Showing posts with label Passings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Passings. Show all posts

Saturday, July 7, 2018

R. I. P STEVE DITKO


Steve Ditko was one of the first comic book artist whose style I recognized without looking at the credits. Ditko's characters had skinny heads that were flat on the top. I first became aware of his name in a paperback collection of early Spider-Man stories.

Ditko helped create many famous characters for Marvel (Spider-Man & Dr. Strange), Charlton (Captain Atom & The Question) and D.C (The Creeper, Hawk & Dove, Shade the Changing Man). He also helped revived the Blue Beetle in the Silver Age (at Charlton) and even worked on two issues of Dell's Get Smart comic book.



Charlton reprinted this 50s sci-fi anthology after the success of Star Wars

from a Dell Get Smart comic book

As I've gotten older, I have issues with Ditko's Ayn Rand-fueled beliefs and his reclusive nature. Yet his work and contribution to the industry should not be overlooked on this account. He used the same storytelling ability on Max & 99's task of chewing licorice gumballs as he did Spider-Man trying to extricated himself from under a fallen piece of machinery. That is why he will be missed.
 

Saturday, December 2, 2017

AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO REMEMBERS THE LOST SAUCER WITH JIM NABORS?


With the passing of actor-singer Jim Nabors this week, I found out that most of the media has forgotten one of Jim Nabors' TV series, The Lost Saucer.  The obituaries mention that Gomer debuted on The Andy Griffith Show, then went to the spin off Gomer Pyle USMC, and then, he hosted a variety show for two years after then end of Gomer Pyle. However, The Lost Saucer isn't mentioned in any of the articles or obits I read on line.

The Lost Saucer was a 1975 Sid & Marty Kroft Production made for the Saturday morning audience. Jim Nabors played an android name Fum. Ruth Buzzi played an android named Fie. Both come from the future to see what Earth was like in the past. The saucer malfunctions after they give a ride to a boy and his babysitter and they become lost in time. 

I remember watching this show as a child and enjoying it. Watching on YouTube, I still enjoyed it and I'm in my late 40s with two college degrees. Of course, there are people on YouTube and IMDB trashing the show. I guess that makes them feel more secure in their manhood or something.

On thing I forgot about was the way, Fum would start malfunctioning. Nabors would make goofy noises like a tape recorder messing up and Buzzi would whack him on the back to make him work properly again. And yes, ever so often Fum would say "GGOOOOLLLLLEEEE!!!," just like Gomer.

While everyone is remembering Jim Nabors as the folksy, country boy turned Marine Gomer Pyle, I choose to also remember Jim Nabors as the friendly, but slightly clumsy android from the future named Fum. Maybe some of the media writers, thought this was a generational hoax like Sinbad in a movie about a genie named Shazam, or as Gomer would say "SSSHHHHAAAAZZZAAAAMMMM!!!"

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Tuesday, October 3, 2017

R. I. P. TOM PETTY


"Somewhere, somehow somebody Must have kicked you around some.
 Who knows, maybe you were kidnapped, Tied up, taken away and held for ransom.
 It don't really matter to me Everybody's had to fight to be free.
 You see you don't have to live like a refugee.
 I said you don't have to live like a refugee."

Sunday, August 13, 2017

GLEN CAMPBELL & HIS PARENTS IN A SOUTHWESTERN BELL COMMERCIAL


Southwestern Bell had an ad campaign featuring celebrities from each state they served. A parent or relative would say they called the celebrity long distance. Glen Campbell and his parents represented Arkansas (BTW: As a monster kid, I still think it is cool that Missouri was represented by Vincent Price and his niece).

It is amazing that I haven't seen this commercial in years, yet remember it word for word. NOTE: This cuts off abruptly.



Wednesday, June 14, 2017

R. I. P ADAM WEST


Anyone who has read this blog and the original blog knows that one of my all time favorite TV shows is the 1960's BATMAN TV show. Here is a great clip of Adam West in both the role of Bruce Wayne and Batman. Followed by is voice as Mayor Adam West on Family Guy.

THE SAINT EPISODE THAT WAS PROPHETIC ABOUT ROGER MOORE'S CAREER


Did this little old lady know something about Roger Moore's future?



Sunday, March 19, 2017

DESDINOVA'S FAVORITE CHUCK BERRY SONGS



A few years ago, I was writing a novel about a boy, named George Marter, growing up in Missouri in the 50s. At one point, a teacher tells him that he needs to know about David Rice Atchison, because he was the 'greatest man to ever come from Missouri.'  George Marter replies to the teacher, "As far as I'm concerned the greatest man to come from Missouri is Chuck Berry."

Needless to say, I haven't finished it and may never (I may go into the details on why in another post). During the writing of that novel, I listened to the music of the era and some of the best music of that era came from CHUCK BERRY.

