Archie

If you miss Archie being in your local newspaper like I do then here is what todays installment is for this strip.

Video of the Week: The Odd Couple Opera

Closing out the week is another segment from the Odd Couple Sings. This is the Odd Couple Opera. It is ofer 10 minutes and took up most of the second side of the album. It is basically one of the episodes set to music. I liked it and I hope you do too. I have chosen this as the video of the week.

The Odd Couple Sings: When Banana Skins Are Falling

The Odd Couple Sings

In 1973 Tony Randall and Jack Klugman recorded an album called "The Odd Couple Sings." I remember finding this album at Value City in Latonia,Ky. Value City is no longer there as they recently moved to Florence,Ky. However, the memory of that find lingers on. I loved that album. I played it for anyone I thought would be interested. I had it for years but at some point I lost it. I have tried to find other copies but with no luck. Recently I found on the web some mp3's. Can you believe that? Anyway from time to time or maybe for the rest of this week I will post some of the songs here. The songs were not written just for them. They are mostly standards and showtunes. The most recent one at the time the album came out was "You're So Vain." I believe that was the first time I heard that song. Not by Carly Simon but by Randall and Klugman. Actually it was only Jack Klugman who sang the song. They tried to incorporate a bit of comedy with each tune. THe best was the over 10 minute musical skit called the Odd Couple Opera. Today here is the song Johnny One Note.

Is Michael Jackson Really Dead?

I know this question is always asked about famous people who have died. But I ask this because as we all saw the memorial was a closed casket. That alone doesn't justify it but not long after he died I was in Norwood Ohio. There is a record store and a comic book store up there that I use to go to. I haven't been able to go there much lately so I decided to stop by. I parked in back like I usually do and I cut through a small alley. I saw that both stores weren't open so I went back to my car. As I cut back through the alley that was next to the record store I saw the entrance to an apartment. On the mailbox I saw that there was a faded tag that had the occupants name on it. The name was...MIKE JACKSON! I thought that's it! He faked his death and moved to Norwood,Ohio into an apartment next to a record store.

Fireworks Ads

I couldn't pass these up on a day like today. I saw them in an old 1948 Plastic Man comic.

Happy 4th of July

I wish everyone who comes to this site a Happy and Safe 4th of July. Here are two videos I hope you enjoy. The first is of the Lee Greenwood song "God Bless the USA". The second is what they called in 1976 a Bicentennial Minute. On CBS between 1975 and 1976 after some of their programs they would air them with celebrities narrating them. This one had Jessica Tandy. Most of you may remember her as Miss. Daisy from the movie version of "Driving Miss. Daisy". Have a great holiday.

Rest in Peace Fred Travalena

Wow I can't believe we lost another celebirty today. When will the carnage end? Singer/comedian/actor/impressionest Fred Travalena died of cancer yesterday. I learned of this from Mark Evanier's facebook site. You can read more about it on Mark's News From ME site.
I didn't know Mr. Travalena but I enjoyed watching him. Here are some You Tube videos for you to watch. As someone said on Facebook there must be some show going on up in Heaven.

Rest in Peace Gale Storm

It was late yesterday that I heard that actress/singer Gale Storm passed away on June 27th 2009. She was 87 years old.
While she had made many movies and had two hit TV shows I had never heard of her until the 1980's. That was when my family got cable and late at night the Family Channel, now called ABC Family, aired old TV series from the 1950's. This was how I became introduced to her most famous TV show "My Little Margie." It was a program where she played a young woman named Margie who was always in trouble and her Father had to get her out of that trouble.
Miss Storm was born in Texas in April 1922. She was named Josephine Cottle. In high school she was a member of the drama club. At the urging of her teachers she entered a local contest and won. The prize was to go to the finals in Hollywood. It was on New Years Day that she won in the woman's division and given the stage name of Gale Storm. The winnner for the men was actor Lee Bonnell from Indiana. The two fell in love and were married two years later. They remained married till his death in 1987. Together they had 4 children.
From 1940 to 1952 she co-starred in many films. However, her greatest film was still ahead. In 1952 she was cast as Margie in the the sit-com My Little Margie. It was suppose to be the summer replacement for I Love Lucy. It was a huge hit and ran on CBS and NBC from 1952-1955. When it left the air she was cast in another show called The Gale Storm Show. It was also known as Oh Susanna . She played Susanna the Cruise Director on a ship. Roy Roberts played the Captain and Zasu Pitts was her friend. It was about their funny adventures on the ship. They had famous guest stars like Boris Karloff, Lorne Greene, Pat Boone etc. It sounds like it was an early sit-com version of The Love Boat. Even though the show was a success and ran from 1956 -1960 Gale was always known more for her role from My Little Margie.
Even her recording career didn't eclipse her Margie fame. In fact her recording career got its start from Margie. She made a guest apperance on a show and sang a song. The President of DOT records heard her and offered her a contract. Over the years she had many hits for the company. Her biggest hits were I Hear You Knocking, which reached #2 on the Billboard charts, and Dark Moon, which reached #4 on Billboard. You can see the picture sleeves to them bothe below.

