for instance the Hollywood Squares.
you are still right.. there are some of us that try.. but its hard, im soon to be a theatcher. and ill give my pupils poesi. (and ill fight everyone that say nynorsk is crap)(( nynorsk is one of the norwegian language. its more close to most of the dialects we got, and it sounds good.)) btw fuck al u white thrash, overconsuming motherfuckers out there! u realy make the world a harder place to be. and if annyone got some thing to say bout me spelling; go ahead.
sorry im drunk... ok im off gonna see Rolling Stones w Eric Clapton - Little Red Rooster. just to ur right.. chekk out my fav list.. thre are john lee hoooker there.. and bill hicks.. the profet.. i recon..
Nynorsk is Craaaap!!!!!!! It's nothing but waist of time learning nynorks in school. ppl are forced to learn a language that most of them wont need ONE single time beside school. It's just ridiculous!
What was everyone so afraid of about this show? I finally saw a wonderful production at CMU some years ago and was struck with the INNOCENCE of the piece and the time - and the loss of that innocence. And today? Makes you believe in devolution...
i saw the first show in london in the glorious 60's.i saw it 4 times cos i was a hippie and still am at 76 .i got on the stage and sang with marsha hunt.oliver tobias,annabel levington and sang my little heart out,where is the utopia we sang for? so so so sad so so so bad. the singing was good on this video.don't let the show die.play i in schools,and let the children play.love and peace to you all from mrs.hippiex
While Meatloaf was indeed in the LA cast of Hair (as well as Detroit, NY, and the Mercury national tour) that is not he in this clip. The man you are referring to is Joey Richards.
Imdb says Diane Keaton was understudy to the lead. What I'm struck with, being a fan of the music of this show since I could practically talk, is how gawdawful the choreography is here. I mean, standing in a circle with your back to the audience? Yeah, I'd say the Twyla Tharp version is a bit of an improvement.
Totally fabulous--thank you for posting this. I wore out my father's copy of the soundtrack, and after putting the DVD on my ipod it quickly shot to the top of my most played list. Never got to see the play, obviously, but man oh Manischewitz do I love the soundtrack and the music.
i was probably feeling a bit cynical sorry about that - just can't stand it myself - should have just kept my mouth shut! ("if you've not get anything nice to say etc...")
At the time, the musical's depiction of the use of illegal drugs, sexuality, profanity, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy.
Hippie rock began to really kick out the jams after Woodstock. There was some good stuff but the post-Woodstock/pre-disco stuff was the peak of rock music.
Yup, Nell was in the NY cast later on during the show's run.
I think Diane Keaton was "just" a tribe player; I don't think she actually played a named character, although she very well may have subbed as Jeannie or Sheila at various times.
Um, uh, well. I dig the movie recorded versions of 'Old Fashioned Melody/Electric Blues' and 'Walking in Space' but that thumb-thumping bass just killed it. It was supposed to be 1968, not 1979. Too 'contemporary' sounding. The movie could have been SO much better if they stuck with the script, AND the time-frame.
Well, according to the title, it's the LA cast, and yes, that's Rado and Ragni (you can't mistake Ragni's voice!). From what I understand, the two of them flew out to LA to help open the show. Man...Rado looked old even then...
According to the original poster, you can see Meat Loaf in this clip...but he was with the Detroit cast, n'est-ce pas??
The "Aquarius" singer, IINM, is the late Delores Hall (or did someone mention that already?)...
@scatteredfrog Rado was old--for a hippie, anyway. He was born in 1932 and, according to one memoir I read, by the time he was in "Hair" he had ... well ... not much of it (hey, what are wigs for?).
@Seasass He was the Best Claude ever. And they wrote a good show, i would have lost a few things too time the show was produced. But when t was produced it took off.. Then again it came out and this time one a Tony finally on tour now.
@Seasass He was the Best Claude ever. And they wrote a good show, i would have lost a few things too time the show was produced. But when it was produced it took off.. Then again it came out and this time one a Tony finally on tour now.
That is the original cast. I believe it includes Gerry Ragni, Jim Rado, Lamont Washington etc. Best soundtrack ever... I had it memorized by the time I was 9.
This aired December 8th, 1968. Gerry Ragni and Jim Rado were on hand for this performance and did help to open the LA production. But, they were not part of the original LA cast. But, who cares? Without Ragni and Rado there would be no HAiR and that would be tragedy.
Almost all Broadway Productions are better than the movie versions. The movie versions of: Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, and Man Of La mancha were butchered.
But one must remember that the film version of "Tommy" did come before the Broadway version and stayed very true to the original rock opera (and this is coming from someone who loves the Broadway version and doesn't really like the film).
I should have been more clear about Tommy. The Who did the Tommy live during thier concert tour in 1969 and were outstanding. The movie pails in comparrison. The Broadway production came much later when the Who were passed their prime.
