The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[RJDiogenes]

50 Years Ago This Week

I'm picturing the football stampede in Buenos Aires and it looks like it was drawn by Gary Larson.

"Autumn of My Life," Bobby Goldsboro

I forgot about this one. I think Bobby Goldsboro is one of those guys who just likes to be sad.

"Journey to the Center of the Mind," The Amboy Dukes

Yeah, baby.

"Stay in My Corner," The Dells

I'm not familiar with this one. It's pretty ordinary. And very long.

Nah, he just exists in comic book time.

When photorealistic CGI recreation of classic actors becomes available, one of the things I really want to see is that Bond movie where Connery regenerates into Moore.

Saw the oddest thing on Antenna today...in a Hawaii episode of I Dream of Jeannie, Mrs. Bellows had her shirt tied up above her midriff, her belly button plainly visible. So Barbara Eden wasn't allowed to show her belly button, but Emmaline Henry was...?

Odd. It's not like Mrs Bellows wasn't attractive. The censors must have been off having a Mai Tai or something.

 

[GNDN18]

The censors must have been off having a Mai Tai

It’s the exception that proves the rule
or something.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Thomas Crown Affair
Starring Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke, and Jack Weston
Directed by Norman Jewison Premiered June 19, 1968
Winner of 1969 Academy Award for Best Original Song ("The Windmills of Your Mind"); Nominee for Best Original Music Score (Michel Legrand)

McQueen at the height of his popularity. There was not another star anywhere near that level in 1968.

Well, this wasn't a bad period film, though I can see why Roger Ebert reportedly called it "possibly the most under-plotted, underwritten, over-photographed film of the year."

Not unusual for Ebert to miss the point of the film. Then again, this is the same guy who gave the retreaded, plot-challenged pseudo biopic Casino 4 stars, so I guess "underplotted" films only worked for him if it was the tired mafia genre in the hands of Scorsese.

It seems a bit overly simple how quickly Vicki Anderson (Dunaway) suspects Crown (McQueen):
(She jumps right on Crown as her chief suspect right after that clip cuts off. Also, an insurance investigator has to be told what arbitrage is?)

You would be surprised how investigators see in others what the average person cannot. Con artists often have routines or a "tell" indicating their actions, or possible actions.

The seduction during the chess game started sexy but became comically obvious

Beautifully filmed. Its no wonder the scene is still praised to this day.

It had pretty interesting cinematography, though, with the use of split-screen effects to present multiple "panels" showing different things simultaneously

One of many late 60s/early 70s films to employ this visual tool, but rarely does it work as well it did here.

"The Windmills of Your Mind," written by Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, and Marilyn Bergman, and performed by Noel Harrison, is an interesting sign o' the times-sounding tune:

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The entire soundtrack is winner, and one of the key releases to continue the push or alternative to symphonic scores.

Casino Royale

Niven's older, retired Bond makes snide remarks directed toward Connery's version of the character, but doesn't lay claim to any authenticity himself. The ages of his daughter by Mata Hari (Mata Bond, played by Pettet) and his Moneypenny's daughter would seem to indicate he was last active in a World War II timeframe...but Mata Hari was a World War I spy who died in 1917.

As a spoof, names and dates go out of the window, much like Ted (Airplane!) Striker's flashbacks of his fighter pilot days using footage from WW2, etc.

Also, if the actual Dusty Springfield performance of "The Look of Love" was played in the original film, it was cut here. All This gave us were instrumental versions in the score. We did, of course, hear the title theme by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love" had two versions: one for the truncated Colgems soundtrack album, and the arguably greater version with a rather lush arrangement:

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--which was the one most familiar to listeners, probably leading to disappointment for anyone who bought the soundtrack album only to hear that alternate cut.

From what I read, the soundtrack album seems to be the most highly regarded thing to come out of the film.

