80 Page Giant Memories

The late 1960's were a fun time in comic books. One part of the fun for me was the DC comics 80 page Giant comic books. Mostly they were reprints of stories that came out years before I was born but they were new to me. Most of the stories I don't recall that well to this day but I remember enjoying them. On Batman #182 my favorite story was the one with the Rainbow Batman. I don't remember the story but after seeing Batman in drab gray and dark blue it was fun to see Batman in bright colors. I usually saw them at my cousin Steve's house. He was, actually he still is, 3 years older and we would play together and he would let me sit on his bed and read his comics. I could tell he was wanting to play more games as he could read these anytime he wanted. For me reading these books opened up other worlds to me that I didn't have access to any other way. I lived too far from stores that carried them and had to depend on Mom and Dad to bring them home to me or wait till we were in town to get them. So to see these books at my cousins house was always exciting.
One time after leaving there I was in the car reading a book that had the origin of Robin. I don't remember if Steve let me borrow it or if I got it from Mom and Dad. I had never read the origin of Robin till then. I had also never saw the word origin before. I asked Mom and Dad how to pronounce it. They told me to try to say it phonetically. I did but I said orange. My Dad pronounced it correctly but it still sounded like orange to me.

A Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way
through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He
decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his
nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked
hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then
asked, How much do I owe you?"

You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taug ht us never to
accept pay for a kindness."

He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but
his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many year's later that same young ! woman be came critically ill. The local
doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they
called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name
of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her
life. From that day he gave special attention to her case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for
approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was
sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the
rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught
her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ... "Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You,
God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."

There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters
comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you
love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least
you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't that
what life is all about?

Superman From The 30's To The 70's

The year is 1974. My Mom and Dad would on occasion drive to Cincinnati, Ohio to go shopping at the McAlpin's department store that is now called Dillards. I was 13 years old and allowed to roam the store on my own and sometimes the downtown area since my parents knew my regular stops. This was in the days before it started being reported that children were being kidnapped in broad daylight.

Anyway on one trip I saw the Bonanza Books Superman from the 30's to the 70's and Batman from the 30's to the 70's. I believe there was one for Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel too but my memory isn't what it should be anymore. I do know those books existed but I am not sure if they were for sale at that store at that time. For some reason I didn't buy it when I was with my Mom and Dad.

Now my Mom and Dad would let me take the bus to Cincinnati. One day not long after seeing the books at McAlpin's I ask my cousin Randy to go with me on one trip. As my cousin Randy liked to read as much as I did I asked him if he wanted to go to Cincinnati with me. His Mom wasn't so sure we should but when my Mom said she would let me wander the downtown area, as back then it was safe to do so, she said it was ok.

We took the bus and arrived at the Dixie Terminal. We walked to McAlpin's and bought the books. I remember Randy buying the Batman book while I bought the Superman one. They were now on sale for $3. Sometimes it pays to wait.

We went to some of the other places I normally went to. The guy who sold newspapers and magazines on the street corner. I bought Nova #1 from him but not on this trip. There was some records shops and the Ohio Bookstore. There must be a story or two I have in me from visits to that store. We got some lunch and then caught the bus home. It was a fun day to share with Randy. We talked on the bus and even read some of the stories on the way home.

Eventually I did buy the Batman book too and even the Wonder Woman one. I don't have the Wonder Woman book anymore. I still have Superman and Batman. I hope to keep them forever as they bring back some wonderful memories.

A few years later I was in the newly built Florence Mall in Florence, Ky with a friend from High School. My friend was deeply into music. He didn't care much for comic books and thought they were childish.He was always asking me when I was going to stop reading them. We were in a bookstore there and I saw the Superman book there selling for $6. I held it up and told him when a regular comic book sells for this price I will stop. Well now that they are selling for $3 or $4 each I have pretty much stopped buying new comic books. I do buy old comics for that price as they may go up in value. But a new one is not worth it to me anymore. So it looks like I kept my promise to my friend.

The Bangles and Spock Go Down to Liverpool

Here is a great 80's video that has Leonard Nimoy playing the driver of the rock group the Bangles. From what I have read on the net it seems that Nimoy was their co-star and director of the video because his son was friends with Susanna Hoffs.

Look at the Bangles member on the far left. She seems to be making eyes at Nimoy.

Happy Groundhog Day

Just wanted to tell everyone Happy Groundhog day. Didn't think anyone would want to look at the picture of a groundhog so I put up a picture of Andie MacDowell who was one of the stars of the movie Groundhog Day.

The Golden Age is Gone Forever

I can't say I am happy with the turn in the life of Captain America in issue #34. Yes Marvel comics has "decided" to make Bucky Barnes Captain America. I do have to say that if we can't have Steve Rogers any more I am happy that it is Bucky or even Rick Jones would have been a good choice. I was expecting them to say they decided to have the government create a new one with a character that readers had never heard of before. As much as I love the art of Alex Ross I have to say I am not happy with the new costume either. I believe I saw the art on the internet for the new costume around the time they killed him off. I could be wrong. Yes I still hope that one day Steve Rogers will be Cap. I also hope the same for Barry Allen to come back as the Flash. So don't anyone hold your breath while waiting.
With all of the revisions in comics, Steve Rogers was the last link to the golden age of comics. When life was more innocent and simple. Even World War II that spawned him was a pretty black and white conflict. With the news media today showing every angle of a story it takes a lot of thinking to push away the gray shadows see the issues that are really there. With the passing of the original Captain America life will never be the same. Even if they do bring him back it may never be the same.

Paypal On My Mind

Just a reminder of the Paypal link on the right side of this page. It doesn't cost hardly anything to run the site. However every once in a while I do need some extra money to help pay some bills. Should you ever want to donate to the site every little bit helps. No matter what everyone is welcome to stop by and read this site. Thank you for your readership.

