''Movin' with Nancy'' is a

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of e ...

featuring

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

in a series of musical vignettes featuring herself and other artists. Produced by Nancy's production company, Boots Enterprises, Inc., and sponsored by

Royal Crown Cola RC Cola (short for Royal Crown Cola) is an American brand of cola invented by Claud A. Hatcher in 1905. Royal Crown Ginger Ale was the first product of the RC Cola line, and it referred to the original ingredient: ginger. More ingredients ...

, the show was originally broadcast on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television network on December 11,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

(8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific). It produced a companion

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' ...

and was later released on DVD. The booklet for the soundtrack release on

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in O ...

erroneously noted the special aired instead on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

, rather than NBC.

Summary

The TV special was unlike most musical programs of its time, with the numbers lip-synced outdoors on locations instead of the usual stage-bound production filmed before a live audience. Sinatra sang while driving down the highway, strolling in the California countryside, and aloft in a hot-air balloon. She performed duets with the guest stars she encountered along the way, with no introductions or interstitial dialog. The general effect was of a dream-like fantasy that flows from one location to the next, with segments resembling the later format of

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

s. The program included a for-the-era uncommon on-screen "interracial"—meaning white and black—kiss wherein Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. give each other a simultaneous kiss on the cheek. It took place at the end of a song-and-dance number by Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., with him kissing her affectionately on the cheek. Sinatra states in the commentary track on the DVD release that the seemingly spontaneous kiss was carefully planned, and deliberately done at the end of filming, when Davis had to leave for another job and could not shoot a retake.

The production

''Movin was produced and directed by

Jack Haley, Jr. John Joseph Haley III (October 25, 1933 – April 21, 2001), known as Jack Haley Jr., was an American director, producer and writer, and a two-time recipient of the Emmy Award. His credits include directing the 1974 compilation film '' That's En ...

, with Nancy billed as executive producer as well as star, and featured guest appearances by her father,

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

(her "fairy God-Uncle", who does a solo song and a duet with her),

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960 ...

(who wrote most of her hit songs), dancer David Winters (who was also nominated for a special

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for his choreography), and Sammy Davis Jr.

RC Cola RC Cola (short for Royal Crown Cola) is an American brand of cola invented by Claud A. Hatcher in 1905. Royal Crown Ginger Ale was the first product of the RC Cola line, and it referred to the original ingredient: ginger. More ingredients w ...

sponsored the show and created five lavish commercials — in two of them, Sinatra danced and sang the RC jingle ("It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Cola!").

Art Linkletter Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly or Arthur Gordon Kelly; sources differ; July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of ''House Party'', which ran on CBS radio a ...

served as the narrator for two of the commercials that opened and closed the program.

Jack Haley Jr. John Joseph Haley III (October 25, 1933 – April 21, 2001), known as Jack Haley Jr., was an American director, producer and writer, and a two-time recipient of the Emmy Award. His credits include directing the 1974 compilation film '' That's En ...

won his first of two Emmy Awards for directing.

Song list

Sequels

Two other "Movin' with Nancy" specials followed after the original was such a success. "Movin' with Nancy on Stage" aired in 1971 and was presented by "The Ed Sullivan Show." It featured

the Osmond Brothers The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...

, among others, as guests. "Movin' with Nancy Nice 'n' Easy" was produced in 1973 (but unfinished) and featured

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompas ...

. Although Nancy hoped to release the two other specials on DVD, as of 2009, no plans have been made.

Home media

The special was released on DVD by

Image Entertainment RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...

on May 2, 2000. It features a commentary track by Director

and Nancy Sinatra. Sinatra reminisces about the outfits she was wearing in the show, and regrets not including her

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

, "

These Boots Are Made for Walkin' "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No.1 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart. Su ...

", as part of the production. At the time, she states she wanted to showcase her other songs instead. Sinatra also mentions that the RC Cola commercials were designed to be an integral part of the show. ''Movin' with Nancy'' re-aired twice on

American Movie Classics AMC is an American multinational basic cable television channel that is the flagship property of AMC Networks. The channel's programming primarily consists of theatrically released films, along with a limited amount of original programming. T ...

on May 6 and 27, 2000. It was also shown on

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

21 years later on October 8, 2021 to lead off ''A Night with Nancy Sinatra'' with her co-hosting with

Ben Mankiewicz Benjamin Frederick Mankiewicz (born March 25, 1967) is an American television personality, political commentator, and film critic. He is a host on Turner Classic Movies and has been a commentator on '' The Young Turks'' and ''What the Flick?!'' ...

, a cousin of the special's writer Tom Mankiewicz.Bjornson, Greta. "Nancy Sinatra Celebrated by TCM with Night Dedicated to Her: My 'Fans Are the Key to Everything,'" ''People'' (magazine), October 7, 2021.
Retrieved October 12, 2021

References

External links

* * * *
Movin With Nancy
' at YouTube {{Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sinatra songs 1960s American television specials 1967 American television episodes NBC original programming 1967 television specials Television shows directed by Jack Haley Jr.