Me and You and a Blog Named Boo

Saturday Morning Recreated: ABC, Fall 1982

2012-01-27T22:20:00.001-05:00

Greeting and salutations! In my previous post, I mentioned I wanted to return to one of my favorite blog features, Saturday Morning Recreated. I decided not to waste any time and get right back into it!

For those who don't know, with this feature I post an old advertisement (usually found in comic books) for a broadcast network's Saturday morning children's lineup, then attempt to feature a clip or episode from each of the shows mentioned. It's not nearly the same as sitting in front of a big TV watching the shows as they aired, but it's a small attempt at bringing those Saturday mornings of my youth back.

This feature was created by classic TV blogger Kliph Nesteroff and I've continued it with his permission. The ads are provided by the Branded in the 80s blog created by Shawn Robare (Hi Shawn!).

Now, on with the show(s)!

We relaunch the feature at the blog with ABC's lineup from the fall of 1982. According to the ad, the lineup starts at 8:30am rather than 8am, as was usual for the networks; strange that they would start a half hour later this year. First up at 8:30 is a show that is strange, bad, fun, and trendsetting all at the same time. It's also one of the most, if not the most 80s show ever to hit Saturday mornings: Pac-Man!

Here, Pac-Man is given arms and legs, as well as a family, as he tries to escape the bite of the Ghost Monsters, which is a name I love. They're not ghosts, they're not monsters--they're ghost monsters. Yet with cred like that, they're the most inept creatures you'll ever find.

See for yourself. Here is the series' very first episode!

Despite the utter goofiness of this series, I loved it as a kid, and I wasn't alone. The series ran for two seasons and was the first of a long line of video game-inspired Saturday morning series.

Next up at 9am is a cartoon version of The Little Rascals. I couldn't find a clip of this anywhere, but there is a primetime Christmas special that's out there that inspired the weekly series.

At 9:30 is a holdover from the 1981 season, Richie Rich. Richie was paired with Scooby Doo in the previous year, but is featured solo here.

The 10am-11am hour demonstrates another interesting trend of the networks, especially ABC--animated versions of their primetime sitcoms. Two cases in point--Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley (wow, two ampersands!). Whenever such a conversion from live action to animation was made, one major tweak was added to "kiddify" the cartoon series, usually involving a wacky animal. Here, Mork has an alien dog, and Laverne and Shirley join the army and have a talking pig as a drill sergeant voiced by Ron "Horshack" Parillo of Welcome Back, Kotter. I am NOT making this shit up!

Next from 11am to noon is the Scooby and Scrappy Doo Puppy Hour. Scooby and Scrappy are already familiar to everyone, but I have no recollection whatsoever of the second half of the hour. Something about puppies and sheriffs that look like John Denver, apparently.

At 12 noon is the perennial ABC Weekend Special.

Wrapping up ABC's Saturday morning is a TV institution, American Bandstand. Granted, the clip I present here is from 1979 not 1982, but whose counting?

I hope you enjoyed this trip down Saturday Morning Lane. If you enjoyed this, please check out my other installments (assuming the clips are still valid--many of them aren't) and stay tuned for more Saturday Mornings Recreated!

State of the Blog 2012

2012-01-26T13:14:00.000-05:00

Hello one and all! As I'm sure you noticed, there hasn't been a lot of action here at Me and You lately. In fact, that's what this post is about.

Due to increased responsibilities at both home and work, it's been increasingly difficult to get any material out here with any real regularity. It's certainly not because I've lost interest--not hardly. But time is becoming an increasingly rare commodity.

Besides that, I also think the blog's format may have gotten a bit stale. I haven't had an overflow of ideas for blogging, at least not for posting on a five-day-a-week clip like I do during the Countdown to Halloween, for example.

One thing is for certain--the blog isn't going away. Not at all! But you should be prepared to see only a couple of posts a week going forward rather than a near-daily dose like I've done in the past.

What I do hope to do is use what little time I will have for blogging to increase the quality of each post. My posts may be lest frequent, but may be longer and more content-packed. I'd also like to get back to some special features I used to have, such as Saturday Morning Recreated or the Saturday Matinee. Of course, I will happily continue being a part of Tuesday's Forgotten/Overlooked movie/TV/music/etc every week. Such features are great for inspiration. Lastly, I had a lot of fun conducting an interview with comic writer/reviewer Chris Sims back in October, and I'd like to have more interviews in the future.

In short: I'm going for quality over quantity at the blog from here on out. After all, you'd rather read two really good articles a week rather than five crappy ones, right?

Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Memoirs of An Invisible Man

2012-01-23T22:51:00.000-05:00

This week's Forgotten Film is one I really enjoyed when it was released in 1992 but didn't seem to connect with audiences. It's the John Carpenter-directed Chevy Chase vehicle Memoirs of an Invisible Man.

Chase plays Nick Halloway, a stock analyst who is turned invisible while napping in a building that experiences a scientific experiment gone awry. Halloway captures the attention of an unscrupulous CIA agent (Sam Neill) who wishes to use him as a spy, even if he has to coerce Halloway into the job. Halloway spends the film fleeing from the agent while searching for a cure for his invisiblility. There is also a subplot involving Halloway and love interest Alice, played by Daryl Hannah.

The film is a mix of comedy and action with amazing special effects. Detractors of Chase won't likely be won over by his performance here, but I found him more than competent in the role.

The movie is based on a 1987 novel of the same name by author H.F. Saint, which is held in fairly high regard. Saint is a literary one hit wonder--this is the only book he's written.

Here is the film's trailer. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: Blacke's Magic

2012-01-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

Wasting no time for this week's Tuesday's Forgotten, I present the short lived 1986 TV series Blacke's Magic.

In this series, Hal Linden plays Alexander Blacke, a retired stage magician who helps the police solve crimes along with his con man father, played by the late Harry Morgan. That's pretty much all you need to know.

Talk about forgotten. I barely remember this series at all, but was made aware of it by an article I read about a previous attempt at a magician as detective series, The Magician, which starred Bill Bixby. You can read that article here at the wonderful site TV Party.

Here is the first episode of the series, "Breathing Room." Enjoy!

Guest Blogger "Zombie Sophia"

2012-01-15T22:13:00.001-05:00

I'm a big fan of the zombie apocalypse comic book series The Walking Dead, as well as the companion TV series seen on AMC. I'm also a big user of Twitter and a fan of several role playing accounts that appear there. These are accounts based on fictional characters in which the users write tweets in the mindset of that particular character.

After the TV series' mid-season finale featured the death and zombie-fication of the young girl character Sophia, I took it upon myself to create my own role playing account as Sophia in her zombie form, saying many humorous and sometimes slightly profane things. Thus was born "Zombie Sophia." It's been very successful, garnering over 475 followers (by comparison, my account as myself has a mere 170). A few of my followers keep asking how Sophia came to be a zombie, an event which has not yet been seen on the TV series. This post is my attempt to give an account of what happened to Sophia to turn her into America's most loved "walker." Take it away, Sophia!

Everybody wants to know what happened to me, how I became a walker. To you we're zombies, but where I come from, we're walkers. As for how it happened, I wish I knew myself.

I certainly remember most of what lead up to that moment. I certainly remember that herd of walkers that seemed to come out of nowhere, when we were stranded on that crowded road. I remember how we all panicked and got down underneath the abandoned cars in the hopes that those stupid walkers wouldn't find us. It worked at first. We were almost in the clear. Then I did something stupid.

I started to get out a little too soon. It seemed that they had all left, so I started to get out from underneath the car. Big mistake. That's when one of the scariest, ugliest walkers I've ever seen just happened to be right there. I screamed. I ran. He ran right after me. Rick followed as fast as he could to save me, and was doing a good job of it, but things took a turn for the worse.

He had me hide under a big thicket of brush while he drew away the walker's attention. I couldn't see anything from where I was hiding, but it got real quiet after a few minutes. Everything seemed OK, safe. That's when I made an even bigger mistake--one that cost me my life.

I stepped out from underneath the brush, looked both ways as if I were crossing the street, and looked for Rick. That's when I felt something grab me by my left shoulder.

That's the last I remember before I died. And before I came back.

The next thing I knew, I felt real different. Empty. Hungry. Then I felt this metal thing around my neck, and saw some big guy dragging me along with him. I was only thinking two things at that moment; I wanted that thing off of my neck--and I wanted to tear into that man as hard as I could--and eat.

Before I knew it, I was shoved in this barn with others like me. Those I used to run from, scream at, be terrified by. Now, I'm one of them. Now, I just walk, feast on the scraps of chicken I can wrestle from the other walkers. Oh, and I tweet.

Considering I'm living in a zombie apocalype, this barn has pretty good wifi.

It may not seem like I think like humans, but I do, much more so than the others, I can tell you that. I know what goes on, and I talk about it. Sometimes I say things that you shouldn't hear from a 12-year-old girl's mouth. But considering what I've been through, I say screw it. I've earned it to drop an F-bomb or double entendre here and there. You're welcome to follow me at Twitter here or Facebook here.

But be forwarned: I might follow you back.

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Animalympics

2012-01-11T21:34:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! Once again, I'm late with the week's Tuesday's Forgotten, but hey, it's Tuesday somewhere, right?

OK, maybe not.

This week, I present the 1980 animated movie Animalympics. I originally was going to hold onto this film until this year's Summer Olympics took place, but then thought, "what the hey, I'll post it now!" The film started out as two hour-long animated TV specials for NBC, but didn't see the light of day until it hit cable TV and home video years later. For more details on the story behind the movie, check out the article about it on Wikipedia; it's worth reading.

Voice actors include Billy Crystal, Gilda Radnor, and Happy Shearer. Enjoy!

P.S. I want to thank my Internet friend Chris Illuminati, editor of men's humor site Guyspeed.com for reminding me of this movie. Thanks Chris!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Quick Change

2012-01-02T22:56:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! Much to my dismay, another holiday season has come and gone. However, that doesn't mean I can't share awesome stuff with you here, starting with the the first Tuesday's Forgotten Film of the year. This week, it's the 1990 Bill Murray vehicle Quick Change.

Murray plays the adequately named Grimm, an exasperated NYC public employee who has had it with the city's craziness on all levels. Talking his girlfriend and slow-witted friend into a bank robbery scheme, Murray decides to use the money to fund a trip away from the maddening crowd never to see the city again. The robbery itself goes off without a hitch. However, getting out of the city once the crime has been committed proves beyond challenging, as the would-be thieves find themselves mired in the same gridlock, civic ineptitude, and general wackiness of the city that inspired their heist to begin with. Jason Robards plays the police detective assigned to the case, who although on the right side of the law, can sympathize with Murray's plight.

The film, a remake of the French-Canadian film Hold-Up, can be predictable at times, but anyone who has been a lifelong resident of any city, let alone New York, will understand the characters' motivations and see themselves in the ridiculous situations the characters find themselves in. Just don't attempt to rob a bank to pay your way out of the city.

Here is the film's trailer.

Thanks!

Tuesday's (Late) Forgotten Film: Get Crazy

2011-12-28T22:15:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope you had a fantastic Christmas/Chanukah/Winter Solstice/Kwanzaa/Festivus/etc. I'm home on Christmas vacation, which is why I totally forgot about this week's Tuesday's Forgotten--oops! Better late than never, right? With the last of the holidays left this season, New Year's Day, I have an appropriate choice for this week--the 1983 rock comedy Get Crazy.

Get Crazy stars Allen Garfield (Mother, Jugs, and Speed) as a Bill Graham-type rock promoter who owns a live theater in New York much like the Fillmore. He is preparing his annual New Year's Eve concert to welcome in 1983, but a greedy land developer (is their any other kind?) tries to sabotage the concert, with help from the promoter's betraying nephew, so he can take control of the building and demolish it.

The film includes outlandish antics from many over-the-top characters, both on and off the concert stage, and the film lives up to its call for wild behavior. I've only seen the film once on broadcast TV circa 1990 (and even then only in parts), and although it was once available on videocassette, it has never been released on DVD. That's a shame, because I'd love to spend this New Year's Eve welcoming 2012 with this wacky film.

Here is a fan-created trailer for the movie.

If I don't get to talk again before Sunday, Happy New Year!

