All Fun Must Come To An End Sometime

The year was 1982. I had been a comic collector for years but had been to very few comic book conventions at that time. A small con was being held not far from my home in Ky at the Drawbridge Inn. I went with my friends Chuck and Mike. While there we ran into my cousin Steve. Now it was fun to be attending such a thing with 3 men who I was very close to. But amongst all of the fun I learned something that day.

You see it was close to my birthday. Chuck and I had become fans of the Pacific Comics publication called Starslayer. It was created by Mike Grell who wrote and drew the stories. For those of you who don't know the story it is about a time-displaced Celtic warrior named Torin MacQuillon. He was taken seconds before he may have died. I say may have as in the first issue it was said that according to history he just disappeared. Now he was traveling through space in the far future. It was near impossible to take him back as it may change the time line. Anyway, I didn't catch on till halfway through the first 6 issues. So I was always looking for the first 3. By this time I had 5 of the 6. However, I was missing the first issue.

Later that day Chuck came up to me and gave me the first issue of Starslayer and told me Happy Birthday. He found it at the convention and bought it as a gift. I was very happy and quickly read it when I got home. However, since the series was originally conceived as a mini-series it now meant that I had the entire series. My happiness turned to sadness when I suddenly realized that my fun was now over. I was enjoying the hunt for this series. Each time I found an issue I felt like I had discovered buried treasure. I treasure this memory and thank my friend Chuck again for getting it for me if he is reading this site. However, I will always remember the lesson that half the fun of collecting anything is the search.

I know the series was continued eventually at First Comics. While it ran for over 30 issues and even had a successful spin-off with Grimjack, it wasn't as much fun anymore so I only bought the first 6 issues. Part of the reason it wasn't fun anymore is I could easily keep up with it each month. The thrill of the hunt was gone.

Thor and Hostess Meet A Glutton For Gold

Another Saturday morning and I ain't got no Twinkies but Thor does. Let's see how he beats this weeks villain.

Beowulf in 3-D

I had the day off work today and wanted to see a movie. There were only two movies that seemed appealing to me. To help get more into the Christmas spirit I thought of seeing Fred Claus. However, I saw that Beowulf was showing in 3-D. I decided on that one as what are the chances I will see a 3-D movie again. I remembered when I was in college and going with my friends and cousins to see 3-D movies when the craze came back around then. Instead of seeing the 12:30pm show of Fred Claus I left my house at 1pm to run a quick errand and then stop at the theater to see the 1:30pm showing of Beowulf in 3-D.
At 1:25pm I entered the theater. I asked to purchase one ticket to Beowulf. I was instantly shocked when the man behind the counter said the price was $9. 45 as he rang up his sale and slid the 3-D glasses to me. I knew the price of movies had gone up but when I saw Mr. Bean's Holiday it was only $6.25. I told the man I only asked for 1 ticket. He said yes but it is in 3-D so they charged more for it and that was the price for Beowulf. I slid the glasses back to him. I told him I know it is in 3-D but I won't pay that much for a movie. He seemed shocked by this. I looked to see when the next showing of Fred Claus was playing. Not until 4pm. So I left the theater. I drove to another movie theater but they didn't have it in 3-D and to me it isn't worth seeing unless it is in 3-D. The person at that theater said it would cost extra if it was in 3-D to pay for the glasses. So I went home.
Now I know that I sound like some old guy just ranting. However, I didn't see any ad that said it was going to cost around $3 more. Since my memory of seeing the older movies in 3-D was that the glasses were free I didn't expect to pay more for the film. Besides when is it that you could use those glasses again? They aren't coming out with 3-D movies that often. If they were they would probably design them in such a way that you had to buy the glasses every time you went to the movies.
Had I seen an ad telling of the extra price I would have been prepared or not wasted my time driving to the theater. To be honest the only ad I saw for the 3-D movie is when it was on the theater marquee as I drove past it yesterday.
Anyway if you plan to see it this weekend in 3-D be aware that it may cost you $3 more.

Wonderful Christmas Time

I don't know who made this but it has to be one of the best homemade Christmas music videos I have ever seen. Children visiting Santa set to the Paul McCartney and Wings song Wonderful Christmas.

A Submarine to Adventure

How many of us saw this half page ad in our comic books while growing up? I use to dream of getting this two man sub and going with one of my cousins Randy, Rachel, Jeff or Steve and using it to travel to someplace like England. If for some reason we couldn't go that far then we could at least explore the bottom of the lake that was across the street from where I lived back then. None of that ever happened as I never got the sub.
As I got older I saw this ad in some old comics and realized how naive I was. It was probably a cardboard box made to look like a sub and your imagination would take you across the sea or to the bottom of your local lake. I am glad I never asked my parents to buy it as I would have been very disappointed.

This Day in Pop Culture History: Magical Mystery Tour

On this day in pop culture history,Nov. 27 1967, The Beatles released their album Magical Mystery Tour in the US. Today is its 40th anniversary. It was also the name of a TV special that aired first in England. It aired in black and white so that didn't help with how the special was perceived. It also had a terrible plot. It was just the Beatles on a bus tour and the rest of the story was made up as they went along.
The reaction to the special was so bad in England that ABC canceled plans to show it in America.
The movie wasn't shown in the USA till 1976 when it showed up in art house theaters at midnight showings and on college campuses. The music was great. The songs from the soundtrack are still heard on radio today but it is hard to find a place where you can see the movie. If you want a taste of what the movie was like you can view the opening to it below.

This Day in Pop Culture History: Casablanca

The romantic movie that even guys like. Casablanca, opened on Nov. 26, 1942 at the Hollywood Theater in New York. Every guy since then has taken or rented this movie for their dates to show they have a sensitive side. Below is the movie trailer to this wonderful film.

Captain America and Hostess in Cut On the Dotted Line

The Monkees-Valleri

Here is a good video from their show. It was done with the guys playing their own music on the show. Notice the huge amps in the back. Davy's singing must have been picked up by the boom mike. Also, a little known fact on this video is there is a cool pull away shot with Davy. He remains the size while the other 3 get smaller. This was done by having Davy sit on a chair that was connected to the camera. Usually the camera man or on movie sets the director sit in this chair but this time it was the actor so they could get this special effect.

Happy Thanksgiving

Ok here is one of my favorite strips from Bloom County. I know it says Christmas in the first panel but I with the Turkey dinner I always felt it better fit Thanksgiving. Hope you get a laugh from it and Happy Thanksgiving.

Mid-Ohio Con is not on for me

Well it's not looking too good that I will go to Mid-Ohio con this weekend. Time and finances, mostly finances, aren't working together for me. Which is too bad as there are two men there whom I would like to meet. Herb Trimpe and Gene Colan. There are others of course but When I was a kid the main reason I read the comic books of Hulk and Daredevil is because I loved the look their art gave them. To meet them in person would have been great. If I can ever arrange my finances to save for next year I will do so. But even that is a dream at this time.
If anyone out there knows how to set up conventions and wants to do so for Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky area next year it would also help. If I knew how I would do it myself. For those of you who do go I hope you have fun.

