@RantsRavesandMore This is a Scopitone film. Back in the 60s, clubs had 16mm film jukeboxes that played music videos. This was one of the original ones that was made. They didn't do too well in the US, only attracting Pat Boone type performers, but were a big smash in France.
UNREAL! Did Pete Seeger stood still after hearing this and seeing this ballet? I would look for a hammer, no, better, a gun, a bomb, or anything even more lethal, ask for the permision of Sir Bob Geldorf, and then I would teach them another song: "I don't like Mondays", while killing everybdy
I literally once saw a woman sing what was suppose to be a religious 'church' song to the tune of the original strip tease music! I kid you not! This reminds me of that!
I don't think there is a bigger fan than yours truly. With that said, I cannot believe what was done to a great song with this rendition. Debbie, what the hell were you thinking?
@crewguy46 LOL with every interview her and Carrie did saying the character wasn't based on Debbie it become more and more apparent with each interview that it was.
@stevesedberry Yes, I agree. No offense to Debbie Reynolds fans who worship every note she sang. It's as though she & the arranger were clueless about the lyrics of the song, since they turned it into an upbeat, blues-swing torch song or something... Kinda reminds me of the legendary Lawrence Welk how clip here on YouTube of a couple singing One Toke Over The Line. Welk and his producers were simply following the top ten charts at the time, and were unaware what a "toke" was. Brilliant!!!
Debbie seems like a chin up tits out kind of gal so you have to like her. Besides you have to give your props to anyone who inspired Postcards From The Edge("It TWIRLED up. .., Never let 'em see you ache. Or was that ass? Never let 'em see your ass?") This is so completely wrong that it is a masterfuckingpiece.
I lived in the 50's, 60's and 70's. I say this. What Peter, Paul and Mary achieved, in their own wright, was timely and fabulous. Debbie Reynolds singing this song, definitely NOT the same song. Understand. Debbie sang her family history, the depression, hungry, no hope but your belief in your self. Peter, Paul and Mary sang of powerful, necessary change. They were not hungry, dispossessed, destitute. (That is not a critisism of P.P.M) Times WERE a'changing
Whatever else one might say about Debbie Reynolds (& I'll acknowledge I like her), she was the real deal. When her husband/manager gambled away all her money and died leaving enormous debts, instead of declaring bankruptcy, as most people would, she hit the road, performing everywhere and anywhere 2 or 3 times a day until every cent was paid back. Corny as this number is, I think she really did believe in freedom and justice for all.
As a major fan of this song, I feel the more people who sing it, the better. What's wrong with giving it a Broadway Show Tune feel? In the 60's, we preached about "doing your own thing" so I can only encourage all to practice that. Debbie Reynolds is a legendary singer/dancer. This version of a protest song reaches across the generations and all musical preferences. UNITY! I'm all for it. Peace & Love, Bread & Justice for ALL.
I like the way that there are no black performers in this song, associated with the 60's civil rights movement. But Debbie can sing. That girl can sing...
"...reform within the system reinforced the system, or was co-opted by the system. Reformers didn't change the system, they just made it more palatable and justified it..."
Yes,that is,in fact,the fabulous Ann-Margarat steppin'out from behind that mid-century modern stage prop to shake her groove thaing in solidarity with the enchanting Ms Reynolds' tasteful appeal for peace,love,and yes,even justice "all over this la-a-and". If I remember correctly at that time African -Americans were not allowed to stay at any of the casinoes guest accomodations. Right On Debbie!!! You Go Sistah!!
This is kinda funny - so weird after hearing PP&M sing this at the Civil Rights March in 1963. But, gotta applaud her singing this song in Vegas style. Where are the back up dancers? LOL
This sort of just make one very embarrssed to wonder why no told Debbie how bad all of this really was, even if for the time. No wonder her daughter drank, all that shoosing of the dress and all..... waaaaay over the top!
@pandorabangles I have to agree with you. As much as it pains me to admit it, there iIS a rung on the talent ladder that is below the one Debbie Reynolds is on and the no-talents you mention inhabit it. They have absolutely nothing but a publicist, but that's all you need these days, I guess.
Taken within the context of when this done vs. hindsight this seems perfectly normal as entertainment. Remember - allot fo what we enjoy today as pop entertainment will see "wrong" in the years ahead.
