U-Matic

CAY Birthday @ Cobo
4-24-89
Montreux-Detroit Festival Opening

U-Matic tape containing footage of Mayor Coleman A. Young's 71st birthday party held at Cobo Hall on April 24, 1989, followed by the opening ceremony for the Montreux-Detroit International Jazz Festival on Thursday, August 31, 1989.

The tape begins with a title card which reads, "CAY Birthday at Cobo, 4/24/89." Several scenes follow of people and decorations within Cobo Hall, including a "Happy Birthday Mayor Young" banner above a display of photos of the mayor, an autograph wall, and a boat filled with popcorn. Guests are then shown posing with a cardboard cut-out of Young. A sign beside the line reads "First 200 Guests Only, Pose with 'The Mayor.'"

In the dining area guests are filmed in line for the buffet, and round tables are shown set up with balloons tied to them. A large "Happy Birthday Mayor Young" banner is hung on the wall in the background on the wall.

The camera rolls as Mayor Young appears, waves to the crowd, poses for photographs, and then takes his seat at a table beside a stage set up in the center of the room. The camera continues to film from behind Young's table. Radio personality Martha Jean "The Queen" Steinberg, Donald Barden of Barden Cablevision, press secretary Bob Berg, and radio personality John Mason, all can be spotted in the vicinity of the mayor's table.

Eventually Steinberg leaves Young's table to address the crowd from the adjacent stage as the event's master of ceremonies. She recognizes the event's organizer then calls Don Barden to the stage.

Barden introduces a video prepared by Barden Cablevision covering Young's years in office. The video then plays on a projection screen on the room's wall. The video's opening has Barden's vice-president filmed at the African American History Museum. Initially the camera is trained on the screen, and then it pans over to Coleman Young's table, before cutting away.

When the recording resumes, Steinberg is back on the stage preparing the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to the mayor along with a pair of Eastern Onion singing telegram performers. After the song, Young's two sisters and grandniece join him on stage as he thanks the crowd. Young then steps down from the stage and into the crowd, as Steinberg continues to talk to the audience, and again leads the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday." The recording cuts as she introduces John Mason.

The second part of the tape begins with a "Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival" title card. Then Robert McCabe of Detroit Renaissance; Mayor Young; Switzerland mayor Frédy Alt; and Bill Boyer of the Miller Brewing Company are filmed taking the stage as a member of the New Breed Be-Bop Society plays piano.

McCabe then takes to the podium to address the crowd. He lists some of the new attractions at this year's festival. Among the things he mentions are several new performs, and a new stage in Harmony Park. The recording cuts away, and resumes with a representative of Governor James Blanchard's reading an executive declaration from the Governor which declares it Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival Week.

McCabe then introduces Young. Mayor Young briefly speaks to the crowd about the festival's significance. Next, McCabe then introduces Mayor Alt of Montreux for his first appearance in the city. Alt speaks in English about the ties between the two festivals and his impression of Detroit. Afterward, McCabe calls Boyer to the podium to discuss Miller Lite's sponsorship of the festival. Boyer leads the people on stage in a toast. McCabe returns to the podium to talk about the stations broadcasting from the festival before ending the ceremony. The camera continues to roll as Young speaks to Alt before stepping off stage.

The recording is on a 3M UCA-60 U-Matic tape with a handwritten 3M label on its top. The tape is housed within a black plastic latching case with a matching label on its cover.