The Equalizer season one on DVD

When you need help. When there is no one else to turn to, who do you call upon? Call the Equalizer. Edward Woodward played the Equalizer a man who was a former government agent who was targeted to be killed because he knew too much. A friend in the agency had his file down graded so he was not killed but kept a close eye on by the government.
He used his time off to take out an ad telling he could help the helpless. Those who called him sometimes needed his help as what had to be done ran opposed to some government operations. With agents already watching him it made things a but difficult for him to help people with his detective work. But it was fun to watch. The DVD set is a bit pricey at $49.99 but you can save some money if you pre-order at Amazon as they have it for $37.95.

Monkees Memorabilia Auction

Brad Waddell of the Monkees Home Page has said that there is a major showbiz auction that also features Monkees Memorabilia. It is from the collection of producer David Gest. You can see the collection if you Click Here. On the left hand side you can then click on David Gest collection put in the lot # of what you see below to look at his Monkees collection.

What is up for sale is:

394 - Monkees memorabilia, comprising a copy of
the album 'More Of The Monkees' signed in black
markers by the band; and two toy guitars by
Mattell, Inc., both in original boxes

395 - Four 'Monkee-Mobile' toys

396 - A "wax box" of Monkees 'Flip Movies' booklets, with twenty-four wax packs

397 - Six items of Monkees memorabilia,
comprising; a board game, unused; a hat; three
bracelets and a necklace (three on original card)

398 - Four items of Monkees memorabilia,
comprising; a binder and 'Record Tote' case, both
Raybert Productions Inc., a jigsaw puzzle and a
'Swingin' Numbered Oil Paint Set'

399 - An RIAA 'Gold' award for the single "Last
Train To Clarksville" by The Monkees, , named to " The Monkees"

400 - An RIAA 'Gold' award for the single "I'm A
Believer" by The Monkees, named to "The Monkees",

401 - An RIAA 'Gold' award for the single
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" by The Monkees, named to "The Monkees",

402 - An RIAA 'Gold' award for the single
"Daydream Believer" by The Monkees, named to "The Monkees",

Hostess and Captain Marvel vs. Professor Sneer

Sorry about missing the Saturday version of my Hostess team up ads yesterday. My mind was on other things. I hope today I will make up for it with Hostess and Captain Marvel as they defeat Professor Sneer with the power of Twinkies.

A batch of Osmond videos

Ending Osmonds video week are a batch of Osmond videos from Jimmy to Donny and Marie.

The Osmonds on the Andy Williams Christmas Show

Here is a video from You Tube with the Osmond Brothers singing and skating on an Andy Williams Christmas episode.

Man From U.N.C.L.E. on DVD

Just a reminder that if you have someone who is fan of the Man From UNCLE then you can get the complete series on DVD at Time Life. It is 41 DVDs and if you enter their special code you can get free standard shipping. It comes in a collectible case shaped to look like an attache' case. Click on the link below to go to their site to order it and have it in time for Christmas.

The Osmonds at the 1972 Ohio State Fair

Yes according to what I read this is the Osmonds at the 72 Ohio State Fair. Wish I could have gone to see it. Jay Osmond takes center stage as he plays drums and sings one of his favorite songs. Many people said that the Osmonds were like the Monkees in that they couldn't play their own instruments. Well this proves them wrong and the Osmonds really do rock.

Osmonds Hawaiian Punch Commercial

Here is a commercial from around 1979 or 1980. There is some funny interplay between Donny and Marie at the end. This may have been around the time they did a movie called "Goin' Coconuts" I never saw the movie but I heard it wasn't very good. If I could find it sometime I would like to see it.

The Osmonds on Saturday Morning Television

I have to admit that I watch the TV show Dancing with the Stars. While it is sad to hear that Mr. Osmond has passed on I am happy that his daughter Marie is doing so well on the show. No matter what the results are tonight I am making the rest of this week Osmond week by showing videos that star them.
Today is the opening of an episode of from the Osmond Brothers cartoon series. Yes in 1972 they were so popular they had their own Saturday morning cartoon series. It was produced by Rankin/Bass who did the Christmas specials back then. Their opening theme song as you can hear was their hit song "One Bad Apple".

Batman 80 pg. Giant

I loved these 80 page giant books from the 1960's. Some times Mom and Dad would buy one for me or I would look at one when I was at my cousin Steve's home. Now Steve was older then me so he could read but I couldn't. I just looked at the pictures. One of my favorites was this one that you see above. The reason was the story of the Rainbow Batman. Like I said I couldn't read but i loved seeing Batman in that bright rainbow colored uniform. I can't tell you anything about the story but my young eyes loved those bright colors. The other story in this book that made an impression was the story of Batman Jr. and Robin Sr. As I got older I re-read the story at some point and remember its plot a little better. As I recall Dick Grayson had gotten older but never took on the name of Batman. Bruce got married and had a son. He asked Dick to train him to take over as Batman. That is how I remember it. I may be wrong and mixing it up with another story.
I have fond memories of reading these 80 page giants in the car as Mom and Dad had to go somewhere. They kept trying to get me to stop reading in the car as they were afraid it would make me sick. It never did then but now that I am older it is another story. Other fond memories are of being at Steve's and sitting on his bed reading them and looking with awe at his impressive collection. It's been awhile since I was at his home but the last time I was I still had that same feeling when I viewed his collection.

War of the Worlds Seaon One

Well I just got this so I haven't had time to view it but I wanted to let anyone know that War of the Worlds the TV series has season one available on DVD. Until a few weeks ago I didn't know that this was available. This series was on first run syndication in 1988. Just like this DVD set I didn't know about it till I ran across it on television. It centered around Dr. Harrison Blackwood and his group. The aliens who were captured in the George Pal movie in the 1950's were now accidentally freed by terrorist. Until this this time the threat of the aliens conquering Earth had been forgotten. Dr. Blackwood and his group are a human resistance group fighting them. My favorite character in the series was the US government liaison Colonel Ironhorse. Normally the military officer in shows like this tend to get in the way of the other heroes. However, the actor playing the part, Richard Chaves, and the writers were able to elevate this role and created a great character. He almost overshadowed the others and threatened to be come the lead in the series.
The show only lasted about two seasons. Season one was the best. New producers were brought in wanted to take the show in a new direction. The character of Colonel Ironhorse and Norton Drake, played by Philip Akin, were not considered important to that direction. So the actors were thanked for helping make the series successful and let go.
When the show came back for the 1989-1990 season their characters were killed off. That season the new direction looked at the war from the point of view of the aliens. With this it took on a darker tone. I tried to like this new direction but I could not get use to it. Perhaps of Ironhorse and Norton Drake were kept with the series I would have enjoyed it more but after only a few episodes I stopped watching. I must not have been the only one. The series was not renewed for the 1990-1991 season. While the series ended with the war being over it had alot of loose ends from what others have said. I can only believe that these loose ends were to be tied up next season.
So I recommend that you buy this if you see it for sale. You'll have to make up your own mind when season two comes out.