Oh okay. My friend played Claude in the original San Francisco production and the guy here kinda looked like him. So I thought maybe it could have been him.
I love HAIR its such a stoner play! I fell in love with it when I saw it at my University's production of it. Maybe I'll get to see it in Broadway someday when theres a revival.
OMG...James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Jennifer Warnes as "Sheila", Delores Hall...Julie Arnell's original choreography for "Aquarius"- I never thought I'd see any of these performers or performances again. I was a "groupie", and met a lot of the original cast in NY. I saw the LA cast a couple of times, and what a joy to see them perform.
this is not only the original LA cast, but members of the ORIGINAL NYC CAST including Rado and Ragni playing Berger and Claude. Incredible footage. Thanks for sharing. P.S. for anyone doing Hair in the future, this is a great blueprint, as this was the way the show was intended.
This is the LA cast .. Rado and Ragni went to LA to open the LA production as Cladue and Berger while the Bway run was still up (68-72). I think LA opened in 1969. If you look closely you'll see Ben Vereen (headband, moustache). This cast also had Jobriath, Jennifer Warnes, Delores Hall, Dobie Gray(?). Thrilling to see Ragni...WOW!!
Muwekma Tribe of San Jose thanks you for posting this historical piece about Hair. I am playing Berger this Summer and appreciate all the reference I can get! see our show if you are in the area, just google Stagelight Productions for tickets
I volunteer ushered at the Aquarius Theatre over 30 times summer 69 (I was 17). I recorded this broadcast on reel to reel tape (which I still have). Delores Hall's and Jennifer's voices soared like no others. "Songbooks and Sheet Music" Teda Bracci I miss you. God bless Jobriath.
That's all great in theory, but in reality Hair was an enormously successful Broadway Musical which had a lot of regional companies (tribes). A typical theatre has about 1500 seats. Say tickets were $10-$15. That's like $15,000-$20,000 a show, eight shows a week.
Apparently ur not too brushed up on ur HAIRSTory because HAIR was never intended for ACTORS looking to get paid. Hair made its debut with random people pulled off the streets to give the feeling of reality. Nobody was an actor looking for a job, and the people they sang with every day and night became their families.
HAIR was the 1st show done by Joe Papp for NYC Shakespeare Festival- all done by PROFESSIONAL actors, which was the same on Broadway. VERY few non-pro's! The concept of "The Tribe" was from producer Michael Butler. Read Lorrie Davis's bio LETTING DOWN MY HAIR so you won't be so misinformed!
You seem a knowledgable person, so forgive me if I ask you this question... Do you know if the original cast were ever filmed for a full show? Cos I'd really love to see it.
Oh, and thanks for the recommend on the book, I've just bought a copy on ebay, and look forward to devouring it!
Unfortunately, there's no filmed copy of the show(as they do now for historical purposes). The most accessable footage of the OBC is their appearance on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW for a quick medley(if you can track it down). For books, also check out THE AGE OF HAIR.
Thanks so much for the recommendation for the book. I just finished it, and it was remarkable! Although now instead of wishing it had been filmed, I now dream of having seen it live! (Or even been backstage!!!)
goatboy- I have two more suggestions for you: LET THE SUNSHINE IN, by Scott Miller. The book delves into the socio-political impact that HAIR had on society, and it's a fascinating read. Also check out Jonathan Johnson's GOOD HAIR DAYS- he was the last "Claude" on Broadway, and it's more along the lines of Ms. Davis's book- there's also a full chapter on 25 alumni from various productions of the show. Both books can be bought on Amazon.
Why, thank you, squire! :-) I shall endevour to check them out, and any stories you care to share from your days as a Hair groupie would be gratefully, and appreciativly, read!
It's a little bit of each. My wife and I are friends with Walter Michael Harris, who sang "What A Piece of Work Is Man" with Ronnie Dyson in the Broadway show. WMH comes from a family of actors (you can see his father George in the movie Superman). He told us that when his family moved to NYC, they all went out to get acting jobs, and Hair was his gig. Mary Davis was also a professional actor looking for an acting job.
So it was both "off-the-street" hippies and actual professional actors.
JIM- Im gonna explain this for them the best that i can-
HAIR was the story of a group of hippies protesting the vietnam war and the fact that the people they loved were being forced into the draft so young and dying. 3500 body bags were sent along with 3500 soldiers because the government knew they wouldnt have a chance. They called themselves a tribe because " thats what the indians were about" as Woof tells us in the beginning of the show.
Jobriath Salisbury who played Huff in this (the blonde surfer looking guy) died in the Pyramid on top of the Chelsea Hotel in 1983 from aids. His body was there for a few days before anyone noticed.