Everything is SO wrong about this, it is AWESOME. Every assumption made here is off. The sets, the costumes, the arrangement of the song, the attitude, everything. Hollywood at its most Hollywood trying to absorb the folk music phenomenon. I guess Trini Lopez is the link, since his hit version came out on Frank Sinatra's record label. I believe Debbie had an ownership interest in the company that produced this clip. Scopitones are God. I want to live in that Universe.
Had he seen this, I'm sure Lee Hayes would be a victim of projectile vomiting. Just amazing how a real protest song can be co-opted by this schmaltzy Vegas crapola. Next it's Liberace does "Big Muddy" with The Scott Thorson Twink Squad Dancers.
The Trini Lopez original is classic....and the Peter Paul and Mary version is amazing, but I did enjoy this version, a transition from the 50's to the the 60's. The sets are amazing mid century style and the dancing is pure camp entertainment. But in a time where style and appearence were still important.
If you all love to hear Debbie singing... Watch 'the Unsinkable Molly Brown'.. It is fantastic and there are some absolutely cracking belters of songs in it... :0)x
I love Debbie Reynolds, but this arrangement is almost an insult to the song! The message is lost here. Listen to the Peter Paul & Mary version, it'll give you chills.
Wasn't she in Singing in the Rain? I thought i remember hearing that they used someone elses voice for her role.... why would they do that? She is great! :)
@malyak they used someone else's voice for one song - Would You? - ironically the one her character is singing for another character. But the rest of the songs in Singin in the Rain are all Debbie Reynolds.
I think that people didnt pay attention to the lyrics and their context, perhaps it is not important to them, their business is entertainment only. Can you ask them for more? I cannot. Please no offence to singing/dancing people!
What were these idiots thinking? Debbie Reynolds was a talented entertainer, but of all of the songs she could have chosen...? As for the poster asking about context - yes, it does matter if the song is very clearly about something like social justice and inequality. Especially when it is being sung by someone wearing a dress that probably cost more than a year's salary for a labourer back then, and that was probably the only time she ever wore it...
Debbie: I love this video and your voice/range/Your Originality/Grace/Beauty/Poise and Total Excellent Abilities all shine! This is a Once in a life time video and what you had to go though back then isn't conveyed is it? It's too easy today but you're an inspiration today as you were years ago. You are Ageless, Debbie! Love Ya! Dee Jay Silverheels
Bizarre..but wait..does a song have to be sung in the context in which it was written to be worthwhile? ("Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was originally sung very sadly and is now a gentle but postitive classic.) So what the Hell, this is what it meant to Debbie. I don't like the song much myself. Something about "Hammering out Love" doesn't sit well with me. A line from a song of mine: "If I had a hammer for every time I heard that song, There could be a thousand broken radios..."
Did Debbie & Co not know what the song was about when they were singing it? Like the guy in the audience who asked Billie Holiday to sing her 'sexy song about the fruit' one night?
Ann-Margaret did not do chorus turns, as she was a first-class tar in her own right. Anyway, she was way too busy with her recording and film careers to do union-wage jobs on TV.
And at least she knows how to spell her name, which is more than you do.
I just said it looked like her and that it probably wasn't. I am aware that she was a big star. That's why I said it probably wasn't her. And hey....at least I know how to spell "star" which is more that you do. : ~ ) Just kidding. Hey, misspellings happen to the best of us. GB
Really, really silly treatment of this protest song. Many levels of wrong..lol. Even though i am not a huge fan of Debbie's, It isn't her fault though. It was the fault of whoever came up with this particular production of the piece. Totally out to lunch.
So when the magnificent Seeger finally dies, they'll have to widen his grave slightly, so that he can begin spinning immediately. Somebody ought to dig up Lee Hays, wire him up to a generator and let him power some small mid-western city.
I'd rather watch this than watch complete no-talents - NO TALENTS - like Janet jackson, Britney Spears and the like. Try looking at a cornball like Jackson "singing" 'Nasty' from 1986 today. She would be NOWHERE without her dead brother's connections. The girl's was/is a JOKE.
Total crap & a betrayal of a great song and yet I love this! Esp. the elegance of the strung-bead back drop & the ghoulish backup dancer girls and of course the unsinkable Debbie going at it with all her steely studio verve
Hey, Debbie's great at her own style of song and dance. It just doesn't remotely fit with this song. (That choreography was just bizarre for IIHAH, as was the pop-jazz styling.)