Hostess and Daredevil vs. Johnny Punk!

It's Saturday Morning and time for the adventures of Hostess. In today's episode Hostess fruit pies team up with Daredevil as they take on Johnny Punk.

Showcase Presents World's Finest Volume One

Ok I am a little bit behind on this. It came out a few weeks ago but I didn't see it till today. DC has finally put out Showcase Presents World's Finest Volume one. I can't understand why it took them this long to put it out. I do understand that a few volumes of Batman and Superman in their solo adventures have to be put out first so these stories make sense. I don't understand why we needed volumes of other books when this one containing the two heavy hitters in the DC line up was waiting in the wings. Any way it is out now and you can buy it at your local comic book store or click on the link to Amazon.com and this site will get a percentage of the sale.

Jimmy Olsen

Booksteve has an old comic book ad for Jimmy Olsen's first issue. As you can see above I am a Jimmy Olsen fan so I had to link to it. I didn't want to put the ad here so you will have to follow the link above to see it.

Ultra Brite commercial

For those of you who like to see old commercials or what stars did before they became stars here is a commercial for Ultra Brite toothpaste with Farrah Fawcett.

The Man for Attorney General

I voted on my way in to work today and I got a surprise. I only had only kept up with the news on the race for my states Governor and then I saw a name that I had seen for many years. Stan Lee for Attorney General. Now once I saw that I did remember seeing one of his signs and hearing a little bit about him. So I was not completely uninformed about this race but I have not heard anything about his opponent. As you can imagine I voted for Stan the man Lee. After all if you can't trust the man who created Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four and other Marvel heroes then who can you trust. Of course I know it isn't the same Stan Lee but it made me smile this morning.

Giving Thanks

I have something on my mind that has been bugging me. I won’t name names as I don’t want to upset any one or falsely accuse any one. Also, I may have accidentally been at fault with this myself from time to time without knowing it.

What I am talking about is when blogging Someone puts something on their site and someone else puts nearly the same thing but goes more in depth with it then the first person. Suddenly it is a hit and has the internet buzzing. The second person gets all the attention. Neither before nor after the fact does he or she thank the first person whose site they saw it on in the first place. I am sure that many times it is just coincidence but there are other times that it is not. I believe this has happened to me two times before with the same person. I can’t prove it was on purpose but once I can believe but two times I find hard to believe it was a happy accident. Anyway that is off my chest for now. Tomorrow I will be back to your regularly scheduled blog.

Paul McCartney and Wings: Magneto and Titanium Man

Ending this video series of comic book characters mentioned in song here is one of my favorites.
The song is set to clips from Marvel Comics cartoon series and it is pretty good. See for yourself.

Spin Doctors and Jimmy Olsen's Blues

Here is a video of the Spin Doctors song Jimmy Olsen's Blues. A very jealous Jimmy forces Superman to leave town.

This Day in Music History: Elvis and Love Me Tender

On this day in music history, November 3rd 1956, Elvis Presley had the #1 hit on the Billboard charts with Love Me Tender. It remained there for 5 weeks.
Before recording Heartbreak Hotel Elvis was flown to Hollywood for a screen test. He read a scene with actor Fran Faylen for producer Hal Wallis. Wallis signed him to a three picture deal.
His first movie was to be The Rainmaker with Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn. This was to have been a major dramatic role for Elvis and could have given his movie career a different direction. This was not the direction that Col. Tom Parker wanted Elvis to take. Instead he got Elvis signed on to a movie called The Reno Brothers. Later it was called Love Me Tender. This set the standard for what Elvis' movies became known for. A simple plot with a lot of pretty girls and a few songs.
The song Love Me Tender is credited as being written by Elvis and Vera Watson. However, I have heard that it was really written by Vera Watson's husband Ken Darby. He just gave them the credit. Darby refused to work with the musicians that Elvis always worked with. He felt they couldn't do justice to his music so he used his own Ken Darby Trio. Mr. Darby scored all the music for the film.
David Weisbart produced Love Me Tender and also Rebel Without a Cause. During filming Elvis talked to him about starring in a film biography of the late James Dean that Weisbart was considering.
The story of the film Love Me Tender, which also starred Richard Egan, Debra Paget and Neville Brand, centers on three brothers who are Confederate Soliders in the Civil War. The war is over but none of them know it yet. Elvis is Cliff Reno and he has married his dead brothers wife. He is thought to have been killed in the war but it turns out that he is still alive. So sets the love triangle for the film. Elvis' character is killed before the end of the film but he gets to sing 4 songs before he dies. The ending seemed like a downer with Elvis the teen idol being killed so they re shot the ending and showed a spirit like Elvis singing the title song in the background. It made you feel like Cliff Reno was in Heaven and still singing.
RCA didn't want to release the song till the movie came out in mid November. However, after Elvis sang it on the Ed Sullivan Show the demand was so great they were forced to release it the first week of November.
In 1978 at WCBM a DJ name Ray Quinn edited Elvis' version and Linda Ronstadt's version of Love Me Tender together. The result was a duet that received a lot of radio play in the area but due to legal reasons over contracts it was never released to the record buying public.

The Fantastic Four enjoy the wonders of nature with Hostess

If anything ever goes wrong always remember to save those Hostess Fruit pies. Should one slip out of your hand you should dive under it so the pie won't touch the ground. At least it will land safely on your back.

The Monkees:Randy Scouse Git and Wonder Girl

Keeping with the series if you view this video you can hear Micky mention Wonder Girl. I know that he didn't mean the comic book Wonder Girl but hey she is in the song.

The Beatles: the Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill with Captain Marvel

I saw that Aquaman shrine recently showed that Barenaked Ladies did a song that included the comic book character Aquaman. It got me to wondering how many songs mentioned fictional characters. So here today is the song by the Beatles "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill." Listen and you can hear them mention Captain Marvel.

The Beatles in Cincinnati, Ohio

I ran across this on YouTube and just had to post it. It is a home movie of the Beatles in concert in Cincinnati, Ohio from August 1966. They concert was in the middle of the day because they were suppose to have played the night before but it was rained out. So they played around noon the next day. I heard that since they had planned for an over night stay they secretly asked an older couple if they would let them stay at their home. Of course they did and so they had a good nights sleep while the fans watched the hotels. The person who told me this was the son of a salesman for the radio station that was backing the concert. He said his Dad wouldn't even tell him where they were staying.

