Tag: television
Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby – Jingle Bells
An evening pause: Two professionals show how to make a song fresh that unfortunately has become too familiar.
Hat tip Alton Blevins for the song suggestion for this holiday season.
Jerry Granelli Trio – Linus and Lucy
An evening pause: The music from the soundtrack of the Charlie Brown television specials, with sections from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The man playing the drums, Jerry Granelli, is the last surviving member of the original group that played Vince Guaraldi’s music for the television show itself.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
Irwin Allen – The Time Tunnel
An evening pause: For those like myself who as a kid watched all of Irwin Allen’s sometimes good, often boringly predictable, but always truly cheesy sci-fi television shows, this documentary will bring back memories. Allen’s shows also explain why Star Trek became the phenomenon it did, as it was so much better.
And can you guess the name of the documentary’s narrator/anchor?
Hat tip Robert Pratt.
Armstrong and Miller – The Art Historian’s Most Clumsiest Moments
An evening pause: Ben Miller of the Armstrong and Miller show does a series of wonderful send-ups of the typical narrator/anchor of public television documentaries. This short skit appears to have been a regular running gag on their show. More funny routines here.
Don Rickles, Ruth Buzzi, and Arte Johnson – bloopers from Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
An evening pause: This sequence shows the almost vain attempt to shoot a series of quick jokes using the running gag of Buzzi playing her character “Gladys” on a park bench being “accosted” by Arte Johnson, playing his character “Tyrone”. Rickles adds another element. It shows again that humor is at its heart silliness. If you can’t be silly you can’t be funny, and these three comedians certainly understood that.
Hat tip Cotour.
Jools Holland and the Playboys – Highwire
An evening pause: For those familiar with the 1960s British television show, Danger Man (which in the U.S. was titled Secret Agent) starring Patrick McGoohan (more famous for the later spy series The Prisoner), this music will be very familiar. It was written by Edwin Astley, was the theme music for the second iteration of the British release. In the American release it was used as background music throughout the show. You can watch the entire series here. It has what I call muscle, and is well worth your time.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
Smothers Brothers – Hippie Chick Clip
An evening pause: A wonderful moment from the 1960s, performed brilliantly by actress Leigh French and resulting in some wonderful and gentle satire of the hippie culture of the time. Context is also important, because the Smothers Brothers were constantly having problems with their television censors.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
The Turtles – Happy Together
Tiny Tim’s first appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
An evening pause: Aired live April 4, 1968. This important moment in time not only illustrates the incredible tolerant and eccentric nature of 1960s culture, it shows us Johnny Carson at his best. He recognizes the eccentricity of his guest, uses it for humor, but then is also sincerely willing to interview Tim and let him express himself. As always, Carson is kind to his guest, which is one of the reasons his audience loved him so much.
Carson also recognized that Tiny Tim’s eccentricity was great entertainment (something Tim recognized himself quite clearly), which is why Carson allowed the appearance to go so long. It was good show business.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Dean Martin – That’s Amore
An evening pause: Performed live on television 1965. A great song to start the week.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Julie Andrews segment during of Carol Burnett’s 90th Birthday Special
An evening pause: Aired in 2023. The best part is the short film providing sample moments from the three television specials they did together.
Hat tip Phil Berardelli.
Raquel Welch – Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In
An evening pause: From the 1970 television special, Raquel!, with this song a perfect illustration of the naive silliness of that time. The costumes however are truly magnificent.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Betsy Palmer, Robert Goulet, & Bess Myerson – “I’ve got a secret”
An evening pause: A slightly different pause tonight from a 1964 episode of the quiz show “I’ve got a secret.” Can you guess where the dialogue comes from that they perform at the opening of this segment, before they tell you? Also keep watching for a more accurate rendition, all done in a bit of silly good-natured fun.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman, who recognized it instantly.
Jonathan Winters Tells Drinking Stories
An evening pause: Seems appropriate to usher in the weekend. From the Johnny Carson Show, 1976.
Hat tip Gene Shipp.
Petula Clark – Sign Of The Times
A evening pause: This performance, almost certainly lip-synced, is from the Ed Sullivan Show in 1966. It is absolutely worth watching, not only because the song is good, but the set, costumes, and dance choreography will give those too young to have lived in the 1960s a real sense of the crazy no-holds-barred culture of that time. People were willing and free to try anything.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Lalo Schifrin – Mission Impossible
Cher & Tina Turner – Shame on You!
