The Walls Keep Talking (1941) – Vintage Halloween Music

I've been hoping to find this on YouTube. I put The Gene Krupa Orchestra with Anita O'Day's vocal on the final Halloween music podcast from last year. This old movie short, which looks kind of like a music video was my introduction to that song. It is not the original Gene Krupa/Anita O'Day recording. I wish I knew who it was. Also wish I knew who the actors were portraying the young couple. The guy looks familiar.

WARNING: THIS COULD BE CONSIDERED POLITICALLY INCORRECT.

Jazz-funk pioneer Joe Sample dies at 75

Jazz-funk pioneer Joe Sample dies at 75

FORMER OZARKS JUBILEE USA & JAZZ MUSICIAN CHARLIE HADEN DEAD

This is from KYTV's website. It features a story KYTV's Steve Grant did about Charlie Haden in 2010.

TRIVIA FACT: Charlie Haden was the father-in-law of actor Jack Black.

THE DEAD ONE (BLOOD OF THE ZOMBIE) - A MOVIE REVIEW

This is as close as you will get in this movie

The great thing about the Countdown To Halloween is that I can do things related my love of monster movies.

Every monster kid probably saw a photo in a monster magazine or film history book, in the dark days before DVD, You Tube and mail order video, and said "That looks cool! I would love to see that!" many times they are a real disappointment. Here is one such film.

The Dead One (a.k.a. Blood of the Zombie)  is a film that bridges the gap between the old PRC and RKO voodoo zombies and the rotting walking corpses of Night of the Living Dead and the current popular crop of zombies. The Dead One is the work of Barry Mahon, a WWII fighter pilot turned nudie cutie and children's movie director/producer (Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny).

Why I wanted to see this, was a photo I saw of the long-haired zombie attacking a woman in a bedroom (photo above). The movie works in that late show/drive-in monster movie. It has slow plotting and bland, lackluster cinematography. Everything in this movie seems to have been filmed from about 50 feet back from the subject. The photo above must be a staged publicity photo.

The plot revolves around John (played by actor John McKay), who has just married Linda (played by actress Linda Ormond). They go on their honeymoon to New Orleans where they see a performance by some jazz groups, then on to see a belly dancer named Bella Bella. Now, I like jazz from the 50s and 60s, I also like belly dancing. However, do we need to see a whole set of jazz and a belly dancing routine. (Actually, we did need to see the whole belly dancing routine, ONLY THE CAMERA NEEDED TO BE CLOSER!!!)

After, that John and Linda start on their way to visit John's Cousin Monica (played by an actress named, you guest it, Monica Davis) at the old family plantation. They see a car broke down and stop to help. In a surprising coincidence it is Bella Bella (Played by Darlene Myrick. You seriously didn't think they could find an actress named Bella Bella...did you?). John decides to take Bella Bella to the plantation until her car is fixed. Okay, Linda should have worried about going to see a belly dancer on her honeymoon and then taking that belly dancer (In an extremely tight leopard print dress) to their destination, but unlike some of Mahon's adult films, none of this is discussed.

Cousin Monica is less than hospitable, because she thinks John and Linda are going to take the plantation away from her. She swings back and forth from snippy comments to ranting and raving like a talk radio show host. She says that she and "Jonas" were promised to be always be the caretakers of the plantation. John explains that Jonas was her late brother. He also points out to Linda and Bella Bella that Monica, Jonas and the servants practice voodoo.

Of course, the audience already knows that Jonas (played by an actor named Clyde Kelly, who probably wished his name was Jonas instead of Clyde) is a zombie, because of a sequence at the beginning of the movie where Monica performs a ritual that causes Jonas to rise from his tomb.

As I mentioned above, the movie moves slow and the camera is so far away from the action, that it is often hard to tell what is going on. However, Jonas (pictured above) is kind of a poor man's Frankenstein, rather than a flesh-eating ghoul. When we actually get a good look at Jonas, he is a rather cool looking zombie, with yellow skin, long, mangled hair and a gangly-frame.