After her shows were cancelled she took to the stage and headlined many plays. In the 1970's she took a down turn when she became an alcoholic. Her husband stood by her as she tried to recover. Gale said in an interview that turning her recovery she became a Christian and if she had her life to live again she still would become an alcoholic since it helped her become a Christian. She was still under contract for recording and release a Gospel album of hymns. The cover you can see below.

Over all Gale Storm led a very full life. She leaves behind her four children eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Rest in peace Gale Storm. You can go to her official site if you click here.

The Monkees #4

From the Dell comic book version of the Monkess comes this story. It is the only one in the comic book series that featured the Monkeemen. The only difference is that for some reason they call them the SuperMonkees

Rest In Peace Michael Jackson: A Special This Day in Music History Segment: The Jackson Five and The Love You Save

It has been quite awhile since I have posted a "This Day in Music History" segment. I have been wanting to do one and with the recent passing of Michael Jackson I wanted to do one with him in mind. Today marks a big day in music history for Michael and his brothers who together were known as the Jackson Five. On this day in music history, June 27, 1970, The Jackson Five had their third #1 hit on the Billboard Charts with the song "The Love You Save."
Why was this a big day in music history for the Jackson Five? Because it made them the first preformers in the rock and roll era to have their first three singles become number one.
It was written and produced by Freddie Perren, Fonce Mizell, Deke Richards and Berry Gordy Jr. Berry Gordy really wanted the third song to be a big hit. With the first two songs, "I Want You Back" and "ABC", having gone platinum the stakes were high for the third song. He wanted to prove the Jackson Five were no flash in the pan.
Finally they took a song they had written about watching out for traffic. Perhaps it was called "The Life You Save." I don't know for certain about that but I do know they changed the lyrics to be about a girl who was growing up too fast.
When it was finished three of the writer/producers took to the studio to record the demo. They went to the Sound Factory studio in Hollywood. While recording it Berry Gordy dropped in on them. After a few minutes of listening to them Gordy said he wasn't worried anymore because they had it. Then he left.
As you see in one of the photos the writing and producing credits went to "The Corporation." It seems that some time earlier the writing and producing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland had a nasty split with Motown Records. The pain from the split was still being felt and the generic name of The Corporation seemed to be safer.
Producing the first three singles for the Jackson Five wasn't the first time Freddie Perren was associated with the group. He played the piano at the Regal Theater in Chicago for Jerry Butler and the Jackson Five was the opening act. They had a regional hit with the song "I'm A Big Boy Now." Perren said Michael was so tiny that he thought the nightclub crowd would jsut murder him. He felt sorry for Michael. But when he sang he brought down the house. The Jackson Five were so well received that Perren thought Jerry Butler should have been their opeing act.
No matter how you feel about how he led is very public personal life, you have to admit that his talent was apparent from the very beginning. Rest in Peace Michael Jackson.
Below you can see him and his borthers Jackie,Tito,Jermaine and Marlon from their 1977 TV Show preforming the song.

Rest in Peace Farrah Fawcett

I was sad to hear that Farrah Fawcett had died due to cancer. I had heard that her long time boyfriend Ryan O'Neal proposed marriage again and this time she said yes. I had hoped that they would finally get married, even if it was at the last minute, to put a happy ending to her life and thier romance. That didn't happen. She gained fame on TV as part of Charlie's Angels. Try as she might none of her movies or TV shows ever had her match that fame again. Even her most famous movie, The Burning Bed, didnt do that and it just became a footnote in her career. For people my age the first time seeing Farrah may have been in guest spots on other TV shows like I Dream of Jeannie, Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, Harry O, etc. or on many television commercials. For those pre politically correct days they were pretty sexy for television. I remember one where she was trying to sell the product to a woodsman. He told her that he hadn't seen a woman in years and she fought off his advances in the end by kicking him off of a huge tree stump.