Sean Dietrich.Com Free Music Download

Just a quick note before I have to get ready for work. If you like Contemporary Christian Music then you should go to Sean Dietrich.com. He has some pretty good music there and it is free to download. Sean was on this site once and told me about his site so now I am passing it on to you.

Enough of the Hannah Montana News

Ok I think the media has to back off of Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana. The media and mostly her cable show have built her up to be the new good girl on the block. I am sure that she is. However, she is being reported doing some things that most people wouldn't want their 15 year old daughter to do. The thing is she is a teenager who is living her life in public view. We are not her parents. Let Billy Ray and her Mom handle it. Her Dad has been there before. He said in an interview that he gave that he told her when it stops being fun to stop doing it. Well once her contract is up I wouldn't blame her if she quit. Thankfully she is more known as Hannah Montana. In a few years this may all blow over and Miley can get a new career on her own name. At least she won't be as typecast as the Monkees who only went by their own names on their show. Maybe she should talk to them or David Cassidy. Those 5 men would understand what she is going through.

Ognir Rrats On the web

Thanks to Pop Culture Safari, formerly This is Pop Culture, I was directed to these videos of the Ringo Starr special that I never saw but have only heard about. It stars Ringo as himself and his look a like Ognir Rrats. Ognir is poor and Ringo is famous. Tired of fame he trades places with Ognir. Hilarity ensues. You can click here for part 1 or click here for part two.

Changes

Lately I have been thinking about making some changes in what this site is about. The template of the look of the site may stay the same but I feel the need to change what it covers. Originally it was to be about the stories and poems that I sometimes write but it morphed into more of a pop culture blog. Lately it seems to be all over the place. So I am ask you what do you think this blog does best that it should cover on a more regular basis? Let me know and if I can I will do my best to make those changes.

In Memory of John Stewart

It is sad to note the passing of another show business icon. This time from the world of music. Singer/songwriter John Stewart passed away this past past Saturday from either a massive stroke or brain aneurysm. It has not been released which one at this time. He was a member of the Kingston Trio then went solo. He wrote the song Daydream Believer which was a #1 hit for the Monkees and later a top 20 hit for Anne Murray. In the 1980's he had a top 40 hit on his own with the song titled Gold. My sympathy goes out to his family and friends.

In Memory of Allan Melvin

I just heard that character actor Allan Melvin died of cancer at his home. Some reports have said it was Jan. 17th other say it was Jan. 18th. The fact remains that a fine character actor has died. For most of his television career Mr. Melvin was cast in the military roles. He was first cast on the Phil Silvers show as Cpl. Henshaw. Later he started his voice acting career by being cast as the star voice on the Magilla Gorilla Show. He also did episodic tv by appearing in shows such as Perry Mason, Lost In Space, Love American Style, the Andy Griffith Show, the Dick VanDyke Show (usually in military garb again when Rob would remember his military days with his army buddy Sam), etc. Near the end of the 1960's he was back in the military and promoted when he played Sgt. Hacker on Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. While Sgt. Carter may have treated Gomer badly Sgt. Hacker was even tougher on America's favorite Marine Private. Having treated lovable Gomer so bad could have ended a lessor actors career. Allan was still lovable and proved it when he was cast in his most memorable role. Alice's love interest on the Brady Bunch as Sam the Butcher. When that show ended he found occasional work on All In the Family as Archie Bunkers friend Barney Heffner. Later he had a 15 year run in commercials as the plumber who got out of hard to do jobs by using Liquid Plumber. After the Brady Bunch ended his cartoon voice over career continued into the 1980's. While Magilla Gorilla is his best remembered role he was also a military figure again when he voiced Sgt. Snorkel and Private Zero on Beetle Bailey. He was the voice of Drooper on the Banana Splits, Tyrone on the Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty, Wacky Packy on Uncle Croc's Block. He was the voice of the villain Electro on Spider-man and his amazing Friends and he topped off his cartoon career by playing Joey on the Kwicky Koala Show in the early 1980's and it was Tex Avery's last animated project.

This man had a long enough career for two actors and he did it well. He was one of the busiest characters in Hollywood for over 3 decades and this posting only showed the tip of the iceberg. He should have been given his own show to star in but seemed to always play second fiddle to the lead. No matter if you remember him as Sam, Magilla, Sgt. Hacker or any other role you know that he was always a welcome presence in every home in America and thanks to reruns and TV shows on DVD he will always be seen for years to come.

Hostess and Spider-Man in Break The Bank

It's Saturday Morning and time for Hostess' Team-Ups. Today Hostess and Spider-Man stop a robbery in Break the Bank.

Another clip from Facing the Giants

Here is another clip from Facing the Giants. It tells us that if we give our best all the time God will reward us. We sometimes quit even before we start because we don't think we are strong enough or we think the task ahead of us is impossible. If we endure it worth it in the end. We need to give our best all the time, in everything we do. God is there beside us telling us we can finish this race!
This is now one of my favorite movies. Definitely in my top 10. Right up there with It's A Wonderful Life and Casablanca.

Facing the Giants

Here is a good clip from a film called Facing the Giants. For those of you who haven't seen the movie it tells how a losing team turns around when the head coach gives God the glory for every thing. Here the assistant coach tells about salvation through Christ by using a football goal as his example.

Fun to Watch site

Thanks to Mark at News From ME here is a fun site to watch. You can click here to see what I mean. It may take awhile for it to download and it is in another language so I am not sure what it is called. It seems to be called Online Winkelen.

