The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[Christopher]

TOS guest: One of the elevator switches makes the "hitting the phaser button" noise.

I'm pretty sure that was a real-life elevator motor activation sound long before it was a phaser sound effect. A lot of TOS sound effects were sourced from real life (for instance, the door sound was the firing sound of an airgun played backward, and I think the phaser sound was a swarm of locusts chirping.)

Am I misremembering a Batfight with "Olde English" sound effects? Is that in the third part? THWACK-ETH!

I think that was from the Archer episode in season 2.

I take it this would be one of those less essential episodes that they made to fill out the season. It's 12th of 17 in production order. It feels different from the get-go...Six getting involved in another prisoner's situation and Two being reactive about it.

I've seen this one criticized for putting Number Six in too much control. A story where he turns the tables on his oppressors could have worked well if it had been difficult to gain the advantage, but here he seemed to be able to dominate almost effortlessly.

...sort of the same thing conceptually as Six, Kirk, or Mike Nesmith talking a computer into self-destructing.

Now, there's a trio of characters you don't often see likened to each other. But hey, it works for me. Mike was always the brains of the outfit.

 

[The Old Mixer]

A meaty amount of business...
_______

50 Years Ago This Week

December 3 – Christiaan Barnard carries out the world's first heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.
December 4

• At 6:50 PM, a volcano erupts on Deception Island in Antarctica.
• Vietnam War: U.S. and South Vietnamese forces engage Viet Cong troops in the Mekong Delta (235 of the 300-strong Viet Cong battalion are killed).

December 5 – In New York City, Benjamin Spock and Allen Ginsberg are arrested for protesting against the Vietnam War.
December 6 – Vice President Jorge Pacheco Areco is sworn in as President of Uruguay after President Oscar Gestido dies in office.

December 8 – Magical Mystery Tour is released by The Beatles as a double EP in the U.K., whilst the only psychedelic rock album by The Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request, is released in the U.K and in the U.S.A.

"2000 Light Years from Home," The Rolling Stones

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(B-side of "She's a Rainbow," which we'll be covering when it charts)

December 9

• Nicolae Ceausescu becomes the Chairman of the Romanian State Council, making him the de facto leader of Romania.
• Jim Morrison is arrested on stage in New Haven, Connecticut for attempting to spark a riot in the audience during a Doors-concert.

Very Brief Bonus News Item Link

A more detailed description of the incident...

One of the most mythologized and romanticized figures in rock history, Doors frontman Jim Morrison possessed a deep-seated anti-authoritarian streak that repeatedly landed him in trouble. On Dec. 9, 1967, the rebellious rocker was arrested at a Doors gig in New Haven, Conn., earning him the dubious distinction of being, as far as we know, the first rock star ever arrested onstage during a performance.

According to Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, Morrison was "making out" with a female fan in the shower in the backstage area of the New Haven Arena when a local police officer who was providing security for the band -- apparently not recognizing the singer -- told them to vacate the area, to which Morrison reportedly replied, "Eat it." When the officer brandished a can of Mace and warned, "Last chance," the singer retorted, "Last chance to eat it" -- earning himself a face full of Mace for his defiance.

The officer apologized for the incident after the Doors' manager told him he had just Maced the lead singer of the very band he had been hired to protect, admitting he hadn't recognized Morrison. "Okay -- if you're famous, you don't get Maced," Manzarek said. "If you're just a kid making out, then you're gonna get it. So it was like, 'Hold it, man, it doesn't work that way.'"

The concert was delayed to allow Morrison a chance to recover, and when the band finally got onstage, the angry singer took the opportunity to get back at the cops. During "Back Door Man," Morrison recounted the experience in a profanity-laced tirade, reportedly shouting, "The whole f---ing world hates me!" He taunted the police from the stage, calling the officer who had hassled him a "little blue man in a little blue hat," as well as a "little blue pig."

He added, "I'm just like you guys, man -- he did it to me, they'll do it to you." The cops responded by entering the stage and bringing the show to a halt. They took the singer into custody, causing a mini-riot as the angry and disappointed crowd took to the streets of New Haven, resulting in 13 additional arrests.

