The Big T.N.T. Show (also known as This Could Be the Night and The TNT Award Show) is a 1965 American concert film directed by Larry Peerce and produced by Phil Spector. A sequel to the T.A.M.I. Show (1964), the film features performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and the United Kingdom. It was distributed by American International Pictures.
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Filming
The film was shot before a live audience at the Moulin Rouge club at 6230 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles on November 29 and November 30, 1965.
The Big T.N.T. Show was aimed at the teenage demographic and featured 3,000 teenagers in the audience. "T.N.T." was an acronym for Tune 'n' Talent. The film was a follow-up to the T.A.M.I. Show, which was released a year prior. "T.A.M.I." was an acronym for "Teenage Awards Music International."
The concert was shot on videotape and transferred to 35-millimeter film. Director Larry Peerce used four television cameras to record the performances. Record producer Phil Spector was the producer and musical director.
According to executive producer Henry G. Saperstein, 140 minutes of footage was shot, but the film was cut down to 90 minutes for the theatrical release. Each of the acts performed their set three times.
Its pre-release title was This Could Be the Night—The Big T.N.T Show. The film's theme song, "This Could Be the Night", was written by Harry Nilsson, produced by Phil Spector, and performed by the Modern Folk Quartet.
Notable appearances
During the opening sequence of audience shots, Ron Mael and Russell Mael, who would later form the band Sparks can be seen at 4:44 and Sky Saxon, singer and frontman for The Seeds can be seen at 5:21. Frank Zappa appears very briefly in the movie at 6:30 as an audience member and can also be seen in the movie's trailer. Marilyn McCoo of the Fifth Dimension also appears as one of the backing singers during Ray Charles' performance. Actress Teri Garr appears as one of the show’s dance troupe.
Release and reception
The Big T.N.T Show premiered in theaters in late December 1965. A general release date was initially planned for January 26, 1966.
UPI Hollywood columnist Vernon Scott wrote that the "film is aimed solely at kids who buy recordings of the performers in the cast. It's a musical orgy for pubescent swingers."
List of performers
In order of appearance in the film:
Home video
Some footage from the concert film was reused in the film That Was Rock a.k.a. The T.A.M.I. / T.N.T. Show (1984). The Shout! Factory released it on DVD and Blu-ray in 2016.