Forgotten Hits e-mail list

Earlier on this site I told you my story of my first 45 single. I did this as my memory was prodded by the Forgotten Hits mailing list where Kent was showcasing stories from people about their first 45's. Kent is still compiling these stories and wanted me to tell any readers of this site that they can still join the Forgotten Hits list if you just e-mail him at The60sShop@aol.com and ask him to put you on the list. It is that simple. He also sends wav files out of some of the songs that are being discussed to add to the enjoyment. So join in on the fun by remembering many of our pop cultures Forgotten Hits and e-mail Kent today at The60sShop@aol.com and tell him On My Mind sent you.

PS.
If you want you can also tell me and I will post the story here.

Flash Gets A Speeding Ticket While There Is A Hot-Girl in the Comic Shop

Here are a couple of funny comic book related videos. First is The Flash getting a speeding ticket.


Now here is a video where guys sing about the hot girl in the comic shop. It must have been the ending of a TV show as the credits are rolling on the side.

Spider-Man and Hostess in The Champ

Where is this Monkees T-Shirt?

Does anyone reading this blog know where I can get this T-shirt. Target.com once had it but now they don't. I haven't found it on e-bay either. For some reason I didn't buy it when I saw it but now would like to have it. If you know where I can get it please let me know. Thanks from your site operator.

Here is your answer to Do You Know This Man?

Yes it's Davy Jones! When a friend of mine showed me the ad I didn't know why and I hadn't had time to read the small endorsement. Then he said Davy doesn't look like he use to does he? That was how I found out who it was. I know they did it because of the Monkee/Gorilla connection but don't be surprised if Mike, Micky or Peter start to advertise for Charles Schwab.

Also Craig of Zablo's Zone was the only one to give the correct answer. Craig will get a years supply of Rice-A-Roni the San Franciso Treat, but only if he buys it himself every week for a year.

Do You Know This Man?

Here is a recent ad for Gorillatrades.com. Do you recognize the person doing the ad for them? You can come back here tomorrow to see if you have the right answer.

My First 45

Kent of the Forgotten Hits mailing list, you can join his list if you e-mail him at The60sShop@aol.com, recently started a series about people's first 45's. Now I haven't contributed yet but this got me to think about what was my first 45. We had many around my house that were mostly bought by my Mom and Dad or Aunts and Uncles. Most of them I remember the tunes but not the names. Well come to think of it I do remember hearing "Purple Eater", "John and Marsha" and "The Witch Doctor" but the rest are now nameless melodies in my head. Others were Christmas songs or songs to teach children math and other scholastic lessons. Sometimes I would go to see my cousins who might be listening to Elvis or the Beatles but none of these were mine.
I saw other rock and roll acts on TV and heard them on the radio but never bothered to buy them or ask my parents for them. My biggest exposure to Rock and Roll music was seeing reruns of the Monkees on Saturday mornings. I recall in the opening how they would always sing "...we may be coming to your town." Now I lived out in the country and the nearest friend from my school lived to far to walk or ride a bike to see. So I was pretty much a loner in the summertime. I always hoped that the Monkees would come to my town and play with me. I was too young to understand that 4 men in their 2o's may not want to play all day with a little boy and if they did my house would be mobbed by any kid or teen who found out they were there. But I did have my dreams.
One Saturday I was with my Mom, Grandma, Aunt Joan and my little cousin Rachel in a second hand store. Shopping with females has always been boring to me and that day was no exception. As always I went to the toys or books. I wound up finding some used records and while looking at them I found the 45 single of the Monkees and Daydream Believer. At that time it was one of my favorite songs from their show. I asked my Mom if I could have it. I forget the price now but it wasn't much so she bought it for me. I could believe that I had my favorite Monkees tune and on the flip side one that I didn't remember hearing before. It is of course "Goin' Down." Once we got home Rachel and I had a lot of fun listening to it. We would dance to it and I am not ashamed to say that I did like dancing. Mostly I had fun listening to Micky on "Goin' Down" and trying to keep up as I sang along.

As I got closer to my teen years and almost ready for high school we moved from the country to a town a few miles away. We were in a newly built home with new furniture. One of those pieces of furniture was a console stereo system. You had to lift a heavy wooden top to have access to the turntable. Rachel and her family had also moved next door to us and we would play together. One day I got out the old 45 of Daydream Believer. It had been 3 or 4 years since my Mom bought it for me but we still loved to listen to it. After we were done I took the record off of the turntable and set it on the side next to the top. I carefully lowered the top of the stereo when I suddenly heard a cracking noise. I looked to see that the 45 was just barely hanging over the edge and the top put a small crack in the record. Unless I wanted to start farther in on the song the 45 wouldn't play again. It was a sad day to realize that I accidentally destroyed my favorite song and had to throw it away.

I have bought reissues and now have both songs on other Monkees collections that I got over the years. But the enjoyment I get from hearing them is nothing to the joy I felt when I listened to it as my first 45 record. The above photo isn't even from my collection it is from an e-bay auction that I think has now ended.

Battling Tops Again

In a previous post I mentioned how I asked my wife to get me the classic game of Battling Tops. I got it and I have enjoyed it but felt a little foolish till I saw this video. Here is a game of Battling Tops as played recently but four grown men. Guess I'm not the only one with good feelings about this game. It made you feel happy even if you lost. How many games can people say that about.

Spider-Man and Hostess in Hot Shot On the Block

Happy New Year

I just wanted to tell everyone who reads this blog to have a Happy New Year. Also I plan on taking the next few days off of blogging. Unless I have important news don't look for anything new here till the weekend.

Joe, Curly and Davy Jones at the strips

Speaking of Davy Jones yesterday as it was his birthday, I came across some old comic strips on the net that are from the 1960's where the star was named Davy Jones. Now at first, since I had never seen them before, I thought the name was there way of cashing in on the Monkees fame.