So sad. Guess he lost contact with the "tribe"
As an actor is seems wioerd to call a job as a castmember a "tribe". You can't get fired from a tribe,
THEY WERE ALL 'ONE', one giant family, fighting for the same cause.
tribe isnt just a cast. and its certainly not a job in the payment sense. TRibe, is family. The HAIR tribe, extends from the 1960s all the way to today, 2007. and as far as i know is the only show to consider the people who portray the characters a tribe.
Was Bert Sommer part of this cast? The guy with the afro and white vest kinda looks like him, but I cant get a good view at him.
SirSharon 1 month ago
I never knew Jennifer Warnes did Hair. Never knew she could sing with such power either. That duet with her and Delores Hall was epic.
dsfddsgh 3 months ago
I just get chills everytime I view this video of these wonderfully talented people & it brings back such stirring memories of that time in our history. The person who said "especially in these times" was so correct. Peace and Love to you all. Great seeing some of you I know from the website, performing it.
cookster1030 7 months ago
You can unmistakably see MEAT LOAF in the back! Hint: He's bigger than the others.
BaronM 7 months ago
@BaronM Hi from the windy Caribbean! Its true the BIG young guy, with black hat, and long sideburns at :16, then at 5:36, wearing a long black vest, jean, not Levi´s jean, shaggy hair, look his rock and roll style, how he is moving his arms and last at 8:40, how he is clapping, Larger than Life is Meat Loaf! He was part of that historical era. ¨I loved that show¨ (To hell and back, p. 103). Meat, God bless you wherever you are!
coquiisland 2 months ago
Facing a dying nation...a moving paper fantasy...
------------
Powerful words/lyrics...now more than ever
johnlouisville 9 months ago
the first time I ever saw this footage was in Tom O'Horgan's apartment, about 10 years ago...it's so beautiful, so gentle.. LOVE!
artiefiscal 1 year ago
"Why don't my mother love me?" Powerful.
HooKnoo 1 year ago
I love this video because my dad was part of the cast. He has been deceased since 1979. I had to show this to his grandkids tonight. It tripped them out to see their grandpa on this video. I need to find where I can purchase this Smothers Brothers episode.
mimi45961 1 year ago
@mimi45961 Who was your father if you don't mind? We're always asking where certain people are so they can come to our Reunion's. Thank you.
tedabracci 1 year ago
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TheRonnette4 1 year ago
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TheRonnette4 1 year ago
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TheRonnette4 1 year ago
@tedabracci
Hello, that would be wonderful to see in person. My dad is Johnny McKinnis. This would have been great for my mom, his wife to see. My mom was looking for this before she passed.
TheRonnette4 1 year ago
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TheRonnette4 1 year ago
Lynn was the Shelia on Broadway, and Jennifer "The Right Time of The Night" is Shelia on the West Coast.
tedabracci 1 year ago
David Hunt about time you said something good, and i agree.
tedabracci 1 year ago
who's the blond with the long hair that the rest of the tribe is circled around (bout the 5:23 mark of the 2nd song, "Hair")?
belairjeff 1 year ago
@belairjeff I think that's Lynn Kellogg, who was the original Sheila on Broadway.
Seasass 1 year ago
OMG! Jim Rado and Gerome Ragini are my heros! I hae had the pleasure of meeting Jim Rado twice and he is such a nice guy! I love this show so much!
yankeegirl17 1 year ago
Jennifer Warnes is friggin hot! I love that hippie look! 7:09
jonpaulmoen 1 year ago
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jonpaulmoen 1 year ago
Where has the love gone? The love turned into a bunch of angry old Socialists and Marxists who now run this country and want to strip it it of everything it was founded upon. That's where the love went.
mnsnake 1 year ago
@mnsnake Do you have ANY idea what you're talking about? Because from your comment it doesn't seem like it.
Angelus22 1 year ago
@mnsnake I suspect that you've fallen into the common error of conflating hippies and student activists, two groups of people who, in reality, had little to do with one another. Hippies wanted to drop out of society; student activists wanted to transform it. Those activists who went on to run this country are certainly older now but hardly Socialist (no self-respecting Socialist would identify with them), and the anger, I suspect, is a projection of your own emotions. Peace and love!
Seasass 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I like your video now check out "MR CLUB BANGA on youtube" the black male with blonde hair and white eyes. The song is called "THROW YA COLORS UP". You say crazy, but I say kool!
