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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DESDINOVA'S 20 FAVORITE SONGS BY THE MONKEES

This September is also the debut of not just another television show on NBC, but a rock band: The Monkees.

I mentioned a few post ago how I feel they are the most underrated American pop group of the 60s. Since I have listed favorite songs by other bands, I'll now give you my favorite songs by The Monkees.

1. "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone"
2. "Pleasant Valley Sunday"
3. "Words"
4. "The Door Into Summer"
5. "Daily Nightly"
6. "Heart and Soul"
7. "Mommy & Daddy (the unreleased version)"
8. "Randy Scouse Git"
9. "Girl I Knew Somewhere"
10. "For Pete's Sake" (this was the closing theme for the second season)
11. "Last Train to Clarksville"
12. "Saturday's Child"
13. "She"
14. "Listen To the Band"
15. "Valerie" - original version
16. "Love Is Only Sleeping"
17. "The Monkees Theme"
18. "Goin Down"
19. "That Was Then, This is Now"
20. "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"

There are more, but I decided to stop at twenty.

MUHAMMAD ALI: SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON STAR

As the news of the death of Muhammad Ali spreads across the world, I thought it would be a good time to remember that in the 1970s, Ali was everywhere, including Saturday morning cartoons. NBC aired the animated show, I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali.

The show featured Ali, his niece, Nicki, and nephew, Damion, traveling the world with trainer or manager, Frank. They frequently had to solve mysteries. Once Ali had to go to outer space.

Here is a complete episode I found on YouTube.

CASEY KASEM - THE VOICE OF OUR GENERATION

In the world of radio and voice-over work, there are few instances where one voice dominated the pop culture of a generation like Casey Kasem. From the late 60s through the 90s, his voice was everywhere.

Besides American Top 40 & American Top 10, Casey was the voice on NBC's promos in the 70s and 80s. His voice was in many of Generation X's favorite cartoons. Among those characters he voiced was Robin the Boy Wonder on The Superfriends, Alexander on Josie and the Pussycats, Dexter and Tank on Hot Wheels, Groovy on Cattanooga Cats, nephew Waldo on What's New, Mr. Magoo?, Mark on Battle of the Planets, Cliffjumper, and Teletraan 1 on The Transformers and, of course, Shaggy on Scooby Doo.

The thing that made Casey Kasem popular was his voice was friendly and his attitude was positive. So was his show. It was all inclusive. Instead of calling the show Billboards Top 40, Casey named the show American Top 40 to signify that these were the songs everyone in the nation was listening to and buying.  Yet Casey was talking to YOU and telling YOU that there were kids in other towns in America that liked the same songs that YOU did. If you felt alone in the world, Casey reassured you that you were not alone.

Casey spoke of the artist in an upbeat, positive tone. His story's about their lives made them sound like friends and relatives not "enemy combatants," as one former co-worker of mine referred to one popular musical act (He later got in trouble for making fun of a popular singer's death). In the "The AT-40 Archives," Casey gave us a history lesson and peak our interest in the music of the past. Of course, the "Long Distance Dedications" proved that you could connect to anyone in the world by simply writing to Casey and he would tell everyone with the same importance as the stories he told about the musical artist.

Sadly, the radio industry decided in the late 80s to destroy the all inclusive world Casey inhabited. Radio stations edited heavy metal and rap songs out of the countdown because they "weren't on out playlist." The major radio syndicators began trying to attract disgruntled old white men with shows preaching an "us-against-them" mentality filled with hate and intolerance.

You might say Casey Kasem's era ended long before his death this week. Radio killed his style of Top 40 and Saturday morning cartoons are gone. Luckily, we have Scooby Doo and Superfriends on DVD, as well as AT-40 repeats on some retro radio stations and through ITunes. Maybe someone will say, "We need a radio personality like Casey Kasem. He was great."

Until then, remember Casey's advice, "Keep you feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."       

CHARLIE CHAPLIN AS A CARTOON CAT

Today (April 16, 2014) would have been Charlie Chaplin's 125th birthday. My first exposure to Chaplin (or pseudo-exposure) was through a mid-70s Saturday morning cartoon called Baggy Pants and the Nitwits. "Baggy Pants" was a cat that dressed and moved like Chaplin. He was chased by a pig that looked like frequently Chaplin foil Eric Campbell.

This is the only example of the show I could find on YouTube. It is from television in Mexico, but this cartoon is silent like Chaplin's movies so it doesn't matter.

BTW: The other cartoon "The Nitwits" centered around the retired superhero team of Tyrone and Gladys. Yes, the same Tyrone and Gladys from Laugh-In. Arte Johnson and Ruth Buzzi even did the voices. However, they never mentioned Tyrone's last name: Horney.