However, in doing some research I found that the strip first started around 1918 and was called Joe's Car. No one named Davy Jones was in the strip then. It was just about a little man named Joe and the problems he had with his car. Later the strip changed it's focus to what Joe did for a living. He was a fight manager and the title became Joe Jinks. This was in 1928 and predated Joe Palooka by 2 years as a comic strip dedicated to boxing.


After awhile a popular second character took over the lead role. He was called Curly Kayoe. He was one of the boxers that Joe managed. With the new name came a new look. It seems that Curly Kayoe was now more of a melodrama then the previous cartoonish style it started out with as Joe's Car.

Curly took over the daily strip and Joe was moved to Sunday only where the focus was on his family life. At times Joe would come back as a secondary character in the daily strip.
In 1961 Curly was fading in popularity as a character but a secondary character, seaman Davy Jones, proved more popular and he took over the strip for the rest of the decade just as Curly did from Joe years before. Now we can see that there was no Monkees influence at the time he took over the strip. Not hard to see why they named a seaman Davy Jones but I am certain the Monkees connection helped a little bit a few years later.

As you can see the style also changed. The art and plots seemed far more dramatic. It looked more like a soap opera comic strip. To my surprise the art chores were handled by Wayne Boring who did the art on Superman for DC Comics for about 10 years. Take a look at Davey's friend Marco in the last panel. Doesn't he look like Superman in disguise?

You can find out more about these comic strips if you click here or here.

Happy Monkees Day and a Happy Birthday to Mike Nesmith and Davy Jones of the Monkees

Today is Monkees Day here at On My Mind. Why you may ask. Because it is to wish a Happy Birthday to Mike Nesmith who is 65 today and Davy Jones who is 62. Mike you can officially retire today but Davy has to keep working for a few more years.

So before you celebrate the New Year starting tomorrow start a celebration today. Get out your Monkees T-shirts, records, CD's, hats, posters or anything of the Monkees. Celebrate Monkees Day every year.

Here is a video of the Yardly Black Label aftershave commercial they both did for their sit-com in the 60's.

Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Comics

Over at the site Hey Kids! Comics my friend Rob told a story of how his Dad would take him to work on weekends and buy him some tabloid treasury comics so he could read them while he worked. Well I have a similar story.

When I was a boy my Dad worked very hard. Not only did my Dad have a full time job but he also had 2 or 3 part time jobs. One of them, back in 1974, was working weekends as a janitor or cleaning carpets. It was his own business so he would at times take me with him so we could spend time together. I would at times vacuum, wash the windows or when cleaning shag carpet I would rake the carpet after it was shampooed to raise the fibers and make it look neat for the owners.

One Saturday night after I had washed the windows and vacuumed the carpet I had nothing to do. Dad was buffing and waxing the non-carpeted part of the floor. The carpeted part was not shag so I was pretty much done unless Dad needed help with something. Being bored I started doing something that any boy would do when left alone in an office. I started opening drawers. I had no intentions of taking anything I just wanted to see what was inside. Suddenly in the bottom drawer of the desk I saw to my surprise...comic books. These weren't funny animal books either. These were fairly current Marvel Comic books. The one I remember being on top was Ghost Rider #6. I immediately took it out, sat on the floor and started to read it. For some reason I felt like I was doing something wrong but I didn't know why. After all I was only reading a comic book and I was going to put it back as soon as I was done. I was near the end of the story when I heard my Dad calling. I ignored him as I was near the end and wanted to finish and I also was afraid Dad would scold me for reading when I was suppose to be working.

Suddenly my Dad came from around the corner of the desk and loomed over me. He started to smile and asked me where did I get the book. I told him where I found them and I wanted to finish the story. He continued to smile as he said "When you're done over here and help me move this piece of furniture." So when I was done I did what he told me to.

Now I loved being with my Dad but I hated cleaning up after other people. I especially hated washing the windows. However, this new discovery made it easier to go with him on those Saturday nights. When I was done with my part I went over to the desk and started to read whatever comic books were in the bottom drawer. Dad got a kick out of telling my Mom about how if he needed me he could always find me behind that desk reading a comic book.

Then one night I got a surprise. I opened the bottom drawer and there were no comic books. I opened a few more drawers and found them and started reading. It was in that drawer for a few more weeks till one day all the drawers in the desk were locked. My Saturday night supply was cut off. I thought it was an accident that they were moved a few weeks before but I guess the owner of the desk knew someone was reading them and didn't like it. Moving them didn't stop me so he locked it. In my young mind I didn't know why someone wouldn't want to share the pleasure of reading their comics. That is something I still don't quite understand today but that is another story.

Still how did he find out? I always put them back the way I found them and I never touched anything else. Only the comic books. Later my Dad told me that he also found some old girlie magazines in the mens room. Dad knew who the books belonged to as there was only one man in the office. Dad never did like those magazines as they were demeaning to both men and women and he offered to throw them out. Of course Dad used the excuse that they were old to have them thrown out. He said no as he wanted something to read during the slow times of the day. He probably told him that I found and I read his comic books and he didn't want me to find and read these. Since I don't recall seeing those girlie mags I bet the offices owner put them all in his desk and locked it up so I wouldn't see them.

I am proud that my Dad took a polite stand for his beliefs. But I wish the office owner would have left the books outside the desk on Saturday for me to read. Saturday nights at that office weren't as fun once the desk drawers were locked.

Spider-Man and Hostess in Legal Eagle

I have something else in mind that will only make sense if I post it on Saturday so here is this weeks Hostess ad.

