And co-written by John DF Black, I noticed in the Wiki quote. When I went to Wiki, I further noticed that Stirling Silliphant was involved as a producer. "I double dare you, motherfu--" SHUT YO MOUTH! Today's movie mashup. Has Bond ever had a regular girlfriend, aside from his wife? Vic reminds me a bit of the guy in Heat of the Night. It's been my impression that Shaft was one of the movies that spawned Blaxploitation, rather than actually being Blaxploitation. Another thing of note about Shaft is his cool name-- I think a character's shot at being iconic is heavily influenced by his name. Bond is cool on a primal level, Bullitt crosses over into corny, but Shaft is both tough and ironic. How often do kids like their parents' music? At first I specified "in America," but it diluted the joke. You call that Hippie noise music? Well, the album is certainly laden with classics, and only a couple of songs that I hadn't heard. It's hard to say my favorite from that batch. "Yesterday" reminds me of Dorchester in the same way that "Something" does, but I'd have to go with "Nowhere Man," I think. That's remarkable. I had no idea she did all that.
55 Years Ago This Week Overflow Special Also recent and new on the chart the week of August 13, 1966: "7 and 7 Is," Love (July 30; #33 US) "Go Ahead and Cry," The Righteous Brothers (Aug. 6; #30 US) "With a Girl Like You," The Troggs (Aug. 6; #29 US; #1 UK) "Mr. Dieingly Sad," The Critters (#17 US) "Turn-Down Day," The Cyrkle (#16 US) _______ That's right...I thought that might be of interest but neglected to jot it down. The first couple films tried doing that with Sylvia Trench, but that didn't stick. And up to a point, Fleming felt the need to explain what happened with the previous novel's girl. Those are the ones I'd be most interested in hearing about. I think it's remarkable that you didn't know. I was surprised by the Animals song.
Contrary to what some film "historians" and bandwagon-ing, low-information filmmakers have said over the decades, Shaft was not a "Blaxploitation" film, but a straight crime drama that was viewed through the lens of a black male lead and how the white world viewed / dealt with him. Clearly a landmark film, and advancing the reality of confident black males in a white, law and order world beyond 1967's In the Heat of the Night. Unlike the "Blaxploitation" films to follow, Shaft was not the typical genre characterization poles of either "too cool" for all around him, or a half-buffoon, filled with archaic and often unrealistic catchphrases, all to make a certain segment of the audience feel comfortable. Like too many films throughout history, a success could not be allowed to stand as it was intended, so of course, sequels followed, which were never needed and did not build on what was established for the character in the original film. Actually, Bullitt was an ironic naming choice; no one behind the film selected the name to sell the idea of a lethal gunslinger (that would become fashionable in the often excessively stupid 1980s film scene), but it contrasted with the title character's struggles with looking within himself on the issue of living with violence. He only uses his gun one time in the film--toward the end--and at that point, there's clear tension and regret registered on his face, which causes him to really wonder about his girlfriend's concerns (about accepting / becoming a part of the world of violence he deals with). Bullitt as a character name fits that tough, yet ironic naming.
Don’t know if I’v mentioned it in the thread tha I had the so called “Dead Babies” album jacket. I steamed the cover with the non descript pic and there it was in all of it’s horror. I sold it to an antique record store for $50. Yeah, I got hosed. Haven’t heard this song in MANY years. I think the song could legitimately claim a share of the credit for being a precursor to “heavy metal.” It really does sound to me like it’s ahead. Of it’s time. Agree 100%. Back in the 90’s , I did a complete rewatch of Shaft, hadn’t seen it in years,, and I was once again struck by how little it looked like most of the other movies that were all called “blaxploitation,” it actually holds up pretty well as a hard boiled crime story. Well everything holds uo except the tiny guns. Also, Shaft was one of several films about the New York drug trafficking scene in the 60’s and 70’s. Moses Gunn’sBumpy, was modeled on notorious drug boss, Bumpy Johnson, who was featured in a few other movies. Shafttook on a few real world issuesn a pretty grounded way.. The success of Shaft of course, was interpreted strictly along racial lines by the studios who decided that all you needed to get Black people to come to the theater was Black faces on screen regardless of story, acting, directing, etc. When these horrible movies finally failed, studio bosses blamed the failure on the racial make up of the casts, crew, and so, stopped making movies with all Black, or mostly Black casts and crews. When movies with mostly white casts fail, race is never a consideration.
Sounds like the 70s. Late 70s. FM. Sounds nice enough, but doesn't have that soaring feeling of their other work. From those "Wild Thing" guys. It's actually pretty good. I remember this from somewhere. Not Lost 45s, so either Oldies Radio or Time-Life tapes. It's okay. I definitely remember this from Oldies Radio. It's a nice Summery song. I don't think I'd heard "I'm Only Sleeping" before-- I can't be 100% sure, because it sounds so very Beatles. And it's really good. "And Your Bird Can Sing" is nice enough-- short and punchy and poetic-- but a minor work. Oddly enough, the one that caught me most of the ones I was unfamiliar with was "What Goes On." It's simple and straightforward, but earnest and the line "You didn't even think of me as someone with a name" is really biting (kind of amazing that it took three people to write it, though). It is remarkable, but every day I learn something new. I was surprised by the Animals and the Monkees (which, I suppose, are a kind of animal). That's quite an impressive resume. I agree with all of that, which is exactly why I'm not too crazy about the name. As you've probably noticed, I'm a big fan of the Pulp aesthetic all around, and I think it would have been a great name for a Pulp or B-Movie character (or even a superhero). But Bullitt is not that kind of a movie. Given its efforts at realism, the name is jarring-- even if they played it as a nickname based on a similar-sounding surname it would have been better. Obviously the movie didn't suffer for it, but I just find it to be a step too far.