The film has its fans, and unlike so many mid-60s productions that tried too hard to exemplify the color, excitement and innovation (in a visual sense) of the so-called "swinging sixties", Casino Royale's "go for it" mix of obvious street styles with the abstract and/or bizarre actually touched on so many of the artistic influences of the era in a truthful, fun way--the opposite of a few pretentious rock bands who thought they were the moment to be captured or represented as the face of the time.

I'm unsure if Pettet's hair continuity is a casualty of the This edit or the original production...she's suddenly sporting a very short pixie 'do in later scenes.

Joanna Pettet would go one to guest star in 4 episodes of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, making her one of that series' MVPs along with John Astin with 3 appearances.

With its cast and production values, I can't help thinking that this film was a wasted opportunity to be the more on-the-mark spoof of the '60s spy film craze that the Austin Powers films would be in the '90s.

Personally, I found Austin Powers to be too in love with apeing the genre/period instead of coming off like a naturally inspired spoof like Blazing Saddles was for the western..[/quote]

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

"Journey to the Center of the Mind," The Amboy Dukes

Ahh, the Amboy Dukes, featuring everyone's favorite peddler of white extremism grievance, Ted Nugent.

Saw the oddest thing on Antenna today...in a Hawaii episode of I Dream of Jeannie, Mrs. Bellows had her shirt tied up above her midriff, her belly button plainly visible. So Barbara Eden wasn't allowed to show her belly button, but Emmaline Henry was...?

Oversight. It had to be since that "rule" was always enforced with Eden, which is where all of the attention was focused.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I think Bobby Goldsboro is one of those guys who just likes to be sad.

Or he's just milking the style of his recent #1. It seems damn odd for a guy who was 27 at the time to be singing about the autumn of his life....

Yeah, baby.

The Amboy Dukes' only Hot 100 single, though Ted Nugent would go on to further success and notoriety in decades to come, including...

Ahh, the Amboy Dukes, featuring everyone's favorite peddler of white extremism grievance, Ted Nugent.

...that.

It is a good psychedelic rock number, though.

I'm not familiar with this one. It's pretty ordinary. And very long.

One of two Top 10 singles by the Dells, both of which were remakes of earlier, less successful singles of theirs. The prior version of "Stay in My Corner" had only been in 1965...though for their second Top 10 single (which is also their Rolling Stone list entry), they'd revisit the '50s. As for the running time...looks like that was the actual single length.

Odd. It's not like Mrs Bellows wasn't attractive.

Indeed, I was like, "Hey, look at th--wait a minute...!"

The censors must have been off having a Mai Tai or something.

It’s the exception that proves the rule or something.

Oversight. It had to be since that "rule" was always enforced with Eden, which is where all of the attention was focused.

I have to think that it was one of two things. (a) Standards had loosened by 1968, but nobody bothered to renegotiate Eden's situation or retailor her costume. (b) Because the whole concept of Jeannie was so loaded with fetishism, this may have been an example of the sort of bizarre negotiations with censors that I'd hear about in later productions (think it was Ron Moore's BSG podcasts), where the censors would limit the thrusts or moans in a sex scene to a certain number.

McQueen at the height of his popularity. There was not another star anywhere near that level in 1968.

That's the sort of assertion that's just begging to be challenged. A quick bit of Googling turned up that he was the #7 moneymaking star of 1968, falling behind Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, Julie Andrews, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Dean Martin. He rose to #3 in the following two years, still falling behind Newman, Wayne, and Eastwood.

You would be surprised how investigators see in others what the average person cannot. Con artists often have routines or a "tell" indicating their actions, or possible actions.

In this case, I think it was all part of the film's slightly hamhanded way of tying together the lead characters' attempted seduction of each other with her attempt to prove him guilty and his attempt to turn her. She had the hots for him, so of course he was also the guy they were looking for.

One of many late 60s/early 70s films to employ this visual tool, but rarely does it work as well it did here.

I was under the impression from what I'd read that this may have been the first major film to use it.

