The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[TREK_GOD_1]

I never got the love for Exile myself, but I never got into the Stones' albums that much. I came to agree with something I once read that they were a singles band, not an albums band. But on my current trajectory, I guess I'll be giving it a fresh assessment in about four years....

A singles band? Hmm...I wonder who wrote that, because I found December's Children (And Everybody's), Aftermath, Beggar's Banquet and Let it Bleed to be as complete and near filler-free as many of their rivals' output in the 60s.

Caught Bruce Lee in the background earlier on a 1969 episode of Here Come the Brides. The show's Wiki pages claims that "this character was the only dramatic English language non-martial arts role in Lee's acting career." I guess it'd have to be a non-martial arts role, because he'd totally kick Bobby Sherman's ass.

That's an interesting note about Bruce Lee's career. It was not a shock that one of his earliest, post-Green Hornet roles (Ironside's "Tagged for Murder") had him in the role of a martial arts instructor, but the writing must have been on the wall by the time he was cast as Winslow Wong in Marlowe (MGM, 1969), who was more martial arts setpiece than fleshed out villain. Lee was frustrated with the lack of stereotype-free acting opportunities in America, but the fateful move to shooting films in Hong Kong locked his image to that one part of his life in ways no American role ever accomplished.

 

[RJDiogenes]

It's convenient for the show that the film's framing story leaves open the fates of Savage and the other characters who'll become regulars.

It's nice that the show remained in continuity with the movie, which is not something you often see when a movie gets adapted to series. The really weird thing is that somebody would think of turning a 40s war movie into a TV show, fifteen years after the fact, and twenty years after the war ended, when times had changed so much during that period.

Darn it, now you've gone and made me record it. Guess I've got one more bit of 50th anniversary viewing business for this season. Looks like it was the show's first season, did air on June 6, and rates a paragraph on the show's Wiki page as one of its most notable moments:

Yeah, that's exactly what's going to be interesting about it. The impressions and reactions of people in real time, as it was happening. It's going to be really heartbreaking.

 

[The Old Mixer]

The really weird thing is that somebody would think of turning a 40s war movie into a TV show, fifteen years after the fact, and twenty years after the war ended, when times had changed so much during that period.

In contrast, I found it interesting that the film's framing story treated the war as a subject of nostalgia, only a handful of years after it ended.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Yeah, that is kind of funny.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Watched the DP:1968 Bobby Kennedy episode last night, but couldn't make it through Cavett. Maybe at an earlier hour tonight.

Interestingly, today's Through the Decades seems to be completely ignoring Kennedy, probably because of the DP:1968 episode.

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing

_______

ABC This Morning (retitled The Dick Cavett Show in 1969)
Show ID 319
Originally aired June 6, 1968



This episode naturally has a very somber mood. Dick begins by pointing out that they've dispersed with the band and opening jokes. They start the program with two guests, Bailey and Bacall, yet to arrive.

David Schoenbrun (Columbia professor and former chief Washington correspondent for CBS; second from right) likens the wave of assassinations to the circumstances of Hitler's rise; expresses his belief that LBJ is one of the most violent men in the world; notes the dichotomy between people getting upset at protests (violence against things) and expecting the protesters to go kill in Vietnam (violence against people); and predicts that California Governor Ronald Reagan's declaration about law and order the night before means that students will be dealt with violently going forward. Cavett makes a good point off of this that Reagan and those like him are more willing to take action against students than guns. The subject of gun control and the special interests that prevent it comes up repeatedly in the episode--how depressingly little has changed in that area in five decades.

Along the way, Schoenbrun makes references to the then-recent student occupation of Columbia and the upcoming Democratic Convention in Chicago. Toward the end of the episode, Schoenbrun briefly goes on a rant about students using those new-fangled "learning machines"!

Robert Vaughn (actor; third from left) was apparently quite politically active in the day. From his Wiki page:

Vaughn campaigned for John F. Kennedy in the Presidential election of 1960 for U.S. President. He was the chair of the California Democratic State Central Committee speakers bureau and actively campaigned for candidates in the 1960s.

Vaughn was the first popular American actor to take a public stand against the Vietnam War and was active in the Vietnam-War-era peace group, Another Mother for Peace. With Dick Van Dyke and Carl Reiner, he was a founder of Dissenting Democrats. Early in the 1968 presidential election, they supported the candidacy of Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, who was running for president as an alternative to Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who supported President Lyndon Johnson's escalation of the war in Vietnam.

He's said on the program to be a close friend of the Kennedys.

