List O' Links for Friday, July 10, 2015

I haven't done a List O' Links in awhile, so it's high time I did so. Click away!

I love Sesame Street, and I love learning more about the series and seeing things about it I haven't seen before. This takes the cake: Sesame Street characters playing hockey against the Chicago Blackhawks! This soundless home movie reel is dated circa 1970, but I think it may actually be from much later in the decade. Either way, it's fun to watch!

This being the 40th anniversary of one of my all-time favorite movies, Jaws, here is a collection of fantastic Jaws fan art! You can also find a few other pieces at my Tumblr site!

While I type away right now, San Diego Comic Con 2015 is in full swing! It's practically always Comic Con here at the blog, but in honor of SDCC, here is a defense of the existence of the awesome Cartoon Network series Teen Titans GO! The article describes it as a "necessary evil," but I think the show is wonderful. It's my favorite product DC Entertainment is making--with the exception of The Flash TV series.

Summer is most famous for its hot, sunshine-filled days, but there are plenty of people who enjoy the rain. If you're one of them--and I do appreciate a good rainy day here and there--this site is for you: Rainy Mood. For those days you're feeling serene and introspective, this site provides the sounds of a soothing storm. Rain--it's not just for sadness!

Here's a chance to step back in time to October 1978 and see what was on the tube back then according to TV Guide magazine! 

Finally, artist extraordinaire Alex Ross has unveiled a set of work featuring the Beatles as they appeared in the animated movie Yellow Submarine. I loved Ross's work and the Beatles, so to see the two together is a real treat!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Halloween 2012!

Man, I can't believe it. The big day is finally here! 31 days feels more like 31 minutes. I'm sure you feel the same way--and some of you started in September or even earlier! Of course, thanks to Hurricane Sandy, trick or treating will be delayed by a couple of days for hundreds of thousands on the East Coast.. My town is having it tomorrow night, while others towns around me are having it Friday or Saturday. To those folks, I say look on the bright side--you get to celebrate the Halloween season that much longer! And to help you do so, please check not only this year's Halloween posts at the blog, but from past years as well.  And always, go to the Countdown to Halloween site for all your Halloween blogging needs!

With all that said, here are the last of my Halloween treats this year!

First up, an early cartoon version of The Headless Horseman, even older that the Disney animated version!

Next, Happy Halloween--from Hot Rod himself, Rowdy Roddy Piper!




Finally, we end the season the way we began--with Halloween wishes from the Cool Ghoul himself, Zacherley!




And...that's it.

I'm going to take the rest of the week off from blogging, to allow the Halloween posts to "breathe" a bit while readers catch up on posts they may have missed--I know I plan on doing that for the blogs that I read. Please stick with the blog going forward. There's much more here than Halloween, so if you enjoyed the blog this month, please stay tuned, as there's plenty to enjoy year round.

I find myself feeling bittersweet and wistful. There's only one thing left to say...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

NFL Today, December 17, 1977

I'm not a big sports fan, and I'm certainly not a football fan. But what I am a huge fan of is broadcasting. Here is an interesting tidbit of both things. Here is a full half hour of CBS's NFL Today from December 17, 1977, hosted by the classic team of Brent Musburger, Phyllis George, and Jimmy "The Greek."

For years this was the football pregame show of choice for millions of Americans. It's a nice time capsule of the 70s from a broadcasting, sports, and pop culture perspective. Enjoy!

List O' Links for Week of 4/27/12

It's been awhile, but List O' Links is back! And what a sweet lineup we have this week!

Comics Alliance presents 15 comic book TV shows that didn't make it to full series. Amazing Screw-On Head, anyone?

Fellow Adventure Time fans will get a kick out of this collection of 101 animated gifs from the series. Actually, its an even 100, as one of them is listed twice, but who's counting?

My blogging friend and high school alumnus Chris Nowaczyk professes why baseball is his religion.

Masters of the Universe characters created with Lite Brite pegs. Experience the power here and here.

Finally, Hero Complex, the online comic book blog published by the LA Times, featured this moving tribute to Jack Kirby by his son Neal.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Animalympics

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!

Tales of the Wizard of Oz: The Reunion

Today is a short cartoon from what I consider to be a strange TV series.  Tales of The Wizard of Oz was a series that aired in 1961 (I don't know which network or if in syndication) that had its own take on the classic Oz characters.  The character design was simple and almost grotesque in some places, and the characters' personalities were a departure from what we're familiar with in the classic film.  The series seems to go more for pure comedy rather than charm or heart that other incarnations of the story do.  See for yourself here, as the Wicked Witch pays a visit to her witch school reunion.  I must say, the Witch has quite a menacing laugh here!