As a spoof, names and dates go out of the window, much like Ted (Airplane!) Striker's flashbacks of his fighter pilot days using footage from WW2, etc.

Which works when the film is a satirical masterpiece like Airplane! If only CR were as enjoyable....

Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love" had two versions: one for the truncated Colgems soundtrack album, and the arguably greater version with a rather lush arrangement:

Ah...I hadn't realized that the single version wasn't the same as the one used in the film, since This didn't let me hear it. Looking it up, I definitely find the more minimally arranged soundtrack version to be enjoyable...it brings out the entrancing bossa nova vibe.

The film has its fans, and unlike so many mid-60s productions that tried too hard to exemplify the color, excitement and innovation (in a visual sense) of the so-called "swinging sixties", Casino Royale's "go for it" mix of obvious street styles with the abstract and/or bizarre actually touched on so many of the artistic influences of the era in a truthful, fun way--the opposite of a few pretentious rock bands who thought they were the moment to be captured or represented as the face of the time.

I'm sure that I enjoy those pretentious rock bands more than this film.

Personally, I found Austin Powers to be too in love with apeing the genre/period instead of coming off like a naturally inspired spoof like Blazing Saddles was for the western.

As a Bond fan, I recall being a bit defensive when the first Austin Powers film came out, but I came to appreciate its spoofery. And as the AP films were made decades after what they were spoofing...and the subject of their spoofing was more of a moment-in-time fad...there was definitely a strong retro/nostalgia element to them.

 

[The Old Mixer]

_______

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

1. "Sukiyaki," Kyu Sakamoto
2. "It's My Party," Lesley Gore
3. "Hello Stranger," Barbara Lewis

5. "Easier Said Than Done," The Essex
6. "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer," Nat King Cole
7. "One Fine Day," The Chiffons
8. "You Can't Sit Down," The Dovells
9. "Memphis," Lonnie Mack
10. "Surf City," Jan & Dean
11. "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)," The Crystals
12. "Birdland," Chubby Checker
13. "So Much in Love," The Tymes

16. "18 Yellow Roses," Bobby Darin
17. "Surfin' U.S.A.," The Beach Boys
18. "My Summer Love," Ruby & The Romantics

22. "The Good Life," Tony Bennett

24. "Pride and Joy," Marvin Gaye
25. "String Along," Rick Nelson
26. "Two Faces Have I," Lou Christie

29. "Shut Down," The Beach Boys

31. "Come and Get These Memories," Martha & The Vandellas

33. "If You Wanna Be Happy," Jimmy Soul
34. "Falling," Roy Orbison
35. "Ring of Fire," Johnny Cash

37. "Prisoner of Love," James Brown & The Famous Flames
38. "Another Saturday Night," Sam Cooke

40. "The Love of My Man," Theola Kilgore
41. "Losing You," Brenda Lee

43. "Not Me," The Orlons

47. "Without Love (There Is Nothing)," Ray Charles

49. "Just One Look," Doris Troy

51. "Wipe Out," The Surfaris
52. "Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye," The Shirelles

58. "Fingertips, Pt. 2," Little Stevie Wonder
59. "My True Confession," Brook Benton

68. "Denise," Randy & The Rainbows

71. "Till Then," The Classics

82. "Mockingbird," Inez & Charlie Foxx
83. "Green, Green," The New Christy Minstrels
84. "(You're the) Devil in Disguise," Elvis Presley

86. "Blowin' in the Wind," Peter, Paul & Mary

96. "From Me to You," Del Shannon

99. "I (Who Have Nothing)," Ben E. King


Leaving the chart:

• "Foolish Little Girl," The Shirelles
• "Hot Pastrami," The Dartells
• "I Will Follow Him," Little Peggy March
• "Let's Go Steady Again," Neil Sedaka
• "Pushover," Etta James
• "Take These Chains from My Heart," Ray Charles

55 Years Ago Spotlight--The Beatles and Bob Dylan both see their first Hot 100 action in the form of covers this week:

"From Me to You," Del Shannon

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(#77 US)

"Blowin' in the Wind," Peter, Paul & Mary

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(#2 US; #1 AC; #13 UK)

_______

Catch-Up Viewing

_______

12 O'Clock High
"A Distant Cry"
Originally aired October 7, 1966

A strict instructor captain gives low instrument rating grades to good combat pilot that could hurt his chances of promotion.