Morrison was charged with inciting a riot, indecency and public obscenity. He posted a bond, but the charges were later dropped.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Daydream Believer," The Monkees
2. "The Rain, the Park & Other Things," The Cowsills
3. "Incense and Peppermints," Strawberry Alarm Clock
4. "I Say a Little Prayer," Dionne Warwick
5. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," Gladys Knight & The Pips
6. "To Sir with Love," Lulu
7. "I Second That Emotion," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
8. "Hello Goodbye," The Beatles
9. "In and Out of Love," Diana Ross & The Supremes
10. "An Open Letter to My Teenage Son," Victor Lundberg
11. "(The Lights Went Out in) Massachusetts," Bee Gees
12. "You Better Sit Down Kids," Cher
13. "Boogaloo Down Broadway," The Fantastic Johnny C
14. "I Can See for Miles," The Who
15. "Keep the Ball Rollin'," Jay & The Techniques
16. "Please Love Me Forever," Bobby Vinton
17. "Soul Man," Sam & Dave
18. "Lazy Day," Spanky & Our Gang
19. "Pata Pata," Miriam Makeba
20. "Skinny Legs and All," Joe Tex
21. "She's My Girl," The Turtles
22. "Woman, Woman," The Union Gap feat. Gary Puckett
23. "Everlasting Love," Robert Knight
24. "Neon Rainbow," The Box Tops
25. "Yesterday," Ray Charles
26. "Summer Rain," Johnny Rivers
27. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," Glen Campbell
28. "Expressway to Your Heart," The Soul Survivors

30. "Honey Chile," Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
31. "Wild Honey," The Beach Boys

33. "Different Drum," The Stone Poneys feat. Linda Ronstadt

35. "(Loneliness Made Me Realize) It's You That I Need," The Temptations
36. "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," Donovan
37. "Next Plane to London," The Rose Garden
38. "Stag-O-Lee," Wilson Pickett
39. "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)," The Hombres
40. "It Must Be Him," Vikki Carr
41. "Bend Me Shape Me," The American Breed

47. "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

51. "Baby You Got It," Brenton Wood

55. "Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)," John Fred & His Playboy Band

63. "Glad to Be Unhappy," The Mamas & The Papas
64. "I Am the Walrus," The Beatles

66. "Chain of Fools," Aretha Franklin

68. "It's Wonderful," The Young Rascals
69. "Itchycoo Park," Small Faces

74. "Susan," The Buckinghams
75. "Love Me Two Times," The Doors

87. "Goin' Out of My Head / Can't Take My Eyes Off You," The Lettermen

98. "Nobody But Me," The Human Beinz

Leaving the chart:

• "Kentucky Woman," Neil Diamond
• "She Is Still a Mystery," The Lovin' Spoonful
• "Your Precious Love," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

New on the chart:

"I Am the Walrus," The Beatles

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(B-side of "Hello Goodbye"; #56 US)

"Love Me Two Times," The Doors

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(#25 US)

"It's Wonderful," The Young Rascals
(#20 US)

"Susan," The Buckinghams
(#11 US)

"Nobody But Me," The Human Beinz

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(#8 US)

"Goin' Out of My Head / Can't Take My Eyes Off You," The Lettermen
(#7 US; #2 AC)

"Chain of Fools," Aretha Franklin

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(#2 US; #1 R&B; #37 UK; #249 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)


And new on the boob tube:

• The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 20, episode 13, featuring Gordon McCrae & Carol Lawrence, The Mecners, and Frankie Fanelli
• Mission: Impossible, "The Astrologer"
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E., "The Man from THRUSH Affair"
• The Rat Patrol, "The Life for a Life Raid"
• Batman, "The Bloody Tower"
• Ironside, "The Past Is Prologue"
• That Girl, "It's a Mod, Mod World: Part I"
• Star Trek, "The Deadly Years"
• The Prisoner, "It's Your Funeral"
• Get Smart, "The Mild Ones"

_______

I'm pretty sure that was a real-life elevator motor activation sound long before it was a phaser sound effect. A lot of TOS sound effects were sourced from real life (for instance, the door sound was the firing sound of an airgun played backward, and I think the phaser sound was a swarm of locusts chirping.)

Ah...in which case, Fun Facts!

I think that was from the Archer episode in season 2.

Ah yes, that jogs a brain cell.

I've seen this one criticized for putting Number Six in too much control. A story where he turns the tables on his oppressors could have worked well if it had been difficult to gain the advantage, but here he seemed to be able to dominate almost effortlessly.

