The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

The Old Mixer · Sep 21, 2019

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50th Anniversary Viewing

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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 3, episode 1
Originally aired September 15, 1969

The Wiki list of guest appearances said:
Johnny Carson, Debbie Reynolds, Peter Sellers, Flip Wilson

Looks like Judy's gone brunette this season.

A circus-themed musical number from early in the episode:

Alan Sues starts a new recurring skit as Uncle Al:

Peter Sellers mentions his new picture, The Magic Christian, which is coming soon in the UK and a little later in the US. He doesn't mention that Ringo is his co-star. He also does a second Tyrone and a second German Soldier. There's a clip of him doing the second German Soldier on YouTube, but it doesn't appear to be from this episode.

Dan and Dick plug Debbie Reynolds's new show (this season only, Tuesday at 8:00 on NBC), and riff on the fact that she was a former Miss Burbank. Debbie mentions "the children," but not by name. Carrie would have been 12 going on 13 at the time.

The news segment intro is Moon/astronaut-themed. During Dick's monologue, Flip Wilson sits in the background making reaction noises. I hadn't noticed while I was watching, but I think they may have done away with the obvious Johnny Carson spoofery.

There's one cocktail party segment at the halfway point, which includes a gag referencing True Grit.

Another new segment, One-Liners, has a marriage theme this week:
Note the fly on Goldie's face.

The Fickle Finger of Fate goes to the Pentagon:

There were some Joe Namath references in one sketch; a quick M:I gag with Henry Gibson as Phelps getting his tape on a construction girder, which he's blown off of when it explodes; and a swipe at Hee Haw--which started in '69--being a Laugh-In knockoff.

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"Mission Improbable" (Part 1)
Originally aired September 18, 1969

Wiki said:
While modeling Ann is hired to spy on a competitor who is suspected of stealing designs.

A new production touch: they're now showing the episode title onscreen when they come back from the commercial break after the opening credits. The way that the writing credit appears below at the same time reminds me of Love, American Style (premiering soon this season).

Ann faces some '60s-style casual workplace sexual harassment in the teaser, but her boss, Mr. Schneider (Lou Jacobi), comes to her rescue before recruiting her for the spying job. This involves taking a job for Schneider's chief competitor--who's supposedly been spying on him and stealing his designs--as a sewing machine operator, which Ann has to crash-train for while Schneider and Donald bicker in the background.

For the purpose of her assignment, Ann assumes the identity of "Ina Albert":

After seeing what she did as a mousy type on My Favorite Martian, I was hoping we'd get some colorful character acting from Thomas here, but she pretty much acts like Ann trying not very successfully to act like somebody else.

"Ina" finds that her new boss, Mr. Taylor (Avery Schreiber), isn't what she expected, generally coming off as a very nice guy. The episode ends with Taylor and his assistant noticing Ina using her new gadget, a Schneider-issue banana camera:

"Oh, Donald" count: 2

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Ironside
"Alias Mr. Braithwaite"
Originally aired September 18, 1969

Wiki said:
Eve and Ed go undercover as a couple to nab a con man who swindles old women.

The old woman of interest here is Mark's Aunt Ruby (Beah Richards). Baker (Joseph Campanella) and Stark (Phillip Pine) pull a scam similar to one I recall from a Dragnet episode, pretending to be a bank official named Bishop and an FBI agent to get her to withdraw her account in cash, then offering to put it back in themselves after hours. Bunco section even gets mentioned a few times.

Ed and Eve go to a resort town where Baker is spending his ill-gotten gains under the alias of "Mr. Braithwaite". Ed pretending to be a boisterous tourist named Bixby is a bit cringey. It turns out that Ed based their characters on a couple that he knows when the real Bixby later turns up, but that angle doesn't go anywhere.

Braithwaite's con against Fake Bixby involves having Ed's wallet lifted, then returning it himself to gain their confidence so he can pull them into a phony horse betting operation. But a female accomplice recognizes Ed, blowing his cover to Stark. Ed gets blackjacked by Stark (at least he didn't use TV Fu) as part of a new con in which Braithwaite pretends to have gotten robbed of the city of San Francisco's sting money. Ironside quickly figures out what the new game is and poses as a local police chief investigating the robbery, making Baker antsy enough about the heat being on him to try to leave the country in his Bishop disguise, which involves some aging makeup. He's taken out of line at the airport for a supposedly routine check and ushered into a room with Aunt Ruby, who's able to identify him.

At one point Braithwaite and "Mrs. Bixby" are dancing to a cheesy muzak version of "It's Not Unusual"...from what they did with it, it took me a bit to place the song.

This one was kind of interesting. Sort of like a longer Dragnet episode with more complications in the operation and no Friday narration.

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Adam-12
"Log 15: Exactly One Hundred Yards"
Originally aired September 20, 1969

Wiki said:
Malloy isn't thrilled about having to do community relations police work with school children as part of the LAPD's "Officer Bill" program.

OK...apparently something glitchy happened in my recording of this episode back in July 2017. Right after the opening credits for Adam-12 on Cozi started, it somehow switched to Days of Our Lives on a local NBC affiliate! So I shan't be reviewing this episode at this time.

Next week's episode, which aired immediately afterwards on Cozi...still Days of Our Lives.

My recording of the third episode of the season looks OK. So I guess we'll be catching up with Reed and Malloy in a couple of weeks. And I'll have to watch for whenever Cozi gets back to the beginning of Season 2 in their current airings...which will be a while, as they're currently in the middle of Season 2! They must have gotten back to those episodes several times in the last couple of years, had I only known.

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gblews said:
This song represents one of those quaint little 1960's music industry habits of "cloning" a previous hit. In this case it's the Drifters' hit, "Under the Boardwalk."

This one's lined up to be posted next week, but I had noticed that they seemed to be doing a string of hits that referenced each other..."Boardwalk" had, in turn, referenced "Up on the Roof".

In all the stuff I've read about the Beatles I've never read anything that made it clear exactly how this happened. I would love to know.