OfficialMrClubBanga 1 year ago
beautiful voice...one of the best ive ever heard *smile*
inyu76 1 year ago
Your average middle American watching this performance must have been scared out of their minds! (not that they'd be watching the Smothers Brothers show)
starkwell01 1 year ago
Hi everybody there! I am correcting: you are watching the young Meat Loaf wearing a black hat on the right side at (.16-.18 secs) and on the left side at (5.34-.38). To Meat Loaf: your whishes all came true,your song be sang, you stay forever young!
coquiisland 1 year ago
Hi everybody there, from the hot Caribbean!That is the young Meat Loaf, wearing a black hat on the right side (.26 -.27 sec.): He borned with Rock ¨N¨ Roll inside,you can watch him dancing on the left side (6.45-.47).I like his shaggy look.!
coquiisland 1 year ago
Hi everybody there!Thank 2oldRock for posting this valuable historical vd.This pionneering play, transcendental miror of this time, those greatest babies boomer that formed our nation.That generation that knew where they had and gave to the world more than love and peace.I wonder why we do not have them today?
coquiisland 1 year ago
Tommy Smothers financed the west coast version of the show.
DeputyDawg999 1 year ago
These are the same performers of Hair
when I saw the play in New York
in the summer of '68.
Will cherish that day forever--love
the music and everything that "Hair"
stood for.
danettecute 1 year ago
An artists duty is to reflect the times...how can you be an artist and not reflect the times ...Nina Simone
Ain't Got No...I've Got Life
hairtthemusicalfan 2 years ago
The Smother's Brothers show was the greatest of the 1960s...The other shows of that era were so disconnected with what was occurring in that decade.
johnlouisville 2 years ago
Raw and organic as HAIR should be! Gave me chills!
bwilson1914 2 years ago
Absolutely wonderful! Too see all of us again as kids, weren't we just grand? Jim looks great and Jerry was such a stitch. And there was Joey and all the "kids" as we were. sigh
CorinneAct 2 years ago
Man, JW looks really cute here!
jonpaulmoen 2 years ago
OK, where is it???
amartymar 2 years ago
Where is my comments
amartymar 2 years ago
whoever posted this video of Delores Hall singing Aquarius IT IS ABOUT TIME!. It is the best recording of Hair Productions in Los Angeles. There is also one performance of "Hair" at st. Johns Catheral in New York of 1970. I don't know who has that one and should be released to the internet.
Pappynson 2 years ago 4
I wonder if this will post...???
amartymar 2 years ago
Plese, doesn't eveybody agree that it is time for a new new new revival? I am ready to travel to wherever it may be just to see it.
christopher242424 2 years ago
HAIR is playing here in Basel!!! See you there! ; )
agemming 2 years ago
There's the Broadway revival.
gchimmel 2 years ago
It's on Broadway....
xlr838801 2 years ago
It's playing in NYC... So go!
amartymar 2 years ago
Jobriath at 5:06
jemb2000 2 years ago
Is that Meatloaf in the tribe?
zannelove 2 years ago
Meatloaf was in one of the tribes. I read that in a book on "Hair."
Sox575 2 years ago
Yes, he is the one that looks like Meat Loaf. After the west coast cast he appeared on Broadway. Oddly enough, or not, Richard O'Brien and Time Curry also got their start in Hair, in the London cast.
Rasdiff 2 years ago
Being in my late teens while Hair was in it's original heyday I absolutely loved everything about the show. Never got to NY to see the Broadway prod but saw it in both Chi and Madtown WI....as well as this clip when originally aired. I was totally mesmerized thoughout those shows. The concept at the time, being so radical, added to the fun of the experience. To me, one of the little things that added so much to the sound was the use of the bass and sax in some of the music. Truly loved this!
caseywi50 2 years ago
my mom saw the original and has nothing but good things to say about it.. i just saw the revival on broadway and where i cant compare it to the memories you have my mouth hung open the entire time.. i absolutely loved it
JeffMiele 2 years ago
BRILLIANT
54spiritedwill54 2 years ago
Jennifer Warnes looks sexy with her hair "undone" in that hippie kind of way. Love her voice.
jonpaulmoen 3 years ago
Gloria (Tainted Love) Jones at 7:47 !
TheGloriaJones 3 years ago
so.. soo... sooooo beautiful. So amazing. Such profound words and poetry. I wish so badly I could be in this musical. AND. It gives me a kind of nostalgia I don't quite understand.. but I wish I had been "there". Love!!!
inanoctopussgarden 3 years ago
Is that Diane Keaton as Sheila?
darthaslan 3 years ago
No... Diane was in the original BROADWAY tribe, replacing Lynn Kellog. The first West Coast tribe's "Sheila" was Jennifer Warnes, who later went on to fame singing in two #1 duets, "I Had The Time Of My Life"(from DIRTY DANCING), and "Love Lift Me Up Where We Belong" (from AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN).
Trampyre 3 years ago 2
@Trampyre Wasn't Jennifer Warnes'
biggest hit called "Right Time of the Night"?
tracys2cents 1 year ago
Thats not west coast east coast that is aqaurius^^ MFG
CreatorXZ 3 years ago
"The rest is silence... Let the sun shine, let the sun shine in."
I'm having a serious flashback, Where's my dashiki when I need it?