The Dead One has it's flaws but it is fun to watch at least once, just to see if it is as cool as the picture in the book makes it look.  

JAZZ MUSICIAN GEORGE DUKE DIES

http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_23807756/george-duke-remembered-michael-jackson-frank-zappa-among

ANNETTE SINGS "IT'S REALLY LOVE" (Or Johnny Carson's Theme Song)

This is a song recorded by the late Annette Funicello. It was written by Paul Anka. A few years later, he "recycled" the tune into a jazz instrumental that became the theme song for The Tonight Show. That song is commonly refered to as "Johnny's Theme" and was the theme while Johnny Carson was the host of the show.

Jazz Musician Donald Byrd's Death Confirmed, Leaves Legacy In Hip Hop

Jazz Musician Donald Byrd's Death Confirmed, Leaves Legacy In Hip Hop

"Cristo Redentor" is one of Donald Byrd's best and great male-out music. I would have liked to post "Walking In Rhythm" by the Blackbyrds by it is blocked from You Tube. I will load it into the Amazon MP3 widget.

DAVE BRUBECK FOR SEARS KENMORE DRYERS

CLICK TO ENLARGE

A few days ago, I mentioned that somewhere, amid the ray guns and killer robots in my mad scientist lab beneath Springfield's Park Central Square (The readers of my old blog will get this reference),  I had a magazine ad that the late jazz Dave Brubeck and his wife did in the late 60's for Sears-Kenmore appliances. I found it in a Better Homes and Gardens from November 1969.  I apologize for my scanner not being big enough to accommodate the whole magazine. There were several versions of this ad featuring well-known celebrities. The idea was "If a famous person with lots of money can by appliances from Sears, I shouldn't be ashamed of getting my appliances from Sears." The tag line on the ad (That unfortunatly was cut off by my scanner) is "Sears Kenmore Dryer for women who want the best even if it does cost less."

Jazz Legend Dave Brubeck Dead at 91

http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_22130066/obit-jazz-legend-dave-brubeck-dead-at-91

I was wanting to post the opening credits to Mr. Broadway, but it I could only find it attached to a whole episode.I'm hoping to find one of the Sears ads Dave Brubeck and his wife did in the late 60s.

ONLY LOUIE KNOWS ABOUT OLE MAN MOSE

Not long back I posted a You Tube recording of Louie Armstrong's hit "Ole Man Mose Is Dead." I was planning on telling the origins of this great Halloween oriented song. When it was released in 1935 it became a big sensation not just musically but in pop culture as well. It inspired jokes in movies, cartoons and radio (Bob Hope always brought up "Ole Man Mose"). In 1938, there was an Ole Man Mose character introduced in the Lil Abner comic strip, who unlike the character in the song "wouldn't kick the bucket" (It was right next to the opening of the cave he lived in).

I could not find any thing on why Louie Armstrong wrote the song or where he got the idea for the song. The closest thing I could find was that it may have been a parody or answer song based on another popular "scary" song called "The Mysterious Mose." Don't worry. Even after Halloween is over, I'll keep looking for the info.

Louis Armstrong - Old Man Mose

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E WAS COOLER THAN 24

I will say upfront that my biggest pet peeves with people talking about pop culture is when they claim an older song, musical group, movie or TV show is ten times better than a current song, musical group, movie or TV show. Many times, it is for no reason other than to advance some "return to the good old days/take America back" political agenda. Often what they are comparing is apples to oranges, like this asinine Facebook poster comparing the Andy Griffith Show to Jersey Shore that all my doofus classmates from junior high and high school keep posting (I really need to get some new friends).

With that said, I am going to do to compare a recent TV show with one from the 1960s. Of course, if you remember my focus is never some preachy, self-righteous blather that will win me support form little old ladies, stay-at-home moms or Mike Huckabee. As with the 21 Jump Street/Mod Squad comparison, I'm going to tell you why the older show was cooler. I also do this with a show that has a fan base that is made up of the type of people I love to make mad. I am about make plenty of people mad, especially in the Ozarks, when I say that The Man from U.N.C.L.E is a cooler show that 24.