The instructor, Captain Pridie (Roy Thinnes), is a by-the-book type with no combat experience. Lt. Johnny Eagle (Robert Blake, who was often cast as Native Americans despite being of Italian descent), is the good combat pilot, who happens to be an old friend, but Pridie keeps him at arm's length to avoid playing favorites. (The casting situation isn't done any favors by the way Eagle does so many gags about being an "Indian".)

Pridie's with the 918th because they plan to use flying by instruments to take advantage of bad weather in upcoming missions; and after his lack of combat experience comes up, Pridie wants a shot at one of those missions...but nobody wants to fly with him because he's been giving out so many career-damaging bad grades.

Pridie takes it very hard when Eagle and his co-pilot, Lt. Fredricks (Wayne Rogers), get shot down in Act II. He subsequently impresses Gallagher with a letter that he writes to Eagle's mother.

Gallagher flies his "mission control" Mustang in Act IV, which climaxes with him having to guide a blinded Pridie through a landing.

This was definitely more the type of story in which the show specialized in previous seasons.

Sally the barmaid looks a little too '60s for 1944:


_______

12 O'Clock High
"Practice to Deceive"
Originally aired October 14, 1966

Col. Gallagher becomes a POW in Germany, when a German admiral helps to rescue him, then reveals plans to kill Hitler and negotiate total surrender to the allies.

Gallagher gets shot down while flying his Mustang solo...and back from Russia, I think it was. Definitely doesn't seem like a terribly smart or authentic situation for a bomber group commander to find himself in.

The plot of this episode is loosely based on the July 1944 attempt to assassinate Hitler. From what I read to familiarize myself, it seems like we have two characters based on different aspects of Col. Claus von Stauffenberg. Major Paul Strasser (Jan Merlin) factors more strongly in the story, and stands out for having the shared attributes of wearing an eyepatch and always having his right arm tucked into his jacket (von Stauffenberg was missing a hand). But it's a character who factors less in the story, a Count Klaus von Schullendorf, who's said to have attempted to take over following the bombing. The audience is teased at the end of Act IV when news has gotten to England indicating that Hitler is dead, but that's cleared up in the Epilog.

The 918th gets a new commander in Gallagher's absence, though practically nothing is done with that story point. To avoid a triple-post in the Trek Guest Actors thread, I'll share his identity here:

Either Russo was short or Overton was taller than I've ever noticed...maybe a little of both.

_______

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

1. "Windy," The Association
2. "Groovin'," The Young Rascals
3. "Little Bit o' Soul," The Music Explosion
4. "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," Scott McKenzie
5. "She'd Rather Be with Me," The Turtles
6. "Respect," Aretha Franklin
7. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," Frankie Valli
8. "Let's Live for Today," The Grass Roots
9. "Come on Down to My Boat," Every Mother's Son
10. "Don't Sleep in the Subway," Petula Clark
11. "Ding, Dong! The Witch Is Dead," The Fifth Estate
12. "Up, Up and Away," The 5th Dimension
13. "The Tracks of My Tears," Johnny Rivers
14. "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)," Bee Gees
15. "Alfie," Dionne Warwick
16. "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," Spanky & Our Gang
17. "Somebody to Love," Jefferson Airplane
18. "C'mon Marianne," The Four Seasons
19. "Light My Fire," The Doors
20. "7-Rooms of Gloom," Four Tops
21. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
22. "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)," Janis Ian
23. "Here We Go Again," Ray Charles
24. "Do It Again a Little Bit Slower," Jon & Robin & The In Crowd
25. "I Was Made to Love Her," Stevie Wonder
26. "For Your Precious Love," Oscar Toney, Jr.
27. "Release Me (and Let Me Love Again)," Engelbert Humperdinck
28. "A Whiter Shade of Pale," Procol Harum
29. "Pay You Back with Interest," The Hollies