This Just in From the Now I've Seen it All Department

Yes here it is for the classic music and TV fan who also like to flyfish. Hold on to your fisherman's hat it's the Monkees ...fishing lure? I found this on this Monkees collection site while I was surfing the net. So now I have seen it all.

Favorite Movie Santa Poll Results

Our small poll of your favorite movie Santa is over. Scroll down and you will see the winner.













Keep scrolling.













Your getting closer.













You better not shout!













You better not cry!













You better not pout!













I'm telling you why!













Edmund Gwenn is coming to town!

Yes Mr. Gwenn is still the favorite even though he has passed away and therefore not played the role since 1947. He has however been seen in the role for decades on TV and home video in Miracle on 34th Street.

Tying for second place was Tim Allen of the Santa Clause films and David Huddleston of Santa Claus the Movie. Thanks to all who voted and to all who read this blog MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Perry Como Christmas Medley

From a Christmas special in December of 1969 complete with some commercials, here is Perry Como singing a medley of Christmas songs and hymns. Merry Christmas to one and all from On My Mind.

Tennessee Ernie Ford, Andy Williams and Bing Crosby

Yesterday I had a video of Sinatra. Here are three other singers that I often think of when Christmas specials use to air this time of year. Tennessee Ernie Ford, Andy Williams and Bing Crosby with guest appearance by David Bowie. Tomorrow I will have a video of Perry Como singing a Christmas medley.

I'v Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Frank Sinatra

In the 1950's old blue eyes had his own weekly variety series. This clip is from a Christmas episode singing I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm. Since it is in black and white I guess it is old gray eyes who sings it. :)

This Day In Music History: The Chipmunks and David Seville

I have been trying to do the #1 songs on Billboard in order but for this Christmas I was looking for Christmas song that was #1 on the charts. While Christmas songs have charted well in the past this time of year nothing by Sinatra, Crosby or anyone ever had a #1 song on Billboard. However the #1 song on the charts for this day in music history, December 22, 1958, made me want to skip for the 2nd time in a month. The #1 song that day was "The Chipmunk Song" by the Chipmunks and David Seville.
David Seville was really Ross Bagdasarian the brains behind the Chipmunks who wrote and produced the song. It started its run at #1 today for 4 straight weeks. Ross had a #1 song earlier in 1958 with the Witch Doctor. The speeded up voices on Witch Doctor had no name or identity on the song. It was after it was a hit that Ross had the idea for the Chipmunks.
The names of the chipmunks came from the names of executives at Liberty Records where he was under contract. Alvin was for Al Bennett who was president of the company. Simon was named after Al's partner Si Waronker and Theodore was named after Ted Keep the recording engineer.
The personality for Alvin was based on Ross' son Adam. Adam was always asking if it was Christmas yet starting in September. He figured if he was then other children probably were too.
The song went through three versions before the family approved. At one time it was titled "In A Village Park." The third version was the charm. In three weeks the song sold over 2,500,000 copies. It was the fastest selling song of 1958 and won three Grammy awards. They were Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance and Best Engineered Record.

Ross and the Chipmunks were on a roll. In 1959 their song "Alvin's Harmonica" peaked at #3. In the fall of 1961 their own TV show called "The Alvin Show" premiered on CBS.
It only ran for 1 season but the repeats ran for 3 years on Saturday morning when the started it in June of 1962. In 1964 they release an album called The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles after Ross saw them on the Ed Sullivan show. In 1967 Ross retired the Chipmunks. He wanted to be known as serious songwriter again and not known for his novelty material.
Saddly Ross died of a heart attack in 1972. This major set back didn't stop the return of the Chipmunks. In 1980 a radio DJ accidentally played the Blondie song "Call Me" in a faster speed. When the song ended he realized his mistake and joked that it was the Chipmunks version. People took him seriously and began requesting the Chipmunks version. Soon Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and his wife Janice recorded a new Chipmunk album and called it Chipmunk Punk. Ross was the voice of Alvin, Simon and David Seville and Janice was Theodore. A follow up album was called Urban Chipmunk during the Urban Cowboy era of movies and music. The Chipmunks were on a role again with a series of live shows and a new Saturday morning show on NBC television in 1983.

Now they are trying for another comeback with a new movie that just came out with Jason Lee. Will a sequel a new album or cartoon series follow? Don't be surprised if all of them are released and meet with a lot of success.
Would Ross Sr. be happy with his creations continuing into the 21st century after he retired them in 1967? I think he would. I also think he would be just as happy to know that movie fans can see him play a serious musician in the Hitchcock film Rear Window. If you ever see the film you will notice one of Jimmy Stewart's neighbors is a musician and always playing the piano near his apartment window. That actor is Ross Bagdasarian Sr. As Paul Harvey would say, now you know the rest of the story.

Thor and Hostess Meet the Ding-A-Ling Family

It looks like Thor took on Ma Barker and her boys. I can't think of a more stupid enemy. Especially for someone like Thor. This was even dumb for a Hostess Ad.

AAU Shoes Ad

I know some people hate this old ad but I loved it with the play on words. The bad guy is called Missile-Toe and he shoots the missiles from his boots. That is so cool, corny and funny at the same time. Since Christmas missile-toe is a holiday tradition I have posted this ad today along with some Christmas decorations in the four corners. Merry Christmas.

Battling Tops

Many toys of yesteryear have been with us for decades in one form or another. Others left the stage not long after the came on the scene and have not been heard from since. While other toys seem to be making a come back. Here is a commercial for Battling Tops that seems to be on the comeback route. I loved this when I was a kid and I see it selling out on the internet and selling in some stores for a lower price then the internet sites. Ok Yes I did ask my wife to try and get it for me for Christmas. Here is the Clio award winning commercial.