Indeed. Or the hitch in his plan could have been if he found himself going too far in executing his plan...e.g., putting other prisoners in danger--the same angle I wish they would have played in another of the weaker episodes, "Free for All."

Now, there's a trio of characters you don't often see likened to each other. But hey, it works for me. Mike was always the brains of the outfit.

I thought that bit of cross-referencing might be an attention-grabber...but all authentically drawn from story points in their respective shows.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Still, this series's groove is doing elaborate schemes, and I think it works best if you don't think too hard about whether the elaborate schemes make sense, so long as they're executed with panache.

Panache over realism every time.

Given the show's tongue-in-cheek nature, I can't help seeing the German prison commandant insisting that nobody can escape from his prison and that nobody has in 25 years (which would have been during the war) as spoofing Hogan's Heroes.

Sometimes it really strikes me how recent WWII was when I was a kid.

This week's tacked-on female guest character is played by Judy Carne,

Cool. My second-favorite Laugh-In babe.

The Nazis' scheme involves projecting "mind waves" long distances via a telescope--Even if telescopes weren't made to look up into space, there's that annoying curvature of the Earth business to deal with.

Everybody knows that mind waves pass through the Earth like neutrinos and only interact with the brain cells of the people you want them to.

I'm probably beating a dead horse at this point, but I have to note that the opening involves Donald taking Ann out to eat at a restaurant that she describes as costing the same as a round trip to Boston.

Gas was cheap in those days.

I think they went a little too "Western" with this one. I was willing to buy the natives on horses circling the wagons like Indians...but the bad guys have a stagecoach; and at the end of act III, the colonial cavalry comes charging in, complete with bugler!

Gotta use what's available in the prop room.

This episode has a pretty timely message about using violence in the name of an ultimately peaceful cause, coming as it does on the cusp of the year in which the counterculture shifts to violent demonstrations.

Always counterproductive. You don't win anybody's sympathy by inconveniencing them, let alone hurting them.

"Hello, Hello"

I don't remember that one. It's not really great.

The Wiki page that I linked to previously mentioned that, and how SNL had to make an on-air apology for it at the time.

Interesting. I don't remember the apology, but I do remember thinking that the skit was pretty sick even for SNL.

"2000 Light Years from Home," The Rolling Stones

Okay, they don't do psychedelic well.

A more detailed description of the incident...

Nothing like getting maced while "making out" in the shower. No wonder he was such an angry young man.

"I Am the Walrus," The Beatles

A classic, although I remember it being longer.

"Love Me Two Times," The Doors

I'm not much of a... er... well, this has a nice, nostalgic sound to it now.

"It's Wonderful," The Young Rascals

Not familiar with this one. They certainly did better.

"Susan," The Buckinghams

Ditto.

"Nobody But Me," The Human Beinz

Probably not a great song, but it really conjures up the 60s.

"Goin' Out of My Head / Can't Take My Eyes Off You," The Lettermen

The Letterman are decent. This was an interesting video, with a second clip of a very slow version of "Never My Love" on the same set. I wonder where they're from.

"Chain of Fools," Aretha Franklin

An all-time classic, of course.

We finally got back to Ed Sullivan after missing a couple of weeks (first my Brother's birthday, then my Mother had a tree-trimming at the retirement community). There was a really great performance of "Aquarius" by the 5th Dimension using super spacey special effects, and also stand up by Dick Cavett. He was pretty good. I don't think I knew that he started out in stand up. I used to watch his show fairly frequently back in the 70s, and I never thought he was a good talk show host but I always liked him-- he's like the Joe Cocker of talk shows.

And, yes, I have been using the schedule tab for Decades to schedule recordings, thank you. Also I noticed something else that's very helpful. Somehow the DVR knows if you've previously recorded a show in the past and marks it as "Watched," so we can skip them.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Everybody knows that mind waves pass through the Earth like neutrinos

Yeah, too bad they're shooting them into space.

Okay, they don't do psychedelic well.

I picked that one because for me, it's the standout gem on an otherwise hard-to-listen-to album. I think that it captures the vast loneliness of deep space better than Trek usually does.

A classic, although I remember it being longer.

