On January 1, 1989, the Los Angeles Times presented their “1988 Video Top Ten.” Honored at number 5 on the list of music videos was the re-release of Nancy’s Color-Sonics film of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’”—an impressive achievement for a then-22-year-old film which was not technically a music video, having been produced more than a decade-and-a-half prior to the MTV revolution. With Nancy’s film in the company of nine recently produced music videos, Chris Willman, the writer of the article, observed, “…Nancy and her booted dancing partners could out-fox Lita Ford any day.”
In the 1960s, jukeboxes were the medium for exhibiting promotional music films, 8mm and 16mm cartridges were the format, and Nancy was a pioneer of the art form which is now known as music video. Nancy’s two jukebox films, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” and “The Shadow Of Your Smile,” were directed by Robert Sidney and produced by Official Films at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, for the introduction of Color-Sonics jukeboxes in mid-1966. Although these jukeboxes played 8mm magnetic-sound film cartridges, Color-Sonics also produced 16mm prints of some of the films for viewing on Scopitone jukeboxes.
Nancy’s Color-Sonics film for “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” was issued in both 8mm (Color-Sonics catalog #011) and 16mm (Scopitone catalog #CS-2011). Regarding Nancy’s Color-Sonics film for “The Shadow Of Your Smile,” I have been able to verify the existence of only the 8mm film cartridge (Color-Sonics catalog #008).
Here are the Color-Sonics logo and an 8mm Color-Sonics magnetic-sound film cartridge.
On the set at Paramount Studios at the time of production, Nancy is pictured with Robert Blees, the executive producer of the Color-Sonics division of Official Films. This photo appeared in the June 11, 1966 issue of Billboard accompanying the announcement of the June release of Nancy’s films.
A vintage, two-page Color-Sonics ad features a black and white image of Nancy (page two: left, middle of the interior of the jukebox). I have added some color frames from the “Boots” film to recreate, at least somewhat, the experience of viewing Nancy’s film on the jukebox.
Nearly three decades after Nancy’s Color-Sonics debut, during an interview on an episode of The Jon Stewart Show (broadcast: April 10, 1995), Nancy and Jon discussed the groundbreaking significance of the “music video” of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” He proceeded to surprise Nancy with his own modified version of the “Boots” film (pictured below), in which he joins Nancy as one of her go-go dancers. Nancy loved it!
Here is the original Color-Sonics film of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” (without Jon Stewart).
The following year, 1967, Nancy continued to blaze the music video trail with her first television special, Movin’ With Nancy, but that could be the subject of another blog entry…
This still remains a common phrase and it’s such a great message. Keep walking forward… Amazing song forever..
I’ve always loved this original video. Never saw the one with Jon. He’s very creative with black mesh. Interesting videomerge technique.
GREAT video! Like your dad you were and are always ahead of the game! Thanks for sharing!
I love this video and song!! Nice post andrew.