March 2011 Archives

I remember this show, but when you're, like, 4 years old and there's a show called "The Baileys of Balboa," you won't forget the name:

Naturally, I had no idea what was going on. I was too young. Also, it wasn't a good show. Paul Ford was best known as Sgt. Bilko's nemesis, and Sterling Holloway was Winnie the Pooh. it's still odd to think that Clint Howard was ever a kid, too. The show was about a widowed curmudgeon -- not a stretch for Paul Ford -- who ran a charter boat operation in Balboa, essentially Newport Beach. He ran up against the snooty locals, like the Commodore, his son fell for the Commodore's daughter (Judy Carne!), and hilarious consequences were supposed to ensue, only they generally didn't. The show ended up lasting just one season, and got entangled in the Jim Aubrey-Keefe Brasselle controversy on the way out. It turned out that Aubrey, the president of CBS, thought he could do a boat-based sitcom better than Gilligan's Island and ordered this one without a pilot, and enlisted Brasselle's company to produce it, which became a problem when Aubrey was accused of favoring Brasselle, from whom he bought three shows, all of which failed.

Anyway, I hadn't seen any of "The Baileys of Balboa" since the first run until now. And there it is.

From FuzzyMemories.tv on YouTube, here's a commercial break on WFLD-TV Chicago from 40 years ago this month:

Shamrock Shakes, Kraft Fudgies, McDonald's ("Just for the Fun of It" -- forgot that slogan). And this one:

Mighty Mouse pitching Zestabs, and Chicken Unlimited, my father's favorite -- he loved their fried chicken, and would stop at the one in Paterson to get it until he had some and then had a high blood pressure reading, and that was it for fried chicken.

And that was 40 years ago. Doesn't seem that long.

It's amazing what you find online. The YouTube post says this is from 1968, but the big California subscription TV ballot initiative was in 1964:

That was shown in theaters. The Dodgers and Giants moved to California in part to take advantage of pay TV -- Proposition 15, created from the petitions that spot touted and backed by theater owners, ended that. The theater owners' victory, of course, was short-lived, but it's interesting to see the scare tactics they used to try and forestall the inevitable.

I had dental work today, and I'm still woozy. I'd tell you the details, but I don't want to remember them. All I know is that my head hurts, a lot.

So by way of filler, here's a clip from the Oxnard Press-Courier on December 22, 1969:

"Blue Singer"? Okay, it's a typo. But fainting? I didn't remember that. That show was her last gig with the Kozmic Blues Band, by the way. She died less than a year later, but you knew that.

I also didn't remember the Press-Courier, which died in 1994 after getting crushed by competition from the L.A. Times and Ventura County Star-Free Press. But there it is.

I'm busy. Have some Riunite:

You knew from the commercials that the stuff couldn't possibly taste good, but they advertised incessantly on local TV. Maybe it DID taste good, but...

Hey, it's still around! Who knew? And they have a gallery of commercials back to 1977, including one animated from New Yorker cartoonist Charles Saxon's artwork (used in their print ads)! Maybe I'll buy a bottle and try it, just to see...

Nah. But it's actually nice to know something from the deep recesses of my memory is still around.

This was a huge hit in the early 1960s, and I remember them playing it in school:

"Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" made no sense to us as kids, but it was catchy and goofy, so, naturally, we all loved it. This version has Rolf Harris performing it on TV in 1960, and includes a verse that got edited out in later years because it uses a racist term for Aborigines, "Abos," and, well, involves slavery; the song is actually about a guy on his deathbed giving instructions to friends to take care of things after he's gone, and the Aborigines verse tells them to "Let me Abos go loose, Lew" because "They're of no further use, Lew." And we heard that in school?

In a similar vein, this was also a hit with kids at about the same time:

"Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight?" was one of those songs to which kids could sing along, at least in the chorus. We had no idea that was skiffle, or that it was actually an American song from the 1920's covered in skiffle style. The end part, where they shout stuff between the lines, was especially popular and the height of comedy to five-year-olds.

I don't know what kids listen to today -- probably detached, ironic ditties crafted by slumming indie rockers -- but I bet they aren't as memorable as these stupid songs.

This was a mind-melter of a week, but I'm almost done with it. It's weird: I got the weekly All Access column done early, which is the usual problem with time management, but I still seemed to have too much to do and not enough time to do it. I had another project to work on, and it took forever. I have more to do, but nothing left in my mind to do it.