Vaughn effectively lays the blame for the wave of 1960s assassinations at the feet of the extreme right, and expresses his belief that Vietnam has only gone on for so long because the enemy is non-white. Roy Wilkins disagrees with the latter point at length, though Vaughn later reaffirms his conviction by evoking the racial injustices that were committed in the 19th century in the name of Manifest Destiny.

Roy Wilkins (executive director of the NAACP; second from left) emphasizes that Robert Kennedy was seen as a friend of the African American community. When connecting the recent wave of assassinations with the Vietnam War becomes a running topic, he makes a distinction between individual beliefs and national interests. He also notes the dichotomy between academics being against war in general but approving of Israel's military activities. (The Six-Day War had been in progress exactly a year before.) At one point he references the Poor People's Campaign, which was still in progress at the time.

Dr. David Abrahamsen (psychiatrist and author; third from right) goes on a lot about the emotional and social sickness in American culture. I love when he tries to make a case about America's history of violence going back to the 1600's, as if European history, or Norwegian history in particular, wouldn't have logged its fair share of bloodshed by that point....

F. Lee Bailey (attorney; far left) joins in at about the 45-minute mark of the two-hour Decades version of the episode (originally broadcast in a 90-minute slot). He changes the focus of the conversation to the suspect, and notes that nobody's been picked up for shooting MLK--that will be changing in two days. He's enthusiastic about the idea of identifying killers before they kill...which sounds good up to a point.

Lauren Bacall (actress; far right) joins at the end of the first hour. She notes that her six-year-old son has only seen death his entire life, going back to Jack Kennedy's assassination; and questions why it's people who care like King and Kennedy who get killed. "The other ones don't." In response to this, Schoenbrun specifically notes Reagan as an authority figure who's not likely to get shot at. Bacall also references having been in Paris during the riots there two weeks before.

Smoking check: Wafts of smoke were provided for atmosphere by Bailey, Vaughn (through a holder), Abrahamsen (cigar), Schoenbrun, and Bacall. I first noticed the smoking during Wilkins's close-ups right after Bailey arrived. At one point Bacall hands a lighter to Vaughn.

Mortality check: Cavett and Bailey are the only ones still with us. Vaughn and Bacall both passed away fairly recently (2016 and 2014, respectively).

This got me wondering what Vaughn would have been up to at this point, in the immediate aftermath of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It looks like he would have most recently been filming Bullitt with Steve McQueen.

_______

 

[GNDN18]

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing

_______

ABC This Morning (retitled The Dick Cavett Show in 1969)
Show ID 319
Originally aired June 6, 1968

View attachment 5005

This episode naturally has a very somber mood. Dick begins by pointing out that they've dispersed with the band and opening jokes. They start the program with two guests, Bailey and Bacall, yet to arrive.

David Schoenbrun (Columbia professor and former chief Washington correspondent for CBS; second from right) likens the wave of assassinations to the circumstances of Hitler's rise; expresses his belief that LBJ is one of the most violent men in the world; notes the dichotomy between people getting upset at protests (violence against things) and expecting the protesters to go kill in Vietnam (violence against people); and predicts that California Governor Ronald Reagan's declaration about law and order the night before means that students will be dealt with violently going forward. Cavett makes a good point off of this that Reagan and those like him are more willing to take action against students than guns. The subject of gun control and the special interests that prevent it comes up repeatedly in the episode--how depressingly little has changed in that area in five decades.

Along the way, Schoenbrun makes references to the then-recent student occupation of Columbia and the upcoming Democratic Convention in Chicago. Toward the end of the episode, Schoenbrun briefly goes on a rant about students using those new-fangled "learning machines"!

Robert Vaughn (actor; third from left) was apparently quite politically active in the day. From his Wiki page:

He's said on the program to be a close friend of the Kennedys.

Vaughn effectively lays the blame for the wave of 1960s assassinations at the feet of the extreme right, and expresses his belief that Vietnam has only gone on for so long because the enemy is non-white. Roy Wilkins disagrees with the latter point at length, though Vaughn later reaffirms his conviction by evoking the racial injustices that were committed in the 19th century in the name of Manifest Destiny.

Roy Wilkins (executive director of the NAACP; second from left) emphasizes that Robert Kennedy was seen as a friend of the African American community. When connecting the recent wave of assassinations with the Vietnam War becomes a running topic, he makes a distinction between individual beliefs and national interests. He also notes the dichotomy between academics being against war in general but approving of Israel's military activities. (The Six-Day War had been in progress exactly a year before.) At one point he references the Poor People's Campaign, which was still in progress at the time.

Dr. David Abrahamsen (psychiatrist and author; third from right) goes on a lot about the emotional and social sickness in American culture. I love when he tries to make a case about America's history of violence going back to the 1600's, as if European history, or Norwegian history in particular, wouldn't have logged its fair share of bloodshed by that point....