Animation Legend Lou Scheimer Dead

R.I.P. Animation Legend Lou Scheimer

"DR. SHRINKER" ACTOR JAY ROBINSON DEAD AT 83

I just learned of the death of actor Jay Robinson, who played Caligula in The Robe and Demetrius and the Gladiators and the 70s Saturday morning kids adventure show, Dr. Shrinker. Even worse was finding a good mainstream news story about his death. It is a shame because not only would many Generation X people remember him, but the story of his career is really interesting. Here is the best article I found, it is this excellent post from The Scott Rollins Film and TV Trivia Blog.

He was busted for drugs at the height of his career, followed by years of not being able to work and legal problems. Bette Davis helped him get back to work. Here is a portion of the Better Davis episode of This Is Your Life, where Jay Robinson thanks Bette for being his friend (Robinson is after Victor Bueno and comedienne who does an impression of Davis).

Dr. Shrinker is one of the pop culture villains that I used as a model for my writing voice on the original blog. Here is a bit of Dr. Shinker.

LOOKING BACK AT KYTV's CHILDREN'S HOUR

If you grew up in the Ozarks between the 50s and 80s, you will remember The Children's Hour. The longest host was "Aunt" Norma Champion. Here is a great video KYTV's Ed Filmer made for the 60th anniversary of KYTV Channel 3. The link below will take you to it.
Remembering KY3's Aunt Norma and The Children's Hour

Actor Henry Polic II passes away at 68

'Webster' actor Henry Polic II passes away at 68

I want to point out that The Monster Squad mentioned in Mr. Polic's obit is the 70s TV kid show (see photo below), not the 1987 movie. Henry Polic II played Dracula.

This show was a favorite of mine as a child. 

Super President Theme Song!

A lost cartoon of the 60s. It would be great if it was on DVD.

Voice actress Ginny Tyler dies - Variety

Voice actress Ginny Tyler dies - Entertainment News, Obituary, Media - Variety

She was the voice of Jan on Space Ghost.

I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW COOL ARK II WAS UNTIL NOW

I can see myself being blitzed with a ton of hateful comments over this post (Of course, I don't have to publish them - Mwu-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!), but I think this needs to be said. The 70s Saturday morning sci-fi adventure show Ark II has to be one of the most intelligent and well-written kids shows ever. Maybe one of the best TV shows ever, especially when you look at some of the current TV show. Sadly, clips of the show on You Tube usually get trashed by miscreants (Probably fans of Glenn Beck), but Ark II is kind of like an onion with many layers, which explains why it deserves a special place in a Hall of Fame or a need to be studied by future generation.

To get the full effect of where the concept for this TV program came from, you need to look at these photos on The Atlantic website. President Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency after pollution starting becoming a problem. These photos were taken as a project to show the effects of pollution on America. As you can tell from the photos, pollution was a concern to everyone, not just one side of the political spectrum.

Movies like Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, No Blade of Grass, The Bed Sitting Room, A Boy and His Dog and Zardoz with post-apocalyptic themes were popular in theaters. These films frequently shown a future with cities decimated and in ruin. Ark II came along during this time. Executive producer Lou Scheimer once referred to the show as "Star Trek on the ground."

The show first appeared in the fall of 1976, which is probably the reason the main characters wear bicentennial looking red, white and blue uniforms. There was only one season of the show produced, but CBS ran the show until 1978.

According to the opening narration, pollution has destroyed many of the natural resources. A group of "remaining" scientist had created a mobile repository called Ark II. The crew of the Ark II were a group of young scientist made up of the hippie-ish guy named Jonah, a beautiful Asian woman named Ruth, a Hispanic genius teenager named Samuel and a talking chimpanzee named Adam. They travel around helping the people trying to exist in wastelands and encourage them to rebuild society by working together. They had to deal with the scavengers, who bullied the residents of the villages the Ark II encountered.

Notice anything about the character names? They are all Biblical names. That doesn't stop with the main characters as several episodes feature other Biblical names and references. Think about it...the show itself is named Ark II.

Contrary to what the idiots posting comments on You Tube say, the show was not "tree-hugging, socialist, leftist propaganda." The ecology and environment was only a theme, where as the lesson or message of the shows were basic morals about cooperation, prejudice, good citizenship and greed. Of course, these people commenting on You Tube probably rooted for the scavengers.      

I recently acquired a DVD set (out-of-print sadly) of the complete series. I have enjoyed seeing this piece of my childhood that I had almost forgotten. I would love to see Ark II made into a movie. 

IS RADIO OFFICIALLY DEAD?

Robert Feder has a Chicago based media blog. This article points out problems with the current radio and how it handled the deaths of both Whitney Houston and Davy Jones. It also mentioned that social media and Internet became a better source of information about these two music legends than radio, which helped make them famous in the first place. I didn't hear any mentions of Davy Jones death on local radio nor did I hear any of his music. The national radio shows were more interested in the death of Andrew Breitbart, who probably only about one percent of the population had even heard of. Breitbart was never in an episode of Scooby Doo or the Brady Bunch so his is irrelevant to most people.

