Work, work, work, work Part 2

Again I'm kinda too busy to blog...so Draw poker, Spacely's a stupe, have some coffee...

The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes

This is a great book! Now I say that on a lot of my reviews, but it is, and why review something you don't really like? Sometimes I do, but definitely NOT this time!!!

This is the BEST book on Looney Tunes ever made, except the one that Jerry Beck did before with Will Friedwald called "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies", but this one is better because of the layout and the color. One wishes they did that earlier book like this one, which is solely credited to Jerry Beck this time.

What makes this great is not the knowledge and research and background, which is very similar to the previous book, but the photos!!! There is an excellent selection of both color and black & white screen captures that encapsulates each of the 100 cartoons, perfectly.

My only quibble is that it should have been "The 1000 Greatest Looney Tunes" and that I should have been consulted. Oh well. Jerry's a good friend of mine and I take no offense (but then maybe "A Lad in his Lamp" might have gotten snuck in there...hee-hee).

I welcome every Jerry Beck book and recommend this along with the rest. If you only buy ONE Jerry Beck book, make it THIS ONE!

For a list of all of Jerry's other books, click
here.

Harvey Pekar 1939-2010

Harvey Pekar passed away. I always found him an intriguing sort of fellow, but had I met him, we probably wouldn't have gotten along. That being said, I have enjoyed his "American Splendor" comics and also the movie based on Pekar and his comics.

I first heard about Harvey Pekar from the movie "Comic Book Confidential", another highly recommended film. I thought the idea of writing comics actually based on personal real-life events of an "everyman" was brilliant, and so I sought out the comics based on that.

Pekar also appeared a lot (for awhile there) on David Letterman's show. They did have a falling out at some point, but this was at the time when I loved Letterman because he would have strange guests like Pekar and Larry "Bud" Melman and Chris Elliott. Those days are long gone, and now so is Harvey.

R.I.P.

Lewis Black's New Album

Lewis Black has a new comedy album out called "Stark Raving Black", and while I haven't heard it yet, I'm sure that I will enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed Black's six previous albums. I'm sure I will buy it shortly.

Black to me is the only stand-up comedian even worthy of inheriting the throne left by the great George Carlin, and even HE isn't that good. Sometimes Black gets on a rant that doesn't seem to go anywhere, and whereas Carlin sometimes would talk about silly problems with the English language, Black seems to go on and on and on far too much about the nitty gritty of politics, sometimes to the point of no longer being funny and just annoyed.

Granted, in his later stand-up, Carlin fell victim to the same thing, but Carlin's aggravation about politics was only a small part of his act, not the majority of it.

So, ultimately, I would like to see Black fully inherit the comedy throne and by spreading his topic line a little bit, I think he could do it....

Flip Wilson

I miss Flip Wilson. Fortunately, his legacy lives on with a number of DVDs and record albums. As a kid, I loved "The Flip Wilson Show" which aired from 1970-1974 on NBC.

There are currently 16 episodes available on three different DVD sets. Of those, only six are presented in their original hour-long length. I would love to see a complete series release, but am happy for what I have.

There were also two Flip Wilson animated TV specials by DePatie-Freleng, the same people who brought you the Pink Panther. This was Wilson's attempt to emulate the success of Bill Cosby with his "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" series.

Wilson's biggest claim to fame in regards to his comedy was his Geraldine character, which made me laugh hysterically as a child, not realizing how daring such a character was at the time.

After the 1974 cancellation of the show, Wilson appeared less and less frequently on TV and by the 1980s was virtually missing from show biz. His biggest comeback attempt was a "Cosby Show" clone called "Charlie and Company" in the mid-1980s. It was not a success.

Wilson died in 1998 at the age of 64.

Facebook Pages for My Books

I put up Facebook pages for each of my books:

"The Best of The Harveyville Fun Times!" (2006)

"Created and Produced by Total TeleVision productions" (2009)

"If You're Cracked, You're Happy" (2010)

"Mark Arnold Picks On The Beatles" (2011)

Check them out and become a fan of each...

Hogan's Heroes

I don't know why, but as a kid I didn't like "Hogan's Heroes". I liked other "stupid" stuff like "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch" and "Get Smart", etc., but for some reason "Hogan's Heroes" always left me cold.

I remember watching it as a kid and not liking it and it got to the point where if it came on, I would listen to the theme song (which I loved) and then switch channels when the actual show came on.

What's also funny is that I liked Bob Crane and was saddened when he died in 1978. By then, he was doing various Disney movies like "Superdad" and "Gus" and overall was just a likable fellow.

When "Family Feud" debuted, I recognized Richard Dawson from the show.

I think what it was in my thinking as a child is that I didn't totally "get" the premise. I mean Schultz and Colonel Klink were not just stupid, they were SO STUPID that I didn't understand why Colonel Hogan and the rest were still prisoners, yet they were week after week after week.

At least on "Gilligan's Island", Gilligan was there to sabotage everything the professor tried.

On "Hogan's Heroes" everyone in Stalag 13 was intelligent and yet they stayed and stayed and stayed. For five long boring years from 1965-1971 they stayed.

Klink and Schultz on the other hand were so dumb, it's amazing they just didn't kill each other with their own ineptness.