I've read volumes on them and don't totally understand the details, because finances...but then, neither did the Beatles. Basically they were in a huge financial mess at this point from having run their own business for the past couple of years since Brian Epstein died. They'd been pissing away money left and right, Allen Klein had been brought into the picture, and, IIRC, they found themselves in the position of needing to liquify their assets, and that meant selling Northern Songs.

As Paul tells it (so definitely one-sided), years later when Northern Songs was up for grabs, he had the opportunity to buy it himself but wanted to work with Yoko. She stalled and Michael Jackson bought it.

Really? I never liked the song either.

Well, it was at #1 for four weeks in the UK, immediately following the Beatles' first bona fide #1, "From Me to You"...and they had been beaten to the punch at that by another Pacemakers song, "How Do You Do It?". And the song was apparently well-recognized enough over there that it was worked into the Beatles sketch that begins at 7:15 here:

RJDiogenes said:
Happy Birthday!

Not yet...song's still gotta climb.

This is nice. I don't think I've ever heard it before.

Hasn't made much of an impression on me yet, but I'm happy to see "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" go...lord, was I getting sick of that one.

Nice sound, although the song is kind of mediocre.

Couldn't find an official audio clip for it either, but I've heard it on Sirius.

Meh.

gblews said:
Marvin Gaye composition. You can easily hear him crooning it.

Ah, didn't know that...I'll have to listen for it.

RJDiogenes said:
Ah, the classic ode to clinical depression.

This is the part where I remind everybody that for 50th anniversary business, I cover all songs that made the Top 20...even ones that I wouldn't touch in a million years.

Another Laura Nyro classic. Who else could make me love a song about a plea for marriage? And of course the 5th Dimension's rendition is lovely.

It's a pleasant song and I enjoyed it long before I learned that it was my birthday song...but it hasn't got the cool factor of surrounding #1's "Suspicious Minds" and "Come Together" / "Something".

gblews said:
I never was a big 5th Dimension fan, but I just loved Marilyn McCoo. She had one of my all time favorite female voices and was also a world class beauty. I used to look at her husband, Billy Davis, who was a nice enough looking guy with a good voice, and jealously mutter, "how the hell did he get her?"

Showing my true age, I first knew her as the co-host of Solid Gold in the early '80s.

RJDiogenes said:
Better than a Top 40 classic.

What, no love for the Brady Bunch theme?

Now as you might have guessed from my having included it in the list, I was planning to include TBB in 50th anniversary viewing this year, based on how it had been available for streaming on Me's site for ages...and guess what? Checked just last night and it's not there anymore! Looks like they just started Season 5 in their Sunday Brady Brunch airings, so the first season should be coming around again soonish...but then I'll have to start it well into the season and play catch-up with earlier episodes later.

Nerys Myk · Sep 21, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
she pretty much acts like Ann trying not very successfully to act like somebody else.

Isn't acting Ann's job? I guess that's why she never hit the big time.

The Old Mixer · Sep 21, 2019

Nerys Myk said:
Isn't acting Ann's job? I guess that's why she never hit the big time.

Yep, and she makes a point of underscoring that fact.

RJDiogenes · Sep 22, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 3, episode 1

Ah, my favorite season.

Alan Sues starts a new recurring skit as Uncle Al:

Not one of my favorite Laugh-In tropes. :rommie:

Note the fly on Goldie's face.

There ain't no flies on Goldie!

"Mission Improbable" (Part 1)

Sounds more like That Girl From UNCLE.

The episode ends with Taylor and his assistant noticing Ina using her new gadget, a Schneider-issue banana camera:

Ah, the old banana camera trick!

He's taken out of line at the airport for a supposedly routine check and ushered into a room with Aunt Ruby, who's able to identify him.

Aunt Ruby wasn't posing as somebody? She must have felt left out. :rommie:

OK...apparently something glitchy happened in my recording of this episode back in July 2017. Right after the opening credits for Adam-12 on Cozi started, it somehow switched to Days of Our Lives on a local NBC affiliate!

That's weird. I assume the channel lineup didn't change. Is Cozi a sub-channel of the local NBC affiliate?

Not yet...song's still gotta climb.

Oops. * Snuffs out candles. *

Hasn't made much of an impression on me yet, but I'm happy to see "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" go...lord, was I getting sick of that one.

I can dig it. They played that one way too much on Oldies radio back in the 80s.

This is the part where I remind everybody that for 50th anniversary business, I cover all songs that made the Top 20...even ones that I wouldn't touch in a million years.

Noted.

What, no love for the Brady Bunch theme?

No love, but some measure of amusement.

Nerys Myk said:
Isn't acting Ann's job? I guess that's why she never hit the big time.

Acting, yes. Improve, no. :rommie:

The Old Mixer · Sep 23, 2019

50th Anniversary Album Spotlight

The Soft Parade
The Doors
Released July 18, 1969
Chart debut: Aug. 9, 1969
Chart peak: #6, Aug. 23, 1969

Wiki said:
The Soft Parade is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Doors, released on July 18, 1969 by Elektra Records. Most of the album was recorded following a grueling tour during which the band was left with little time to compose new material. Producer Paul A. Rothchild recommended a total departure from the Doors' first three albums: develop a fuller sound by incorporating brass and string arrangements provided by Paul Harris. Lead singer Jim Morrison, who was dealing with personal issues and focusing more on his poetry, was less involved in the songwriting process, leaving guitarist Robby Krieger to increase his own creative output.

With its brazen horn intro, "Tell All the People" (charted June 14, 1969; #57 US) sets the tone for the album. This Krieger-written number was the reason for the Doors differentiating the writing credits for the first time.

Wiki said:
The change was made by lead singer Jim Morrison who didn't want people to think that he had written the lyrics to "Tell All the People" which tells the listeners to "...get your guns."

Whereas the album's first of three lead singles, "Touch Me," served as listeners' introduction to the Doors' "new sound":
(Charted Dec. 28, 1968; #3 US)

Wiki said:
Written by Robby Krieger, it is notable for its extensive usage of brass and string instruments, including a solo by featured saxophonist Curtis Amy. Ray Manzarek played harpsichord and organ on the song; he also interpolated the guitar riff from the 1967 Four Seasons song "C'mon Marianne" in his part. The song is also noted for the last sung line, "stronger than dirt", which was taken from a contemporary Ajax commercial.