Which is to say, I'm fried. But I might as well throw another oddity of pop culture history, from September 22, 1955, the film that opened ITV in London, the first commercial television service in the U.K., signing on Associated Rediffusion, the weekday commercial station for the London region:

And this was a preview film that preceded the live show, showing what viewers could expect:

No, it wasn't much. It was pretty stuffy, actually. The offerings quickly dropped into the crass commercialism category, with program-length "admag" advertisements and low-rent game shows, but on the opening night, it was all prim and proper. "Yes, commercial television is here!" Band III, channel 9, if you're keeping track.

Aah, damn. I just ran out of time. I got my column in on time for once, but ti left me no time for anything else. I even missed Duke losing, which I would have liked to see. Ditto "Community" and "Parks and Recreation," but at least they're on the DVR. I hope.

Maybe tomorrow. Sorry.

It's nice when it all comes together:

Dead retail? Check.

Old commercial? Check.

Obscure? Check.

Nerd culture? Check.

Here, then, are Batman and Robin shopping for Christmas presents at Zayre at 3 am:

Zayre was a discount store chain in the Northeast (mostly New England), Midwest, and South through the 1980s. The stores were sold to Ames and then the whole thing went under; it also spawned BJ's Wholesale Club, which is still around, and TJ Maxx, which is definitely still around and the direct descendant of the original company, as well as HomeBase, which went under a few years ago.

This would have been in the early 80's. Cheesy but effective.

Saw this from 1952 and wondered who the hell "Sir Hubert Pimm" and "Chanteuse Ellen Sutton" were, and what this could possibly sound like.

Lo and behold:

This turned out to be a big hit. Sir Hubert was really bandleader Bill Snyder using his alter ego to make barrelhouse-piano records. It peaked at number 21 in Billboard and in Cash Box. I'd never heard of it.

They liked strange music in 1952....

A thousand pardons. I had to run out this evening and I got back too late to do everything I needed to do. So maybe I'll talk about phones tomorrow, with some news from CTIA and the AT&T-Mo deal. Or radio, or old obscure TV or sports, I don't know. But whatever I do, it won't be tonight - sorry.

At the moment, it is raining here, about as hard as it ever rains here. The winds are howling and blowing the rain seemingly at all four sides of the house. The chronic leak from the top of the office window is worse than ever, the patch I applied to the exterior having failed with repair having to await a dry spell, which might come in a few days. The window is presently surrounded with paper towels and regular towels to absorb the leaking, and plastic sheeting to protech everything else.

According to the Weather Channel, we're looking at several more hours of rain, albeit not as heavy once (more) darkness falls. Needless to say, in a region that panics when there's a light mist, this was not a day to venture out of the house, and I did not (except for a quick run to Ralphs for more paper towels). A benefit of a home office is not having to try to navigate the Harbor Freeway when the road is slick and the other drivers are even more dangerous than normal.

The rain also kept me from my daily run, so it helped me do some work, which is a good thing, what with a lot of extra work coming up and the NAB Show and April 15th -- er. 18th -- looming, too. I often complain that there aren't enough hours in the day for everything I need to do, but, today, there were enough hours for everything. Almost everything, at least. Even stringing up towels and plastic sheets on the window.

And now, I'm going to try and enjoy a few hours of idleness. I'm off for a few hours. At least, I'm off from work. The window might have other plans.

Too cloudy. Can't see anything but a blur.

Next natural phenomenon, please.

I found this in a magazine, "Wireless World," Volume 3, Number 25, dated April, 1915, from the Wireless Society of London, in an article by Marcus J. Martin called "Television: When Shall We See As Well As Hear By Wireless?":

Yeah, well, it took a few years, but they did it.

Every generation has its naysayers, and a lot of them. Remember that the next time you think something's impossible.

I started this site eight years ago today, when I registered this domain. It was 2003, and everyone was blogging. I decided to do that, too.

My goal back then was to just write. I wanted to get into the discipline of writing something, even a line or two, every day, all year. I thought it would be good practice for my freelance writing, and might offer an outlet for me to show off that I could write more than just radio trade publication material; I'd written some stuff that I sold to TV comedy shows, but I was thinking that I could branch out. A few days later, I got the site going using Blogger, then installed Movable Type, (clunkily) imported the existing entries, and away I went.

The freelance writing market has, of course, collapsed, and the site's focus ultimately changed from a mix of anything that came to mind -- radio, sports, politics -- to the present version, which is mostly preserving pop cultural ephemera, a place to put stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else on the Internet and to provide context or personal thoughts about things that may pop up elsewhere but might leave someone searching for it a little baffled. The days when I have no time to post anything of value have increased in frequency as my for-pay workload has increased, and that meant I paused a little when the renewal notice came up.

