“That Thing You Do”… The Secret Gene Pitney Connection
On April 10, 2016
- TV History
“That Thing You Do”… The Secret Gene Pitney Connection
For a number of reasons, this is one of my favorite movies, but did you know that “Mr. Downtown”, and the fictional character that sings it, Freddie Fredrickson, is based on Gene Pitney and his “Town Without Pity”?
Hear; Gene Pitney “Town Without Pity”…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7BRraVMZzc
Hear; Freddy Fredrickson’s “Mr. Downtown”…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqzkWSz1Onk
By the way, the Norelco cameras were all from History For Hire, LA’s top prop shop for cameras. There are lipstick cameras under the lenses, and LCD displays in the viewfinder hole. -Bobby Ellerbee
I pushed an empty (4K inside lens) Norelco around for this Netflix episodic, ” The Get Down “,produced by BAZ Lurhman.
The floor was soft linoleum, trucking was very difficult.
They put a mustache on me. A SoulTrain era dance show was the scene.
I know Studio 33 pretty well. I attended three tapings of TPIR during the glory days of Bob Barker. I was also fortunate to participate in an unofficial tour of the studio in 2004. I was so excited and the experience went by way too fast!
They also would not have had the center camera on the small stage extension AND the crane camera. They would have had one or the other but not both. The center camera would have gotten in the way of the crane camera….and cameras weren’t usually shown on TV back then.
You can see my photos from my visit to History for Hire a few years ago at Eyes of a Generation.com. http://eyesofageneration.com/Gallery_History_For_Hire.php
“City of Broadcasting” is a clunky workaround of “Television City”. I nominate “TV Town”.
As a guy that played in a lot of bands in hs and college, “That Thing You Do” rang SO true to me. Definitely one of my personal faves.
Mr Hanks did a great job. When you hear the opening music you immediately get it. Bonus points for the old Sears Silvertone amp-in-the- guitar case. Made me want to go downtown to the appliance store and pick up a few extra needles.
Great film AND song
LCD back in ’96? Pretty rare back then weren’t they?
Opps, yes it is Gene Pitney. I’ve corrected the article, but between the movie’s character Del Paxton and the fact that Del Shannon sang “Runaway” on this day in 1961, on American Bandstand…well, I had Del on my mind. Sorry.
That is also one of my favorite movies.
After college I went back to Erie and worked at WSEE. They had 2 GE studio cameras that ran so hot the engineer installed muffin fans in them.
that’s Pitney, not Del
I always associate “Town Witout Pity” with Gene Pitney….
uh…you mean GENE PITNEY “Town without Pity”?
Funny thing- I am from Erie, PA where the movie begins.
And what the hell is with those pedestals? Wrong lenses, wrong cameras… jeez. They did get the microphones right. Loved the fake ’60s songs in this movie.
Wasn’t ‘Town Without Pity’ Gene Pitney, not Del Shannon.
One of my favorite movies…so I shouldn’t say anything negative about the Norelcos being used in a 1964 scene. Loved the booth director saying “Let’s introduce America to The Wonders! Great shot, baby!”