According to Bruce Botnick's liner notes the song was initially referred to by its various working titles; "I'm Gonna Love You", from a line in the chorus, or "Hit Me", a reference to blackjack. The opening line was originally "C'mon, hit me ... I'm not afraid", the line thus reflecting the first person vantage point of a blackjack player. Morrison reportedly changed the lyric out of concern that rowdy crowds at their live shows would mistakenly believe that "hit me" was a challenge to physically assault him.

At the end of the song, Morrison can be heard saying, "Stronger than dirt", which was the slogan of the Ajax household cleaning company, because the last four notes of "Touch Me" were the same as those in an Ajax commercial and as a mocking criticism of Krieger, John Densmore, and Ray Manzarek wanting to accept an offer from Buick to use "Light My Fire" in a commercial. The deal was aborted when Morrison opposed it. This vocal was omitted on the single version, which was a different mix.

Taken on its own merits, it's a very enjoyable, memorable hit single. But it's also a startling departure from the sound and style that the Doors had been known for up to this point. And as the album's best-known song by far, it bears the weight of epitomizing this misstep in the Doors' musical development.

"Shaman's Blues," on the other hand, is pure Jim in both subject matter and style, and would have fit in on either a preceding or following album. Being a much stronger song than the oddball "Runnin' Blue," it just might have done better as a single .

"Do It," co-credited to Morrison and Krieger, carries over a lot of the tone of "Tell All the People," coming off as embarrassingly pretentious in its declarative nature.

The first side end's with Morrison's "Easy Ride". An upbeat, insubstantial ditty that served as the B-side of "Tell All the People," it sounds like it could have been a throwaway from one of the earlier Doors albums.

Side two opens with another of the stronger and better-known Morrison tracks on the album, "Wild Child":
This was also the B-side of "Touch Me".

The oddball nature of Krieger's "Runnin' Blue" (charted Sept. 6, 1969; #64 US) has been discussed recently. It was the only single from the album released after the album.

That he had something like "Wishful Sinful" in him during these sessions saves Krieger somewhat in my eyes. It reminds me of some of the gentler numbers on earlier albums like "The Crystal Ship" and "Yes, the River Knows".
(Charted Mar. 29, 1969; #44 US)

The album closes with its title track, which is similar to the final numbers on the Doors' first two albums in that it's a longer piece (8:36) consisting of multiple, distinct segments. Unlike "The End" and "When the Music's Over," which originated in the Doors' live performances as frameworks for rotating poetry segments, it was written as a complete work specifically for the album.

Wiki said:
At the beginning of the song, Jim Morrison starts out with spoken words reminiscent of a Christian revivalist preacher. This part of the song is referred to as the "Petition the Lord with Prayer" section. The song then goes into a harpsichord driven semi-introductory piece mainly known as "Sanctuary", with lyrics such as, "Can you give me sanctuary, I must find a place to hide" referencing his then-current problems like the Miami and New Haven arrests. Afterwards, the beat picks up and the song progressively gets faster, and features a psychedelic pop section, followed by an upbeat, soft section before going into a wild blues rock part that ends the song.

Jim said:
The monk...bought...LUNCH!

It's not half the song that either of its aforementioned predecessors was, but this idiosyncratic mini-epic does a good deal to salvage the album for me.

Wiki said:
The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200, but it failed to retain audiences in the UK and other European countries that their previous album, Waiting for the Sun, had succeeded in engaging. Three preceding singles, "Touch Me", "Wishful Sinful", and "Tell All the People", were included on The Soft Parade, with the former becoming another Top 10 hit for the Doors. Another single, "Runnin' Blue", also followed the album's distribution. Upon release, The Soft Parade was denounced by both music critics and the band's underground music scene followers, who viewed the album as the Doors' trending into popular music. Over time, historians have reassessed the album and its critical standing has slightly improved, but it is still widely considered the group's weakest effort with Morrison.

Altogether a decent listen, but definitely weaker track-for-track than preceding efforts by the band. It's the sort of album that I pretty much only listened to as part of a chronological Doors listen-through.

Next up: Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival

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RJDiogenes said:
Not one of my favorite Laugh-In tropes.

Not much to my taste either, but the clip was available.

Sounds more like That Girl From UNCLE.

They definitely couldn't have used that!

That's weird. I assume the channel lineup didn't change. Is Cozi a sub-channel of the local NBC affiliate?

I have no idea offhand. I want to say that I've seen commercials for the local CW affiliate on Cozi, but I may be thinking of another retro channel.

Oops. * Snuffs out candles. *

When The Old Mixer is the size of a mini-watermelon, then the week will be nigh. That's assuming that I've read the chart right in that "the size of a pumpkin" seems to be one week overdue. And assuming that I wasn't. Mom did used to call me pumpkin....

RJDiogenes · Sep 23, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
The Soft Parade
The Doors

I love The Doors! Well, mostly Jim Morrison!!

With its brazen horn intro, "Tell All the People" (charted June 14, 1969; #57 US) sets the tone for the album. This Krieger-written number was the reason for the Doors differentiating the writing credits for the first time.

I'm surprised the lyric wasn't changed. Jim wasn't shy about asking for changes.

Taken on its own merits, it's a very enjoyable, memorable hit single. But it's also a startling departure from the sound and style that the Doors had been known for up to this point. And as the album's best-known song by far, it bears the weight of epitomizing this misstep in the Doors' musical development.

Classic, though, and I do kinda like it.

Next up: Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival

They definitely couldn't have used that!

I know, but it would have been funny. :rommie:

When The Old Mixer is the size of a mini-watermelon, then the week will be nigh. That's assuming that I've read the chart right in that "the size of a pumpkin" seems to be one week overdue. And assuming that I wasn't. Mom did used to call me pumpkin....

You could hold out for Halloween.