This video makes The Lawrence Welk show look like high art.
If Debbie had a hammer at this time in her life, she would have used it on Eddie Fisher's head. God only knows what kind of tool she would have used on Liz Taylor but I'm thinking chain saw.
If I had a hammer, I'd hammer H.G.'s head in. I'd replace it with flat head and jimmy the lock. I dial in 59, right after the 19. I'd go back and beat up Eddie Fisher. Liz was dish but not the one to wish for.
Hahaaha, this is... indescribable. Though I gotta say if the lyrics weren't what they were it would be a cute little variety show performance, instead of a misguided folk song.
NO, I agree with both Bernard & roetter down below. This is an awful version of this tune, as well as an awful Scopitone in hindsight, although even at the time -- why weren't any of the dancers African-American (or at the time, black)? I mean, this song is supposed to be a Civil Rights anthem. But perhaps that wasn't Debbie's fault (maybe it was the director's), but perhaps Debbie needed to feel it better and demand some black dancers even if others would been shocked by that back in 1963!
I have a hammer and have no desire to hammer that much...maybe to build things. I guess if I didnt have a hammer things might be different. Someone get her a hammer
As seen on "Glee," lol.
JSMorris2011 3 weeks ago
wow :)
TPBXDRicky420 1 month ago
like elizabeth taylor hammered your husband jk jk lol
AGpixar2000 1 month ago
Don't laugh. Debbie started the Occupy Rodeo Drive movement.
zamusicza 1 month ago
"You can't sing a protest song without a fabulous gown, a glamorous wig, and matching heels."
Why ever not?
letrou1 1 month ago
@letrou1 thatsthejoke,jpeg
AeolianSeventh 1 month ago
What show was this from? Anyone know?
RantsRavesandMore 3 months ago
@RantsRavesandMore This is a Scopitone film. Back in the 60s, clubs had 16mm film jukeboxes that played music videos. This was one of the original ones that was made. They didn't do too well in the US, only attracting Pat Boone type performers, but were a big smash in France.
sbhathena 3 months ago
Beautiful woman and great talent!
TheBigValley 3 months ago
Excellent tribute Debbie Reynolds ***********
AdemPresley 3 months ago
FUCKING LOVE IT!!! LOVE BETWEEN YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS ALL OVER THIS LAND DAM IT!
leebobby13 3 months ago
UNREAL! Did Pete Seeger stood still after hearing this and seeing this ballet? I would look for a hammer, no, better, a gun, a bomb, or anything even more lethal, ask for the permision of Sir Bob Geldorf, and then I would teach them another song: "I don't like Mondays", while killing everybdy
christopher242424 3 months ago
Please someone hand her this hammer of justice so she can start this protest quest, when she goes home and changes into her work clothes!!
MAGICKMINSTREL718 3 months ago
a Beautiful performance yet awkward, loved it!
2stroke4Me 3 months ago
soooooooooooo funny...wrong in so many ways, gotta love it!
MADWORLD1427 3 months ago
Only in Hollyweird.
mendy11954 3 months ago
This is why "omg" was invented.
MsSoundguy 4 months ago
Been a while since SAG went out on strike, hasn't it?
skmyass 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I'm a 16 year old boy and I wish hollywood could still be just like this!
ghosthelper100 5 months ago
I literally once saw a woman sing what was suppose to be a religious 'church' song to the tune of the original strip tease music! I kid you not! This reminds me of that!
boheme19 5 months ago
I don't think there is a bigger fan than yours truly. With that said, I cannot believe what was done to a great song with this rendition. Debbie, what the hell were you thinking?
parsonsrules 5 months ago
How often do people wear heels that aren't matching?
JaaMizzou22 5 months ago
Yougottabeshittingme...
talentpageant 6 months ago
Anyone looking for the definition of camp or kitsch...look no further!
SuperBrianm 6 months ago
The dancers doing the Hitler NAZI salute at the beginning aren't helping her sell this.
warmsodablues 6 months ago
@warmsodablues Unintentional inspiration for 'Springtime For Hitler' in The Producers?
MsBkirk 5 months ago
Her dress didn't swoosh!! "IT TWIRLED UP" hope at lease one person gets this.