UPDATE AS OF 12/28/2011: Oh happy happenstance! I just discovered today, completely by coincidence, that the movie is available on Comcast digital cable's movies on demand service in the free movies section. I get to see the movie this New Year's after all. Rejoice!

Merry Christmas 2011!

2011-12-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

In keeping with blog tradition, I can't let Christmas Eve go by without saying this: Merry Christmas!

Batman and Robin, "The Cool, Cruel Christmas Caper"

2011-12-22T08:29:00.001-05:00

Batman and Robin make their second appearance in my Christmas presentation this year, this time in animated form, taking on Mr. Freeze (who else in a Christmas story?) in "The Cool Cruel Christmas Caper." Enjoy!

The Animaniacs Wish You a Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T11:35:00.000-05:00

Bringing you good, classy holiday cheer, here are the Animaniacs wishing you a Merry Christmas as only they can. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: The Great Santa Claus Switch

2011-12-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

Five days left! Gotta keep things moving, and I do so with this week's Tuesday's Forgotten, a TV special that aired as an episode of The Ed Sullivan Show.

"The Great Santa Claus Switch" aired on December 20, 1970 (exactly 41 years ago today!) in Sullvan's time slot, but Sullivan gave the entire hour over to the Muppets, who had been a hit on Sullivan's show and were becoming even more high profile as Sesame Street had been a big hit for the past year. In the special, Santa is kidnapped by an evil wizard named Cosmo Scam, who plans to masquerade as Santa to steal from people's homes. Both Santa and Cosmo were played by Art Carney. The special is also notable as it features an early incarnation of Gonzo (names Snarl in this special) and Thog, a giant blue Muppet who appears in the opening credits of each episode of The Muppet Show (and has a cameo in the new Muppet movie).

Please enjoy this early Muppet extravaganza. Thanks!

Noel

2011-12-19T09:12:00.000-05:00

Less than one week left to Christmas, and I've barely posted any of the stuff I wanted to. Darn you, real life!

I'll try to post what I can throughout the week, even if it means posting more than once a day. Here is the 1992 NBC special Noel, an animated special written by Rankin/Bass alumnus Romeo Muller and narrated by Charlton Heston. Noel is a glass Christmas ornament if who has a "happiness." For more on this happiness and what it's capable of, watch below. Thanks!

Tuesday's (Late) Forgotten TV-Movie: Miracle on 34th Street

2011-12-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

I am VERY sorry for my severe lack of posting during this holiday season! It's very unlike me to have such a low rollout of posts this time of year, but my life is extremely busy both at work and home, even more so than usual. Please bear with me and I'll do my best to turn things around the remainder of the season.

This week I offer a TV-movie version of a classic 1947 Christmas film, Miracle on 34th Street. In this 1955 version, Thomas Mitchell plays Kris Kringle in New York City on trial for being crazy, but a kind-hearted lawyer (imagine that) defends the man as well as warms the hearts of a no-nonsense woman and her starry-eyes daughter. This version aired as an installment of The 20th Century Fox Hour on CBS. There were two additional TV-movie remakes of the original film, a 1959 live version on NBC and a 1973 TV-movie starring Sebastian Cabot as Kris (this is the version I first saw).

Here, free and legal, is the 1955 TV-movie version of Miracle on 34th Street in its entirety. Enjoy!

Punky Brewster Cartoon Series, "Christmas in July"

2011-12-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

Back in the 1980s, TV networks had an odd habit of recreating their current popular sitcoms with Saturday morning animated counterparts. NBC was no exception, and for one season aired a cartoon show based on Punky Brewster.

They couldn't leave the sitcom formula alone. To "kiddify" an already kiddified show, they added a magical character named Gloamer, who sounds so much like Jar Jar Binks NBC should sue George Lucas for copyright infringement.

Here is Punky and her friends--and Gloamer Binks--in "Christmas in July." Enjoy!

A Soldier's Silent Night

2011-12-07T13:19:00.000-05:00

In remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day and all US military.

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: One Magic Christmas

2011-12-06T08:39:00.000-05:00

Welcome once again to Tuesday's Forgotten, where we blow the dust off of a neglected film/TV series/etc. and give it the once over. Today I offer the 1985 Disney film One Magic Christmas.

Mary Steenburgen plays Ginny, a wife and mother who is quickly losing her Christmas spirit in the wake of her husband's unemployment and dwindling finances. Entering into the family fray is Gideon, a guardian angel, played by Harry Dean Stanton, assigned by Santa Claus to help Ginny rekindle her Christmas spirit. Gideon does this not directly, but through Ginny's children, particularly daughter Abbie.

What sounds like a typical Christmas redemption story is colored by some interesting plot choices. Although the film has a happy ending, much of the film is surprisingly dower and glum, especially for a Disney film, and the story takes the viewer to some pretty deep lows before getting to the high of an ending. It may be the most sober Christmas movie you'll see.

Find out for yourself while watching the entire film. Enjoy!

Dance Fever Christmas Special

2011-12-01T12:42:00.001-05:00

Ah, Dance Fever. What can I say about this classic, revered hallmark of American television entertainment? Well, it had amateur dancers competing on national television for prizes and cash. Plus, it debuted during the height of the disco craze and continued well into the neon glitz of the 80s. It was as cheesy as you can possibly imagine, and watching now, far removed from its pop culture context, it's delightful fun! And like all fine TV shows, it even had a Christmas special!

Here it is from the Christmas season of 1980, hosted by Danny Terrio, with celebrity judges Robert Blake, Chad Everett, and Connie Stevens, plus special performances from David Copperfield and the Gap Band, no less!. Put on your disco dancing shoes and boogie!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV-Movie: An American Christmas Carol

2011-11-29T08:34:00.000-05:00

As I acknowledged yesterday, the holiday season is officially upon us, and this week's Tuesday's Forgotten is a reflection of that. Today I offer the 1979 TV-movie An American Christmas Carol.

Henry Winkler stars as Benedict Slade, a stereotypical hard-hearted banker who is visited one Christmas Eve by three spirits who resemble people on whom he has foreclosed homes and possessions. During their visit, we see how he became the man he is and what his fate will be if he doesn't change his selfish ways.

Charles Dickins' A Christmas Carol has been performed and reimangined in countless ways since it was first published, but this version is unique in that it is set in Depression-era America, which provides a fresh look at the themes of the original story in a rich American historical context. Winkler's performance is a fine one, even if he does look odd covered in old man makeup.

Here is the entire film for your enjoyment. Thanks!

Holy Holidays Batman, It's Christmas Time!

2011-11-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

Ho ho ho! I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. With Turkey Day behind us, it's time to officially welcome the Christmas season! It's a time when even the most stoic and serious get giddy and spirited. Even Batman! Enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-23T10:39:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love the food, I love the time off, and I love the time well spent with family and friends. I also love to blog about the day, so enjoy some Thanksgiving appetizers right here!

First, the Swedish Chef shows you how to skewer a turkey. Or rather, how to try to do it!

If turkey isn't your thing, perhaps you, or even better, your lady, would appreciate a "goose" instead. It worked for Benny Bell!

Finally, a reminder that the day is about being thankful, not gluttonous, from someone who excels at setting us straight at holiday time.

I hope you enjoyed these brief but fun clips. Be good, don't drink and drive, enjoy the food, enjoy your loved ones even more, and once again, Happy Thanksgiving!

But wait--what's this?

YYYYEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!! CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAAAS! YYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!

This is MY time of year! Great stuff is on the way! Stay tuned!!

Tuesday Forgotten Film: Home For The Holidays

2011-11-22T13:31:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't know, Thanksgiving is this week! In previous years I've featured plenty of Thanksgiving-related fare here, but this year busy times have prevented me from doing so. Still, I have a couple of posts this week in honor of Turkey Day, the first being this week's Forgotten Film, Home for the Holidays.

The film revolves around the family of a career woman played by Holly Hunter, who is fired right before Thanksgiving. With this bad news in mind, she spends Thanksgiving with her wacky dysfunctional family (is there any other kind in Hollywood movies), including her gay brother played by Robert Downey Jr. and cranky father played by Charles Durning. The usual holiday hilarity ensues. There have been several of these types of films made over the years, but this is the only one directed by Jodie Foster, so there's that.

Here is the film's trailer. For more forgotten goodness, click here. Thanks!

"Hot Hits 98" WCAU-FM Philadelphia

2011-11-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

As I said in my post earlier this week regarding the Forgotten Film FM, I've been thinking a lot lately about radio, a medium I've always loved. The one station that is likely most responsible for that love is the late WCAU 98.1 FM and their "Hot Hits" format of the '80s.

This format was a form of Top 40 that focuses on high energy presentation, as little talk from the DJs as possible, avoidance of even the slightest moment of dead air, and heavy rotation of the biggest hit songs. In regards to DJ talk, it wasn't that the DJs shouldn't talk at all, but that the talk be concise, to the point, and to serve in the transition of programming, and WCAU-FM's DJs did that excellently.

This format was created by a consultant named Mike Joseph, who had also been instrumental in creating the Top 40 formats of legendary stations WABC-AM in New York and WFIL-AM in Philadelphia, among others. Joseph had refined his format into what he would term "Hot Hits," and the format debuted in 1977 in Hartford, Connecticut to ratings success.

In April 1981, Joseph met with the management of WCAU-FM in Philly to help the station and its struggling disco/dance format (disco being pretty much dead by 1981). After a few months of testing and tooling behind the scenes, the Hot Hits format made its debut in September 1981.

It was an instant success.

The music, the jingles, and most importanly, the DJs, all hand-picked by Joseph, worked together to create a station that was energetic, fresh, and very very 80s. The best way to explain all this is through the sound of the station itself, and thanks to recent YouTube posters and aircheck collectors, I can do this for you now.

Here is early midday jock Rich Hawkins a mere day or two into the new format.

The most popular DJ at the station, and my favorite DJ of all time, was Terry Young, the "Motormouth." He was funny, strange, fast, and very popular, especially with younger listeners. Here he is in November 1981 during his 7 to midnight shift.

Here is a composite of several DJs and dayparts from February 1982.

Here is a whopping 16 minutes of 98's first major morning man and "shock jock" Barsky in February of 1983. He would be fired in 1985 but return to Philly in the '90s at several Philly stations for many years afterwards.

You can hear the station undergo changes here and there as the 80s progressed, especially in jingles. Here is Jefferson Ward from July of 1985.

As other stations started to erose ratings from the station here and there over the years, and with station owner CBS high on the oldies format that was very successful on their New York City station, WCAU's days as a Top 40 station were numbered. Here is the station from October 28, 1987, days before it would flip to the oldies format.

Two bits of irony about the station's flip to oldies: the station had been an oldies station through much of the 1970s already, and as the station today has included a good deal of 80s songs into their current classic hits format, they're starting to sound more like they did in the 80s.

Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: FM

2011-11-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

As much as I write here about TV and movies, I've never spent any time discussing another one of my favorite media, radio. It is, after all, the namesake of my Internet handle "phillyradiogeek," and that's exactly what I am. I love radio! I love the music, talk, jingles, production, everything. I especially love the radio of the era in which I grew up, the 70s and 80s. There was something very special about the way the best radio was produced during those decades, and I miss that kind of radio terribly.

I've been thinking of radio a lot lately, and that leads me to my pick for this week's Tuesday's Forgotten, the 1978 movie FM. FM is a comedy about the battle between the DJs and the bean counters at a fictional LA rock radio station. When the station's sales manager signs an agreement to air corny plugs for the Army, the DJs, led by the program director/morning personality (Michael Brandon), stage an on-air protest and encourage the listeners to take their side.

There are colorful personalities, including Cleavon Little as the overnight jock and Martin Mull, making his big screen debut, as the wackiest DJ of all. There is also music from Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffet, Tom Petty, Queen, and Steely Dan, who performs the movie's titular song.

Somewhere in my collection I have this film recorded on VHS tape off of cable (yes, I recorded on videotape in the 21st century; don't judge me). I'll have to dig it out and give it a look.

The plot of the film sounds so similar to WKRP In Cincinnati that I thought for sure the show was inspired by the film, but as far as I can tell, the two projects emerged the same year (1978) coincidentally. However, the characters of the program directors from both projects were inspired by the same real life person.