31. "Soul Finger," The Bar-Kays
32. "Make Me Yours," Bettye Swann
33. "White Rabbit," Jefferson Airplane

36. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," The Buckinghams

39. "I Take It Back," Sandy Posey
40. "All I Need," The Temptations
41. "Step Out of Your Mind," The American Breed
42. "More Love," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

44. "Tramp," Otis & Carla
45. "Carrie-Anne," The Hollies
46. "For Your Love," Peaches & Herb
47. "Mirage," Tommy James & The Shondells
48. "I Got Rhythm," The Happenings
49. "Don't Go Out into the Rain (You're Going to Melt)," Herman's Hermits

52. "The Oogum Boogum Song," Brenton Wood

58. "Silence Is Golden," The Tremeloes

72. "You Only Live Twice," Nancy Sinatra

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

76. "Hypnotized," Linda Jones
77. "I Like the Way," Tommy James & The Shondells

84. "Let the Good Times Roll & Feel So Good," Bunny Sigler

90. "Pictures of Lily," The Who

93. "My World Fell Down," Sagittarius

95. "(I Wanna) Testify," The Parliaments


Leaving the chart:

• "Creeque Alley," The Mamas & The Papas
• "Here Comes My Baby," The Tremeloes
• "Him or Me, What's It Gonna Be?," Paul Revere & The Raiders
• "Shake," Otis Redding
• "When You're Young and in Love," The Marvelettes

_______

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I have to think that it was one of two things. (a) Standards had loosened by 1968, but nobody bothered to renegotiate Eden's situation or retailor her costume.

Probably not, since Mariette Hartley's costume for Star Trek's "All Our Yesterdays" (shot December 20 - 30, 1968 / aired March 14, 1969) hid her belly button, so we can assume it was still an enforced issue for networks at the end of the decade.

That's the sort of assertion that's just begging to be challenged. A quick bit of Googling turned up that he was the #7 moneymaking star of 1968, falling behind Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, Julie Andrews, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Dean Martin. He rose to #3 in the following two years, still falling behind Newman, Wayne, and Eastwood.

1968's box office says something else..

McQueen - Bullitt: $42.3 million / The Thomas Crown Affair: $14 million.
Poitier - For Love of Ivy - $7,270,000.
Wayne - The Green Berets - $32 million / Hellfighters: $3.75 million.
Eastwood - Coogan's Bluff: $3,110,000 / Where Eagles Dare: $21 million / Hang 'Em High: $6.8 million.
Andrews - Star! - $10 million.
Newman - The Secret War of Harry Frigg - $3,500,000.
Martin - 5 Card Stud: $3,500,000 / The Wrecking Crew: $2.4 million.

So, McQueen was at the height of his popularity as the year's biggest star / box-office draw by considerable distance, with John Wayne coming in second place with only one film, which was easily outperformed by McQueen's best.

Which works when the film is a satirical masterpiece like Airplane! If only CR were as enjoyable....

You have to put your mind where the film was at the time. The overall environment it was a part of (as opposed to someone satirizing the past like Austin Powers). Its very much a creature of it period, and embraces that.

Ah...I hadn't realized that the single version wasn't the same as the one used in the film, since This didn't let me hear it. Looking it up, I definitely find the more minimally arranged soundtrack version to be enjoyable...it brings out the entrancing bossa nova vibe.