That's all the Fabs saw fit to put on YouTube, we can be grateful that the song is represented at all. "I Am the Walrus" is a personal favorite of mine in the Beatles' rich song catalog. When I was first delving into them on vinyl, that was one that I listened to over and over again.

I'm not much of a... er... well, this has a nice, nostalgic sound to it now.

One of us! One of us!

Not familiar with this one. They certainly did better.

An obscuro and definitely not their strongest work--especially coming on the heels of "How Can I Be Sure," which really grew on me with the anniversary playlist listening--but interesting for its attempt at a more psychedelic sound.

Ditto.

As with other Buckinghams songs, good, pleasant, familiar oldies radio fare for me. Apparently they haven't gotten as much airplay in the Boston area. Their string of hits was a tightly packed one...their first Top-20 single charted in December 1966, and this will be their fifth and last.

Probably not a great song, but it really conjures up the 60s.

Whereas these guys are strictly one-hit wonder territory...they had one follow-up single that made it into the Hot 100, at #80. But again, classic oldies radio fare.

The Letterman are decent. This was an interesting video, with a second clip of a very slow version of "Never My Love" on the same set. I wonder where they're from.

The first dual cover that I included the video for is the only of this week's selections that I don't have. It's pleasant enough in its own lounge muzaky way, but it just makes me want to listen to the two better songs that it's covering. One of those came up as 50th anniversary business earlier this year. The other...

"Goin' Out of My Head," Little Anthony & the Imperials

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(Charted Nov. 7, 1964; #6 US; #6 R&B)

An all-time classic, of course.

Of course.

Also I noticed something else that's very helpful. Somehow the DVR knows if you've previously recorded a show in the past and marks it as "Watched," so we can skip them.

That part's not as helpful as you think, because it's based on the faulty cable info. That's why I was always having to check my scheduled recordings and manually set it to record episodes that the DVR thought I already had. Those bad descriptions seem to have often been repeated for different episodes. So if the DVR thinks you've already seen it, ignore that. The only reliable source of which episodes Decades is airing is the Decades site itself.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Batman
"The Foggiest Notion"
Originally aired November 30, 1967

The patrons of the Three Bells Pub are alternately described as mods and hippies; whatever they are, they don't strike a particularly American hippie vibe.

Thanks to the showrunners being out of touch, with their faux Brit/rough types that were more 19th century Bill Sikes types than any youth culture of 1967. Mods were already long out of the cultural eye by late '67.

This one had middle installment issues...the plot did move forward somewhat, with Batman learning the truth about Lord Ffogg, and Batgirl and Robin being captured. But the bit about Batman having his memory stolen and then quickly restored by Alfred was pure, water-treading filler.

"Water-treading filler" That should be the subtitle of season three.

It seems a bit inconvenient for Alfred to have to lug out Barbara's suitcase each time she wants to change to Batgirl. Couldn't she just stash it somewhere nearby? And it might be a bit less conspicuous to conceal if it didn't have a bat-logo on it....

Get Smart
"That Old Gang of Mine"
Originally aired December 2, 1967
If Batman had been on the same network, they might have had a crossover opportunity here.

No, it would've never happened because Batman was not a sitcom, no matter what corner of the '66 fanbase tries to make that unsubstantiated argument.

"Goin' Out of My Head," Little Anthony & the Imperials
(Charted Nov. 7, 1964; #6 US; #6 R&B)

Absolute classic.

 

[The Old Mixer]

So I just discovered some discrepancies with the cable info and the Decades numbering scheme for the first season of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In...it turns out that I've been sitting on the pilot special, which aired in September 1967, and just now realized it! I'll have to get that in soon.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Yeah, too bad they're shooting them into space.

Er... well... mind waves are smart. And can steer. And stuff.

I picked that one because for me, it's the standout gem on an otherwise hard-to-listen-to album. I think that it captures the vast loneliness of deep space better than Trek usually does.

Early Trek did. Later Trek was too civilized, giving taxi rides to ambassadors and stuff.

One of us! One of us!

Apparently they haven't gotten as much airplay in the Boston area.

That could be. They're not a band I'm very familiar with.

Whereas these guys are strictly one-hit wonder territory...they had one follow-up single that made it into the Hot 100, at #80. But again, classic oldies radio fare.

That staccato "no no no" is Pavlovian.

