"A Date with Jet Screamer" -- TV's first music video?

[missy's pop pop]

Publicity claimed "The Jetsons" was "the TV series that's ahead of its time" -- but I wonder if George, Jane, Judy and Elroy made television history with its second episode ever aired?

"A Date with Jet Screamer," originally airing September 30, 1962, is a familiar story to "Jetsons" fanatics -- Judy loves doing the Solar Swivel while George can't stand its singer, Mr. "baby-baby-baby" himself, Jet Screamer. Judy writes lyrics to win a songwriting contest (which George secretly replaces with "eep, opp, ork, ah-ah," a secret code between Elroy and one of his grade school buddies...which coincidentally means "meet me tonight.").

The switched lyrics win, and George tries to chaperone Judy and Jet Screamer with predictably silly results...but from the moment George switches places with the band's drummer, throughout Jet Screamer's performance, you see many of the special effects (vivid colors, dancers, and general craziness) that I think may have influenced musicians some 20 years later in the first MTV music videos.

What do you think?

[TeeVeeCloset]

Though music and artists were singing since pretty much the start of movie making.....Sinatra, Elvis.....but you did say TV.......

Actually it was Rick Nelson's performance of "Traveling Man" featured on a 1950's episode of "Ozzie & Harriet" that is considered TV's first music video because it was more than an artist miming to a song, Ozzie intergrated footage of Hula girls and travel log footage over Rick singing.

I would have to check the books but HB "The Flintstones" which had a two year start ahead of "The Jetsons" did several musical episodes, one earlier episode where Fred sings as a night club crooner.

"The Donna Reed Show" Screen Gems also featured characters singing and produced hit songs like the classic "Johnny Angel" by Shelley Fabares, who was literally forced to sing as she was scared to death, but with the powers of the famous Screen Gems practically every young actor/actress was eventually forced/worked into music, even "The Flying Nun" was forced to sing and had an album.

And naturally by the time The Beatles arrived in 1964 everyone was influenced and was singing. But The Beatles are actually also credited for making the first music videos (1965) as suggested by the comparison of the 8/1/81 launch of MTV. A music video is defined by the artist not just performing the song but using other footage to tell a story to the song. Music artists routinely could not appear & full fill all the TV requests, so it was much easier to send the video performance around the world.

Jet Screamer was just another take on James Darren, again a parody done on The Flintstones as he was singing along with the likes of Shelley Fabares in TV & movies and producing albums.

Lastly may I answer your quote of:
"(vivid colors, dancers, and general craziness) that I think may have influenced musicians some 20 years later in the first MTV music videos".

Have you ever seen an episode of "The Monkees"? made in 1966, again 15 years before the launch of Warner Amex's MTV. Which actually former Monkee Mike Nesmith helped create for WA Viacom's Nickelodeon one year before when he created a nightly show in 1980 called "Pop Clips" which evolved into MTV. And don't get me started on USA's popular "Up All Night" series.

You did ask for thoughts and opinions.......