Scrubbles.net » Cathode Rays

The Password Is ‘Funnies’

Matt — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:37:29 +0000

Making out way though our fabboo Best of Password DVD set, we came across this 1965 episode with guest stars Betty White and the elegant Arlene Francis. The Betty White Passwords are always lots of fun. She has a great, flirty repartee with host Alan Ludden (a.k.a. Mr. Betty White) and her fellow players in addition to being a sharp player. What makes this one even more interesting is that the players are well-known comic strip artists of the day, including Al Capp (‘Lil Abner) and Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey). The artists were playing for charity to support a gallery show they put on in response to Pop Artists using their comic book imagery. The artists aren’t too great at playing Password, really, but the episode is an excellent little window into that (white, male, mostly stodgy) world of newspaper comic strips of the mid-sixties.

The fascinating story behind the comic book artists (and the Pop Art show) featured in this episode can be read on this CSBG weblog post from comix expert Greg Hatcher.

Z-Ro, My Hero

Matt — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:23:56 +0000

One of the Christmas gifts I got for my spouse was the 12-DVD Classic Sci Fi TV: 150 Episodes set from Mill Creek. This set has a ton of old, really cheesy but entertaining TV dramas and serials, mostly dating from the 1950s. These hoary old kinescopes with wooden acting and predictable plots are not for every taste, but we’re digging them.

One of the more intriguing curios on the set is the show Captain Z-Ro. The show was produced locally for a San Francisco station in 1955-56, then syndicated nationwide. It followed the mustachioed Captain Z-Ro and his young sidekick, Jet, as they traveled through time and learned about various historical events on Earth. I was expecting pure cheese from this one, but the show is actually quite fun and nicely produced for a local early TV effort. The Mill Creek set includes a total of 24 episodes of this particular opus, so it should keep us plenty busy.

Question Me an Answer

Matt — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:17:11 +0000

Lately we’ve been watching this Best of Password DVD that I recently ordered. It’s actually quite fun, with 30 episodes that give a glimpse of famous stars like Carol Burnett and Dick Van Dyke when they were young (early to mid ’60s).

It reminded me of a game show that didn’t make it, the one that David Letterman hosted in the ’70s. I remember Dave talking about this one rather disparagingly with guest Michael McKean on his NBC show. The show was called The Riddlers (1977), and it’s actually on YouTube. Part one is below. Letterman has a bit of snark, which makes it more watchable than most ’70s game shows.

Radiant Baby

Matt — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:43:33 +0000

Being right in the middle of The Universe of Keith Haring, I thought I’d look for something interesting on the late graffito to share here. This mid-’80s news clip is typical of the stuff I used to see on him as an art-crazy teen. Back around circa 1986, he even made a short visit to Phoenix to work on a public mural. At the time, I remember hearing of a classmate who got Haring to draw a picture on his or her shoe.

Remember the Name — Irene

Matt — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:42:56 +0000

I was looking up Irene Cara on Wikipedia. It mentioned that she did a sitcom pilot in 1981, shortly after appearing on Fame. Irene Cara, a sitcom star? Somebody uploaded this pilot to YouTube in three parts (the first part is below). It’s a cute if dated show, with young actors Julia Duffy and Keenan Ivory Wayans in the cast. To bad the pert and pretty Ms. Cara turned to coke and flushed her career down the toilet.

Magoo, You’ve Done It Again

Matt — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:00:48 +0000

Here’s the first half of the Count of Monte Cristo episode of the animated series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, which ran on NBC (in prime time!) in the 1964-65 season. I’m getting acquainted with this show since reviewing the upcoming Mr. Magoo on TV Collection DVD set from Shout! Factory. The box also includes the other two Magoo series, The Mr. Magoo Show (1960-61) and What’s New, Mr. Magoo? (1977), along with the 1970 special Uncle Sam Magoo. That’s a lotta Magoo!