I had been a fan of his music since I heard it as a child during the 50s nostalgia craze of the 70s. It also was a staple on those quickly disappearing things known as Oldies radio stations. Listening to his music again, via two greatest hits CDs, and mixed with some of the other stuff from that era (see my previous post on annoying music) you realize why Chuck Berry was important to the development of rock and roll. He took the blues, played it fast and wrote it for a younger teenage audience. His songs were about school, racing cars, dating and being a rock and roll fan. He also invented the guitar riff and the guitar solo.

Here are a list of my favorite Chuck Berry songs:

1. "Johnny B. Goode"
2. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"
3. "Roll Over Beethoven"
4. "Sweet Little Sixteen"
5. "Nadine"
6. "Maybellene"
7. "Thirty Days"
8. "Come On"
9. "You Never Can Tell"
10. "School Days"
11. "Rock & Roll Music"
12. "Run Run Rudolph"
13. "No Particular Place To Go"
14. "Back In the U.S.A"
15. "Promise Land"


Hail Hail Rock & Roll!

Saturday, January 28, 2017

R. I. P MIKE CONNERS


One of my earliest memories of watching TV as a child was the show Mannix. The jazzy opening theme song, with the blue, red and yellow tiles (based on the Armenian flag and a tribute to Conners' Armenian heritage) and multiple tiny screens of Joe Mannix in action, including one of him dancing with a blonde girl, who spins around giving us TV's first upskirt shot. Also, Joe had his faithful African-American secretary Peggy Fair.

Mannix was a cool show, but as with many shows that stay around awhile, people picked up on things that could be parodied. Bob & Ray created a parody they called Blimmix. MST3K frequently made jokes about Joe Mannix's habit of jumping off of something on top of a crook, as well as, using Mannix jokes during any Roger Corman film from the 50s staring "Touch" Conners. When TV Land ran reruns of the show, a promo pointed out that with all the gunfire on the show, nobody was ever hit.

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite books as a child was The World Encyclopedia of Comics by Maurice Horn. In that book was a listing for a German comic strip called Mike Macke. The character was based on Mike Conners and a parody of Joe Mannix. All I could find on the Internet about the character was a scan of the same page from that book.

Here is those great opening credits. Watch for that girl.




  

R. I. P JOHN HURT

John Hurt in 1984

Of all of the many movies John Hurt was in, I love his cameo in the Mel Brooks film Spaceballs, because not only does it reference Hurt's famous death scene in Alien, but also the Warner Brothers cartoon One Froggy Evening.


Wednesday, December 28, 2016

R. I. P CARRIE FISHER



"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried ..."

R. I. P GEORGE MICHAEL


I believe "Careless Whisper" by Wham is one of the greatest and classiest hits of the 80s. Never understood why many of my classmates didn't like this.  Of course, I also like Seether's Vanilla Fudge-ing of the song from a few years back.



Tuesday, December 6, 2016

R. I. P VAN WILLIAMS



The Green Hornet TV series is not on DVD, but can be found on YouTube (for now).  Here is a sample episode as the Green Hornet (Van Williams) and Kato (Bruce Lee) face off against Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.  EXTRA TRIVIA: Van Williams was the voice of the President (LBJ) in Our Man Flint and Batman The Movie.



Saturday, November 12, 2016

R. I. P. ROBERT VAUGHN


Here is the obit from NBC NEWS. Here is a post I made about why I prefer The Man from UNCLE to 24.   I obtained these photos, from the pilot episode, earlier this summer.

The man on the left was their boss in the pilot. NBC said told them to "get rid of the foreign guy." Later NBC came back and said "We meant the wimpy blonde Russian."


Sunday, October 30, 2016

R.I.P JOHN ZACHERLE

I would like to say that many of these photos came from the GreGGory's SHOCK THEATER tumblr.










And, of course, a tribute to Zacherle would not be complete without this ditty. Also, check out these post from previous Countdown to Halloweens, here and here.


Monday, August 29, 2016

GENE WILDER'S COMMERCIAL VOICEOVERS


Before Gene Wilder became a famous face in movies he lent his voice to voiceovers for commercials.
Here are some samples.







In this Tootsie Roll ad, Wilder appears on screen and in drag.



And, of course, we can't forget Wilder as the voice of Letterman on the Electric Company.

 

Sunday, July 31, 2016

R. I. P JACK DAVIS

You may not recognize the name, but you will recognize the artwork. Mad magazine and TV Guide covers, print ads for the TV show Cheers, Sesame Street children's books, covers for several country artist (he must have been a favorite of Homer & Jethro), the famous "giant Frankenstein Monster poster" that was advertised in comic books of the 60s & 70s, the designs for Mad Monster Party and the Jackson 5 cartoon and the Man From UNCLE lunchbox. Jack Davis was everywhere.



















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