David Bowie Elephant Man excerpt ABC TV US about 1981

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  • Опубліковано 1 січ 2017
  • Excerpted from a short lived ABC-TV "Arts" program called "Omnibus." You can add a comment if you know anything more about it. I worked at an ABC station at the time and recorded it on 3/4" tape.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 85

  • @vanessaclark3443
    @vanessaclark3443 7 років тому +159

    David Bowie truly put his all into this performance. I hope one day we'll get the entire recording of it on UA-cam.

    • @derda4869
      @derda4869 7 років тому +5

      Vanessa Clark does an entire record exist? I thought these two parts were the only ones recorded on tape🤔

    • @melizmatea
      @melizmatea 4 роки тому +2

      @@derda4869 I wonder too - I'm pretty sure that a lot of Broadway musicals have been taped and are stored, I think, at the Lincoln Centre Library, but can only be accessed by certain people e.g. academics or whatnot. At least I think I heard that somewhere! I wonder if every Broadway show is preserved for posterity and hidden away somewhere.

    • @melizmatea
      @melizmatea 4 роки тому +1

      @@derda4869 okay, I'm not as clued out as I thought I was, haha - www.nypl.org/about/divisions/theatre-film-and-tape-archive They do in fact do tapings, but not all, so they may not have done Elephant Man, or at least not with him. But it's worth looking into!

    • @seanrockoff7793
      @seanrockoff7793 2 роки тому +1

      @@derda4869 FWIW I'm still sure an entire performance does not exist... but these scenes were staged twice more for television, so there are three performances in total (though just of these two scenes... though the others go on a bit longer!)
      ua-cam.com/video/cPithDmHrd0/v-deo.html
      ua-cam.com/video/UVqs7rPvgow/v-deo.html

    • @brxzbze
      @brxzbze 2 роки тому

      @@seanrockoff7793 I think this is one but it's a bit low quality ua-cam.com/video/U1PKAFzf-w4/v-deo.html

  • @PaulaCoots
    @PaulaCoots 7 років тому +116

    His vulnerability is heartbreaking. Amazing command of his body.

    • @coreycox2345
      @coreycox2345 7 років тому +15

      You are right. I didn't know Bowie was such a fine actor. There is a sweetness about him here. John Hurt was also excellent in this role. My sister and I emerged crying from the movie and were gently teased by our friends for weeks after.

    • @PaulaCoots
      @PaulaCoots 7 років тому +8

      Yeah, it was a very moving movie, too. It's better to be sensitive than a rock! Sorry they teased you guys.

  • @philomalley1510
    @philomalley1510 4 роки тому +30

    I saw David Bowie in "The Elephant Man" in the front row at The Booth Theater in New York City. Touching and tearful. Unforgettable and emotionally charged. David Bowie was a genius. No one will ever be as cool as David Bowie ⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  • @philyra2
    @philyra2 7 років тому +84

    He was such a brilliant artist. His portrayal here is so raw and real. It's a feat to be able to so completely disappear into such a character without the aid of makeup or prosthetics. This performance shows his talent and dedication to the part. It is pure genius.

    • @cunobelinusX31
      @cunobelinusX31 3 роки тому +2

      I know Bowie was a singer song writer, 1st and foremost, but what a brilliant actor? This is incredible, but also his portrayal of Berthold Brecht's Baal. Andy Warhol in Basquiat, so many more. I miss Bowie

    • @michaelgwyndavies2827
      @michaelgwyndavies2827 10 місяців тому

      I ask for here love, and then she leaves to rot The Hunger @@cunobelinusX31

  • @franzhaas6889
    @franzhaas6889 6 років тому +42

    HE IS TRULY ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT PERFORMER'S. HIS MUSIC AND ACTING WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. BRAVO MR. BOWIE!

    • @melodefidler2084
      @melodefidler2084 Рік тому

      I WISH DAVID BOWIE WAS ABLE TO ACT IN MORE PLAYS AND MOVIES. HE WAS SO GOOD AT MAKING YOU FEEL LIKE HE WAS THAT CHARACTER.