This initial thought coupled with "Mad's" infamous satire of "Hokum's Heroes" solidified my opinions. In "Hokum's", the final scene shows the characters with shaved heads and striped "pajamas" cracking wise in a Jewish concentration camp.

So, now my dislike for the show was coupled with distaste.

So, why am I writing about it here on my blog? Well, recently I've undergone some revisionist thinking about this show, and it coincides with why I think the 1960s and 1970s were the best times for TV, especially sitcoms.

Today's TV is riddled with "reality" shows, so-so dramas that run too long (one hour and too many seasons and too many variants and on too many nights a week), and sitcoms that all seemed to be based at the workplace or the home with lamer "jokes" than were ever told on "Hogan's Heroes".

About the last two sitcoms I really liked in the past decade are "The Big Bang Theory" and "My Name is Earl".

In the 1960s especially, different settings were tried for sitcoms: islands, monster's homes, nunneries, NASA, secret underground lairs and concentration camps. And wilder premises were attempted like a nun that can fly, a car that was a man's deceased mother, cave men and space men traveling through time, and characters like witches and monsters and secret agents and superheroes and hillbillies.

By the 1970s, it was the writing that matured and there were so many socially relevant sitcoms that were truly FUNNY.

"Hogan's Heroes" falls into this greatness and for that I can revise my opinions and say that it was an incredibly good show...

1950s, 1964 and 1978 Archie TV Pilots

I am helping compile certain data for an upcoming book on the history of Archie Comics and need help with any information you may have about the 1964 Archie TV pilot.

I know this basic info from IMDB, but if anyone else has any further information, please let me know...

There might be another Archie pilot from the 1950s (although it could be the same 1964 one), so if you know about that, please let me know, too.

Finally, there were two Archie specials from 1978, one called "ABC Saturday Comedy Special: Archie" and the other is "The Archie Situation Comedy Musical Variety Show". These are both on IMDB as well.

As I said, any further information would be helpful...

Work, work, work, work

Ever get so busy, you don't have time to blog? I'd blog all day, but my job gets in the way...

Of course, when I'm out of work, I don't always have time to blog because I'm too busy catching up on all the other stuff that I didn't get a chance to do when I was working.

You can't win...

It's Ringo's Birthday! It's Ringo's Birthday!

Alright, everyone reading this, please sing "Happy 70th Birthday" to Ringo!!!

Now go out there and buy his latest album "Y Not"!

Movies Not On DVD

I don't understand movie studios. They sit on a vault worth millions in old movie assets, yet they do not rush to issue things onto DVD.

I know timing is everything as well as oversaturation, but if I owned one of the big 6 studios (Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Columbia), believe me, I would be scouring that backlog to see if there is anything worth issuing, even if it was a bad film.

Warner Bros. is doing it right and I've said it many times before by doing the Warner Archive series. Here, they can release film on a "print-on-demand" basis and many of them feature big stars of days gone by. I wish other studios would follow this lead.

Disney was issuing Disney Exclusives until very recently with their Disney Movie Club, but they still have films out there that have never seen the light of day on home video.

And this shouldn't be limited to movies, shorts, TV shows and cartoons should all be issued. If something doesn't warrant being issued on its own, put it in a box set or something. Just get this stuff out...

Long Weekend

Too tired to blog...more tomorrow...

"Out To Lunch" Muppet Special

I don't know if I have posted this before, and if I have, well I'm posting it again.

There was a primetime TV special that aired back in 1974 called "Out To Lunch", that featured the Muppets and members of the cast of "Sesame Street" and "Electric Company".

I have asked Sesame Workshop (formerly CTW) about this show, but they have no plans on releasing it to DVD or reairing it anytime soon.

Does anyone have access to this special? Please let me know. I would love to see it again.

New "Casper and the Spectrals" Out

It only took a year, but the second issue of "Casper and the Spectrals" is finally out. For the traditionalists out there, this is not your standard Casper comic book series, but I suggest giving it a chance. It's different, but still entertaining.

On sale at better comic book stores, everywhere...

Lee's Comics 28th Anniversary Sale Tomorrow!

I will be working at the Mountain View location at Lee's Comics 28th Anniversary Sale tomorrow so stop by and say hi.

Since I have nothing to bring to the table except my charming self, I will copy what Lee says on his website at Lee's Comics.

50% off Bin Back Issues!
50% off all Comics Sets!
20% off New Comics!*
20% off Toys and T-Shirts!
20% off Wall Comics!
20% off on Supplies!
10% off Graphic Novels!*
28¢ Comics!
Free Graphic Novel for the first 28 people per store!
Enter to win a free "Complete Calvin and Hobbes." 1 given away at each store!
Free Drinks!
Fun! Fun! Fun!
*Sorry, no discount on that week's new items or subscriptions.

Saturday July 3rd, 2010
10:00 am to 9:00 pm
Both Legendary Lee's Locations!

Mountain View:
1020 N. Rengstorff Avenue, Suite F
(by Costco)
Mountain View, CA 94043
650.965.1800

San Mateo:
2222 S. El Camino Real
(2 blocks south of Highway 92)
San Mateo, CA 94403
650.571.1489

"THFT!" #74 Almost Ready

I just sent the file for "The Harveyville Fun Times!" #74 to the printers. It promises to be the biggest issue I've done at 60 pages. It will also have a flip-cover for the very first time.