F. Lee Bailey (attorney; far left) joins in at about the 45-minute mark of the two-hour Decades version of the episode (originally broadcast in a 90-minute slot). He changes the focus of the conversation to the suspect, and notes that nobody's been picked up for shooting MLK--that will be changing in two days. He's enthusiastic about the idea of identifying killers before they kill...which sounds good up to a point.

Lauren Bacall (actress; far right) joins at the end of the first hour. She notes that her six-year-old son has only seen death his entire life, going back to Jack Kennedy's assassination; and questions why it's people who care like King and Kennedy who get killed. "The other ones don't." In response to this, Schoenbrun specifically notes Reagan as an authority figure who's not likely to get shot at. Bacall also references having been in Paris during the riots there two weeks before.

Smoking check: Wafts of smoke were provided for atmosphere by Bailey, Vaughn (through a holder), Abrahamsen (cigar), Schoenbrun, and Bacall. I first noticed the smoking during Wilkins's close-ups right after Bailey arrived. At one point Bacall hands a lighter to Vaughn.

Mortality check: Cavett and Bailey are the only ones still with us. Vaughn and Bacall both passed away fairly recently (2016 and 2014, respectively).

This got me wondering what Vaughn would have been up to at this point, in the immediate aftermath of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It looks like he would have most recently been filming Bullitt with Steve McQueen.

_______

Thanks for the recap. It’s hard to remember when talk shows allowed people to talk about ideas and events without resorting to flamethrowers. This would be unthinkable today anywhere but C-SPAN; certainly not on commercial airwaves.

 

[The Old Mixer]

^ Say, where ya been?

 

[GNDN18]

^ Say, where ya been?

I saw that and I really appreciated the connections you made between the series and the film. In fact, I nearly replied because you didn’t cover one important aspect:
or?

 

[The Old Mixer]

What aspect was that?

ETA: Oh, was it that John Kellogg's character in the film, Major Joe Cobb, was a recurring character on the series, played by Lew Gallo? I'd intended to mention that.

I was just doing a little searching and found that the mug is called a Toby Jug:

In the book and 1949 film Twelve O'Clock High a Toby Jug depicting Robin Hood is used as a signal in the Officer's Club, to discreetly warn aircrews that there will be a mission the following day, without revealing this to outsiders who might be visiting. The Toby Jug plays a pivotal role in the film.

And that somebody's selling replicas.

 

[GNDN18]

What aspect was that?

That interesting stuff about Cobb and the Toby jug. What I really wanted to know was did you like the movie? (I was signaling that with those ghastly thumbs up/down smilies.)

 

[The Old Mixer]

I enjoyed it. As someone who went in from the perspective of having seen most of the TV series, I found it an intriguing "origin story" for the characters and situations on the show, with the added bonus that it also provided an epilogue. On that note, I realized that there might be one other continuity issue in the series...according to the show, Stovall's supposed to have a family back in the States, possibly even including grandchildren. His staying in England after the war isn't likely to have involved shipping an extended family over...unless he was just supposed to be visiting at the time, and I missed that.

I was disappointed that we didn't go along on more of the bomber missions, though the almost exclusively base-side perspective did add some resonance to scenes in the show when Stovall and others who hadn't gone on the missions were waiting outside the tower for the bombers to return.

The nervous breakdown was an interesting place to go with Savage...I would like to have seen Robert Lansing's Savage in a situation like that.

Upon further reflection, Gately successfully commanding the climactic mission demonstrated that the 918th could go forward without Savage, so the natural place for things to go after that would have been for Savage to relinquish command and go back to his desk job.

 

[RJDiogenes]

expresses his belief that LBJ is one of the most violent men in the world;

A bit of an overstatement (though he was really not a nice guy), but it demonstrates that those on the Left did not automatically and hyperbolically support the Democratic president in those days-- nor did the Right mindlessly excuse the Republican president, as Nixon would eventually find out.

notes the dichotomy between people getting upset at protests (violence against things) and expecting the protesters to go kill in Vietnam (violence against people);

Not to mention that most protests were non-violent.

The subject of gun control and the special interests that prevent it comes up repeatedly in the episode--how depressingly little has changed in that area in five decades.

As much as things have improved because of the cultural revolution in the 60s, this is one area that has been amazingly untouched-- I wonder what those panelists would have said if someone suggested that the 21st century would see weekly school shootings with no action taken. They wouldn't have believed it. Of course, there's quite a few things about the 21st century they wouldn't have believed.

Toward the end of the episode, Schoenbrun briefly goes on a rant about students using those new-fangled "learning machines"!