The Old Mixer · Sep 24, 2019

RJDiogenes said:
I love The Doors! Well, mostly Jim Morrison!!

I'm surprised the lyric wasn't changed. Jim wasn't shy about asking for changes.

Songwriting dynamics in the band may have been different...like if the other two liked the lyric.

You could hold out for Halloween.

That falls during Mini-Watermelon Week.

RJDiogenes · Sep 24, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
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Nice. Short, but sweet.

That falls during Mini-Watermelon Week.

You weren't born on Halloween, were you? You know how Alexander said, "If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes?" Well, if I weren't born on May 1st, I'd want to be born on Halloween. :rommie:

The Old Mixer · Sep 24, 2019

RJDiogenes said:
You weren't born on Halloween, were you?

No, no, Mini-Watermelon Week is the week before. I was born on Pumpkin Week. If I'm interpreting the site correctly.

My birthday is also Election Day when it falls on a Tuesday.

Looks like I will be able to cover the first episode of The Brady Bunch, as Me is airing a mixed batch of episodes out of sequence this Sunday in commemoration of the 50th anniversary.

RJDiogenes · Sep 25, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
My birthday is also Election Day when it falls on a Tuesday.

Aw, a near miss.

TREK_GOD_1 · Sep 25, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
50th Anniversary Album Spotlight
The Soft Parade
The Doors
Released July 18, 1969
Chart debut: Aug. 9, 1969
Chart peak: #6, Aug. 23, 1969

Whereas the album's first of three lead singles, "Touch Me," served as listeners' introduction to the Doors' "new sound":
(Charted Dec. 28, 1968; #3 US)

...and what a sound it was. Easily in the top 5 Doors tracks, and from this group, that's saying something.

Taken on its own merits, it's a very enjoyable, memorable hit single. But it's also a startling departure from the sound and style that the Doors had been known for up to this point. And as the album's best-known song by far, it bears the weight of epitomizing this misstep in the Doors' musical development.

Anything other than a "misstep." This track--like others on the LP--was an alert to the versatility of the Doors to seamlessly add new sounds to their songs, not sounding like he latest "we're a rock band experimenting" album, but a natural progression of writing exactly what a song needs, that justifying the changes to come, particularly on 1971's L.A. Woman.

The Old Mixer · Sep 26, 2019

55 Years Ago This Week

Wiki said:
October – Dr. Robert Moog demonstrates the prototype Moog synthesizer.
October 1

Three thousand student activists at University of California, Berkeley, surround and block a police car from taking a CORE volunteer arrested for not showing his ID, when he violated a ban on outdoor activist card tables. This protest eventually explodes into the Berkeley Free Speech Movement.

The Shinkansen high-speed rail system, the world's first such system, is inaugurated in Japan, for the first sector between Tokyo and Osaka.

October 2 – The Kinks release their first album, Kinks, in the United Kingdom.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Oh, Pretty Woman," Roy Orbison
2. "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," Manfred Mann
3. "Bread and Butter," The Newbeats
4. "Dancing in the Street," Martha & The Vandellas
5. "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)," The Shangri-Las
6. "G.T.O.," Ronny & The Daytonas
7. "It Hurts to Be in Love," Gene Pitney
8. "The House of the Rising Sun," The Animals
9. "We'll Sing in the Sunshine," Gale Garnett
10. "Save It for Me," The Four Seasons
11. "Baby I Need Your Loving," Four Tops
12. "A Summer Song," Chad & Jeremy
13. "Haunted House," Jumpin' Gene Simmons
14. "Last Kiss," J. Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers
15. "Funny (How Time Slips Away)," Joe Hinton
16. "When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)," The Beach Boys
17. "I'm on the Outside (Looking In)," Little Anthony & The Imperials
18. "Matchbox," The Beatles
19. "Where Did Our Love Go," The Supremes
20. "You Must Believe Me," The Impressions
21. "Maybelline," Johnny Rivers
22. "Let It Be Me," Betty Everett & Jerry Butler
23. "From a Window," Billy J. Kramer w/ The Dakotas
24. "A Hard Day's Night," The Beatles
25. "Rhythm," Major Lance
26. "Everybody Loves Somebody," Dean Martin
27. "Slow Down," The Beatles
28. "Out of Sight," James Brown & His Orchestra
29. "Little Honda," The Hondells
30. "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)," The Temptations

32. "Because," The Dave Clark Five
37. "Mercy, Mercy," Don Covay & The Goodtimers

39. "Come a Little Bit Closer," Jay & The Americans
40. "Selfish One," Jackie Ross

42. "Baby Don't You Do It," Marvin Gaye
43. "Have I the Right?," The Honeycombs
44. "Tobacco Road," The Nashville Teens
45. "Ride the Wild Surf," Jan & Dean

48. "I Like It," Gerry & The Pacemakers

51. "Baby Love," The Supremes
52. "I've Got Sand in My Shoes," The Drifters

59. "All Cried Out," Dusty Springfield

61. "I'm Crying," The Animals

66. "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)," The Dave Clark Five

81. "You Really Got Me," The Kinks

84. "I Don't Want to See You Again," Peter & Gordon

Leaving the chart:

"C'mon and Swim," Bobby Freeman (12 weeks)
"If I Fell," The Beatles (9 weeks)
"It's All Over Now," The Rolling Stones (10 weeks)
"Maybe I Know," Lesley Gore (10 weeks)
"Under the Boardwalk," The Drifters (14 weeks)
"You Never Can Tell," Chuck Berry (9 weeks)

Recent and new on the chart:

"Baby Don't You Do It," Marvin Gaye
(Sept. 19; #27 US; #14 R&B)

"I've Got Sand in My Shoes," The Drifters
(Sept. 26; #33 US; #21 R&B)

"I Don't Want to See You Again," Peter & Gordon
(#16 US; #9 AC; written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney--really Paul)

"Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)," The Dave Clark Five
(#15 US; #37 UK)

"Baby Love," The Supremes
(#1 US the weeks of Oct. 31 through Nov. 21, 1964; #1 R&B; #1 UK; #324 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

Total Beatles songs on the chart: 3

And new on the boob tube:

The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 17, episode 1, featuring The Beach Boys, Robert Goulet, Topo Gigio, Vonda Kay Van Dyke & Curley, Alan King, and Leslie Uggams
12 O'Clock High, "The Men and the Boys"

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TREK_GOD_1 said:
Anything other than a "misstep." This track--like others on the LP--was an alert to the versatility of the Doors to seamlessly add new sounds to their songs, not sounding like he latest "we're a rock band experimenting" album, but a natural progression of writing exactly what a song needs, that justifying the changes to come, particularly on 1971's L.A. Woman.

