MovieChat Forums > Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) Discussion > Josie and the Pussycats

Josie and the Pussycats

posted 14 years ago by Phyg_LeGuy
3 replies | jump to latest

June 1970 - BtVotD hits theaters, about an interracial all-girl rock band comprised of two guitarists and a drummer.

September 1970 - Josie and the Pussycats debuts as a Saturday morning cartoon series about an interracial all-girl rock band comprised of two guitarists and a drummer.

Must be a coincidence. Surely it takes more than three months to develop an animated television series. But, if we are to believe everything we read on wikipedia -- and, hey, look what you’re reading -- the interracial all-girl rock band comprised of two guitarists and a drummer first appeared in the Josie comic book in December of 1969. Seems that once the rights had been sold to television, the comic book, which had been published since 1963, began to evolve into the cultural icon we all know and love.

In the comics, the drummer is white, but in the movie, she’s black. Must be a coincidence.

Still, how common was it to see an interracial all-girl rock band comprised of two guitarists and a drummer circa 1969-1970?

[–] marcellis_robinson 13 years ago

>> Still, how common was it to see an interracial all-girl rock band comprised of two guitarists and a drummer circa 1969-1970?

How common was it? There weren't any. Janis Joplin was the biggest thing in 69-70, but she was a singer, Big Brother & Holding Co. was the band backing her up. You'd have to wait until the 70's to see an all girl band: Heart, The Runaways. The Go Go's debuted in 1981, well past the hippie era.

Interesting that you brought up Josie & Pussycats, I hadn't thought of that. Maybe the scriptwriters of this movie were aware of the comic book?

[–] gnome-5 13 years ago

"an all girl band: Heart,"

I don't remember Heart being "all girl." I remember the two sisters in the lead, with guys playing drums, guitars or bass...

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

As soon as I saw the movie, I instantly thought of Josie and the Pussycats and wondered about the similarities. I don't think it was a coincidence.