Happy Birthday Micky!

One of THE greatest pop vocalists of all time in my opinion.

Black Panther by Mick Austin

Sorry for no posts yesterday. Blogger was being glitchy so only my pre-posted blogs went up. Here's a really cool Marvel UK pic to make up for it!

Memories From a Pop Culture Life

Just checking. A trial balloon if you will. A number of folks have suggested this type of thing over the years from me. If I were to produce such a book offering anecdotes and insights into my own personal pop culture-related moments from the sixties through today--some expanded from blog posts and others never before told--how many of you would consider supporting such a project? 

Alice in Censorship Land

Here we see the poster for the delightfully naughty X-rated version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND from the 1970's that starred Kristine DeBell. Yes, I know they found hardcore scenes later and added them back in, negatively affecting the actress's promising career (although she's working again these days, just completing a film about a talking cat with FAMILY AFFAIR star Johnny Whitaker). But forget about all that for now. Look at the nicely drawn poster.

Then look at the ad below as censored by one local newspaper. Cleavage is covered up, pants are drawn on several characters and a bra added to two including Alice. Alice also has had one leg apparently amputated  in order to look as though she's facing slightly to her left and that her left leg is now her right. 

Here we have the original image back in its original form.

But here below we see her behind what appears to be a picture frame or a mirror and with a camisole or a dickey.

And finally this one, apparently supplied by the original distributors, featuring the Hatter NOT flashing Alice and our heroine now wearing a lovely gown with absolutely NO cleavage.

Ruckus-Comedy, Drama, Biker Flick, Action film or Car Chase Movie?

RUCKUS is an obscure 1980 film with Dirk Benedict and Linda Blair. Judging by the above ad, it's a dark, serious drama.

Or...judging by the much later DVD box below, it's a RAMBO-style action film.

Or is it, as EAT MY SMOKE, a Cormanesque cachase drive-in car chase flick? 

Or a cycle picture?

Or, as RUCKUS IN MADOC COUNTY, a flat-out, DUKES OF HAZZARD-style comedy romp?

Goes to show it's all in the marketing.

Gildersleeve and Babies

In 1949, Hal Peary's Great Gildersleeve character found a baby on his doorstep and took it in. Here, from LIFE, we see Kraft sponsoring a major contest to name the bay so one can assume the baby was meant to be a permanent addition to the show. And yet, eventually, the child's father turned up and the baby was gone. Why? Was it that the fans wrote in and didn't like it? Did the ratings plummet? Was star Peary not happy with the baby stealing his thunder perhaps? 

Whatever the reason, two years later the whole concept was brought back into play, though, this time with Willard Waterman's Great Gildersleeve and a Kraft contest to name niece Marjorie's newborn twins! The fact that it was so similar and so soon afterwards would seem to indicate the problem was NOT listener disapproval. Who knows? One of those questions I should have asked Willard Waterman about when Rene and I met him years ago I guess.

Stevie

Just goofin' around on the compooter.