For my money, Morrison Hotel is much better at moving the Doors' sound forward while staying true to the band's identity as established on earlier albums. (Coming Next Year to an Album Spotlight Near Us!)

RJDiogenes · Sep 27, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
"Baby Don't You Do It," Marvin Gaye

Well, this is better Marvin than the last Marvin.

"I've Got Sand in My Shoes," The Drifters

Definitely sounds like The Drifters, but not very memorable.

"I Don't Want to See You Again," Peter & Gordon

Same for Peter and Gordon.

"Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)," The Dave Clark Five

I'm sensing a pattern here.

"Baby Love," The Supremes

Ah, Diana Ross breaks the pattern with a classic. :adore:

The Old Mixer · Sep 28, 2019

50 Years Ago This Week

September 28 – 1969 West German federal election: The Social Democrats, led by Vice Chancellor Willy Brandt, and the Free Democrats led by Walter Scheel, formed a coalition government with Brandt as Chancellor, after the Social Democrats severed their relationship with Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger's Christian Democratic Union.
October 1

In Sweden, Olof Palme is elected Leader of the Social Democratic Worker's Party, replacing Tage Erlander as Prime Minister on October 14.

The Beijing Subway begins operation.

October 2 – A 1.2 megaton thermonuclear device is tested at Amchitka Island, Alaska. This test is code-named Project Milrow, the 11th test of the Operation Mandrel 1969–1970 underground nuclear test series. This test is known as a "calibration shot" to test if the island is fit for larger underground nuclear detonations.

The Old Mixer is the size of a honeydew melon...and he's getting in position!

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Sugar, Sugar," The Archies
2. "Jean," Oliver
3. "Little Woman," Bobby Sherman
4. "Easy to Be Hard," Three Dog Night
5. "I Can't Get Next to You," The Temptations
6. "Honky Tonk Women," The Rolling Stones
7. "Green River," Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. "Everybody's Talkin'," Nilsson
9. "Hot Fun in the Summertime," Sly & The Family Stone
10. "Oh, What a Night," The Dells
11. "This Girl Is a Woman Now," Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
12. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," Tom Jones
13. "Get Together," The Youngbloods
14. "Suspicious Minds," Elvis Presley
15. "That's the Way Love Is," Marvin Gaye
16. "Keem-O-Sabe," The Electric Indian
17. "A Boy Named Sue," Johnny Cash
18. "Hurt So Bad," The Lettermen
19. "When I Die," Motherlode
20. "I'm Gonna Make You Mine," Lou Christie
21. "Lay Lady Lay," Bob Dylan
22. "What's the Use of Breaking Up," Jerry Butler
23. "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)," Lou Rawls
24. "Baby It's You," Smith
25. "Sugar on Sunday," The Clique
26. "I'd Wait a Million Years," The Grass Roots
27. "Carry Me Back," The Rascals
28. "You, I," The Rugbys
29. "Tracy," The Cuff Links
30. "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am," Bill Deal & The Rhondels
31. "Share Your Love with Me," Aretha Franklin
32. "Soul Deep," The Box Tops

35. "Wedding Bell Blues," The 5th Dimension
36. "Make Believe," Wind

41. "Going in Circles," The Friends of Distinction

43. "It's Getting Better," Mama Cass

48. "Jealous Kind of Fella," Garland Green
49. "Walk On By," Isaac Hayes
50. "Is That All There Is," Peggy Lee

53. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," Dionne Warwick

56. "Something in the Air," Thunderclap Newman

64. "Runnin' Blue," The Doors

66. "Smile a Little Smile for Me," The Flying Machine

79. "Baby, I'm for Real," The Originals

82. "Ball of Fire," Tommy James & The Shondells

85. "Mind, Body and Soul," The Flaming Ember
86. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," Crosby, Stills & Nash

89. "Reuben James," Kenny Rogers & The First Edition

98. "Delta Lady," Joe Cocker
99. "Cherry Hill Park," Billy Joe Royal

Leaving the chart:

"The Nitty Gritty," Gladys Knight & The Pips (11 weeks)
"Put a Little Love in Your Heart," Jackie DeShannon (14 weeks)
"Sweet Caroline," Neil Diamond (14 weeks)

New on the chart:

"Delta Lady," Joe Cocker
(#69 US; #10 UK)

"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," Crosby, Stills & Nash
(#21 US; #418 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

"Ball of Fire," Tommy James & The Shondells
(#19 US)

"Cherry Hill Park," Billy Joe Royal
(#15 US)

"Smile a Little Smile for Me," The Flying Machine
(#5 US; #6 AC)

And new on the boob tube:

Mission: Impossible, "The Code" (Season 4 premiere, starring Leonard Nimoy as Paris)
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Season 3, episode 3
That Girl, "My Part Belongs to Daddy"
Ironside, "Poole's Paradise"
Get Smart, "Ironhand"
The Brady Bunch, "Dear Libby" (to be covered at a later date)
Hogan's Heroes, "The Well"
Adam-12, "Log 52: Good Cop – Handle with Care" (I've got this one, really!)

_______

RJDiogenes said:
Well, this is better Marvin than the last Marvin.

A fair assessment.

Definitely sounds like The Drifters, but not very memorable.

As touched upon last week, the Drifters being particularly derivative of their classic prior hit.

Same for Peter and Gordon.

So...not Fab enough?

I'm sensing a pattern here.

