Franklin Mint Blog

"Me and My Brand New Haircut" - starring Billy Kelly and Davy Jones of The Monkees!

2010-10-26T10:29:00.007-04:00

Those of you who follow my blog already know I'm a huge Monkees fan. So having the opportunity to shoot a video with Davy Jones was an honor... thanks to Billy Kelly. Billy is a children's music artist and an old personal friend of mine. This is the second video I shot for him (here's the first). "Me and My Brand New Haircut" can be found on his new album Is This Some Kind of Joke?, and can be found on Amazon, iTunes and places like that.

During the shoot Davy told us stories of his Monkees past and entertained us all with lots of jokes. Some may say he monkeyed around. After the shoot Davy posed for photos and he signed my copy of the first Monkees album – my very first album ever!

Visit www.TheBillyKellyShow.com for more Billy Kelly info.

Hope you enjoy the video!

"Me and My Brand New Haircut" (teaser video)

2010-10-05T16:51:00.005-04:00

Above is a teaser video I put together using found footage and original footage promoting a video I shot for Billy Kelly featuring Davy Jones of The Monkees! THE DAVY JONES!!!

I'll write more about the shoot once the video for "Me and My Brand New Haircut", starring Davy Jones and Billy Kelly, premieres on October 26th.

TALKIN' WITH TED (2010)

2010-09-07T15:59:00.019-04:00

I'm a huge fan of Sesame Street and one of my favorite skits was when a Muppet (Kermit, Grover, etc.) would talk one on one with a kid. Ever since I got my own Muppet Whatnot from FAO Schwarz in 2009 (which I wrote about here), I've been meaning to do my own twisted version with my kids. I finally got around to doing it.

TALKIN' WITH TED

Here's some outtakes...

"Ted on Dolphins" (TALKIN' WITH TED outtake)

"Ted on Curious George" (TALKIN' WITH TED outtake)

"Ted on Recreation" (TALKIN' WITH TED outtake)

"Ted on Bluetooth Headsets" (TALKIN' WITH TED outtake)

And here's some TALKIN' WITH TED art cards...

Jim Henson is rolling in his grave.

TEAM 12 (2010)

2010-08-19T15:25:00.009-04:00

I had gotten some positive feedback from family and friends on the last two Fusco Family Films – YOUNG DRACULA and THE SQUIRE, THE MAIDEN AND THE DRAGON. So when I decided to have a summer barbeque with some old friends I thought it would be fun to make a movie with them and their kids.

Of course I wrote an overly ambitious script, not taking into account that I'd have less time to shoot than my usual productions. Plus, I added 15 more actors than my usual productions – 10 of those being kids! Needless to say, attention spans were short and directional skills were limited...and that's just the parents! (((rimshot))) But seriously folks...this meant shooting in a more "run and gun" approach so the end product is a little rough around the edges.

And here's a little fun fact: All the kidnappers in this movie also starred in one of my first movies, NUDE AND DISMEMBERED...20 years ago!

The Squire, The Maiden and The Dragon (2010)

2010-08-04T10:46:00.003-04:00

In the middle of filming YOUNG DRACULA, my son pitched me another idea for a movie – and I mean literally between takes. This time he wanted to play a knight that fights a dragon. I told him "We'll see"...meaning "I'm not sure I can pull that off". But after some thought I figured I could just green screen the dragon. I'd done a little green screening on the video I shot for Billy Kelly, so I was semi-confident it would work – emphasis on "semi". Here's what we came up with.

Young Dracula (2010)

2010-07-21T12:04:00.004-04:00

A while back I shared a Beastie Boys "Sabotage" parody video I made with my kids. My son had so much fun making it that he came to me with a new idea…to make a Dracula movie! Beyond knowing he wanted to play Dracula, he didn't know what the story should be so he put me in charge of script development. Of course I had to put my stamp on it. Above is what we came up with.

I'd like to say thank you to cosmobells.blogspot.com for sharing the The Hammer Film Music Collection, which came in handy when making our movie.

Elliott Gould - Mean Johnny Barrows (1976)

2010-07-07T09:55:00.003-04:00

I'm going to continue the Elliott Gould fest for one more post. This time I'm highlighting a film that would never make a Top 10 list. I'm talking about Elliott Gould's cameo in the Fred Williamson blaxploitation flick Mean Johnny Barrows (1976).

Elliott befriended Fred Williamson during the filming of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H. Mean Johnny Barrows was Williamson's directorial debut so Elliott probably did him the favor. And if it wasn't for Gould's star name the scene would probably have been cut, if not shot at all in the first place.