Favorite Movie Santa Poll

Vote to tell who is your favorite movie Santa Claus. While I have liked all of them and they have all played the part well, one was even an Oscar winner in the role, the best one to me is David Huddleston. I am casting my vote for him.

Favorite Movie Santa Claus?

Who is your favorite movie Santa Claus? Tim Allen of the Santa Clause series Edmund Gwenn of Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Richard Attenborough of Miracle on 34th Street (1994) David Huddleston of Santa Claus the Movie Paul Giamatti of Fred Claus Current Results

Monkees Biography December 19th

I just got this from Peter Tork's My Space Site. If you get the Biography Channel you may be interested.
Be sure the check out the Biography Channel 12/19 @ 10 pm for "The Biography of The Monkees". So check your local listings and make sure you watch, and if you can't watch make sure you have your TIVO/DVR set up to record for ya. You won't want to miss this!

Rest in Peace Dan Fogelberg

I just heard the news that Dan Fogelberg has passed away after his battle with cancer on December 16th. Until now I had believed that Mr. Fogelberg was from my home state of Kentucky. Partly because someone told me this years ago and the rest was based on his song "Run For the Roses" which was about the Kentucky Derby. Now I have found out that he was born August 13 1951 in Peoria, Illinois. In an interview that I just read on line he said that he was hired by the Kentucky Derby to write the song "Run For the Roses." No matter where he was from I liked his music.
I always associate the music of Dan Fogelberg with my days in college. It was in late 1979 or early 1980 when I first heard of him. Two songs of his were bigs hits from his Phoenix album. They were "Longer", which is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written, and "Heart Hotel." I remember hearing the song "Heart Hotel" on the radio all the time. There was a phrase that I never quite understood in the song. It was while listening to it on the radio as I was driving home from my part-time job that I decided to make up my own lyric that, to me, sounded like what he was singing. The line as I sang it was "echoes of promises kept." Later, I was talking to my cousin Steve on the phone. He liked the song as much as I did and I asked him what he was saying at that part. He told me the real lyric was "Nobody living inside." When I told him I heard it as "echoes of promises kept" he liked it and asked if he might use the phrase sometime in something he wrote. I of course said it was ok with me.
For four years I kept hearing the songs of Dan Fogelberg coming from my radio. Like the "Power of Gold" from his album Twin Sons of Different Mothers with Tim Weisberg which was the only hit off of that album. That song came out around the time that John Stewart had a hit with "Gold" and I wondered if they had planned it as an answer to each others song. It is around this time of year that radio stations play his hit "Same Old Lang Syne." It will be even more sad to hear it this year with his passing. I once read that the song was based on a true story of his accidental meeting with an old girlfriend. "Leader Of The Band" is a song that he wrote about his Father. From what I have read his Father got a lot of attention and interviews from the media about this and Dan was a little surprise that the song became a hit. Two more hits of his that I loved to hear were "Make Love Stay" and "Part of the Plan." With all of this success in music it is sad to note that he never had a #1 hit on the Billboard charts. Why that is I don't know. I can't even tell you why the only album I ever bought was his greatest hits album. I had hopes for a second volume but that never came to pass. While he and his music will be missed, I don't think the industry ever fully appreciated his music or his talent. He was one of the few who successfully blended folk, country, pop and jazz to have a long career in music. I have heard that in his battle with cancer his strength, dignity and grace inspired all who knew him. Rest in Peace Dan Fogelberg.

The Monkees Riu,Chiu

Here are the Monkees at the end of their Christmas show singing a song called Riu,Chiu I believe it is in Spanish. It tells the story of Christ. Here is the english translation.
River, roaring river, guard our homes in safety,
God has kept the black wolf from our lamb, our lady.
God has kept the black wolf from our lamb, our lady.

Raging mad to bite her, there the wolf did steal,
But our God almighty defended her with zeal.
Pure he wished to keep her so she could never sin,
That first sin of man never touched the virgin sainted.

River, roaring river...

He who's now begotten is our mighty monarch,
Christ, our holy father, in human flesh embodied.
He has brought atonement by being born so humble,
Though he is immortal, as mortal was created.

River, roaring river...

The Mighty Thor and Hostess vs. The False Immortal

Sheldon Moldoff signed original art Batman Hawkman 1 Day Auction

This is an original painting by Sheldon Moldoff one of the greats of the golden and silver age of comics. It is for sale on e-bay and I am the seller so click here to bid on it. I met Mr. Moldoff in the 1990's when he was at the Mid-Ohio convention. He is a very nice man and loved talking about his grandson. Make a comic book fans Christmas and get them this original watercolor painting by one of the greats in the business.

