Sweet Inspirations on MDA Telethon --> Sep 1974 !

[drjohncarpenter]

For years comedian Jerry Lewis held a 20+ hour telethon over Labor Day weekend to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

MDA Telethon 1974.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jerry_Lewis_MDA_Labor_Day_Telethon

It would raise billions for the charity through the years Lewis hosted. In the 1970s the home base for the broadcast was the Sahara in Las Vegas. I realized this when I remembered Elvis talking about Lewis and the telethon on stage in September 1974.

Shortly after kicking off the penultimate show of the summer season, Presley spoke of how Voice, Kathy Westmoreland, the Sweet Inspirations and the Stamps Quartet all made live appearances earlier that day.

He must've had the TV on in his suite, yeah?

"You were working this morning on that telethon, I tell you, I was really proud of you guys. Inspirations, you were beautiful. Kathy, in the back, Voice, Stamps, you were outta sight. They all went over and volunteered their time and did it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u6QZ8_vEUY&t=374

And, lo and behold, look what I found online today: the Sweet Inspirations performing at the telethon!

They look and sound great. This is likely a song from their set at the nearby Hilton at the time.





Sweet Inspirations "Put Your Hands Together" (MDA Telethon, Las Vegas - Monday, September 2, 1974 )
The girls cover the 1974 single hit by the O'Jays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NLn4p0gv3g&t=1435s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Put_Your_Hands_Together_(The_O'Jays_song)





Pretty cool stuff, a blast from nearly fifty years ago. Phew!


'

[Jokerlola]

For years comedian Jerry Lewis held a 20+ hour telethon over Labor Day weekend to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jerry_Lewis_MDA_Labor_Day_Telethon

It would raise billions for the charity through the years Lewis hosted. In the 1970s the home base for the broadcast was the Sahara in Las Vegas. I realized this when I remembered Elvis talking about Lewis and the telethon on stage in September 1974.

Shortly after kicking off the penultimate show of the summer season, Presley spoke of how Voice, Kathy Westmoreland, the Sweet Inspirations and the Stamps Quartet all made live appearances earlier that day.

He must've had the TV on in his suite, yeah?

"You were working this morning on that telethon, I tell you, I was really proud of you guys. Inspirations, you were beautiful. Kathy, in the back, Voice, Stamps, you were outta sight. They all went over and volunteered their time and did it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u6QZ8_vEUY&t=374

And, lo and behold, look what I found online today: the Sweet Inspirations performing at the telethon!

They look and sound great. This is likely a song from their set at the nearby Hilton at the time.





Sweet Inspirations "Put Your Hands Together" (MDA Telethon, Las Vegas - Monday, September 2, 1974 )
The girls cover the 1974 single hit by the O'Jays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NLn4p0gv3g&t=1435s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Put_Your_Hands_Together_(The_O'Jays_song)





Pretty cool stuff, a blast from nearly fifty years ago. Phew!


'

I remember seeing this at the time. The telethon was must watch television for me. I loved the show biz aspect of it and the fact that it was on all night long ( In the days when TV went off at 1am every night.) I would try to stay up all night long watching it. I never made it but would wind up sleeping on the floor in front of the TV the rest of the night. I remember one year between 74 and 76 when Jerry Lewis announced receiving a call from Elvis donating $5000.

[Asheville75]

Interesting, Thanks. And also Terry Savalas and Jackson Five.

[dsiciliano]

The MDA telethon was an institution. As a young child, I remember every year watching, trying to stay up as late as I could, always falling short, but determined to stay up late enough to see Frank Sinatra! Years later, in the 90's, living in Las Vegas, I participated in the annual MDA " lock-up". Members of the telethon came to my work and "arrested" me, taking us usually to jail (A restaurant that provided us with food and A phone) so we could call friends and family and try and make "bail". I always raised several thousand dollars for Jerry's kids. I even got a nice award plaque from him. It was fun and for a great cause. ..by the way, remind me later to tell you the story of how I wound up in Jerry's bedroom one Sunday morning! Vegas sure is a helluva town! Oh, my...the stars I have met over the past 36 years!

[Mister Mike]

We can also enjoy some Vikki Carr at the beginning of the video. Definitely Elvis related in September 1974.

[JonRomanovich]

Is that Jerome Stump Monroe on drums?????

[YDKM]

Is that Jerome Stump Monroe on drums?????

I wondered that- probably

[AndyDumas]

The Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon was a must watch in our house as well. It also meant 'back to school' after a long summer break in Canada.

[AndyDumas]

The Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon was a must watch in our house as well. It also meant 'back to school' after a long summer break in Canada.

[lucio]

Great find. Thank you Doc!

[drjohncarpenter]

Is that Jerome Stump Monroe on drums?????

It is indeed!

"Stump" had already played one Elvis set at this point, subbing for Ron Tutt. He'd do it twice more (Dec 1975, Jun 1977).

[rlj4ep]

A great find! Thanks very much for sharing.

Jerome Monroe was a great drummer in his own right. He played at the November 8, 1971 show in Philly. He never missed a beat with Elvis, and Elvis had a lot of energy that evening.

[drjohncarpenter]

I remember seeing this at the time. The telethon was must watch television for me. I loved the show biz aspect of it and the fact that it was on all night long ( In the days when TV went off at 1am every night.) I would try to stay up all night long watching it. I never made it but would wind up sleeping on the floor in front of the TV the rest of the night. I remember one year between 74 and 76 when Jerry Lewis announced receiving a call from Elvis donating $5000.

It was always a thing. And you're right, not a lot of 24/7 TV back in the 1970s.

Lewis got weirder as the hours accumulated, but that was part of the show, too.

[drjohncarpenter]

Interesting, Thanks. And also Terry Savalas and Jackson Five.

Yeah, the Jackson Five were closing out their two-week run with openers Burns & Schreiber at the MGM Grand Hotel on September 3nd.

Telly Savalas, star of the detective TV show "Kojak," also had a tiny stab at a singing career back then. His biggest single, a spoken word cover of "if" by Bread peaked at #89 on the Billboard "Hot 100" that month.


'

Billboard Oct 5 1974_p63.jpg

[jurasic1968]

Thanks, Doc. When I was a kid, here in Romania I watched on Saturday evenings all the serial Kojak episodes. Great serial, in my opinion.