Inside the issue will be a lengthy article by my friend Jerry Boyd about Harvey's short-lived venture into teen comics "Bunny". This salute has been demanded for years and Boyd has delivered the goods. Above is the cover to "Bunny" #1 from 1966. "Bunny" lasted 20 issues from 1966-1971 with one more issue in 1976.

The reason for the hugeness of the issue is to remind you that I am retiring from editing and publishing "THFT!" with #75. Ben Samuels will continue with #76, so I am packing my last couple of issues to the top with information before I let it go...

Book Ideas?

I'm debating what topic to write a book about for 2011. I have had some ideas suggested to me but now I will turn it over to you.

For those who don't know, my previous books have been about Harvey Comics (Casper, Richie Rich), TTV (Underdog), "Cracked" (like "Mad") and The Beatles (like The Monkees).

Anyway, I don't really want to do a topic that's been done to death (i.e. Disney), but I have some thoughts that have been suggested like the history of the comic book store and a comedy album review book.

Let me know your thoughts...

There is no prize, but I would like to see if you can jog a concept I haven't thought of yet...

The Beatles Monthly Book

I miss "The Beatles Monthly Book". For those who don't know, "The Beatles Monthly Book" was published monthly from 1963-1969 and is the only complete chronicle of The Beatles that happened AS THEY DID IT, which is cool because sometimes they talk about projects that never happened like their third film and their 1968 concert at the Roundhouse.

In 1976, the publication was reprinted month-to-month through 1982 and then continued as a new publication until 2003 and finally ended with issue #321. Even though there are other Beatles magazines and of course, you can find info on the Internet, I miss this publication and wish that someone else could revive it.

Fortunately, "Beatlefan" continues on....

Above is a picture of the first 40 or so issues of "The Beatles Monthly Book"...

DEVO is Back!!!

It's not like they really went anywhere as the members of DEVO turn up every so often either in concert or on a soundtrack album track, but "Something For Everybody" is the first new DEVO album since "DEV2.0" from 2006 and the first album of all new material since 1994's "Smooth Noodle Maps".

I have heard the lead off track called "Fresh" and it is very good. It reminds me of "That's Good", and that's good! It probably won't do anything on the charts as DEVO was and is forever linked to "Whip It" and "Jocko Homo" (aka "Are we not men? We are DEVO"). Too bad, as DEVO is a much more talented act than they're ever given credit for.

So, forget the critics and the fair weather fans, just go buy it...it's sure to be good!

Frank Frazetta Art in "The Jerk"

I was watching Steve Martin's "The Jerk" with my friend, Lee Hester of Lee's Comics fame. I have seen the film dozens of times. This was the first time for Lee.

As we were watching, there was a sequence where Navin (Steve Martin) was describing his new mansion complete with the artwork. One of the pieces looked suspiciously like a painting by Frank Frazetta. Now it is not certain whether the painting in "The Jerk" is indeed a Frazetta, but it is definitely inspired by the cover painting that was by Frazetta used on the cover of "Eerie" #3.

Here is a screen capture from "The Jerk" and then here is the cover to "Eerie". Let me know what you think....is this a Frazetta original or a distinct rip-off?

I Met Steve Wozniak

He was at the Music in the Park in San Jose on Thursday evening riding his Segway. I politely went up to him and asked him for his autograph and this is what I got: "Woz". He's a good guy and I really liked him on "Dancing With the Stars" a couple of years ago.

I wonder what else he's done...

Where do you put ghosts springing from your loins?

In the Fatso toilet, where else?

"America's Got Talent" and "The Gong Show"

I'm not a huge fan of "reality" shows, but I make an exception for a couple of them like "Dancing With the Stars" and "America's Got Talent".

I like "Dancing With the Stars" mainly for the goofy "stars" they sometimes get like Buzz Aldrin or Penn Jillette, and overall it's pretty fun and less annoying to me than "American Idol".

I like "America's Got Talent" better because sometimes you really see something you've never seen before or even if you have, you sometimes see something done better than you've seen before.

Of course, they also have a LOT of crap acts. Sometimes I think they make them up sort of like when they had Gene-Gene the Dancing Machine come out on the old "Gong Show".

Which brings me to my next point. I would like to see a revival of "The Gong Show" or something similar. The reason why is that I loved the mixture of good acts and crap acts. The problem with "America's Got Talent" is after the initial weeding out, you get only the good acts and they appear over and over and over. With "The Gong Show", they only had their one shot and the most popular act won. Of course, also with "The Gong Show" they had a pittance for a prize, so they could revise it with a decent amount.

USA Advances in World Cup

It's kind of funny. I'm not a huge sports guy, and I'm certainly not a soccer or football guy. However, sometimes it is fun to get caught up in the mania that is the World Cup, partially because it's only played every four years.

I do the same thing whenever the Olympics happens. I think it's because of the infrequency of it all. Also, I currently work in a company that supports Mexican-based companies, so the World Cup is really important to them. When Mexico won 2-0 against France the other day, it was bedlam in the office.

Today, USA made a surprise game-end goal that advances them to the next level. The man above, Landon Donovan, made the play and is now the hero for the moment. Afterwards, I jokingly said it would be funny if it was USA vs. Mexico for the final game. Hey, stranger things have happened in sports.