"Goin' Out of My Head," Little Anthony & the Imperials

Oh, yeah, that's wonderful.

That part's not as helpful as you think, because it's based on the faulty cable info. That's why I was always having to check my scheduled recordings and manually set it to record episodes that the DVR thought I already had. Those bad descriptions seem to have often been repeated for different episodes. So if the DVR thinks you've already seen it, ignore that. The only reliable source of which episodes Decades is airing is the Decades site itself.

Well, crap. I'll have to keep my eye on that.

So I just discovered some discrepancies with the cable info and the Decades numbering scheme for the first season of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In...it turns out that I've been sitting on the pilot special, which aired in September 1967, and just now realized it! I'll have to get that in soon.

I saw that one and it seems like it was a while ago. I don't remember it clearly, but I remember thinking that it definitely had a different vibe than the regular show does.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Thanks to the showrunners being out of touch, with their faux Brit/rough types that were more 19th century Bill Sikes types than any youth culture of 1967. Mods were already long out of the cultural eye by late '67.

I was never able to wrap my head around what I've read of the mod/rocker British youth culture of the time, not having enough cultural context to go on, but one does see the term "mod" coming up a lot in this era, on TV and elsewhere.

Early Trek did.

I generally agree with this.

That could be. They're not a band I'm very familiar with.

I remember a local oldies DJ saying that the Buckinghams sold more records in 1967 than any other act, including the Beatles...then broke up and disappeared. Not sure if there was a qualifier about the record sales (e.g., singles). Going by the single chart performance I've been seeing, it seems like "or the Monkees" could have been included in there, if the fact is true.

That staccato "no no no" is Pavlovian.

I recall that being used in at least one commercial in relatively recent times. Think it was for Chili's. That Eastern drone-sounding opening note is also a nice Beatlesque touch.

I saw that one and it seems like it was a while ago. I don't remember it clearly, but I remember thinking that it definitely had a different vibe than the regular show does.

It had a different intro, I've seen that much. And used grainy, home movie-quality outdoor footage, which I don't recall seeing much of in what I've seen of the regular episodes.

 

[Christopher]

Anyone see the Carol Burnett Show 50th anniversary special last night? It was fun to revisit that show and its sketches (aside from the "Family" sketches, which I always loathed). Carol Burnett has always been such a gifted comedic performer, and an equally skilled dramatic actress, singer -- heck, I'm not sure there's anything she isn't good at. Harvey Korman and Tim Conway were hilarious too, and their tendency to break each other up onstage -- and have that actually left in the show rather than relegated to blooper reels -- was a large part of the cast's charm. (I'd forgotten how much Conway's physical and verbal comedy was something I tried to emulate as a kid when goofing around for my friends, family, and occasionally classmates.) It made them relatable -- like Carol's introductory Q&A segments, it let the audience feel we were connecting to the real people behind the performances -- and it gave it a feel like live theater or radio comedy.

There were some interesting guest stars in the special, though there were some I'd never heard of before or was barely aware of. And poor Lyle Waggoner got short shrift -- they brought him out to join the group of reminiscers and then he hardly said anything for the rest of the segment. In the musical segment, it was kind of amazing to see Bernadette Peters and Kristen Chenoweth side by side, but they never sang together except in the closing bit where everyone was singing, so that was a missed opportunity.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Can't say that I did, I was watching Ed Sullivan and Mission: Impossible. Are they still making new TV these days?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I was never able to wrap my head around what I've read of the mod/rocker British youth culture of the time, not having enough cultural context to go on, but one does see the term "mod" coming up a lot in this era, on TV and elsewhere.

By late 1967, the Mod explosion (including violence in the streets, and influence by/on rock groups like the early Who & Yardbirds) was not "that scene" anymore in British culture. Some of it would last for a few years after this Bat-episode, but it certainly was not as much a thing as this episode would have audiences believe. Dozier and most of his TV-producing generation were out of touch, which explains why TV and movie versions of rock groups or youth culture post-1966 often had groups still in Beatles "She Loves You" phase (long gone by then), or presented them with exaggerated ideas on psychedelica, with everyone acting high, or spouting Timothy Leary-isms, as if culture was all dictated by Leary and like-minded followers.

