Young Americans

The ennui of touring the world has never been so painstakingly detailed. We get interesting insights into the music and interrelational politics of the young singing group but it goes on long after it has ceased entertaining its audience. Nevertheless, this representative time capsule is worth a glance.

I saw The Young Americans in 1967 at the Cameo Theater on Washington Avenue and 13th Street in Miami Beach. I recall enjoying the singing of this highly talented group of "Young Americans". This film was made right before the explosion of 1968 & the "Hippie" movement which swept the "Young Americans". What really stands out to me was how the talented Ken Prymus went from being so slim and trim in this film to so heavy in the movie M.A.S.H. only three years later. I was so shocked that he had gained about 100 pounds. A really great singer and talent, whose weight increase, I feel, ruined a very promising singing career.

A cute film which captures an innocence which has long gone.

I first heard of this documentary of a teen/emerging adult singing group when Premiere magazine showcased some Oscar mistakes of which one of them was the Academy awarding this Best Documentary Feature of 1968. Turns out this actually made its debut in late '67, so the institution had to forfeit the award. Before actually watching this on YouTube, I found out on this site that it was actually scripted which was obvious whenever scenes are staged for the group to break out in song outside of the stage though those are some of the most charming sequences. Knowing one of those members was Vicki Lawrence just before becoming part of the cast of "The Carol Burnett Show", I recognized her right away and was amused by some of what she says and does here. This was quite a charming film to watch so on that note, I recommend Young Americans.

The Young Americans singing group go on a bus tour to win a trip to Europe against other high-school groups. There's lots of old-fashioned songs sung throughout this road picture, and that's the point of the whole thing. Curiously, it won the Oscar for Best Documentary of 1968. Then they found out it played in 1967 and took it back.

It's pretty good for the style of music, but it's far more polished than the rockumentaries that were coming into fashion, and the air of unreality about it makes it seem a bit off. With Vicki Lawrence as Vicki Lawrence; she certainly resembles herself.

I'm not sure how this qualifies as a documentary since most of the scenes are clearly staged, the dialogue scripted, and performed (poorly) by the kids. The film's limited charms include the pre-"Glee" rehearsal and performance scenes, and a teenage, pre-redhead Vicki Lawrence.