Here now for you is the film's trailer. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: Tales of the Tinkerdee

2011-11-07T22:54:00.000-05:00

This week's Tuesday's Forgotten is, I admit, a bit of a cheat, as the TV program I'm showcasing this week never even aired.

Tales of the Tinkerdee was an unaired pilot created in 1962 by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. The show is set in the medieval land of Tinkerdee and involves the birthday party of the land's princess and a witch's plan to crash the party when she is uninvited. The only Muppet character that is instantly recognizable is Kermit (not yet a frog and not going by that name here) appearing as a minstrel/Greek chorus, but the king and witch characters would be used in later Muppets TV specials.

Here, in glorious black and white, is Tales of the Tinkerdee. Enjoy!

Comedian John Pinnette at His Finest

2011-11-03T12:44:00.000-04:00

Last month, my wife took me to see one of my favorite stand-up comedians, John Pinette, for my birthday. John never fails to make me laugh out loud. Here are almost 15 minutes of some of his best bits. Enjoy! For more info on John, including upcoming tour dates, CDs, and DVDs, check out his Web site. Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: The Pogo Special Birthday Special

2011-11-01T09:41:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween last night, as well as a great time enjoying the Countdown to Halloween. It's one of my favorite times to blog all year, and this year was no exception. I can't wait until next year so we can do it all over again.

However, as Charlie Brown would say, "Another Halloween has come and gone," and it's time to move on. And I move on by posting this week's Tuesday's Forgotten, and this week, it's the 1969 animated TV special The Pogo Special Birthday Special.

The special is, of course, based on the legendary comic strip set in the Okee Fenokee Swamp with Pogo the Possum and friends. As much as I love comic strips, I confess I've never read Pogo (except for a bit of the brief revamp in the late 80s/early 90s), so this world is a new one for me. Creator Walt Kelly (who lends his voice to some of the characters in the special) was unhappy with the quality of this special, but it's an interesting project nonetheless. Enjoy!

Trick or Treat! Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T10:12:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween indeed! As unbelievable as it may seem, Halloween is finally upon us, and that means the end of the Countdown to Halloween. Just like every year, I'm thrilled and honored to be a part of this great Halloween tradition. I'd like to thank my longtime readers who continue to support this blog, and also the new readers (and Followers, I've noticed!) who have expressed their support. You're the reason I keep the blog going. Thanks so much!

Of course, we still have the final post to go! Since trick or treating is the way to cap off the season, that's how will do it at the blog.

First up, we're "trickin' it to the treat" with Michael McDonald and band--well, almost.

Next, a hapless man-child named Skippy goes trick or treating three days early--with poor results.

Finally, comedian Stephen Lynch recounts his love for his favorite holiday. His sick, twisted love.

Guess what? That's it! There's only one thing left to say--Happy Halloween!

The Devil and Daniel Mouse

2011-10-28T15:58:00.000-04:00

This is my next to last post for this year's Countdown to Halloween, so I'll make it a great one. Today I offer the late 70s animated special The Devil and Daniel Mouse. Two struggling mouse musicians (go with it) make a deal with--who else?--to become successful, with dire results.

Several other blogs participating in the Countdown have carried this special before, but as I've posted most other Nelvana Studios productions from this time period before, why not take my turn at it? Enjoy, and have a safe weekend!

Revenge of the Attack of the B-Movie Trailers!

2011-10-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

Only days away from Halloween! Time to squeeze in as many fun frightful flicks as possible. Perhaps these will tantalize your terror tendencies? Probably not. But the trailers sure are fun to look at. I always think the trailers are more entertaining than the actual movies; the trailer only gives you so much, and your imagination fills in the rest. The movie you imagine is probably better than the actual film!

De ax! De ax!

Don't go in the house! Don't ride your bike through the garden! Don't talk with your mouth full!

Donald Pleasence alert!

Thanks!

The Mighty Heroes, "The Drifter"

2011-10-26T11:21:00.001-04:00

After a long time away, it's time for the Mighty Heroes to make their triumphant return to the blog. This time, they face the evil Drifter, who has sent the entire town of Good Haven adrift in the air. It's up to the Heroes to take on the Drifter and his henchmen, one a Frankenstein lookalike, and the other a racist caricature. Who will win? Who will lose? Stay tuned and find out. Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: The Terror of Frankenstein

2011-10-25T10:25:00.001-04:00

Tuesday is a great day to blog, because I get to showcase a cool pick for Tuesday's Forgotten/Overlooked film, TV, or audio. As this is the last full week of the Countdown to Halloween, I have a great treat for you today: the 1977 European film The Terror of Frankenstein.

Frankenstein films are a dime a dozen, some fantastic (the 1931 classic) and the, in my opinion, not so fantastic (Frankenstein Unbound--bleh!). Today I have a great one. What makes it so is that it is closely faithful to Mary Shelley's novel, which is one of my alltime favorite books ever.

To enjoy this one, you should put aside your preconceived notions of the monster as a flat-headed, speechless ogre (as awesome as the Boris Karloff incarnation is, don't get me wrong). This is a monster that is eloquent, deep-thinking, and as emotionally tortured as Hamlet or any other literary figure, and he's wonderfully presented here. Please enjoy, free and legal, the entire film below.

For more great forgotten films, TV, and more from the past, click here. Thanks!

Casper the Friendly Ghost, "Ghost of the Town"

2011-10-24T10:53:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe that there is only one week left until Halloween. I feel like we just got started! Let's make this last week a great one. And make sure to catch all the other great participants in the Countdown to Halloween.

Today I feature the most famous ghost of all, Casper. Here, he finally gets humanity to accept him after an act of herosim in "Ghost of the Town" (the title of the cartoon given in the screen capture is incorrect). Enjoy!

The Witches Scene from MacBeth--starring Animaniacs!

2011-10-21T12:05:00.000-04:00

I freakin' love Animaniacs. It was one of the funniest and smartest sereis of the 1990s, including prime time series. Here, the cast act out the witches scene from MacBeth. Enjoy! For more Animaniacs Halloween fun, click here.

Skeleton Frolic

2011-10-20T12:17:00.000-04:00

I'll keep it short today. Here is a cartoon released by Columbia Pictures in 1937 called "Skeleton Frolic." Appropriately creepy, funny, and whimsical all at the same time. Enjoy!

Kirby Krackle, "Zombie Apocalypse"

2011-10-19T11:02:00.000-04:00

If you're a fellow comic book geek like myself, you are likely already familiar with the music group Kirby Krackle. If not, they are a band from Seattle that specializes in music known as "nerdcore," music based on sci-fi, comics, horror, video games, and other geek-like areas of interest. In their music video below, a young man is doing his best living in, well, a zombie apocalypse.

To hear (and buy) more fun music from Kirby Krackle, check out their site here. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Tourist Trap

2011-10-18T09:08:00.001-04:00

It's Tuesday, it's the Countdown to Halloween, so that means it's time to digest a frightful film. This week's pick is the 1979 cult classic Tourist Trap.

Several college-age youths traverse the backroads of America when their car breaks down near an unusual museum run by the immensely creepy Mr Slausen (Chuck Conners). He offers to help them but instead imprisons them in his house of horrors filled with mannequins under his telekinetic control.

The film, while certainly not a 4-star classic, has an immensely creepy impact on the viewer--the masks Conners wears alone solidy the horror factor here. The acting from the young stars is typical of B-movie shockers, but Conners gives it his all.

See for your self right here. Enjoy! For more forgotten movies, TV, and audio, click here. Thanks!

The Children's Television Workshop--of Horror!

2011-10-17T10:49:00.000-04:00

No not really, but I did find some cool spooky-related material from two CTW series, Sesame Street and the original Electric Company (of which I just picked up the single disc collection this weekend). It's materal that eery and educational!

In the midst of putting this post together, I coincidentally came across this news item on Twitter. Yikes! Talk about scary...

The Most Disturbing Stuff I've Ever Posted

2011-10-14T12:18:00.000-04:00

I came across these independently-made cartoons on YouTube earlier this year somehow, and they were creepy, disturbing, and all-around bizarre--which made me save them for Halloween. I haven't done the research on the creator of these cartoons, but based on his YouTube uploads, he specializes in these grotesque animations.

The only thing I can really say to set them up is that they follow a man's psychosis and paranoia. It's hard to tell if some of the things seen are real or in his imagination. Either way, these cartoons are, as the title states, the most disturbing things I've ever posted here at the blog.

WARNING! VIOLENCE! STRONG LANGUAGE! GENERAL CREEPINESS! RATED R!

I'll Only Give the Great Pumpkin Another 10 Minutes--OK, Maybe Twenty

2011-10-13T12:04:00.000-04:00

I won't go into my hardcore fandom for Peanuts yet again, but I will showcase this cute song from the animated version of the Broadway musical Snoopy. Here, Linus puts his foot down with the Great Pumpkin, giving just a few more minutes for his arrival at the pumpkin patch. OK, maybe a few more minutes, but that's it! Just one more hour. And just five more minutes after that. You get the idea.

Set your DVRs--It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown airs this year on ABC on Thursday, October 27th at 8pm. Thanks!

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, "The Bride of Dracula"

2011-10-12T12:01:00.000-04:00

It's become an unofficial tradition of my Halloween countdown to feature a spooky cartoon featuring my favorite superhero, Spider-Man, and this year I have a good one. In this episode of the early 80s series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Spidey and Ice Man try to rescue Firestar from becoming "The Bride of Dracula." This is an episode right up Chris Sims' alley. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Ghost Story

2011-10-11T13:26:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not posting something yesterday, but Circumstances Beyond My Control got the better of me. I'm back today with another Tuesday's Forgotten Film, and like last week's entry, this week also involves a "revenge from beyond the grave" tale.

Ghost Story is a theatrical film released in 1981 and stars screen legends Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and John Houseman (it was the last film for the former three gentlemen). The film, based on a novel by Peter Straub, tells the story of a group of old well-to-do men who are responsible for the death of a beautiful woman in their younger years. They avoid telling the authorities and live their lives as if nothing happened. Suddenly, in their old age, terrible things begin happening to them, as well as one of the men's sons, whose brother contacts the group to get to the bottom of things. As I've already stated, this is a "revenge from beyond" story, you can surmise who's responsible for the horror.

Like Dark Night of the Scarecrow, this was a favorite of my parents who watched it frequently over the years. It's available on DVD from Amazon as well as on demand streaming. Below is the film's trailer. Thanks!

Interview with Chris Sims, Writer of Dracula the Unconquered

2011-10-07T11:12:00.000-04:00

Today is a red letter day for the blog, as today I feature my first-ever interview! And I couldn't be happier than for it to be with comic book blogger and writer Chris Sims!

Chris began writing about his love for and review of comics at his Invincible Super Blog while working at a comic shop full time. He later was inspired to begin writing his own web comics with some like-minded friends, who together formed their own comics line, The Action Age of Comics, which produces such high concept titles as The Chronicles of Solomon Stone, Woman of A.C.T.I.O.N, and my personal favorite, Awesome Hospital. In addition, he also continues to write about other comics for AOL's comics news site, Comics Alliance.

Chris is also the inventor of the Nerd Hat.

Chris is here to talk about his latest comic, Dracula the Unconquered, premiering on Halloween.

Brian: This isn't your first time writing about a vampire (Solomon Stone), but now you're taking on the most famous one of all. What is it about Dracula that makes him such an intriguing character, and do you plan on doing something different or unexpected with the character?

Chris: Ha! Well technically, Solomon Stone is a half-vampire, half-wizard skateboard champion. It might seem subtle, but trust me, it makes a big difference in how you approach the characters.

As for Dracula, what really drew me to him was the fact that there's been so much done with the character in pop culture. In America, Bram Stoker's novel was in the public domain since it was first published, and as a result, there have been so many interpretations, reinterpretations, reimaginings, and sequels that he's become one of those characters that works in any sort of story. You can do a serious take, you can do comedy, you can put him in a castle on the moon, and it all makes sense because he's gone so far beyond that original story. That pop culture aspect is really what I love about him.

At the same time, that makes it hard to do something truly new, but you don't often see him as an all-ages adventure hero, so hopefully I'll be able to put my own spin on it.

Brian: Most of your previous work, such as Solomon Stone and Awesome Hospital, have been very funny, but the solicitation for Dracula The Unconquered makes the project seem a bit more serious. Is that correct, and if so, why take a different approach now?