But I renewed, because I like it here. And I think the ability to write about a wide range of things here helped me to develop my writing voice, which has come into handy as I've taken on increased responsibility at Nerdist. I'm fully aware of the self-indulgence and inessential nature of sites like this, and this site in particular, but it's good writing exercise, and good therapy.

And that's where we are now, eight years on. A lot has happened in the interim: Most people who started blogs back then abandoned them, social media came up to occupy more of our time, and I went through several personal crises, all of which you could have read about here, yet I still have my same primary "day job" at AllAccess.com and it's still growing, and I'm still here. At some point, it becomes apparent that the train's not going to stop, and you might as well ride it. So I'm riding. Thanks for coming aboard.

Sorry, no time, and a little nervous about some dental work tomorrow.

Maybe tomorrow, which is the eighth anniversary of this domain. Cool.

This one, from an ad in Billboard, was by Gene Wisniewski and His Harmony Bells Orchestra on Dana Records, circa 1949:

I tried to find an audio file, or any other trace of this record, but the only thing I found was a review in Billboard that called it "highly amusing" but warned that it "may be banned on some stations, but figures to get around anyway." Double-entendres were "highly amusing" in 1949. I'll bet that it would have been even bigger in England.

And then there was this one:

Ted Herbert and his Hampton Beach Orchestra played at, yes, Hampton Beach in New Hampshire in the '40s. This one was a local hit, full title "Take Your Finger Out Of Your Mouth (I Want To Kiss You)," originally on Marvel Records before London picked it up for national distribution. Someone bought an original pressing on eBay for $8.99. Lord knows what it sounds like.

Remember these the next time you're tempted to complain about Those Kids Today and Their Raunchy Music. Maybe Lady Gaga could cover "My Fanny." In England. (Please)

Another busy day, so here's a video, a commercial from 1963:

I didn't remember that Motorola was even around back then, but they were making big honking stereo consoles. Yes, kids, what fits in your pocket today took up half a room in 1963. We had a Capehart black-and-white TV and stereo in a big console, and my dad added a great KLH turntable and FM radio. In the 1960's, that was entertainment. I can remember watching Soupy Sales and baseball on the Capehart, and tuning in WNBC-FM on the KLH and hearing Mets games in FM quality.

The consoles were quite the pieces of furniture. But I prefer what we have now, even if the sound might not be as good. I'd rather carry all of my music and audio wherever I go than have it anchored in the rec room.

I had more work than usual for a Sunday, so it's too late for a regular post. We'll see about tomorrow -- it depends on if I get in for a dental appointment (more on that at another time).

Oh, but I renewed this site for another year, so you're in for another 12 months of inanities. I'll discuss the situation at length later in the week.

Today was Make Like A Tourist Day, so we headed up the 110 and ate here:

Philippe's is a Los Angeles institution, and, yes, a beef double dip with some of their sinus-clearing special mustard is an essential tourist thing here. I don't care that the place gets overrun by Travel Channel and Food Network viewers; there's room for everyine. Man, that was good.

Okay, so it's past 10:00 and I'm done for the day, and I don't have anything ready for here.

So here's a site you'll love if you like the stuff I normally post here: So Many Records, So Little Time. I don't even have to explain. Just check it out and you'll get it.

Nope.

Can't do it. Even longer work day today than yesterday. I'm having to push some stuff to the morning. Something has to give, and this is it.

Tomorrow. I PROMISE.

(sure)

This was a very interesting day, very busy and odd. But I'm running late and gotta go.

There'll be something here tomorrow. Whether it'll be good, that I can't guarantee.

The key to this Billboard clipping from July 9, 1955 is the middle item:

It's about CBS' attempt to do a morning show to compete with "The Today Show" on NBC. Yes, even in 1955, CBS was struggling to come up with a formula to compete. It still hasn't gotten there. Back then, though, they tried easygoing countrified yarn-spinner John Henry Faulk, a big band singer named Merv Griffin, and "a new piece of CBS talent," a comic named Dick Van Dyke, who told children's stories three days a week. Charles Collingwood stayed on to read the news, and to answer "Today"'s J. Fred Muggs, they added Katie the Goat. No, really.

Faulk and Collingwood, with Orson Bean, got elected to lead AFTRA that December, and because they beat a slate from the AWARE blacklisting group, they got blacklisted as "Communists" in 1957. Faulk sued and eventually won, and wrote "Fear On Trial" about it, later made into a TV movie. It's a good book if you can find it; I think I still have a copy someplace here, although Lord knows where.

