Welcome Spring 2023!

Ladies and gentlemen--Spring.

Valentine's Day TV Commercials

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

And what better way to celebrate a day devoted to love than with--commerce!

Today I present a few Valentine's Day TV commercials. I post holiday-related commercials all the time, but I don't think I've ever posted them for Valentine's Day before. Here goes!

Celebrate your sweetie with a Carvel ice cream cake!

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is one of the most underrated Peanuts specials, and you should seek it out if you haven't seen it. Here is a quick promo for the special from 1979, preceded by another romatic program--an episode of the live action Spider-Man series. OK, maybe not.

McDonald's commercials are a longtime staple of this blog. Here is one for awesome-looking Valentines featuring your favorite McDonaldland characters!

This is a touching commercial from Kmart, featuring a teenage boy preparing a lovely Valentine's Day for his suprising sweetheart. Awwww!

Here is a low-tech and local commerical for Philadelphia Candies from 1987. Local, low-tech, from the '80s, and Philly-centric. It hits all my sweet spots!

Finally, here is another commerical from 1987, this time for the long-gone discount chain Woolworth's. I think everyone from Generation X and older has at least one fond memory of Woolworth's, if not more!

Once again, Happy Valentine's Day. Show your special someone how much you love them!

I may have another Valentine's Day post later this week. Stay tuned, and thanks!

The Popeye Valentine Special: Sweethearts at Sea

 

Ahoy maties! Valentine's Day is just days away, and I've discovered a nautical way to celebrate the day. With the 1979 animated TV special The Popeye Valentine Special: Sweethearts at Sea!

In this special, Popeye forgets to get Olive Oyl a gift for Valentine's Day, so she goes on a cruise to find a new man. When Popeye finds out, he goes to sea to win back his longtime love. However, the villianous Sea Hag and Bluto have their own Valentine's Day plans for our heroes.

The special aired on CBS on Valentine's Day 1979. I had no idea this existed until recently, and I'm happy to share it here.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for more Valentine's Day fun the next few days, and maybe even after the big day! I'm getting a late start, but I have more for you to love this year, and I'd like to get it all in.

One more thing--

GO EAGLES!

OK, now I'll show the special. 😊

The Monkees, "Some Like It Lukewarm," Tribute to Jerry Blavat

 

Today I offer a quick tribute to a beloved Philadelphia icon who passed away last week, with a longer one hopefully to follow soon.

Friday January 20th saw the passing of Jerry Blavat, a longtime radio DJ and nightclub owner here in Philly. Blavat started as a dancer on the original Bandstand show, hosted first by Bob Horn and then Dick Clark. Blavat moved on to being a radio DJ and made connections with many celebritites such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and worked for Don Rickles.

Blavat became well known enough in show business circles in the '60s to earn a guest appearance in an episode of The Monkees, titled "Some Like It Lukewarm." Here is that episode.

Enjoy! I hope to have more on Blavat soon.

Mel Brooks, The Critic (1963)

 

Sticking with the animation theme, here is another Oscar award-winning cartoon from 1963, created by Mel Brooks and animator Ernest Pintoff, "The Critic."

"The Critic" features a series of abstract images across the screen while light orchestral music plays in the background. Watching the cartoon in an unseen elderly movie patron who is verbally not happy with the cartoon. Brooks improvised his monologue in character while the images play, resulting in a funny three minutes of film.

Ernest Pintoff is a legendary animator who creates several unique short cartoons, some of which I may feature in future blog posts.

Enjoy!

The Dot and the Line cartoon (1965)

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season!

Now we get back to normal here--if nomal is even a thing here--as I present the 1965 cartoon The Dot and the Line.

This cartoon, directed by legendary Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones, is based on the 1963 book written and illustrated by Norton Juster. In the story, a dot leaves its partner, a straight line, for the company of a squiggle, leaving the line in a lurch, but the dot and the line learn a valuable lesson about relationships.

It's cuter and more intelligent than it sounds.

The cartoon was an Academy Award winner, and it deserved it. It's a very smart, sweet cartoon.

Enjoy!

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve '79

Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah. But the holidays aren't over yet. We have one more celebration before we put a wrap on the holiday season--New Year's Day! And I can't think of a better way to celebrate the new year than by--celebrating an old year!

When I was growing up in my house in the '70s and '80s, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve was a yearly tradition. I wouldn't think of ringing in the new year without it! And here is an example of what made the broadcast so fun. Here is the one that welcomed 1979, and it's filled with late '70s goodness. Put on your platform shoes and dance along with everyone. Check it out embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Enjoy! And stay tuned if you do enjoy it, because I think I'll post one or two more before 2022 is over.

Thanks!