The television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was taped before a live studio audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on March 25, 1983 and broadcast by NBC on May 16th. The special was written by de Passe and Ruth Adkins Robinson with Buz Kohan as the head writer and directed by Don Mischer. Highlighted with historical significance was Michael Jackson's stunning performance of "Billie Jean," together with the debut of his signature move, the "moonwalk" and his reunion with The Jackson 5. Marvin Gaye sensitively told the history of black music followed by his hit song "What's Going On," while Motown VP Smokey Robinson reunited with The Miracles and performed a duet with long-time friend Linda Ronstadt. Since the show was a benefit for sickle cell disease, Lionel Richie's tender ballad to 6-year-old Lynette Butler was especially touching. Diana Ross made a surprise entrance shocking Adam Ant and reunited with Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdson of The Supremes. The show includes an energetic "battle of the bands" between the star groups of the Four Tops and The Temptations that was so enthusiastically received, they went on the road with their act and also appeared at the Apollo. Comedian Richard Pryor acted as Motown 25's host and opened the extravaganza with a fairytale story of 3 maidens from the Projects of Brewster, followed by video clips of The Supremes.
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever also presented the rehearsal videos of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, as well as content on the history of Motown, Hitsville and Gordy's family. Exclusive interviews with artists, executives, writers, producers and songwriters on Motown include a Songwriter's Roundtable featuring major songwriters like Norman Whitfield, Steven Stevenson, and the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, just to name a few.
There's a printout of what appears to be the invitation to the show and an 46-page booklet including pictures of memorabilia from the production of Motown 25 outlining performers and descriptions of their segments. There's also commentary illuminating how Gordy promoted female employees, and how Hitsville was a place for all artists, executives, family and employees to hang out together. More than anything -- Motown was a team and a family.
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever went on to spotlight artists like Ashford & Simpson; Dick Clark featuring Motown artists on television; the Commodores; Debarge; Jose' Feliciano; High Inergy; Rick James and The Mary Jane Girls; Jermaine Jackson; Martha and the Vandellas; fast-talker John Moschitta; Motown's country music star T.G. Sheppard; Syreeta; Junior Walker; Mary Wells; actor Billy Dee Williams (Lady Sings the Blues); WKRP's disc jockeys Howard Hesseman and Tim Reid, plus many others. The opening musical performance was by the Lester Wilson Dancers with Wilson in the dance troupe, plus many special surprise guests and clips.
The performance portion of the box set was spectacular. Even though the discs cautioned that there were imperfections, the content was so enjoyable and informative that I really didn't notice. Now, I am not a music purist, I simply watch for the entertainment factor, and I was thoroughly pleased. I thought the set gave me a greater understanding of the era, the talent, and especially appreciation for some artists that I had never even realized the extent of their talents -- especially Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson. I had always thought of Michael as cute, soft-spoken, and a great entertainer, but never realized the extent of his genius -- such a forerunner in his career and a ground-breaker in his art. I had never seen his initial "moonwalk" performance, and as I watched the video, I was astounded at the creative talent and skill he portrayed in his song and dance -- especially in his dance, I had to rank him above legendary dance talents of the past. As far as Marvin Gaye, I liked his music and thought it was current for its day, but didn't realize that he'd go down in history for "What's Going On," which still seems to resonate in our land today.
This was my reaction to Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever - I thought it was good family entertainment and a positive portrayal of African-American talent and its placement in history and entertainment. I had greater appreciation for the genius of Berry Gordy Jr. and his efforts to promote black artists from records to albums to movies to some of the highest roles and honors in the entertainment industry today. He was able to encourage his artists, meet their needs, stretch their perspectives and talents, and mold them into superstars!
I thoroughly enjoyed Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever as an extended version in surround sound, which accentuated its appeal. There's 6 hours of bonus material including discussions with Smokey Robinson, Duke Fakir (Four Tops) and Otis Williams (The Temptations). The show spotlighted every major Motown artist including Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Mary Wells, Martha Reeves, Junior Walker and The Commodores and so many others. Commentary was unanimous in its praise and applause for Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson -- giants in their field and mentors to all. Featurettes give behind-the-scenes stories of the evolution of the Motown 25 concert. Also there's a recounting history of the Motown label and its celebrated Motown sound that touched the hearts of American youth and reached across international boundaries. Diana Ross made an unexpected appearance and closed the show with a tribute to Gordy by calling him down to join the artists on stage. There was a lot of reminiscing, kissing and hugging going on. The reunion of Motown 25 healed wounds, brought hearts together, and brought peace to all and now you can relive this experience buy adding it to your own collection or as a gift for any fan of Motown.