Merv, of course, went on to host "Play Your Hunch," a game show that might be my sister's earliest memory, and then on to the talk show that made him a household name. A few years back, about two years before his death, Fran and I ran into him in a shop in Palm Desert. He was much larger than back in the day, wearing a white caftan-like thing and carrying a tiny dog, clearly comfortable in an area where he could be himself. And he was very, very friendly. It was nice to have a pleasant encounter with a TV star of my youth.

That Van Dyke guy turned out well, too.

Add them together and you got... a ratings loser. That happens -- the sum is less than the value of its parts.

I'm a little busy again, so here's a space occupier, the opening and closing themes and credits to "My Mother the Car":

Yes, I remember watching it. Yes, it was bad. But I still remember that theme.

Love this stuff -- here's the earliest-known surviving color videotape, a talk by President Eisenhower on May 22, 1958 at WRC-TV in Washington, courtesy of YouTube user oldtvhistory:

Forget the boring content; it's just cool to see Eisenhower on color videotape (the tape starts in black-and-white and goes color when Robert Sarnoff hits a button a few minutes in). Sometimes you don't think of 1958 as being in color, but it was.

Here's obscurity for you, courtesy of YouTube poster Freenbean:

And another from ToonTracker:

That was Twinkles, narrated by the familiar voice of actor George S. Irving, and if you don't remember it, there's good reason for it. Twinkles was an early-60's character, an elephant with magical powers, and the "star" of a General Mills cereal by the same name, one that had a box that opened into a children's book. The cartoons served as a sort-of commercial for the cereal, a practice which was later banned (in 1969), which, along with the fairly dull nature of the stories and practically non-existent animation, is why they stopped airing (they were stuck into King Leonardo and His Short Subjects and in the syndicated version, The King and Odie and at one point, until Jay Ward objected, into Rocky and His Friends).

I vaguely remember Twinkles. I never ate the cereal, but I remember the cartoons, because they kind of brought the action to a halt. And it's yet another example of why the Internet is the best: Without the Net, nobody would remember Twinkles. Whether Twinkles deserves to be remembered is another question, but I think so. It's a little piece of some people's childhood.

I absolutely love stuff like this -- raw footage of New York in color, 1959, from www.globalimageworks.com:

Ships, parades, Little Italy, Chinese New Year's, Times Square, no sound, just life the way it was. There's nothing individually remarkable here, which makes the whole thing that much more remarkable. In showing the ads and the people trudging along the sidewalks and the way things really looked, in color, 52 years ago, you can learn a lot about the way people lived.

It's a column night, so I don't have time for a full post. But I did want to post something, and even though I don't have time to do it justice, here's one of my childhood favorites, the opening ten minutes of the classic science film for classroom use, "Hemo the Magnificent":

At that age, I had no idea that this was a Frank Capra production, or who he was. I didn't know that Richard Carlson was a well-known actor of the time, although I did recognize Sterling Holloway from other stuff. But I loved Hemo. My nerd credentials were earned pretty early on.

Here's a short film called "The Trouble With Women." It's an instructional film. No, Charlie Sheen is not involved. It's a 1959 industrial film from Calvin Co. and McGraw Hill that's meant to tell male bosses how to deal with "girls" like "Myrtle Malloy" who, well, they're just incorrigably women:

The "trouble," of course, isn't that they won't move when you tell them to, or that they take off to get married, or even absenteeism, it's that Mr. "Brad" Bradshaw is a troglodyte boss who can't deal with the fairer sex. "Brad" would prefer his workforce to be all men. "What is Brad's Trouble?." the closing caption reads. I think there needs to be another industrial film for that.

Don't know who the actors were, except "Myrtle Malloy." She was Nora (Dodo) Denney, who had quite a long career, as it turned out. And there's more about Dodo, who was "Mrs. TeeVee" in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and who played "Marilyn the Witch," the horror movie hostess, on KCMO-TV in Kansas City in the late 1950's. And her sons were the founders of The Weirdos, the L.A. punk band.

This is just awesome in so many ways:

Suburban Chicago oldsters discover The Twist in 1962. Frenetic twisting, big hair, bad syncing, unnecessary narration, silver lame suits, close-up butt shots, unrelated pool shot, one song repeated over and over. I don't think I can add anything to this. The host/narrator, by the way, was Jim Lounsbury, a prominent early top 4-0 DJ on WIND and WJJD in Chicago, who hosted several local TV dance shows, and later became a radio news anchor.