Chris: It wasn't until halfway through writing the first issue that I realized that by giving Dracula a teenage girl sidekick -- an English one, no less -- I was basically writing the "serious" version of Solomon Stone, but that's kind of what it ended up being.

That said, there are still scenes that I think are pretty funny about it, even though it's not strictly a comedy like Awesome Hospital, or a parody like Sol. I really have no interest in writing something that's completely dour or humorless, and while Drac's first and foremost an adventure story, I don't think action and comedy are mutually exclusive. I've described it before as Indiana Jones starring Dracula, and if you go back and watch Raiders of the Lost Ark, there are moments in that film that are absolutely hilarious.

When I think about the comics that I really love that are coming out right now, there are guys like Jeff Parker, Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente. These are guys who never shy away from putting funny moments in their stories, and it never detracts from how thrilling the action is, or the danger their characters face. It just makes a more well-rounded story, and that's the feeling that I'm going for in Drac: A fun, solid, entertaining comic.

Brian: You've previously spoken highly of Marvel's Tomb of Dracula, and Steve Downer's design seems a bit reminiscent of Marvel's version of the character. What is it about that series that was so captivating, and will we see hints of those elements in DTU?

Chris: I don't think I'm blowing anyone's mind when I say that Gene Colan's version of Dracula is far and away my favorite visual of the character. He captured that monstrous haughtiness so well, and that moustache! Dracula just doesn't look right without facial hair.

So yeah, Tomb of Dracula is definitely an influence, specifically in the idea of Dracula traveling around the world and dealing with villains that are even more monstrous than he is. Also, I can't lie, his whole attitude, that crazy pretentiousness and absolute disbelief that anyone would ever dare to stand against him, it just cracks me up. It's set the tone for how I think of Dracula speaking just in general, so there's a lot of that arrogance in my version.

Brian: What can we expect from Dracula's assistant Thalia? From the looks of her on the cover image with her sly grin, she seems to have a few tricks of her own up her sleeve.

Chris: Thalia has her origins in me feeling like I needed a viewpoint character. I love Dracula as a character, but he's also an immortal sorcerer who used to be King of the Vampires, so if you're following him as a protagonist, that can be pretty hard to relate to. At the same time, I didn't want her to be just a prop to have thing explained to her, which is exactly what I was parodying with Minxy in Solomon Stone.

Mark Waid writes a comic called Ruse that I love, it's a big Sherlock Holmes-style Victorian mystery series, and the detective's assistant, Emma Bishop, is such a great character. She comes off as smart even when she's next to this super-genius, she's really quippy and active in the story. She's great, and since there was a Ruse mini-series coming out while I wrote the first two issues of Drac, I really studied it and tried to reverse engineer how he made this lady sidekick so compelling in her own right.

Brian: I loved Ruse! I instantly saw Thalia as the Emma to Drac's Simon when I first saw the image.

Chris: I actually asked Waid about it and he told me that he just never has one character tell another something she actually knows. As simple as that might sound, and as much as I'm aware of it from my absolute hate of sentences that begin with "as you know..." it was a really good piece of advice to keep in mind. When you ditch all that unnecessary exposition, you have a lot of room to work in actual character stuff.

To be honest, Thalia does end up getting a lot of things explained to her and she is in need of rescuing in the first couple of issues, but I've tried not to have those be the things that define her. She's really fun to write, because for all of Dracula's arrogance, she's meeting him at his absolute low point, and as much danger as she faces, there's a lot of eye-rolling on her part. After he read the script, Steve Downer pointed out that it was interesting that I'd given Dracula a teenage girl sidekick, because he has this predatory history towards young women. It wasn't something that I'd considered at first, but once he pointed it out, it became something that I've had in my head. If you're going to have Dracula as a hero, that's something that probably needs to be redeemed.

Brian: The solicitation also states that the events in Bram Stoker's novel "may not have gone down the way Harker & Co. wrote about them." Does this mean we'll see Dracula in a more positive light?

Chris: It's not so much that Dracula was a good guy during the novel as the "heroes" were trying to make themselves sound more heroic than they actually were. Before I started writing, I read through Leslie Klinger's The New Annotated Dracula, which is an excellent resource, and the thing I really came away with was that I really just did not like any of the main characters, especially Harker. Even Van Helsing just comes off as this bumbling crackpot professor who's always suggesting transfusions from random-ass guys to help out vampire victims! It's hilarious!

So there are certain events in the novel where the "Good Guys" made the wrong assumptions, but all of the actual events happened. Dracula was still the bad guy, he was still coming to England to eat people. One of the things that gets addressed later down the line is that Thalia's a librarian and she's read Dracula. So that stuff's going to come up.

Brian: Tell us more about DTU's cocreators, Josh Krach and Steve Downer, and their contributions to the book. They both have experience in multiple aspects of comic creation (Josh as a letterer and writer, Steve as an illustrator and colorist). What roles will they play in the making of DTU? I believe Steve is illustrating issue #1.

Chris: Steve and I first worked together when he colored Woman of A.C.T.I.O.N., a comic I wrote that Chris Piers drew, and while he makes his living as a colorist, he's an amazing artist as well. We've been wanting to work together for a while, and a few years ago, we even talked about doing a story about an immortal character so that we could skip around from place to place, so when I decided I wanted to do Dracula as an adventure hero, he was the first guy to pop into my head. He's been amazing to work with, and he even made a call about the way he wanted to draw something in the first few pages of #1 that changed the whole layout of the first seven issues. I think people are really going to love what they see out of him.

I've known Josh for several years, and again, he's great. He's been the letterer on Awesome Hospital since we started, but he's another one of those guys that's talented at everything he does. He's a great writer -- he does a webcomic called Troop Infinity that's darn near perfect as a kids' adventure comedy, and he's written an upcoming AH short as well -- and he's even pretty good at drawing, too. Like Steve, he's been an excellent collaborator, and when I sent them my plots for the first arc's worth of stories, he made a few great suggestions that made my job so much easier.

Brian: 'Fess up Chris. This is just your way of counterbalancing all the Anita Blake comics and Twilight products, isn't it? Next you'll write a witch comic to cancel out Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose.

Chris: The only way to fix bad comics is to make better ones. You have to try, right?

Brian: You've been involved with comic creation for awhile now through your site the Action Age of Comics. Are you happy with the progress the projects available there have made, and what can we expect in the future?

Chris: It's weird, because even when my schedule's so packed that I'm barely sleeping, it never really feels like I'm doing enough. I'm just impatient, I guess.

In addition to Drac, Awesome Hospital is still going every Tuesday and Thursday, and Chad Bowers and I have our first graphic novel coming out next year from Oni. I wish I could tell you more about that one, but for now, that's all I can say. Plus, you know, there's my day job over at ComicsAlliance every day. And one day... maybe not this year, maybe not this century, but one day I'll be able to put out Solomon Stone #3. It's got succubus pirates.

Brian: Finally, and this is an important question: does Batman prefer beef barbeque or pork barbeque?

Chris: Oh, definitely pulled pork. South Carolina Mustard-Based sauce has the delicious sharp taste of justice.

Dracula The Unconquered makes its debut October 31st, and will be available for download in cbr format for $1. Check out the official site here.

Thanks Chris!

Attack of the B-Movie Trailers!

2011-10-06T13:26:00.000-04:00

There are many great, classic horror films. There are also far more goofy, cheesy, weird, and flat-out bad horror films. But sometimes, they're more fun! Here is a sampling of several fine examples. Enjoy!

Comic Book Review: Ghostbusters #1

2011-10-05T12:44:00.000-04:00

Although the Ghostbusters films were released during the summers of 1984 and 1989, respectively, the characters have long been associated and celebrated around Halloween, so it's only appropriate that IDW Publishing release the first issue of their new Ghostbusters comic at the start of the season. IDW has held the comic book license for the Ghostbusters for a few years now, and has released several miniseries since, but this is the company's first attempt at an ongoing with the franchise. How does it hold up? Find out now!

The issue opens up with a concise description of each of the four paranormal experts in case anyone is unfamiliar with them (which I find impossible to believe, but OK), but the sequence turns out to be a dream taking place in the mind of Ray Stanz (Dan Akroyd's character). At the end of his dream, he is told by a herald (in the image of Blues Brother John Belushi, a nice touch) that "The Third is Coming." What "The Third" is remains to be seen. Meanwhile, an unnamed New Yorker is attacked by a ghost through his bathroom mirror, a ghost which also briefly appears in a mirror in Ray's bedroom after Ray awakens from his dream.

Whatever it is, it is very involved with Ray, as Egon takes a scan of his brain and finds a great deal of unusual activity. Ray, it is assumed, is the conduit through which the next great villain will tether itself to the boys.

A subplot involves Winston taking Peter to investigate a young boy's claim of haunting in his tenement; the boy is the nephew of Peter MacNicol's character from the second film. When Winston and Peter arrive, the building is covered in green slime. As they stake out the building, they encounter a spectre very familiar to Ghostbusters fans. Finally, a three-page backup story sets up former EPA adversary Walter Peck as the new head of a government oversight department in charge of paranormal investigators such as the Ghostbusters, which I'm sure will cause grief for the guys down the road.

I was pleasantly surprised by the issue. The characterization of the Ghostbusters and Janine is spot on; no one does or says anything out of the ordinary for them. At the same time, writer Erik Burnham doesn't try to do caricatures of Bill Murray or Dan Akroyd either; the characters are on display here, not the actors. The story has a good balance of supernatural happenings, characterization, and gives you plenty to take in while leaving you curious to see what will happen in the next few issues.

The artwork by Dan Schoening (illustration) and Luis Antonio Delgado (coloring) is cartoon-like in a good way, being expressive while still holding a faint resemblance to the live action characters we know and love. And except for one instance of mild innuendo and the appearance of the word "ass," this is fairly suitable for younger audiences. If you're a solid Ghostbusters fan like myself, I recommend IDW's Ghostbusters #1.

Ghostbusters #1 retails for $3.99. To find a comic shop near you, go to Comic Shop Locator. Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV-Movie: Dark Night of the Scarecrow

2011-10-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

Today is a particularly fun post for me, as I get to comply with two different memes at once. In additon to participating in the Countdown, I'm also a part of Tuesday's Forgotten/Overlooked, in which many blogs write about a lost/forgotten/ignored/obscure movie, TV show, or music recording of the past and bring it to light. My selection for this week fits both Tuesday's Forgotten and the Countdown perfectly!

Dark Night of the Scarecrow was a TV-movie that aired on CBS on October 24, 1981. Charles Durning stars as a mailman for a small rural town who looks disdainfully at the relationship between Bubba, a mentally challenged man, and a young girl named Marylee. When Marylee appears brutally attacked, he and other townsfolk believe Bubba has raped and tried to kill her. In fact, she was attacked by a pack of dogs from which Bubba saved her.

Bubba tells this to his mother, who has him disguise himself as a scarecrow to hide from the angry mob. His ruse is discovered, and the mob shoots him to death while he hangs in the field in his disguise, where he's left for dead.

It's then that the deceased Bubba exacts his revenge...

To see how he does this, check out the film on You Tube here:

The movie is readily available on DVD and will be available on Blu-Ray next Tuesday, October 11th.

Countdowners: for more Tuesday's Forgtten glory, click here. Tuesday peeps, for more great stuff from the Countdown to Halloween, click here.

Thanks everyone!

Halloween TV Commercials 2011

2011-10-03T09:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to the Countdown to Halloween. Saturday's post was just an introduction into the season with a small variety of clips to warm you up. Today we start full out, as usual, with some fun TV commercials that are either for Halloween products or commericals that have a horror or spooky theme.

First I have a commercial for Easter Seals' Halloween coupons, presented by Countdown favorite Vincent Price. He is still sorely missed today.

Next up is a Dunkin Donuts commercial that I've wanted to showcase for years, but couldn't find it until now. You try eating Munchkins with lobster claws!
I especially like the apparent boredom the patrons are experiencing at the party. I've been to a couple of those myself.

I never knew Paas made Halloween make-up kits. See, the Countdown is educational as well as entertaining!

Happy Pails!

When you need a marshmallowy breakfast cereal, what you gonna eat? GHOSTBUSTERS!

When encountered by a werewolf, don't worry if you don't have a silver bullet, just have a Halloween meal from Burger Chef handy (never mind that Burger Chef is out of business).