The Famous Adventures show, which puts Magoo in various well-known historical events and pieces of literature, might be the most interesting one. Unlike the others, I’d never heard of this show and don’t remember it at all from my childhood. There aren’t a lot of gags relating to Magoo’s blindness, but it’s a lot of fun with a kicky, ’60s feel.

Who’s the Boss?

Matt — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:47:09 +0000

I’m sticking this one up since I’ve been grooving to Diana Ross’ 1980 LP diana today (not to be confused with 1970′s Diana Ross, or 1976′s Diana Ross, or 1978′s Ross. Miss Ross had a thing for egotistical album titles, eh?). Back when that album first came out, she did a TV special with Michael Jackson that I have vague memories of. Thanks to YouTube, I’ve found some of it.

I remember the footage of Diana and Michael doing “Upside Down” in concert, but this segment of Miss D. and Larry Hagman crooning together is totally new to me. Yeeks!

You Had Me at Meow

Matt — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:21:01 +0000

Watching an episode of The Bob Newhart Show on MeTV last night got me thinking about the famous MTM Enterprises kitten logo. MTM put the kitty (named Mimsy) through many variants over the years. By far the sickest one came at the final credits of the last St. Elsewhere, which has poor Mimsy lying down with a heart monitor going into flatline mode. Noooo!

P.S. As a kid, I always thought that MTM was the television branch of MGM. It always made sense to me.

What Happens In Japan, Stays In Japan

Matt — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 01:28:50 +0000

This commercial that Charles Bronson did for a Japanese grooming product called Mandom is so hypnotic. Honest to God, I watched it several times. It begins with Bronson alone in a piano bar, one where he’s a regular (based on the doorman’s reaction). He then drives home and, still alone, grabs a pipe and tosses his shirt off. He spreads copious amounts of Mandom on his fine physique while Country singer Jerry Wallace croons the product’s jingle. The scent of Mandom makes Bronson imagine himself brandishing a shotgun and riding a horse through a Western landscape. Who was the target audience for this, secretly gay Japanese businessmen? The Mandom campaign was a big success (oh yeah, there are more Bronson commercials on YouTube), leading director Nobuhiko Ohbayashi towards his loopy/fantastic “girls in a haunted house” feature film House.

Doing commercials in Japan has long been a dirty little secret for celebrities who want to cash in without spoiling their image in the West — pre-Internet, at least. I believe the scenes with Bill Murray struggling through a liquor commercial shoot in Lost In Translation slammed the lid shut on that stuff, but then I could be wrong. Are today’s celebs still shilling Japanese crap? Mull it over while watching circa 1990 Alyssa Milano hawking a chocolate drink while dancing to one of her Debbie Gibson-like tunes:

Hung Up on Clifton’s

Matt — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 02:02:43 +0000

I was watching an episode of the HBO series Hung today when another favorite location caught my eye — twice! Although the show is set in Detroit, the location crew used the famous Clifton’s Brookdale Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles as the settings for two restaurants the show’s characters dined in. Both are featured in episode #5, titled Do It, Monkey.

The first restaurant is a plush red-wallpapered eatery that might look familiar to Mad Men fans — it’s the third floor of Clifton’s, which I wrote about last May. For Hung, the room was decorated pretty much the same way we saw it two years ago. While it was classed up a bit as Don Draper’s New York getaway, for the tacky fondue restaurant patronized by actors Jane Adams and Steve Hytner not much change was needed. Our photo of the dining room is here.

The second restaurant was used by a different set of Hung characters as the woodsy-themed buffet where a suddenly downsized Anne Heche and family must eat. This is the ground floor of Clifton’s, where most of the customers dine. In the top photo, they dressed up the wall behind the buffet line with knick-knacks. Other than that, the restaurant is basically untouched in all its kitschy glory. I love that you can see a bit of the ’50s era Specialties sign (better photo here). The wide view at the bottom is the main dining area, surrounded by painted murals, fake pine trees and a stuffed moose head. It’s wonderful! My photo of the area from a different angle is here.

