LEMMINGS: DEAD IN CONCERT (1973) – This is not a review of the original, legendary National Lampoon stage version of Lemmings from January of 1973. Instead, it’s a review of the filmed special of a live performance of the slightly reworked version of the stage show.
Lemmings: Dead in Concert was originally intended to air on HBO in 1973, and yes, HBO really IS that old but was only available in New York and Pennsylvania at the time. This special wound up not being shown on HBO but instead was released on the college campus film circuit in ’73.
I long assumed that virtually EVERYBODY was familiar with this milestone work from National Lampoon but when I noticed there were only 7 user reviews of the special at the IMDb I decided it must have become so obscure over the decades that it qualified for a Balladeer’s Blog review.
I’ll start with the basics for those who aren’t familiar with Lemmings in any form. It was a parody of the iconic 1969 Woodstock concert in the state of New York, a major event for the 1960s generation as many musical acts appeared, including many who were not originally scheduled to perform but got caught up in the phenomenon.
The accompanying documentary about the multi-day event, filmed while it was happening, captured the experience for subsequent generations whether we wanted to see it or not. I’m KIDDING! If you had or have siblings, parents, grandparents, etc. from the 60s generation it’s possible that – like happened to me – they shared the documentary with you so many times you felt like you’d seen Woodstock more often than Charlton Heston’s character in Omega Man.
At any rate, this Lemmings special’s run on college campuses provided the first nationwide exposure for National Lampoon performers like JOHN BELUSHI, CHEVY CHASE, CHRISTOPHER GUEST, RHONDA COULLET and others. Yes, even before Saturday Night Live launched in 1975. Continue reading
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