Logos, Logos, Logos
88 retro logos on YouTube. Remember these from the ends of certain TV shows? They’re all here: Screen Gems S From Hell, Lorimar Line Of Doom, and the notorious Paramount ID with “Closet Killer” music. The latter would pop up after being lulled into submission with a Brady Bunch episode, and then it was all AAAAAAAHH!!!! SCARY PARAMOUNT!!!! Gee, thanks for traumatizing me.
The Literate Cinéaste
Film critic Jim Emerson’s list of 101 102 essential films serves as a handy guide to the greats, or at least what the consensus has decided is great (via Kottke). Looking over the list, I find that I’ve seen 79 of the 102 films. Many I haven’t seen in decades, and many other I’ve just gotten to in the past year or two (mostly because I could never stand watching cropped and chopped widescreen movies on TV — thank you, DVDs). I still haven’t seen Dr. Strangelove, Persona, Red River and many other undisputed classics. The Road Warrior is another one which has eluded me, although I really don’t know how that ended up on Emerson’s list. How many have you seen?
What a list like this ultimately proves is that enjoying anything is very subjective. There are always examples where I prefer something else by the same filmmaker over that which everyone decided is the classic (like Manhattan over Annie Hall). And there are other, isolated examples where I completely can’t get a grip on why a filmmakers’ work is considered classic. Such as:
- Charlie Chaplin. Too obvious and sentimental. Buster Keaton basically kicks his butt in the silent comedy dept.
- The John Ford/John Wayne collaborations. Liked The Searchers and The Quiet Man, but Ford confirms my view that Westerns are only interesting when they have some subversive element to them (Johnny Guitar; Sergio Leoné).
- Ernst Lubitch. Trouble In Paradise and The Shop Around the Corner are mildly amusing, but his other work seems insufferably cute.
Reaching for the Stars
The San Francisco Chronicle salutes the 25th anniversary of Journey’s Escape album (via Waxy.org). Although I never cared much for Journey, I can remember loving the airbrushed art on that album cover — especially the type treament where the letterforms were rotated and stylized so that they looked like some sort of weird alien alphabet. Undoubtedly it led me to draw pages of rotated, spacey type in my school notebooks.
Cold Chop Suey on a Paper Plate
A fascintating showbiz tale from the past: Mark Evanier’s recollections of writing a cheesy Gold Key Comics adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan. Evanier’s on a roll — check his entries on the odd movie watching and eating habits of crazy old Howard Hughes.
Meanwhile, in Seattle: glamorous weblogger/ersthwhile game show contestant couple Vince and Rosemarie Keenan have embarked on a collaborative weblog called Shame-faced, in which they write about the classic literature and films that they’ve never experienced until now. Nice!
Gruesome Twosome: Foster Children Edition
David Foster: “Love Theme from ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’”
LPs: St. Elmo’s Fire soundtrack, 1985, and David Foster, 1986 | BUY
Paul Anka: “Hold Me ‘Til The Morning Comes”
LP: Walk A Fine Line, 1983 | BUY
Mega-successful ’80s producer David Foster might be the least likely person on earth to undergo an ironic hipster resurgence — admiring his work is something akin to finding Laura Ashley dresses hot and sexy. Just keep it to yourself, weirdo. But I have to admit that his production on Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry’ still raises goosebumps, and it’s safe to say that this style of music never really went away. Tune into American Idol and you’ll find the Power Ballad (which Foster was the architect of) very much alive and well. So I’m gonna go ahead and share a couple of numbers which may have had your Mom rocking on the drive to the mall. Foster’s production on the impossibly lush St. Elmo’s Fire love theme fairly screams “Class of ‘86 Senior Prom last dance”. He also twiddled the dials on Paul Anka’s comeback single “Hold Me Till The Morning Comes,” notable for having duet partner Peter Cetera’s voice mixed in more prominently than Anka’s. Both pieces showcase Foster’s unnerving way of making synthesizers and drum machines sound warm and organic.
Zip A Dee Diddly Squat
An item at the fun My Name Is Earl Kress weblog give a little bit of info on Disney’s ongoing Song of the South saga. Apparently Disney prez Bob Iger has decided to bow to stockholders’ concerns and pull it from the schedule. That’s a pisser. I can remember seeing this film during its 1980 re-release, but honestly I don’t remember anything potentially offensive about it at all. It had nice Technicolor photography and the animated sequences were enjoyable in a mid-level Dumbo or Cinderella way. The film’s portrayal of black characters was similar to what you’d find in Gone with the Wind or other fancy films from that period — somewhat stereotypical, but more well-rounded than usual. I even thought the Uncle Remus character was very warm and benevolent, serving as a surrogate dad for the two kids. What’s so offensive about that? A comprehensive DVD with warnings that it’s the product of a different era would ultimately do more good than harm for the company’s image — but I guess Disney doesn’t want to risk the bad p.r. and would rather release Bambi 6: The Spawning or Not Another Crappy Tween Musical instead. Whatever.
Now’s a good time to point to Song of the South.net, which contains everything you’d want to know about the movie.
Small In Japan
Hi … I’m running into a busy spot this week, so posting here will be sporadic. In the meantime, enjoy these cartoon animals interacting with household appliances. It comes from an incredible early ’60s Japanese childrens magazine that I bought last year in Bisbee. I’ve scanned the entire thing and will hopefully have it uploaded at flickr soon.