I remember a local oldies DJ saying that the Buckinghams sold more records in 1967 than any other act, including the Beatles...then broke up and disappeared. Not sure if there was a qualifier about the record sales (e.g., singles). Going by the single chart performance I've been seeing, it seems like "or the Monkees" could have been included in there, if the fact is true.

I don't know who that DJ was, but in '67, The Monkees outsold The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined, according to favorite music source (said no one--ever) Rolling Stone.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Did a bit of fact-checking and found that I was probably misremembering the DJ bringing up this: Billboard named them "The Most Listened To Band in America" in 1967. This likely owed to the fact that they had five hit singles that year, which was more than other acts were typically releasing...and that likely owed to the fact that the singles were on two labels.

 

[scotpens]

There were some interesting guest stars in the special, though there were some I'd never heard of before or was barely aware of. And poor Lyle Waggoner got short shrift -- they brought him out to join the group of reminiscers and then he hardly said anything for the rest of the segment.

Lyle Waggoner was tall and good-looking, but he never struck me as particularly talented. I suppose at some point he must have realized he was on the wrong side of the camera.

 

[Christopher]

Lyle Waggoner was tall and good-looking, but he never struck me as particularly talented. I suppose at some point he must have realized he was on the wrong side of the camera.

I think he was okay as far as filling his own particular niche went. He made a reasonably good Steve Trevor on Wonder Woman, although the acting bar admittedly wasn't very high on that show.

 

[The Old Mixer]

He had a very distinctive voice. That alone is worth something.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Lyle Waggoner was almost unnaturally handsome. He competed for the part of Batman and lost to Adam West. It would have been cool if he could have guest starred as Superman in an episode-- he had that level of super good looks.

It had a different intro, I've seen that much. And used grainy, home movie-quality outdoor footage, which I don't recall seeing much of in what I've seen of the regular episodes.

Yes, it had much less polish, as I recall.

Can't say that I did, I was watching Ed Sullivan and Mission: Impossible. Are they still making new TV these days?

A little bit. Some of it is worth watching.

Did a bit of fact-checking and found that I was probably misremembering the DJ bringing up this: Billboard named them "The Most Listened To Band in America" in 1967. This likely owed to the fact that they had five hit singles that year, which was more than other acts were typically releasing...and that likely owed to the fact that the singles were on two labels.

People can make statistics say anything they want.

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

Kitchen Sink Review Business

_______

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 55 years ago this week:

1. "Big Girls Don't Cry," The Four Seasons
2. "Return to Sender," Elvis Presley
3. "Bobby's Girl," Marcie Blane
4. "Don't Hang Up," The Orlons
5. "Ride!," Dee Dee Sharp
6. "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Torro)," Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
7. "Telstar," The Tornadoes
8. "Limbo Rock," Chubby Checker
9. "All Alone Am I," Brenda Lee
10. "Release Me," Esther Phillips
11. "He's a Rebel," The Crystals
12. "(Dance with the) Guitar Man," Duane Eddy & The Rebelettes
13. "My Own True Love," The Duprees
14. "Love Came to Me," Dion

16. "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby," Little Eva

21. "Next Door to an Angel," Neil Sedaka
22. "You Are My Sunshine," Ray Charles
23. "Let's Go (Pony)," The Routers
24. "Hotel Happiness," Brook Benton

27. "Only Love Can Break a Heart," Gene Pitney

29. "Chains," The Cookies
30. "Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah," Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

34. "Nothing Can Change This Love," Sam Cooke

38. "I've Got a Woman," Jimmy McGriff

42. "Do You Love Me," The Contours
43. "Two Lovers," Mary Wells

46. "Leah," Roy Orbison

50. "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," Tony Bennett

53. "Everybody Loves a Lover," The Shirelles
54. "Popeye the Hitchhiker," Chubby Checker
55. "Tell Him," The Exciters

58. "Up On The Roof," The Drifters
59. "Monster Mash," Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

66. "The Little Drummer Boy," Harry Simeone Chorale

70. "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," Bobby Vee

78. "Don't Make Me Over," Dionne Warwick

87. "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," The Miracles

92. "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," David Seville & The Chipmunks

99. "Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms


Leaving the chart:

• "Surfin' Safari," The Beach Boys

Interesting thing going on here is that this is from before whatever point in the '60s that they split Holiday singles onto their own chart, so we have some then-recent Holiday hits reentering the charts for the season...and awkwardly, "Monster Mash" is still lingering around, as it's enjoying its original chart run. Post-Halloween, I've been tending to skip it when it comes up in the shuffle.