I found the "strings" version to have more emotional weight.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Probably not, since Mariette Hartley's costume for Star Trek's "All Our Yesterdays" (shot December 20 - 30, 1968 / aired March 14, 1969) hid her belly button, so we can assume it was still an enforced issue at the end of the decade.

As @GNDN18 indicated, Trek had already demonstrated otherwise. In addition to "Mirror, Mirror," "A Private Little War" and "The Cloud Minders" also come immediately to mind.

1968's box office says something else..

McQueen - Bullitt: $42.3 million / The Thomas Crown Affair: $14 million.
Poitier - For Love of Ivy - $7,270,000.
Wayne - The Green Berets - $32 million / Hellfighters: $3.75 million.
Eastwood - Coogan's Bluff: $3,110,000 / Where Eagles Dare: $21 million / Hang 'Em High: $6.8 million.
Andrews - Star! - $10 million.
Newman - The Secret War of Harry Frigg - $3,500,000.
Martin - 5 Card Stud: $3,500,000 / The Wrecking Crew: $2.4 million.

Is this taking into account films that were released in '67 but making money in theaters in '68? Just spot-checking a couple of the actors, continuing box office receipts for films like Cool Hand Luke and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner likely factored into the Wiki numbers. Movies had legs in those days. Likewise, Bullitt probably made a lot of its money in '69 (especially factoring in international release dates).

You have to put your mind where the film was at the time. The overall environment it was a part of (as opposed to someone satirizing the past like Austin Powers). Its very much a creature of it period, and embraces that.

It is, but it's not a particularly good creature of its period. I was using AP as an example of how it could have been a more on-the-money spoof of the spy film craze in its own time (rather than after-the-fact as with AP).

 

[GNDN18]

Either Russo was short or….

 

[The Old Mixer]

^ That, and I got one Google result indicating that Overton was 6'2".

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

As @GNDN18 indicated, Trek had already demonstrated otherwise. In addition to "Mirror, Mirror," "A Private Little War" and "The Cloud Minders" also come immediately to mind.

Unlike the restrictions to Susan Oliver's Orion slave girl costume created in 1964, if TOS' regular production had no barriers to showing belly buttons well into the second and third seasons, then why cover it for one of the last episodes with--arguably--one of the most risqué costumes? Or in "Whom Gods Destroy" with Yvonne Craig's Orion Slave Girl costume? Artistic choice?

Is this taking into account films that were released in '67 but making money in theaters in '68?

No, as I was addressing McQueen's status in reference to The Thomas Crown Affair--one of his 1968 movies, so to be accurate, I'm only listing the other performers' films released in the same year, not films that rolled over from 1967.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Unlike the restrictions to Susan Oliver's Orion slave girl costume created in 1964, if TOS' regular production had no barriers to showing belly buttons well into the second and third seasons, then why cover it for one of the last episodes with--arguably--one of the most risqué costumes? Or in "Whom Gods Destroy" with Yvonne Craig's Orion Slave Girl costume? Artistic choice?

Artistic choice, what the actresses looked best in, what the actresses felt comfortable wearing. Just because belly buttons could be shown didn't mean that they needed to be shown in every case.

No, as I was addressing McQueen's status in reference to The Thomas Crown Affair--one of his 1968 movies, so to be accurate, I'm only listing the other performers' films released in the same year, not films that rolled over from 1967.

Actually, your McQueen numbers match the numbers listed specifically for 1968 income here. But it's still an exaggeration to say that "there was not another star anywhere near that level in 1968." He had plenty of competition at the box office, and The Odd Couple made more than Bullitt.

And when making such broad statements about stars on McQueen's level in 1968, it makes sense to look at then-recent history...the 1967 figures show The Graduate dwarfing the combined 1968 totals for McQueen's films. Dustin Hoffman was still around in 1968. Seven other films in 1967 outperformed Bullitt's 1968 numbers, including Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Bonnie and Clyde, The Dirty Dozen, Valley of the Dolls, and You Only Live Twice.

