FORD MOTOR COMPANY TRAINING FILM - LOVE THY CUSTOMER
DATE: 05/xx/1966
LOCATION: Rampart Studios - Los Angeles - CA
FORMAT: Employee Training Film
COLOR: Yes
LENGTH: 25:13
AUDIO: Yes
PRODUCTION: Parthenon Pictures
NARRATOR: Frank Nelson & Colin Male
Info:
Prior to signing to Elektra, The Doors are hired by a now defunct Parthenon Pictures to provide an instrumental soundtrack to a Ford Motor Company employee training film titled Love Thy Customer in the spring of 1966. During this time period The Doors are dropped from Columbia Records without having recorded music for the label, however the band is possibly offered the job through a referral by Columbia who have previously pressed audio training records for Ford. The Doors are paid $200 for the session.
Produced and directed by David Bowen, the soundtrack for Love Thy Customer is reportedly composed and recorded while The Doors view the film on a monitor at Rampart Studios in Los Angeles. Featuring approximately fifteen minutes of original music, with passages resembling later tracks such as Build Me A Woman, The Soft Parade, and I Looked At You, the film offers an early insight to the band's developing musical style and sound. While the music is generally heard in the background behind a narrator's voice, the volume is occasionally increased between segments offering a clear listen to the viewer. Due to the instrumental nature of the soundtrack, Jim Morrison does not provide vocals for the production, but is reported to have taken part by providing percussion effects and other miscellaneous contributions.
In late 1967, Parthenon Pictures takes out ads in various business-related magazines with an aim directed at companies in the market to procure training films, and screening prints of Love Thy Customer are offered as free demonstration copies for interested parties. Although original rolls of the produced film, albeit scarce, are still in existence, and The Doors own archival copy has been officially released on The Doors 2013 DVD & Blu-Ray R-Evolution, the original studio session tapes are now considered lost.
Credits:
The Doors - Original Music
Frank Nelson - Narrator
Colin Male - Narrator
Charles 'Cap' Palmer - Executive Producer
David Bowen - Producer & Director
Sam Farnsworth - Production Manager
Assistant Director - Larry Sullivan
BUICK TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENT
DATE: xx/xx/1969
FORMAT: TV Advertisement
COLOR: N/A
LENGTH: N/A
AUDIO: N/A
PRODUCTION: N/A
Info:
In October 1968, The Doors are approached by Buick to use Light My Fire in a television commercial to promote sales of the 1970 Buick Opel. On February 5th, 1969 an advertising manager for GM issues inter-company letters outlining the advertising campaign for the Opel, stating that magazine ads, a poster, and a television commercial will be used for promotion. Although posters and ads with a "Light Your Fire" slogan make it into production and marketing stages, a television commercial does not.
John Densmore recalls: "It all started in 1968, when Buick offered us $75,000 to use Light My Fire to hawk its new hot little offering--the Opel. Ray, Robby and I OK'd it, while Jim was out of town. He came back and went nuts. And it wasn't even his song (Robby primarily having penned 'LMF')! In retrospect, his calling up Buick and saying that if they aired the ad, he'd smash an Opel on television with a sledgehammer was fantastic!".
< Click Here To See a Paper Advertisement from 1970.
WTVJ - MIAMI WARRANT ISSUE
DATE: 03/05/1969
LOCATION: Unknown - Miami, FL
FORMAT: Newsreel
COLOR: Yes
AUDIO: Yes
LENGTH: Unknown
STATION: WTVJ Channel 4
Info:
On March 5th 1969, The Doors are on vacation in Jamaica following their performance in Miami, and warrants are issued for the arrest of Jim Morrison. This brief footage shot by WTVJ Channel 4 captures acting police chief Paul Denham making the announcement. It's explained that the delay in the issue of the warrants were due to the wait for recordings and photographic evidence of the events that took place at the Miami concert. Two warrants are issued, including 'Indecent Exposure' and the 'Use Of Obscene Language'. Multiple radio and television stations are present during this press release.
WTVJ - INTERVIEW WITH KEN COLLIER
DATE: 03/05/1969
LOCATION: Unknown - Miami, FL
FORMAT: Newsreel
COLOR: Yes
AUDIO: Yes
LENGTH: 0:35
STATION: WTVJ Channel 4
Info:
On March 5th 1969, WTVJ Channel 4 interviews Miami promoter Ken Collier during what was likely the announcement of the warrants taken out for Jim Morrison following The Doors performance in Miami on March 1st. Ken Collier explains that he will not book The Doors again, and hopes that others follow suit. Channel 4's television reporter is unidentified. This is a 20ft. segment of film, and runs for approximately thirty five seconds.
WTVJ - MIAMI DECENCY RALLY
DATE: 03/23/1969
LOCATION: Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
FORMAT: Newsreel
COLOR: Yes
AUDIO: No
LENGTH: Unknown
STATION: WTVJ Channel 4
Info:
On March 23rd, 1969 shortly after The Doors performance in Miami, a decency rally for teenagers at the Orange Bowl attracts 35,000. This rally is the first of many to be held across the country in response to The Doors performance at the Dinner Key Auditorium on March 1st, and is covered by local Miami television station WTVJ Channel 4. Celebrities, musicians and public figures at the rally include Jackie Gleason, Anita Bryant, and Ted Mack with music by The Lettermen, the Impact Of Brass, and the Village Stompers.
