Are you fans of
Tony Orlando & Dawn? Well, if you've headed on over to their official website lately,
TonyAndDawn.com, the first thing you've seen is exciting news about an upcoming 3-disc DVD release. While there, you can input your e-mail address and wait for the producers to send you more info about this.
But you know us...impatient, impatient, impatient! So we contacted Respond2 (a.k.a. "R2") Entertainment, and asked for details about this fun-sounding set. Here's a copy-and-paste of what they had to tell us:
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole DVD!
Coming soon from R2 Entertainment is a 3-DVD set packed with favorite moments from Tony Orlando & Dawn's hit CBS variety show, which ran from 1974 - 1976. This will be the home video debut of this highly sought-after television program. The DVD collection will be loaded with good old fashioned TV variety, providing lots of laughs, legendary guest stars and the pop-music magic of Tony Orlando & Dawn! Plus - new interviews and commentary with Tony, Telma and Joyce, a Tony Orlando & Dawn video "jukebox" and other very special extras.
Who didn't own a Tony Orlando & Dawn 45, LP or 8-Track in the 70's? With over 75 million records sold - and guests on their show ranging from Jackie Gleason to Alice Cooper, this collection will not only be a hit with fans of classic TV variety shows, but will also delight 70's pop music enthusiasts who treasure this hit making vocal group.
In conjunction with the DVD release, R2 is also releasing Tony Orlando & Dawn's album catalog on CD for the first time (not the "Best of the Greatest Hits"-type releases you've seen on CD all along). You'll find more out about that at the website link above.
The entire project is in development still. R2's current plans are to kick it off with a Direct Response campaign in early 2005, with a retail release mid-to-late next year. They are still going through the show content, looking for best guest stars, skits - and of course, the group's hit songs. Music clearances will then have to be worked on, and the main content finalized. Until then, even R2 doesn't know what the main program will contain. The desire, though, is to keep the cost of the set in the under-$50 range.
The great news is that Tony Orlando himself, and also "Dawn" - both Telma and Joyce - are on-board for this project, and they'll all participate, and promote the releases (DVDs and CDs) when the time comes. Current plans are to film interviews with the group and get video commentary from them to use on the DVD. None of that's set in stone yet, but R2 is setting their sites high for a great set! 2005 should be a great year for Tony Orlando & Dawn fans, no doubt.
Stay tuned, and we'll have more for you about this blast from the past once the details get firmed up. In the meantime, we have an image below of a "coming soon" poster that might be considered a possible prototype of the cover art.
