August's Underappreciated Music: "In Memoriam" Songs

Hello all. The Labor Day weekend is upon us, and unofficially brings Summer 2014 to a close. I hope your summer was a fun and restful one.

For this month's Underappreciated Music, I decided to go with a theme. I recently came across a couple of songs I cateogrize as "In Memoriam" songs, songs which pay tribute to someone who has passed, particularly a celebrity. The following songs are just a few that represent the concept well.

The first song I feature this month is the one that got me thinking about this theme, the 1972 Righteous Brothers hit "Rock and Roll Heaven." In a sad irony, member Bobby Hatfield is himself no longer with us.



The most beautiful example of this type of song I've ever heard is a dedication to John Lennon, Elton John's "Empty Garden." Arguably Bernie Taupin's best work.



Lennon's Beatles bandmate George Harrison wrote and recorded his own tribute to Lennon, "All Those Years Ago."



Ringo Starr would in turn dedicate a song to Harrison upon his death, the wistful "Never Without You."



Next to the deaths of John Lennon and Buddy Holly, no singer's passing affected audiences like that of Elvis Presley. Here is a tribute to the King, a #1 song from Alannah Myles, "Black Velvet."



Finally, a smooth way to complete this collection is this song, a tribute to both Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, the sweet, soulful "Nightshift."



Everyone please have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend! Next week, we go Back to School!

Tuesday's Overlooked Film: Soldier in the Rain

Tuesday's Overlooked Film this week is the 1963 comedy/drama Soldier in the Rain.

Soldier in the Rain stars Steve McQueen as a young Army sergeant, naive and wholesome, who forms an unlikely friendship with his master sergeant played by Jackie Gleason (a favorite of mine), a schemer who seems McQueen's opposite. However, over the course of the film, the two characters develop an unusual bond: McQueen admires Gleason's resourcefulness, and Gleason admires McQueen's innocence and can-do attitude. They help each other out in various ways throughout the film, until the last favor done for the other leads to tragedy.

Like the characters they portray, McQueen and Gleason seem an odd pairing, but seeing them work so well together will convince you of the characters' friendship. The film costars Tuesday Weld, was based on a book by William Goldman, and was produced and coadapted by Blake Edwards.

Unfortunately, the film is difficult to find on video. It was only briefly available on VHS and has been available on DVD only through Warner Archive's site.

Here is a brief clip of the film that demonstrates the conniving sergeant's honest love for his country. Thanks!

Tuesday's Overlooked: Robin Williams, 1951-2014

There's a lot I could say, but everyone else is saying much the same thing, so for now, I'll just leave these here.

Tuesday's Overlooked TV-Movie: Hallmark Hall of Fame, "Aunt Mary"

Tuesday's Overlooked this week is the heartwarming 1979 TV-movie Aunt Mary.

Aunt Mary, a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation from 1979, is based on a true story and stars Jean Stapleton as Mary, a crutch-using single woman who befriends a group of tough young boys and does her best to teach them discipline, teamwork, and morals by organizing them into a baseball team. Her friends, including veteran character actors Martin Balsam, Dolph Sweet, and Harold Gould, think she's wasting time on these young punks, but in typical Hallmark fashion, she proves the naysayers wrong. When Mary faces aversity later in the film, the boys come to her rescue.

The film is based on the true story of Mary Dobkin, who organized youngsters in her town into the "Dobkin Dynamiters" baseball team in the Baltimore area in the 1940s. I saw this film only once on late night TV in the early 80s, and I came across it haphazardly. I was so compelled by it I couldn't turn it off, even though I was very tired. I've never seen it since, but I've never forgotten it.

Unfortunately, it's never been released on home video as far as I can tell, nor is it available on any video streaming services. Here, however, is a minutes long montage of a few scenes from the film.

Enjoy! For more overlooked treasures, please visit friend Todd Mason's blog Sweet Freedom. Thanks!

Saturday Matinee: Captain America Movie Serial Parts 12 and 13

Hello you, and hello August! I realized I let the entire month of July go by without posting any of the chapters of the current Saturday Matinee, Captain America. How gauche of me! That's pretty bad, July kind of being Cap's month and all. Time to make it up by posting the next two chapters of the 1940s serial here. I hope you enjoy!

If you haven't enjoyed this feature, please let me know that as well. I'd love to hear your feedback. I can't improve the blog if I don't know what you'd like to see, so don't be shy. You can answer my survey along the right of the blog, you can leave a comment, or email me at phillyradiogeek@gmail.com. Any way you'd like, let me know what you think.

Have a great weekend! Go and see Guardians of the Galaxy! And check out the sweet promotional art for Avengers: Age of Ultron above.