Summer Camp
After five years of DVD watching, I’m inclined to think that commentaries are at their most interesting when the commentator has nothing to do with the film he’s commenting on. Directors and/or actors handing out heaps of self-congratulatory B.S. to even the worst of films are the usual commentary fare (a trend that the A.V. Club’s Commentary Tracks of the Damned gets lots of mileage from), but I prefer the more spontaneous kind of track that comes from a knowledgeable fan’s perspective. Even better are the rare instances where fans offer insights on really, really bad films. DVD companies are just starting to realize the potential of this — witness the special editions of Mommie Dearest, Valley of the Dolls and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls coming out this June.
The Mommie Dearest SE will have a commentary from John Waters. That could be a hoot and a half. You can bet that Mr. Waters will not be spending a lot of time observing Frank Perry’s subtle and artful direction of the rosebush scene. Valley of the Dolls will have a track from Advocate arts and entertainment editor Alonso Duralde, which will likely address that camp classic’s eternal appeal for gay men. Beyond the Valley will sport a commentary from none other than Roger Ebert. Unlike the other two, Mr. Ebert actually did have something to do with BtVotD (he wrote the screenplay). Personally, I will be looking forward to hearing how he came up with chestnuts like “This is my happening and it freaks me out!”
Ray Conniff’s Got It Going On
A mid-’70s album of Ray Conniff TV themes for download at XTabays World. Recommended for those with a high tolerance for cheese.
You know what I’d love to download? Those synthesized 70s/80s game show music cues by Edd Kalehoff and Score Productions. I’d especially love to hear some undiluted Price Is Right music without the announcer’s voiceovers. That stuff really kicked ass, it was so funky. Except for a few game show theme compilations, it was never released commercially.
Gruesome Twosome: Mama’s Faux Pearl Edition
Honey Cone: “Stick-Up”
LP: Soulful Tapestry, 1971 | BUY
The Newcomers: “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”
Stax Records single, 1971 | BUY
The Jackson 5 were probably the hottest act in showbiz in 1971, so it makes sense that their success would inspire many imitators. I’m presenting two of the more entertaining knockoffs today. The Honey Cone paid their dues as a talented but somewhat nondescript girl group on the Hot Wax label — until their #1 “Want Ads” transformed them into the queens of bubblegum soul. Follow-up single “Stick-Up” adheres to the same tight, funky pattern, only with lyrics (about a girl who blackmails her cheatin’ beau into marriage) told from a shockingly adult perspective. I dig Edna Wright’s sassy lead vocal and the fey cries of “Help, I’ve been robbed!” from the backup singers. Unlike Honey Cone, The Newcomers’ “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” slavishly imitates the J5 formula right down to the song’s Jermaine Jacksonlike shout-outs. Still, those nursery rhyme horn arrangements are fun. I wonder why they never made a Newcomers Saturday morning cartoon?
Dress for Tiki-ness
Too cool — Disney is selling reproductions of the original Enchanted Tiki Room shirt and dress worn by Disneyland Cast Members in the sixties! Love that custom fabric pattern (I just wish they had a better view of it). Read the fascinating two part story on how the dress came to be remade (thanks to Mr. Bali Hai for pointing this out).
Housecleaning
Last week I added a “Buy My Crap at eBay” button to the front page sidebar. This is part of our ongoing Stuff Reduction Program to prepare me and Christopher for our someday move to Northern California.
Right now I’m liquidating several lots of Russel Wright dinnerware up at the low, low starting price of 99 cents each — including several swell ’50s melamine pieces. Yeah, I know that old plastic dishes constantly get a bad rap, but this is the really nice early stuff. Their unique shapes and spiffy pastel colors would look great in a retro-themed kitchen. And I’m selling them in groups — at 99 cents each! Great deal. Look for Home Decorators at the link.
Glorious Technicolor and Stereophonic Sound
Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum offers his ten favorite offbeat musicals (via Something Old, Nothing New). Thanks to his list, I put Red Garters on my Netflix queue and will have another opportunity to marvel at the underrated comic appeal of Jack Carson. And it’s nice to see some love for That’s Entertainment! III, the ignored stepchild of that filmic trilogy.
Gonna Be Strong
Like many others, I was sorry to hear of the death of singer Gene Pitney at age 65. Pitney was a true original who has unfairly been lumped in with other, less substantial “teen idol” singers of the early ’60s. Unlike all those Bobbys and Fabians, however, he was also a talented songwriter in his own right with great ear for other songwriters — be them known (best ever male interpreter of Bacharach-David) or unknown (also recorded early songs by Mick Jagger/Keith Richards and Randy Newman). He was also the kindest, most approachable famous person I know of. Back in the mid ’90s, Pitney was among the few celebrities to have an active part in his own AOL discussion group. People would constantly ask him questions, both stupid and interesting — and he would always answer each one cheerfully and with great insight into his unique career. I’ll miss him.
Smile and a Ribbon
Keen! Check out this unique animated commercial for the British Lottery which uses Patience & Prudence’s 1950s hit “A Smile and a Ribbon” to excellent effect. (via the Sound Scavengers list)