USA usually does lousy in soccer, so for the team to advance at all is a win...

San Francisco

Spent the day in San Francisco recently doing some of the touristy things, which I do every so often. It was fun. Went across the Golden Gate Bridge. Went down Lombard Street (crookedest street in the world). Went to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39.

It's good sometimes to do the touristy things in your own area. It's funny because people will travel thousands of miles to do touristy things and ignore the stuff right their own back yard. I've met many a New Yorker who have never been to the Statue of Liberty, for instance.

Of course, I have a fondness for San Francisco anyway. I lived there for 10 years from 1986-1996. I'm not sure I would move back, but it was fun at the time, and since it is so close to me, I can always go back and visit (and I won't get lost)...

My Thoughts on Elvis

I became a belated Elvis fan. My earliest memories of Elvis were the song "Burning Love" when it was a hit in 1972 and they played it on the radio all the time and the 1973 Hawaii Concert.

At the age of 5, I really liked the song, and didn't think too much about the concert, but my mom really liked him.

I didn't think much more about Elvis after that. I suppose I saw him on the cover of some tabloid from time to time, but really didn't connect everything. Then, in 1977 they announced that he died.

I distinctly remember at age 10 saying to my mom when I heard the news on the radio, "I thought he had already died." The reason for my statement had more to do with my attitude about popular music, that if you didn't have big hits when you once did, you must have died. I didn't take into account that someone could have a career slump or fall out of favor or just retire.

So, with Elvis, the last big thing he did was that Hawaii special, because after he died, all the TV specials came out about his life and basically all Elvis did after 1973 was record a few more so-so charting songs, tour endlessly in areas I didn't live (I lived then as I do now in Saratoga, CA, near San Jose) and get fat.

Being a huge Beatles fan, I tried to like Elvis. Sure, there were a few tunes I liked like "Hound Dog", but the biggest problem with me being an Elvis fan was one of accessibility to his music. It must have been the most frustrating thing in the world to be an Elvis fan while he was alive, if you wanted to get a single copy of every song he recorded.

Unlike most singers and musicians, rarely would tracks repeat from album to album and usually only if an album is designated a "Greatest Hits" compilation. With Elvis, no real rhyme or reason existed with his albums. After I became a fan (which was about 10-15 years ago), I realized that Elvis albums never had his hit singles on them. The hit singles were compiled into hits collections. Later one, Elvis abandoned the album idea in favor of soundtracks, and this is where the fun really begins.

With the soundtracks, sometimes you would get lucky with all the songs from the movie on the soundtrack, but most of the time, they would fill the albums with either new tracks or repeat album tracks or some sort of leftovers.

Still later, Elvis would issue new albums again, but there would be budget-line compilations featuring lame songs from his soundtracks and a couple of hits, to get you to buy it. There usually would be no designator as to whether the new Elvis album was really new or just a garbage compilation.

The ultimate in absurdity was with the aforementioned "Burning Love", a hit single from 1972. You would think a song like this would headline a brand new album of brand new material. No such luck. Apart from "Burning Love" and its b-side, the "Burning Love" album was replete with more movie soundtrack leftovers.

THIS is why I never liked Elvis. Finally, box sets were made to correct the problem so that if you just wanted all of Elvis' in studio recordings, you would need to purchase the 50s, 60s and 70s boxes, a complete Christmas compilation, a complete Gospel compilation and if you desired, the various movie soundtrack two-fers.

With that, you get about 98% of what Elvis recorded in his lifetime. The only downside is with the 70s set, which leaves off quite a few of the studio recordings Elvis did from 1970-77, so you have to resort to a lot of out of print compilations to get those missing tracks as the 70s box has kind of replaced all of those other albums.

Unfortunately, the situation isn't about to change as the 70s material is much maligned and so a proper complete compilation isn't anywhere on the horizon.

But if 1954-1969 Elvis is what you're after, it is very complete.

Anyway, with proper repackaging, I can now reevaluate Elvis and realized that he had talent, but his recordings were mismanaged into "product". Had they taken more care to issue proper albums, Elvis might have even been bigger than he already is or was.

Cheap "Davey and Goliath" DVDs

If you have a Dollar Tree by your house, take a look at the four volume set of "Davey and Goliath" DVDs. Even though it is not the complete series by any means, each volume is only a buck and has some of the best ones.

For those who didn't know "Davey and Goliath" was produced by Art Clokey, the same guy responsible for "Gumby" who just passed away recently. They have that same "Gumby" look about them, but certainly are not surreal for the most part.

Of course you'll have to be willing to accept listening to a moral lesson with many mentions of God and Jesus. If you're willing to do that, then these old claymation episodes are fun.

The amazing thing that I didn't know was who the voice talent was on these. Davey was voiced by Dick Beals on the earlier episodes and Norma MacMillan on the later ones. Goliath the dog was by Hal Smith.

Anyway, these were fun when I was a kid and still fun today. There was even a parody series called "Moral Orel".

Yesterday was Paul McCartney's 68th Birthday

What an old fart!

I always malign Paul, but I really love him as with all The Beatles. Anyway, I do also always complain that Paul has about 12 albums worth of good unreleased material that I guess he's waiting until after he dies to release.