Also of note: Dionne Warwick's chart debut.

_______

12 O'Clock High
"R/X for a Sick Bird"
Originally aired September 20, 1965

The failure of a mission to drop a Polish resistance leader behind enemy lines reveals Nazi saboteurs in the bomber command.

FYI, "R/X" is spoken as "Prescription" by the QM announcer.

Guesting several familiar faces: Tige Andrews, Hans Gudegast (later Eric Braeden; Dietrich from The Rat Patrol), James Brolin...and I wasn't familiar with Gia Scala, but she was quite fetching.

OK, when Han Gudegast is in an episode about Nazi saboteurs, playing an ostensibly Allied officer (didn't catch his character's nationality, but he wasn't hiding his accent; if he was supposed to be a Brit, then his accent was damn lousy), you know he's gonna be the Germans' guy on the inside...but to the show's credit, they didn't try to keep that a mystery to the audience.

Here we catch part of why they may have added Komansky to the cast--In addition to giving us a regular on the enlisted side, in this story he was used as a POV character on a mission that Col. Gallagher wasn't flying.

It's kind of cute that the sabotage attempt in Act IV was bringing the Picadilly Lilly an explosive coffee thermos, when Gallagher's bad coffee was a bit of a running background gag earlier in the episode...and mentioned again in the epilogue! I don't think it was a coincidence.

I can only assume that the personal bomber of the group's commander is traditionally named the Picadilly Lilly, given that the one Savage was flying went down with him...not to mention that time not long before when Savage scattered her fuselage all over that English manor property.

_______

Say, guys, do you remember that week that I didn't review...?

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Pilot special
Originally aired September 9, 1967

Pamela Austin, Ken Berry, Barbara Feldon, Monte Landis

I like that they keep the NBC peacock intro in syndication.

Contrary to the list above, Monte Landis is announced in the episode as one of the regular cast members, not a guest.

This show's style of humor is very blink-and-miss-it, throw everything against the wall and something's bound to stick. If I zone out for a bit or look down to jot a note, I've missed five jokes. Not everything works for me, but not everything has to at that pace. One bit I particularly enjoyed was right in the opening monologue, when Dick is being coy about having attended a nudist camp, and everyone gets what he's talking about before it's stated outright.

Signs o' the times department:

• The introductory explanation of "-ins" and flower people.
• News from 20 years in the future...September 9, 1987! (Were the song and dance numbers during the news meant to be a commentary on news becoming more like entertainment?)
• A troll doll--the fad started in the '60s.
• Arte Johnson doing a guru character in the cocktail party skit.
• Barbara Feldon's cocktail party persona uses the pronunciation VietNAMese...like "Vietnam" with "-ese" stuck on. Perhaps mocking the ignorance of the person she was pretending to be, but still a sign o' the times that people might be uninformed enough to pronounce it like that.
• Ruth Buzzi sings a "Ladybird" song...were all of these "Ladybird" songs of the time inspired by the first lady's nickname?

From what I already know of the show or was able to look up easily, lots of regular features were established here:

• Introducing the ongoing cocktail party skit by walking into it from the opening monologue.
• Getting our first several "very interesting"s.
• Ruth Buzzi doing what appeared to be a proto-version of her Gladys Ormphby character.
• Henry Gibson doing poetry.
• The Mod, Mod World segment.
• Is Dick's "I'll drink to that" a running gag?
• "Say goodnight, Dick."

Most noticeably absent: The Joke Wall.

They seemed to be sending up variety shows like Sullivan with the cast introduction segment, which had the cast members doing comically bad songs, dance, and ventriloquism.

Was the "Stamp out John Wayne" button setting up his appearances on the show?

Overall, I'm looking forward to this replacing TMFU...I think I'll enjoy it a lot more.

_______

The Ed Sullivan Show
Season 20, episode 8
Originally aired October 29, 1967

When "The Rain, the Park & Other Things" made its chart debut, I held onto a live color clip from the Cowsills' appearance on Sullivan with the expectation that it might come up on The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show. It didn't, so here it is:

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_______

The Monkees

"A Coffin Too Frequent"
Originally aired November 20, 1967

A sinister scientist (George Furth), his goony cousin (Mickey Morton), and his kooky aunt (Ruth Buzzi) use the Monkees' pad for a séance to summon a relative from beyond.