Wait till they start connecting up with each other-- they'll take over the world!

Vaughn effectively lays the blame for the wave of 1960s assassinations at the feet of the extreme right, and expresses his belief that Vietnam has only gone on for so long because the enemy is non-white.

Right. Nothing to do with Communism versus Christianity, or Domino Theory, or proxy wars, or....

He also notes the dichotomy between academics being against war in general but approving of Israel's military activities.

Imagine a world where someone could point out hypocrisy and not be branded an ideological traitor.

I love when he tries to make a case about America's history of violence going back to the 1600's, as if European history, or Norwegian history in particular, wouldn't have logged its fair share of bloodshed by that point....

To say nothing of every single organized social group since primates began to think and speak. This is what we call a pseudo-intellectual.

He's enthusiastic about the idea of identifying killers before they kill...which sounds good up to a point.

Up to the point where it becomes terrifying.

and questions why it's people who care like King and Kennedy who get killed. "The other ones don't."

I wonder if that was a lament or a suggestion.

In response to this, Schoenbrun specifically notes Reagan as an authority figure who's not likely to get shot at.

Oops.

Smoking check: Wafts of smoke were provided for atmosphere by Bailey, Vaughn (through a holder), Abrahamsen (cigar), Schoenbrun, and Bacall. I first noticed the smoking during Wilkins's close-ups right after Bailey arrived. At one point Bacall hands a lighter to Vaughn.

That's one thing that drives me crazy about old shows and movies. In one of Arthur C Clarke's novels (Ghost From The Grand Banks, I think) one of the characters is a digital artist who removes evidence of cigarettes and smoking from old movies. As much as I hate things like colorization and upgrading special effects, I'd almost be in favor of that.

Thanks for the recap. It’s hard to remember when talk shows allowed people to talk about ideas and events without resorting to flamethrowers. This would be unthinkable today anywhere but C-SPAN; certainly not on commercial airwaves.

Yes, this is the Age of Extremism-- instead of social activists, we have social justice warriors. The reason the cultural revolution of the 60s was so successful at creating change was the promotion of peace, love, and understanding-- the cultivation of hearts and minds. Today the goal is to win on social media by being the most obnoxious and alienating the most people.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Thanks for the recap. It’s hard to remember when talk shows allowed people to talk about ideas and events without resorting to flamethrowers. This would be unthinkable today anywhere but C-SPAN; certainly not on commercial airwaves.

Coming back to this...I find it odd how prudish the network censors were concerning prime-time entertainment programming at the time, yet they had no problem with serious, pointed political discussion in daytime programming.

Upon further reflection, Gately successfully commanding the climactic mission demonstrated that the 918th could go forward without Savage, so the natural place for things to go after that would have been for Savage to relinquish command and go back to his desk job.

And upon even further reflection, I realize that if Gallagher = Gately, then the 2nd-season lead switch was actually set up back in the movie, and a more logical continuation of the film than Season 1 had been.

A bit of an overstatement (though he was really not a nice guy)

The context was that he was the most violent man in the world for ultimately being responsible for what was going on in Vietnam. The buck stopped with LBJ (and that Trumanism did come up somewhere in the discussion).

nor did the Right mindlessly excuse the Republican president, as Nixon would eventually find out.

I only hope that when the time comes, the current Republicans in Congress can find it in them to follow the example of their forebears.

Wait till they start connecting up with each other-- they'll take over the world!

I wonder if that was a lament or a suggestion.

Something in-between I think...more of a protest.

That's one thing that drives me crazy about old shows and movies. In one of Arthur C Clarke's novels (Ghost From The Grand Banks, I think) one of the characters is a digital artist who removes evidence of cigarettes and smoking from old movies. As much as I hate things like colorization and upgrading special effects, I'd almost be in favor of that.

Eh...if somebody was smoking 50 years ago, the damage is done. I find it to be an darkly amusing sign o' the times. There was a bit of a stir in online Beatle fandom in '96 when they airbrushed cigarettes out of the Fabs' hands in the photo they used for the "Real Love" CD single.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Coming back to this...I find it odd how prudish the network censors were concerning prime-time entertainment programming at the time, yet they had no problem with serious, pointed political discussion in daytime programming.

Was that common, though, or was it mostly celebrity gossip and soap operas?

The context was that he was the most violent man in the world for ultimately being responsible for what was going on in Vietnam. The buck stopped with LBJ (and that Trumanism did come up somewhere in the discussion).

As much as I dislike LBJ, Vietnam was dumped in his lap. And as much as there was wrong with America's involvement in the war, the communists were not exactly innocent. There were no good guys in that war, but there were worse guys.