The Last Halloween

Believe it or not I was in high school when I did my last trick or treating on Halloween. My cousin who is the same age as me wanted to go too. So we went as two of the Marx Brothers. His favorite comedian was Groucho so that was his costume. At the time I had naturally curly hair so I went as Harpo Marx. The only one of the brothers who had curly hair. Just like all my other years trick or treating it was fun but this was a little different. I noticed that all the kids were smaller then us. Not some of the kids like the other years. This time it was all of them. I am sure there were a few die hards like us who were our size but I don't remember seeing them that night. We were only a block or two away from my house when a car pulled up at a stop sign. It was filled with guys from high school. Before they pulled away from the sign one of them said "Hey guys it's..." They mentioned our names and the driver blew the horn and the rest waved. We waved back and as they pulled away I felt a little embarrassed. I thought to myself "This is definitely the last time I go trick or treating."

Who Is Deathstalker

Photobucket Album

When I was growing up I read a lot of comic books. Mostly Marvel comics. In 1974 one of my favorites was Daredevil. At the time I started to really catch on to his books he was fighting a villain called Deathstalker. He had this morbid power that when he touched people they would fall over dead. I thought he would be a great character to go out as on Halloween night. Now Deathstalker had a huge overcoat that he wore and a big hat that was so big it's shadow covered his face. So it was an easy costume to make. A couple of days before Halloween it occurred to me that unless they read Daredevil the people giving out the candy won't know who I was dressed like. So I went down the street to the mini-market called Stop and Go and bought some glow in the dark vampire teeth. That way if someone asked who I was and they didn't know who Deathstalker was I could just pop in the teeth and say I was a vampire. So Halloween night I was off with my cousin Randy and our friend Joel McCracken to go trick or treating. Within the first group of homes my cover was really blown. As I approached one man giving out candy he was announcing each character as they came down the sidewalk. Once he saw me he said "Oh look! Here comes the Exorcist." I was just so stunned and thought "I never thought they would guess that."

The Night I Almost Won But I Didn't Want To Win.

Another early memory of Halloween was at a Halloween Party that was held at Immanuel Baptist Church in Covington,Ky. That was were one if my Aunts and Uncles attended church and I was invited by them to attend every year. I visited so often that I had just as many friends there as I did at my own church. They had a costume contest and I went as a hobo. These days some might say homeless but then they were still called hobos. I had on old baggy black pants and an old black suit jacket. I found an old cane and a hat and I took them too. Mom even made me look like I had a mustache. Now I had gone to parties at the church before and won prizes but for some reason this year Mom said not to try to win any prize. So I was surprised when they were picking the people for best costume I was a finalist.
Finally the winner was picked. Thankfully it wasn't me. Later I was talking to my Uncle outside the church. I asked him why did he think they almost chose me for best costume. Before he could answer the man who was in charge of the party, I think his name was Tim, over heard and answered. First he gave the obvious answer that it was because I had one of the best costumes. I asked him why he thought it was one of the best. He said it was because I looked like Charlie Chaplin. He looked a bit amazed when I told him I wasn't dressing like Chaplin.
I don't know what I would have told Mom if I had won. I guess I would have said I wasn't trying they just gave it to me.

This Day in Music History: Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton with Islands in the Stream

In the 1980’s Kenny Rogers was on a hot streak. Everyone wanted to sing with him or produce him. On this day in music history, October 29, 1983 Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton had the #1 song in the country with Islands in the Stream. A lot of the credit would have to go to the leader of the Bee Gees Barry Gibb. Kenny remembered a song that Barry sent him a few years ago. He was looking for new material and a producer so he got Barry, along with Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten to produce his next album Eyes That See in the Dark. Islands in the Stream was the first single from the album and the song had many rewards. It was the only single that year to go platinum. It was #1 on the pop, country and adult contemporary charts. It won the award for best country single at the American Music Awards and it was named Vocal Duet of the Year and Single record of the Year by the academy of Country Music. Kenny and Dolly got along so well when recording the song that they continued recording together. They released a Christmas album in 1984. Toured together to promote their music and Kenny appeared on Dolly’s next album called Real Love.
While this may have been their first professional meeting they had traveled parallel roads. Both started in the sixties. Kenny was with the New Christy Minstrels and Dolly was a singer on the Porter Wagner show. Kenny left to form his own group the First Edition and Dolly left the TV show for a solo career. By the 1970’s Kenny had gone solo also. In the 1980’s it seemed like neither one could do wrong. Dolly had hit singles and big budget movies that she was the star of and Kenny had hit records and was the star of the Gambler movies based on his hit record. In 2000 Kenny had his first hit in 15 years when his song Buy Me a Rose reached #40 on the pop charts. Recently he has released a new cd of music.
Here is a video of them singing the song on television.

After listening to them sing the song on the video I have to say that Kenny is very good but it is Dolly who, in my opinion, really sells the song.

My Earliest Halloween Costume Memory

For the next few days I plan to reveal my most memorable Halloween costume memories. I may have told this story before but this is my earliest memory of a Halloween costume. Now my memory is really a little fuzzy at this time but I believe I was about 6 or 7 years old. I had one of those costumes that was all one piece with a mask that was tied to my face with a rubber band. The costume I decided upon this year was Green Lantern. I don't recall ever getting a Green Lantern costume in that early part of my life. I did see him in the cartoons that were based on the Justice League of America so I believe that is where my love for the character began. My cousin Randy and I would get together sometimes and both play like we were Green Lantern.
So that Halloween I couldn't wait to trick or treating with Randy and his brother Jeff. I was already dressed in my costume but the only thing missing was my mask. My Mom told me to get it and we could leave to meet them at their house. I looked everywhere but could not find it. My Mom said to look again. So I did. I traced my steps that day. I remembered putting the mask in an empty punch bowl that was sitting on the china cabinet in our kitchen. But now the mask was not there. I looked everywhere but it wasn't to be found. It was now time to leave and I still had no mask. So my Mom found a mask of, dare I say it, Satan and I had to wear that with my Green Lantern costume.
I wore that the whole evening. Getting odd looks from trick or treaters and the people giving out the candy. I got free candy so it was a good evening for me. Still it was embarrassing. If I had known about Green Lantern's enemy Sinestro at the time I could have said I was dressed as him when I was asked.
Later I arrived at home with my sweet treasure. Mom was still wondering where that mask had disappeared to. As I walked into the kitchen to put away the candy I hadn't eaten yet I glanced over at the china cabinet. My mouth nearly hit the floor. There sitting in the punch bowl was my Green Lantern mask. I told my Mom and she told me I should have looked there before we left. I told her I did and it wasn't there. Still I could not explain how it got in the bowl if it wasn't there before we left.
To this day I still believe that it was not there when I looked in the bowl before. How did it get there? Why was it missing in the first place? Did a ghost or demon play a Halloween trick to embarrass me? It's a Halloween mystery.

If you want to see the site where I got pictures of the animated GL you can click on the title.