_______ 55.5th-ish Anniversary Viewing _______ The Ed Sullivan Show Season 18, episode 15 Originally aired December 19, 1965 As not represented in The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show Metacritic lists this as a special episode dedicated to Stars of the Circus World, brought to us from Munich, Germany (filmed, I presume). The Sullivan YouTube account has this segment dated as having aired on August 28, 1966, which the Metacritic listing gives as the episode's rerun date: Other performances, as listed on Metacritic: Russian Cossacks (stunt trick horseback riding act featuring an 8 year-old girl) Ruppert's Bears (3 bears perform handstands and ride bicycles) Katarina (high wire act) Kroplins Chimps (trained animal act) Sam And Sammy (man foot juggles his son then spins and flips him with his feet) Rogana (female acrobat) The Schickler Sisters (3 Equestriennes) The Gaonas (four aerialists from Mexico) _______ Branded "A Proud Town" Originally aired December 19, 1965 Two days before Christmas (Hey, it's a holiday episode!), in a snow-capped mountain area, Jason rides onto a vaguely frigid-looking set to find a couple of runaway orphans, Mike and Abigail (Pat Cardi and Pamelyn Ferdin), doing the usual orphan thing of being cold and hungry. They're on the run from a man named Stoddard, who controls the town of New Hope and whose son, Randy, Mike is believed to have shot. Jason offers them a meal and takes them back into town, where they live with a man named Perrin, who takes in all the local orphans. Jason and the kids are accosted by a couple of Stoddard's goons, whom Jason deals with fistily. Jason finds the home and shop of tailor Julius Perrin (Ludwig Donath) filled with young extras. Julius explains how Martin Stoddard, who holds the mortgage, is trying to run him and his orphans out of town, and how Mike is at a particular disadvantage from being an orphaned Indian, while strains of "We Three Kings" play. Jason goes to see Stoddard (Ken Mayer), whom he was coming into town to do an engineering job for. In front of his Christmas tree, Stoddard opines that Perrin is a heathen (apparently Jewish) and all of the orphaned children are savages, though Randy (Robeert Gross) had just been trying to tell him something about the shooting from his sickbed. After McCord leaves, Stoddard orders his chief henchman to get Perrin out of town that night--Christmas Eve, natch--a few days ahead of the foreclosure. By the time we get back from the commercial, the ultimatum has already been delivered, accompanied by $100 and a wagon, and Jason begins to recite "The Night Before Christmas" at the kids' request. While Mr. Pott--er, Stoddard--is chairing a Christmas Eve town council meeting where he shares his plans to build a church on the site of the tailor shop, Jason pleads with Stoddard's wife, Grace (Carol Brewster). When he gets back to Perrin's, Jason has to fight off the goons again, and Stoddard walks in to confront him about Randy having run away. Randy is promptly found, and contrary to what you'd expect, the doctor (Jay Jostyn) does some handwaving about how the boy's impromptu jaunt in the cold has improved his condition. Randy explains that he was just trying to deliver toys to the orphans, and that he was the one who was playing around with his father's gun when it went off. Suitably humbled for the conclusion, Stoddard apologizes to Perrin, and Jason steers Stoddard into turning the new town hall into an orphanage run by Perrin. Perrin hosts his first Christmas dinner there, where Mike gives Jason a very cross-like wooden sword to replace his saber--which isn't actually shown in the episode, but I'm sure we'll be seeing it a lot more than Mike's gift. _______ Gilligan's Island "Mine Hero" Originally aired December 23, 1965 Gilligan tries to tell the Skipper, who won't listen in his usual fashion; then goes to the Howells, who think he means a different kind of mine. Meanwhile, the girls, trying to scrounge up some metal for the Professor, attempt to persuade Gilligan to hand over the good luck charm that he wears around his neck. The men finally agree to have a look at Gilligan's "iron mine," which they discover has been activated. This is contrived to be an island-wide danger, as the Professor thinks that the explosion will set off volcanic gas. Gilligan and Mr. Howell become stuck to the mine by the former's lucky charm and the latter's watch and ID bracelet, but the Prof gets them loose by counteracting it with the radio's high frequency waves. The castaways' efforts to deactivate the rusty mine prove fruitless, so the Prof determines that it has to be towed out to sea. Gilligan secretly volunteers himself, using the raft to tow it, though the metal rudder attracts the mine, so that Gilligan has to cut the line. In the coda, the mine detonates in the lagoon, and Gilligan catches a large swordfish in the sense that it falls into his arms. _______ The Wild Wild West "The Night of the Fatal Trap" Originally aired December 24, 1965 Members of the Vasquez Gang (including Joseph Ruskin as a character we learn is named Viper Black) rob a bank and escape pursuit by local law enforcement by crossing a border river, upon which Colonel Francesco Vasquez (Ron Randell) rides up to openly taunt the sheriff (Don Briggs). As the train rides in, Jim arranges to impersonate a recently captured outlaw named Frank Slade, which includes printing up doctored wanted posters. Artie in disguise as a crazy prospector type makes sure Fake Slade gets on the radar of Vasquez's accomplices south of the border by claiming to have seen him in the area, and gets an audience with Vasquez. Vasquez's ladyfriend, Linda Medford (Joanna Moore), sees the poster and nonverbally reacts to the sight of Jim. Later she compares it with a too-modern-looking newspaper photo of herself with Jim at a Washington gala. When Fake Slade rides into town, Artie introduces him to members of the gang, including the three Dawson brothers (one of whom IMDb says is played by an uncredited Alan Sues, whom I never would have recognized here); Jim is then taken to see Vasquez, who takes an interest in the two of them doing business. At a dinner party hosted by Vasquez, Linda plays along with Jim's charade, including