This one has a nice, distinct sound for the DC5, but so did their last hit, "Because," and that one was much stronger / more memorable.

Ah, Diana Ross breaks the pattern with a classic.

What, no credit for Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson?

_______

In other news, the Super Deluxe 50th Anniversary Edition of Abbey Road dropped this morning!
Indeed.

gblews · Sep 28, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
This one's lined up to be posted next week, but I had noticed that they seemed to be doing a string of hits that referenced each other..."Boardwalk" had, in turn, referenced "Up on the Roof".

The Old Mixer said:
"I've Got Sand in My Shoes," The Drifters

I wasn't just referring to the lyrics. Sand in My Shoes was a structural clone of Boardwalk right down to the melody, to the point that if Boardwalk had had a different publisher, they would have had a slam dunk copyright infringement claim.

Here's Boardwalk. Shoes is practically the same song.

The Old Mixer said:
"Baby Don't You Do It," Marvin Gaye

I think this song is a structural clone of Marvin's previous hit, Ain't That Peculiar., although not quite as close as Shoes is to Boardwalk.

The Old Mixer · Sep 28, 2019

gblews said:
I wasn't just referring to the lyrics. Sand in My Shoes was a structural clone of Boardwalk right down to the melody, to the point that if Boardwalk had had a different publisher, they would have had a slam dunk copyright infringement claim.

Oh, I got that part. Just noting the larger link between the three songs.

I think this song is a structural clone of Marvin's previous hit, Ain't That Peculiar., although not quite as close as Shoes is to Boardwalk.

Except that "Ain't That Peculiar" isn't his previous hit...it won't be coming our way for another year in 55th Anniversaryland! And it'll be worth the wait--excellent song.

RJDiogenes · Sep 28, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
The Old Mixer is the size of a honeydew melon...and he's getting in position!

Ah, the impatience of young melons.

"Delta Lady," Joe Cocker

Enjoyable, of course, because Joe Cocker has the mutant ability to make you think he's enjoyable.

"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," Crosby, Stills & Nash

A beautiful classic.

"Ball of Fire," Tommy James & The Shondells

Pleasant enough, but not comparable to their biggies.

"Cherry Hill Park," Billy Joe Royal

I like this song. It's pleasant and very nostalgic.

"Smile a Little Smile for Me," The Flying Machine

Same for this one.

As touched upon last week, the Drifters being particularly derivate of their classic prior hit.

Yeah, a lot.

So...not Fab enough?

If it was, they would have done it themselves. :rommie:

What, no credit for Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson?

A big hand for Florence, Mary, and the band-- but it's all about Diana and that amazing voice of hers.

The Old Mixer · Sep 28, 2019

55th Anniversary Viewing

12 O'Clock High
"Follow the Leader"
Originally aired September 25, 1964

IMDb said:
When a bombardier releases his bombs prematurely with the group ordered to hit the same spot, they accidentally destroy a Dutch school.

Our featured guest bombardier, Lt. Mellon (Andrew Prine), is pretty upset when he's ordered to continue with a bombing run after his navigator buddy is critically wounded; and moreso when said buddy dies before the bombers gets home. But having noted Mellon's accuracy even when he's under such pressure, Savage devises a tactic of having every bombardier drop on him--that is, drop where and when he drops rather than doing their own targeting.

This episode is the first appearance of Barney Phillips in his series-wide recurring role as Doc Kaiser, who grounds Savage over inflamed eardrums that are threatening to burst the next time he goes up to 20,000 feet. Lt. Cobb, who'll be commanding the next mission, questions Savage's plan because of how bad Mellon is taking the last one. And indeed, before takeoff Mellon has the customary audio flashbacks to the previous mission to indicate his trauma.

Sticking with Savage's perspective, we don't go along on the next mission. Savage learns when the bombers get back that all of the bombs fell short, as Mellon seems to have dropped his bombs prematurely. Before he has a chance to examine the photos, Savage further learns from General Crowe of a complaint from the Dutch Embassy about the school that was hit. Mellon can't explain why he missed, and Savage insists that it must have been due to damage or an equipment malfunction. Savage also publicly stands up for Mellon and the mission leaders--one of whom is Lt. Bishop, Paul Carr's first of three roles on the show--when Crowe wants to relieve them all. This episode also features Judy Carne in her first of three roles, this time as Jill, Mellon's girlfriend in Archbury, whom he dumps his guilt and performance issues on.

By the beginning of Act IV, Savage has learned that flak hit a switch, resulting in a short circuit that caused Mellon's bombs to dump ten seconds early...but Mellon still doesn't want the responsibility of targeting for the group on the next mission. Savage leads it despite Kaiser feeling that his eardrums aren't ready yet. Mellon being uncommunicative at the beginning of the run causes some initial tension, following which he's hit by some fire from projected stock footage of a Focke-Wulf, but he still manages to hit the target for the entire group before succumbing to his injury.

In the Epilog, Savage informs the hospitalized Mellon that more than 70% of the bombs hit within a thousand-foot circle.

Gen. Savage said:
It's just lucky for us that you weren't hit before bombs away.

Mellon humbly doesn't correct him. Savage then relates how, 15 years earlier, he'd had a similar incident involving a crash in which his crew was killed, but Crowe had helped him to get through it.

This one has some "early installment" touches in it, most notably Stovall wearing his glasses full time. I though maybe this was the same one in which he mentions being a grandfather, but if it was, that was cut from the version that I watched this time around.

_______

RJDiogenes said:
Enjoyable, of course, because Joe Cocker has the mutant ability to make you think he's enjoyable.

A beautiful classic.

Recently did an album review that covered this one, so nothing to add at this point.

Pleasant enough, but not comparable to their biggies.

Alas, the Shondells' biggies are behind them now, and they're on a short downswing before they fade into the mists of chart history.

I like this song. It's pleasant and very nostalgic.

A very evocative oldies radio staple.

Same for this one.

A pleasant, sign-o-the-timesy one-hitter.

If it was, they would have done it themselves.

Touche.

