Margaret Hamilton
What's a Fantasy Video?
Note: The clips on this page are not necessarily focused on Maggie or The Wizard of Oz.A "fantasy video" is not porn, so calm down...it's me doing something to improve original footage or make it more interesting. For example, back in the 1960s, stereo TV was not around, so even though a stereo track may have been available, everything was aired in mono. A fantasy video would be a clip in which that mono track is replaced with its identical stereo track, thus making it a better experience today.
A fantasy video could also be one in which I've taken the musical soundtrack, only ever recorded in mono, and used sophisticated software to isolate voices and instruments to create a "true" (but fake) stereo version.
Please do not post these videos anywhere, especially YouTube, or monitize them in any way. I do monitor this and will act accordingly.
Orange (Cellular) and the WWW, UK TV Ad, 2010
Cute television ad that was broadcast in the United Kingdom several years ago, by Orange, a cellphone company. The Wicked Witch of the West and her friend, Vicki, participate in a two-for-one movie theater offer sponsored by Orange.
When you see the WWW (apparently named Phyl) pal'ing around with her buddy, nonchalantly trying to do stuff together with the rest of society, it's just funny. Rachel, who plays the part of the witch, certainly looks and sounds the part.
There are several favorite bits in this clever ad, but I like the brief appearance of Toto...I'll bet many viewers missed the fleeting homage.
Fantasy Restoration: Up Up and Away The 5th Dimension, 1967
How many people remember a seemingly low-budget, kinda corny TV show called Upbeat, originating out of Cleveland's TV station WEWS? Probably quite a few.
Over the years, Upbeat featured the very first TV appearance of Simon and Garfunkel. It also featured the very last TV appearance of Otis Redding; he died in a plane crash shortly thereafter. Local all-around good guy, Don Webster (died 2018), was best known as longtime WEWS' weatherman, talk-show host, and...the host of Upbeat.
This clip features an appearance of the 5th Dimension singing their smash hit, Up Up and Away. There isn't a decent source of the entire performance that I could locate, but I found some fairly decent segments that were spliced together and included in this video. On the same show, the group performed Paper Cup, and better source material for that appearance is out there. WEWS appears to have archived copies of the series, but they've never been commercially released.
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, Pretty World, 1969
Few groups in the 1960s rivaled the sophistication and universal appeal of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66. Back then, they created one hit after another—most of them still well-liked today.
In this clip, Lani Hall (lead vocalist) and Karen Philipp (the taller one) perform their magic singing, Pretty World. Hall is married to Herb Alpert; Philipp was with the group only four years, after which she pursued an acting career in M.A.S.H.... as well as a Playboy spread in September 1972, promoting the TV show.
This wasn't a pristine copy of the video, but it is partially restored and sharpened using four softwares. The mono soundtrack has been replaced with the stereo version. Note that the lip syncing in the first 25 seconds seems to be slightly off with the taller singer. Not sure if she bungled the lyrics or if the video itself was corrupted.
Fantasy Video: Addams Family Morticia's Romance, 1965, Colorized
On the 13th anniversary of Morticia and Gomez's marriage, Morticia tells the family of when she and Gomez first met. Ester Frump (Maggie playing the future Granny Frump), wanted her eldest daughter (Ophelia) married off first, but Gomez fell for Morticia instead.
This was a two-part episode, first airing on 24 September 1965.
This fantasy video has been processed using A.I., with colorization added. Aside from minor flickering of the reds, the colorization was fairly natural, especially in the close-ups of daughter Ophelia. Of course, this clip is an original colorization and is first appearing right here. Please don't: Placement of this video on YouTube (or any other site) is not allowed.Fantasy Video: On the Flip Side Try to See It My Way, 7 December 1966
Third extremely rare color version from the television special, "Stage 67: On the Flip Side" Try to See It My Way, which aired 7 December 1966.
In this clip, Joanie Sommers--playing an angel who is temporarily on earth to help Nelson--is trying to persuade him to change his singing style so that he can be a musical success. Eventually, Nelson gives in.