Finally, here is another commercial in a series that I posted last Halloween. Frankenstein's monster isn't a killer, he's just in need of Osteo Bi-Flex for his achy joints.

See you tomorrow for more Halloween goodness!

Countdown to Halloween 2011 Opening Ceremonies

2011-10-01T16:24:00.000-04:00

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, to the 2011 Countdown to Halloween at Me and You and a Blog Named BOOOOOOOOO! My name is Brian, but you can call me Phillyradiogeek, and I'm extremely happy to have you here. For longtime and returning readers, thanks for coming back, and for new readers, welcome! I hope you stay around once the countdown is over.

This is my third year participating in the Countdown, which gets better and better each year. I'm honored to be accepted into this spooky camaraderie of crazies who, like me, love to blog about Halloween. Here at Me and You, there will be chills, thrills, and fun for both the young and young at heart.

If I could please ask you a favor, at any point during or after the Countdown, please check out my reader survey along the right of the blog and let me know what you think about it. I'm always looking to improve it, and the best way for me to do that is to ask you what needs improving. Thanks!

So, without further ado, let the Countdown to Halloween begin!

DC Comics: More Quick Looks

2011-09-30T15:04:00.000-04:00

This is the last week of the DC Comics relaunch, and what a month it's been! The move, whether considered good or bad by comics fans, is certainly a bold one, and only time will tell if it was the right one commercially. But as for the comics themselves, how did they turn out? Let's see!

This is the kind of experience you want from a Batman book! Action, detective work, humor, intrigue, characterization, and a great cliffhanger. A great #1 issue for new and longtime readers alike!

Again, a great first issue for the most iconic of all superheroes. Packed with both action and words--a whole, whole lot of words--I loved this one as well. I enjoyed this much more than Action Comics. A great book!

Catwoman, while certianly not for the kids, was a fine first issue with gorgeous art from the excellent Guillem March. I'm interested to see where Selina goes in this series.

Wonder Woman was a title I had great trepidation for, and it was warranted. Despite writer Brian Azzarello's wish to write the title as a horror story, that's not what I want to see Diana involved in. She's a superhero. I'll be passing on this one.

I've never read an Aquaman comic before, but this was a fine one to start with. Great art, and an Aquaman out to show both the humans in the story and real-life comic fandom that he's a DC big leaguer deserving of respect. He's earned mine.

Voodoo #1 (image not available because Blogger's current image displayer sucks and I can't use it right): an interesting issue to be sure, again with great art, but with so many comics out there, not one I'm on the edge of my seat to read any further. Still, this is an interesting title for sci-fi fans.

Batman The Dark Knight #1 (image not available): See my review of Batman #1 above: think of the polar opposite and that's my review of this title. The less said, the better.

That's the end of my look at the new DC Comics (thank God), and it's what I expected: a pretty mixed bag of great, awful, and in-between. To decide for yourself, look for your local comic shop at http://www.comicshoplocator.com/ or buy a digital copy for your eReader or Smartphone at http://www.comixology.com/.

Please come back tomorrow for the Countdown to Halloween! The host blog displays all the participating blogs' links at midnight tonight. There are over 200 of them at last count, but please check out as many as you can (including this one, of course) throughout the entire month of October. It's a great deal of fun, and that's what Halloween's all about, right?

See you then!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

2011-09-27T11:26:00.001-04:00

It's Tuesday, and that means another forgotten/overlooked/just plain good TV series, movie, or music. Today, since I've been in a DC Comics mood this month, I present the animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

This was released on Christmas Day 1993, and is set in the same universe as the wonderful Batman: The Animated Series. Here, Batman (voiced by the popular Kevin Conroy) investigates the new villain Phantasm, who is knocking off Gotham's mob bosses. Who is he, and what, if anything, does the Joker (the excellent Mark Hamill) have to do with it? Mix in an old flame of Bruce Wayne (played by Dana Delany) and you have an intelligent, beautifully animated film that beats most live action Bat films.

Here is Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. The last couple minutes are missing, unfortunately, but you can surmise what happens. I also had to change YouTube accounts at one point, so there is some footage overlap. Thanks!

The New DC Comics: Quick Reviews

2011-09-26T12:32:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Welcome to a new week, and when it's over, a new month. That new month would be October. And do you know what that means?

THE COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN IS ALMOST HERE!!

That's right. For my third straight year, I will be participating in the multiblog event in which we all post a Halloween item per day (or as close to it as we can get) up until All Hallow's 'eve. It's a wonderful event that I hope you take part in, if not as a blogger, then at least as a reader.

But first things first...

I've been lax in my reviews of some of the new titles coming out of the "new" DC Comics, and I'd like to get to as many of them as I can between now and the Countdown. These will be kept shorter than my previous reviews, so without further ado, here they are.

Justice League International #1: What a pleasant surprise this was! As decompressed as Justice League #1 was, this was fast-paced, action-packed, and set things up quickly but fluidly. We were given the entire team lineup, their first assignment, immediate internal conflicts, and a adventurous cliffhanger in just the first issue. There is nothing groundbreaking or overly dramatic here, but that's exactly why I loved it. It was just good ol' fashioned superhero comics, which we need more of these days (not everything has to be The Dark Knight Returns). As disappointed as I was starting to get in the new titles, this one came at just the right time. My 2nd favorite title so far!

Swamp Thing #1: I've never read a Swamp Thing comic before, so I thought now was the perfect time to try one. The art is very good, and the story, while a slow burn until the end, was interesting. However, there wasn't anything here that hooked me and kept me on the edge of my seat. This was certainly not a bad comic by any means, but I wasn't competely wowed by it either. I may not stay with this one much longer.

Batwoman #1: OH HELLS YEAH!! This was the one I was looking forward to the most, and it didn't disappoint. This title, delayed for nearly a year after it was first announced, is fantastic from start to finish. This may not have been the best jumping on point for those who haven't read the character before (as the story wasn't written with the line-wide relaunch in mind), but it gives you just enough of what you need to know. The character is fascinating, the villain creepy, and the artwork? Just Google "JH Williams Batwoman" and see for yourself. Highest possible recommendation!!

Supergirl #1: I'm apprehensive about the reboot of Supergirl, as she was already in a great place creatively before the DC relaunch, thanks to writer Sterling Gates's great work on the character, turning her from an insecure, confused teen girl into a compassionate, confident young woman by the end of his run. Unfortunately, they are starting from scratch again here, which is a shame. However, this issue is a great starting point for those unfamiliar with Supergirl, as the issue chronicles her landing on earth and her confusion as to what's happened to her and where she is. The artwork by Mahmud Asrar is very good, and the story, while not much happens, is intriguing. I'm curious to see what happens next, which is all you can ask from a #1 issue.

I'll have more on the DC relaunch later this week. Thanks!

Comic Book Review: Batgirl #1

2011-09-20T23:12:00.001-04:00

Peering once again at the newly relaunched line of DC Comics, today I turn my attention to a title I was particularly looking forward to, Batgirl #1. This was a bigger deal than other titles because this is the debut of the newly unparalyzed Barbara Gordon, who lost her ability to walk due to events in the one-shot comic Batman: The Killing Joke, my alltime favorite comic story.

Unfortunately, my curiosity as to how Barbara regained her ability to walk is still a mystery. Writer Gail Simone has apparently decided to keep the reason secret for awhile longer to add to the interest of the story, a decision that I believe is a mistake. Barbara has been wheelchair-bound for 20 years, and I believe to announce with much fanfare that she will walk again and then not reveal the reason in the first issue is a disservice to the reader. My disappointment in this decision severely limited my enjoyment of the issue.

This is a shame, because despite that, there is much to enjoy here. Batgirl gives some punk villiains a good ass-kicking, there is a tender scene between Barbara and her father, Commissioner Gordon, and a quirky new roommate for Barbara is introduced that could provide leaded levity in future issues. I also enjoyed the artwork by Ardian Syaf quite a bit, especially her newly designed costume.

However, the omission of Barbara's recovery was such a blow to me that the issue was difficult to enjoy. I will try the next issue, but if more substance isn't given as to Barbara's "miracle" (as Barbara calls it), I likely won't be back for issue #3.

Find your local comic shop at http://www.comicshoplocator.com/ or buy digital comics for your computer, iPad, or iPhone at http://www.comixology.com/.

Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: Homefront

2011-09-19T23:03:00.000-04:00

I'm a couple of hours early, but better early than never. This week's Forgotten TV is the 1991 ABC drama Homefront.

Homefront was a series that focused on a small town's readjustment to life immediately after World War II through the prism of three different families. Throughout the two-season course of the series, the show tackled several social issues including racism, women's rights, and other societal matters, but also had elements of soap opera. One of the main stars of the series was recent Emmy winner Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights).

Here is the series first episode. Enjoy!

Comic Book Review: Action Comics #1

2011-09-15T21:43:00.001-04:00

I'm more than a week late with my review of this, but better late than never. As I did with the newly released Justice League #1, I'm examining the relaunched DC Comics through various titles that catch my eye. Here, DC once again reboots the Superman mythos and reintroduces the character to the world. Please read below for my review of the new Action Comics #1! Be forewarned, however, as possible mild spoilers may appear.

This incarnation of Superman, as written by Grant Morrison and penciled by Rags Morales, is a definite throwback to the Golden Age Superman: not nearly as powerful as his later versions, with a rougher, tougher personality and a penchant for being a social crusader, standing up for the little guy against the Powers That Be, even willing to bend the law to achieve his ends (something the Silver Age Supes would never do).

As with Justice League #1, this story is set in the past, 6 months after Superman's first appearance in Metropolis. Clark Kent is working not at the Daily Planet, but at a rival newspaper. He is friends with Jimmy Olson, but is, as in decades past, a rival to Lois Lane rather than husband or paramour. One thing that hasn't changed, however: Lex Luthor remains a hardened nemesis to "the alien," as Lex refers to him (which is not inaccurate). The main focus of the story is Lex's first attempt to catch him, something he is hired to do by the military, led by Lois' father, General Lane.

While there was nothing terribly wrong with the issue (except I found the art lacking, especially with facial expressions), there is something about it that doesn't sit well with me. That is likely because I don't think Superman needed rebooting--I think he was in a very good place creatively before the relaunch, rendering all of this highly unnecessary. I don't mind seeing a more rough and tumble Superman, as long as he doesn't become an analog to Frank Miller's version of Batman. I may just need to warm up to the idea of a freshened-up Superman, but that may take months. DC will need to wow me with what they have planned for Clark if they want to win me over.

If you'd like to give the new Supes a try, pick up a print copy (3rd printings are on the way) at your local comic shop (which you can find at http://www.comicshoplocator.com/), or download a DRM-loaded digital copy at http://www.comixology.com/.

Up, up, and away!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV-Movie: Murder Can Hurt You

2011-09-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday, and therefore it's time for Tuesday's Forgotten TV/Movie/Etc. My offering today is the comedic TV movie Murder Can Hurt You.

Murder Can Hurt You first (only?) aired on May 21st, 1980 (if I can safely trust the YouTube clip) and is a spoof of the many TV detective shows of the 70s. Kojak, Baretta, Starsky & Hutch, Columbo, and others are presented here in analogue form, and the film stars many TV personalities of the time, such as Gavin McCloud, Tony Danza, Victor Buono, and Jamie Farr, to name a few. For some strange reason, and a sad commentary on the way my mind works, I remember seeing this film when it aired. I was 5 years old, and very foolish.

If you are in the mood for dumb (and I mean dumb) fun, here is Murder Can Hurt You in all it's glory. Enjoy!

Comic Book Review: Justice League #1

2011-09-12T13:42:00.002-04:00

If you're a comic book reader, your well aware of the details of the relaunch of DC Comics. They're starting with a clean slate (almost) by aiming for new readers via shedding the baggage of the current line (that is, decades-long continuity) and utilizing a more convenient way for readers to purchase comics via digital platforms instead of comic specialty stores that sell print copies (which the general public can't always find). The first title released in this new era is Justice League, the flagship title of the entire line. What do I think of it? Find out now!

I will assume that anyone reading this review has read the issue already, but just in case, I will be spoiling at least some of the issue, so if you want to read the issue but haven't yet, hold off on reading my review until you've picked up the issue.