  • @sweetbermudaonions60
    @sweetbermudaonions60 5 років тому +19

    I got to see the play in October at the Booth Theatre NYC...BOWIE was amazing...then the next month, after writing to David Bowie for many years, his assistant called my office and invited me to see the play and to go backstage to meet him...WOW ain't the word for it...We talked in his dressing room for over 50 minutes...what a wonderful man...artist, singer, song writer, performer, everything....and yes I miss him

    • @TinyHunt82
      @TinyHunt82 4 роки тому +2

      Sweet Heart very cool

    • @mister3566
      @mister3566 Рік тому +1

      Is this true? 🤔

    • @sweetbermudaonions60
      @sweetbermudaonions60 Рік тому +1

      @@mister3566 Yes it is!

    • @mister3566
      @mister3566 Рік тому +2

      @@sweetbermudaonions60 Wow how amazing! I've been a fan since '72 and I've never got near him. Well done to you 👏 I'm jealous but also so happy for you. I did get my name on the mural in Brixton though
      😉

    • @sweetbermudaonions60
      @sweetbermudaonions60 Рік тому +3

      @@mister3566 :) Thank you for your comment. Being that I am a fan since 1969. Anytime that I found any sort of address for David, I would write him letters about his music, etc. By around 1974-ish, the MainMan office in NYC knew who I was and dubbed me 'SuperFan'. David and Coco were always kind to me and offered me tickets to his concerts whenever they were in the city. I ALWAYS offered to pay for them, but they never let me. In November 1980, Coco called my office and invited me and a friend to see Elephant man on Broadway and to meet David backstage after the show...We spent about 45 to 60 minutes talking about his music, his stage shows, etc. (this is a really long story cut short by the way)...And to skip a couple of years, David & Coco still made sure I had tickets for every show in the NYC area...I had another opportunity at HIS request to go backstage at the Meadowlands (the shows with Nine Inch Nails) and we took another photo as an updated one from our first one back in 1980....(again this is a condensed version of what happened)

  • @madgemuso7314
    @madgemuso7314 3 роки тому +6

    He really was the ultimate Renaissance Man.

  • @geraldinedenys9724
    @geraldinedenys9724 7 років тому +40

    Stunning he's so skilled ! Miming is such a difficult art

    • @gdiaz8827
      @gdiaz8827 2 роки тому

      What is mining? I picture it as a french clown artform and dont see the connection to these scenes

  • @NatalieHawkinsMusic
    @NatalieHawkinsMusic 2 місяці тому +1

    God, he was so talented. The world is richer because we had David Bowie. ❤️

  • @makelikeatree1696
    @makelikeatree1696 3 роки тому +4

    I was just telling my wife about this. Saw it in Chicago in 1981. Didn’t realize that any of it was filmed for posterity. My goodness. How brilliant.

  • @puffyjo
    @puffyjo 7 років тому +26

    one word....................... BRILLIANT!!!!!!!

  • @CatoMinor
    @CatoMinor 7 років тому +21

    Immense talent and enormous charisma in everything he did. This was (is) David Bowie.

  • @joelene
    @joelene 11 місяців тому +2

    David is so emmersed in this role - I found myself completely engrossed and swallowed in by the authenticity of his portrayal of his character. Maybe its because I worked with Cerebral Palsied kids for the last 32 years, but I was upset when I realised the video was coming to an end. I was completely engulfed in the story line. The way he "hid" his right arm behind him- lol, perfect - just like the kids do. Thank you David Bowie. You have that x-factor. My utmist respects for your excellent performance. I listen to you on vinyl so I "get you".

  • @jossbsure
    @jossbsure 7 років тому +19

    wow... I'm in shock!
    what an amazing performance, you can see his inside turmoil (and almost his past) when the doctor is patronizing him...