Bob Dylan is doing it correctly. He occasionally releases a new album and in between these new releases has been releasing his multi-volume bootleg series.

McCartney is on tour again. I would love to see him, but don't have the money. Fortunately, I have seen him on at least four other occasions as far back as 1989, so I'm not hurting to see him.

McCartney now is kinda like Sinatra was in his latter years; you see him to say you saw him, not because of any relevant new material he has put out. In fact the older the song, the better for most people attending his concerts. McCartney hasn't gotten as doddering as Sinatra yet where he needs a teleprompter for help with the lyrics, but give him time...

Powell's Candy Shop

I'll give a plug to one of my favorite candy stores, Powell's. There are a few things about Powell's that make it very appealing.

First, they play candy-related music while you are shopping. Second, they have a lot of candy for sale that you don't think exists anymore like Zagnut or Mary Jane or Sen-Sen, among others.

But the piece de resistance (at least in the Los Gatos, CA location) is the continuous playing of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" in the back of the store, complete with four movie theater seats.

I thought there were only two locations and didn't know they were a franchisee. The first one opened in Windsor, CA (near Santa Rosa). There's still not that many locations. There's 14 in California, one in Colorado, one in Idaho and one in Oregon. You can check them out at the web at Powell's Sweet Shoppe.

Maybe tomorrow I will talk about Psycho Donuts...

The Three Stooges Nobody Likes

So I finished volume 8 of "The Three Stooges Collection" and have come to the conclusion that the three men pictured above always get a bum deal when it comes to Three Stooges fans.

Originally, I was going to call this column "In Defense of Joe Besser" (center) because after re-watching his shorts for the first time in over 30 years, I realize that they are not that bad. There were a couple of bum ones, but certainly they tried harder with these 16 shorts from 1957-59, than the latter day Shemp ones from 1953-1956, where they depended too heavily on stock footage. And "gay" Joe Besser is fine with me, because Moe needs to be socked once in a while. Yapple Dapple!

Joe DeRita (right) is my least favorite Stooge, but he was the right man for the job for the time. I don't think that Larry and Moe could handle someone like a Curly as they entered into their 60s and 70s, as they were slowing down, so Curly-Joe's easy-going "Buddy Boy" style was perfect for their more laid back 60s films. (BTW, when IS "Have Rocket, Will Travel" coming out on DVD, anyway?)

My favorite Stooge is Shemp (left). My favorite Stooges short is "Brideless Groom". Don't get me wrong, because I love Curly, Moe and Larry as well, but there's something about Shemp that just makes me laugh no matter what he does, even when he's not with the Stooges. (See "Africa Screams" with Abbott & Costello (and Joe Besser) to see what I mean.)

As a result, I feel the best years for Stooges comedies was 1947-49 for their overall consistency and humor. Shorts like "Who Done it?" and "Malice in the Palace" are among my favorites.

With Curly a lot of times, the short was only as good as he was, and so sometimes the short failed on those terms, but I love things like "Micro-Phonies" and "Dizzy Pilots" among many, many others. (BTW, can anyone tell me if Curly's cameo footage in "Malice in the Palace" still exists besides photos?)

Anyway, cheers to the SIX Stooges...

Craig Yoe...Again?!?

I'm just going to rip off Jerry Beck's line from Cartoon Brew about this book: "Another day, another amazing book from Craig Yoe". Actually, I have been anticipating this book quite a lot longer than many of Yoe's other books and perhaps it took longer to come out due to scheduling difficulties or copyright clearances.

Whatever the case, "Krazy Kool Kids Komics" is here, and is an excellent companion piece for Art Spiegelman's "Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics" (except still no Harvey...cry). Yoe's book exposes the seamier underside or stranger subjects of "children's comics", in that there are for more original characters and situations than in Spiegelman's book. Spiegelman's tends to focus more, but not completely, on licensed characters.

Fortunately, there are no repeats in sight and both give credits where due. Sadly, Howard Post and Frank Frazetta who are both represented in the book, have since passed away, leaving Jules Feiffer as about the only sole surviving featured artist from the Golden Age in the book.

Another excellent feature is completing the story for Dr. Seuss' "Hejji" comic strip. I never knew it was incomplete. For those purists who don't want it tampered with, just don't read the ending.

And Yoe, that sneaky son of a gun, sneaks in one of the "Big Boy" stories that he helped publish. Of course, it helped that he got someone like Steve Ditko among others to help him out...

What else can I say about it? Just go and buy it and read it and discover that there has been more than superheroes out there in comic books...

Two More Classic Movies

I went back to the Stanford Theater and saw two more classic movies. These were more in the suspense department and both reminded me of Hitchcock at his best.

The first was "The Spiral Staircase" (1945) starring Dorothy McGuire (best known as the mother in many Disney films like "Old Yeller" and "Swiss Family Robinson"). Here she plays a mute troubled by some malady that keeps her from speaking. Of course, as is typical for all of these types of movies, there's murder going on and she suddenly finds her voice at the appropriate time.

It is very well done and also stars George Brent, Ethel Barrymore and Elsa Lanchester ("Bride of Frankenstein").

The second film "Hangover Square" (1945) stars Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell and George Sanders. Cregar is a song composer who murders when he hears loud noises. It's slightly less good than "Spiral", but still riveting and has another great ending.