Hulk and Hostess in the Forget-Me-Net

Ricci,Desi and Billy

Thanks to all the comments that I have received to let me know that Billy is alive and doing well. As a matter of fact he and Desi have formed a new group with Dino's brother Ricci Martin called Ricci, Desi and Billy. It turns out that Billy kept busy as a member of the Beach Boys back up band for years. He also produced albums with Carl Wilson. How did he get such great work? Maybe being Carl Wilson's brother-in-law would have something to do with it. I am sure that he got the jobs due to being a fine musician. After all the Beach Boys don't hire you unless you are really good. You can go to Ricci, Desi and Billy.com to buy their CD's and find out more about this new group.
Another commenter said that Billy will be doing a Forgotten Hits interview. You can e-mail them at The60sShop@aol.com to ask Kent about this or to subscribe to their letter.

RC Commercial with Dino, Desi, and Billy

Ok here is a commercial that wasn't nostalgic for me but I am sure that it will be for someone. Sadly I am old enough to remember the commercial I have just never seen it. Yet it does bring back memories from that era. I know Dino was the son of Dean Martin and Desi was of course the son of Lucy and Desi Arnez. Who was Billy? Was he related to anyone already famous? Also, we all know what happened to Dino and Desi but what ever happened to Billy?

The Double Deckers

This was a British Import here in America. It aired on Saturday mornings and was only on TV for a year or two but I really liked it. This video is the opening and closing of the show. I liked how it starts with saying "Get on board with the Double Decker's." Then the end credits say "You've been on board with the Double Decker's." Anyway I wanted to share this with you and I hope you enjoy it and if you saw it before then happy memories.

Hot Wheels Intro

One of my favorite cartoons from 1969 was based on one of my favorite toys. The Hot Wheels car collection that every little boy had in the 1960's. Here is the introduction to the series. The rules of the FCC were tougher back then and a year or two later the cartoon was canceled even though it was a big hit. It was canceled because the FCC ruled that it was really a half an hour long commercial for the toy. In the 1980's that would start changing and toys like He-Man, Pac-Man, G.I. Joe, etc. would start getting their own TV shows again. These were of course half an hour ads for the toys but for some reason the FCC didn't mind anymore.

The Reasons Why I Like Jimmy Olsen

I have always liked the character Jimmy Olsen. He was a favorite character of mine on the Adventures of Superman as played by Jack Larson. From all of Superman's supporting cast Jimmy was the closest to my age. So he was the eyes from which I viewed all of Superman's adventures. The episodes of the TV show and the issues of any of the comic books that centered around Jimmy were my favorites. So is it any wonder that his own comic book series was a favorite of mine growing up? There were no action figures for supporting characters of comic book series back then like there are now. You might get Superman and any of his enemies but I never saw any of Jimmy, Lois or Perry. So to compensate for that I would (gasp!) take a pair of scissors and cut out the figures of the characters from the comic books and play with them. I know I may have lost alot of valuable comic books this way but I still had fun.
I suppose I liked Jimmy because I knew no one could ever be like Superman. I nor anyone I knew was ever going to be shot off to another planet and gain powers to fight crime there. However, Jimmy was a young man close to my age and he grew up to become a reporter who was always having an adventure. At that age that was what I wanted to be. Also, if there was someone who did become like Superman I could always be his friend just as Jimmy was Superman's pal. But I knew that would never happen.
Now I told you all of that to tell you a little bit about my Granddad. He was my Dad's Father and the only Grandfather I ever knew. My Mom's Dad died when she was a little girl so I never knew him. Now I know he loved me but he rarely did anything with me. He was from an older generation that didn't seem to think you needed to say I love you or give you a hug. You just had to instinctively know that they loved you. Also, I was the 4th of six grandchildren that he had so he may have been grandfathered out by the time I came along. He and my Grandma would always let me read their books or play their records and watch TV but since my Dad and my Uncle George grew up their house was mostly made for adults. There was very little for a boy to play with. I was never one for sports but my Dad's old baseball bat was always hanging on a string out in the back part of the house. So I would take it and pretend I was a famous ball player and always hitting home runs.
I was always in search of a fun grandfather figure like I saw kids had on TV or in the comic books. I do have some good memories when his love for me came through. Like hunting easter eggs with my cousins in the yard or when grandma and grandad would come over for my birthday. I remember one day while we were visiting my grandparents when I was tired of pretending to play baseball and asked Dad if he and Grandad would play with me. Dad jumped at the chance and Grandad came along too. They would pitch the ball to me and I would try to hit it back to them. A nice memory of three generations of men playing ball together. Maybe it wasn't as fun for them as I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn at that time. I remember once at a local amusement park he would ride some of the rides with me and my Dad. So while I had some good times with him and some good memories I never felt that Grandad understood me.
Then one day I over heard him and my Dad talking and he told my Dad that I always reminded him of Jimmy Olsen. That was the best thing he ever said about me. I suddenly realized that my Grandfather. My Pop (as he liked to be called) really did understand me. He has been gone for over 20 years I still am touched by those kind words. My Grandfather and Jimmy Olsen are forever intertwined together to me. It makes me smile to know that deep in his heart he loved me very much.
Ironically I chose to go into broadcasting after I got out of school. For a short time I worked in the news department for WHKK, a local radio station in my town that is now out of business, and I interned at WCPO in Cincinnati as a gofer in their news department. I didn't like the hours so I got out of the business but for a short while I really was like Jimmy Olsen.

Time for a Party! It's my 2nd Anniversary as a blogger

Welcome to the party! Today is the second anniversary of my blog. These two years have been wonderful I have even some spin off sites like my comic blog Mail It To Team Up and my Christian blog For God So Loved. This time last year I thought I would have to move my blog. Thankfully that never happened. I hope you have enjoyed my last series. The best of On My Mind from the past 2 years.
Now enjoy the party. Rob of Aquaman Shrine is taking the guest coats and putting them in the bedroom while discussing art with Paul of If They Move Blog'em. Steve is in the dining room handling the punch bowel and talking about weird comic book panels. In the family room Ron Dante is singing old Archie's tunes. My friend Paul from Comic Book World is over in the corner talking about silver age comic books with Luke from El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker. My old friend Marlin is in the Den talking about religion and poetry. Mary Spooner is in the living room showing old movies of George Reeves and other old time actors. You may even run into Fred Hembeck, Mark Evanier, Marv Wolfman, Herb Trimpe. or ,Tony Isabella. You might even see Kent from Forgotten Hits The60sShop@aol.com or the good folks from This Is Pop Culture. Who knows maybe even Peter Noone will show up. You may even see someone from the Monkees Fan Club or Micky, Mike, Peter orDavy may show up. There is my wife bringing in the cake now. Everyone to the dining room for refreshments and thanks for reading this on line magazine of my thoughts, hobbies and stories and thanks to all the new friends that I have made from this site and my other sites.
I tired to find a photo that showed a party going on but I didn't have any. So I used the Archie comic book cover that you see above.

Best of On My Mind part 7: Sgt. Peppers

In June of this year I wrote this posting on for the anniversary of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album. It was picked up by the music newsletter The60sShop@aol.com by Kent Kotal for his Sgt. Peppers e-mail.