RJDiogenes · Sep 29, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Before he has a chance to examine the photos, Savage further learns from General Crowe of a complaint from the Dutch Embassy about the school that was hit.

Was the school occupied at the time?

The Old Mixer · Sep 29, 2019

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing

_______

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Season 3, episode 2
Originally aired September 22, 1969

The Wiki list of guest appearances said:
Michael Caine, Bob Hope, Diana Ross

Diana & Goldie in the first segment:

A vaudeville musical number including Diana:

Gary Owens said:
And now, here are two gentlemen who need no introduction, because they already know each other!

Uncle Al shows us a string game.

Diana does a song about oogas (as in the old-fashioned car horn sound), but I couldn't find a clip for it. Diana Ross sings anything on your show and there's no clip!?!

A General Bull Wright skit:

Gen. Wright said:
An America at war with someone else is an America at peace with itself!

Laugh-In takes a penetrating look at insurance (and Diana's in it):

Diana's in the cocktail party and kicks off the news segment, but I couldn't find either. The news song has the girls done up to look like Supremes, including afro wigs, so maybe that's why.

Arte Johnson has trouble holding it together during Robot Theater.

The Fickle Finger of Fate goes to Judge Bickett of North Carolina.

Diana Ross and Michael Caine are both in the Joke Wall, though the video just has it named after him:

Bob Hope shows up at the end as another German Soldier, plugging his show being on next.

_______

"Mission Improbable" (Part 2)
Originally aired September 25, 1969

Wiki said:
Ann's cover is blown and is tricked into photographing rejected dress designs.

After Taylor lets the seamstress who'd befriended Ann in on her true nature for no particularly good reason, he enables Ann to banana-photograph a hideous dress that he claims is his new "blockbuster". Ann later makes contact with Schneider in a shoe repair shop, with Taylor's assistant, Becker (Sandy Kenyon) tailing her. The next day Taylor confronts Ann with the truth, and insists that she owes him a couple of days of counterespionage. She refuses, but on the way out, Becker (who's actually paying her!) reveals to Ann that the rival dressmakers are estranged brothers..."Schneider" being German for "Tailor".

Having learned this, Ann comes up with a plan to help the brothers get back together. She returns to Taylor pretending to accept his offer so that she can get the brothers together at a deli. Listening to both of their stories, Ann realizes that Taylor was never spying on Schneider...they'd both gotten the same dress idea from their wives, who were still friends. It looks like the truce is back off when the brothers get into a new fight about Taylor having Americanized his name, but in the end, they let Ann banana-graph them holding the sign of their newly merged business.

"Oh, Donald" count: 1 (not counting one from last week in the recap)

_______

Ironside
"Goodbye to Yesterday"
Originally aired September 25, 1969

Wiki said:
Barbara Jones comes back into Ironside's life to ask him to rescue her kidnapped daughter, but the case is complicated by an overeager sheriff, a jealous husband and the Chief's personal feelings.

This double-sized episode originally aired on one night, but is split into two parts for syndication. It's also a sequel to the episode "Barbara Who" from Season 1, of which I had no recollection offhand. My write-up of the episode is a little short and vague, so it didn't help much, though a thing or two sort of rang a bell.

Barbara Richards's (Vera Miles) older of two daughters, Leslie (Melody Thomas), is the one who's been kidnapped. We also see the younger daughter, Tracy, who's now played by Heather Harrison--I guess Susan Olsen must have been busy with something this season! They also insert Slim Pickens as Sheriff Metcalf into the flashbacks, when the only sheriff listed in the old episode had a different name and was played by another actor. At least they got her the same husband (Philip Carey).

Apparently the prior episode was quite the romance story for the Chief, but Barbara resumed her life with her family despite not remembering any of them. Her husband, Vic, knows all about his wife and Ironside's feelings for one another. The story really plays this reunion up as a major wound-opening for Bob...with lots of lingering flashbacks to their kiss to fill time (along with a few too many guest characters, some not even mentioned here, accompanied by superfluous subplots). Eventually Ironside learns that Barbara and her husband are now separated.

Team Ironside's plan involves using a big-ass electronic box to trace a big-ass transmitter chip board thingie hidden in the ransom suitcase. But Sheriff Pickens and his deputy blow the ransom pickup by going after the first stray driver who wanders by. The Chief wants to cut them out of the operation, but the Sheriff threatens to continue to bungle the case on his own, so Ironside keeps him close for the time being.

By the time we get to the To Be Continued card, we've learned that the kidnapper, Ben Ames (Dane Clark), has a female accomplice sharing information from inside the Richards ranch--crazy neighbor Molly Strong (Cloris Leachman). Another noteworthy guest is George Murdock as FBI agent Torrence.

Part 2 begins with one of those long-ass recaps customary to the era that lets its scenes run on way longer than needed to get their points across. Vic and Bob have a man-to-man talk in which Vic reveals that he intends to allow Barbara to divorce him. But Barbara sneaks out to make a ransom delivery without protection against Ironside's instructions. The Chief is rushed out to stop her, and when he arrives, Barbara desperately tries to convince the unseen kidnapper that she didn't know, and stumbles off the side of a canyon cliff. She initially hangs on by her fingers, but loses her grip before Mark can help her.

She actually manages to survive the nasty-looking fall and remains unconscious at the hospital, so I guess we can all see where that angle is going. The authorities scour the drop area for a clue and find some pollen that points to a specific area that has an abandoned mine shaft. They surround the place with guns pulled and yell for the kidnapper to surrender, but Leslie has been left unattended and comes out peaceably. In the meantime, the deputy has seen activity at Molly's place that points to her as an accomplice, but by the time they get back there, they find her strangled to death (by Ben, when she wanted to come clean to the authorities to help the girl, whom she didn't know had been rescued). They piece together that the kidnapper is at the gas station of his other accomplice, Molly's brother, Carl (Eddie Firestone), and anticipating being cornered there, Ben rigs the tanks to be blown from a distance...but they go off prematurely during a struggle between Ben and Carl, setting the entire place ablaze, though they're pulled out of the station building.