To the best of my knowledge, there is no complete color version of this show in circulation anywhere. Stereo versions, as I've presented on this page, do not include the vocals as originally broadcast in 1966.
Placement of this video and audio on YouTube (or any other site) is not allowed.
Fantasy Video: Juanita's Place, 7 December 1966
Second extremely rare color and mixed stereo clip from an ABC Stage 67 television special, On the Flip Side, starring Rick Nelson and Joanie Sommers.
The music in this special was by Burt Bacharach, and this song, Juanita's Place, was one of the best. You'll hear classic Bacharach style in the odd dance scene at the pre-disco-era hang-out. The weird violence (not really a dance fad back then) depicted in this scene was artistic commentary of the times: the Vietnam "war" was raging, there was a military draft in effect, kids were being needlessly slaughtered, and it was another era of human degradation, courtesy of the profiteers in the military-industrial complex.
Juanita was comedian Donna Jean Young, who had fleeting success in early TV shows (Laugh-In) and also recorded a comedy album. She died in 2010 at age 74.
Placement of this video and audio on YouTube (or any other site) is not allowed.
Fantasy Video: On the Flip Side, 7 December 1966
Extremely rare color and mixed stereo clip from an ABC Stage 67 television special, On the Flip Side, starring Rick Nelson and Joanie Sommers. This show attained cult status by a relatively small group of fans, and for good reason: The music in it is superb, and the storyline absolutely reflected Rick Nelson's career history. The most oddball thing about the show was '60s favorite Joanie Sommers in a blonde wig...an awful choice but likely done to demonstrate her character's angelic origin.
The music in this special was by Burt Bacharach, and this particular show aired only once, in late 1966. If you go to that big site, you'll see that only black-and-white versions are available...and the quality is hands-down cruddy. To the best of my knowledge, only one color print of the show is known to exist, it's located in one place, and you must travel to that place in order to view the entire show.
At the beginning of this clip, I've included a (rare) color version of the Stage 67 opening, along with a portion of the opening credits to On the Flip Side. Placement of this video and audio on YouTube (or any other site) is not allowed.
Fantasy Video: Fictional Restoration of The Seekers' I'll Never Find Another You, 1968
Restored to its original glory, here is the Australian group, The Seekers, featuring the vocals of Judith Durham.
Durham had a voice second to none; for such a wisp of a woman, her vocals always soared above the instrumentation and background vocals.
For a short while, she left the group for a solo career; the impact on the remaining members was beyond traumatic...she didn't realize how devastating it was to the group's morale and success, impacts she never intended. Ultimately, she returned, and they all remained close thereafter. Judith died in August 2022.
The source video for this clip was in good shape, but loaded with artifacts, video noise, dirt, and those strange little hairs we often see on older film. It has been processed several times to remove those blemishes and to sharpen the picture. Stabilization was added to remove the video's annoying jitters. The resulting high-grade version was reduced for web presentation here.
To the best of my knowledge, this song was recorded in mono only. A few years back, Eric Records released a synthetic stereo version (called DES...digitally extracted stereo). I did request a DES version of this song about a year before they released it...not sure if my request was honored or if it was just coincidence. All of their products are superior; highly recommended.
The Jitterbug, 1964
This is from the old Judy Garland Show, filmed in October 1963, but not aired until March 1964. Without doing any research on these dates, I'd wager that the murder of John F Kennedy factored into the delayed airing.
The Jitterbug song was originally supposed to be in the 1939 Wizard of Oz, but it ended up on the cutting-room floor and was never included in the film.
With Ray Bolger as guest, it was an opportunity for Judy to introduce the song and its story to the world. This was back in 1963, long before the Harold Arlen home-movie footage of the The Jitterbug surfaced in 1983...few remembered that there was this song cut from the movie. Jane Powell—who had one of the best singing voices in the business—is perfectly matched with Garland, and Ray Bolger's brief role as the bug is silly fun.This clip is from the original black-and-white footage of the show. It has been processed using AI, colorized, and the audio is enhanced with simulated stereo. Fantastic early '60s jazzy music and dancing...dig those crazy bongos, as Maynard G Krebs would say. There are at least two missteps in the choreography...can you spot them?