First off, let me say that U.N.C.L.E agents Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) were much more efficient at their job than CTU agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). Between September 22, 1964 to January 15, 1968, Solo and Kuryakin foiled plans of the evil terrorist organization Thrush and other criminals in 99 instances, or as they called them "Affairs."  In eight years (November 6, 2001 - May 24, 2010), Jack Bauer only foiled nine terrorist plots. That is 90 plots less that Solo and Kuryakin took care of in three and a half years.

The writers of The Man from U.N.C.L.E came up with great titles for the episodes, such as: "The Brain Killer Affair," "The Sort of Do-It-Yourself Dreadful Affair," "The J Is For Judas Affair," "The Test Tube Killer Affair" and "The Deadly Smorgasbord Affair." 24 episodes have titles like: "9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.," "Day 2: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.," "Day 3: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.," and "Day 4: 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m." That is just the first four seasons. Not creative and not very exciting, if you asked me.

One of my problems with 24 is the main character, Jack Bauer. He is a very unpleasant character, who seems to be either yelling at people, shooting people or torturing people.  On the other hand, Napoleon Solo is a cool as an ice cube. He remains calm and keeps that sly smirk on his face while being tied up or shot at.

Some of this may have to do with the fact that unlike 24, Man from U.N.C.L.E episodes are loaded with beautiful women. Really Solo and Kuryakin have the same dynamic as Tonto and the Lone Ranger, Kuryakin gets beat up while Solo flirts with women. U.N.C.L.E headquarters is mainly staffed by attractive women that Solo flirts with during working hours. You might say Napoleon Solo is closer to Don Draper than Jack Bauer. Let's face it, did Nancy Sinatra, Cher, Joan Collins, Carol Lynley, Tura Satana, Mary Anne Moberly, Jill Ireland, or Sharon Tate ever appear on 24 (Okay, okay, Jill Ireland and Sharon Tate had a good excuse for not being on 24, but you get my point)?

Part of the concept of Man from U.N.C.L.E was for Solo and Kuryakin to take an average person with them on their "affairs." It could be a child, housewife, teacher, doctor, waitress or the villain's ex-wife. Jack Bauer is such a snob he doesn't take anyone with him.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E was perfect for kids to pretend at playtime, because it featured the Bondonian "_____ disguised as _______." After all Solo and Kuryakin had communicators that looked like ink pens, guns in briefcases that shot "sleep darts" (which sounded like a toy gun), umbrellas with daggers, cameras in tie clips and other gadgets that looked like common items. Bauer uses a regular cell phone, regular desktop computers and regular gun. Parents don't let their kids play with a cell phone or gun, but a kid might pretend that dad's tape measure is really a cell phone or the attachment to mom's vacuum cleaner is really a ray gun. Another thing that Solo and Kuryakin has over Bauer is that they got their faces on a lunch box (an drawn by Jack Davis of Mad magazine).

    
The last thing I will mention that makes The Man from U.N.C.L.E cooler than 24 is the music. You might not think about it, but incidental music and a score can make or break a movie or TV show. Theme music of 24 is a somber symphonic dirge that sounds like it was leftover from a commercial for the Marine Corp. The Man from U.N.C.L.E score doesn't have depressing strings, it has what all good spy music of the 60s had stripper horns, wailing saxophones, heavy bass guitar, bongo drums and vibraphone. The underscore was usually the main theme as a jazzy bossa nova. I really believe I would find me more attractive if I had vibraphone, bass guitar and bongo drum music everywhere I went like Napoleon Solo. That music just makes Solo look cooler.

Of course, Jack Bauer doesn't have cool music with him. HE HAS THAT STUPID AND ANNOYING CLOCK THAT GOES "eeek-eeek-eeek-eeek" ALL THROUGH THE SHOW! On the other hand, I was watching a clip from 24 with the theme music in it. A military plane lands and soldiers escort Jack Bauer out in handcuffs (?) with the theme music swelling, as if to say "Here is that cranky, depressing guy that people think is so great to watch on TV. He is back to torture people and scream at them."