Busy Hands

Matt — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:34:22 +0000

In honor of MTV’s ~~20th~~ 30th birthday, let’s take a look at a segment from Liquid Television, the 1991-94 animated hodgepodge best known for unleashing Beavis & Butt-head onto the world. “Invisible Hands” was an eight part L.T. series created by comic artist Richard Sala, who shares some interesting background info on the show on his weblog. The creepy pulp-horror vibe is on full display in part 1, below.

YouTube user ZappVid9 has a lot of Liquid Television segments on his channel, stuff that I totally forgot about. If the names Dog-Boy or Winter Steele ring any bells for ya, head over there and watch.

The Hal Linden Follies

Matt — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:32:39 +0000

An interesting bit of TV ephemera was recently posted in 10 parts on YouTube — TV Guide magazine’s 1980 year-in-review. If the idea of an all-singing, all-dancing Hal Linden turns your crank, by all means check out part one below. Actually, the show is an intriguing concept when you ponder that a few newsworthy events of 1980, like the U.S. pulling out of the Olympics and the Screen Actors Guild strike, meant (horrors) less stuff to watch. The special includes behind the scenes clips from Shogun and a heart-to-heart between Tom Brokaw and Ed Asner. Not to mention thorough rehashes on Dallas and country music (this was the Urban Cowboy era, after all). And Shields & Yarnell!

’70s-Something

Matt — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:47:12 +0000

Time for another ’70s toy commercial from Hasbro and the Duke archive. Like Leggy Fashion Dolls, I don’t believe that the Great Moves party game had a long shelf life. It looks like a Twister with something of a proto-Win, Lose Or Draw spin, only more logistically complex than either. For maximum 70s-ishness, the partygoers include Fred “Rerun” Berry and Roz “Pinky Tuscadero” Kelly!

Commercials That Pop

Matt — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:09:08 +0000

This 1977 commercial for Bubble Yum bubblegum brought out an “oh, yeah, I almost forgot that” reaction. Bubble Yum was the hottest thing going on the playground back then — it had a different, softer texture and the pieces were huge. I can even remember it being banned in my elementary school. Having an obnoxious puppet in the ad didn’t hurt it’s kiddie appeal, either:

Less foggy is the memory of this slightly later ad for Bubbilicious bubble gum with trippy animated kids floating through outer space. It makes my mouth water for “wild strawberry, bold banana, juicy orange, and now way out watermelon.”

The Who What Why Where When And How Day

Matt — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:53:04 +0000

Nostalgia time: The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World was a 1977 episode of The Wonderful World of Disney starring the jump suited, semi-forgotten ’70s edition of the Mickey Mouse Club — you know, the one with Blair from The Facts of Life in the cast. As a tyke, I was obsessed with the mouseketeers and afternoons would find me a) watching the show, or b) reenacting skits from the show with the kids who lived across the street. We also owned the record album (which contained a white-bread rendition of “Walking the Dog,” I recall) and wore it out.

This Disney World outing was a special memory for me, since the Florida park seemed like such a mystical, faraway place. Disneyland was semi-accessible, but Disney World might as well have been Paris or London. Watching the show now, it looks like one long (and cheesy) commercial. Three years ago, I finally got to go. Didn’t see River Country, however.

Strike A Pose, There’s Nothing To It

Matt — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:13:02 +0000

Today’s video is in honor of the viral video of the 9 year-old boy doing a fierce lip synch to Madonna’s “Vogue”. The year after that little opus was videotaped at New Hampshire’s Hampton Beach Casino, comedienne Julie Brown did a wicked parody of the Madonna: Truth Or Dare doc entitled Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful. The segment below is Brown’s “Vogue” parody — entitled “Vague” — which follows a “Like A Prayer” spoof, “Party In My Pants”. Where Madonna name-checks classic film stars in the original, Brown uses the tune to spoof boring current celebs who have no apparent talent — hilarious! Look for Kathy Griffin as one of Brown’s backup dancers, too:

