Archive & Newsreel Footage


FORD MOTOR COMPANY TRAINING FILM - LOVE THY CUSTOMER


Ford Motor Company Training Film

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:

Before signing to Elektra, The Doors are hired by Parthenon Pictures to provide an instrumental soundtrack to a Ford Motor Company employee training film titled 'Love Thy Customer'. Produced and directed by David Bowen for a now defunct Parthenon Pictures, the soundtrack is supposedly composed while The Doors view the film on a monitor at Rampart Studios in Los Angeles. Featuring approximately 15 minutes of music, with passages resembling tracks such as Build Me A Woman and I Looked At You, the film gives fans and collectors an insight to the band's early 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 for clear listening. Due to the instrumental nature of the soundtrack, Jim Morrison was most likely not required to parttake, with no evidence suggesting he was present during the session. Although the finished the film remains intact and officially released on The Doors 2013 DVD & Blu-Ray 'R-Evolution', the original studio session reels appear to be lost.

BUICK TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENT


Buick Television Advertisement

DATE: xx/xx/1969
LOCATION: Unknown
FORMAT: TV Advertisement
COLOR: Unknown
LENGTH: Unknown
AUDIO: Yes




Info:

In October 1968, The Doors are approached by Buick to use Light My Fire in a television commercial to promote sales of the Buick Opel. On February 5th, 1969 the 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, however it appears that the television commercial did not enter into production stages, and hence was never broadcast. A recorded copy of this television advertisement has never been found. While Buick did retain the rights to use Light My Fire in their advertising campaign as they saw fit, The Doors were not scheduled to appear in the advertisements themselves. 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.

MIAMI WARRANT ISSUE


Miami Warrant Issue

DATE: 03/05/1969
LOCATION: Unknown - Miami, FL
FORMAT: 16mm
COLOR: Yes
AUDIO: Yes
LENGTH: Unknown
FILMER: 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.

DECENCY RALLY - MIAMI


Miami Decency Rally

DATE: 03/23/1969
LOCATION: Orange Bowl - Miami, FL
FORMAT: 16mm
COLOR: Yes
AUDIO: Yes
LENGTH: Unknown
FILMER: 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.

WTVJ CHANNEL 4 - MIAMI


WTVJ Channel 4 Miami Television

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




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


Jim Morrison - KERO-TV 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


Bill Siddons Death Announcement

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


CBS Death AnnouncementCBS & NBC Death Announcements

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 usually 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. Filmed and broadcast in black & white.