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"Alpha Bits" Commercial / "Associated Press" Interview

Date confirmed in “Associated Press” (“They had to report to Columbia studio for the filming of a breakfast-food commercial… They had performed to a sellout crowd at the Hollywood Bowl the night before [on August 22, 1971 (archived)], but still had enough energy to bounce through the commercial and ride their bikes around the Columbia lot.”)

“Associated Press” (September 1, 1971) (archived)

HOLLYWOOD (AP) - As with other American youngsters, summer vacation is drawing to a close for the five young sons of Joe and Katherine Jackson.

The Jacksons haven't had your normal type of summer vacation. They visited 40 cities in 60 days, playing concerts that attracted as many as 160,000 people (Milwaukee). The tour of The Jackson Five started in New York’s Madison Square Garden July 15 and will end in Honolulu Sept. 13. The following day the boys will have to be in school.

The Five stopped at home for a brief visit between concerts. No rest for them, however. They had to report to Columbia studio for the filming of a breakfast-food commercial which will appear on their ABC special Sept. 19. Also their Saturday morning ABC cartoon show.

If they were weary, they didn’t show it. They had performed to a sellout crowd at the Hollywood Bowl the night before, but still had enough energy to bounce through the commercial and ride their bikes around the Columbia lot.

“The tour has been a whole lot of fun,” said Jermaine, 16. "We’ve seen a lot of cities and we've been to a lot of historical places. That’s a good way to learn about history.”

Jermaine is often the spokesman for the Jacksons. Others in the troupe are Jackie, 20; Tito, 17; Marlon, 14 and Michael, who was 12 on Sunday.

They are five of the nine children of a Gary, Ind., crane operator and part time songwriter. Joe Jackson played guitar, and his wife sang country and western with a hint of blues. They infused their sons with a love of music, and the boys started playing as a group I when Michael was 4.

The Jackson Five’s second single for Motown Records, "ABC", soared over a million a records. Last year Billboard magazine, the oracle of the record industry, pronounced the lads No. 1 in sales of singles.

They seem to enjoy their careers immensely. But being rock superstars can also generate problems.

“When we moved to LA. a couple of years ago, we tried going to public schools," said Jermaine. “It didn’t work. The other kids would come around and peep into our classrooms. When we got out of class, we'd be surrounded by kids, and we’d be late to our next periods.

“Kids would come from other schools just to get a look at us. It got to be a real problem for the schools. And we couldn’t have much of a normal school life ourselves.”

Another problem was leaving school for concert dates. The boys take off for long weekends about three times each semester, and the Los Angeles City School system wouldn't allow it, even though a tutor accompanied them.

Next month four of the boys will enroll at the private Walton School in Panorama City, a few miles from their San Fernando Valley home in Encino. Brother Jackie is going to business school.

The chief drawback of a private school, said Jermaine: “We don’t get to see many girls."

Despite such deprivation and even though their summer vacation has been spent on the road, the Jacksons seemed to be enjoying their careers. “We plan to stay in it as long as we can,” Jermaine remarked.