I only hope that when the time comes, the current Republicans in Congress can find it in them to follow the example of their forebears.

Unfortunately, the evidence so far says they won't.

Eh...if somebody was smoking 50 years ago, the damage is done. I find it to be an darkly amusing sign o' the times. There was a bit of a stir in online Beatle fandom in '96 when they airbrushed cigarettes out of the Fabs' hands in the photo they used for the "Real Love" CD single.

Yeah, it's just one of those things one must tolerate to enjoy old movies and TV shows. But it triggers memories of when I was a kid and every single social gathering would be engulfed in bitter, eye-stinging smoke and there were ashtrays-- not to mention tin cans and paper cups-- everywhere, overflowing with repulsive gray ash.

 

[The Old Mixer]

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50 Years Ago This Week

June 10 – Italy beats Yugoslavia 2–0 in a replay to win the 1968 European Championship. The original final on June 8 ended 1–1.
June 12 – The film Rosemary's Baby premieres in the U.S.

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June 15: John and Yoko's first public "event" together, planting an acorn at Coventry Cathedral.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Mrs. Robinson," Simon & Garfunkel
2. "This Guy's in Love with You," Herb Alpert
3. "Mony Mony," Tommy James & The Shondells
4. "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy," Ohio Express
5. "MacArthur Park," Richard Harris
6. "Tighten Up," Archie Bell & The Drells
7. "Think," Aretha Franklin
8. "A Beautiful Morning," The Rascals
9. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus
10. "The Look of Love," Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
11. "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
12. "Honey," Bobby Goldsboro
13. "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)," The Temptations
14. "Angel of the Morning," Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
15. "The Horse," Cliff Nobles & Co.
16. "Delilah," Tom Jones
17. "Licking Stick (Part 1)," James Brown & The Famous Flames
18. "I Love You," People
19. "Here Comes the Judge," Shorty Long
20. "If I Were a Carpenter," Four Tops
21. "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," Dionne Warwick
22. "Reach Out of the Darkness," Friend & Lover
23. "Master Jack," Four Jacks and a Jill
24. "Like to Get to Know You," Spanky & Our Gang
25. "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On," Joe Simon
26. "A Man without Love (Quando M'innamoro)," Engelbert Humperdinck

28. "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day," Stevie Wonder
29. "Cowboys to Girls," The Intruders
30. "Tip-Toe Thru' the Tulips with Me," Tiny Tim
31. "She's Lookin' Good," Wilson Pickett

33. "Soul Serenade," Willie Mitchell
34. "Choo Choo Train," The Box Tops
35. "Never Give You Up," Jerry Butler
36. "Does Your Mama Know About Me," Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers
37. "Take Time to Know Her," Percy Sledge
38. "Jumpin' Jack Flash," The Rolling Stones
39. "She's a Heartbreaker," Gene Pitney
40. "Face It Girl, It's Over," Nancy Wilson

43. "The Happy Song (Dum-Dum)," Otis Redding

45. "Lady Willpower," Gary Puckett & The Union Gap

51. "Indian Lake," The Cowsills
52. "Grazing in the Grass," Hugh Masekela
53. "Stoned Soul Picnic," The 5th Dimension
54. "Sky Pilot," Eric Burdon & The Animals
55. "Folsom Prison Blues," Johnny Cash
56. "Some Things You Never Get Used To," Diana Ross & The Supremes

58. "Pictures of Matchstick Men," The Status Quo

61. "D. W. Washburn," The Monkees

82. "Here Comes the Judge," Pigmeat Markham

95. "Turn Around, Look at Me," The Vogues

Leaving the chart:

• "Anyone for Tennis," Cream
• "Cry Like a Baby," The Box Tops
• "Love Is All Around," The Troggs
• "The Unicorn," The Irish Rovers
• "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," The Byrds
• "Young Girl," The Union Gap feat. Gary Puckett

New on the chart:

"Here Comes the Judge," Pigmeat Markham

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(#19 US; #4 R&B; #19 UK)

"D. W. Washburn," The Monkees

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(#19 US; #17 UK)

"Turn Around, Look at Me," The Vogues

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(#7 US; #3 AC)

_______

This Week's Scheduled Catch-Up Viewing:

• 12 O'Clock High, "Gauntlet of Fire" (Sept. 9, 1966)
• 12 O'Clock High, "Massacre" (Sept. 16, 1966)

_______

As much as I dislike LBJ, Vietnam was dumped in his lap.