as he exhibits terrible table manners as part of his role...but Jim won't drop his character even while she attempts to talk to him in private. Jim and Vasquez negotiate a partnership / protection arrangement in exchange for Vasquez and his gang's help in a federal bullion shipment heist that Fake Slade is fake planning...which would involve Vasquez himself crossing the border. Up north a bit, Artie coordinates the US end of the fake heist with local law enforcement. Linda confronts Jim at gunpoint in his room, and he drops his cover and discusses old times as she asks for a cut in his operation. She knew Jim when he was operating under another cover, and he allows her to believe that he's just an extra-devious criminal. Meanwhile, we witness tension between Linda and Vasquez, such that he has her watched by Viper. Outside before the heist, Jim gets into a fake shootout with Artie and fake wins. The heist proceeds, with the lawmen playing various roles on their side as the outlaws hiack a wagon full of fake prisoners for picking up the shipment in their own disguises, but Vasquez double-crosses Jim. At the bank where the outlaws plan to pick up the shipment, Vasquez sees a poster of the real Slade and the gang tries to hightail out ahead of the lawmen riding into town in their striped prisoner outfits; but Artie, still in his disguise, pursues the outlaws. Held prisoner in the back of the wagon, Jim releases a vial of uncharacteristically invisible knockout gas from his heel to take out his guards, then wrestles with Vasquez on top of the wagon. Jim releases the horses and goes with them while Vasquez accompanies the wagon down a cliff. In the train coda, Jim continues to let Linda believe that he's a lucky swindler, and offers her the opportunity to turn in the captive Viper for a reward. _______ Hogan's Heroes "Reservations Are Required" Originally aired December 24, 1965 Newkirk pretends to sleepwalk as a diversion for LeBeau to get out through lift-up sections of the camp fences in order to dig for mushrooms in the woods, where he's found by Stalag 9 escapees Braden (Robert Hogan) and Mills (Dennis Robertson), who know of Hogan and are looking to get themselves and the other eighteen men, who are all brought in via the tunnel, back to England. Braden is antsy to get out sooner than can be accommodated, so he starts devising his own plan. The prisoners spot the attempt and Hogan blows it for them in order to not jeopardize the operation; but manages to swap Braden and Mills with two Stalag 13 prisoners, who get time in the cooler. Hogan then moves up the plan to get the Stalag 9 escapees out. The plan involves using a different tunnel, but there are guards near the other end, so Newkirk, Carter, and LeBeau fake a botched escape through it and lead Klink to the other end above ground as a diversion for the Stalag 9 escapees, already in the tunnel, to exit from the now-clear outside end with their disguises and papers. In the coda, the tunnel has been filled in and all of Hogan's men get time in the cooler. DIS!MISSED! _______ Get Smart "Survival of the Fattest" Originally aired December 25, 1965 Max visits the Prince (Dan Seymour) at his hotel room in the role of an oil company president. While he's reporting to the Chief via shoe in the closet, the maid and the prince's belly dancer (Karen Steele and Tania Lemoni) abduct him. Max volunteers to undergo brutal interrogation to try to remember some helpful detail, and it turns out to be how the maid carried in a refrigerator, which identifies her as unnaturally strong female agent Mary "Jack" Armstrong. Max stays at the hotel to strike up a conversation with Mary Jack and slip a truth drug into her drink via a tie given to him by CONTROL Scientist of the Week Parker (Milton Selzer); but after a series of switcheroos, she tricks him into downing the drugged drink. Max is held at the gym where Mary Jack and her accomplices, Carla the belly dancer and Rhonda (Patti Gilbert), are forcing the prince to lose weight so he'll be deposed when he isn't heavy enough for his weight-in-gold tribute to keep his country's economy healthy. Rhonda repeatedly thwarts Max's efforts to enable a tracking device concealed in the shoulder of his jacket; but he temporarily gains the upper hand on the ladies with a gun concealed in a fake finger. They're about to toss him out a window when the Chief arrives with a couple of agents, and it turns out that he and Mary Jack are old flames, who sit down to have a tender talk in which she addresses him as Thaddeus. In the coda, it turns out that the prince hasn't lost his kingdom because his weight loss has set a new trend there. 99 is not in this episode. _______ Interesting...now I'm curious what I'd need to watch down the road to get a good representative sample of what blaxploitation became. Maybe something obvious will pop up. If it needs that much explanation, though, it's not making the point. You have not! Until now, this was something that I'd only read about...OK, I guess I'm still reading about it, but still... Sounds more proto-punk to me... ...which is what I assume this is referring to. The Disney intro kills it for me. Decent, but I'm only starting to remember how it goes without listening to it. Pretty and mellow, but sounds like a Chris Montez knock-off. Pleasant and upbeat period pop, but definitely in the bubble-blowing zone. A good, bouncy light John rocker where he's not being too serious. Well, usually where the Lennon-McCartney credit is involved, one or the other primarily wrote it; that was their arrangement. This one has more of a history than I knew/remembered, though. Apparently it's based on a song that John wrote ca. 1959 that originally sounded more Buddy Holly, but was substantially reworked by this point. From what the Wiki page says, Paul may have played a significant role in the reworking. By his own self-deprecating account, Ringo contributed "about five words". I'm pretty sure that Goffin & King being among those who wrote for the Monkees came up passingly when they were a current thing in 50th Anniversaryland. Post-Bullitt gritty detective who goes by a nickname and carries a big honkin' gun? We got that comin'. Question is...will it be in five months...or only four...?