This weekend is the 40th anniversary of the release of the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album by the Beatles. At the time it was revolutionary in its musical scope. Everything before it seems tinny and rushed. The production of the music seems fuller and each note carefully thought out. However, as time went on we seem to have lost sight of how much influence it had at that time. It overshadowed albums that came before it and ones that had been recently released like the Monkees Headquarters. I point out the Monkees album as it was the first that was completely under the group’s control. It was to shatter the myth that they couldn’t play their own music. As well produced as the album was a few weeks later Sgt. Peppers was released and no one cared about the musical talents of the Monkees. The Beach Boys were working on the one album, Smile, which could have rivaled Sgt. Peppers in influence if it had been completed back then. Instead they released what they had as Smiley Smile. Years later in the 21st Century Brian Wilson would complete Smile on his own. The Bee Gees were even working on a concept album and Sgt. Peppers put a stop to that album in pre-production.
Since then every group has tried to emulate the production style Sgt. Peppers. To this day when a group completes a huge undertaking they announce it as the best album since Sgt. Peppers. Its influence is felt to this day as kids still buy it and enjoy the music of all the Beatles albums. No matter what your favorite Beatles album is you have to say that they set the bar high with Sgt. Peppers.
These days many performers who set the bar high for their art are now considered just ordinary performers. That has never happened to the Beatles and I hope this posting helps to keep it from happening to their Sgt. Peppers album. Music lovers keep the album in high demand and it keeps getting special releases. Perhaps one day a band will release an album/cd that will overshadow Sgt. Peppers. However, I don’t think that will happen for a long, long time.

Best of On My Mind part 6: The 70's A Decade of Change Part 4

This was #4 in a 5 part series that I wrote on the 1970's. What I like about this is that Randy Badazz who wrote the song Rise left a comment on it. It was really about a posting that I had on the song Rise where he corrected some misconceptions that I had heard about the origins of the song. I was very happy that people whose work I like and respect were actually reading what I put on the site.

In the 70’s Broadway had a surge in mass appeal. Beginning in the late 60’s Jesus Rock, which later became known as Contemporary Christian Music, was born when people from the hippie generation became Christians and turned on to Christ. They expressed their love through their music. Usually TV or the movie industry is quick to try and get the attention of any new demographic but this time it was Broadway that took the lead with plays like Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar. The soundtrack albums became hits and had hit songs such as “Day By Day” or “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” For Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim the 70’s was a golden era. One of his most popular tunes was “Send In The Clowns” from the play A Little Night Music. According to my research this song was licensed for more music boxes then any other song in history.
Another Broadway composer that the 70’s was kind to was Marvin Hamlisch. His songs have been recorded for plays, movies, TV shows and been hits for many popular singers of the day. His biggest smash was the play A Chorus Line. The story line was just telling the individual story of people trying our for the chorus line of a play. It told the stories of how they got to this point in their lives and their hopes and dreams of wanting to hit the big time. The most popular songs from the show were “What I Did For Love” and the showstopper “One” You know the first line. It starts out…One! Singular sensation. Every little step she takes.
Broadway has never been shy about building a play around comic characters. One of the biggest plays of the 70’s was Annie, based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie. It ran for years and was one of the best plays to be adapted to film a few years later. To this day everyone knows the big song from the play and they still sing the song. It is “Tomorrow”
This will continue at a later date. Perhaps…Tomorrow!

Now here is what Randy had to say about his song Rise.

Hi Rick:

Thanks for the nice words about "Rise" last week. Just to set the record straight:

I was 22 in January 1979 and producing funk records for Columbia. Uncle Herb called me up and asked if I would work up some disco versions of some of his old Tijuana Brass songs. I never ever presented him with the idea of doing disco versions of anything. I was never a disco fan. My thing was James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Funkadelics, Aretha, etc.

At our fiest meeting in Herb's office at A&M I played him Rise and he loved it however he still asked me to work up a disco version of the Lonely Bull and 2 other songs. I hated the idea then and never wanted to even attempt to record them. I had new songs and new ideas and thankfully when we went in to record them in early February, Herb did not like what he heard so we did Rise.

Please note that I did not just pull out Rise because we had extra time booked in the studio. I had music charts drawn up for the musicians and we picked the musicians with the mind of recording Rise. I'm not sure how this all got started about me wanting to do disco. Not true at all. In fact I never wanted to work with Herb. I changed my name to Badazz because I wanted to be my own person totally out of the shadow of Herb. It took quite a bit of persuading by Herb to even get me to work with him. However, I'm glad that we worked together because we had a lot of fun and we created a classic record that went to #1 around the world.

There sure haven't been a lot of #1 pop instrumental records during the past 27 years and I'm fortunate to have been a part of it.

Thank you again for your kind words and sharing your happy memories..

randy badazz alpert

Iron Man and Hostess Vs. The Bank Robbers

Don't want to disappoint anyone who has become use to seeing the Hostess and the superheroes here on Saturday becaue of the best of series that I am running. So here is Iron Man and Hostess fruit pies as they stop bank robbers.

Best of On My Mind part 5: Happy 40th Anniversary to The Monkees!

On September 12th of 2006 I posted this article on the 40th anniversary of the Monkees. It was the most linked to article that I have ever posted.