Those wanting to see the entire Justice League in full action will be disappointed here, as the League has not been created yet. The story, written by DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, is set "five years ago," when superheroes were just becoming known to the world, and the future members of the League have not yet met. We only see Batman and Green Lantern in this issue, meeting for the first time, plus a last-page cameo of another Leaguer at the end. Many readers have a problem with this story structure, but as I expected the story to be this way based on the free preview made available earlier this summer, I have no problem with it. And I'm intruged as to who they have chosen to be the villian, as it's been a couple of years since this villian has appeared.

The dialogue seemed awkward and unnatural, and, for lack of a better term, "dumbed down" to me. I suspect that writers on these new titles wrote this way intentionally to be more "accessible" to a wider audience, but I think the dialogue just comes off as clumsy, and could potentially turn off a customer.

The artwork, however, is beautiful. I've only been exposed to Jim Lee's artwork (who is now co-publisher of DC Comics) in the last year, and it is as stunning as I've always heard, so no complaints from me on the art.

In short, the dialogue could have been better, but the artwork is great and the story, while more decompressed than I would prefer, still has my interest. I'm still curious to see the direction in which the title, and the DC Universe in general, is going.

To purchase a print copy of the issue (now going into its third printing in just two weeks of release), you can find your local comic shop at The Comic Shop Locator. To purchase a digital copy, go to Comixology (note that comics downloaded from Comixology have DRM software attached).

Thanks!

Goofy, "Teachers Are People"

2011-09-09T15:10:00.000-04:00

Today is the last day of my Back to School Week, and I close it out with a look at that most important of society roles, the schoolteacher. My wife (who celebrates her birthday today--Happy Birthday, Sweetie!) is a teacher, and I have several friends who are teachers as well, so I have a great deal of respect for the profession. And I can't think of someone better to demonstrate the qualifications needed for this career than--Goofy.

Here he is in "Teachers Are People." Or in his case, dogs. Enjoy!

Back to School with the Peanuts Gang!

2011-09-08T12:38:00.000-04:00

Wake up, sleepyheads! We're back to school this week, which may have many of you down in the dumps. Never fear, the Peanuts gang is here to get you through it.

Everyone loves to make fun of the trombone-sounding teachers from the animated specials. Now you can enjoy--the remix!

It could be worse--they could have Cameron Diaz's Bad Teacher in charge of their class!

Finally, perhaps no other character has had more of a rough time of it at school than Peppermint Patty. Here, she headlines an episode of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, the Saturday morning series of Peanuts antics, in all her sleeping glory.

Thanks!

Back to School TV Commercials

2011-09-07T13:31:00.001-04:00

Continuing my Back to School Week "lessons", I have some TV commercials which I hope you find as entertaining as I do.

First up: a young goth girl goes shopping for school supplies at Staples with her dad. But not just any dad!

Not to be outdone, OfficeMax reminds you that they are a great back to school destination. But don't forget your lunch!

You'd be surprised what materials are necessary for school; you can't just think of pens and pencils. You need fresh clothes as well. Thankfully, we have Fruit of the Loom to remind us of that.

That commercial from 2010 possibly inspired this new commercial from Target, and it's my favorite new commercial of any kind in quite awhile. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you--DENIM!

Target also aired some other commercials in their back to school series, including a 2nd grade teacher, everyone's memory of a PE coach, and even one en español!

Finally, a quick but heartwarming commercial, courtesy of the masters of heartwarming, Hallmark. You really should do this for your children. My wife and I give cards to our kids every year on their first day, and it's a small but significant way to show your children how proud you are of them.

That's it for this year's batch. Thanks!

OK, maybe just a little more denim.

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Three O'Clock High

2011-09-06T14:07:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great summer and Labor Day weekend. Now it's time to get back to business, back to work, and back to school. Speaking of which, I'm unofficially declaring it Back to School Week here at the blog. My two young ones are starting their new school year today, and my teacher wife was back in the classroom last Thursday, so there's no better time to focus on all things scholastic than this week, and we start today with the Forgotten Film Three O'Clock High.

The movie follows high schooler Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemaszko) as he begins a day of school poorly which only gets worse, when he ticks off the new student bully, Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson), who threatens to beat the crap out of Jerry at three o'clock that afternoon. The meek Jerry wants nothing to do with the altercation and tries a variety of methods to avoid it, from reasoning with Buddy, to getting himself detention, to hiring someone else to fight Buddy for him, all to no avail. Jerry has no choice but to face the tyrant himself. Who wins? Who loses? You'll need to watch to find out.

Fortunately, unlike many other Forgotten Films/TV I've written about in the past, Three O'Clock High is readily available on DVD and Netflix streaming.

Or, you can simply watch it here:

I'll have more back to school goodness all week, so please come back tomorrow. For more Forgotten A/V, click here. Thanks!

Muscular Dystrophy Association 2011 Labor Day Telethon

2011-09-02T10:46:00.000-04:00

As I do every year, I am supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association's 2011 Labor Day Telethon. The organization has done amazing work to not only create a cure for neuromuscular diseases, but also to assist those afflicted with the diseases as well as educate the public on their causes and treatment.

This year will be a turning point for the Telethon, however. The longstanding chairman of the organization, Jerry Lewis, has stepped down just a few weeks ago and will no longer appear on the telethon. He was the one that attracted my attention to MDA as a child, as I always loved his goofy antics. As I've become an adult, I've come to respect the work the organization has done, but it won't be the same without him.

Lewis's absence is not the only change this year. Instead of a nearly 24-hour telethon starting Sunday night and running well into Labor Day itself, the telethon will only be 6 hours this Sunday night, from 6pm to midnight ET. It will not appear at all on Labor Day. That will really be strange for me.

As different as things will be this year, there is one thing that won't change: the telethon will still entertain, inform, and most importantly, raise money and awareness to fight these terrible diseases, and I'm still happy to contribute.

To learn more about MDA, please click here.

Thanks, and have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

All the Hidden Endings to Marvel Comics Avengers Prequels in One Convenient Place

2011-08-24T13:42:00.000-04:00

I've now seen all the Marvel Studios-produced films leading up to next year's Avengers movie (and my God, I hope it's awesome), and with the disappointing exception of Iron Man 2, I damn near love them. Here, in breathless anticipation of the Avengers film, are the teaser scenes that appear after the end credits of the previous movies.

Iron Man:

The Incredible Hulk (the actual scene appears at the 0:52 mark):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en5Ixx3EE-U

Iron Man 2 (the worst of the films, but the best teaser scene):

Thor:

And finally, Captain America:

Avengers assemble!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: The Boy Who Could Fly

2011-08-23T09:03:00.001-04:00

I haven't discussed a movie for this feature in awhile, so I'll get back to them with this one recommended by a coworker of mine. The Boy Who Could Fly is about a teen girl who befriends an austistic boy in the neighborhood she moves into. The boy never speaks a word, but spends hours in his backyard trying to fly.

The girl is encouraged by her teacher (played by the late Colleen Dewhurst) to get closer to the boy, which she does. The girl later is knocked out in a fall and dreams that the boy is successful in learning to fly. As she recovers, the boy is taken to an institution. Will the two be reunited? I haven't seen this film, but I'm interested to find out. The film also stars a young Fred Savage.

The film is available for viewing at YouTube (for a fee) and probably at other streaming services as well. It's also available on DVD.

Here is a fan-made music video that features various scenes from the film. Enjoy!

More Classic Burger King Commercials

2011-08-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

As you may have heard, Burger King is nixing their TV commercials featuring the giant-headed, speechless King in favor of showcasing the actual food. Many people were either put off by or completely creeped out by the King, but he never bothered me. That's because I remember the King when he was human, spoke, sang, and even performed magic. Don't believe me? Take a look!

Here are several commercials featuring not only the King, but several characters, including the curmudgeonly Duke of Doubt, designed to compete with the phenomenonally popular McDonald's characters. They existed for a good five years or so, yet very few people seem to remember them today. Enjoy! Also, take a look at past Burger King commercials I've posted here (well, at least those YouTube hasn't pulled).

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee

2011-08-16T10:07:00.001-04:00

Welcome once again to Tuesday's Forgotten, where we dig up an underrated/forgotten/overlooked gem of the past. This week, it's the TV special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee.

The special aired on April 14, 1969 on NBC, and would be the Monkees last new TV appearance under that name until their first reunion tour in 1986. The loose plot of the special involves two strange villians who plan to take over the world by brainwashing the population through the music of the Monkees, who in turn are brainwashed themselves. The band members then try to fight for their own identities throughout the special through their music. Guest stars include Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, and Little Richard, among others.

I've known of this special almost as long as I've been a huge fan of the Monkees (about 25 years now), but have never seen it before. Enjoy it with me, won't you?

The special is also notable for two reasons: it involves the idea of the boys trying to overcome their image as pre-fab creations rather than legitimate artists, which is the same theme as their lone theatrical film, Head; it also is the final Monkees project involving Peter Tork (until the '86 reunion), who left the band immediately after the special was created. Michael Nesmith would leave less than a year later.

Speaking of the film Head, it's airing this week on the digital TV network Antenna TV. Look for exact air times here. I highly recommend it. Thanks! For more great Tuesday's Overlooked entries, please visit here.

Spider-Man as Pitchman

2011-08-10T11:41:00.000-04:00

"Spider-Man, Spider-Man, sells a product like no one can..." Those aren't the real words to the famous theme song to his 1960s cartoon series, but Spidey has been used to shill some products and services from time to time.

First up is an item I've posted before. This is a commercial for the old video game made by Parker Brothers for the first Atari home video game system (later renamed the Atari 2600). I love the look of this commercial, especially the awesome Green Goblin costume!

Here's two for McDonald's Happy Meal toys.

This Spidey fan gets to swing right along with Webhead--in his imagination.

In this famous commercial for Visa check cards, Spidey and his Marvel friends are ready to help, until it's revealed to be a false alarm. Guest starring a surprise hero!

In another financial services commercial, we learn that although great at web swinging, his golf swing is terrible!

Here, Spider-Man congratulates some 70s-era youngsters for wearing Sanger Harris clothing. There's nothing creepy about that, right?

Finally, to show that Spidey isn't all about the Benjamins, here he is in a PSA urging everyone to vote.

Excelsior!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: Maurice Sendak's Really Rosie

2011-08-09T08:27:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about 70s children's TV lately, such as Sesame Street and The Electric Company, and in thinking of all this, I vaguely remembered a cartoon with children characters and a female vocalist, who I later realized featured characters by legendary chidlren's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak and equally legendary singer/songwriter Carole King. I searched for what this program was and discovered that it was this.

Maurice Sendak's Really Rosie is a half hour animated version of an off-Broadway musical based on various works of Sendak's with songs written by King. The special aired on CBS in February 1975, although I definitely saw it later than that (only being six months old at the time). It's as charming and well done as one would hope it would be. The special was briefly available on home video, but a DVD has never been released. The stage musical, however, is a staple among live children's theater to this day. Enjoy!

Fantastic Four's 50th Anniversary

2011-08-08T12:41:00.000-04:00

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Fantastic Four #1, the comic book that started the Marvel Comics Group as we know it. In their honor, please enjoy these episodes of the team's various animated series.

From the original 60s series on ABC.

The 70s series on NBC (minus the Torch--hello Herbie!).

The 90s Fox series (with terrible theme song.

And finally, the 2000s series from UPN. This episode guest starts the She-Hulk!

Sesame Street Episode 514

2011-08-03T14:52:00.002-04:00

Hey kids! I'm on a big Sesame Street kick now that I've read a book about the making of the series; I may write a review of the book soon if time permits. In the meantime, here is a full episode of the series from back in the 1970s, when many fans, myself included, claim the show was at its peak. This episode features a guest appearance by Stevie Wonder. Not a bad way to start an episode! Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: Doctor Snuggles

2011-07-26T08:13:00.001-04:00

My, it's been a few weeks since I contributed to Tuesday's Forgotten/Overlooked, but I'm happy to be back, this time with a TV series for children that was an international production.

Doctor Snuggles was a 13-episode animated children's series that was co-produced in the US, UK, Germany, and the Netherlands, and featured an elderly inventor who created imaginative contraptions that got him and his forest friends (mostly animals and even plant life) into wild adventures. Peter Ustinov provded the voice for the doctor in the English language version. I saw it in the early 80s in syndication, but it aired later in the decade on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block of programming.