Agreed, it stands on its own as a good detective or neo-noir movie. I believe it was also the case that the realization that there was a big audience for pictures with Black casts led studios like American International Pictures to crank out low-budget, formulaic, sensationalized movies with Black leads and heavily Black casts. The same way they had with horror, sci-fi, beach party, biker etc movies. Not surprisingly, a lot of these movies didn't have a lot to recommend them. In 1970's Cotton Comes to Harlem the Raymond St Jacques character carries a very noticeable long barreled, nickel finish Colt Python .357 Magnum. I don't know if that was the first "big gun detective" onscreen but it must have been one of the earliest (Frank Bullitt carried a 2-inch .38 Diamondback, an upgrade from the traditional snub revolver but not as visually distinctive). I only saw Cotton Comes to Harlem earlier this year and quite enjoyed it. If Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the first buddy movie, Cotton Comes to Harlem was probably the first buddy cop movie. It has a good crime story plot, a little post-code boundary testing sex, nudity and counterculture, and an adept mix of action and comedy. But probably most of all a clear-eyed representation -- through many of the characters, but especially the police detectives -- of Black people being just as smart, clever and wise as anyone and understanding how to address Black problems and issues in ways nobody outside the community could even attempt. Yeah, I was never a big fan of the Thomas Magnum name either. You know, the good old Irish names: Murphy, Sullivan, O'Brian, Fitzpatrick, Magnum...
The Really Big Shew must go on! "Here's your Christmas socking! Haha! Get it?" There's just too many of them to tie to the railroad tracks. Somebody's getting a little carried away-- and I think it's the writer. "Well, that wraps that up. Haha. Get it?" Almost forgot: It's only a half-hour show. ...but still opposed to common-sense gun-control measures.... Which will come in handy in the Very Special Halloween Episode, "Jason Versus Dracula." They want their luck to get worse? I'm not a professor, but that strikes me as a very bad idea. He was right about the mine, he risks his life to save his friends, he doesn't beam high-frequency radio waves at a live bomb-- the guy deserves more respect than he gets. This is where the good-luck charm comes in. That could have gone a lot worse. No little bell? That's clever. I like that. Those cliffs really come in handy. With a really sweet ride. Uh... Other Stalags know of Hogan and his operation? That strikes me as a very bad idea on several levels. This is one of those reasons, though not the biggest one. Where, despite the name, there is no beer. This seems like kind of a change-of-pace episode, with a different sort of a plot, some interpersonal conflict for Hogan and a bit of a challenge to his authority. Not bad. It almost got away. Thank goodness for that phone call. Aw, that's cute. There was a nice opportunity for a recurring character. That's odd. I wonder what happened. It's not something I know a lot about, but I've got a movie called Sugar Hill, which is Blaxploitation (also a Zombie movie). I recall a movie called Truck Turner, co-starring Nichelle Nichols, which I think qualifies. And I think Get Christie Love!, the movie, would qualify as well. Indeed. Hopefully the ones I liked. It probably did. My poor brain. I think I can guess that one. It was McNum, but it got changed at Ellis Island.