Withshortwings 7 months ago 4
@Withshortwings Haha. Postcards from the edge baby doll.
crewguy46 6 months ago
@crewguy46 LOL with every interview her and Carrie did saying the character wasn't based on Debbie it become more and more apparent with each interview that it was.
Withshortwings 6 months ago
@Withshortwings ----and you weren't wearing any underwear.....
sbhathena 3 months ago
i bet eddie fisher is jealous of what he let go
AGpixar2000 7 months ago
That's the most schizophrenic arrangement of the Pete Seeger & Lee Hays song I've ever seen! God help us!!!!!
stevesedberry 8 months ago
@stevesedberry Yes, I agree. No offense to Debbie Reynolds fans who worship every note she sang. It's as though she & the arranger were clueless about the lyrics of the song, since they turned it into an upbeat, blues-swing torch song or something... Kinda reminds me of the legendary Lawrence Welk how clip here on YouTube of a couple singing One Toke Over The Line. Welk and his producers were simply following the top ten charts at the time, and were unaware what a "toke" was. Brilliant!!!
HunterMann 6 months ago
@HunterMann
I had to watch this 2 times to understand what you were saying..sadly i agree..
L32P0U 5 months ago
Boy Deb, you nailed that one!
thatsmissfaithtoyou 8 months ago 4
This is great stuff. Just shows you how much things have changed since back in the day. :-)
dajesusblues 9 months ago
I've never heard the song done this way before but I love it. It kind of makes me laugh but I can't stop singing it
rhythmictiger 9 months ago
OMG
Wartonite 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
not everybody uses a MAC
drjawn 9 months ago
not everybody uses a MAC
drjawn 9 months ago
FIGHT THE POWER!!!!!!
tomthefunky 9 months ago
Was that Stockard Channing at 1:36? Hysterical!
stickstr8up 10 months ago
@stickstr8up hey I thought the same thing!
GOLDSTANDARD1427 3 months ago
That's hilarious & uncomfortable.☺
PlayIt4MeAgainSam 3 months ago
Debbie's so fine.
crazylemon55 10 months ago
Debbie seems like a chin up tits out kind of gal so you have to like her. Besides you have to give your props to anyone who inspired Postcards From The Edge("It TWIRLED up. .., Never let 'em see you ache. Or was that ass? Never let 'em see your ass?") This is so completely wrong that it is a masterfuckingpiece.
zamusicza 10 months ago
if i had a jaguar
i'd drive it in the morning
i'd drive it in the evening
all over this land
it's the jaguar of justice
davekooiable 10 months ago 16
twinstu50 10 months ago 3
What the...
Quionic7 11 months ago
Aiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! 0_o
Foxsong 11 months ago
Speechless, sans hammer.
kjvaeth 11 months ago
Whatever else one might say about Debbie Reynolds (& I'll acknowledge I like her), she was the real deal. When her husband/manager gambled away all her money and died leaving enormous debts, instead of declaring bankruptcy, as most people would, she hit the road, performing everywhere and anywhere 2 or 3 times a day until every cent was paid back. Corny as this number is, I think she really did believe in freedom and justice for all.
1yram 11 months ago 9
@1yram and a good actress to boot!!! :)
musikgal17 2 weeks ago
As a major fan of this song, I feel the more people who sing it, the better. What's wrong with giving it a Broadway Show Tune feel? In the 60's, we preached about "doing your own thing" so I can only encourage all to practice that. Debbie Reynolds is a legendary singer/dancer. This version of a protest song reaches across the generations and all musical preferences. UNITY! I'm all for it. Peace & Love, Bread & Justice for ALL.
mjcamck71 11 months ago 4
HAHAHAHAHA Does she even know what this song means? talk about irony.
orinn99 11 months ago
I like the way that there are no black performers in this song, associated with the 60's civil rights movement. But Debbie can sing. That girl can sing...
kimdmeredith 1 year ago
Reminded me of "Mars Attacks."
2Dawgz 1 year ago
Who the hell thought it was a good idea to have Mz Perky singing a protest song like it was a torch song? *wanders off looking for the brain bleach*
sappha58 1 year ago
"...reform within the system reinforced the system, or was co-opted by the system. Reformers didn't change the system, they just made it more palatable and justified it..."