89smokey 3 years ago
I loved it in '69 and I loved it still, last week...2008
RIP Gerry Ragni... peace!
"The rest is silence"
Kissntel01 3 years ago
"HAIR 1980" was short lived and memorable I was the graphic Artist of the show but surprisingly my talents werent need for the stage as previously stated. We performed on a blak and dark stage with no props worthy of the name and was yet gave powerful performances----"Rich" Kiambu AbdulMalik Akhdarr
DinoSoGreat5000 3 years ago
We redid HAIR in he early 80s calling it "HAIR 1980" up dateing it with events of the time and surprisingly it turned out great and rememberable but short-lived. Stanley Ramsey played Hud . Rik Malone was dynamic as Claude and was the star of the show but how could you forget Michale Camacho[of the group SLY FOX] as Berger? But the show was so powerful that we didnt need any scenery to help carry it along,all we had was a black darken background.
DinoSoGreat5000 3 years ago
Beads flowers, freedom, happiness!
Eyes look your last; arms take your last embrace, and lips, you close the door to breath, sealed with a rightious kiss,
The rest is silence!
scubawrestler 3 years ago
Peace, Love and Sunshine!!!
azdalin2000 3 years ago
A slice of history. Great musical.
palinlondon 3 years ago
Damn I wish, wish, wish! I could've seen this (in its original form)!!
Is meatloaf in this video?!
cutthefx 3 years ago 2
Amazing!! Please tell me you have more Rado/Ragni Hair stuff!!!
graydog8 3 years ago
The audience was still well dressed back then...I see yonger types are still in jacket and tie! Remarkable. I remember the commotion this show caused back then and I wanted soooo bad to be a hippie!!! Alas!!
1killertomato 3 years ago
Brilliant work, great clip score!
MarkMBravura 3 years ago
I went to this play with this same cast when it at the aquarius theatre in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. Thanks for this post. Actually, Thanks for all the Smothers Brothers shows its great seeing them again.Sure would be great if they would come out on DVD but I know it cant happen cuz I heard all the masters are gone, like for instance the Hollywood Squares.
yahowa57 4 years ago
@yahowa57 PBS Had a show with the Bros. and they were selling DVD's of their show and talked all about it.
tedabracci 1 year ago
love this play
marklindsayfan1 4 years ago
these two guys, ragni and rado are fuckin genius!!!!
i need some more please post it!!!!!
giub81 4 years ago
you are still right.. there are some of us that try.. but its hard, im soon to be a theatcher. and ill give my pupils poesi. (and ill fight everyone that say nynorsk is crap)(( nynorsk is one of the norwegian language. its more close to most of the dialects we got, and it sounds good.)) btw fuck al u white thrash, overconsuming motherfuckers out there! u realy make the world a harder place to be. and if annyone got some thing to say bout me spelling; go ahead.
kurrekarmeruk 4 years ago
sorry im drunk... ok im off gonna see Rolling Stones w Eric Clapton - Little Red Rooster. just to ur right.. chekk out my fav list.. thre are john lee hoooker there.. and bill hicks.. the profet.. i recon..
kurrekarmeruk 4 years ago
Canned Heat
kurrekarmeruk 4 years ago
Nynorsk is Craaaap!!!!!!! It's nothing but waist of time learning nynorks in school. ppl are forced to learn a language that most of them wont need ONE single time beside school. It's just ridiculous!
grashopper1991 4 years ago
What was everyone so afraid of about this show? I finally saw a wonderful production at CMU some years ago and was struck with the INNOCENCE of the piece and the time - and the loss of that innocence. And today? Makes you believe in devolution...
lillybruce 4 years ago
i saw the first show in london in the glorious 60's.i saw it 4 times cos i was a hippie and still am at 76 .i got on the stage and sang with marsha hunt.oliver tobias,annabel levington and sang my little heart out,where is the utopia we sang for? so so so sad so so so bad. the singing was good on this video.don't let the show die.play i in schools,and let the children play.love and peace to you all from mrs.hippiex
june1932 4 years ago
This can't be the original LA cast because I see neither Ben Vereen nor Leni Ashmore Sorensen.
micktdx 4 years ago
While Meatloaf was indeed in the LA cast of Hair (as well as Detroit, NY, and the Mercury national tour) that is not he in this clip. The man you are referring to is Joey Richards.
archive68 4 years ago
Im just happy somebody posted this!
dynamos87 4 years ago
I had the original soundtrack long before I seen the movie and it remains one of my favorites. Thanks so much for posting this video.
jamdinbard 4 years ago 2
This is the classic original cast. If you listen to the original soundtrack this is them. I had it memorized by the time I was eight.
scotfmurphy 4 years ago
"This is the classic original cast."