  • @jenniferschillig3768
    @jenniferschillig3768 6 років тому +21

    I've always been every bit as much impressed by David Bowie's acting as by his singing--maybe even more so. I'f he'd chosen to focus entirely on acting, he might have been Sir David of the RSC.

    • @melizmatea
      @melizmatea 4 роки тому +3

      Yes, he was a born actor, I think, and they say the best singers can also act, so that applies to him too!

    • @mister3566
      @mister3566 Рік тому +1

      He turned down a knighthood

  • @rokitrik6783
    @rokitrik6783 7 років тому +13

    Thank you for sharing. I missed David's performance in DENVER at the time. It was the original run before the show "hit the road." David should have won a Tony.

  • @garypenketh4940
    @garypenketh4940 3 роки тому +3

    Originally broadcast at 18.00 on Sunday 19th April 1981

  • @vickielynn1714
    @vickielynn1714 6 років тому +7

    This is such a great play. It's sad and Bowie is wonderful in this. He's such a great actor and he's adorable. Long live Bowie!

  • @Gravyballs2011
    @Gravyballs2011 7 років тому +10

    Introduced by Hal Holbrook- a living legend in his own right who will turn 92 in February.

    • @melizmatea
      @melizmatea 4 роки тому

      omg! I hate to say this but I didn't know he was still with us! He was indeed a great actor - wasn't he in Network? (as well as many other things.)

  • @johnseibert9945
    @johnseibert9945 7 років тому +7

    I saw David Bowie in a touring production of this in Denver, CO in 1981. I had no idea there was any filmed record of his performance..I'm SO grateful for this posting! Thanks! It's as riveting as I remember it then...

  • @celebtrvl
    @celebtrvl 5 років тому +3

    I saw Bowie on Broadway in this play. Amazing

  • @blckstarr4634
    @blckstarr4634 7 років тому +9

    Incredible.

  • @haleypierce6635
    @haleypierce6635 4 роки тому +2

    He gave a great performance. He was a great actor and musician and personality.

  • @mangasky7
    @mangasky7 7 років тому +9

    Only ever seen poor quality footage of this before. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

  • @mister3566
    @mister3566 Рік тому +3

    That is some serious acting

  • @ollidoll_gaming2649
    @ollidoll_gaming2649 5 років тому +3

    David at his finest👍👏 what a treasure watching💕

  • @Anglogirl1
    @Anglogirl1 7 років тому +9

    Wow. The same clips filmed for other shows but a different performance and the scenes seems extended to those that were filmed for the UK. Wonderful find; thank you.

  • @DavidBowieNews883
    @DavidBowieNews883 7 років тому +9

    Thanks for posting Tom, I'll share it on my site. It's from 1980.

  • @jkirtleyheacting
    @jkirtleyheacting 7 років тому +9

    Stunning. Thank you for sharing this.

  • @MayaBowieJoel-Mitchell
    @MayaBowieJoel-Mitchell 6 років тому +7

    he's cute and, awesome!! He is great, he truly did his best in this.

  • @liorap5636
    @liorap5636 7 років тому +2

    I haven't seen MOST of this material before. Thank you so much, Tom Roche...

  • @liorap5636
    @liorap5636 7 років тому +6

    It's ASTOUNDING, many thanks!!

  • @nadiamascellani9284
    @nadiamascellani9284 6 років тому +2

    Peccato non esista una registrazione completa di questo capolavoro. David è perfetto per questo ruolo...immenso

  • @hunky-doris
    @hunky-doris 7 років тому +5

    thank you uploader!!!

  • @auburn7697
    @auburn7697 8 місяців тому

    Immenso come sempre❤

  • @lb2.0.45
    @lb2.0.45 5 років тому +4

    Why hasn't this play seen a home media release already?

  • @usedscar
    @usedscar 6 років тому +1

    Wonderful to have. Thank you so much.