- Gramsci
brennanyoung 1 year ago
early music video!
kimpunkrock 1 year ago
I love Debbie's skirt swishes and her little head rocks . .
barnabus 1 year ago
Is this suppose to be funny? It IS.
overbrookXXX 1 year ago
Yes,that is,in fact,the fabulous Ann-Margarat steppin'out from behind that mid-century modern stage prop to shake her groove thaing in solidarity with the enchanting Ms Reynolds' tasteful appeal for peace,love,and yes,even justice "all over this la-a-and". If I remember correctly at that time African -Americans were not allowed to stay at any of the casinoes guest accomodations. Right On Debbie!!! You Go Sistah!!
MrThrobbo 1 year ago
But ya DON'T, Debbie, ya DON'T!
bockharn 1 year ago
This is kinda funny - so weird after hearing PP&M sing this at the Civil Rights March in 1963. But, gotta applaud her singing this song in Vegas style. Where are the back up dancers? LOL
Bongo491 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Doesn't this strike you as something out of a Mel Brooks movie? So over the top, right down to the gay chorus line. Hilarously bad taste! I love it!
bilahn 1 year ago
Doesn't this strike you as something out of a Mel Brooks movie? So over the top, right down to the gay chorus line. Hilarously bad taste! I love it!
bilahn 1 year ago 2
This sort of just make one very embarrssed to wonder why no told Debbie how bad all of this really was, even if for the time. No wonder her daughter drank, all that shoosing of the dress and all..... waaaaay over the top!
ladyjoanna64 1 year ago
worst rendition of a protest song ever
jjjmail 1 year ago 2
If she saw my hammer she'd want me to do her right there on that damn stage. BTW, nice rack at 1:37. Too bad she's 75 now.
OneBigFriggingDude 1 year ago
@OneBigFriggingDude LOL "BTW..."
schroeder8911 1 year ago
This is quite possibly the best video I have ever seen. Bring me my big hair, NOW.
SueSnell 1 year ago
what was she protesting? her complete and utter lack of talent?
BernardProfitendieu 1 year ago
@BernardProfitendieu Yes, it's a dumb presentation, but
Reynolds was/is still a gal who can do just about anything
decently. Brilliant? Uh, no. But "utter lack of talent" I'd save
for the likes of Brittney Spears and (especially) Janet
Jackson. Neither can sing, act, dance. Zilch. Yet they're
considered icons. Embarrassing comment on TODAY'S
taste.
pandorabangles 1 year ago
@pandorabangles I have to agree with you. As much as it pains me to admit it, there iIS a rung on the talent ladder that is below the one Debbie Reynolds is on and the no-talents you mention inhabit it. They have absolutely nothing but a publicist, but that's all you need these days, I guess.
BernardProfitendieu 1 year ago
@BernardProfitendieu And in all fairness to you, this is, again,
a royally DUMB video clip. And Ms. Reynold's studio-enforced
perkiness wasn't to everyone's tastes. She is, perhaps, at her
best in "The Catered Affair" with Davis, or, more recently, "Mother."
But her haminess is hard to swallow at times. I have no issue
with folks who dislike her. I get why.
pandorabangles 1 year ago
everything that's wrong with Debbie Reynolds is distilled into this one very, very pathetic video
BernardProfitendieu 1 year ago
Taken within the context of when this done vs. hindsight this seems perfectly normal as entertainment. Remember - allot fo what we enjoy today as pop entertainment will see "wrong" in the years ahead.
Billcoxyz1956 1 year ago
all they need is a really dry martini...
scalingup78 1 year ago 4
This is pretty weird!
catholicpriest1 1 year ago
I saw her daughter Carrie on Broadway performing her one woman show "Wishful Drinking" last November.
catholicpriest1 1 year ago
Everything is SO wrong about this, it is AWESOME. Every assumption made here is off. The sets, the costumes, the arrangement of the song, the attitude, everything. Hollywood at its most Hollywood trying to absorb the folk music phenomenon. I guess Trini Lopez is the link, since his hit version came out on Frank Sinatra's record label. I believe Debbie had an ownership interest in the company that produced this clip. Scopitones are God. I want to live in that Universe.
reluctantpopstar 1 year ago 2
I'd having some wine with this cheese, it's DELICIOUS! WOW! Pure hubris, just wonderful.
MrsOMath 1 year ago 3
You've got to give her some credit if she can hammer out justice in THOSE shoes.
fiddleape 1 year ago 17
...I don't get it...
Rubberman202 1 year ago
Hey, people will be guffawing at music we liked, fifty years from now...