It was 40 years ago today Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider taught the band to play. They’ve been going in and out of style but they’re guaranteed to raise a smile. So may I introduce to you Bob and Bert’s pre-fab four get no respect club band. The Monkees! Ok so I paraphrased the lyrics of a Lennon- McCartney song but the description fits. On September 12th of 1966 NBC aired the first episode of the Monkees TV series. The idea for the series came to Bob Rafelson in 1962. It was to be about the life of a struggling folk music group. It was based on a group that he had been in earlier. He couldn’t get anyone interested in his idea until The Beatles movie “A Hard Day’s Night” was released. With changing the group into a pop rock band and help from Bert Schneider he was able to sell his idea to Screen Gems, the television division of Columbia Pictures.
They placed a now famous ad calling for all “Ben Frank types” to audition for parts in their project. Ben Franks was a popular restaurant in the area where a lot of teens and 20 somethings hung out at in the evenings. Of those chosen only one saw the ad. Another was already under contract to Columbia Pictures. One was set up for a private audition by his manager and the fourth was referred to the auditions by a friend who had tried but failed his audition. They were in order Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork. So with a recently discharged from the military guitar player, a former amateur Jockey turned Broadway star, a former child star and a full time dishwasher part-time musician all signed to the show and the series was under way. It sounds like a recipe for disaster with four very different personalities trying to blend together but the show was a hit but it looked more like a TV version of "Help!" then it did "A Hard Day's Night". Rafelson said they tried at first to cast existing groups like the Lovin’ Spoonful into the roles but they found thier memebers to have almost the same personalities. TV audiences like to watch personalities that are in conflict with each other. So they decided to cast four different personalities.
The pilot was filmed in November of 1965. There was a fifth member of the cast in the pilot. An actor was hired to play their manager in order to give them some parental authority. When it was screened for test audiences the pilot failed. The producers noticed that most of the poorly rated parts were the slow scenes with the manager. Also the audiences seemed to be getting the four younger band members mixed up. They edited out most of the managers scenes and added on Davy and Mike’s screen test at the beginning. They hoped this would solve any confusion and tested the pilot again. This time it became one of the best tested pilots in the history of television at that time. The show was on the air in the fall of 1966 and was a big hit. It was such a big hit that the Monkees even had an influence on Star Trek. Star Trek was not doing very well in the ratings. In order to get some of the teenage television audience Roddenberry created the character of Ensign Chekov in 1967 and hired Walter Koenig to play the part because he resembled Davy Jones. This didn’t help ratings much but it did add to the Star Trek legacy that is still felt to this day. Trouble started to come early on when the four stars had been promised to play their own music but Don Kirshner, the musical supervisor for the series, would only allow them to sing on the records but not play their own instruments. While Micky was probably happy with this as he was not a real drummer, Mike and Peter were not. The music press got hold of this. Mike got furious and spearheaded a campaign that in the end got Krishner fired and The Monkees got to produce their next album themselves. Credit has to be given to Micky Dolenz for learning to play the drums so fast in such a short period of time. He was now competing on the charts with drummers like Ringo Starr, Dennis Wilson and Keith Moon. These men had been playing the drums almost all their lives. Micky had only been playing them a few months and was expected to hold his own in that competition. I think he did pretty well.
No one had ever expected Leonard Nimoy to become a Vulcan or for Richard Chamberlain to perform surgery or for Raymond Burr to defend a client in a court of law. However, the Monkees were expected to become a real group and they did. By 1971 after many gold records, sold out concerts, Emmy awards, a movie and a television special, the Monkees were over. The show was a hit in syndication and radio stations still played their hit records. Mike Nesmith had a successful country music career, Peter Tork was teaching and Davy and Micky were trying to get their show business careers back on track. They were the two most identified with the Monkees and were severely typecast. It’s hard to escape a role you were typecast in when you and the character you played on the show have the same name. Micky did voice acting in many cartoons and even tried out for the part of Fonzie on Happy Days. Henry Winkler said that when he saw Micky Dolenz trying for the part he thought Micky would get the part instead of him. Micky himself said when he went up for roles the producers would ask him “What are you doing here? You’re a drummer.” He had to remind them he was only playing a drummer. Micky and Davy formed another group with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and released an album and did a brief tour of the U.S.A. and Japan and did a television special. Later they disbanded too.
By the 1980’s it was coming to light that just as the Beatles influenced the Monkees, the Monkees had an influence on bands that were emerging in the 80’s. The Bangles was a huge all female group at that time and have said they were influenced by the Monkees music. Micky, Davy and Peter reformed the group. Micky said that over the years people have asked what it would take to get him and the others together. For him he said it would take a huge amount of money. Usually they went away shaking their heads. This time they didn’t. With the help of MTV running the old shows the Monkees reunion tour and album was a success. They even had another hit song on the charts with “That Was Then, This Is Now.” Eventually the group members went their separate ways again. In 1996 all four members reunited for their 30th anniversary for a tour of England, a TV special and a new album called “Justus.” Fans in America were saddened when only 3 of the Monkees toured there as they had been waiting for a complete reunion for years. Bootleg copies of concerts in England have surfaced in the States but so far no complete reunion concert tour live or otherwise has happened here.
Today is the 40th anniversary of the Monkees TV show. No special concert has been announced but Rhino records has released special CD’s of their first two albums and the show is back in syndication. You can catch the four members in separate concerts from time to time. So happy 40th to the Monkees! Long may your music and TV show play.
The above photo is from TVGUIDE.com and you can go to their fan club site if you click here.

Best of On My Mind part 4: theJughead Jones Interview Part 2

Perhaps I should have called this series personal favorites as that is what I seem to be choosing. Here is a fictional interview that I did in Feb. of 2006. I recently did another one a few weeks ago. I did an interview with Archie once but for some reason Jughead's interviews seem to just flow. Anyeay here it is again.

Earlier today I got a call from Jughead. He said that he wanted to tell me how Archie’s
concert went last night.

OMM: Thanks for calling you know you didn’t really have to.

JJ: That’s all right I’m happy to do it.

OMM: You don’t mind if I put this on my website do you?

JJ: Nope! I don’t mind at all.

OMM: OK! So what happened?

JJ: Well my family arrived early at Kleats Stadium so we could wish Arch good luck.

OMM: Wasn’t it cold this time of year to have a concert at a stadium?

JJ: Most places it would be but this is a dome stadium. We kept pretty warm. Anyway Cricket, the kids and I wished Arch good luck and took our seats.

OMM: Cricket? You married Cricket O’Dell?

JJ: Yeah! You remember her?

OMM: Sure do. She was one of the people in Riverdale that they interviewed once the Archies hit it big. Why are you surprised?

JJ: Because they interviewed our teachers, parents and friends like Moose, Dilton, Ethel and a few others hundreds of times. Cricket was only in the papers 2 or 3 times.

OMM: Well she left an impression. I don’t mean to offend you but she came off like a gold digger in those interviews. All she talked about was how you guys must be raking it in and she didn’t care for you or Archie before but now she did.

There is a long pause. Then Jughead speaks.

JJ: You have not hurt my feelings cause that is the way she can come off. Yes, we all knew that she was like that back then. She always hung around Veronica and Reggie because they had more money. When I came back to Riverdale she started dating me because she thought I had a lot of money. When I figured that out I told her the truth. I spent most of it on drugs but I was off of them now. That must have really touched her. She showed me caring and compassion that I thought was beyond her. We started seeing each other more and more. She got me going back to church. We both accepted Christ and got baptized on the same day. Not too long after that we were married. Later we gave birth to Archie and Cricket.

OMM: Oh that’s nice. You named your kids after your best friend and your wife.

JJ: Well they are two of the most important people in my life. Anyway Betty, Tracy and Fred sat with us.

OMM: Who’s Fred?

JJ: Didn’t I mention him last time? Fred is Archie’s boy. Archie named him after his Dad. Anyway Archie was introduced by Principal Doiley.

OMM: Dilton?

JJ: Yeah Dilton is the principal of the high school. Arch started out playing old 50’s tunes. After that he played some Beatles, Beach Boys and the Monkees. He stopped and explained that he played those instead of his tunes because those were the ones he grew up on and gave him the idea to start The Archies.

OMM: Something I’ve always wondered. Archie didn’t seem like a vain type of person. Why did he name the group after himself?

JJ: He didn’t the majority of the group said it should be called The Archies. Now I don’t mean to sound conceited but we were the most popular students in school. We wanted to play at the school dances and said it should be named after the most popular one in our group. Betty, Veronica and I said it should be The Archies. Arch was the most popular and his name sounds friendly and upbeat. Reggie freaked out. He thought we were going to name us The Reggies. To this day if he brings up a reunion he calls us The Reggies.

OMM: Did he play any Archies tunes?