He may not have initiated our involvement, but he dramatically escalated it following the Gulf of Tonkin incident, turning it into the clusterfuck that we know it as.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

By 1964 there were already 23,000 U.S troops involved, but this escalated further following the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, in which a U.S. destroyer was alleged to have clashed with North Vietnamese fast attack craft. This was followed by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave Lyndon Johnson authorisation to increase U.S. military presence, deploying for the first time ground combat units and increasing troop levels to 184,000.

Per the casualty numbers in the chart on this portion of the page, during the Eisenhower and Kennedy years combined, U.S. military deaths totaled 200, and South Vietnamese military deaths totaled 16,349. In Johnson's five years, U.S. military deaths totaled 36,756, and South Vietnamese military deaths totaled 71,283.

There's a reason it's known as "Johnson's War".

 

[RJDiogenes]

"Here Comes the Judge," Pigmeat Markham

The Judge just won't stay away.

"D. W. Washburn," The Monkees

This is cute. It always reminds me of a homeless guy I met in the lobby of Boston Medical Center when I was redirecting patients one night during a relocation of services (I think it was when we merged with University Hospital). He was very Zen and went on at length about how his children were always trying to save him and he didn't want to be saved. I still think his kids were right.

"Turn Around, Look at Me," The Vogues

This is a nice one that very much reminds me of those days.

There's a reason it's known as "Johnson's War".

Yeah, but it really belongs to a lot of people, going way back.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

ABC This Morning (retitled The Dick Cavett Show in 1969)
Show ID 319
Originally aired June 6, 1968

David Schoenbrun (Columbia professor and former chief Washington correspondent for CBS; second from right) likens the wave of assassinations to the circumstances of Hitler's rise

That was pure, provoking nonsense.

Robert Vaughn
Vaughn effectively lays the blame for the wave of 1960s assassinations at the feet of the extreme right, and expresses his belief that Vietnam has only gone on for so long because the enemy is non-white

Unfortunately, Vaughn was rolling out a bit of left wing talking points: while you can squarely place the blame for the every assassination of Civil Rights activists during the 1960s on Right Wing extremists (as they were at the hands of the KKK, with support from Sovereignty Commissions, Citizens Councils et al.), the assassination of Malcolm X was and remains an issue of great debate and accusation between government supporters (who sell the idea that it was Nation of Islam members) and various factions within the black and Left Wing communities, who believe Malcolm X--who had been monitored by the FBI and CIA--was set up by one or more of those agencies.

As for RFK, he could only add this to his "extreme Right Wing" theory if he believed (like RFK friend Paul Schrade--another who was shot at the same time) that Sirhan Sirhan did not fire the fatal shots at RFK. Of course, to suggest that on the very day RFK officially died at Good Samaritan Hospital would have been explosive.

F. Lee Bailey (attorney; far left) joins in at about the 45-minute mark of the two-hour Decades version of the episode (originally broadcast in a 90-minute slot). He changes the focus of the conversation to the suspect, and notes that nobody's been picked up for shooting MLK--that will be changing in two days. He's enthusiastic about the idea of identifying killers before they kill...which sounds good up to a point.

He's talking about profiling, and it was in effect to some degree at this time, but not the media buzz word it has become in the decades since.

In response to this, Schoenbrun specifically notes Reagan as an authority figure who's not likely to get shot at. Bacall also references having been in Paris during the riots there two weeks before.

Schoenbrun obviously lived to regret his words.

This got me wondering what Vaughn would have been up to at this point, in the immediate aftermath of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It looks like he would have most recently been filming Bullitt with Steve McQueen.

As a matter of fact, Bullitt wrapped on May 25 of that year.

Leaving the chart:

• "Anyone for Tennis," Cream
• "Cry Like a Baby," The Box Tops
• "Love Is All Around," The Troggs
• "The Unicorn," The Irish Rovers
• "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," The Byrds
• "Young Girl," The Union Gap feat. Gary Puckett

Once again, Gary Puckett's the standout of the lot.

New on the chart:
"Here Comes the Judge

Shameful...like the man who performed the song.

"D. W. Washburn," The Monkees
(#19 US; #17 UK)

Odd one for the ever-changing group. It's "B" side--"Its Nice To Be With You" was --arguably-- the better track, if just a bit syrupy. In 1991, it would earn a place on the bigger stage when it made the cut for Rhino's popular CD box set, Listen to the Band:

Per the casualty numbers in the chart on this portion of the page, during the Eisenhower and Kennedy years combined, U.S. military deaths totaled 200, and South Vietnamese military deaths totaled 16,349. In Johnson's five years, U.S. military deaths totaled 36,756, and South Vietnamese military deaths totaled 71,283.

Between the war--abroad and at home--it's no wonder he looked like a withered old man by the time he announced he would not run for reelection, which certainly contributed to his death at the relatively young age of 64 in 1973.