If you want to purchase these on DVD, "The Spiral Staircase" is available separately, while "Hangover Square" is part of the "Fox Horror Classics Collection" along with "The Lodger" and "The Undying Monster".

Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket

Above is an image of the Quaker version of "Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket". I've had this since the movie came out in 1971. Not sure if I got it out of a Quaker brand cereal or at Burger Chef or out of a Wonka candy or at the theater.

I have asked for years whether this interpretation of Willy Wonka as pictured on the ticket was designed by the Jay Ward staff, and no one, including Charles Ulrich and Keith Scott (Jay Ward experts) has accepted that this was his design, despite the fact that there is a Quaker produced Wonka press kit that pictures Wonka alongside Cap'n Crunch and crew, Quangaroo, Quisp, Quake and King Vitaman.

The ticket is one of my prized possessions. I never did order the "Candy Factory Kit" as advertised on the reverse side, despite the fact that it's something I SHOULD have in my collection. I've had the opportunity to purchase one many times, just never have.

Anyway, for those who don't know, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is my favorite movie of all time. Some people say, "I like it better than the more recent version with Johnny Depp," to which I reply, "What recent version?"

It's sort of a joke, but there is some truth to it. There was only ONE "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". The atrocity referred to that stars Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton, is called "CHARLIE and the Chocolate Factory" and not "WILLY WONKA and the Chocolate Factory".

Just FYI...

David Bowie...Retires?

David Bowie announced his retirement recently and I don't know how serious that is. If it is a Johnny Carson-type retirement or a Frank Sinatra-type retirement. In any case, it is a shame because Bowie still looks youthful and hasn't seemed to slow down, but his reasons are sound, that he wants to spend more time with wife, Iman.

Bowie's recent albums ("Eart hl i ng" (1997), "'hours..." (1999), "Heathen" (2002) and "Reality" (2003)) have all been good, especially "Eart hl i ng" and "Heathen". It is too bad that he's calling it a day, but that's the blessing of a great recording career. You can go back and relisten to everything all over again.

I suppose Bowie could go on touring, but maybe he wants to leave everyone with the memory of him being young and youthful and that Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke have no place for a man in his 60s and above.

The picture above is Bowie in 2009 at the Tribeca Film Festival. I hope he changes his mind about retirement, but it is his right, and fortunately, we have his music and his films.

Pez Museum

I went to the Pez Store and Museum today in Burlingame, CA. I have heard about this museum before and had been there many times, but not inside as I always seemed to arrive after they closed.

Anyway, today I went and paid my $3.00 and went inside. It is very small, but very complete and if you are a Pez fan, this is the place you must see. They have virtually every Pez dispenser ever made, including two ultra-rare ones that I want, but are valued way too high, Bullwinkle and Casper.

They also feature older toys in display cases such as Tinkertoys, Colorforms, View-Masters, Lincoln Logs, etc.

Finally, the piece de resistance is the actual Pez sign from the original factory in Austria. I asked the owner about this piece and he said that he bought it off of Ebay!

Incidentally, Ebay got its start because the original owner set up a website so his wife could sell collectible Pez dispensers online. Ebay even acknowledged this by issuing some rare Ebay Pez dispensers at one point. The rest is history.

A must see! Their site is Burlingame Pez Museum!

I Miss "The Far Side"

Sometimes I miss "The Far Side" panel. Above are two of three of some of my favorite "Far Side" panels. The missing one features a cat leaning against a gigantic human tongue with the caption "Cat Showers".

Anyway, at least there's the complete "Far Side" books, to look at again and again, but it's surprising to me that Gary Larson seems to have no interest in continuing this strip or do any other comic strip or book anymore. Strange.

I suppose that's just as well because honestly some "Far Sides" are a bit repetitive or just downright unfunny, especially in the later years. When the strips were new I used to say that it was a "Pizzas in Space" day, when Larson contributed a strange or unfunny gag, but when Larson was "on", he was "ON".

Maybe Gary Larson and Bill Watterson could work on a strip together....

Stooge Bloopers, Part 2

If you read yesterday's blog, I claimed that I heard a verbal gaffe where Moe calls Larry "Curly" in the film "Of Cash and Hash" (featuring stock footage from "Shivering Sherlocks"). My friend, Joe Torcivia, responded by saying he found no such error:

"I found this to be so curious that I watched "Shivering Sherlocks" and "Of Cash and Hash" back to back. In neither one did I notice the "Curly gaffe". Where exactly in "Of Cash and Hash" does it occur? Pinpoint it for me, and I'd like to check again."

Well folks, even the Mighty Blogmaster here CAN make a MISTAKE. So, I went back to listen to the line in order to tell Joe where it occurs in the film. It happens at the four minute mark, BUT what Moe ACTUALLY says is the word "clearly", but since he didn't speak it so terribly "clearly" to me, it came across as "Curly".

Listen for yourself and let me know what you think....

Three Stooges Blooper

So, I was happily watching "The Three Stooges Collection, Volume 8: 1955-1959", and was shocked to discover Moe making a verbal error in the short entitled "Of Cash and Hash" which uses ample stock footage from the 1948 short "Shivering Sherlocks", so the error could have originated there.