JJ: Reggie? I don't know if he still plays them or not. (He laughs)

OMM: Come on you know I mean Archie.

JJ: Yes he did. Of course played Sugar, Sugar. Then he sang Bang Shang A Lang. Circle of Blue was neat because they showed a promo film that we did for it that had Arch chasing Veronica and she was after Reg and he was after Betty. They were all running in a circle.

OMM: I remember seeing that one. Today that would be called a music video.

JJ: Yes the Beatles, Elvis, The Monkees and The Archies. We were the parents of MTV. Other songs he did were We’re One Big Family, Seventeen Ain’t Young, Sunshine, and Sugar and Spice. He dedicated Tracy to his daughter. I’m just glad that he didn’t do Waldo P. Emerson Jones.

OMM: Why not?

JJ: Because the song was written about me.

OMM: Really? I never knew that.

JJ: Yeah! If you remember the character of the song said he thought he looked like Rock Hudson. He thought he was a superman and said he knows the Beatles and Jimmy Page. Then they would say but he’s just Waldo P. Emerson Jones. Well that was how I acted when I was on drugs. I thought I was better looking then I was and I name dropped like crazy. They wanted me to get the message but didn’t want to say but he’s Jughead Jones so they changed everything but the last name.

OMM: Well you both live in Riverdale so he probably left it out in case you came.

JJ: I think you’re right. The last song was to be Scooby Doo. During that song I looked around and way in the back I see Reggie and Ronnie. I had an idea. I told Betty and we went to see Reg and Ron. We told them our idea and they loved it. After the last song the crowd called for an encore. Betty said lets do this now because Archie doesn’t have an encore. I think Archie was about to do the Star Spangled Banner when he noticed his back up band leaving. He looked puzzled till he saw the four of us coming on stage. We huddled together all with big smiles on our faces. Suddenly we all took our places. I got behind the drums. Reg got a guitar. Betty took a tambourine and Veronica the keyboards. When Betty stood behind the mike the crowd went wild and we played Jingle, Jangle.

OMM: Did you do anymore?

JJ: We did one more it was Who’s Your Baby. After that we left the stage.

OMM: So now are you guys going to reunite?

JJ: Reggie still says we should but I don’t think so. Maybe when they put us in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Archies were just kids having fun in a garage and we got lucky. Special moments like last night should be shared with those near and dear. Not exploited to make money. Reggie finally did tell us why he wanted a reunion. The Banana Splits reunion fell through and unless he comes in with a winner he might be sued for not delivering on his promise. Veronica told him maybe our old pals Josie and the Pussycats could help. She was talking to Josie last week and she was trying to get a reunion together. If that doesn’t pan out who knows maybe we will get back together.

OMM: In true Archie style, it’s to help out an old friend.

JJ: Well old friends are hard to find. Sometimes with Reg I think we should still be looking.

Jug laughs at his joke. He had to go. I thank him for the call. He says I can call anytime.
If I do I’ll let you dear readers know.

The Best of On My Mind Part 3: Little Archie

Here is a story that I posted about Little Archie and life back in January 2006.
Over at his site Fred Hembeck has a wonderful story about Little Archie and Elvis. That got me to thinking about Little Archie in general. The above photo is from this auction on E-Bay. I looked through my collection but couldn't find any stories on Little Archie. That is sad but not too surprising to me. You see I liked Little Archie but I loved teenage Archie. But it really should have been the other way around. Both were written and drawn well. But Little Archie seems, in hindsight, to have had more meat to it. You could say both series were funny. Both were at times adventuresome. However, Little Archie has something extra about it. It was about a little boy learning the basics of life. Think about your own life. When you look back you are most fond of your teenage years as it had your first date, first kiss, first job etc. Still you had already mastered the building blocks of your life. You had already learned about life and death. Hopefully saw what a good marriage was like by watching your parents. Learned how to make and keep a friend and to be a good friend. All that and more is usually learned, at least in my own experience, before you hit 13. That is what was the real meat behind Little Archie. As the old saying goes what you are at 4 you are at 40.
There is an interesting story that I heard about the creation of Little Archie. Perhaps you have heard it too. If not then I will tell you. Mr. Goldwater, the creator of Archie, was playing cards with other comic book publishers and creators. They were talking about the ups and downs of their business. Then one of them said to him...we always have to keep coming up with different characters to keep our comics going. You only have to do different versions of Archie. You can do young Archie, old Archie, big Archie, Little Archie... A light bulb went off in Mr. Goldwater's head and Little Archie was born. I didn't put any quotation marks on what was said as I don't know if those were the exact words used. However, that is how I heard it.
Also, in the photo above you see the Archie comics version of Dr. Doom. This is not the only time he has appeared. I may show you another time he was in an Archie story some other time.

Best of On My Mind part 2: A Letter From My Dad

Here is part two of the best of On My Mind as we countdown to our second anniversary on October 22nd.
When my Dad was sick and knew he may not make it he wrote me this letter.
To My Son,
Ricky you were the finest son a man could ever want or hope for. You were honest, thoughtful, trusting, generous, never a problem and more things that showed me you loved your fellow man as God would want. Rick always believe and trust in God. Never let anyone tell you any different or try to come between you and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Study your Bible and draw even closer to God through prayer and service to Him. Remember your teaching's of the Bible and always try to live up to them. The Lord will be with you always. Remember and take care of your Mother. She loves you deeply. I love you son. See you in Heaven. Dad

I love you and will see you in Heaven one day too Dad.

The Best of On My Mind Part 1: The Baptisim

My anniversary as a blogger will be here next week. To celebrate this on line anniversary I will be reposting some of what I consider the best of what I have put on this since October 2005. The day of the anniversary I will have an on line party and linking to the sites that I go to almost every day.
Then we will begin year 3 of On My Mind.
So tell your family. Tell your friends and link everyday to keep up with the countdown to the anniversary day.
Today here is a poem that I wrote and posted in 2005.

This is a poem that I wrote describing the time I was baptized.

I was so young when I first heard,
how the Word can set you free.
It talked of Jesus.
It talked of love.
It talked of Calvary.

The walk down the aisle was just a small trial.
Then I took the preacher's hand.
Men talked with me and asked me questions.
They were sure I would go to the Promised Land.

The time went by and then the day came.
I was dunked under water
and when I was let up Jesus knew my name.

He knew it from the start.
The rest was up to me.
To let Him in my heart
and express my thanks for Calvary.

copyright 2005 Ricky Phillips

Abba, ONJ and Andy Gibb sing the Beach Boys

This was a fun little video that I found on You Tube. The fun that this group of people really shows through as they seem to be just enjoying singing and each others company. It seems to be from a variety special from the 1970's and I would guess that it was an Olivia Newton John special as she seems to be the one holding court. The 70's was a much lighter spirited time in many ways then today. I can imagine all of these people just getting together just to be together because they were friends or if they hadn't met before then perhaps because they really wanted to meet and work on a project together. Click on the video and watch. You will be glad that you did.