Also here is a 1969 apearance she did on the Dating Game.



Here she is on The Partridge Family.



Rest in peace Farrah. You had many fans and were always entertaining.

Monkees Pleasant Valley Sunday

Just saw this video on YouTube.com. In the more section it says that The Girl I Knew Somewhere was the original song for this segment. Others in repeats and syndication replaced it. Steam Engine from the CBS Saturday mornings is the one I remember. Here is the rare verson with Pleasant Valley Sunday.

Rest in Peace Ed McMahon

When I heard that Ed McMahon had died I couldn't help but remember when I first heard of him. I forget the exact year it was but I was just a young boy and my Mom and Dad were out looking at carpets. Since we moved into a new home in the early 70's it had to be in the late 60's early 70's era. In the store was a big stand up ad. Many TV stars of the day were on it and I knew them all. Except one. I asked my Dad who the guy was. Dad said he was Ed McMahon. "Who's that?" I asked again. He told me he was on TV late at night around 11:30pm.
Now my bedtime was much earlier then that. So it wasn't hard to understand why I didn't know him. I had never seen the Tonight Show at that time. It was the first time I knew that there were programs on TV after the 11 o'clock news.
As I got older and was able to stay up later I came to know Mr. McMahon and his friend and boss Johnny Carson better. Also, my love of TV, Flims and radio grew by leaps and bounds.
Mr. McMahon was actually a very talented individual. He couldn't sing or dance but he could announce. Yes ladies and gentlemen announcing is a talent. It helps to be born with a deep voice but even tenors can have success if they have talent. Luck also plays a big part in a persons success. Mr. McMahon's was when he was lucky enough to be teamed up with Mr. Carson.
His talent as an announcer took him far. He began to do more commercials and MC other TV shows like Star Search, Jerry Lewis' Labor Day Telethon, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes and more. Even showed he was a pretty good actor in movies and TV shows. My first time seeing him as an actor was in the 1970's classic movie "Fun With Dick and Jane." Ed played Dick's boss. He fired Dick and in the end Dick and Jane get their revenge. Here is a trailer to the film.




Finally having success on his own people were starting to ask why he still stayed on the Tonight Show. His answer was that his Mother raised him not to stray far from the well. As long as Johnny kept doing the tonight show he would stay with him.
With all of the commercials, TV Shows and movies you didn't have to stay up late to know who Ed McMahon was. By comparison the popular Johnny Carson was a recluse. Ed had to work twice as hard to get what Johnny had. Ed McMahon had the job that every announcer dreamed of and took it to another level.
In the last few years he was plagued with health and financial issues. He almost lost his home but made a deal to keep it. Saddly his health issues got the best of him. Announcing is a talent and skill that seems to be dying as well. With the passing of Ed McMahon we lost an American Icon. Not just a great second bannana or sidekick. We lost the last of the great announcers. Below is a video of an early TV show that he announced for. It is called "Two for the Money."

Below are some commericals that he did.

If you click here you can see a car ad he did for American Motors Corporation.

Hope On Cancer

As many fans of the Monkees know Peter Tork is battling cancer. To help raise money for charitable organizations, Petertork.com is selling the colorfulbands that you see above. The cost is $3.99 each plus $1.75 s&h = $5.74 for orders in the USA. Order one today to wear your heart on your sleeve for Peter and anyone who is fighting for their life with cancer. If yhou know someone who lost the battle then you may want to order one in honor of that person.

Origins of Father's Day

Ever wonder how Father's Day started? If so you may want to go to this site. They tell you about the early days of the holiday. It hasn't been with us as long as you may think.

Possible America Gene Cover Art?

I am not certain if this is the cover art to Mike Nesmith's new book America Gene but I thought it looked pretty cool. I got it in an e-mail update from videoranch3D.com.