Somewhere in the conversation, Moe says something to Larry and mistakenly calls him "Curly"! Shemp and Larry seem oblivious to the error and keep talking, while Moe kind of looks down and cringes a little bit at his mistake.

I thought I was hearing things, but played it back, and Moe definitely made the error. Like I said, I don't know if this was new footage or recycled footage. If it was recycled footage, it would make more sense as Curly had just left the group the year before, in 1947. If it was a new error, that seems really sad as by 1955, Curly had been dead for three years.

I tried to find info online and in my books about this blooper and can't seem to find anything. Did I really discover an error that everyone else has always missed?

A Joke Becoming Serious

As a joke, I suggested to my friend, the animation expert Jerry Beck, "When is the Looney Tunes collection coming out featuring Cool Cat, Merlin the Magic Mouse, Bunny and Claude and Rapid Rabbit?" After I thought about it a bit, it would make a nifty little DVD package to have featuring these late 60s cartoons from Warner Bros.

Granted, these are NOT the best Looney Tunes ever made, but their quirkiness and inability to make it to the mainstream with the rest of the Looney Tunes sparks my curiosity despite the fact that there weren't too many of them made and scant merchandise made.

Above is a picture of Rapid Rabbit, who was going to headline a series, but ultimately made only one cartoon before Warner Bros. closed its doors on its animation studio for the second time in 1969.

Harvey Merchandise

One of the bizarre things about being a Harvey Comics fan is the wide array of merchandise that's available, but unlike characters such as Mickey Mouse or Snoopy, merchandise featuring Harvey characters like Casper or Richie Rich is relatively rare, in comparison.

Take for example the above item. I have never seen a Casper cookie jar. This was made in the 50s by American Bisque and many other cookie jars were made with Baby Huey, Herman & Katnip, etc. The H&K one is especially rare as one recently sold for over $14,000 in auction!

The interesting thing also about Harvey character collecting is the peaks and valleys about when merchandise appeared. There was a definite peak in the late 50s / early 60s when "Matty's Funday Funnies" and "The New Casper Cartoon Show" appeared. Then another peak in the mid-70s when Harvey seemed to align themselves with a number of organizations like the Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, UNICEF, Apollo 16, etc.
A third peak happened in the early 80s, when a number of items with Richie Rich appeared and yet another peak happened in the mid-90s featuring the remodeled Casper after the movie and TV cartoon series.

At every time, these items were done in limited quantities and most are difficult to find. Probably the easiest piece of Harvey merchandise to find is the Casper board game, as it actually remained in print for over 20 years.

Anyway, it's fun to collect and you never know what you might find next...

Science Fiction Double Feature

I saw the original "Day the Earth Stood Still" and "It Came From Outer Space" last night at the Stanford Theater. I wasn't planning to go as I have little money at the moment, but was convinced and treated.

Anyway, the two films kind of typify what was good and what was bad about 50s sci-fi (or sci-fi in general). "Earth" is a strong story with generally excellent acting about an alien warning us to mend our war-like ways. It is probably the best science fiction picture of all time. For those who think "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" is, then you don't really know what sci-fi is all about.

"Earth" would have been a good entry for a "Twilight Zone", had it existed back in 1951, and that's my point of what good sci-fi is, a strong intelligent story that makes you think.

So since "Earth" comes across as strong, anything else is bound to be a disappointment. "Space" really tries, but it suffers from some corny dialogue and acting and too many shots of a guy in a rubber suit. It's still a very good film, despite all this, but comes up short especially in comparison to the former film. The story was written by Ray Bradbury.

"Space" would have been a good entry for "The Outer Limits", had it existed back in 1953, so you can tell the difference if you know the difference between those two TV shows.

The funnest part about both films is playing "Spot the future TV Star". "Earth" has Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee from "The Andy Griffith Show") and "Space" has Russell Johnson (Professor from "Gilligan's Island").

Ringo Starr loves "Earth" because he adapted it for the cover of his "Goodnight Vienna" album and the music video for the song "Only You" from the same album. Starr actually used the image above and pasted his head over Klaatu's on the album cover.

I Love "The Brady Bunch"

I love "The Brady Bunch". Always have. It's a crazy obsession, I know, because creator Sherwood Schwartz has this uncanny knack of making something intrinsically wrong, good.

He also made "Gilligan's Island" a hit for the same reasons. People HATE these shows, yet they are also universally beloved. Why? Because they are FUN, pure and simple.

No one watches a Sherwood Schwartz production to get enlightenment, they watch to laugh. Even if the joke is pure vaudeville, they watch to laugh.

Anyway, I have been watching "The Brady Bunch" and am the tail end of season 5, which is the final season and am loving it. These are episodes I actually watched in their original network airings back in 1973.

I don't know where I'm really going with this blog entry except to say that I wish the rest of the "Brady" and "Gilligan" canon were released to DVD, like the animated shows and the reunion movies and series. I'm pining for more.

Patrick Owsley's Artwork is Great

I have many good friends in the comic book and animation industries and Patrick Owsley is one of them. Patrick is not paying me to write this, nor is he even aware that I'm writing this, but I think he's one of the best artists out there. This is not to slight other good friends of mine (and excellent artists) like Bill Morrison, Mike Kazaleh or Scott Shaw!, etc.