 

[The Old Mixer]

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

1. "It's My Party," Lesley Gore
2. "Sukiyaki," Kyu Sakamoto
3. "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)," The Crystals

5. "You Can't Sit Down," The Dovells
6. "Two Faces Have I," Lou Christie
7. "If You Wanna Be Happy," Jimmy Soul

9. "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer," Nat King Cole
10. "Surfin' U.S.A.," The Beach Boys
11. "18 Yellow Roses," Bobby Darin
12. "Losing You," Brenda Lee
13. "Hello Stranger," Barbara Lewis

15. "Another Saturday Night," Sam Cooke
16. "Hot Pastrami," The Dartells
17. "I Will Follow Him," Little Peggy March
18. "Foolish Little Girl," The Shirelles
19. "Take These Chains from My Heart," Ray Charles

21. "Prisoner of Love," James Brown & The Famous Flames
22. "Birdland," Chubby Checker
23. "The Love of My Man," Theola Kilgore
24. "The Good Life," Tony Bennett
25. "Pushover," Etta James
26. "Reverend Mr. Black," The Kingston Trio
27. "Pipeline," The Chantays
28. "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," Peter, Paul & Mary
29. "Come and Get These Memories," Martha & The Vandellas

31. "Let's Go Steady Again," Neil Sedaka
32. "Shut Down," The Beach Boys
33. "Ain't That a Shame!," The Four Seasons
34. "Killer Joe," The Rocky Fellers

36. "One Fine Day," The Chiffons

39. "This Little Girl," Dion

42. "String Along," Rick Nelson

45. "My Summer Love," Ruby & The Romantics

52. "Pride and Joy," Marvin Gaye

59. "Ring of Fire," Johnny Cash

71. "So Much in Love," The Tymes

76. "Falling," Roy Orbison

81. "Easier Said Than Done," The Essex

90. "Memphis," Lonnie Mack

98. "These Arms of Mine," Otis Redding

100. "Just One Look," Doris Troy


Leaving the chart:

• "He's So Fine," The Chiffons

55 Years Ago Spotlight: A couple more items on The List...

"Ring of Fire," Johnny Cash

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(Charted June 1, 1963; #17 US; #1 Country; #87 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

"One Fine Day," The Chiffons

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(Charted June 1, 1963; #5 US; #6 R&B; #29 UK; #460 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

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Catch-Up Viewing

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12 O'Clock High
"Big Brother"
Originally aired October 11, 1965

Gallagher's older battle fatigued Lt. col. brother in charge of a base in Africa refuses to refuel his planes, and has plans to abandon the area.

Guesting as Lt. Col. Preston Gallagher:

Lord actually seems like he's trying to do a character here, not just being Jack Lord. A pretty cardboard character, but an attempt nonetheless.

As for this also-noteworthy guest...I think she's trying to do a British accent:


Toss in Bernard (Dr. Bombay) Fox and Ken Lynch for good measure.

I was all set to poke fun at how the 918th is suddenly in North Africa for some reason, but it seems that shuttle bombing was a thing, though it's described in more detail in the following episode. Alas, if they'd only waited a season, they could've done a Rat Patrol team-up. Troy wouldn't have stolen Joe's gas.

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12 O'Clock High
"The Hotshot"
Originally aired October 18, 1965

A lt. colonel in charge of a P-51 fighter group harbors great anger toward Col. Gallagher when his B-17 mistakenly shoots down one of his planes in battle.

Likewise, I'd made fun of a previously viewed episode from later in the season because suddenly, out of nowhere, the 918th had P-51 escorts like they'd always been there. Turns out that was H&I's bad...this is the episode that introduced them to the show.

There's a story of the 918th and the P-51 squadron learning to work together, but the titular character, Lt. Col. Troper (Warren Oates), remains an asshole to the end.

Also guesting Walter Brooke...

...and Jill Ireland, though neither is in an opening-credits role.