55 Years Ago This Week August 14 – At 8:43 a.m., Eastern time, Lunar Orbiter 1 successfully entered its orbit around the moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit a heavenly body other than the Earth. August 15 The first mass-marketed "JFK conspiracy" book to question the conclusions of the Warren Commission regarding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Rush to Judgment, was published. Authored by lawyer Mark Lane, and subtitled "A Critique of the Warren Commission's Inquiry into the Murders of President John F. Kennedy, Officer J.D. Tippit and Lee Harvey Oswald", it was "the third book in recent months" to question the commission's conclusions, but the first to become a bestseller. Syrian and Israeli troops clash over Lake Kinneret (also known as the Sea of Galilee) for 3 hours. It is announced that the New York Herald Tribune will not resume publication. August 16 A fully intact Soviet MiG-21 supersonic jet fighter, the newest aircraft in the Soviet arsenal, was put in Western hands for the first time, after an Iraq Air Force pilot defected to Israel. The pilot, later identified as Captain Munir Radfa, said that he had been discriminated against for being an Iraqi Christian in the predominantly Muslim nation, and that he had landed in Israel because it was the closest nearby nation that would not return him to Iraq for punishment. Israeli experts studied the MiG-21 thoroughly, gaining knowledge that would be useful in the Six-Day War ten months later, then turned it over to the United States for a month, before returning it to Iraq. The House Un-American Activities Committee began an investigation of Americans who had demonstrated against the Vietnam War, seeking "evidence that communist organizations were instigating their operations". Twelve demonstrators issued subpoenas to testify on activities such as urging donations to the Viet Cong. Eight people in attendance were forcibly removed from the hearing and arrested after they began shouting protests, while nine others were arrested outside the Capitol building for disturbance of the peace. U.S. District Judge Howard F. Corcoran had issued an injunction the day before, prohibiting the hearings from going forward, but a Court of Appeals order had reversed the injunction and the hearings took place as scheduled. August 17 The Pioneer 7 space probe was launched by the United States and placed into an orbit around the Sun at an average distance of 83,000,000 miles for the purpose of making solar radiation and magnetic field measurements. Nearly 20 years later, on March 20, 1986, it would become the first Earth probe to gather data about Halley's Comet. Contact with the probe would last for 29 years, until March, 1995. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic begin negotiations in Kuwait to end the war in Yemen. August 18 In the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution to purge and reorganize the country's Communist Party begins in earnest with the Red August of Beijing. Vietnam War – Battle of Long Tan: D Company, 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, meets and defeats a Viet Cong force estimated to be four times larger, in Phuoc Tuy Province, Republic of Vietnam. August 19 The 6.8 Mw Varto earthquake affects the town of Varto in eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing at least 2,394–3,000 and injuring at least 1,420. The Beatles play at the Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis. During the show a firecracker explodes on stage and all of the Beatles look around to see which one of them has been shot. Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week: Leaving the chart: "Along Comes Mary," The Association (11 weeks) "5D (Fifth Dimension)," The Byrds (5 weeks) "I Want You," Bob Dylan (7 weeks) "Love Letters," Elvis Presley (7 weeks) "Paperback Writer," The Beatles (10 weeks) "Red Rubber Ball," The Cyrkle (13 weeks) "Strangers in the Night," Frank Sinatra (15 weeks) "Trains and Boats and Planes," Dionne Warwick (7 weeks) "Where Were You When I Needed You," The Grass Roots (9 weeks) "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," Dusty Springfield (13 weeks) New on the chart: "B-A-B-Y," Carla Thomas (#14 US; #3 R&B) "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," Jimmy Ruffin (#7 US; #6 R&B; #8 UK) "Cherry, Cherry," Neil Diamond (#6 US) "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep," The Temptations (#3 US; #1 R&B; #18 UK) "Yellow Submarine," The Beatles (#2 US; #1 UK as double A-side w/ "Eleanor Rigby") _______ Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki pages for the month or year and Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day, with minor editing as needed. _______ The Really Biggest Shew on Earth! If only they'd had another season... Yeah, that was a novel element. A friend lets him borrow it... Downed pilots in general seem to, at least at this early stage. Week off? Appropriate for the holiday, though it would have been filmed somewhat earlier. Scholars have speculated that he contributed "waiting for the tides of time". Think I mentioned this when the song came up as a charting B-side, but after the second time Ringo sings the line "Tell me why," you can faintly hear somebody off-mic (identified as John) saying, "We already told you why!" Feelin' lucky...punk!?!
I Actually, I didn’t see too many of them once I realized how bad they were becoming. I knowI saw Superfly, but that one was more like Shafting that it was fairly well written and shot and pretty well acted. Although I can’t remember when during the era they were released, I’d recommend any of the Rudy Ray Moore movies. They were all hilariously bad, though VERY profitable. I also recall one called 3 The Hard Way, with Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Black American karate star, Jim Kelly. Don’t recall that much about the movie except a scene where the 3 were simply traveling in the desert, Brown and Williamson on horses, and Kelly RUNNING alongside them, cause he was supposed to be Native American, with a big ass Afro. The audience laughed at this like we were at a Richard Pryor concert. I know, right? I thought there was no way I could have bought one of the covers. But I did read that a number of the original covers had been simply covered over. I bought my copy right after the album’s release, so one night I took a hard look at the jacket under a bright light. I was literally shocked to see the outline of a picture through the original cover. i held it over boiling water and let the steam hit it. Slowly peeled back the original cover and there it was.
Pretty much anything by Pam Grier would qualify as blaxploitation - Foxy Brown, Coffy, Sheba Baby and Friday Foster. I'll admit I have the complete Time Life 'Classic Rock' series on CD and it's on the 'Pop, Bubblegum and Garage Nuggets' supplement. It's through them that I widened my sonic pallet and found artists that and songs that are rarely played on the radio anymore.
I should add regarding this that I'm pretty sure that "Mr. Dieingly Sad" is in regular rotation on Music Choice. That's one I'm likely to check out, as it's one that I'd heard of, thanks largely to the Curtis Mayfield theme song; and the soundtrack album is on the Rolling Stone list. Yep. There's supposed to be a specific spot to look for, where the trunk cover is just the white background, and Ringo's black shirt neck from the butcher cover can be seen under it. I recall borrowing a copy from the library back in the day just so I could have a good look at the cover... I think it was Nicholas Schaffner's The Beatles Forever--an excellent book from the '70s that gives a later-generation fan like me a good "as if you were there" fan perspective--that detailed a painstaking process for removing the paste-on cover without damaging the original cover. I was just reading on the album's Wiki page while working on this review that the hardcore collector types now consider a fully intact double-cover--trunk and butcher--to be more valuable than a stripped cover. A couple of those I'd heard of as well, though largely because they were parodied in an Austin Powers film.