Johnny Carson – Carnak routine c1981
An evening pause: When humor was designed to be ludicrously silly, and make absolutely no sense. This clearly occurred during the 1981 air traffic controllers strike.
Hat tip David Lohnes
An evening pause: When humor was designed to be ludicrously silly, and make absolutely no sense. This clearly occurred during the 1981 air traffic controllers strike.
Hat tip David Lohnes
Bezos and Blue Origin to star in animated kids show
If you can’t build anything, than draw it! Jeff Bezos and his space company Blue Origin are now set to star in a kids animated show called “Blue Origins Space Rangers”.
The children’s series will feature the voices of Bezos, who founded his space tourism business Blue Origin in 2000, as well as “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan, who was a passenger in December 2021 on Blue Origin NS-19 on a 10-minute spaceflight. Bezos took his supersonic joy ride to space in July 2021.
Nor is this the only show that Blue Origin is part of. A feature film set to release in 2023 will feature Blue Origin’s proposed (but not yet built) Orbital Reef space station.
All of this is fun and good, but it once again raises a question of focus. Is Bezos and Blue Origin really focused on building rockets and space stations, or it is mostly a pr operation for Bezos to sell himself? The overall lack of progress on its real rockets and space stations suggests the latter.
If you can’t build anything, than draw it! Jeff Bezos and his space company Blue Origin are now set to star in a kids animated show called “Blue Origins Space Rangers”.
The children’s series will feature the voices of Bezos, who founded his space tourism business Blue Origin in 2000, as well as “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan, who was a passenger in December 2021 on Blue Origin NS-19 on a 10-minute spaceflight. Bezos took his supersonic joy ride to space in July 2021.
Nor is this the only show that Blue Origin is part of. A feature film set to release in 2023 will feature Blue Origin’s proposed (but not yet built) Orbital Reef space station.
All of this is fun and good, but it once again raises a question of focus. Is Bezos and Blue Origin really focused on building rockets and space stations, or it is mostly a pr operation for Bezos to sell himself? The overall lack of progress on its real rockets and space stations suggests the latter.
Dick Cavett – Burt Lancaster in the circus
An evening pause: This interview of Burt Lancaster on the Dick Cavett Show took place on July 21, 1969 (the day after Neil Armstrong took that first step on the Moon).
I could not help noting how humble and gracious Lancaster seemed. He might have been one of the world’s most charismatic actors, but he surely did not appear full of himself. The second part of this interview can be watched here.
Hat tip Cotour.
Barrington Pheloung – Morse’s Oxford
An evening pause: A tour of Oxford, set to the music used in the first two Morse television series, Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis, both of which were set in Oxford. As for the music, I wonder if my readers know the trick/pun Pheloung used as a basis for the theme’s main melodic line.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
The Jack Benny Show – November 4, 1951
An evening pause: This was the first episode in Benny’s second season on television, following nineteen years doing a regular radio show. The first singer is Bob Crosby, brother of Bing. The taxi driver is Mel Blanc, voice of Bugs Bunny and almost all of the characters in Warner Brothers best cartoons.
Almost everything in this episode works, but make sure especially you stay with it to see the Benny’s performance as lead fiddler of a hillbilly band.
Nana Visitor – Fever
An evening pause: Another musical gem from the sixth season of the Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Doctor Who – The Master Summons the Sea Devil
An evening pause: I never watched Dr. Who, so I have no idea if this clip is a typical representation of the show. Its schlockiness however is quite impressive.
Hat tip Cotour.
Benny Hill – Wife-Swap
From Deep Space 9 – Do-Re-Mi
An evening pause: A short but quite wonderful little performance from the Star Trek series Deep Space 9.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Mike Rowe – Can You Be There By Nine?
The Partridge Family – I think I love You
The Jack Benny Show – Casting For Television Special
An evening pause: Originally aired January 1, 1961. For those too young to know, Benny had two running gags that help explain some of the humor. First, he was ridiculously cheap, and second, he never admitted he was older than 39. Above all, you must recognize the intended silliness of everything said or done.
Note also that the telegram delivery man is Mel Blanc, who provided the voices for Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and almost all Warner Brothers cartoons from the 1940s to the 1960s.