Oh, and another thing...


GO PHILLIES!!!!!!

Tastykake TV Commercials

In a similar vein to yesterday's post featuring Philly local TV commercials, today I present more commercials all from one Philly institution: The Tasty Baking Company, makers of Tastykakes--the best snack cakes EVER!! I grew up--and grew wide--on their delicious cakes, and these commericals helped contribute to their popularity.

To start off, here is a commercial featuring the classic jingle. I'm not the boy featured, but I might as well have been!



Next is an animated commerical I don't remember, but it's cute and has a late 70s/early 80s charm to it.



Here, kids enjoy some great Tastykakes, and learn the penalties in hockey as well. During Flyers broadcasts back in the day, when a Flyer scored, he "scored for a case of Tastykake!"



Here is a set of several various commercials that includes one Tastykake spot. What interests me about this clip: it aired on a Washington D.C. station! I didn't know they were sold that far south of Philly.



Finally, what may be the most interesting commercial of the set. Not only is it in great shape for being over 30 years old, it features a celebrity endorsement from none other than--Betty White! How the hell did that happen?



I think I'll go home and enjoy a good Tatykake right now!

We Are The Champions!

I know I said that I might post one or two more Halloween items before the weekend, but I looked around my Halloween cache and noticed that I'd pretty much used it up already, so Friday was indeed the Halloween swan song for this year. I hope everyone enjoyed my programming. Please let me know via comments or email what you thought of it so I can prepare for next year.

And so we move on. In case you haven't noticed from my last two posts, I'm very happy that the Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Series.

Ahem, let me say that again...

THE PHILLIES HAVE WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been 25 years since the city won a major sports championship, so I had to exude some glee these few days. Below is a fan's footage (not taken by me) of the last out in Game 5 last Wednesday night:



The victory parade was Friday, travelling through downtown Philly right to the city's sports complex. My workplace is just a block away from the start of the parade, so I managed to get some footage with my video camera.

Here is a large crowd in Philly's famous Love Park anxiously awaiting their World Series Champions:



Here is a (admittedly shaky) clip of the Phils making their way along Market Street:



Finally, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley gave a very, shall we say, enthusiastic speech at the victory celebration. NOT SAFE FOR WORK!



Obviously, it was a joyous and wild day for Phillies fans everywhere. Thank you Phillies!

I'll get back to my usual fare from now on, I promise!

Happy Halloween 2008!

Talkin' Baseball, Part 2

Welcome back for more baseball fun, this time in animated form.

Starting off the lineup, here is Bugs Bunny with his hilarious hardball film, "Baseball Bugs."



Next at bat, a tutorial for the game, demonstrated by none other than Disney's Goofy, in "How to Play Baseball."



In the on-deck circle is the famous Casey of "Casey at the Bat."



Finally, in the clean-up spot, are Casey's nine daughters, just enough for their own team.



I hope your home team wins on opening day (unless your team is the Washington Nationals, in which case I hope my Phightin' Phils are victorious). See you again on Tuesday, when I'll offer up some April Fools' Day practical jokes (but not on you, dear readers, I love ya too much).

Thanks!

Talkin' Baseball, Part 1

You can definitely tell it's Spring. The air smells sweeter, the grass is getting greener, the birds are coming out to sing...and the pinstripes are coming out to play.

Starting this weekend, it's baseball season, boys and girls!

Turn on the overhead lights, fire up the hot dogs and crack open a cold beer. Let's welcome baseball season 2008 with some classic clips.

First off, the namesake of this post, Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball" (the most famous of many versions. I couldn't find the Phillies version, unfortunately).



Next, another baseball theme song, John Fogerty's "Centerfield."



One of the all-time amazing moments of the game, "The Shot Heard 'Round The World," which won the 1952 National League Championship for the New York Giants. "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the Pennant!"



Another famous, or infamous moment, in baseball history--Bill Buckner's error that enabled the Mets to win the 1986 World Series.



And of course, no celebration of America's Favorite Pastime would be complete without Abbot & Costello's "Who's On First."



Come back on Sunday for Talkin' Baseball Part 2, when I'll be bring you some animated baseball fun. Thanks!

P.S. Recommend an mp3 player for me! See my last post.