50 Years Ago This Week August 15 Jackie Stewart becomes Formula One World Drivers' Champion in the Tyrrell 003-Cosworth. The number of British troops in Northern Ireland is raised to 12,500. President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will no longer convert dollars to gold at a fixed value, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system. He also imposes a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents. August 18 Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam. British troops are engaged in a firefight with the IRA in Derry, Northern Ireland. August 19–22 – A right-wing coup ignites a rebellion in Bolivia. Miners and students join troops to support president Juan José Torres, but eventually Hugo Banzer takes over. August 20 The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat) was created by a treaty, becoming effective on February 12, 1973. The USS Manatee (AO-58) spilled 1,000 gallons of fuel oil, that washed up on President Nixon's Western White House beach in San Clemente, California. A partial solar eclipse was visible from Southern Ocean, and was the 4th solar eclipse of Solar Saros 154. August 21 – A bomb made of two hand grenades by communist rebels explodes in the Liberal Party campaign party in Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila the Philippines, injuring several anti-Marcos political candidates. Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week: Leaving the chart: "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again," The Fortunes (14 weeks) "I Don't Want to Do Wrong," Gladys Knight & The Pips (11 weeks) "Sooner or Later," The Grass Roots (11 weeks) Recent and new on the chart: "Hymn 43," Jethro Tull (Aug. 14; #91 US) "Bangla Desh," George Harrison (Aug. 14; #23 US; #10 UK) "Deep Blue," George Harrison (Aug. 14; #23 US as double A-side w/ "Bangla Desh") "Rain Dance," The Guess Who (Aug. 14; #19 US) "Easy Loving," Freddie Hart (#17 US; #28 AC; #1 Country) "Trapped by a Thing Called Love," Denise LaSalle (#13 US; #1 R&B) _______ Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki pages for the month or year. _______
Oops, haha. Here's my latest post, right where I left it this morning. Thank goodness for Firefox. Now it's a genre. Meh. That little whistly noise had me checking my phone like Pavolv's dog. Good one. Good one. Another good one. I'll have what they're having. This is the kind of alternate universe that I'd be looking for. Baby, you can drive my train. Not bad. They were a bunch of wild and crazy guys. He is a quotable hombre, ain't he? That's where I heard it then, because I have all those Time-Life tapes: 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s....
There's a post-saving option here on the board software, too. I use it constantly when writing up my reviews. Yeah, unremarkable, but you made me listen just to hear what that was. I assume what sounds like an organ to me. Did I ever mention that there's a bit of business in "I Want to Take You Higher" that always makes me think my phone is vibrating? A solid pack, though the Temptations song is a bit obscure as their major hits go. Ringo gets the A-side (in the States at least), giving us one of the group's most far-reaching numbers, to eventually become the subject of an animated motion picture! For some reason I was remembering it as having been primarily a John song writing-wise, but Wiki tells me that it was more of a collaboration, and quotes John describing it as having been primarily Paul's baby. Fun fact that I didn't remember: the line "Sky of blue and sea of green" was contributed by Donovan! (Where's our Lennon-McCartney-Leitch credit? ) Skimming the Wiki article also tells me that Brian Jones was among a number of guests who contributed to the sound effects, so @TREK_GOD_1 should like that! Because crossing Branded over with Kung Fu, Mission: Impossible, and Wild Wild West (see upcoming review) isn't enough! Choo-choo, choo-choo, YEAH! What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall when they were working in the studio (hence the title of my posts of the Anthology outtakes). But his most famous one is too Reagan-era for our purposes.
I think the production made the right choice in creating a new title, as it was a greater points of attraction (when the trailer ran) than the novel title, Mute Witness. Sugar Hill was AIP's ridiculous attempt to marry Blaxploitation with mob crime and voodoo. Even the director could not wrap his head around that script. Its probably best remembered for starring Robert Quarry, who--at the time--was supposed to be American International's heir-apparent to Vincent Price. Quarry was best known for the hits Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) and its sequel, The Return of Count Yorga (1971). The first Yorga film--according to some Hammer Studios historical accounts--was so influential, Hammer catapulted their Dracula series out of the 19th century and into the then contemporary early 1970s, starting with 1972's Dracula A.D. 1972 (frankly, it was inferior to both Yorga movies). Sugar Hill also starred Zara Cully (who would go on to portray "Mother Jefferson' on The Jeffersons sitcom) and Don Pedro Colley, no stranger to fantasy, already appearing in 1970's Beneath the Planet of the Apes (as the mutant "Ongaro"), George Lucas' THX-1138 and "Dr. Sringfellow's Rejuvenator", a segment from Rod Serling's Night Gallery (both 1971). 1974's Truck Turner--produced by Paul Heller & Fred Weintraub (both co-produced Enter the Dragon) did not start off as a Blaxploitation vehicle, as it was envisioned as a film for Robert Mitchum, Lee Marvin or other white actors, so this film--despite being riddled with the "N-word" fired by just about every main character--retained its original crime/revenge edge. Arguably, its one of the more coherent films of the entire Blaxploitation genre. Yes, Nichols is in the film (as a violent, foul-mouthed madame named Dorinda), along with Yaphet Kotto (who gave a very strong performance as a calculating pimp). This was Heller and Weintraub's second Blaxploitation film, quickly following Black Belt Jones (also 1974), a fairly well-remembered film rushed into production as a starring vehicle for Jim Kelly, after his breakout appearance in Enter the Dragon.