No, it's not. It's the Los Angeles cast, which was highly acclaimed, especially Jennifer Warnes, seen prominently in the last song.
tenzing9 4 years ago
Imdb says Diane Keaton was understudy to the lead. What I'm struck with, being a fan of the music of this show since I could practically talk, is how gawdawful the choreography is here. I mean, standing in a circle with your back to the audience? Yeah, I'd say the Twyla Tharp version is a bit of an improvement.
mommybg 4 years ago 2
Love them hippies. Life should be like that now. Less war more love.
traceyhayward 4 years ago
Totally fabulous--thank you for posting this. I wore out my father's copy of the soundtrack, and after putting the DVD on my ipod it quickly shot to the top of my most played list. Never got to see the play, obviously, but man oh Manischewitz do I love the soundtrack and the music.
DaZed99 4 years ago 2
good
55102 4 years ago
Thx for posting! Never seen anything of Hair altho I was born in 1960 ;-) Very nice to see this! Wot year is it?
Pleyade882000 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
evidence that musical theatre has always been crap, but has got worse since then...
n0isebL0ke 4 years ago
you must not understand anything about music and theatre =(
Moose23xzz 4 years ago
i was probably feeling a bit cynical sorry about that - just can't stand it myself - should have just kept my mouth shut! ("if you've not get anything nice to say etc...")
n0isebL0ke 4 years ago
At the time, the musical's depiction of the use of illegal drugs, sexuality, profanity, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy.
pghpa611 4 years ago
WITH SUPREEEME VISIONS ON LONLEY TUNES!!!. isn't there another version of this dope song?
prestomoltoagitato 4 years ago
I think the girl in the bluish pillbox hat is actually TRIPPING.
RodZenCohns 4 years ago
i like the music from 68 and 69 and 70 it sounds better then the old hippie music
fishermangonewild 4 years ago 2
Hippie rock began to really kick out the jams after Woodstock. There was some good stuff but the post-Woodstock/pre-disco stuff was the peak of rock music.
brcx300 4 years ago
Didn't the Original cast, perhaps the NewYork cast also feature "Gimme A Break" Nell Carter? (Who also appeared in the '79 movie?)
...and what part did Diane Keaton play? Sheila Franklin or Chrissy? (Not in the dumb movie but the play)
RodZenCohns 4 years ago
Yup, Nell was in the NY cast later on during the show's run.
I think Diane Keaton was "just" a tribe player; I don't think she actually played a named character, although she very well may have subbed as Jeannie or Sheila at various times.
scatteredfrog 4 years ago
Movie is 100000times better in my opinion.songs have character,power and are performed better.
LadyGwinivere 4 years ago
Um, uh, well. I dig the movie recorded versions of 'Old Fashioned Melody/Electric Blues' and 'Walking in Space' but that thumb-thumping bass just killed it. It was supposed to be 1968, not 1979. Too 'contemporary' sounding. The movie could have been SO much better if they stuck with the script, AND the time-frame.
RodZenCohns 4 years ago
Well, according to the title, it's the LA cast, and yes, that's Rado and Ragni (you can't mistake Ragni's voice!). From what I understand, the two of them flew out to LA to help open the show. Man...Rado looked old even then...
According to the original poster, you can see Meat Loaf in this clip...but he was with the Detroit cast, n'est-ce pas??
The "Aquarius" singer, IINM, is the late Delores Hall (or did someone mention that already?)...
scatteredfrog 4 years ago
Meat Loaf sang Aquarius in Detroit but he must have been tribe in LA b/c the big guy in the clip is him, right?
mblaxill 4 years ago
@scatteredfrog Rado was old--for a hippie, anyway. He was born in 1932 and, according to one memoir I read, by the time he was in "Hair" he had ... well ... not much of it (hey, what are wigs for?).
Seasass 1 year ago
@Seasass He was the Best Claude ever. And they wrote a good show, i would have lost a few things too time the show was produced. But when t was produced it took off.. Then again it came out and this time one a Tony finally on tour now.
tedabracci 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Seasass He was the Best Claude ever. And they wrote a good show, i would have lost a few things too time the show was produced. But when it was produced it took off.. Then again it came out and this time one a Tony finally on tour now.
tedabracci 1 year ago
That is the original cast. I believe it includes Gerry Ragni, Jim Rado, Lamont Washington etc. Best soundtrack ever... I had it memorized by the time I was 9.
scotfmurphy 4 years ago
It's about damn time we let the sunshine in AGAIN.
annietimes 4 years ago
Thanks for posting this this video is exactly what I needed for my visual aid for my report
Jeffreyluthor2000 4 years ago
These two guys singing lead are from the Broadway production. It sure sounds like 'em.
powergirl901 4 years ago
Where has the love gone?
edgoonette 4 years ago 7
Seriously man i wish i could go back to those times
aweirdmerox 4 years ago
@edgoone good question....................
pinkydogbear 1 year ago
Remember when young women had small butts like that?