"Open Channel D" was the phrase most often heard on the Man From UNCLE, next to "We can't let this device fall into the wrong hands." On 24, the most heard phrase is "Damn It!"   

Supposedly, there will be a 24 movie. I watched about five episodes of the show as research for this post. It is five hours of my life I won't get back. On the other hand, I bought the complete Man from U.N.C.L.E on DVD when it came out in 2008. I have watched several of the shows over and over. If you aren't aware, Kuryakin is now employed with NCIS under the name Ducky Mallard. Solo does commercials for various law firms around the country (Here is Springfield, MO it is Tolbert, Beadle and Musgrave). Maybe I should call them and have them sue the Fox Network for inflecting 24 on us. You might say Jack Bauer tortures the people watching him too.

COOL TV SHOW OPENING - THE NAME OF THE GAME

I have noticed many people on various lamenting the disappearance of theme songs and opening sequences on TV series. The truth is I don't get to see very many current TV shows due to work and I don't count some of the comments on these websites vallied. There are so many Freepers, rednecks and paid right-wing hacks commenting of the web these days that it is disgusting.

For some reason, maybe related to my recent viewing of The Untouchables, I thought about another Robert Stack series The Name of the Game. This was followed The Virginian as one of Universal Studios attempts at a 90 minute long program and like Four-In-One and NBC Mystery Movie, it was a "wheel" concept. However, unlike Four-In-One and NBC Mystery Movie, The Name of the Game centered on two journalist (Stack and Tony Franciosa) working for the same publisher (Gene Barry). Each week concentraited on one of the characters. Journalist as heroes? That was the good old days.

Like The Virginian, McCloud, and Colombo, The Name of the Game is rarely seen in syndication because of its 90 minute length. If it does turn up, it is on Saturday or Sunday afternoons or late nights. I remember seeing this show as a kid locally on KOLR-TV, Channel 10 in Springfield, MO. It usually aired on Saturday after cartoons.

I don't remember any of the stories, but the thing that always stuck with me was the opening credits and the jazzy theme song. Looking at the credits on You Tube, I find they are an amazing and very complex design. The use of color and the names of the actors forming their faces is very elaborate and must have been very complicated to create in 1969.

Sadly, The Name of the Game isn't on commercially produced DVDs yet. One episode I want to see is an episode where Gene Barry's character is in a car accident on the way to a symposium on environmental concerns. He wakes up in a dytopian future where the hippies are all old and facist psychiatrist control the government. It was directed by a young guy at Universal Studios named Steven Spielberg.

Also you cannot find a good commercial full length version of The Name of the Game theme song by Dave Grusin. He apparently released one version of it as the B-side of a 45 version of the theme from It Takes a Thief back in the early 70s. The only version I can track down for download is by (I'm not kiding) Dickie Goodman, the guy behind the cut-in novelty records "Mr. Jaws" and "Flying Saucer." Luckily, I have a copy of the original that was on Televisions Greatest Hits 3.

BTW: If you like full length versions of TV themes of the 70s, check out this Retrospace post of Charlie's Angels themes.    

Producer Al DeLory Passes Away At The Age Of 82 - AllAccess.com

Producer Al DeLory Passes Away At The Age Of 82 | AllAccess.com

NOTE: Not mentioned in this article is that Al DeLory had the hit single version of the theme from M*A*S*H.

WHO REALLY KILLED JAZZ-HORN ROCK? NOT PRESIDENT NIXON

This post may shock some of you who read the old blog, but I am going to let a Republican off hook for something he often gets blamed for. First, a little rock and roll history.

In 1967, by a group called the "American Music Band" recorded the music for the Roger Corman/Peter Fonda film The Trip. They soon renamed themselves The Electric Flag, after being signed to Columbia Records. They released their first LP in 1968. This group featured a jazz-influenced horn section.