Flick Clique: June 5-11

Matt — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 01:55:06 +0000

Attack of the Puppet People (1958). Cheap-o, typical AIP scare flick in which the most passionate effort appears to have gone into the poster artwork — need I say more? This film revolves around a demented doll maker (John Hoyt), who has perfected a way to shrink humans down to doll size. He keeps these special dolls in glass containers where they remain in suspended animation, only being released for special “parties” for his own enjoyment. Pretty cruddy flick, and strangely not very eventful — the “attack” promised in the title turns out to be a rather limp attempt at self-defense. Hoyt is a creepy, effective villain, but the script is a bore, especially when it involves bland June Kenney and John Agar as the lead dolls. The special effects are the usual giant prop stuff used in countless bad movies. On the plus side, there is a hilariously awful rock ‘n roll dance sequence.
I Am Waiting (1957). Another offering from Criterion’s Nikkatsu Noir Eclipse box, I Am Waiting is earlier and more leisurely paced than the other films in the set. It is interesting to watch, however, just to check out how Japanese filmmakers covered the Western crime thriller genre. This one deals with an ex-boxer turned restaurant owner who comes across a beautiful yet despondent young woman who is about to kill herself. He gives her a job in the eatery, finding that she is a former nightclub singer who still owes her mobster boss time on her contract, a situation that intensifies once the boss and his fellow henchmen track the woman down. Pretty fun, low on camp but high on tense action (when they eventually come around, that is). The incredible coincidence revealed at film’s climax is a bit far fetched, but the film is tightly directed with a capable, attractive cast. All of the Nikkatsu Noir Criterion flicks are worth checking out, in their own goofy way.
Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (2011 DVD). I was excited about this epic documentary series upon its first broadcast on TCM in late 2010, and now that it’s gotten a home video release I can finally see what the fuss was about. The seven-hour Moguls & Movie Stars covers a wide swath of film history, from the age of nickelodeons up through the turbulent late ’60s, with a special emphases on the Hollywood studio system and the brilliant, coarse, often contradictory men who ran them. You can’t fault the filmmakers for being ambitious, and the end result is very well crafted for what it is. Film clips are well-chosen, the narration is sturdy and informative, if given voice by the strangely pompous choice of Christopher Plummer. Unfortunately, the “one size fits all” approach makes for a vaguely unsatisfying watch. A lot of the material covered was already familiar to me and Christopher; I imagine it would go over better with the Hollywood history neophyte (speaking of which, is it me or does this series seem better pitched to a PBS audience, or perhaps the pre-ice trucker History Channel?). Most of the interviewees are film authors, generally an insightful bunch but lacking the eyewitness punch of those who were there in person. Interestingly, some of the better commentary comes from actress Marsha Hunt, one of the few remaining survivors of the classic Hollywood studio system. One of the other speakers I enjoyed was author Thomas Schatz, whose book The Genius of the System is perhaps the definitive chronicle on the subject.
Rhythm in the Clouds (1937). And now, the other cheapie musical! I bought this and the similarly threadbare Sitting on the Moon on a double-bill DVD recently, since they both contain appearances by my fave dumb blonde Joyce Compton. With Rhythm in the Clouds getting more prominent billing on the DVD’s package, I found it surprisingly the weaker film of the two (although Joyce has a bigger part in this one, as a ditsy secretary). The story concerns pretty blonde songwriter Patricia Ellis, who makes an impulsive decision to crash a well-known songwriter’s apartment, submitting her own compositions as collaborations with the better-known but oblivious man. Meanwhile, neighbor William Hull is annoyed with his noisy gal next door, but faster than you can say “unbelievable coincidence” he is selected to be the lyricist on her next would-be hit song to be premiered on the hit local radio show. Rather tedious, actually, with a drought of memorable tunes (at least Sitting on the Moon had one good song). This was an early production for b-movie powerhouse Republic Pictures, and from a historical perspective it is at least somewhat interesting to see what (lame) stuff they came up with to compete with the big guys.
The Secret in Their Eyes (2010) and True Grit (2010). Two acclaimed films that have little in common except that both were well represented at this year’s Oscars (Secret took home the Best Foreign Language trophy, while Grit garnered multiple nominations and failed to net a single award). I enjoyed both, a lot. The Argentinian Secret in Their Eyes concerns a retired police detective played by Ricardo Darín, the grizzled actor who made Four Queens and The Aura so compelling. Darín comes back to his former workplace for a friendly meeting with Soledad Villamil, a colleague whom he secretly loved from years back. The meeting inspires him to write a story based on a grisly murder that he worked on in the ’70s, rekindling his feelings for Villamil in the process. Via flashbacks, the case is compellingly told with vivid characters, and the Darín/Villamil relationship is given a real, nuanced treatment. There are also a lot of exciting, tense scenes, such as when the accused killer shares an elevator ride with the leads. True Grit also served as satisfying, if a little safe, entertainment. I never saw the John Wayne version, but I did read the Charles Portis novel years ago. Joel and Ethan Coen’s exacting, naturalistic touch is a good fit for the material. In the film, headstrong 14-year old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld, excellent) sets out to capture the man who killed her father, enlisting the help of aging yet still tenacious “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and transplanted Texas ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon). This is the kind of film that hinges on the likeability of the lead actors, and in this aspect we weren’t let down. Steinfeld is something of a revelation, actually, conveying a smart, no-nonsense quality that never delves into the precocious. Christopher found the postscript at the end somewhat pointless, but I enjoyed seeing how the characters turned out. What I liked most about this film was that it had that indefinable, classic quality that made it feel like it harkened from a different era (whether that time is circa 1952 or the 1800s, I can’t yet tell).