Bring On the Bad Boy

I remember this story as happening in 1975 but every where I look on the publishing date of the book, Bring on the Bad Guys by Stan Lee, I see the year 1976. Perhaps I am off by a year or maybe it came out in late 1975 but is date 1976. Either way this story did happen to me in November and December of one of those two years.
I have liked reading comic books for most of my life. At this year I was at the height of my comic book interest. I was in my early teens and not of driving age yet. That I do remember quite well. It was November 26th. The day after Thanksgiving that year. My Dad had to go to work and I had the day off from school. It was also garbage day. We lived on the top of a hill and the night before I dragged down a heavy metal garbage can full of the holiday leftovers and other various items that we threw away earlier that week to the bottom of the hill for the garbage man to get. My Dad left instructions for me to get the empty garbage can and bring it back up before he got home that day. Having every intention of following my Dad's orders I assured him I would.
That whole day I spent most of it playing and reading in my room. No friends were playing across the street in the park and I got no calls from anyone to meet them anywhere. It was cold outside and I wanted to stay warm so there was no reason to venture out of the house. Well I did have to get the garbage can. But that wouldn't take long and I could get it anytime that day. The old saying says that time flies when you are having fun and this day it proved true. As I was enjoying myself time got away from me. I heard my Dad's car coming up the drive way. At first I just thought something like "Oh good Dad's home." That quickly changed to "OH NO! DAD'S HOME! I HAVEN'T BROUGHT IN THE GARBAGE CAN YET!" Before I could hardly move Dad came in the house and down to my room. He looked right at me and said "I brought the garbage can in myself. No comic books for a month." (Back then if Dad saw the garbage can still not taken in he would grab one of the handles and hold it outside the driver side window of the car as he drove up the hill. The can banged on the side of the car all the way up. The memory of that makes me smile to this day.) What didn't make me smile was no comic books for a month. A week I could have taken but a month seemed like torture. But Dad was right and he was just in giving me my punishment. I had been a bad boy for not following through on what he told me to do.
The month went by quicker then I had thought. It wasn't easy seeing my favorite books for sale and I couldn't buy them. Still I obeyed my Dad and I survived the month.
Then came December 25th. Christmas Day. The next to last day of the month long punishment that my Dad gave me. Now I was no longer a child. I was a teen and I knew the true story of Santa Claus but I did my best to keep the magic alive for years. I would wake up every Christmas morning and see my gifts under the tree. I was up before my parents this year and I saw one thing that I had asked for Christmas that tested me more then any comic book that month. It was the brand new book by Stan Lee Bring On The Bad Guys. I wanted this more then anything that year and here it was staring me right in the face and I could not read it till tomorrow.
Now I could have told my parents it wasn't really a comic book as it was a paperback book. But to my Mom and Dad if comics were inside it then it was a comic book and I understand that and I actually agree with that. I was torn between reading the book and being a good son and obeying my punishment. Of course if I had obeyed Dad a month earlier I wouldn't be in this dilemma. I suddenly thought in those early morning hours that I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to read just one story in the book. One of the reasons I wanted the book was it had a reprint of the Dr. Doom origin story and I loved this story when it was on the old Fantastic Four Saturday morning cartoon series. I had never read it in the comic books before so all alone in the dimly lit room I opened the book and read the Dr. Doom story. Later, I was feeling a little ashamed after my Mom and Dad got up and we opened more gifts. Mom saw me holding the book and she came over and whispered to me "Since it's Christmas your Dad and I agreed to take you off of your punishment so you can read that book today and not wait till tomorrow." I looked at her and told her the truth. "Good cause I already started reading it." Mom laughed and went back to celebrating Christmas. I still feel a little guilty about it but at least Mom and Dad were forgiving about it.

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

I saw this post on News From ME and it got me to thinking. If they did ever do a remake who would they get to be in it. First I thought they would have to hire most comedic actors from TV who want to make a name for themselves in the movies. So here is my cast if they ever do a remake of it in the USA. Some I am not sure which part they would play but others I know exactly the part they should play.
1. Michael J. Fox (he would be perfect in the Micky Rooney role if he was in good health)
2. Tim Allen (Hey! You need one who already made his name in movies.)
3. Kelsey Grammer
4. Robin Williams (Again Hey! you will need at least one who already made his name in the movies.)
5. Harry Anderson (Of course what part should he play? The Phil Silvers role of course.)
6. Larry the cable Guy (the role played by Jonathan Winters)
7. Kevin James
8. Drew Carey
9. Julia Louis Dreyfus
10. Harrison Ford (You need a serious actor who can handle comedy to play the Spenser Tracy part.)
11. Patricia Heaton
12. Patricia Richardson
13. Rowan Atkinson (the Terry Thomas role
14. Estelle Harris (in the Ethel Merman part)

So it wouldn't be too hard to do a remake in my mind. You would just have to beef up some of the roles more. Mostly the womens parts. The only part that would be hard these days would be the cost as the cast would send the price sky high.

This Day In Music History: The Monkees and Daydream Believer

I can't believe that this anniversary slipped past me. It was actually #1 on the Billboard charts starting December 2, 1967. I thought it started its run around a week later. Since "Daydream Believer" was #1 on the charts for 4 weeks I can safely say that it was still #1 on this day in music history. So this month is the 40th anniversary of the last #1 hit that the Monkees had. They did have another top 10 hit a few months later with "Valleri" but this was their last time at the top of the charts.
Also, a few months later it would see the end of their situation comedy show. They had slowly tried to morph the show into a variety series as that type of series was popular then. It would allow them to play a wider variety of music and guest stars if this had come to be. However, NBC wanted only another year of their sit-com. So the series ended with59 episodes.
Everyone is aware that the Monkees fought for creative control of their music and they won that battle. However, after their album Headquaters they found it difficult to maintain that control and still act on their TV show. Therefore, things reverted back to them only going into the studio to record while the producers set up the musicians. This was at least were their presence was still felt as their musical producer was their hand picked choice of Chip Douglas. "Daydream Believer" was produced by him and Davy Jones is the only Monkee on the record.
The Monkees were still popular but that popularity was starting to wind down. The did the movie Head and later the TV special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee. They had hoped that either one of them would have been successful enough to continue their work in movies and television. However, both failed to capture the attention of the public. Peter Tork quit the group after they did the TV special. The others continued as a trio for another year. Then Mike Nesmith also bought out his contract with the Monkees. He had already written a hit song with "Different Drum" for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys. Dot Records released his big band album of songs that he previously had written and recorded with the Monkees. It was called The Wichita Train Whistle Sings.
Micky and Davy were still under contract and with their show going into syndication were told they were still being held to the contract for one more album. This enabled the shows production company to put the new songs on the syndicated episodes. The record company I am sure had hopes it would boost sales so they could still sell albums. This was not to be as the writing was on the wall that it was the end of the Monkees. There was even a joke making the rounds that one of the remaining two would quit and the other would try to milk the Monkee machine even more by calling himself The Monkee.
The move for the show into syndication was smart as it kept them in the eye of their key audience. As a result there were attempts at reunions over the years. The most successful was in 1986 when Peter, Micky and Davy reunited for a world tour. Destiny also played into how successful the reunion was as MTV, unknown to the Monkees, had started playing their TV show and Arista was about to release a new Monkees Greatest Hits album. The TV show gave them an even younger audience and the tour became a family event. Arista asked them to record new songs for the album. Micky and Peter got together for three new songs on the album. One was released as a single and "That Was Then, This is Now" became the last top 20 hit for the Monkees when it peaked at #20 on the Billboard charts in August of 1986.
Click on the player below to hear Davy, Micky and Peter preform the song live in 1986.

