Neil Diamond Television Appearances
1968
January 17
- The Merv Griffin Show
(Neil appeared on the Merv Griffin show, a syndicated talk
show. This show may not have been seen in all areas on the same day. It was
shown in the morning on a Washington, DC, channel and in the afternoon on a
Baltimore, MD, channel. And the Washington channel only showed the first hour of
this hour and a half long show. Because I was in school during the day, I was
fortunate that we could pick up the Baltimore channel, and I was also fortunate
that the show I got to see was the longer one.
Although Neil had written
several hit songs by the time he did this show, he did not sing any of them.
Perhaps because of the feeling that a lot of middle-aged housewives would be
watching, instead of teenage fans, he sang two middle-of-the-road standards -
"Stranger In Paradise" and "Jenny Rebecca". (The latter song
was done in the last half hour, which may not have been seen in all markets.)
The highlight of this
appearance, though, was Neil trying to teach Merv how to fence. It was not a
well-known fact at the time that Neil had been a fencer on teams at his high
school and college, so this was a new aspect of his life for me to learn about.
Merv Griffin is also famous for running some casinos in Atlantic City and the Bahamas (and maybe elsewhere). Plus, he developed several game shows for T.V., including "Jeopardy!". - Regina Litman
March
22 - The Merv Griffin Show
(Neil appeared on the Merv Griffin show, a syndicated talk show. This show may
not have been seen in all areas on the same day. It was shown in the morning on
a Washington, DC, channel and in the afternoon on a Baltimore, MD, channel. And
the Washington channel only showed the first hour of this hour and a half long
show. Because it was spring break week for me and because we could pick up the
Baltimore channel, I was able to see the first hour twice, plus the last half
hour once.
As he did in the earlier Merv Griffin appearance that I saw on January 17, 1968, Neil sang a middle-of-the-road standard, "Softly As I Leave You", instead of one of his own compositions. This was done in the first hour of the show. In the last half hour, which was not seen in all markets, he sang a song I had never heard before but which was obviously one he had written, based on the lyrics. It turned out to be "Brooklyn Roads", and it became his next single release.
March 29 -
The Mike Douglas Show
(Neil appeared on the
Mike Douglas show, a syndicated talk show. This show may not have been seen in
all areas on the same day.
I did not see this show. The following Monday, someone in school mentioned that he had seen it and wondered if I had. Even though it was April 1, I realized that he was not fooling me. That summer, I read in some fan magazines that Neil had appeared on the Mike Douglas show and talked about his anti-drug stance, so this was probably that show. - Regina Litman)
July
2 - Showcase 68
(Neil appeared on a summer replacement showNeil was on the Joey Bishop
show on October 4, 1968. I have the TV listing. , whose name
I think was "Showcase 68" on Tuesday, July 2, 1968. He sang his latest
single release, "Two-Bit Manchild". This show was like a talent show
for up-and-coming talent, and the other performers competed for the right to go
onto a final competition at the end of the summer. Because Neil was considered
to be an established star, he was not part of this competition. He was certainly
among the better performers that night, although the winning act, Sly and the
Family Stone, was very good, as was a singer named Tom Rush. Each week, this
show was shot in location in a different city. The week that Neil was on, it was
done in New Orleans. - Regina Litman)
October
4 - The Joey Bishop Show
( I saw the show. Neil sang "Sunday Sun", which was his latest single
release at the time. - Regina Litman)
December
31 - The Joey Bishop Show
(Neil appeared on the Joey Bishop Show on New Year's Eve, 1968. (I guess I
should post this under 1969, too, because in the Eastern Time Zone, at least,
the telecast extended into that year!) Joey was not on that night. The
substitute host was Jack Carter, a comedian who came from the same area of
Brooklyn as Neil. (Recently, someone posted a link on the IAIS board to a web
site for a garden in Brooklyn that honors famous people from Brooklyn,
including, of course, Neil. I noticed that Jack Carter was one of the honorees.)
Jack Carter made a lot of silly jokes, and I don't think that Neil appreciated them. He held up a copy of "Velvet Gloves and Spit" with the original cover and asked about the picture with the mannequins. Neil said that the picture had been taken in a mannequin factory in Los Angeles.
Neil sang at least two songs. I know that near the end of the show, he sang "Merry Go Round", from VG&S, which had been released about three months earlier. One thing I remember is that he sang the verses in a different sequence than they appear on the record. I don't recall what else he sang, but I believe it was something from VG&S, not one of his Bang-era hits. Maybe "A Modern Day Version Of Love". - Regina Litman)