NBC - THE TODAY SHOW - NEW YORK
DATE: 03/28/1969
LOCATION: NBC Studios - New York, NY
FORMAT: News
COLOR: Yes
AUDIO: Yes
LENGTH: Unknown
NETWORK: NBC - New York
Info:
On March 28th, 1969 following the widely proclaimed decency rally held at the Orange Bowl in Miami on March 23rd, rally organizers Mike Levesque and Julie James appear on NBC's The Today Show to discuss their recent activities and the decency movement. Hosted by Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs, The Today Show is filmed in New York at NBC Studios and airs nationwide on weekday mornings at 7:00am. Although the staging of the Miami Decency Rally stems from The Doors performance at Miami's Dinner Key Auditorium on March 1st, it is unclear if The Doors are mentioned during this broadcast.
WMAR - BALTIMORE DECENCY RALLY
DATE: 04/17-21/1969
LOCATION: Various - Baltimore, MD
FORMAT: Newsreel
COLOR: Yes
AUDIO: Partial
LENGTH: 4:46
STATION: WMAR Channel 2
Info:
In late March of 1969, Baltimore youth organize a rally for decency to be held at the Baltimore Memorial Stadium on April 20th, and WMAR-TV television news (Channel 2) provides coverage for the event. The rally draws 40,000 attendees and ends in riot, with violent stabbings, robberies, and looting. Copies of various news segments shot for the station are later archived and preserved at the University of Baltimore.
Sections of preserved footage include coverage of an April 17th promotional parade featuring the White Panthers travelling along Howard St. of Baltimore, ending with a post-parade event at Baltimore City Hall featuring a speech by mayor Thomas D'Alesandro III. A black and white interview segment is also included, featuring a Q&A with 19-year-old Larry Young, leader and spokesman for the rally who indicates that many big name entertainers have been contacted to make an appearance at the event, including Lorne Green of the television show Bonanza, Frank Sinatra, and James Brown. A post-rally segment features commentary from Thomas D'Alesandro III who states that while 40,000 people turn out for the rally, the event is a disgrace for Baltimore in that 500 to 1000 attendees are what he describes as 'hoodlums', hellbent on disturbing the proceedings. An unidentified official is also interviewed, explaining that while intentions were good, the rally is ultimately harmful to the community.
WTVJ - MIAMI TRIAL
DATE: (Various Dates) - 08/10/1970 to 10/30/1970
STATION: WTVJ Miami
LOCATION: Miami - FL
FORMAT: Newsreel
COLOR: Yes
LENGTH: 14:02
AUDIO: Mix
STATION: WTVJ Channel 4
Info:
On August 10th, 1970 WTVJ Channel 4 of Miami begins televised coverage of Jim Morrison's indecency trial. Covering multiple dates, this footage features shots of Jim, The Doors, friends, witnesses, legal personnel, and other related aspects of the trial including Police Chief Paul Denham's announcement of the issued warrants and a decency rally held at the Orange Bowl in March of 1969. While the majority of the known footage is silent, audio appears during an interview with Jim by reporter Fred Francis (See transcript below), and interview clips with members of the Miami show audience. This footage is currently housed by the Florida Moving Image Archives and clean segments can be seen in The Doors official 2010 documentary 'When You're Strange'.
INTERVIEW BY FRED FRANCIS:
JM: I think that nudity is, it's really a cyclical phenomenom - I think it comes, it gets very liberal and extreme, then it goes back, reacts the other way, and it just seems to be a cycle in entertainment.
FF: In other words you feel that the same liberalism performed in the theater, acting, should be also generated in music?
JM: Well in the realm of art and theater, I do think that there should be complete freedom for the artist and performer. I'm not personally convinced that nudity is always a necessary part of a play or film, but the artist should feel free to use it if he feels like it.
KERO-TV CHANNEL 23 - BAKERSFIELD
DATE: 08/21/1970
STATION: KERO-TV
LOCATION: Bakersfield - CA
FORMAT: Newsreel
COLOR: Yes
LENGTH: 5:58
AUDIO: Yes
Info:
This short 30-second color broadcast report features a Q&A with Jim Morrison and an introduction showing various newspaper articles related to the Miami trial. Filmed in Bakersfield, CA by Alvie Chadwick at the Civic Auditorium, this filmwork was broadcast on Channel 23 KERO-TV. The full length master reel lies in The Doors archives and features Bakersfield concert footage, a more extensive interview segment with Jim, and silent footage of The Doors and crew backstage. The master runs for approximately six minutes - much lengthier in comparison to the televised broadcast.
JIM MORRISON DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT BY BILL SIDDONS
DATE: 07/09/1971
LOCATION: Nationwide
FORMAT: Newsreel
COLOR: Unknown
LENGTH: Unknown
AUDIO: Yes
Info:
In the early hours of July 9th 1971, The Doors manager Bill Siddons officially announces the death of Jim Morrison to the press. There are currently no known copies of a televised broadcast in existence, however a cassette tape recording from a television set is known to collectors.
CBS & NBC TELEVISION - NEW YORK
Info:
Two prime time television death announcements of Jim Morrison are made by newscasters Walter Cronkite and Frank McGee of CBS and NBC on July 9th, 1971. Due to the circumstances of the event, news of Jim's death was not reported by the media until July 9th or later. These television broadcasts include what details are known about the incident in Paris following the official announcement from Bill Siddons. Following the announcement of Jim Morrison's death on the 7 o'clock news in New York, Walter Cronkite hosts a one hour special on jazz artist Louis Armstrong who passes away on July 6th. Although filmed and broadcast in color, these surviving copies are black and white.