This Day in Music History: Guy Mitchell and Singing the Blues

On this day in music history, December 8, 1956, Guy Mitchell had the #1 song on the Billboard charts with Singing the Blues. It was written by Melvin Endsley and produced by Mitch Miller. Melvin was a victim of polio when he was three years old. He was confined to a wheelchair. This was his first successful that he wrote.
Marty Robbins was the first to record the song for Columbia Records. It was the same label that Guy Mitchell recorded for and Mitch Miller was one of their producers/executives.
Before he became Guy Mitchell he was Al Cernick from Detroit, Mich where he was born Feb. 27, 1927. His parents moved to Los Angeles when he was 11 years old. It was during the train ride west that Little Al was heard singing on the train. An Agent heard him and told his Mom her son had a beautiful voice. He gave her his card and told her to call him when they got to LA. She did and the agent got Al signed to a contract with Warner Brothers where they planned to groom him to be a child star. He was given acting, singing, dancing and diction lessons. He was heard singing on radion station KFWB. Then his parents moved to San Francisco and that ended his career as a child star.
He still continued singing and in 1947 he became the vocalist for the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra. It was with them that he made his first recordings. It was with Decca Records and they were called "I Go in When the Moon Comes Out" and "Ah But It Happens."
His biggest break came years later when Frank Sinatra refused to record two songs for Mitch Miller. The studio was already booked and the band was waiting. Mitch had to find a replacement fast. He remembered hearing a demo for Al Cernick. Two hours later, after making some calls, Mitch had Al in the studio. He recorded "My Heart Cries For You" and the flip side "The Roving Kind." Both made the top 5 on the charts.
Mitch Miller didn't like his name. So he had him change his name. Mitch gave him the name Mitchell and Guy came from Mr. Miller saying that Al was a nice guy. Hence the name Guy Mitchell.
Later Mitchell heard Marty Robbins version of "Singing the Blues" and wanted to record it. He asked Mich Miller if he could record the song. He was given the go ahead. Both versions entered the charts on November 3, 1956. However, Robbins version stalled at #17 while Guy Mitchell's version went to #1 for 9 weeks.

Thor and Hostess in Good Overcomes Evil!

Speed Racer:The Movie

Here he comes
Here comes Speed Racer
He's a demon on wheels.

Warner Brothers also hopes he will be a demon at the box office also. The movie comes out in May of 2008 and will star Emile Hirsch as Speed. Matthew Fox is Racer X. Other in the cast are Kick Gurry, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon,Paulie Lit and Christina Ricci as Trixie.
While I have never been a fan of Speed Racer I can't wait to see this movie. The trailer below can make anybody want to see it if they are looking to see a good popcorn movie.
While Speed Racer is from Japan he has become a pop icon in America. Baby boomers and NASCAR fans should make this movie a must see for the summer. As I said before Emile Hirsch is the star in the role that I heard rumored before that Johnny Depp was asked to play. Emile is not familiar to me but if you have seen Into the Wild, Alpha Dog, The Girl Next Door then you have seen some of his work. Most of the others in the film are already pop icons themselves.
The film was done by Andy and Larry Wachowski who created the Matrix. The Matrix was too avant garde for me. However, that type of film making is just what this movie needs. An askewed view of the family/racing dynamics of the film.
Speed Racer is so much a part of popular culture that just when you think he is gone he pops up again. Not long ago he surfaced in a Geico insurance commercial. According to USA Today that was Christina Ricci's first time to ever see Speed Racer.
I have a humorous story that has a slight mention of Speed Racer that I may share with you soon. Till then look at and enjoy the trailer. Coming in May next year I will see you at the movies.

Skit from Bob Hope Christmas Special from 1970's

Keeping in the vein of Christmas and Star Wars here is a skit from a Bob Hope Christmas Special.

Star Wars Christmas Special

Here is a video of the Star Wars 1978 Christmas special with the first appearance of Boba Fett in Star Wars history. I had always heard that it was held back from any other showings or release on video as they didn't like the looks of it. For the most part it isn't as bad as I thought but some of the facial expressions don't look too good in this video. Still it was a kick to see it for the first time for me to see it.

Chipmunk song

After seeing This post at Booksteve's I looked for this video on You Tube. This was the Chipmunks I grew up with. It's good to know that Hollywood hasn't forgotten them.

Publishing Contract

Keep an eye out for my name at your local bookstore. I just signed a contract with a small publisher called Morning Sun Publishing to publish a children's book that I wrote. They want to get it out in time for Christmas this year as it is a Christmas story. I hope they do but I think it will be closer to next Christmas but I'll take it whenever it comes out. I had a short story published once but this will be the first time I will have written a book.

The story use to be on this site but I have taken it off since then. Long time readers of this site may take the above photo as a hint to the title. I don't want to say much more till I know when it will definitely be coming out.