FrankBeMe Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 yeah and they didn't have velcro yet!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Waiting for Madison to send me their 3 vol VHS series that contains 71 Alice show. Was telling Dan how much it blew me away when I saw it that one and only time, for me, at DATR in Cheyenne, WY. Down there on the starting line--remember them? left hand side of the field?--all looked Madison-y in Explorer Green....Alice with full Explorer Green cape covering her costume...blended in, never saw it coming! Perfect casting for the part......manager's daughter or something? (Ask the dwarf.....I mean, Dan). Often overlooked, tho, was how cool 71 Troopers show was....cowboys and indians, teepees, war dances, the percussion section "circling the wagons" pre-sunburst, cavalry coming in from upper right hand side....all without radical costuming.....to take nothing away from how much Madison changed my thinking about drum corps.....all the elements coming in for a "war" around the circled wagons and BOOM! THE SUNBURST! (I still get those old school chills just from the memory....would love to see this show again on the screen....! Anyway, MADISON! Letting their hair down at retreat....short hair wigs and hairnets? (71 Dips used hairnets on hippy-boyz!) I've waited over 30 years to see 71 Alice.....dwarfs, white rabbits, Pinnochio, wicked witch...... BUT!!!!!!!! The horn line was GREAT! Listen to the baris in the jazz part of "Ding Dong"....that sticks out......Yankee Doodle variations....."Got No Strings" "Rainbow" ----Yelllow Brick Road intro......all fits together so well EVEN just listening to the show.......way, WAY ahead of it's time! Drum corps didn't really die in 71.....it just kinda came home from the wars and became less military more show biz but still retaining the traditions for many years.....and you still see the tradition in the eyes of the kids and in the salute of the DM.....other places. It's still all good......only different........also re: costume/prop shows. Always thought it interesting that in the mid-80s DCI that both STAR and VK placed 6th......the two most radical shows....STAR'S circus w/elephants and VK being, well, VK.....almost like judges were still unsure of how to deal with somthing different from the more traditional approaches to the art but knew it was "good." Memory lane......send those tapes, Madison! Me love you long time. (All the other corps, too!) RON HOUSLEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Guernsey Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 So, I was reading in the "A History of Drum and Bugle Corps vol 1" and I saw a picture of the Madison Scouts performing "Alice in Wonderland" with the flags and there ws a little girl there in the show. Did they take a penalty for it? It says that at the vfw's championship in Dallas Tx. the corps was not allowed to use costumes, skip or dance their prop filled show was performed "straight". So they had an "Alice" and a "Pinnochio" in their shows. Paraphrasing the book. "Risque" for the 70's uh? :) Curious about how that was accepted and if the little girl caused a penalty. From my recollection, "Alice" did not take a penalty, at least not during the field show. Bill Howard's daughter played the role of Alice. Next time I see him, I'll ask Bill how she factored into VFW inspection, if at all. We did have a few deductions during inspection (about .4)--I'll find out if she was the source of any deductions. We indeed had to scrap our costumes for '71 VFW Nationals. However, we kept the other unconventional drill moves--the scatter drill and simulated movement of robotic toy soldiers during "March of the Wooden Soldiers," both of which we did at 1970 VFW in Miami. Don't forget, in addition to "Alice," "Pinnochio," and the "Seven Dwarfs," we also had a "White Rabbit" with a clock lol! . . . Man, I'm starting to sound silly describing this thing--I better stop. I'm just glad we dropped that stuff and became the Madison Scouts of 1973, 1974, and 1975. Time to run because as the white rabbit said: "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date." Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankBeMe Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 The funniest thing with that show was when you guys trooped the stands and had the seven dwarfs carrying the witches coffin!! Seeing a video of that show now, it's like....people were up in arms for THAT! It was so tame compared to stuff that Bridgemen and VK would do later. It all seems so silly now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Guernsey Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Anyway, MADISON! Letting their hair down at retreat....short hair wigs and hairnets? (71 Dips used hairnets on hippy-boyz!) Hey Ron, there were a couple of guys who wore hairnets; one guy, if I recall, had a wig. I remember while dressing for VFW inspection seeing these guys tuck that stuff inside the small envelop hats--even hair pins were used. It was a real hoot watching it! Long hair wasn't prevalent in the '71 Scouts--that would change by 1973-1975. BUT!!!!!!!! The horn line was GREAT! Listen to the baris in the jazz part of "Ding Dong"....that sticks out......Yankee Doodle variations....."Got No Strings" "Rainbow" ----Yelllow Brick Road intro......all fits together so well EVEN just listening to the show.......way, WAY ahead of it's time! Yep, you can attribute that to Ray Baumgardt. The master of the low voice and balanced use of solos, small ensemble, and big full ensemble. One of my favorite Baumgardt charts from the early 70s is the Scouts's 1970 concert piece, "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair." You'll hear parts of it on Vol. 1 of the Scout video. Another superb chart, way ahead of its time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Guernsey Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 The funniest thing with that show was when you guys trooped the stands and had the seven dwarfs carrying the witches coffin!! Yeah, Frank, and we even had velcro, lol! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 actually----Cavies didn't go to VFW that year, they went to Legion Nationals where they did their show intact with the ringmaster, acrobat and clown...all in costume.Jeff said: DCI was started a few months later. Yep...DCI is Cavies and Madison's fault! :P Frank, Thanks for correcting my post. You are a veritable fountain of information. Actually I think Tony Schlecta started DCI. b**bs See you in Scranton..... Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankBeMe Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Frank,Thanks for correcting my post. You are a veritable fountain of information. Actually I think Tony Schlecta started DCI. b**bs See you in Scranton..... Jeff I knew it!!! Warren, Jones, Dr Dave, Royer and Howard were just front men making it look like Tony wasn't involved...brilliant plan! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Don't forget, in addition to "Alice," "Pinnochio," and the "Seven Dwarfs," we also had a "White Rabbit" with a clock lol! . . Well, we PLAYED "White Rabbit" in 1970...our initial Peace Sign music. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 (edited) I remember! Pete Emmons did the M&M job for the 67 Anaheim Kingsmen (Fred Sanford on percussion): we have that in common with The Cadets as well as some other stuff here and there over the years. Re: White Rabbit.....I had an arrangement of that started for the 1969 Lakewood, CA, Ambassadors but for some reason it got shelved for some other project. Mercedes emblem........clever. RON HOUSLEY Edited June 29, 2004 by ffernbus3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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