Nesmith Reads New Novel

Ok this may seem odd since I love the Monkees and I love to read but this may be an event that I miss. But for those of you that don't want to miss it here is what I just heard from Videoranch.
Michael Nesmith will be reading from his forthcoming novel, The America Gene, this Sunday at 5PM PT, at Ed's October Cafe in Videoranch3D. This is a live event you don't want to miss, so mark your calendar!
The only reason I say why I may miss it is that when the author is famous and I know the author's voice as well as I do Mr. Nesmith's is that when I read the book I usually hear his voice in my head as I read it. Since I want to get the book there isn't much sense in my hearing him read it twice. But I hope you go to the event and enjoy it.Event: Michael Nesmith book reading
Date: Sunday, June 21st
Time: 5PM Pacific
Place: Ed's October Cafe in Videoranch3D
This event is free and open to the public. To download the Videoranch3D software please visit our site videoranch3D.com

Monkees Ad

Here is an ad from TV Guide for the Monkees reruns on Saturday morning. In the lower right corner they also promo for Micky and Davy's new single Oh My My. As you can see the TV show was a bigger hit in 1970 then the music.

Davy Jones on Spongebob

Over at his facebook site Al Bigley had a link to this video. When I saw it I had to share it with you here.

George Harrison's New CD

Yes John has proven it and now George. The Beatles can make and sell cd's and albums from even beyond the grave. Just click here to get it at Amazon.com.

Blog Rating

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Online Dating

Thank to News From ME we have been made aware of What's My Blog Rate site. There they rate your blog in the manner of the movie ratings. Mark says it is silly and he is correct. But I love silly. The one above is for this site and I will post it in the section on the left.

Lucy in the sky with Diamonds is ill

Lucy, who inspired the song "Lucky in the Sky with Diamonds", is sick and fighting for her life. You can read more about it if you click here. You will also read how Julian Lennon has kept in touch and wants to help her.

Goodbye to Our Analog Friend

Over at Neato Coolville The Mayor created this video to document the end of an era. Today offical ends the era of analog television.

Jon Voight on Obama

I can't believe this came from Jon Voight but I am glad that he stood up for what he believes.

Monkees on a Chicago TV Guide

I saw this while surfing the net. Not bad art for a local TV Guide.

What Were They Thinking File

From the "What Were They Thinking File" comes the case of Captain Crunch and the woman who cried Crunchberries. Over at Lowering the Bar it is reported that a woman sued the Captain and his company. It seems that his Crunchberries cereal didn't contain any crunchberries. Mainly because crunchberries are not real. They are just colored balls of cereal. Thankfully Judge Morrison England, Jr. showed that he had the brains a Judge should have and dismissed the case.

The Prisoner on AMC

Normally I don't care much for the original series that AMC has been running. But in November they will be showing a remake of the Prisoner. The original series had Patrick McGoohan as number Six. A man who was kidnapped and sent to the mysterious village. Who took him? That was a mystery for much of the series. The last episode attempted to answer it but was kind of psychodelic for the series. Not uncommon for shows in the 1960's but the ending didn't make any sense to me. I can't wait to see how the show goes with Jim Caviezel as number Six and starring Ian McKellen as number Two.

You can find out more at AMCTV.com and even watch full episodes of the original series there. Below is a promo video I first saw on Pop Culture Safari.

Aquaman Calling card

Here is a shout out for the Aquaman Shrine. As you can see he shows Aquaman on a calling card. I had one once and even thought of starting a business with them. Glad I didn't. Maybe one day I will show the one that I had. It came in handy when I had to call a friend who lived far away.

Terrorism Still Exist

I never heard this story till recently. Al Queda still exist and still is still taking and killing hostages according to Mirror.co.uk.

25 years ago today

It was 25 years ago today that Bill, Dan, Harold, Rick and company taught me how to laugh at ghost again. It continued a tradition that many comedians have been doing for years. I opened this with saying me as others in the country had a chance to see it the day before as that was the official day it was released.

I remember going with my college buddies Chuck and Mike. We had a hard time deciding between this and Gremlins. Both were released on the same day. Ghostbusters won out and it seems like most of the town was there. Back then the theaters were huge compared to some that they have now. We couldn't find 3 seats together. Lucky for Mike he ran into a bunch of people he knew who had a seat next to them. so he sat with them and Chuck and I found two seats together. It was the funniest film I had seen in a long time.

Years later they made the sequel. It was just ok. Now I hear that a third may come out soon. I just hope it is better then the second. I don't thaink any film can be as good as the first.

Werewolf the Complete Series on DVD

Thanks to TV Shows on DVD I have found out that fans, like I am, of the old Fox TV show Werewolf won't have to wait much longer. The complete series will be available on DVD on Sept. 1st. You can see the cover art for the box set above.