TheSanityInspector 1 year ago 3
I'll wager Pete Seeger can't watch this without bursting into laughter.
MrUnidyne 1 year ago 2
Had he seen this, I'm sure Lee Hayes would be a victim of projectile vomiting. Just amazing how a real protest song can be co-opted by this schmaltzy Vegas crapola. Next it's Liberace does "Big Muddy" with The Scott Thorson Twink Squad Dancers.
jtimjordan 1 year ago
The Trini Lopez original is classic....and the Peter Paul and Mary version is amazing, but I did enjoy this version, a transition from the 50's to the the 60's. The sets are amazing mid century style and the dancing is pure camp entertainment. But in a time where style and appearence were still important.
Mykevin67 1 year ago
I really didn't enjoy the video but the comments are great entertainment; well done!
MikeInStartup 1 year ago
1:41 hottie.
mrtyles 1 year ago
I'm 32 years old and what is this?
RobTFirefly 1 year ago
SMILE!! Its so cheesy..... is it the right term? in germany we call this KITSCHIG!!
But wonderful, great track!!!
sperlinj 1 year ago
@sperlinj It's so cheesy, I won't have to buy provolone for a year! Oh, my goodness...
lavenderliberal 1 year ago
All that's missing is a couple dancers in black face!
filmslate 1 year ago 2
This is the scariest thing I've ever seen..... I'm going to kill my poodle now.
shostakov66 1 year ago 2
Didn't they open the 2010 Tony Awards with this number?
CamilleTowe 1 year ago
The bridge between the 40's generation and 60's generation toppled into the river right at this point.
pillroller88 1 year ago 4
Where's the guys from MST3K when we need them?
RobdaVegasMailman 1 year ago
@RobdaVegasMailman
re: MST3K
I can hear Crow saying,"Kill me now, Mike! Fill my ears with hot cement. Do SOMETHING, for the love of God!!!"
ragamuffin92 1 year ago
first video clip of all times
autocensure 1 year ago
OMG. Did this woman have NO friends that would tell her?
efeldman2000 1 year ago 3
Look up "misguided" in the dictionary and I bet this video pops up.
Hunterunc 1 year ago 2
If you all love to hear Debbie singing... Watch 'the Unsinkable Molly Brown'.. It is fantastic and there are some absolutely cracking belters of songs in it... :0)x
wenglishsal 1 year ago
Love the head action.
harry1552 1 year ago
LISTEN TO THE SWINGING FRENCH CLAUDE FRANCOIS VERSION. Si j'avais un marteau.
Guardian223 1 year ago
I love Debbie Reynolds, but this arrangement is almost an insult to the song! The message is lost here. Listen to the Peter Paul & Mary version, it'll give you chills.
LetsBuildASnowman 1 year ago 2
I give it four out five jazz hands
zamusicza 1 year ago
Wasn't she in Singing in the Rain? I thought i remember hearing that they used someone elses voice for her role.... why would they do that? She is great! :)
malyak 1 year ago
@malyak She was in Singing in the Rain she was Cathy Zelden. :)
ChristyLoveIt 1 year ago
@ChristyLoveIt I know but didnt they use someone else's voice for the singing parts thats what i remember hearing!
malyak 1 year ago
@malyak they used someone else's voice for one song - Would You? - ironically the one her character is singing for another character. But the rest of the songs in Singin in the Rain are all Debbie Reynolds.
jodyjane2 1 year ago
@jodyjane2 Oh thanks I didnt know that! That clears some things up for me!! haha
malyak 1 year ago
I think that people didnt pay attention to the lyrics and their context, perhaps it is not important to them, their business is entertainment only. Can you ask them for more? I cannot. Please no offence to singing/dancing people!
titecardenas 1 year ago
Why would anyone do this?
(Except simply because it is so absurd).
KanzlerM 1 year ago
What were these idiots thinking? Debbie Reynolds was a talented entertainer, but of all of the songs she could have chosen...? As for the poster asking about context - yes, it does matter if the song is very clearly about something like social justice and inequality. Especially when it is being sung by someone wearing a dress that probably cost more than a year's salary for a labourer back then, and that was probably the only time she ever wore it...