ETA: Also, I don't think those numbers are taken only from the years listed as the site claims. The Graduate opened on Dec. 21, 1967. If it made $104 million, it made a good hunk of that in 1968. Indeed, this page on the same site confirms that the $104 million was The Graduate's total box office, not limited to 1967. So Hoffman's box office draw was at or surpassing McQueen's in 1968. Likewise, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner opened Dec. 12 and made $56.7 million.

Also, not sure why 2001 isn't on the 1968 list. It has a lifetime domestic gross of over $58 million.

And if we're putting so much weight on box office numbers...Casino Royale: not on the list.

 

[GNDN18]

The Making of Star Trek, p 360, on belly buttons and moss:

 

[scotpens]

As long as we're discussing network censorship with regard to umbilici, it's worth noting that Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In -- which regularly featured women dancing in bikinis, with navels galore -- made its series debut on NBC in January 1968. Make of that what you will.

 

[RJDiogenes]

It’s the exception that proves the rule
View attachment 5218 or something.

I suppose with anything arbitrary, there will be inconsistencies. Or hypocrisy. Or different people making the decisions on different days. Or negotiations. If it was negotiations, I'd love to see the Mirror uniforms before they were negotiated.

Or he's just milking the style of his recent #1. It seems damn odd for a guy who was 27 at the time to be singing about the autumn of his life....

Well, there were a few examples of singers playing characters in those days, though not many....

The Amboy Dukes' only Hot 100 single, though Ted Nugent would go on to further success and notoriety in decades to come, including...

I didn't even realize Nugent was involved.

I have to think that it was one of two things. (a) Standards had loosened by 1968, but nobody bothered to renegotiate Eden's situation or retailor her costume. (b) Because the whole concept of Jeannie was so loaded with fetishism, this may have been an example of the sort of bizarre negotiations with censors that I'd hear about in later productions (think it was Ron Moore's BSG podcasts), where the censors would limit the thrusts or moans in a sex scene to a certain number.

The second seems more likely. It may also have varied depending on the perceived audience of the show. Also, since censorship is essentially rooted in religious thinking, it's often something entirely arbitrary that will trigger them-- I wonder, in the case of Jeannie, if it was because Jeannie was single and Mrs Bellows was married.

The Making of Star Trek, p 360, on belly buttons and moss:

I still have my original edition of that book from the early 70s-- complete with the crayon marks that my Brother put there.

As long as we're discussing network censorship with regard to umbilici, it's worth noting that Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In -- which regularly featured women dancing in bikinis, with navels galore -- made its series debut on NBC in January 1968. Make of that what you will.

That's probably an example of the power of numbers. Imagine the Theiss designs we would have gotten if Star Trek was getting Laugh-In numbers.

"From Me to You," Del Shannon

A decent cover of The Beatles, but Del Shannon was cool and that was not the most Beatles-ish of the Beatles work.

"Blowin' in the Wind," Peter, Paul & Mary

In the early 70s, I listened to this endlessly on the Ten Years Together 8-Track.

This was definitely more the type of story in which the show specialized in previous seasons.

And in color!

Sally the barmaid looks a little too '60s for 1944:

1944 was a go-to destination for time travelers. "Be sure you look like you belong in the 20th Century."

Major Paul Strasser (Jan Merlin) factors more strongly in the story, and stands out for having the shared attributes of wearing an eyepatch and always having his right arm tucked into his jacket

Rick did a lot of damage with that one bullet. Even shot off the guy's first name.

Artistic choice, what the actresses looked best in, what the actresses felt comfortable wearing. Just because belly buttons could be shown didn't mean that they needed to be shown in every case.

Possibly the director anticipating censor interference? Andrea the Android is an example of someone who was covered up, and she was a nude model.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Old Mixer, you may find this link interesting. It came in MeTV's weekly email. Number 9 is especially.... weird.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Rick did a lot of damage with that one bullet. Even shot off the guy's first name.

