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The True Story Of 200 Motels

Transcription | Release Info | Cast & Crew | Notes & Comments

January 31, 1989 (Published: May 15, 1988)
Honker Home Video
59 min.

Includes footage from:

• Vienna, Austria, c. October 12, 1968
• Royal Festival Hall, October 25, 1968 (parts from Uncle Meat, 1987)
• Uncle Meat shooting, c. May, 1970 (including some outtakes)
• Zappa House, 1970 (from Frank Zappa, VPRO, 1971)
• Fillmore West, November 5-7, 1970 (from Frank Zappa, VPRO, 1971)
• New York, c. November 13-14, 1970
• Pinewood Studios, January-February, 1971 (from Frank Zappa filmt 200 Motels, VPRO, 1971)
• 200 Motels editing room, London, 1971
• The Roxy, Hollywood, CA, December, 1973
• Village Recorders, LA, c. April, 1979
• Palermo, Sicily, c. July 14, 1982
• Interview with Richard Hart, Zappa House, c. August, 1982

The music heard:

• Bogus Pomp (from London Symphony Orchestra Vols. 1 & 2)
• The Jimmy Carl Black Philosophy Lesson (from Ahead Of Their Time)
• Do You Like My New Car? (from Fillmore West, November, 1970)
• Do You Like My New Car? (from Frank Zappa filmt 200 Motels)
• Progress? (from Ahead Of Their Time)
• Like It Or Not (from Ahead Of Their Time)
• Sleeping In A Jar (from Playground Psychotics)
• The Girl Wants To Fix Him Some Broth (from Pinewood Studios, January-February, 1971)
• Mystery Roach (from Frank Zappa filmt 200 Motels)
• Penis Dimension (from Fillmore West, November, 1970)
• Dummy Up (from Roxy & Elsewhere)
• Night School (from Jazz From Hell)
• Strictly Genteel (from London Symphony Orchestra Vols. 1 & 2)

Cast & Crew

Cast (mostly in order of appearance, playing themselves):

Janet Neville-Ferguson
Miss Lucy
FZ
Jimmy Carl Black
Ian Underwood
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Art Tripp
Mark Volman
Howard Kaylan
Jeff Simmons
Aynsley Dunbar
Moon Unit Zappa
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Martin Lickert
Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood
Bunk Gardner
Dick Barber
Gail Zappa
Roy Estrada
Don Preston
Tony Palmer
Keith Moon
Jerry Goode
Roelof Kiers
David Van Asch
Phyllis Bryn-Julson
Ringo Starr
George Duke
Ruth Underwood
Theodore Bikel
Breena
Peter Bos
Phyllis Altenhaus
Napoleon Murphy Brock
Bruce Fowler
Tom Fowler
Ralph Humphrey
Chester Thompson
Steve Vai
Warren Cuccurullo
Al Malkin
Ike Willis
Pamela Miller
Elgar Howarth
Dweezil Zappa
Dick Kunc

Credits:

Roelof Kiers--director of the original documentary
Peter Bos--photography of the original documentary

Written, produced & directed by FZ
Edited by Raymond Bush and Booey Kober
Associate producer: Jill Silverthorne

Audio: Bob Stone
Assistant: Arthur Sloatman

Additional Photography:
Haskell Wexler ("Uncle Meat")
Hermann Jauk (Vienna)
Barry Feinstein (Roxy)
P.M. Magazine (video interview)

Release Information

1989
Barfko-Swill/MPI #MP 4003
(VHS PAL and NTSC)

Video was packaged with Honker "No-D" Glasses (source: Ulrich)

From: Patrick Neve

It was brought to my attention that a laserdisc of this title was advertised as "for sale" by video dealers www.facets.org. Jim, my informant, recieved a print catalog with this listing. Searching their website came up with the following info:

True Story of 200 Motels

A one-hour documentary on the making of Frank Zappa's bizarre 1971 comic musical. Vintage private footage from Frank's personal archives plus behind-the-scenes of the actual shooting and recording. With Ringo Starr, Theodore Bikel, Keith Moon and such songs as "Sleeping in a Jar," and "Strictly Genteel." The inside history of the first feature-length film to be shot on video in 6 days. 60 mins.

Item# LD: LD70196
Price $39.98
Qty To Order
OUT OF STOCK TEMPORARILY- Expected to ship within 4 weeks.

My informant's print catalog had no indication that it was out of stock, it was listed as a regular item. I called the company, and after speaking with a few different reps I got the information that their last order for the item was from MPI in 1995, and that they had never recieved a copy of it. Furthermore it was one Facets rep's opinion that the title had been announced to vendors, with a catalog number and everything, but that for some reason distribution was cancelled at the last minute.

Notes & Comments

From: Richard Fox

A 1 hour look at how 200 Motels was made. It is very informative and includes outtakes from the movie plus a look at the filming of the movie. There are interviews and also some live concert footage from 1970 and 1973 (Dummy Up from Roxy and Elsewhere!!!). It was released in 1989 and is a nice little look at what making 200 Motels was like.

Additional informants: Charles Ulrich, James Wyant

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