Ruth Buzzi comes to us between the pilot episode and regular season of Laugh-In, while also playing a recurring role in the second season of That Girl as Pete Peterson. I didn't recognize him by name or face, but Mickey Morton is a TOS guest-to-be (Kloog, "The Gamesters of Triskelion").

An IMDb reviewer says that this is the last appearance of the wool hat.

Songs include "Goin' Down" (an in-story sequence that I couldn't find on YouTube) and a reprise of the non-episode-specific "Daydream Believer" video.


"Hitting the High Seas"
Originally aired November 27, 1967

Thoughts of mutiny are bountiful as the Monkees try to stop the hijack of a cargo ship by a vengeful sea captain (Chips Rafferty).

Notes: First second season episode without a laugh track. Mike only appears briefly.

Chips Rafferty is recognizable as two-time Tarzan guest character Dutch Jensen, a landlocked sea captain.

They did give Mike an in-story reason for disappearing this time, though it's easy to miss.

Davy's name gets the boys out of a tight spot. And fortunately the captain's parrot sounds just like Micky doing a parrot. Micky's the Monkee Martin Landau!

The climax gives us a rather incongruent use of "Daydream Believer" as the three Monkees present stop the hijacking with swordplay.

Disconnected song sequence:

"Star Collector"

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So Mike was going AWOL because he thought the story material was weak? If so, I'm finding myself in agreement with him. I've been trying to get into the show, but it's generally not really clicking for me. It's an easy enough watch that I'll stick with it, though.

_______

That kinda sorta catches The Monkees up with 50th anniversary viewing. The problem is, this week's episode doesn't air until Sunday, at which point I'll have posted this week's other reviews...so it'll be another week before the show properly falls into 50th anniversary sync.

_______

 

[RJDiogenes]

...and awkwardly, "Monster Mash" is still lingering around, as it's enjoying its original chart run. Post-Halloween, I've been tending to skip it when it comes up in the shuffle.

It does get old.

"R/X for a Sick Bird"

I don't think I've ever seen it with a slash like that. I wonder if it's an archaic usage, or just a mistake.

The introductory explanation of "-ins" and flower people.

Probably more useful now than then.

When "The Rain, the Park & Other Things" made its chart debut, I held onto a live color clip from the Cowsills' appearance on Sullivan with the expectation that it might come up on The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show. It didn't, so here it is:

Weird. I could have sworn I saw this on one of the episodes I recorded. Very nice song, though.

"Star Collector"

Not bad, not great. I like the peace signs in the video.

 

[Christopher]

FYI, "R/X" is spoken as "Prescription" by the QM announcer.

Which is how it should be pronounced, strictly speaking. It's one of several cases of an English word being abbreviated based on its Latin equivalent but still pronounced as the English word -- such as how "&" (stylized from Latin et) is pronounced "and," "lb." (short for libra) is pronounced "pound," and "viz." (short for videlicet, basically "look at this") is pronounced "namely." In this case, "Rx" (or, more properly, "℞") is short for "recipe," Latin for "take" as an instruction.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Monkees

"A Coffin Too Frequent"
Originally aired November 20, 1967

Watch for Mike and Micky's psychedelic drug reference to the pills the phony medium is trying to pass around. NBC/Standards and Practices missed that one.

"Hitting the High Seas"
Originally aired November 27, 1967

Of note is Micky and Peter performing a duet acoustic version of Tork's "Tear the Top Right Off of My Head"--

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--recorded during the sessions of their fifth LP, The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1968). Like the original version of "Valleri", this song sparked enough interest for fans to record the song from TV broadcasts, but would wait decades before the very different studio arrangement was released. In this case, the Tork song was part of the Rhino compilation, Missing Links Volume Three from 1996.

"Star Collector"

...a great song with a meaning that soared over the heads of some fans, and a few critics as well.

So Mike was going AWOL because he thought the story material was weak? If so, I'm finding myself in agreement with him. I've been trying to get into the show, but it's generally not really clicking for me. It's an easy enough watch that I'll stick with it, though.

I think you're probably responding to the handful of leftover S1 scripts, which the group were not fond of shooting.