The reason I'm raving is that I decided to have Patrick do a commission for me featuring all of the major Total TeleVision characters' heads. It is similar to what you see above, except that the above features all the major Hanna-Barbera characters from roughly 1957-67. In fact this photo is WHY I decided to go ahead with the commission. I promise to post it once I receive it.

When I was a kid, I would have KILLED for a print like this, featuring all the characters. Now that I'm an adult, I can actually get one personally made-to-order. I remember Hanna-Barbara used to have these little logos that featured all the major characters. These logos appeared on the TV shows during the closing credits and in the comic books. I wanted a complete set of those so badly.

Fortunately, artists like Owsley can recreate these things to order, so if you would like one too, you can contact him at Patrick Owsley Art.

Where are my Color Popeyes on DVD?

A couple of days ago I complained about Tex Avery cartoons not being on DVD. Now, I'm going to complain about "Popeye".

Warner Bros. Home Video was very good about releasing all of the black and white Fleischer "Popeye" cartoons to DVD in three sets. The third set also contained the first Famous Studios "Popeyes" that were also in black and white, which takes us up to 1943.

After 1943 and up to 1957, an additional 108 cartoons were produced in color by Famous Studios that have yet to see the light of day in an OFFICIAL DVD collection. Sure, many of them have been issued in varying quality on various public domain DVDs, the best being the "Popeye the Sailor 75th Anniversary Collectors Edition" from VCI Home Video. This one features the best restorations, plus some commentary by the great animation expert Jerry Beck, but only for 24 of the cartoons. That leaves the other 84 cartoons in limbo and the 24 issued could use an official release from the original negatives.

Why these aren't in release may have to do with the negative treatment the color Famous Studios cartoons have received over the years. While pedestrian in plot, these color ones are still fun and have fluid animation, and are certainly better than any made-for-TV "Popeyes" that succeeded them.

Again, it's Warner Bros. to blame, who have the rights to all of these fine cartoons, but STILL think that there's no market for them, even on their Warner Archives label.

Another shame...

"MacGruber" is MacGoober

There have been more movies based on "Saturday Night Live" than any other TV show in the history of television, and I would venture to say that NONE of them are really very good.

Sure, "The Blues Brothers" and "Wayne's World" have their moments, but I really cannot think of any "Saturday Night Live" movie that really is very iconic. Unfortunately, "MacGruber" falls into the same mold. I did find myself laughing in places at "MacGruber", but what made me laugh really had nothing to do with what makes "MacGruber" great on "Saturday Night Live" or even the other show that inspired it "MacGyver".

Part of the charm of "MacGyver" is his ability to make a car run with a bit of chewing gum and dental floss. Things like that.

Part of the charm of the short "MacGruber" shorts is the inability to get these items up and running in time before the inevitable explosion at the end of the skit.

In the "MacGruber" feature, none of these elements are in place. It would have been fun if "MacGruber" tried these exotic fixes and repeatedly FAILED in his Rube Goldberg-like concoctions.

About the funniest thing in the movie is where "MacGruber" FINALLY decides to use force with guns, and when he shoots them, does it so spastically, you have to laugh. Then "MacGruber" tosses the empty guns away (a convention in all shoot-em-ups) and in the next scene, his partner asks, "Where are your guns?"

Not great stuff, but that did make me laugh. Other laughs were more forced and really had nothing to do with anything, and laughing came solely because it was so utterly ridiculous to see a naked grown man prancing around with a celery stalk implanted in his butt as a distraction.

This is the caliber of most of the humor, and as such, I have to say that while "MacGruber" gives a few smiles, it is yet another major letdown from the "Saturday Night Live" factory of movies.

Incidentally, here is a list of movies inspired by "Saturday Night Live" sketches from Wikipedia:

The Blues Brothers 1980
Wayne's World 1992
Wayne's World 2 1993
Coneheads 1993
It's Pat 1994
Stuart Saves His Family 1995
A Night at the Roxbury 1998
Blues Brothers 2000 1998
Superstar 1999
The Ladies Man 2000
MacGruber 2010

Actually, I would add "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video" and "Gilda Live" to the list as they are also clearly inspired by "Saturday Night Live" as well.

"Iron Man 2" is Good, Too!

Alright, I don't understand critics sometimes. I loved "Iron Man" and I loved "Iron Man 2". I think I liked the first one more, but the point is, these are good movies and what a superhero movie should be. That is, filled with action, but also a decent story, decent story structure and humor. Also, a tad bit of believability should be there, but it is understandable that these things are over the top.

I had no hopes for "Iron Man" the original, when it came out because there had been a slew of BORING superhero movies. My tastes in superheroes veir the direction of the Adam West "Batman", which is way too campy for most. To me, how silly is it for someone to basically run around in their underwear fighting crime with another nincompoop wearing his underwear?

So, "Iron Man 2" was a breath of fresh air, too. Best scene: the ultimate fate of the ex-wife weapon. I also loved the more than a wink and a nod to Disney's Epcot and Carousel of Tomorrow, even going so far as to hire Richard Sherman to write a parody song called "Make Way For Tomorrow Today" (parody of "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"). Great stuff!

Anyway, if you don't take these things too seriously, you can have a lot of fun.