Also in 1967, Al Kooper of the Blues Project and former Mother of Invention member Jim Fielder decided to create a "rock and roll Big Band" sound based on 40's Big Bands, Maynard Ferguson's band and producer James William Guerico's use of brass backing for the pop group the Buckinghams. They called this group Blood, Sweat & Tears. They also released an LP on Columbia in 1968.

Also, in 1968, producer James Willaim Guerico began working with another Chicago group called The Big Thing. They signed to Columbia and released an LP under the name Chicago Transit Authority in 1969. After that first LP they shortened their name to Chicago.

Soon there was a Canadian jazz-horn rock band on the GRT label named Lighthouse. Over on Capitol Records, a jazz-horn band called Ides of March debuted. Columbia added another jazz-horn band in 1970 with Chase. In 1971, Warner Brothers brought out Tower of Power and RCA gave us the Nite-Lighters. I should also mention two more jazz-piano rock bands, Spirit on Columbia (Surprise!) since 1968, and Steely Dan, who first appeared on ABC in 1972. 

However, by 1973, the jazz-horn bands were not as popular as they had been in their 1969-1970 heyday. Only, Chicago, Tower of Power and Steely Dan managed to stay around to the 80s. Ides of March later dropped the horns and reformed as Survivor. Many rock historians and radio DJs have claimed what hurt the jazz-horn bands was Blood, Sweat & Tears performing at the White House during Richard Nixon's presidency. This supposedly made these groups "uncool." While this sounds good, I think it was two other factors.

Like many fads, jazz-horn rock suffered from overkill. Jazz-horn rock was radio friendly for both the heavy FM album rock stations and AM Top-40. Since it was popular, the record companies wanted to cash in on it. The problem was one record company did the most cashing in: Columbia. As I mentioned Electric Flag, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Spirit and Chase were all on Columbia, not to mention about four or five other jazz-horn bands, as well as Ramsey Lewis and Miles Davis, who released critically acclaimed "rock albums." (Let's face it, after Miles Davis did Bitches Brew, there really wasn't any point in some of these bands trying to do jazz rock.) Columbia had put all their eggs in one basket. The story goes that a jazz-horn band called Soft White Underbelly sent a tape to Columbia. When they asked why they hadn't been signed, someone at Columbia said, "We're sick of bands with horns. We're now looking for the next Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath." The group submitted at new tape with a more heavy metal sound under the name Blue Oyster Cult and the rest is history.

If we want to blame some person, lets blame this kid from Awkward Family Photos and all others like him. Lets face it, we have all heard garage bands do horrible covers of the Beatles, the Stones and the Who songs or country bands, who think they can do songs by CCR, the Eagles, Skynard or the Band. It gets worse when bands try to do Led Zep, Sabbath, Kiss or Van Halen. No band should even consider covers of prog rock bands like Jethro Tull, Yes, or the Moody Blues.

However, just about any good junior high/high school/college pep or marching band can do great version or "Spinning Wheel," "25 or 6 to 4," or "One Fine Morning." I recently heard a MSU Bears Basketball road game on KTXR and while Art Hains was recapping the first half of the game, the home team's pep band was playing Chase's "Get It On" behind him. The school band doing a killer version of your song, hurts your rock and roll street cred more than playing for Tricia Nixon and Tricky Dicky.

The late 70s saw a short boom in jazz fusion groups like Weather Report, Spyro Gyra, Return To Forever and Pat Metheny Group. The closest thing to the jazz-horn bands of the late 60s/early 70s in recent years would be the Dave Mathews Band, which was popular in the 90s with radio programmers. However, many of the big hits of the jazz-horn boom are still heard on radio and still downloaded to MP3 players.

I'll provide you with a list of my favorite jazz-horn hits. Meanwhile, check out this website, Horn Rock Heaven.

Betty Boop-Minnie The Moocher [1932]-restored titles

"Minnie the Moocher" isn't a Halloween song, but this 1932 Betty Boop cartoon has ghost, goblins, monsters and Cab Calloway.