Of course! Oh, and about Donovan (since he contributing to that track), he would go on to marry Brian Jones' one-time fiancee Linda Lawrence (the mother of Jones' son Julian). Donovan with Jones in January of 1965. So, that's your Brian trivia for the day!
This reminds me of a fun bit of Fab business that I didn't cover at the time because it didn't chart separately--the B-side of the "Let It Be" single (released in March 1970), an improvisational, spoofy number initially recorded back in '67 and finished in '69: Brian Jones played the sax part at one of the '67 sessions.
Yup, it's the 70s. I don't recognize this song, but I must have heard it if it's on Aqualung-- in any case, there's no mistaking those vocals and that quirky sound. The quiet Beatle is worth listening to. A nice enough listen. That was odd and a bit creepy. It's like I've heard this but not this this. I am trapped with nothing to say. I should experiment with that. I do see the little Auto Save ghost pop up occasionally. In this case, the tab was right in front of my nose when I got home and opened Firefox. There's a few things that do it, but I can't think of anything specific just now. It seems to happen mostly in my car, either making me look at my phone or for cops. He had more words than Ringo did in the Ringo song! Never enough! I occasionally entertain the idea of writing a novel about a group that explores other dimensions-- but they're not interested in the South winning the Civil War, or the Nazis winning WWII, or JFK surviving Dallas. They want the 4th season of Star Trek and the Gilligan's Island-My Favorite Martian crossover and nudity on Charlie's Angels. He's got a few good quotes even in real life. Interesting guy. It's eye catching, that's for sure. On the other hand, Mister Tibbs didn't get to be in the title until the sequel. It was awful. I loved it. Now it's against board rules to use it, even though I can say fuck-fuckity-fuck to my heart's content. I'm reminded of a great scene in the Get Christie Love! movie where she's undercover as a prostitute and a White guy balks at her asking price, and calls her a n-----. She snappily replies, "N----- lover."
_______ 55.5th-ish Anniversary Viewing _______ The Ed Sullivan Show Season 18, episode 16 Originally aired December 26, 1965 As represented in The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show Another case where we appear to be getting the original music in the YouTube clip. De Plata demonstrates his Spanish guitar chops and Jack Lord-like hair. I'd swear that I'd seen this segment of Topo in a Santa suit, showing Ed his tree and then taking off in his sleigh to musical accompaniment, in an earlier black & white episode; and both the video quality and Ed look different than in the surrounding segments...but did they do colorized back then? Or maybe it was reshown on this date in black & white, and colorized for home video? They should have had de Plata and Franchi charging each other head-to-head. Price shows off her pipes with the soprano aria "Vissi d'Arte" from the Puccini opera Tosca. She might have erected a sonic barrier that would have kept de Plata and Franchi from impacting... Other performances, as listed on Metacritic: The Remains (rock group) - "Let Me Through" Sergio Franchi sings a medley of songs about girls ("Mimi," "Once In Love with Amy," "Maria," "Everything" and "Mimi" reprise) Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara (comedy team) - Reporter 'Walter Flonkite' interviews a stressed-out Mrs. Santa Claus at the North Pole The Sullivan account has a clip of them doing what appears to be the same routine, but dated December 17, 1967. I believe the clip's date is accurate in this case, as the routine includes a brief reference to hippies and psychedelia. Jack Carter (comedian) - routine about the Holiday Season, Christmas shopping, and sings "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" imitating various singers The YT page says this was from December 2, 1965...which was a Thursday. George Carl (pantomime routine, with female assistant) Peter Gennero (choreographer) with his dance troupe - skating routine to Christmas music _______ 12 O'Clock High "Target 802" Originally aired December 27, 1965 https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-classic-retro-pop-culture-thread.278375/page-85#post-12365219 In the occupied but strangely happy French village of Saint Monique, already-downed pilots Captain Bing Pollard (Lou Antonio) and Major Hub Coefield (Wright King) come out of concealment to watch the contrails as the 918th flies over. The bombers have a rough time between the flak and fighters, and Gallagher tries to get the Lily back over the channel so they can dump their bombs, but the bombs release prematurely from the open bay, falling on the village. This incident becomes the subject of a taunting Axis Sally broadcast. Meanwhile, German captain Burgdorf (Anthony Zerbe) and his men have moved into the village and discovered that it was hiding a Maquis cell and American airmen. Back at Wing HQ, Joe takes heat from General Marteen of G-2 (Harry Townes). Coefield and Pollard are picked up in the channel with the injured French boy, Jean Paul Corbelle (Gerald [Jean-Michel] Michenaud) and his mother, Claudine (Lisa Pera)...who's intensely interested in finding out which plane hit them. Pollard, who's become involved with her and is in her corner, has an altercation with the Lily's bombardier, Lieutenant Jerry Parks (George Brenlin), which is how it comes out that it was Gallagher's bomber...upon which we learn that Claudine's packing pint-sized heat (a Beretta, I think). Marteen interviews Coefield and Pollard for their account of the incident, and they explain how Claudine's father was the local resistance leader, hence her and the boy coming with them. Joe consults Doc Kaiser about the boy's