Amhlair 4 years ago
What's that supposed to mean?
katiethompson89 4 years ago
LOL!
RodZenCohns 4 years ago
I saw this original cast at the Aquarius Theater on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood in the summer of 1969. It was KICK-ASS!
Rick Ryan
rickryansworld2 4 years ago
meat loafs name is Marvin lay adams, not michael lay adams
CQWER 4 years ago
Actually it's Michael Lee Aday, it was Marvin Lee Aday but he changed it. :)
Jacqueline7oX 2 years ago
Meatloaf is in this cast, he looks so young.
LadyDemocrat
ChgoChef 4 years ago
This aired December 8th, 1968. Gerry Ragni and Jim Rado were on hand for this performance and did help to open the LA production. But, they were not part of the original LA cast. But, who cares? Without Ragni and Rado there would be no HAiR and that would be tragedy.
badwx 4 years ago
Trippy man!
simontam777 4 years ago
Almost all Broadway Productions are better than the movie versions. The movie versions of: Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, and Man Of La mancha were butchered.
ubub67 4 years ago 2
But one must remember that the film version of "Tommy" did come before the Broadway version and stayed very true to the original rock opera (and this is coming from someone who loves the Broadway version and doesn't really like the film).
Lulz 4 years ago
I should have been more clear about Tommy. The Who did the Tommy live during thier concert tour in 1969 and were outstanding. The movie pails in comparrison. The Broadway production came much later when the Who were passed their prime.
ubub67 4 years ago
You must admit that the movie did stay pretty damn faithful to the story, though.
Lulz 4 years ago
this is better than the film version.
nosruoymai 4 years ago
blimey... lol... very peace un lurve LOL
magiknumber3 4 years ago
BRILLIANT
RitaHayworthLiving 4 years ago
I DON'T LIKE IT
dominique777 4 years ago
Are you Filipino?
gabsylv 4 years ago
Can any one tell me who the brunette lead is? I think he may be a friend of mine.
6Hex9 4 years ago
I think it's Gerry Ragni (as Berger) (per a webpage I found on the history of Hair...
awkwardboy 4 years ago
Oh okay. My friend played Claude in the original San Francisco production and the guy here kinda looked like him. So I thought maybe it could have been him.
6Hex9 4 years ago
Is this the pre-broadway L.A. Cast?
thegaythespian 4 years ago
I was a member of the L.A. Tribe of Hair...This tv performance was post-Broadway.
chicagobabeblues 4 years ago
after the Bway opening in April 68 BUT during the original Bway run (68-72) :0)
mblaxill 4 years ago
I love HAIR its such a stoner play! I fell in love with it when I saw it at my University's production of it. Maybe I'll get to see it in Broadway someday when theres a revival.
mocor082 4 years ago
What wild ecstasy!
Truly, Truth is Beauty and Beauty, truth. That is all ye know on Earth and all ye need to know.
Gothick49 4 years ago
OMG...James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Jennifer Warnes as "Sheila", Delores Hall...Julie Arnell's original choreography for "Aquarius"- I never thought I'd see any of these performers or performances again. I was a "groupie", and met a lot of the original cast in NY. I saw the LA cast a couple of times, and what a joy to see them perform.
Trampyre 4 years ago
Thanks for this...So nice to see the original again,,,Ragni was so hot
Tonedandtats 4 years ago
this is not only the original LA cast, but members of the ORIGINAL NYC CAST including Rado and Ragni playing Berger and Claude. Incredible footage. Thanks for sharing. P.S. for anyone doing Hair in the future, this is a great blueprint, as this was the way the show was intended.
niko7sky 4 years ago
This is the LA cast .. Rado and Ragni went to LA to open the LA production as Cladue and Berger while the Bway run was still up (68-72). I think LA opened in 1969. If you look closely you'll see Ben Vereen (headband, moustache). This cast also had Jobriath, Jennifer Warnes, Delores Hall, Dobie Gray(?). Thrilling to see Ragni...WOW!!
mblaxill 4 years ago
oops .. sorry - thought you said "not LA cast" when you really said "not ONLY LA cast" - ha ha!!
mblaxill 4 years ago
Muwekma Tribe of San Jose thanks you for posting this historical piece about Hair. I am playing Berger this Summer and appreciate all the reference I can get! see our show if you are in the area, just google Stagelight Productions for tickets
sammy76 4 years ago
great stuff, thanks.
zombiesafehouse 4 years ago
thanks so much - I never thought I'd get to see that again. ahhhh to be young again
nationofsize 4 years ago
I volunteer ushered at the Aquarius Theatre over 30 times summer 69 (I was 17). I recorded this broadcast on reel to reel tape (which I still have). Delores Hall's and Jennifer's voices soared like no others. "Songbooks and Sheet Music" Teda Bracci I miss you. God bless Jobriath.
gatlais 5 years ago
That's all great in theory, but in reality Hair was an enormously successful Broadway Musical which had a lot of regional companies (tribes). A typical theatre has about 1500 seats. Say tickets were $10-$15. That's like $15,000-$20,000 a show, eight shows a week.