  • @bmbm6768
    @bmbm6768 6 років тому +1

    Genius fantastic I was in absolute hysterics

  • @Bri67Freak
    @Bri67Freak 3 роки тому +1

    he said, during (i suppose) the 1980 show, that John Lennon and Yoko had tickets for the show, as did Mark David Chapman, all right in the first row.. Those 3 seats were empty for his performance.. he said it was the most difficult performance, because, he said, that he was next on the "list.."

  • @sconni666
    @sconni666 Рік тому +1

    I saw it on Broadway.

  • @theoldschoolrecords
    @theoldschoolrecords 2 роки тому

    I remember watching this live when it aired.

  • @yoymama7
    @yoymama7 7 років тому +7

    so amazing...was there anything he could do brillantly!!?

  • @yoya4766
    @yoya4766 6 років тому +9

    Astounding acting. Far better than any A lister today. He's like Brando, imbibes the character and elicits your emotions to root for him.

  • @innapiankovska8749
    @innapiankovska8749 7 років тому +17

    Thank you so much for uploading this! I keep wondering whether there's a chance that the video of the whole play exists.

  • @ayannacastillo7972
    @ayannacastillo7972 4 роки тому

    This is amazing david Bowie 4life 😁😁😍😍

  • @Bri67Freak
    @Bri67Freak 3 роки тому +2

    and, i must add, having to perform, with those 3 seats, empty, right in front of him, in the audience, like, ghosts...

  • @greciaalexandra9871
    @greciaalexandra9871 7 років тому +2

    i saw this video 10 times :o

  • @johnnymoondog
    @johnnymoondog 4 роки тому

    BRILLIANT !

  • @melizmatea
    @melizmatea 4 роки тому +1

    I can't believe I never before put the connection together of his work in the play and the album Scary Monsters...duh!!

  • @besterjack8243
    @besterjack8243 4 роки тому +1

    Bowie war tatsächlich der Allergrößte

  • @Asifmurad
    @Asifmurad Рік тому

    Omnibus on ABC TV. "81

  • @AHouseDivided1998
    @AHouseDivided1998 6 років тому

    I remember watching this when it aired back in 1981! Of course, I was about 10/11 at the time and kinda clueless who Bowie even was. 😂 But it was an amazing production to watch!

    • @murielsartre
      @murielsartre 6 років тому +1

      I saw it, too. I was 12. I knew who he was, but thought of him then like I did of all famous people; just _there_ on TV doing things, almost as if he wasn't real. High school was when I started realizing his genius.

  • @stevenimeson902
    @stevenimeson902 4 роки тому

    David was on his A game while doing these plays

  • @losaiswim
    @losaiswim 3 роки тому

    David sei Dio

  • @mswallis9
    @mswallis9 5 років тому

    I heard him say it was coincidence, and the timing seems to support that. But who knows, it's all stuff of legend now!

  • @Bri67Freak
    @Bri67Freak 3 роки тому +1

    i suppose, not just because he was next on the "list..," but the erieness of the, you know, having been a close friend of John Lennon's, and.. what happened (to him..)

  • @micaylab1
    @micaylab1 Рік тому +1

    He used his Funniest sounding voice acting in this play🤣😅!
    Also he's got ballerina legs here.

  • @DonGoliath
    @DonGoliath 3 роки тому

    Bumboclit dat mad! But my new riddims are even madder ;). Check 'em out!

  • @arricammarques1955
    @arricammarques1955 2 роки тому

    Does a bootleg of this broadcast exist?

  • @ConnieLynchitzWhoElse
    @ConnieLynchitzWhoElse 2 роки тому

    Any Bowie fan would find this interesting, but other than that his performance is dire.

  • @gdiaz8827
    @gdiaz8827 2 роки тому

    I find the doctor character very condescending

  • @hefinrosser8685
    @hefinrosser8685 2 роки тому

    This is a wonderful play and fantastic performances. But. Can this now be performed with the woke society we live in.? Could an actor who doesn't have a disability be allowed to play this role?
    I'd love to hear discussion about this subject xx
    David Bowie is incredible and honest and sincere, so beautifully honest and heart breaking xx