prospects and tries to talk with Claudine. She agrees to spend some tense time with him to assess the situation, and in the officers' club he explains the Toby mug thing...which might be the first time they've done so in the series. Pollard confronts Gallagher about consequences for Parks, not understanding that it was a faultless malfunction because he's a fighter pilot. Claudine makes clear to Gallagher that she's gotten a bad impression of the bomber group from their between-missions-of-raining-death frivolity, and holds him personally responsible for what happened. The boy's surgery is successful, but doubt remains about whether or not he'll be paralyzed. Gallagher flies a recon mission over the village in part to assess the German activity. We learn from Burgdorf that the Germans are setting up a radar station there, now considering the village to be bomber-proof because of the incident. Making an excuse to get out of the Jeep while on a drive, Claudine gets Gallagher at gunpoint, but he tells her how the situation really was and she breaks down. The recon photos reveal the work on the station, which Marteen wants hit. Pollard continues expressing an attitude to Gallagher in his wrongheaded protectiveness of Claudine. A French contact radios England to confirm that the Germans are holding hostages in Saint Monique; and the Americans determine that Claudine's father's fish market is both the location of the radar station and is holding a list of underground names to boot. Gallagher decides to make a precision strike involving one delayed-fuse bomb on what has been designated Target 802. Leaflets are dropped in advance; Pollard and his squadron fly fighter cover, giving us a bit of reused but still sexy stock Mustang porn; and Jerry gets a redemptive turn at bombardiering, successfully taking out the target without damaging the surrounding village. In the Epilog, everybody's jolly because the boy has pulled through with full leg usage, and yes, that Bobby Pickett makes a cameo as a patient in the base hospital. _______ Gilligan's Island "Erika Tiffany Smith to the Rescue" Originally aired December 30, 1965 Johnny drops Erika off on the hottest deserted island in the Pacific and she promptly runs into...the Skipper for a change. He fills her in on the castaways' situation during the break, and she seems willing to help. Gilligan promptly comes along and meets her...it would have been a nice twist if the Skipper had tried to tell him and he wouldn't listen. Tiffany-Smith's reputation precedes her, and she and the Howells are previously acquainted (Lovey seeing her as a rival). The Professor and Mary Ann are introduced with their surnames, so those haven't been forgotten...though Mr. Howell gets them wrong and is corrected. The smitten Skipper asks Ginger for advice in romancing Erika, but she's already got a thing going with the Professor, which involves seeming to take an interest in his research. The Professor proves less than romantic, however, and also goes to Ginger for help. But both he and Erika eventually realize that they're not right for each other--in other words, the story thread doesn't go anywhere. Erika makes her scheduled departure from the island offscreen, but while the castaways are all prepared for their rescue, she never returns. Eventually they hear on the radio that she isn't able to provide useful details about the location of the island--you'd think that Johnny could have helped with that. She also conveniently doesn't identify any of the castaways. This one just seemed like nothing but filler...a Zsa Zsa spotlight with very little story. _______ Hogan's Heroes "Anchors Aweigh, Men of Stalag 13" Originally aired December 31, 1965 We're back to major early installment weirdness with this one, which shows at least one sign of having been much earlier in production order. Schultz catches Hogan and LeBeau making a rendezvous outside the gates with Captain Michaels (Michael St. Clair), an escapee from another stalag. Hogan is open about what they're doing and lets Schultz stick around for the meeting; and afterward, Schultz is fully aware that Michaels is being hidden in the camp while Klink is looking for him. Yes, this is full-on, early, "Maybe he's working for the Russians" Schultz. Michaels has a MacGuffin that has to get back to London, so when Hogan finds out that the sub is unavailable, he has to come up with his own means...which involves convincing Klink that he's in need of some R&R, and putting LeBeau in charge of building a boat that will serve as the stalag's landlocked yacht club. Klink dresses up in a yachting outfit and plans to throw a party on the boat. Hogan steers Klink into inviting General Burkhalter, and has Carter put the idea in Klink's head that when Burkhalter sees the yacht, he'll send Klink you-know-where. Klink gets rid of the boat by having it put out to sea by a contingent of guards...with Michaels hidden inside. Burkhalter briefly appears in the coda. Our chief clue that this is an earlier-produced episode is that while he's a general in the story, he's credited as "Col. Burkhalter". Arguably another clue: [Silent salute of dismissal] _______ Ah, so you're familiar with the album...it's next up. The whole Bangla Desh charity single/concert thing is a very noteworthy bit of business in pop music history...the trailblazer for all the pop star charity business that we saw in the '80s. The song itself is okay, but not remarkable. This one is new to me; I read on Wiki that it was inspired by George's experience of seeing his mother on her deathbed in 1970. The music seems oddly jaunty for such subject matter. I have no idea what it was about. They've definitely fallen from their classic hits peak. This is the part where I say, "Eh, whatever, 1971...you do you." I have this, but also find it unremarkable. And sometimes he delivers them to empty chairs.