Mad About Clifton’s

Matt — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:19:51 +0000

While catching up with Mad Men, we noticed a locale that looked strangely familiar in the season 3 opener, Out of Town. It was the quasi-Victorian restaurant where Don and Sal have dinner with two stewardesses and a pilot from the airline flight they just took. I couldn’t pinpoint the place until I heard one of the show’s actors on the commentary describing the perfectly preserved, Disneyland-like ambiance of the eatery. Right then I knew it as the third floor of Clifton’s Brookdale in downtown Los Angeles. How fun!

Contrast the publicity still below with the photos we took during our October ’09 visit. It looks like the Mad Men set dressers replaced the Clifton’s memorabilia on the walls with various old-style paintings, but they kept the lighting fixtures and the flocked wallpaper the same — not to mention the arches and the dark wood stair banisters (click the images for a closer view).

Wrath of Kahn

Matt — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:40:21 +0000

Today’s video comes via The Obscurity Factor: a rare pilot for a 1986 sitcom starring Madeline Kahn. Chameleon has a lovely looking Kahn playing a wacky lady who can mimic her way out of any situation. It’s a talent which annoys her nagging mother (Nina Foch), but seems to impress a TV station manager (Henry Jones) into giving her a spot assisting a blowhard TV host (George Wyner). Fluffy as all get out, but Kahn is a joy to watch. She’s better cast here than in Oh Madeline, the 1983-84 sitcom which (from what I dimly recall) unsuccessfully tried to mold Kahn into Lucille Ball-like slapstick. Chameleon aired on ABC in the summer, as part of a series that burned off TV pilots which the network didn’t pick up. For lost ’80s sitcom fans, it’s a treat.

While we’re celebrating the fabboo Ms. Kahn, why not enjoy her performing “Getting Married Today” from Company? This was from a 1993 Sondheim tribute that aired on PBS.

Byrrh and Fluffo

Matt — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:55:56 +0000

Yesterday I came across AdViews, an archive of high quality digitized vintage TV commercials, on Boing Boing and seemingly have never left. They have a ton of ads dating from the ’50s up through the ’80s. Although one has to go through iTunes to view them, it’s easy enough to download a huge batch and burn ‘em onto a DVD. That’s exactly what I did with their 100 or so Grape Nuts ads (why I started with Grape Nuts, who knows).

The cereal commercials alone are fascinating. This one shills a Post product called Size 8, a cereal packaged in a uniquely mod swirl festooned cylinder. How very ’60s!