When Ironside visits the awakened Barbara at the hospital, she's regained her memory of her past life with her husband and children, which I saw coming a mile away. The twist that I didn't see coming is that she no longer has any memory of her amnesia period, which includes Ironside. The Chief gracefully exits her life, leaving her none the wiser.

_______

Get Smart
"Pheasant Under Glass"
Originally aired September 26, 1969

Wiki said:
Professor Pheasant is being held prisoner by KAOS within an impregnable glass dome. Smart and 99 try everything to break the glass but have to flee when KAOS agents discover their rescue attempt. On their way out, 99 reveals to Max that she is pregnant. The Chief organizes another rescue attempt by using a CONTROL operatic singer whose high notes can shatter any type of glass with Max undercover as her accompanying pianist. To further complicate things, Max has to get spray-on plastic surgery: he blew his secret agent cover in the euphoria of finding out that he will be a father. Martin Landau and Phyllis Diller have cameos as Max's plastic surgery results.

The first episode since July 20's historic event opens with a secret meeting between Max, 99, and the Chief on the Moon...with the premise that they've been doing this for four years, but will have to stop as more astronauts will be coming.

Pheasant (Peter Brocco) is able to communicate with Max through his cell because although KAOS has taken his shoes, he has a sock phone. When Max learns of 99's pregnancy during their escape, he's about to jump over a stone wall and crashes through it instead.

The final season features a new intro and a new version of the theme music.

Max knocks over the phone booth where he's supposed to get instructions from the Chief with his car and has to get in it sideways to take the call. Somebody else lies on the sidewalk waiting for his turn. The mission is jeopardized when the incident is written up in the paper thanks to a photographer on the scene who hears Max saying that he's a secret agent. Hence the disguise gimmick. The Martin Landau cameo, with Max's voice coming out of him, is cute.

The Chief said:
His face is even more well known than yours!

Disappointingly, Max's final disguise is just Adams wearing glasses, a mustache, and a false nose.

99 is a hostess at the recital, with a gag about how she's eating all the hors d'oeuvres. Madame La Costa (Virginia Jaeger) manages to break all of the glass in the room (which includes the revelation that 99's wedding ring was a fake), but not the cell down in the basement, so she slams into it with her body instead.

I could save this for later, but we're getting some noteworthily coincidental TV baby business this season. I don't recall if it was set up last season, but Jim Reed's wife is also expecting at this point on Adam-12...and the Reed baby will be born the same week as I was! If I'm reading the episode descriptions right, the Smart baby is coming the week after...in a two-parter that starts the week that Baby Reed and I came into the world!

_______

The Brady Bunch
"The Honeymoon"
Originally aired September 26, 1969
Series premiere

Wiki said:
Michael Paul Brady, an architect and widower with three sons (Greg, Peter and Bobby) marries Carol Ann Martin, a mother with three daughters (Marcia, Jan and Cindy). Mike and Carol's backyard wedding turns to chaos when the boys' dog, Tiger, chases the girls' cat, Fluffy. Mike and Carol admonish their children, yelling at them to go catch their pets. The newlywed couple goes on a honeymoon later that day, while the children sit at home thinking that their parents hate them. While on their honeymoon, Mike and Carol realize that they were too hard on their children, and they decide to bring them along on the honeymoon. They also bring along housekeeper Alice, Tiger, and Fluffy.

Notes: This was the pilot episode for The Brady Bunch, filmed from October 4 to 12, 1968. This is the only episode where Christopher Knight is credited as "Chris Knight". It is Fluffy's only appearance in the series. Mike, Alice and the Brady boys live in a different house than that seen in the rest of the series. Also, this is the first of two episodes without a tag scene at the end (the other being "Greg Gets Grounded" from season 4).

I think that Me sped up the opening theme a bit. This episode isn't just about the honeymoon, but the wedding itself. After seeing him come up so much in other shows, it's good to see that Barry Williams got a regular role.

The story includes an acknowledgment of the deceased previous Mrs. Brady when Mike asks Bobby why he put his mother's picture in the drawer.

We meet Carol's parents (Pat O'Malley and Joan Tompkins). According to the dialogue and credits, Carol's maiden name is Tyler, not Martin. I wonder if Martin was a retcon? Mike and Carol get a scene together before the ceremony, without playing the usual "bad luck" beat. Carol wears a gold dress, which comes with matching tablecloths. The pet chaos happens right after the vows (officiated by minister Dabbs Greer), and culminates in Mike saving the cake from falling off its table only to lose his balance and have it land in his face.

Even though Mike and Carol didn't get to spend the night of their honeymoon in the traditional manner, it got me thinking that they must have been taking precautions, as we never get any li'l Bunchlings. (Not counting Cousin Oliver, of course!)

Watching the episode that started it all, I have to admire that they pulled off all the casting so well from the get-go, particularly with all of the still-growing young actors.

_______

Hogan's Heroes
"Hogan Goes Hollywood"
Originally aired September 26, 1969

Wiki said:
Klink turns Stalag 13 into a propaganda film set after a Hollywood movie star turned soldier (Alan Oppenheimer) is placed in the camp.

Oppenheimer is playing the vain, clueless Major Byron Buckles, who readily agrees to star in the film.

Hogan said:
Why couldn't they shoot down Lana Turner?

The others are plotting how to kill him to stop the film from being made when Hogan volunteers to direct it. Schultz is selected to play the role of Klink...and Klink ends up playing Schultz! Burkhalter is drawn in and we learn that Hogan's plan is to film a sequence of the prisoners blowing up a bridge at a nearby bridge that the Allies actually need blown up. The men wire the bridge with real explosives and Hogan has Klink, Schultz, and Burkhalter push down the plunger while the cameras roll. In one of those Teflon moments that really defies belief, Burkhalter & co. prove to be too interested in covering up their involvement to deal with Hogan.

There's a subplot of Buckles having issues working with Schultz on the grounds that he's a scene-stealer.

DISSSSSS-MISSED!

_______

RJDiogenes said:
Was the school occupied at the time?

That's how they were playing it. Mellon's guilt was over having killed kids.

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