Love the camp "spinning guy" though!! ;o)
tommathieson 1 year ago
Debbie: I love this video and your voice/range/Your Originality/Grace/Beauty/Poise and Total Excellent Abilities all shine! This is a Once in a life time video and what you had to go though back then isn't conveyed is it? It's too easy today but you're an inspiration today as you were years ago. You are Ageless, Debbie! Love Ya! Dee Jay Silverheels
ThePearl45 1 year ago
Bizarre..but wait..does a song have to be sung in the context in which it was written to be worthwhile? ("Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was originally sung very sadly and is now a gentle but postitive classic.) So what the Hell, this is what it meant to Debbie. I don't like the song much myself. Something about "Hammering out Love" doesn't sit well with me. A line from a song of mine: "If I had a hammer for every time I heard that song, There could be a thousand broken radios..."
GeneBurnett 2 years ago 2
Did Debbie & Co not know what the song was about when they were singing it? Like the guy in the audience who asked Billie Holiday to sing her 'sexy song about the fruit' one night?
harlemstutter 2 years ago 3
Jeezis, it's no wonder the US had it's arse kicked in Vietnam.
itstrader 2 years ago
Makes about as much sense as Sinatra singing to the Easter Bunny.
MrTonystar1 2 years ago 2
The dancer at 1:38 looks very familiar to me.
claudenorth2007 2 years ago
Comment removed
GeneBurnett 2 years ago
The dancer at 1:38 looks a lot like Ann Margaret, but I doubt it's her....
GeneBurnett 2 years ago
@GeneBurnett
Ann-Margaret did not do chorus turns, as she was a first-class tar in her own right. Anyway, she was way too busy with her recording and film careers to do union-wage jobs on TV.
And at least she knows how to spell her name, which is more than you do.
Rajamuttu 1 year ago
I just said it looked like her and that it probably wasn't. I am aware that she was a big star. That's why I said it probably wasn't her. And hey....at least I know how to spell "star" which is more that you do. : ~ ) Just kidding. Hey, misspellings happen to the best of us. GB
GeneBurnett 1 year ago
@Rajamuttu tar or tart ?
stafford4ever4ever 1 year ago
@Rajamuttu
ummm to clear is all up it's: Ann-Margret - you twit.
:)
barrielad 1 year ago
@GeneBurnett Not to mention the fact that Ann-Margaret was Swedish, while that lady at 1:38 looks (perhaps) Italian).
Rajamuttu 1 year ago
Why, it's Moinica Lewinsky, silly!
COACHBUFF504 2 years ago 2
wht?!
PerAlTa9O 2 years ago
Really, really silly treatment of this protest song. Many levels of wrong..lol. Even though i am not a huge fan of Debbie's, It isn't her fault though. It was the fault of whoever came up with this particular production of the piece. Totally out to lunch.
queenlaurie 2 years ago
This is beautiful. Debbie Reynolds is a great lady and looks and sounds sensational here.
eth39232 2 years ago
Ah, Vegas, that hotbed of social consciousness.
uglyedsel 2 years ago 33
@uglyedsel lol my thoughts exactly!
wednesday55 1 year ago
This is definitely the most surreal version of the Hammer song ever recorded.
Nilsosmar 2 years ago 3
Now appearing at the Brown derby...Debbie Reynolds and the Malcolm X dancers
wemonk 2 years ago 28
So when the magnificent Seeger finally dies, they'll have to widen his grave slightly, so that he can begin spinning immediately. Somebody ought to dig up Lee Hays, wire him up to a generator and let him power some small mid-western city.
mjhaud 2 years ago 4
LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! oh no i peed my pants LOL! LOL! LOL!
bobparis 2 years ago 2
I'd rather watch this than watch complete no-talents - NO TALENTS - like Janet jackson, Britney Spears and the like. Try looking at a cornball like Jackson "singing" 'Nasty' from 1986 today. She would be NOWHERE without her dead brother's connections. The girl's was/is a JOKE.
pandorabangles 2 years ago 3
This is probably circa 1962
mmaced 2 years ago
I like Peter Paul and Mary's version better.
hexhatexmexnot 2 years ago
Gee, can ya tell Debbie Reynolds was a major shareholder in Scopitones USA, Inc.?
neonnorm 2 years ago
Simply hysterical.
wemonk 2 years ago
someone please get her a damn hammer. I would give her one of mine...once again, I need it to do work.
roetter1 2 years ago 2
What's next, Liberace's rendition of We Shall Overcome?
