Revisiting an Oak Ridge cable-access classic
If you grew up in Oak Ridge in the dawn of the cable era, you very likely remember seeing a group of teenage Filipina-Hawaiian sisters (and occasionally their mother) singing, dancing and playing music on your television.
From within the sparse settings of the public-access Channel 7 studio from 1976 to 1984, the Reed Sisters produced a show in which they performed pop and country tunes. Joan, Bonnie, Nettie and Debbie were just as likely to whip out country classics like “Don’t Let Me Cross Over” or “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” as they were to sing contemporary pop hits like “Fame” or “The Tide is High.”
With their choreographed dance routines, feathered hair and jumpsuits (handmade by Mama Reed), “The Reed Sisters Show” was very much of its time (the time of Olivia Newton John and Juice Newton) and retains an unwavering charm due to the Sisters’ exuberance and sincerity.
By the early 2010s, the Reed Sisters developed a small cult following outside of the Atomic City after some of their shows were uploaded to YouTube. The availability of the videos online was more than just a blast from the past for Oak Ridge native and filmmaker Rachel Nanstad, however, who saw her interest in the group grow into something more substantial.
“Growing up in Oak Ridge, my friend Christopher and I were fascinated by the Reed Sisters and shared a curiosity as to what happened to them,” says Nanstad, by way of explaining what led her to make “The Reed Sisters: An American Story,” a documentary about the family group.
“We would reminisce about their great matching outfits and jingles, and we both always thought it was cool they were playing their own instruments along with singing and dancing and being the leads of their own show. For me, it was rare to see girls doing that in the ‘70s, especially on local TV.”
The pair were so curious about the whereabouts of the Reeds that they began searching for them, and in 2009 Christopher found one of their YouTube videos, which had been uploaded by Channel 7 videographer Mark Copeland. Through Copeland, Nanstad contacted Debbie Reed for an interview.
“I was in film school at the time out in San Francisco, and in Documentary 101, my first assignment was to make a five-minute doc on an interesting subject,” says Nanstad. “I thought, ‘Hmmm, I could do one on these fascinating microbial organisms that live in thermal vents in the ocean and can survive extreme conditions [extremophiles] or I could do one on a memorable and fascinating cable-access TV variety show from the 1970s.’ The Reed Sisters won, though I might add they are also fascinating organisms that can survive extreme conditions.”
After Nanstad interviewed the Reeds a few times, saw more archival material and learned more about their lives, she expanded the film to a 20-minute short. The deeper she dug, the more interesting the story became, especially after learning of the disappearance of 16-year old Nettie and the Sisters’ post-television career.
Nanstad kept revisiting the material and eventually ended up with a three-hour film. A 45-minute version will screen at The Tennessee Theatre during the History Hootenanny Saturday, Aug. 17, at 12:30 p.m., with the hopes of a 70 to 80-minute “final cut” to debut later in the year.
Whether you remember their show and want to look back or have never heard of them, “The Reed Sisters: An American Story” contains enough archival footage to keep you entertained, and through interviews and narration, Nanstad tells a compelling story about a unique East Tennessee family.
dawson@blanknews.com