Here is the good dcotor appearing in "The Remarkable Fidgety River." Enjoy!

For more overlooked audio and video, see here. Thanks!

The Origin of Captain America

2011-07-22T09:48:00.000-04:00

As anyone who is even slightly paying attention knows, the new Captain America movie is being released in theaters today. As a warm-up to the new film, here is Cap's origin story as told in the Marvel comics 60s TV cartoon series. Enjoy!

Dancin' On Air Retrospective This Saturday July 23rd!

2011-07-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there! Sorry for the extreme lack of regular blogging, but I'm afraid the blog tends to be a casualty of the summer season every year. This, however, is well worth blogging about, at least for my fellow Philly residents.

WPHL-TV Channel 17 will be showing a brand new retrospective on the 80s local dance show Dancin' On Air this Saturday, July 23rd in two parts, from 8 to 10pm and 11pm to 1am later that night. I've discussed Dancin' On Air before in what became one of my most popular posts ever, so if you haven't heard of the series before, please check that article out. Get out your hair mousse and get ready to dance, my Philly peeps!

Check out some great video of the show at the station's Web site here. Thanks!

Woody Woodpecker, "The Screwball"

2011-07-06T22:36:00.000-04:00

I've posted Disney cartoons and Warner Brothers cartoons in the past, but I've never showcased a Woody Woodpecker cartoon before. There's a first time for everything--here's Woody freeloading on a baseball game in "The Screwball." Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: Legends of the Superheroes

2011-07-04T21:42:00.000-04:00

Happy Independence Day! I hope everyone's having a great holiday weekend. I know I'm a day early, but since I'm home and have the time, I thought I'd post this week's Forgotten TV. It's something I just picked up at the Philadelphia Comic Con and remember seeing when it first aired back in 1978--Legends of the Superheroes!

This was a 2-part special that aired on NBC, produced by Hanna-Barbera, that featured a version of the Superfriends (minus Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman) pitted against a version of the Legion of Doom (minus several villians) in comedic, almost vaudevillian, fashion. It was a bizarre special, but enjoyably so. The first night featured the heroes trying to stop the villians plot to destroy the world, and the next night featured a Friars Club-style roast of the heroes by those same villians. The cast included Adam West, Burt Ward, and Frank Gorshin reprising their roles from the Batman TV show, Charlie Kallas as Sinestro, Jeff Altman as the Weather Wizard, and Ed McMahon as the MC of the roast. God bless the 70s!

Here are some clips from the specials. Thanks!

Philadelphia Comic Con 2011 Recap

2011-06-30T22:23:00.001-04:00

Hi there! Sorry once again for my absence of late, but the rigors of Real Life has made blogging a luxury. However, I'm just starting a glorious four-day holiday weekend, so I'd like to take the opportunity to discuss my visit to the 2011 Philadelphia Comic Con, held Friday June 17th!

As much as I love comic books, this was my first time at a major con. Thankfully, my awesome wife bought me a ticket (via a great discount on Groupon, of all places), and off I went. My daughter Megan went along for the trip, along with our friends the MacMinns. Megan was dressed in a Spider-Girl dress, while I went attired in a Hulk t-shirt.

Speaking of the Hulk, he was there, in the form of Lou Ferrigno. Other celebrities in attendance included Adam West and Burt Ward, Margot Kidder, John Schneider, Vivica A. Fox, Bruce Campbell, and Billy Dee Williams, among others. I didn't get any autographs, but it was still cool to see them up close and personal.

I also did some shopping. I bought a hardcover copy of Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross for $10, Chew Volume 3 for a bit less than that, Essential Savage She-Hulk (don't judge me) for $7, as well as some DVDs, including the TV version of the Broadway musical It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (Megan was interested in seeing it) and the infamous TV special Legends of the Superheroes (which I may discuss in a future post).

I received some comp copies of new books courtesy of Philly comic publishers 215 Ink, for which I'm very appreciative. I hope to give reviews of their books very soon.

Finally, I picked up some nice artwork for myself and the kids. I got a print of Wonder Woman for Megan and Batman for my son Brian for only $5 a piece thanks to artist Alan Schell, who also gave us a free copy of a comic he illustrated, Oz/Alice in Wonderland. You can see his work at his Facebook page and his DeviantArt page. Check him out!

Finally, I got my very first con sketch, from artist TL Collins. I was especially looking forward to getting a sketch, as I had a particular subject in mind. I'll save what it is for another post I want to write soon. In the meantime, you can check out Collins' web comic Bullfinch three times a week.

Here are Megan and I enjoying some cool cars at the show. We both had an awesome time. I hope to make this an annual event.

As I've said, I'll try to have some further posts about the con soon. Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: Domestic Life

2011-06-20T20:50:00.000-04:00

It's time once again to blow the dust off forgotten footage from the past. This week, it's the short-lived Martin Mull sitcom Domestic Life.

Mull plays Seattle TV personality Martin Crane, whose vignettes about family life in the 80s is called, coincidentally, Domestic Life. His life is, of course, humorously complicated, with a suffering but loving wife, frustrated teenage daughter, and very precocious 10-year-old son, who runs his own businesses. That's right--a business owning 10-year-old son. The one episode I remember most clearly featured Martin asking his son for a $4000 loan.

The show was short-lived, as previously stated (aren't all my selections short-lived?), premiering January 4, 1984 and ending on September 1st the same year. While the series didn't help Mull's career, at least it didn't hurt either.

Here is the series theme song (with lyrics written by Mull), followed by a promo for the show.

In my research, I was surprised to learn that the show was executive-produced by Steve Martin.

Thanks!

Classic Dunkin' Donuts Commercials

2011-06-16T09:08:00.000-04:00

"Time to make the donuts!" That became a big catch phrase thanks to the extensive TV advertising of Dunkin' Donuts. The company's made some great commercials over the years as well as donuts. The most memorable are probably those starring Fred The Baker, played by actor Michael Vale; here's a small taste of his work.

I love the slap he gives his coworker in the middle of the commercial!

Paulie!

Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV Show: The Flash

2011-06-14T14:05:00.000-04:00

Yes, after a couple weeks absence, I'm back! And today, I remember the one-season wonder, The Flash.

The Flash aired on CBS Thursdays at 8pm during the 1990-1991 season. The network had high hopes for the comic book-based series, as the first Tim Burton-Michael Keaton Batman film had been a monster success in theaters the previous year. Despite anticipated audience carry-over, a big budget, and early media buzz, the show didn't make it past its first season, thanks in large part to its heavy competition in that time slot--NBC's The Cosby Show and Fox's The Simpsons.

Why, even Mark Hammil appearing twice as the villian the Trickster couldn't save the series. How could that costume fail?

I enjoyed the show quite a bit, as it had a good mix of action, humor, suspense, and even romance between soap star John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/Flash and Amanda Pays (ABC's Max Headroom) as his love interest. The series was released on DVD in 2006 but I believe it's no longer in print. It is, however, available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

Right here is the show's intro and outro.

I was inspired to post about this particular series because I'm pysched up for this year's Philadelphia Wizard World Comic Con this weekend! I'll be there Friday night. It will be my first big comic con ever. I can't wait!

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Lemonade Days 2011

2011-06-09T09:27:00.001-04:00

Hey, remember me? I've very sorry for not blogging for almost three weeks. I've been extremely busy with things both work and family related, and it's not over yet. Here's hoping July and August will be more productive.

However, I couldn't let this week slip by without once again mentioning this year's Lemonade Days, the biggest weekend of the year for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. If you're not already familiar with this excellent organization, please go to their site for more info as well as the video below. My wife just ran yet another successful lemonade stand at her elementary school where she teaches, and many other wonderful people around the country will do the same over the next three days (and all year long!). If you see a lemonade stand in your area, please give what you can, or donate online. Every bit helps to fight childhood cancer--one cup at a time!

"Macho Man" Randy Savage, 1952-2011

2011-05-20T13:40:00.001-04:00

Very sad news just came in about a half hour before I wrote this. Legendary pro wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage has died today from injuries related to a car accident. He was 58 years old. Here are the details as told by TMZ.

Savage was one of my favorite wrestlers, possibly my absolute favorite, from the 80s and early 90s. He was fun, energetic, and extremely talented in the ring and out.

Here is his theme song, the famous "Pomp and CIrcumstance" to which he entered the ring most of his career.

Here is one of my favorite matches with him, tag teaming with Hulk Hogan against The Big Boss Man and Akeem. In was during this match that Savage turned back to a "heel" and betrayed Hogan. The collision with Elizabeth is one of the most shocking and surprising things I've seen in wresting (and that's saying something).

Here, "Mean Gene" Okerlund makes an attempt to know the "real" Macho Man and "Elizabet."

Finally, one of my favorite Web sites this year has been Where's Randy Savage, a Tumblr site that places Savage in very funny photo situations. Here is the link, and two examples of its silliness.

SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM!!

Rest in peace, Macho Man. OH YEAH!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV Movie: Dr. Strange

2011-05-17T13:30:00.000-04:00

This week's offering is yet another selection I haven't seen for myself. Dr. Strange was a made-for-TV movie that aired on CBS in 1978, and was intended as a pilot for a weekly series, much the same way The Incredible Hulk TV series came to be. Obviously this one didn't work out. Was it because of the quality (or lack thereof) of the movie itself? Let's find out together. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Battle Beyond The Stars

2011-05-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

After my regrettable absence from the feature last week, I'm back with Tuesday's Forgotten Film. This week, it's the Roger Corman produced Star Wars ripoff Battle Beyond The Stars.

I confess that I haven't seen the film, but you can deduce what the film is like easily enough from the trailer below. Richard Thomas (The Waltons) plays a Luke Skywalker-esque character out to save the galaxy from the tyrannical villain played by character actor extraordinnaire John Saxon. Throw in wisecracking pilot George Peppard (clearly a warm-up for his character of Hannibal on The A-Team) and you've got yourself a movie.

It's obviously a cash-in on the astronomical success of Star Wars--the title alone is a giveaway of that--but Battle has one thing the first Star Wars film doesn't--100% more mammography.

For more forgotten movies/TV/music/etc., click here.
Thanks!

Mr. Men and Little Misses

2011-05-09T09:56:00.000-04:00

As Google so happily pointed out to us, today would have been the 76th birthday of Roger Hargreaves, the creator of the popular line of children's books Mr. Men and Little Misses. I knew that very recently there existed a cartoon TV series featuring the adventures of the characters, but I didn't know until today that a series of cartoons previously existed.

Here is one example, featuring Mr. Tickle. After you watch it, you may find him as creepy as I did. The dude literally lives to go out and tickle unsuspecting innocents with his extremely long arms. This is yet another example of how innocent children's stories can have an unintentional ick factor. Enjoy anyway!

Free Comic Book Day 2011 is Tomorrow!

2011-05-06T13:47:00.001-04:00

If you're a regular reader of the blog, you probably know this already, but in case you don't, tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day! This is a great opportunity for both longtime readers and first-timers to sample some great writing and artwork and, hopefully, inspire you to shell out some coin for more. For more info, click here for the day's official Web site.
Here's a taste of what you can expect:

To find a local comic book store near you, click here.

Have a great weekend! And Happy Mother's Day!

Elmer Lynn Hauldren, 1922-2011

2011-04-28T12:52:00.001-04:00

Who is Elmer Lynn Hauldren? He's this guy.

Yep, he's the Empire Carpet guy. His grandfatherly voice and gentle style have made him famous as the spokesman for Empire Carpet. The business started in Chicago and spread nationwide. Sadly, Hauldren died this past Tuesday at the age of 89. Certianly he will be remembered as an advertising icon much like Mr. Whipple or Madge the Palmolive lady. RIP.

UPDATE AS OF 7/22/2011: I've been contacted by the Empire Today carpet company and been informed that they have created a special tribute Web site in honor of Mr. Hauldren. Please go to http://www.empirecarpetman.com/ to learn more about him and hear their famous commercial jingle--which was written by Hauldren himself! Special thanks to Empire Today for letting me know about this and for appreciating my tribute!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: Rags to Riches

2011-04-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

Hi, remember me? I'm back from my trip to Walt Disney World (which I may blog about in the near future), and I look forward to getting back into the swing of things here.

