urbpan | More Tom Jones Show liveblogging (Reply)

Stevie Wonder drum solo? Did anyone know that Stevie even played drums?

Pat Paulson was actually pretty funny.

Apparently if I had an "angle" button on my DVD remote I could switch between the American and British broadcasts of this episode. This Pat Paulson routine must have been different depending on the censor in charge. A Doctor drinking whisky AND having some hanky panky with the nurse.

Tom gives Stevie the same sloppy sexy smile he gave Janis Joplin.

I'm sorry I wasn't liveblogging last night when I watched the Joe Cocker segment. He looked a little like my dad, but a bit more like a special ed student turning into a werewolf. Also his pants were way too tight. And white.

Really, if the cheese factor doesn't bother you, these are some of the most amazing vocal performances you could see. Stevie and Tom duet medley? Pretty hot.

The Ace Trucking Company comedy team had Fred Willard, AND the cute voiced woman from the Electric Company (Patti Deutsch).

Bob Hope looked old in 1970! And only 1/3 of his jokes were funny! Wait, percentage falling... falling...

Whoa, a Sesame Street joke! It had only been on for a year!

Tom appears to be wearing a woman's white coat on backwards. It looks kind of "Logan's Run." Aretha Franklin (singing "It's not Unusual") is wearing a Cleopatra-style Pharaoh's hat. Were those things available off the rack, or did they raid the Universal Pictures costume wardrobe?

Christ on a crutch it's Ray Jay Johnson again.

Fred Willard looks genuinely stupified to hear the "You can call me Ray" routine.

I think I have to track down the xmas special. I can't believe I just typed that.

Aretha won't look at Tom for some reason. Maybe she's afraid he'll hand her a sweaty handkerchief. (This was part of his "bit": he would step into the audience, someone would give him a rag, he'd mop off some sweat and then hand it over to some swooning woman. Is this the origin of the tradition of throwing underwear at him? "Wipe off with these, Tom!")

The DVD extras claim that the aim of the show was to bring the variety show format to young people.

Also, apparently much of the censorship was centered on Tom and female (black) vocalists looking at each other too much. Jesus. Also, implying through lyrics that he and the black vocalists were once lovers was censored. It makes me embarrassed to be American. (He wasn't censored in the version made for British broadcast.)