Someone got rich off these "tribes"
And they deserved to.
LAQuadskater 5 years ago
Apparently ur not too brushed up on ur HAIRSTory because HAIR was never intended for ACTORS looking to get paid. Hair made its debut with random people pulled off the streets to give the feeling of reality. Nobody was an actor looking for a job, and the people they sang with every day and night became their families.
vocebella21 5 years ago
HAIR was the 1st show done by Joe Papp for NYC Shakespeare Festival- all done by PROFESSIONAL actors, which was the same on Broadway. VERY few non-pro's! The concept of "The Tribe" was from producer Michael Butler. Read Lorrie Davis's bio LETTING DOWN MY HAIR so you won't be so misinformed!
Trampyre 4 years ago
So beautiful it makes me want to cry...
You seem a knowledgable person, so forgive me if I ask you this question... Do you know if the original cast were ever filmed for a full show? Cos I'd really love to see it.
Oh, and thanks for the recommend on the book, I've just bought a copy on ebay, and look forward to devouring it!
goatboy420 4 years ago
Unfortunately, there's no filmed copy of the show(as they do now for historical purposes). The most accessable footage of the OBC is their appearance on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW for a quick medley(if you can track it down). For books, also check out THE AGE OF HAIR.
Trampyre 4 years ago
Shame about that. :-(
That's for the suggestions, though!
goatboy420 4 years ago
Thanks so much for the recommendation for the book. I just finished it, and it was remarkable! Although now instead of wishing it had been filmed, I now dream of having seen it live! (Or even been backstage!!!)
goatboy420 4 years ago
goatboy- I have two more suggestions for you: LET THE SUNSHINE IN, by Scott Miller. The book delves into the socio-political impact that HAIR had on society, and it's a fascinating read. Also check out Jonathan Johnson's GOOD HAIR DAYS- he was the last "Claude" on Broadway, and it's more along the lines of Ms. Davis's book- there's also a full chapter on 25 alumni from various productions of the show. Both books can be bought on Amazon.
Trampyre 4 years ago
Why, thank you, squire! :-) I shall endevour to check them out, and any stories you care to share from your days as a Hair groupie would be gratefully, and appreciativly, read!
goatboy420 4 years ago
It's a little bit of each. My wife and I are friends with Walter Michael Harris, who sang "What A Piece of Work Is Man" with Ronnie Dyson in the Broadway show. WMH comes from a family of actors (you can see his father George in the movie Superman). He told us that when his family moved to NYC, they all went out to get acting jobs, and Hair was his gig. Mary Davis was also a professional actor looking for an acting job.
So it was both "off-the-street" hippies and actual professional actors.
scatteredfrog 4 years ago
JIM- Im gonna explain this for them the best that i can-
HAIR was the story of a group of hippies protesting the vietnam war and the fact that the people they loved were being forced into the draft so young and dying. 3500 body bags were sent along with 3500 soldiers because the government knew they wouldnt have a chance. They called themselves a tribe because " thats what the indians were about" as Woof tells us in the beginning of the show.
vocebella21 5 years ago
Jobriath Salisbury who played Huff in this (the blonde surfer looking guy) died in the Pyramid on top of the Chelsea Hotel in 1983 from aids. His body was there for a few days before anyone noticed.
So sad. Guess he lost contact with the "tribe"
As an actor is seems wioerd to call a job as a castmember a "tribe". You can't get fired from a tribe,
LAQuadskater 5 years ago
THEY WERE ALL 'ONE', one giant family, fighting for the same cause.
tribe isnt just a cast. and its certainly not a job in the payment sense. TRibe, is family. The HAIR tribe, extends from the 1960s all the way to today, 2007. and as far as i know is the only show to consider the people who portray the characters a tribe.
vocebella21 5 years ago
Tanks for the memories! I loved this 8-track tape.
wandadawn 5 years ago
This is the show that taught me how current and meaningful theatre could be, back in the day. Rado is brilliant, as evidenced in these clips.
Pest In Peace, Ragni. Galt McDermott continues to rock! It's great to see the show they way it was intended in that TomO'Horgan production.
scott10036 5 years ago
Just stopped by to rewatch this classic bit of history. thanks again.
BaronM 5 years ago
thanks. super groovy!
BaronM 5 years ago
Jim is claude. " the blonde haired, blue eyed, muscle of all muscle, smooth skinned animal "
vocebella21 5 years ago
oh jim...u were so cute
vocebella21 5 years ago
Which one is Jim?
2old2Rock 5 years ago