lafcomike 2 years ago 3
So you think something that was written by two white men (this song) should qualify as some kind of "black thang"?
theunbubba 2 years ago
@lafcomike I think he would rearrange it to be We Shall Cum Over...
scalingup78 1 year ago
Total crap & a betrayal of a great song and yet I love this! Esp. the elegance of the strung-bead back drop & the ghoulish backup dancer girls and of course the unsinkable Debbie going at it with all her steely studio verve
latice 2 years ago
makes Welk look like hip-hop!!!
not enough vodka in the house to make me watch more!!
kyannos 2 years ago
GRUESOME!!!!
uponstcrispinsday 2 years ago
EXCELLENT!!! LOL
reouaich 2 years ago
lol. yeah this is hysterical!
maybe i shld do this dance in front of the judge...bfre i commence trial.....
i love the dress! i'd look fab in it!
sunnypalms 2 years ago
OMG, this makes me embarassed to be white!
atlmuscleman 2 years ago
Ahahahaha. I was looking for the PPM version of this, but I'm glad I found this. It delivered mulitple "LOL"s. Multiple. :P
chelseabearcouture 2 years ago 3
LOLOLOL!!!!!
Ashumah 2 years ago
Hey, Debbie's great at her own style of song and dance. It just doesn't remotely fit with this song. (That choreography was just bizarre for IIHAH, as was the pop-jazz styling.)
This video makes The Lawrence Welk show look like high art.
WildeNotesMusic 2 years ago 8
OUCH!!!!!
bjbardel 2 years ago
Uhhh...some of the meaning and feeling may have been lost in this rendition. Hillarious.
Blaze1071 2 years ago 2
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westerisbester 2 years ago
For something so bizarre and incongruent, I must say I've watched it about 4 times already.
hymiehymie 2 years ago 2
First I laughed my ass off, but then I watched it a couple more time and realized how really well done it is, and how great she really is.
The I ROFLED some more!
TOTALLY favorited!
mfawg 2 years ago 3
That was, funny, what the heck? I can't stop smiling, I will say, she did have a well trained voice.
1tenthAngel 2 years ago
WTF?! (What the Folk?!)
SwankyCub 2 years ago
This is the greatest bunch of comments I've ever seen on a YT video. We should all collaborate on line and write a TV show.
hymiehymie 2 years ago 2
If Debbie had a hammer at this time in her life, she would have used it on Eddie Fisher's head. God only knows what kind of tool she would have used on Liz Taylor but I'm thinking chain saw.
doubtful100 2 years ago 5
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westerisbester 2 years ago
lol!!!!! too funny!!!!!
cousinneal 2 years ago
I'm not sure she's helping the movement.
rgeraredz 2 years ago
If I had a hammer, I'd hammer H.G.'s head in. I'd replace it with flat head and jimmy the lock. I dial in 59, right after the 19. I'd go back and beat up Eddie Fisher. Liz was dish but not the one to wish for.
Spiritualized1 2 years ago
Who says protesters can't be fabulous?
irvingklaw57 2 years ago
Hahaaha, this is... indescribable. Though I gotta say if the lyrics weren't what they were it would be a cute little variety show performance, instead of a misguided folk song.
blackpython 2 years ago
this is princess leias mom
pudd750 2 years ago 2
I dig the woman at 1:38 with that "I'm gonna' fuck your brains out" look.
Bestevus 2 years ago
She really sells it! She looks GREAT!
romcopper 2 years ago
NO, I agree with both Bernard & roetter down below. This is an awful version of this tune, as well as an awful Scopitone in hindsight, although even at the time -- why weren't any of the dancers African-American (or at the time, black)? I mean, this song is supposed to be a Civil Rights anthem. But perhaps that wasn't Debbie's fault (maybe it was the director's), but perhaps Debbie needed to feel it better and demand some black dancers even if others would been shocked by that back in 1963!
whatever30345 2 years ago
LOL
totally misguided interpretation of this song... I wonder if hearty audience guffaws is what Debbie Reynolds was going for here?
they really should serve crackers with this cheese!!
BernardProfitendieu 2 years ago 3
I have a hammer and have no desire to hammer that much...maybe to build things. I guess if I didnt have a hammer things might be different. Someone get her a hammer
roetter1 2 years ago
Comment removed
roetter1 2 years ago