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

1. "Respect," Aretha Franklin
2. "Groovin'," The Young Rascals
3. "I Got Rhythm," The Happenings
4. "Release Me (and Let Me Love Again)," Engelbert Humperdinck
5. "Him or Me, What's It Gonna Be?," Paul Revere & The Raiders
6. "Somebody to Love," Jefferson Airplane
7. "She'd Rather Be with Me," The Turtles
8. "Little Bit o' Soul," The Music Explosion
9. "All I Need," The Temptations
10. "Creeque Alley," The Mamas & The Papas
11. "Mirage," Tommy James & The Shondells
12. "Windy," The Association
13. "Here Comes My Baby," The Tremeloes
14. "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," Spanky & Our Gang
15. "Let's Live for Today," The Grass Roots
16. "Come on Down to My Boat," Every Mother's Son
17. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," Frankie Valli
18. "Six O'Clock," The Lovin' Spoonful
19. "7-Rooms of Gloom," Four Tops
20. "On a Carousel," The Hollies
21. "Do It Again a Little Bit Slower," Jon & Robin & The In Crowd
22. "Friday on My Mind," The Easybeats
23. "When You're Young and in Love," The Marvelettes
24. "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," Neil Diamond
25. "The Happening," The Supremes
26. "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)," Bee Gees
27. "Sweet Soul Music," Arthur Conley
28. "Alfie," Dionne Warwick
29. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
30. "Tramp," Otis & Carla
31. "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman," Whistling Jack Smith
32. "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," Scott McKenzie
33. "Ding, Dong! The Witch Is Dead," The Fifth Estate
34. "Don't You Care," The Buckinghams
35. "Close Your Eyes," Peaches & Herb
36. "Shake a Tail Feather," James & Bobby Purify
37. "Here We Go Again," Ray Charles
38. "Happy Jack," The Who

41. "Somethin' Stupid," Frank & Nancy Sinatra

43. "The Oogum Boogum Song," Brenton Wood
44. "Up, Up and Away," The 5th Dimension
45. "The Tracks of My Tears," Johnny Rivers

48. "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)," Janis Ian
49. "Don't Sleep in the Subway," Petula Clark

53. "For Your Precious Love," Oscar Toney, Jr.
54. "Shake," Otis Redding

56. "Pay You Back with Interest," The Hollies

61. "Light My Fire," The Doors

66. "C'mon Marianne," The Four Seasons

68. "I Was Made to Love Her," Stevie Wonder

70. "Soul Finger," The Bar-Kays

81. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat," Bob Dylan

84. "Make Me Yours," Bettye Swann

86. "Step Out of Your Mind," The American Breed

89. "I Take It Back," Sandy Posey

93. "Release Me," Esther Phillips

97. "Have You Seen Her Face," The Byrds


Leaving the chart:

• "Casino Royale," Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
• "Dead End Street Monologue/Dead End Street," Lou Rawls
• "I Think We're Alone Now," Tommy James & The Shondells
• "Sunshine Girl," The Parade
• "Too Many Fish in the Sea & Three Little Fishes," Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
• "When I Was Young," Eric Burdon & The Animals
• "Yellow Balloon," The Yellow Balloon
• "You Got What It Takes," The Dave Clark Five

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The Judge just won't stay away.

Indeed, I was reading that this particular judge will be regularly doing his routine in the coming season of Laugh-In. According to his Wiki page, he also originated the catchphrase "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls".

This is cute.

Odd one for the ever-changing group.

I got this one, but I'm not quite feeling it for the song. And it has the dubious distinction of being their last Top 40 hit until their 1986 retro comeback.

It's "B" side--"Its Nice To Be With You" was --arguably-- the better track, if just a bit syrupy.

Well let's give it a listen....

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(Charted June 15, 1968; #51 US)

Hmm...pleasant enough and closer to what I'm used to from the show / major singles period...but I can hear why it wasn't a bigger hit.

This is a nice one that very much reminds me of those days.

It has a nice sound, but is a bit of a snoozer for me. Apparently the Vogues were in a "recent retro" period at this point, covering songs from the '50s and early '60s. This one was the first (albeit sub-Top 40) charting single for its writer, Glen Campbell, in 1961.

Yeah, but it really belongs to a lot of people, going way back.

Others may have gotten us involved there, but Johnson left the situation far worse than he found it. As the Commander-in-Chief, he was ultimately responsible for America's role in the bloodshed and atrocities that occurred during his watch, and arguably after, to some extent. Hence the assertion made on the show, that he was the most violent man in the world at the time.

As for RFK, he could only add this to his "extreme Right Wing" theory if he believed (like RFK friend Paul Schrade--another who was shot at the same time) that Sirhan Sirhan did not fire the fatal shots at RFK.

I don't buy much into conspiracy theories. I can at least understand where they're coming from to some extent where JFK's assassination is concerned, though more modern forensics have poked a lot of holes in the supposed evidence of a second shooter. But I just don't get where a "second shooter" theory has any place in RFK's assassination...he was shot in a crowded space from--what, four feet away?--while surrounded by dozens of witnesses. Not much of a demand for magic bullets there.

As a matter of fact, Bullitt wrapped on May 25 of that year.

So a little IMDbirdie told me.

 

[Nerys Myk]

2. "Sukiyaki," Kyu Sakamoto

Loved that song as a kid. My dad had the Japanese single. It came out in Japan when we lived there.