The T.A.M.I. Show  (1964)

Theatrical Release Information:
The T.A.M.I. Show

In 1964, television director Steve Binder was given the task of staging the Teen-Age Music International Show, a concert event which would showcase some of the biggest rock and pop acts of the day; Binder and his camera crew then captured the proceedings on video tape, and the results were transferred to kinescope film and released to theaters as The T.A.M.I. Show. While The Beatles were otherwise occupied with making their own movie, the roster of performers otherwise reads like a "who's who" of early-60's rock -- original guitar hero Chuck Berry, three of Motown's biggest stars (Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and The Supremes), two leading British Invasion acts (Gerry and the Pacemakers and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas), garage rock legends The Barbarians, teen angst goddess Leslie Gore, and surf music pioneers The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean (the latter of whom also served as hosts). Closing the show is a veritable "Battle of the Bands" between two of the most exciting stage acts in rock history, James Brown and his Famous Flames (Brown's dancing still inspires awe nearly 40 years later), and The Rolling Stones (who look young and green, but are already blessed with a near-deadly charisma). Regarded by many aficionados as one of the very best rock and roll movies ever made (despite a video transfer that's not quite up contemporary technical standards), The T.A.M.I. Show has unfortunately never been released on home video (and most current prints don't feature The Beach Boys' performance, which was trimmed due to a legal dispute), though highlights from the movie were combined with excerpts from the pseudo-sequel The Big T.N.T. Show and released as on a compilation video entitled That Was Rock. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide