The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[The Old Mixer]

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50 Years Ago This Week

December 17 – Harold Holt, Australian prime minister, disappears when swimming at a beach 60 km from Melbourne.
December 19 – Professor John Archibald Wheeler coined the astronomical term black hole.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Daydream Believer," The Monkees
2. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," Gladys Knight & The Pips
3. "Hello Goodbye," The Beatles
4. "I Second That Emotion," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
5. "Woman, Woman," The Union Gap feat. Gary Puckett
6. "The Rain, the Park & Other Things," The Cowsills
7. "Boogaloo Down Broadway," The Fantastic Johnny C
8. "Incense and Peppermints," Strawberry Alarm Clock
9. "You Better Sit Down Kids," Cher
10. "I Say a Little Prayer," Dionne Warwick
11. "Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)," John Fred & His Playboy Band
12. "In and Out of Love," Diana Ross & The Supremes
13. "Bend Me Shape Me," The American Breed
14. "She's My Girl," The Turtles
15. "Skinny Legs and All," Joe Tex
16. "Honey Chile," Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
17. "Chain of Fools," Aretha Franklin
18. "Summer Rain," Johnny Rivers
19. "Keep the Ball Rollin'," Jay & The Techniques
20. "(The Lights Went Out in) Massachusetts," Bee Gees
21. "To Sir with Love," Lulu
22. "Next Plane to London," The Rose Garden
23. "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
24. "Neon Rainbow," The Box Tops
25. "I Can See for Miles," The Who
26. "Different Drum," The Stone Poneys feat. Linda Ronstadt
27. "Please Love Me Forever," Bobby Vinton
28. "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," Donovan

30. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," Glen Campbell
31. "It's Wonderful," The Young Rascals
32. "Pata Pata," Miriam Makeba
33. "Green Tambourine," The Lemon Pipers
34. "Susan," The Buckinghams
35. "Baby You Got It," Brenton Wood

40. "Lazy Day," Spanky & Our Gang

48. "Love Me Two Times," The Doors

51. "Who Will Answer?," Ed Ames

53. "Itchycoo Park," Small Faces
54. "Yesterday," Ray Charles

56. "I Am the Walrus," The Beatles

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

63. "My Baby Must Be a Magician," The Marvelettes
64. "Monterey," Eric Burdon & The Animals

69. "Am I That Easy to Forget," Engelbert Humperdinck

77. "Nobody But Me," The Human Beinz

80. "Foxey Lady," The Jimi Hendrix Experience
81. "Baby, Now That I've Found You," The Foundations
82. "Darlin'," The Beach Boys

85. "Spooky," Classics IV

87. "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight?," Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart

Leaving the chart:

• "Everlasting Love," Robert Knight
• "An Open Letter to My Teenage Son," Victor Lundberg
• "Soul Man," Sam & Dave

New on the chart:

"Foxey Lady," The Jimi Hendrix Experience

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(#67 US; #152 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

"Darlin'," The Beach Boys
(#19 US; #11 UK)

"Baby, Now That I've Found You," The Foundations

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(#11 US; #33 R&B; #1 UK)

"I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight?," Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart

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(#8 US; note the bonus mini-Monkees medley prior to the new song)

"Spooky," Classics IV

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(#3 US; #46 UK)


New on the boob tube:

• The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 20, episode 15, featuring Spanky & Our Gang and Patti Page
• Mission: Impossible, "The Photographer"
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E., "The Maze Affair"
• Batman, "The Ogg Couple"
• Ironside, "Girl in the Night"
• That Girl, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas, You're Under Arrest"
• Star Trek, "Wolf in the Fold"
• The Prisoner, "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling"
• Get Smart, "Classification: Dead"

And new on the silver screen:

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_______

 

[RJDiogenes]

What jumped out at me in the portfolio scene: There's no Barney in this episode! How is the IMF gonna...do anything? The answer is, very low-techishly. The overall scheme is easy to follow but seems a little lightweight without the trademarked Collier wizardry.

Guy's gotta take a vacation sometime.

Giggle-worthy is Micky doing dueling Cagneys with David Astor's Boss character:

"You're a Yankee Doodle Dandy."

"The Door into Summer"

Based on the Heinlein novel, no doubt.

For our disconnected end-of-episode song, we get an alternate video for the controversial "Cuddly Toy," shot on the same stage with the same costumes, sans the girl:

The girl was my favorite part.

Newmar is...a wee bit overrated in my book. YMMV.

"Jai's Amnesia"

Spoilers!

Now even if he doesn't remember the Lord of the Jungle, he should be able to tell that they're on the same side by the way they're both dressed.

Don't you hate when you show up at a party and somebody is wearing the same loincloth?

The FF theme also doesn't compare well to the various songs from the Marvel Super-Heroes cartoon of the previous year.

It would have been cool to have a Stan Lee-penned FF theme song. I'm sure he would have worked in "It's Clobberin' Time" and "Flame On," but he would have had to make up catch phrases for Reed and Sue.

"Foxey Lady," The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Not a big Jimi fan, but this is one of his better ones.

"Darlin'," The Beach Boys

This is okay.

"Baby, Now That I've Found You," The Foundations

Very nice.

"I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight?," Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart

Good song, terrible emcee.

"Spooky," Classics IV

Ah, I really love this one.

We saw some more Ed Sullivan episodes this week, which were notable not only for having a female impersonator, but also Kermit in drag. The Turtles and the Supremes were back, and there was a clip of Richard Kiley doing "The Impossible Dream," one of my all-time favorite songs. Also, an appearance by Gladys Knight and the Merry Men. And Ed said "Damn."

 

[The Old Mixer]

Guy's gotta take a vacation sometime.

It gives him a chance to catch up on his technical journals!

It would have been cool to have a Stan Lee-penned FF theme song. I'm sure he would have worked in "It's Clobberin' Time" and "Flame On," but he would have had to make up catch phrases for Reed and Sue.

I think his catchphrase for Sue would have been "But Reed, what does it mean?"

BTB, if you were implying that Stan had a hand in writing the other ones...he didn't, but has said that he wishes he had.

this is one of his better ones.

I really wish Jimi's VEVO would get with the times and at least release audio-only videos of the studio versions of his stone-cold classics. On that note, TheBeatlesVEVO just added several more full-song videos a day or so back, including "Yesterday" (live), "Paperback Writer," "Rain," "Yellow Submarine," "The Ballad of John and Yoko," and "Something". Happy Chrimble!

This is okay.

Better than their last earsore, but only getting further past the date on the carton.

Very nice.

A catchy oldies radio classic...we'll be getting one more by this group, but not for about a year and change.

Good song, terrible emcee.

What's your beef with Herb, anyway? This song's a bit more lightweight, but definitely a friendly, familiar one. And that's all we'll be hearing here from Boyce & Hart as performers, though one or both had a hand (with other collaborators for all of their pre-Monkees numbers) in writing several other Top 10 hits:

Tommy Boyce
"Be My Guest" (Fats Domino, 1959, #8)
"Pretty Little Angel Eyes" (Curtis Lee, 1961, #7)

Bobby Hart
"Hurt So Bad" (Little Anthony & The Imperials, 1965, #10; Linda Ronstadt, 1980, #8)

Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
"Come a Little Bit Closer" (Jay & The Americans, 1964, #3)
"Last Train to Clarksville" (The Monkees, 1966, #1)
"Valleri" (The Monkees, 1968, #3 US)

Ah, I really love this one.

These guys have a great sound...one that we'll be hearing more of over the next year and a half.

We saw some more Ed Sullivan episodes this week, which were notable not only for having a female impersonator, but also Kermit in drag. The Turtles and the Supremes were back, and there was a clip of Richard Kiley doing "The Impossible Dream," one of my all-time favorite songs. Also, an appearance by Gladys Knight and the Merry Men. And Ed said "Damn."

Most or all of those I may be covering later. I recall the female impersonator...doing Judy Garland, no less, and quite well!

Decades is doing all Carol Burnett on Christmas Day...including her hosting a two-hour Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show special. I think that might be the one that I saw in the early '90s when they were first selling the show on home video. Sounds like a potpourri of stuff that they might have included in other episodes.

 

[The Old Mixer]

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51st Anniversary Viewing

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Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Winchester Cathedral," The New Vaudeville Band
2. "Mellow Yellow," Donovan
3. "Good Vibrations," The Beach Boys
4. "Devil with the Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly," Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
5. "You Keep Me Hangin' On," The Supremes
6. "That's Life," Frank Sinatra

8. "I'm a Believer," The Monkees
9. "Sugar Town," Nancy Sinatra
10. "A Place in the Sun," Stevie Wonder
11. "Whispers (Getttin' Louder)," Jackie Wilson
12. "(I Know) I'm Losing You," The Temptations
13. "Lady Godiva," Peter & Gordon
14. "I'm Ready for Love," Martha & The Vandellas
15. "A Hazy Shade of Winter," Simon & Garfunkel
16. "I Got the Feelin' (Oh No No)," Neil Diamond
17. "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need," The Miracles
18. "Stop, Stop, Stop," The Hollies

20. "It Tears Me Up," Percy Sledge
21. "I'm Your Puppet," James & Bobby Purify
22. "Poor Side of Town," Johnny Rivers
23. "Single Girl," Sandy Posey
24. "Talk Talk," The Music Machine
25. "Tell It Like It Is," Aaron Neville

27. "I Need Somebody," ? & The Mysterians
28. "Knock on Wood," Eddie Floyd
29. "Mustang Sally," Wilson Pickett
30. "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron," The Royal Guardsmen

34. "But It's Alright," J. J. Jackson
35. "Good Thing," Paul Revere & The Raiders
36. "Words of Love," The Mamas & The Papas

43. "Last Train to Clarksville," The Monkees
44. "Rain on the Roof," The Lovin' Spoonful

46. "I've Passed This Way Before," Jimmy Ruffin
47. "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago," The Yardbirds

56. "Try a Little Tenderness," Otis Redding

58. "Tell It to the Rain," The Four Seasons
59. "Georgy Girl," The Seekers

62. "Standing in the Shadows of Love," Four Tops

73. "98.6," Keith
74. "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet," The Blues Magoos

77. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," The Monkees

81. "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)," The Electric Prunes

86. "Nashville Cats," The Lovin' Spoonful


Leaving the chart:

• "Dandy," Herman's Hermits
• "Hooray for Hazel," Tommy Roe
• "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing," Lou Rawls
• "96 Tears," ? & The Mysterians
• "Reach Out I'll Be There," Four Tops
• "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," Jimmy Ruffin

Interesting thing going on in this period is that psychedelic garage rock is in bloom, with the likes of the Blues Magoos and the Electric Prunes, and the Seeds in the coming week.

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The Rat Patrol
"The Dare-Devil Rescue Raid"
Originally aired December 12, 1966

Moffitt's father is flown in to assist the Rat Patrol in finding an ancient Roman road that could serve as an Allied supply route through the mountains, but disaster strikes when his airplane is shot down and he is captured by the Germans.

The episode begins with a brief, uninformative action teaser. After the credits, when Moffitt Sr.'s plane is shot down, there's an abrupt switch from color outdoor shooting to B&W war footage of antiaircraft guns.

We get some good bits of drama surrounding Moffitt wanting to check on the fate of his father. The two privates back up Moffitt while Troy insists that Moffitt Sr. is dead and doesn't want to waste time verifying. After they check, Troy threatens to shoot Moffitt if he drives off to pursue a lead. Moffitt still takes an opportunity to go off on foot while Troy is elsewhere, and Tully doesn't try to stop him.

This time, the narrator first pops up to deliver a bit of clumsy exposition after the mid-episode commercial break. And the info delivered is just a shortcut past what could have been played out in a full act if the format were longer and they had a bigger budget for credited speaking guests.

This episode is very outdoorsy, shot on location and/or backlot, including an Arab city in the desert, which helps Moffitt's quest for his father to feel a little Indiana Jones. At one point, we get an arty first-person perspective shot when Moffitt is impersonating a German soldier--maybe to disguise his German speaking?

Alas, I was let down by the casting of Norman Wooland as Moffitt Sr. He doesn't look or feel anything like Moffitt, and though he is 25 years older, he comes off as more of a rough-and-tumble black sheep uncle than the man who raised Moffitt to be so reserved and scholarly. OTOH, Moffitt Sr. does look like the type who might have taught Jack that TV Fu Knockout Chop two decades before most Westerners would have known about such things.

Moffitt's Father asks Jack not to hang about to watch him take off at the end...partly because he's not the sentinmental type, and partly because they no doubt can't afford anything but distant aerial footage of the plane.

Dietrich is not in this episode.

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"Beware of Actors Bearing Gifts"
Originally aired December 15, 1966

A member of Ann's acting workshop tries to buy her friendship.

Featuring distinguished TOS guest Bruce Hyde as Hobart Niles:

(Though Billy De Wolfe gets the main guest billing, returning as workshop director Jules Benedict, first seen in "Never Change a Diaper on Opening Night".)

Sign o' the times: One of Hobart's gifts is a color TV set...because Ann didn't have one yet!

We get a bit of NYC location shooting of Hobart's apartment building, which appears to be at 40 Central Park South:



Nice digs...he's even got THE CLOCK!


"Oh, Donald" count: 1
"Oh, Hobart" count: 1

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[TREK_GOD_1]

Same thing with the FF cartoon.

Agreed--the 60's production zeroed in on the heart of the greatest FF publishing run.

I like it, but the sound effects are a little annoying.

With many Hanna-Barbera actions series, whether scored by Curtin or Nichols, had SDX added to the scenes during the main title. Unfortunate, but you can still hear how strong their composing skills were.

The Monkees
"Monkees on the Wheel"
Originally aired December 11, 1967
I know it's supposed to be broad comedy, but it's pretty appalling how the police entrap the Monkees into signing a confession.

Appalling? That's what's so funny about it, which the police captain admits to...with a smile!

Joy Harmon (Zelda the greedy girl Mickey tried to win over) makes her second and last appearance on the show, in the same year she made her unforgettable turn as the sexualized car was girl in Cool Hand Luke (Warner Bros./Seven Arts, 1967).

"The Door into Summer"

Another great track from their fourth LP.

"Las Vegas" here looks very TV-scale...like somebody's running an illegal gambling operation in their living room.

To be honest, most studio "Vegas" sets were easily recognizable as a set, and for this series' purposes, it served its purpose.

For our disconnected end-of-episode song, we get an alternate video for the controversial "Cuddly Toy," shot on the same stage with the same costumes, sans the girl

You often refer to song spots as "disconnected" but that suggests it was tagged on with no rhyme or reason, when almost every song was used (intentionally) as a promotional, so by necessity, it was serving that purpose, instead of being related to the episode plot.

Batman
"Catwoman's Dressed to Kill"
Originally aired December 14, 1967

Holy sign o' the times! This one is so wrong in so many ways, but so much a reflection of when it was made, and hey, that's what this immersive retro experience is all about! And I'm sorry, but you gotta love Alfred disguised as a hippie! I like Eartha Kitt's Catwoman as well. Newmar is...a wee bit overrated in my book. YMMV.

Any social commentary aside, the plot was typical of the scripting-while-drunk-or-disinterested method used throughout season 3. As far as Newmar's Catwoman is concerned (or Newmarket as a performer in the role), you would be inholding a rather isolated opinion, as she is seen as the most defining Catwoman committed to film, while Kitt...not so much, generally because her characterization was more sniping and nasty than it needed to be, and certainly lacked the strong sensuality Newmar invented for the part.

I said "more challenged," in contrast to the Spider-Man theme. On one hand we have a timeless, singable classic that's been referenced in popular culture decades after its time.

Spider-Man's theme largely gained a cultural foothold thanks to the printed version becoming so popular (more than the FF) that it supported the longevity of the cartoon. The 1967 FF was not as heavily syndicated in the U.S., finding greater visibility in Canada and on Spanish language channels in the U.S. (e.g. KMEX-34, now Univision in Los Angeles) and south of the border. It was not a matter of quality.

The FF theme also doesn't compare well to the various songs from the Marvel Super-Heroes cartoon of the previous year.

Despite the faithful adaptation of comic stories, the Jack Urbont-composed title themes for The Marvel Super Heroes gave the incorrect impression that the series was a silly parody, instead of the serious adaptations found in all five character segments. Only patience to get beyond the silly main titles was rewarded with the comics come (somewhat) alive.

We saw some more Ed Sullivan episodes this week, which were notable not only for having a female impersonator, but also Kermit in drag.

A cheap gag...and old for entertainment even at that time.

 

[The Old Mixer]

You often refer to song spots as "disconnected" but that suggests it was tagged on with no rhyme or reason, when almost every song was used (intentionally) as a promotional, so by necessity, it was serving that purpose, instead of being related to the episode plot.

You're reading too much into it. "Disconnected" is my shorthand for "disconnected from the story"...something I don't feel the need to spell out in every episode review.

Kitt...not so much, generally because her characterization was more sniping and nasty than it needed to be

I'm fine with it. She comes off as a strong villainess despite the silly story material.

Spider-Man's theme largely gained a cultural foothold thanks to the printed version becoming so popular (more than the FF) that it supported the longevity of the cartoon. The 1967 FF was not as heavily syndicated in the U.S., finding greater visibility in Canada and on Spanish language channels in the U.S. (e.g. KMEX-34, now Univision in Los Angeles) and south of the border. It was not a matter of quality.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this. For my money, you could give that FF cartoon its own cable channel, it wouldn't make the theme music catchy...never mind put it in league with the Spider-Man theme.

Despite the faithful adaptation of comic stories, the Jack Urbont-composed title themes for The Marvel Super Heroes gave the incorrect impression that the series was a silly parody, instead of the serious adaptations found in all five character segments.

For me, they captured the fun, irreverent style of the Marvel Comics of the period that they were adapting.

Spotted in the background on Decades a bit back...one of Collinsport's least favorite residents pays a visit to the crew of the Jupiter 2:

 

[RJDiogenes]

It gives him a chance to catch up on his technical journals!

I think his catchphrase for Sue would have been "But Reed, what does it mean?"

I was thinking her catchphrase for her force field should have been "Hard On!" But, yeah, probably not.

BTB, if you were implying that Stan had a hand in writing the other ones...he didn't, but has said that he wishes he had.

No? Well, whoever did sure captured The Man's style.

What's your beef with Herb, anyway?

A bit clumsy in his endorsements. "These guys are up to date!" Yep, they're not squares, kids.

Decades is doing all Carol Burnett on Christmas Day...including her hosting a two-hour Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show special. I think that might be the one that I saw in the early '90s when they were first selling the show on home video. Sounds like a potpourri of stuff that they might have included in other episodes.

Good to know. I've been forgetting to check the binges. They just did Lost In Space, but I missed most of it.

After the credits, when Moffitt Sr.'s plane is shot down, there's an abrupt switch from color outdoor shooting to B&W war footage of antiaircraft guns.

I don't care about stock footage, but it's really jarring when there's such a mismatch in the quality of the film.

Sign o' the times: One of Hobart's gifts is a color TV set...because Ann didn't have one yet!

We got our first color TV in 1976.

Agreed--the 60's production zeroed in on the heart of the greatest FF publishing run.

Oh, yeah.

A cheap gag...and old for entertainment even at that time.

Maybe. But it was kind of interesting to see a transvestite on Ed Sullivan.

I'm fine with it. She comes off as a strong villainess despite the silly story material.

She should have played her own character. Or at least had a line about subbing for her cousin while she was on vacation or something.

 

[The Old Mixer]

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Kitchen Sink Review Business

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

1. "Telstar," The Tornadoes
2. "Limbo Rock," Chubby Checker
3. "Return to Sender," Elvis Presley
4. "Bobby's Girl," Marcie Blane
5. "Big Girls Don't Cry," The Four Seasons
6. "Don't Hang Up," The Orlons

8. "Release Me," Esther Phillips
9. "You Are My Sunshine," Ray Charles
10. "Love Came to Me," Dion
11. "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Torro)," Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
12. "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby," Little Eva
13. "Ride!," Dee Dee Sharp
14. "Hotel Happiness," Brook Benton

16. "Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah," Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

19. "Let's Go (Pony)," The Routers
20. "Chains," The Cookies
21. "(Dance with the) Guitar Man," Duane Eddy & The Rebelettes
22. "Tell Him," The Exciters

25. "Two Lovers," Mary Wells
26. "All Alone Am I," Brenda Lee

28. "Everybody Loves a Lover," The Shirelles

30. "He's a Rebel," The Crystals

33. "The Little Drummer Boy," Harry Simeone Chorale
34. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," The Four Seasons
35. "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," Bobby Vee

41. "Up On The Roof," The Drifters

44. "My Own True Love," The Duprees
45. "It's Up to You," Rick Nelson
46. "White Christmas," Bing Crosby
47. "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," David Seville & The Chipmunks

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

55. "Santa Claus Is Watching You," Ray Stevens

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

59. "Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms

64. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Brenda Lee

67. "The Christmas Song," Nat "King" Cole

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

80. "Loop De Loop," Johnny Thunder

87. "Alvin's Harmonica," David Seville & The Chipmunks
88. "White Christmas," The Drifters

92. "Jingle Bell Rock," Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell

97. "Little Town Flirt," Del Shannon

Leaving the chart:

• "Next Door to an Angel," Neil Sedaka
• "Nothing Can Change This Love," Sam Cooke
• "Only Love Can Break a Heart," Gene Pitney

The non-holiday Chipmunks song is also a re-entry of one that had originally come out in the late '50s. This may have had something to do with it being the B-side of a 1960 reissue of "The Chipmunk Song".
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12 O'Clock High
"The Idolator"
Originally aired October 4, 1965

A reckless lieutenant (Gary Lockwood) fabricates stories to cover detours onto unapporved missions; guest Lee Meriwether.

They decided to put Gary Lockwood in a new character this time, even though he'd appeared in two Season 1 episodes as recurring character Gus Denver. This is a type of story that I'm sure I've seen a time or three before on this series--This Lockwood character is an old childhood friend of Gallagher's who's engaged in a one-way rivalry, to the point that he endangers missions. He also tries to make time with Joe's Gal o' the Week, Lee Meriwether (who'd also previously appeared as another character, but only in one episode). In Act IV, Lockwood's character does a kamikaze dive on a tunnel to redeem himself.

Awkward bit o' business: Frank Overton's off this week, so they've got Sgt. Komansky, the next regular character in line, doing a major's work as Gallagher's administrative officer. Who cares if he's supposed to be a flight engineer and gunner? We're not paying another actor to pop up in Gallagher's door and tell him who's waiting outside his office!

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A Charlie Brown Christmas
Originally aired December 9, 1965

The award-winning "Peanuts" special returns with Charlie Brown and Linus searching for the meaning of Christmas.

This was event programming when I was a kid, but I used to think Charlie Brown was being too much of a downer. The special has grown with me...I appreciate where Charlie Brown is coming from more and more each year. That on top of the whopping nostalgia factor have kept me watching it as a holiday tradition when most other specials that I watched as a kid no longer hold much interest. And needless to say, the Vince Guaraldi score is fantastic...I bought it on CD years ago.

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I like that Snoopy acts more dog-like in this one...they anthropomorphized him more as the years and specials went on. In the Thanksgiving special, he's doing everything that the humans should be doing, and then being chastised for goofing off! (The Thanksgiving special hasn't grown with me well...I think it's weak.)

Signs o' the times:

• THE DOCTOR IS REAL IN
• Aluminum trees--I didn't even get what this was about as a kid. I've seen this special credited with having played a big role in killing the fad. In fact, Googling "aluminum Christmas trees," one of the first results was:
  • "How Charlie Brown Killed the Aluminum Christmas Tree"

This time, the On Demand version that I watched was the full version. The cut-for-time version always leaves out the part with Schroeder and Lucy at the piano. The commercials even seemed to be in the original spots. (It also includes the newer cartoon that they use to fill out the hour-long broadcast version.)

Am I the only one who always wondered how the play went?

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Good to know. I've been forgetting to check the binges. They just did Lost In Space, but I missed most of it.

They haven't been doing much to write home about in the Binge department the last few months. I'm no LIS fan, but am happy that they're still playing binges of '60s shows once in a while.

I don't care about stock footage, but it's really jarring when there's such a mismatch in the quality of the film.

I read that this became an issue for 12 O'Clock High when they went to color, as they'd made a lot of use of b&w stock footage from the war. They'd tint it blue to try to pass it off as color.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Awkward bit o' business: Frank Overton's off this week, so they've got Sgt. Komansky, the next regular character in line, doing a major's work as Gallagher's administrative officer. Who cares if he's supposed to be a flight engineer and gunner? We're not paying another actor to pop up in Gallagher's door and tell him who's waiting outside his office!

The admin is a major? That seems a pretty high rank. In M*A*S*H, they were corporals.

This was event programming when I was a kid,

Oh, yeah, I loved the Charlie Brown specials. I loved pretty much anything to do with comics.

but I used to think Charlie Brown was being too much of a downer.

Part of the genius of Sparky was to use humor and creativity to disguise what was actually a pretty dark comic strip.

THE DOCTOR IS REAL IN

I wonder if anyone even gets that now.

Aluminum trees--I didn't even get what this was about as a kid.

My Grandmother had one of those-- also one of those spinning lights that turned it all different colors.

This time, the On Demand version that I watched was the full version. The cut-for-time version always leaves out the part with Schroeder and Lucy at the piano. The commercials even seemed to be in the original spots. (It also includes the newer cartoon that they use to fill out the hour-long broadcast version.)

What's the newer cartoon? And what channel did you see it on?

 

[The Old Mixer]

The admin is a major? That seems a pretty high rank. In M*A*S*H, they were corporals.

I'm not sure what his exact title is (one fan site result describes him as an adjutant), but he's effectively a non-combat executive officer.

What's the newer cartoon? And what channel did you see it on?

Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales. ABC uses it to fill out the hour so they don't have to cut the original special.

A couple of Decades bits o' business:

They're going to be running that New Year's 1969 episode of Laugh-In on 12/29 at 9 p.m.

On New Year's Day at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. they're going to be running a special about 1968, which bodes well for them continuing to run 50th anniversary business in the new year.

 

[Christopher]

The admin is a major? That seems a pretty high rank. In M*A*S*H, they were corporals.

You're thinking of company clerks, which are the Army equivalent of yeomen in the Navy (or Starfleet). It's essentially a secretarial position rather than an administrative one.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

You're reading too much into it. "Disconnected" is my shorthand for "disconnected from the story"...something I don't feel the need to spell out in every episode review.

Not reading to much into Raybert's means of promoting songs.

For me, they captured the fun, irreverent style of the Marvel Comics of the period that they were adapting.

Marvel comics of the 60s were quite serious (which the publisher played up as an alleged distinction from DC), and on that note, the soul searching Hulk stories (from The Incredible Hulk & Tales to Astonish of the era were hardly represented by...

"Doc Bruce Banner,
Belted by gamma rays,
Turned into the Hulk.
Ain’t he unglamo-rays!
Wreckin’ the town
With the power of a bull,
Ain’t no monster clown
Who is as lovable.
As ever-lovin’ Hulk! HULK! HULK!"

...that was apparent in the adapted stories, too.

Spotted in the background on Decades a bit back...one of Collinsport's least favorite residents pays a visit to the crew of the Jupiter 2:
View attachment 3508

Oh, man...Irwin Allen and his love for gold and silver grease painted aliens. Dennis Patrick was better off in the floor of the Collins' mausoleum.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Oh, man...Irwin Allen and his love for gold and silver grease painted aliens. Dennis Patrick was better off in the floor of the Collins' mausoleum.

Dennis Patrick might have disagreed...he wasn't getting a check for playing buried Jason.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales. ABC uses it to fill out the hour so they don't have to cut the original special.

Thanks, I'll look for that.

They're going to be running that New Year's 1969 episode of Laugh-In on 12/29 at 9 p.m.

Excellent. I'll try to remember to record it.

Marvel comics of the 60s were quite serious (which the publisher played up as an alleged distinction from DC), and on that note, the soul searching Hulk stories (from The Incredible Hulk & Tales to Astonish of the era were hardly represented by...

More grounded, but not always more serious. There was a lot of fun going on in FF, that's for sure. I think of the those theme songs as having the same tone as the Bullpen Bulletins Page of the era.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I think of the those theme songs as having the same tone as the Bullpen Bulletins Page of the era.

To say nothing of the splash pages; the letters pages; etc.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Good point. The covers and splash pages often had irreverent copy that spoke directly to the reader.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Spotted in the background on H&I this morning...but I thought Reid's Old West ancestor was supposed to be the Lone Ranger...?

From a 1962 episode of Cheyenne...or The Cheyenne Show as they were calling it in the main titles.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Hmm. I know somebody named Cheyenne, and that doesn't look like her.

I got MeTV's latest email yesterday with some updates about their new schedule. The most interesting news is that Wild Wild West is joining their weeknight schedule (and will remain on Saturday) and Night Stalker is joining the Saturday late-night schedule.

 

[The Old Mixer]

That's not Cheyenne, that's a guest character. Does she look anything like Clint Walker?

I got MeTV's latest email yesterday with some updates about their new schedule. The most interesting news is that Wild Wild West is joining their weeknight schedule (and will remain on Saturday) and Night Stalker is joining the Saturday late-night schedule.

Good news for you, but that doesn't bode well for H&I getting WWW again anytime soon. I just checked their site, there's no sign of New Year's lineup changes...but they don't announce them in advance as conspicuously as Me always did.

_______

51st Anniversary Viewing

_______

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 51 years ago this week:

1. "Winchester Cathedral," The New Vaudeville Band
2. "Mellow Yellow," Donovan
3. "I'm a Believer," The Monkees
4. "That's Life," Frank Sinatra
5. "Devil with the Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly," Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
6. "Sugar Town," Nancy Sinatra
7. "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron," The Royal Guardsmen
8. "Good Vibrations," The Beach Boys
9. "A Place in the Sun," Stevie Wonder
10. "(I Know) I'm Losing You," The Temptations
11. "You Keep Me Hangin' On," The Supremes

13. "Whispers (Getttin' Louder)," Jackie Wilson
14. "Tell It Like It Is," Aaron Neville
15. "Lady Godiva," Peter & Gordon
16. "I Got the Feelin' (Oh No No)," Neil Diamond
17. "Single Girl," Sandy Posey

21. "Talk Talk," The Music Machine
22. "I Need Somebody," ? & The Mysterians
23. "Mustang Sally," Wilson Pickett
24. "Words of Love," The Mamas & The Papas
25. "I'm Ready for Love," Martha & The Vandellas
26. "Stop, Stop, Stop," The Hollies
27. "Good Thing," Paul Revere & The Raiders
28. "A Hazy Shade of Winter," Simon & Garfunkel

30. "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need," The Miracles

33. "I've Passed This Way Before," Jimmy Ruffin
34. "Knock on Wood," Eddie Floyd

36. "I'm Your Puppet," James & Bobby Purify
37. "It Tears Me Up," Percy Sledge
38. "Standing in the Shadows of Love," Four Tops
39. "Poor Side of Town," Johnny Rivers
40. "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago," The Yardbirds

42. "But It's Alright," J. J. Jackson

45. "Nashville Cats," The Lovin' Spoonful
46. "Try a Little Tenderness," Otis Redding

48. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," The Monkees

50. "Georgy Girl," The Seekers

57. "98.6," Keith

60. "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet," The Blues Magoos

68. "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)," The Electric Prunes
69. "Colour My World," Petula Clark

76. "Green, Green Grass of Home," Tom Jones

86. "Knight in Rusty Armour," Peter & Gordon

95. "Pushin' Too Hard," The Seeds


Leaving the chart:

• "Last Train to Clarksville," The Monkees
• "Rain on the Roof," The Lovin' Spoonful
• "Tell It to the Rain," The Four Seasons

_______

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Originally aired December 18, 1966

This is one of those other Christmas specials, the ones that I haven't really sat down and watched since I was a kid...and despite the fact that I devoured Dr. Seuss books when I was a young reader, I recall not having been that big into it back then. But as it synced up with 51st anniversary business, I decided to give it a shot. Not bad...the ending, while clearly owing to Dickens, touched that sappy part of my heart that comes out this season.

_______

The Rat Patrol
"The Last Harbor Raid: Episode I"
Originally aired December 19, 1966

Strategic bombing missions targeting Rommel's last harbor on the North African coast prove to be useless after the Germans begin forcing 5,000 Allied POWs to repair the damage. Allied High Command decides that the only solution is to order the Rat Patrol to liberate the POWs and evacuate them by sea.

The first installment of a three-parter that includes guest Claudine Longet in Episodes II and III. The series finally gets some proper running time to sink its teeth into a story...let's see how it does. And alas, Dietrich isn't in any of the installments! Such a waste. Gudegast must have been busy playing a Nazi on some other show.

The teaser consists of nothing but a narrated bit about the bombing and a failed attempt at a mass POW escape, led by a currently uncredited John Anderson.

The extra time gives the story the luxury of a briefing scene back at Allied HQ, which seems to be a relative rarity, and includes at least one extra speaking role (Harry Landers, a.k.a. Dr. Coleman, "Turnabout Intruder"). Here we get a story point of the Patrol being ordered to wear their standard uniforms on the mission, so they'll be treated as POWs rather than spies if captured. Maybe somebody on the show back in the day got the memo that the classic black commando outfit look just wasn't their thing.

This episode definitely plays out at a slower pace despite the continued use of expository narration. The Patrol get smuggled into the area of the operation by a boat captain who gets killed; then make a shady Arab contact (Stanley Adams), who lends them a German car and German uniforms. (So much for not being treated as spies!) The episode ends with them arriving at the German officers' club where the boat captain's daughter (Longet) works as a singer, which, we're told, causes her to be seen as a collaborator by her own people. Next week: Claudine sings! (I wonder if she's packing in this one...?)

_______


"Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid"
Originally aired December 22, 1966

As her shift as an elf for a department store Santa Claus concludes, Ann tells Donald about her stint as a teacher in a boarding school trying to bring good tidings and joy to a boy who won't be able to go home for Christmas.

And they couldn't have picked a more Christmasy guest--Tommy Phillips is played by Christopher (Linus Van Pelt) Shea!

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This year he's playing a tree instead of a shepherd:


Ann narrates a story from three Christmases ago (which would be 1963), when she was still living with her parents and teaching at a boys' school.

By the time you grow up, they may have gas stations on the Moon.

The school won't let her take Tommy home for Christmas, so she stays with him at the empty school; she also gets stuck doing the caretaker's job so he can go home for the holiday, though not much comes of that story-wise.

Early on, she promises him a Christmas Eve snow and it rains--Looks like this year's forecast here!

Honey, that's a very nice story. It makes you understand what Christmas is all about.

Ya think?

TOS guest: John Fiedler (Hengist, "Wolf in the Fold")

"Oh, Donald" count: 1

_______

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's not Cheyenne, that's a guest character. Does she look anything like Clint Walker?

Not even a little bit.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

I love Dr Seuss. Theodor Geisel is one of the most original creators of the 20th century.

This is one of those other Christmas specials, the ones that I haven't really sat down and watched since I was a kid...

And did you know that The Grinch was the only thing Boris Karloff ever got an award for?

Next week: Claudine sings! (I wonder if she's packing in this one...?)

This is where it all started for her.....

The school won't let her take Tommy home for Christmas, so she stays with him at the empty school;

Which would be just as bad these days.