For this week's overlooked audio/video, I choose a particular childhood favorite of my wife's: the short-lived NBC family musical series Rags to Riches. The series, set in the early 1960s, starred longtime character actor Joe Bologna as Nick Foley, a self-made millionare and confirmed bachelor who takes in five orphan girls as a ruse to help him appear as a family man to close a lucrative business deal. Although Foley only intends to keep the girls temporarily until the deal is sealed, the crusty man's heart falls for the girls and he adopts the girls permanently. Throughout the series, the girls (and sometimes Bologna) would burst into song using classic pop songs from the era to desribe their feelings or thoughts.

Although the series had a loyal following, the series was never highly rated, and was cancelled during its second season. But thanks to the Internet, you can enjoy the pilot right here! Fans of Glee or High School Musical (don't know how many of those read this blog, if at all) would have loved this show.

For more forgotten favorites, please see here. Thanks!

A Family Circus Easter

2011-04-13T14:16:00.000-04:00

Here is another family-oriented Easter offering, and my favorite of the bunch this year. Billy, Jeffy, Dolly, and PJ meet the Easter Bunny himself (voiced by the late Dizzie Gillespie) in A Family Circus Easter.

And that's it for my Easter programming this year. As I've said before, I wanted to get it out early as I leave for Walt Disney World with the family tomorrow and won't return until late next week. I'll be off the grid until at least then, so if you don't hear from me beforehand, Happy Easter!

Even the Easter Bunny Gets Angry

2011-04-12T13:42:00.000-04:00

It's true! You don't want to piss him off. Just take a look below.

Poor little Timmy learned this lesson the hard way.

That was nothing compared to what EB dishes out here. Put Peter Cottontail in a Quentin Tarantino movie, and you might get this.

You better be good, for goodness sake!

Yeah, I know that's Santa Claus, but still...

Cadillac Cats, "Cottontails, Chickens, and Colored Eggs"

2011-04-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

Keeping it for the kiddies again (it's hard to find grown-up Easter stuff), here are the Cadillac Cats (from the 80s Heathcliff syndicated cartoon) learning the story of how the Easter Bunny got involved with Easter eggs in "Cottontails, Chickens, and Colored Eggs." Enjoy!

Yogi The Easter Bear

2011-04-08T13:21:00.000-04:00

Today's post is strictly for the kids. Bring them up to the PC or Mac and let them enjoy Yogi The Easter Bear, featuring the titular bear subbing for the Easter Bunny. With the recent theatrical film now available on DVD, there may be an uptick in interest for the smarter-than-the-average bear. Enjoy!

Classic Easter Commercials 2011 Edition

2011-04-06T17:17:00.000-04:00

What, Easter already? Actually, it's not until April 24th, but as I'll be away for awhile on a family trip to Walt Disney World, I won't be posting much later in teh month. Therefore, I'm showcasing this year's Easter stuff a couple weeks early. As usual when starting holiday programming, I'll kick things off with some classic TV commercials.

And what a surprise, a Carvel ice cream cake commercial, this time featuring Cookie Chick.

Everyone loves the Cadbury creme egg Easter Bunny, so why would anyone want to replace him?

Lastly, here are three spots for the Dudley line of Easter egg dyeing kits. They haven't advertised on TV for ages, but back in the day they were all over TV around Easter time. These kits were very involving, with a whole line of characters (garishly designed) and came with many gizmos and gadgets. Wow, seeing the costumed characters after all this time, I see they were even goofier looking than I remember. Ah, the late 70s/early 80s!

I used to have a Bosley Bunny hand puppet!

Go dye some Easter eggs!

A Look at All-Time TV Classics

2011-04-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

In case you couldn't guess, I loves me some classic TV, as I think most people do. Since I often post classic TV posts here and there, I thought I'd take an opportunity to really showcase some all-time great TV shows and moments that are a part of American pop culture. Enjoy!

HA! SEE WHAT I DID THERE? REMEMBER THE DATE? APRIL FOOL! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

sorry :(

Remember When I Used to Post McDonalds Commercials?

2011-03-30T15:55:00.000-04:00

McDonald's material used to be a mainstay here at the blog, but Mac Tonight aside, I haven't done too much the last year or so. They've proven popular in the past, so let's give it a (sesame seed) roll!

For my first entry, I have just four words to say: "Quack quack waddle waddle!"

In this one, when the dad brings home dinner for everyone, it's his way of saying, "Your new babysitter is also your new second mommy. Don't worry, your first mommy isn't going anywhere; we'll be one big happy family!"

Happy Meal flying saucers were awesome!

Finally, this clip proves that Beethoven was the first McDonalds jingle writer.

You deserve a break today!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: No Ordinary Family

2011-03-29T10:43:00.003-04:00

It's time once again to focus on a forgotten/neglected/overlooked feast for the eyes and ears, as is proper for a Tuesday. My selection today, I believe, certainly qualifies, even though it's a TV series that is technically still on the air--if only for one more week.

No Ordinary Family is an ABC network series starring Michael Chiklis (The Commish, The Shield) and Julie Benz (Desperate Housewives, Dexter) as Jim and Stephanie Powell, two earnest parents of teen daughter Daphne and son J.J. As the series opens, the family is growing apart and in a state of malaise, until a trip to Brazil for Stephanie's scientific research job bestows super powers to the entire brood. Jim gets super stength and invulnerability, Stephanie super speed, Daphne the ability to read minds, and J.J. becomes super smart. In a series about super heroes, however, there are bound to be super villians, who seem to come out of nowhere, until the mystery as to their origin becomes clearer as the season progresses.

Ratings for the season started out OK, at least well enough that ABC ordered a full 22-episode season early on. However, tough competition from NCIS, American Idol, and The Biggest Loser wore the ratings down, and the season was shortened from 22 to 20 episodes. Although there is no official word on the future of the series from ABC, signs all but confirm the show's demise. Chiklis and Benz are already signed on to pilots for CBS (although they have the option to back out if Family is picked up), and the most recent first-run episode aired this past Saturday night at 10, a funeral knell if there ever was one for a show's cancellation.

I find it a shame that the series couldn't last beyond the first season. Although the writing wasn't perfect (scripts sometimes took awkward turns to advance certain plot points), the quality really kicked into high gear the last couple of months, as viewers learned more about the conspiracy behind the source of the super powers. I'm very curious to see what they could have done going forward. Alas, it looks not to be.

Thanks to the magic of the Internet (don't tell me it's science, it's magic, people!), you can still catch some episodes of the series on ABC's Web site in preparation of the season (series?) finale next Tuesday, April 5th. Please give it a try if you can.

For more overlooked A/V masterpieces, click here. Thanks!

The Incredible Hulk as Pitchman

2011-03-24T16:47:00.000-04:00

Considering the Incredible Hulk is so, well, maladjusted, you'd think he wouldn't be the first choice for a commercial product endorser. However, you would be wrong. Although perhaps not in the same tier as Superman and Batman when it comes to commercial appearances, he's had his share of product plugging.

Here he is for an inflatable RC-controlled figure featuring his likeness.

And also for Kid Power sneakers.

The Hulkster seems especially favored in countries other than the US. Here he is in a strange Spanish-language commercial for a cell phone company. That is none other than the great Lou Ferrigno reprising the role that made him famous. If anyone can tell me what country this aired in, please let me know in the comments section.

Here is a commercial for a Dutch-made candy. Ironically, the punchline of this commercial has come true to life in the Hulk's original medium of comic books. Comic geeks out there know what I mean.

Here's Lou again in a Canadian commercial for financial services company AGF. Please forgive the long intro to this clip.

Finally, here's the Hulk in...so sorry, wrong Hulk!

HULK SMASH!

NBC's One to Grow On

2011-03-23T12:48:00.000-04:00

I've decided this blog just isn't, well, educational enough. I should impart some life lessons for you to reflect upon throughout the day. I'll remedy that situation right now, with help from a series of lessons called One to Grow On.

One to Grow On was a series of short public service lessons that aired interstitionally during NBC's Saturday morning children's programs during the 80s, starring various NBC primetime actors. Take a look. Thanks!

Tuesday's Forgotten TV: The Tortellis

2011-03-22T14:00:00.001-04:00

Cheers remains one of the most beloved and popular TV sitcoms in history, even 20 years after it's departure from the first run airwaves. It was immediately followed by Frasier, which aired an equal number of years on NBC to critical and viewer acclaim. It's quite possibly the most successful spinoff TV series in history.

But it wasn't the first Cheers spinoff.

That designation belongs to The Tortellis, starring longtime character actor Dan Hedaya* as Nick Tortelli, the ex-husband of Cheers barmaid Carla. The Tortellis chronicled Nick's life in Las Vegas, with his new bride, ditzy blonde Loretta, played by Jean Kasem. To be honest, it wasn't a great series, and the audience agreed--it only lasted 13 episodes in the fall of 1987. Still, it's notable for being a spinoff of a series as revered as Cheers and preceding an equally revered spinoff. Not great, but certainly forgotten.

Here is the series pilot. Thanks!

Be sure to check out other forgotten and overlooked movies and TV here.

*I actually met Dan Hedaya back in the fall of 1996 when I was an intern at a local TV station in Philadelphia. He wasn't exactly Mr. Sociable!

St. Patrick's Day Forgotten Film Extra: Hear My Song

2011-03-17T10:22:00.001-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! In honor of this day and my Irish heritage, I'm discussing a Forgotten Film extra, the 1991 movie Hear My Song.

The film revolves around a young Irish man named Mickey, who runs a nightclub featuring some questionable "talent," such as a singer named Frank Cinatra--yes, Cinatra with a "C" instead of an "S". (A nightclub employee asks Mickey, "Who's next--Bing Crosby with a K?") When he almost loses his club and his longtime girlfriend (to whom he's been noncommittal), he leaves his town on a search for a big name act that can save his club and his relationship--real life Irish tenor Josef Locke, who disappeared decades before after being charged with tax evasion. Will Mickey find the elusive Locke, and if so, will Locke agree to save Mickey's club, and in turn his life?

The film relies a lot on the stereotypes of Irish characters with quirks and hardcore drinking habits, but they are used more as a tribute to those qualties rather than a condemnation of them. And if you're looking for a sober look at Irish life and politics, watch The Crying Game or In The Name of the Father instead. This movie is pure froth, and delightful froth at that. I highly recommend this fun, romantic, funny, and sentimental film. Watch the red band (rated R!) trailer below. Slainte!

WE MAKE! HOLES IN TEETH!

2011-03-16T14:56:00.000-04:00

Back in the day,* the makers of Crest toothpaste warned us Generation Xers against the dangers of not brushing our teeth, or at least the dangers of not using their product to do it, lest we fall prey to those monstrous molar marauders--THE CAVITY CREEPS! See for yourself. Remember the terror! Remember the horror! Remember the bicuspids!

Who knew the Cavity Creeps were pilots?

Looking back, I'm impressed by the character design used in these commercials. It's tight and detailed, much like a dramatic comic strip or Classics Illustrated comic book, as opposed to a more "cartoony" style.

The Creeps, of course, are not to be confused with ABC's "Yuck Mouth."

Thanks!

*(the phrase "back in the day," unless otherwise indicated, refers to the late 70s/early 80s of my youth)

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Fatso

2011-03-15T13:09:00.001-04:00

For this week's forgotten/overlooked/underappreciated A/V, I've chosen the 1980 Dom Deluise comedy vehicle Fatso. Dom stars as an overweight Italian-American (what a stretch) who stuggles to win the battle of the bulge after the untimely death of this even heavier cousin at a young age. After various bad starts and missed opportunties in his diet, he meets a girl for whom he becomes infatuated; the young woman is equally smitten with him. Will his new relationship help or hurt his weight loss efforts?

The movie costars Anne Bancroft as his older, no-nonsense sister, who is equally supportive and demonstrative of Deluise in his dieting. Bancroft is a major force of the film; she also wrote and directed it.

This movie appeared frequently on TV in the early 80s, and I just saw it on cable last year (it's still on my DVR). I can sympathize with Dom's struggles--I just joined Weight Watchers last week, and I just came back from my first weigh-in after joining. I lost 4 pounds! What a great start!
Enjoy the film's trailer below. Thanks!