Didn't realize...yet another cross-ref to that film...!

Andrea the Android is an example of someone who was covered up, and she was a nude model.

She wasn't showing her navel, but she was showing a lot of other skin...her outfit epitomized Theiss's "What's keeping it on?" style. And Sherry Jackson was an actress who did a nude scene in a film, stills from which were used in a Playboy pictorial...she wasn't a nude model. She had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame when she was 18, for her childhood role on The Danny Thomas Show.

From all of these other examples of navels popping out on TV in the '67-'68 season, I'm more of the mind that the standards had generally loosened by then, and Jeannie's costume was just grandfathered in.

A decent cover of The Beatles, but Del Shannon was cool and that was not the most Beatles-ish of the Beatles work.

I know I covered this some months back upthread, but knowing what's coming in '64, it just blows my mind that there was any Beatles song obscurely lurking in the lower reaches of the American chart at this point in '63. Sounds like...the future.

ETA: Don't know if anyone's been paying attention to the 51 Years Ago This Week playlist, but there are already a few songs on the Hot 100 that were still around in September 1967, the starting point of the 50 Years Ago This Week playlists. It's all coming together.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Artistic choice, what the actresses looked best in, what the actresses felt comfortable wearing. Just because belly buttons could be shown didn't mean that they needed to be shown in every case.

It would have helped Mariette Hartley's overall look.

Actually, your McQueen numbers match the numbers listed specifically for 1968 income here. But it's still an exaggeration to say that "there was not another star anywhere near that level in 1968." He had plenty of competition at the box office, and The Odd Couple made more than Bullitt.

And when making such broad statements about stars on McQueen's level in 1968, it makes sense to look at then-recent history...the 1967 figures show The Graduate dwarfing the combined 1968 totals for McQueen's films. Dustin Hoffman was still around in 1968. Seven other films in 1967 outperformed Bullitt's 1968 numbers, including Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Bonnie and Clyde, The Dirty Dozen, Valley of the Dolls, and You Only Live Twice.

Its not broad in the specific details of his 1968 film performance. That was the point, which was also proved against the other actors you listed with their films from the same year. All were out performed by McQueen's 1968 films, including the strongest competitor from that year--John Wayne. That made him the far and away biggest star / draw in the business for that year.

I do not use rollover 1967 box office as the films were publicized and released on a schedule for the audiences of that year, and as such, do not count as a part of the films (and influence) of the following year. That's the reason why Superman II (for one example) was released on December 4, 1980, but is still counted as part of the films of 1980, despite the movie still being in the theaters into early 1981. No one counts Superman II as being part of the films of 1981 in the way one lists genuine '81 releases For Your Eyes Only or Raiders of the Lost Ark. In that regard, any movie releases in the last quarter of 1967, are still films from that year.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I do not use rollover 1967 box office as the films were publicized and released on a schedule for the audiences of that year, and as such, do not count as a part of the films (and influence) of the following year.

What you choose to count is up to you, but I find that it's not nearly so clear-cut when a movie or single is released late in one calendar year and sees most of its action the following. This is often recognized in retrospectives of the era...e.g., CNN's 1968 series and TIME's 1968 special issue covered The Graduate as a de facto 1968 film because most of its theater run was in that year.

 

[RJDiogenes]

And Sherry Jackson was an actress who did a nude scene in a film, stills from which were used in a Playboy pictorial...she wasn't a nude model. She had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame when she was 18, for her childhood role on The Danny Thomas Show.

You can be both. I could have sworn I've seen at least one nude photo session, but I could be wrong. In any case, she wasn't shy.

From all of these other examples of navels popping out on TV in the '67-'68 season, I'm more of the mind that the standards had generally loosened by then, and Jeannie's costume was just grandfathered in.

The old rules were breaking down randomly, as rules will.

It would have helped Mariette Hartley's overall look.

They made up for it in Genesis II.