In a blog post April 2009 (The most popular post ever - it gets about 20 hits a day), I said that radio's popularity died with Kurt Cobain. Unless things change, I think Whitney Houston and Davy Jones may have been the nails in the coffin. This Monkees song may sum up the state of radio.

Don Cornelius dies at 75; creator of 'Soul Train'

Don Cornelius dies at 75; creator of 'Soul Train' from the L.A. Times.

LOOKING BACK ON FIVE YEARS OF BLOGGING

As many of you know, I have decided not to continue updating the original blog, Desdinova the Super Villain of the Ozarks, because it is too much trouble to work on two blogs at once. Also I deleted some of the post because they were either irrelevant, outdated or contained broken links to articles that are no longer available. I also deleted some that could keep me from further employment in the local media.

When I started this blog, I was one of the most hated people on the Internet in the Ozarks. It started off with my comments on the Missouri Radio Message Board and Ron Davis' Chatter blog. I decided to create a "voice" for my persona. I based it part on the character of Ronnie the Z-Man from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (top) and Stewie from Family Guy (bottom). I used the name Desdinova the Eternal Light at first.

My legend began after several skirmishes with someone calling himself Talk Radio Guy. I also believe this person was making anonymous comments on Chatter blog. This Talk Radio Guy would get mad when I made jokes about a local talk radio show host.

I had been considering setting up my own blog, but I decided to go ahead with it after I made a comment on Ron's blog about a photo of this talk radio show host that was in the News Leader. I'll admit the comment was rather mean and nasty, but I will go to my grave feeling absolutely no remorse for posting that, because this talk radio show host (as well as some of the scummy ones I've been forced to work with) was known for saying rather heartless things about people. He supposedly cried on the air about this. The bad part some of my co-workers (They didn't know it was me) were angry that someone would do such a thing. Many people were for some reason upset with Ron over this. I think some thought that Ron was Desdinova also. They also thought I was a rival talk show host (He isn't as funny as me).

So I created a blog of my own where I created a persona of a hip, liberal, megalomaniacal, mad scientist. A scary but fun person much like British rocker/political activist Screaming Lord Sutch (above).

I was going to delete all of the earlier post until I reread the post that people hated the most and realized that not only are they great satirical humor, but anyone who was offended by this stuff would have to be STUPID.

The infamous face of Desdinova was something I originally designed for a character based on the Italian super-criminal-hero Diabolik (above). It is a altered photo from a site that sells bondage clothes. The model doesn't realize he is the face of most hated blogger in the Ozarks.

The "voice" of Desdinova was a mix of famous movie actors, who played villains, as well as cartoon villains. Apparently, the talk radio crowd here in the Ozarks didn't grown up watching Saturday morning cartoons, old movie serials or horror films like I did, or they would have realized that I wasn't a mad scientist with a giant robot and zombie soldiers that lived under Park Central Square. I was told by a friend who works at Springfield Police Department that there were people calling them asking why "they hadn't arrested Desdinova yet."

I would like to pay tribute to those who I channeled while writing my post on the old blog. The first two inspired my "evil" laugh (Mwu-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)

 

Count Von Count from Sesame Street

 

Krankor from Prince of Space

Boris Karloff as Fu Manchu

Claude Rains as the Invisible Man

Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu

Dr. No

Dr. Evil from Austin Powers

The Crimson Ghost

Alex from Clockwork Orange

Freddy Kruger

Lex Luthor from Superman

Simon Bar Sinister from Underdog

Vincent Price

Coffin Joe

Victor Buono

Peter Cook as Lucifer/Mr. Spiggot in Bedazzled

Blofeld from James Bond

Darth Vader

Dr. Strangelove

Dr. Smith from Lost In Space

Skeletor from He-Man

Dr. Meirshultz from Maniac

Some people ask, "Shouldn't you apologize to some people. I still maintain that most of my targets deserved it. There is only one person deserving an apology.  Her name is Melinda and I used a school photo she gave me in 9th grade to illustrate some of my post. I have since switched the photo with a photo of a pretty girl from a 50's yearbook I found on-line. There is only one photo of Melinda left on the blog, because the post wouldn't make sense with the other photo (Someone on a message board linked to the photo thinking it was childhood photo of Paris Hilton-there is a slight resemblance). That post also mentions people thinking I was "the rival talk radio show host" of that "talk radio show host" I poked fun at. That could get me a visit from the FBI. 

CAPTAIN CLEANUP! KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL PSA FROM THE 70s

HOORAY!!! Someone finally posted a longer version of this popular Keep America Beautiful PSA that ran on Saturday morning cartoons and kids shows in the 70's. For years, all we could see of this was the eleven second version. Keep America Beautiful also ran an eleven second version of their more popular "Crying Indian" PSA. Supposedly there is an even longer version of this PSA. I hope someone can find it.

REMEMBER! KEEP ALL OF AMERICA SPARKLE CITY AND PUT LITTER IN IT'S PLACE!!!