Elliott plays the character of Professor Theodore Rasputin Waterhouse, a homeless man who attempts to teach the newly homeless Johnny Barrows (Williamson) the ways of living on the street. You can tell that a good portion of the 3 minute scene was improvised on the spot, causing Williamson to break character, or at least behave nothing like the character he built up in the movie. Gould and Williamson's antics even make an extra in the movie crack up with laughter – and they left it in!

It may have been sloppy directing but it's the best scene in the movie. Here it is...

And here's the soundtrack to Mean Johnny Barrows (1976)...

[DOWNLOAD] Gordon Staples & The String Thing - Mean Johnny Barrows (1976)
01- Strung Out
02- Toonie
03- From A Heart That's True To Only One
04- Hustle
05- Love Theme
06- If Your Love Were Mine
07- Get Down
08- Sounds Of The Zodiac
09- It's Got To Be Alright
10- Strung Out (Reprise 1)
11- I'm Back
12- Strung Out (Reprise2)
13- Who Knows Better
14- Dialog 2 & 3

My Top 10 Elliott Gould Films

2010-05-02T23:01:00.025-04:00

One of my favorite actors is Elliott Gould. He was the man in the early 70's. Time magazine even placed him on one of its covers calling him a "Star For An Uptight Age"...whatever that means. But Elliott's career slowed down after a series of critical and commercial flops in the mid-to-late 1970s – flops in the Hollywood industry sense...not the Franklin Mint sense.

Though he remained steadily employed past the 70's, Elliott mostly starred in low budget films and televison, playing supporting and character roles. One of his most famous being a recurring guest role on Friends as Jack Geller, the father of Monica and Ross Geller.

Below are my personal Top 10 Elliott Gould Films. Now I know many of you will get bent out of shape when you notice M*A*S*H didn't make the cut. But let me explain... I love M*A*S*H and I'm a huge Robert Altman fan, but M*A*S*H was really a Donald Sutherland film. If you dissect the movie you'll realize that Elliott's only in about 20% of it. He was so good it only feels like more. Alright, enough defending.

One more thing before I start the list... A couple of posts back I informed you that the Franklin Mint Blog YouTube page was removed due to copyright infringement. But isn't most of YouTube infringed copyrighted material? Why me? So now most of my video links are dead...which sucks. But I recently started a new YouTube page and perhaps a new way to beat the system. For now on when I upload a video to YouTube I'm leaving all the fields blank – no tags or info. This means a copyright holding company can't search for it. It also means the average person can't search for it. So it'll be exclusively for this blog only. Not sure if it'll work but we'll give it a try. (I may or may not go back and upload all the videos that were removed.)

Here we go...My Top 10 Elliott Gould Films...

1- Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
After one liberal group therapy session, Bob (Robert Culp) and his wife, Carol (Natalie Wood), are convinced they're open-minded enough to embrace a no-guilt approach to fidelity. The newly enlightened couple chastise their closest friends, Ted (Elliott Gould) and Alice (Dyan Cannon), for not coming to grips with their true feelings. The foursome each examine their feelings, and admittedly their thoughts toward their individual relationships with each other and decide to test what they consider their new enlightened state...with a foursome.

2- The Long Goodbye (1973)
Chain-smoking, wisecracking private eye Philip Marlowe (Gould) drives a buddy from LA to the Tijuana border and returns home to an apartment full of cops who arrest him for abetting the murder of his friend's wife. After Marlowe's release, he hears his friend committed suicide, a beautiful woman hires him to locate her alcoholic and mercurial husband, and the mob try to shake him down for some money. Marlowe eventually realizes that these events are all connected.

3- Move (1970)
Hiram Jaffe (Gould), a young playwright who writes porno novels to overcome a writer's block, lives the fantasies of one of his books, while trying to move with his wife from one apartment into a larger one. From the beginning this movie makes aware that what you see may not be real, it may all be in the head of the Hiram. That's the only way this movie can make sense – it gets pretty experimental at times...which I like.

4- I Love My...Wife (1970)
A young surgeon, Dr. Richard Burrows (Gould), becomes bored with his wife and family, he has a very successful career, but even with having so much in life, he feels empty and goes through a series of brief and meaningless relations with attractive women.

5- Little Murders (1971)
A girl brings home her latest boyfriend (Gould) to meet her parents. This is done against the background of random shootings that had just begun in NYC at the time the play was written. How the family's failings are magnified by the social confusion of the times is the crux of the plot. Like MOVE, LITTLE MURDERS is another head trip of a movie.

6- I Will, I Will... for Now (1976)
Les Bingham (Elliott Gould) and Katie Bingham (Diane Keaton) are a sexually mismatched separated couple. The two attempt to give it another try by spicing up their flagging love life with some unconventional and wacky methods – much to the chagrin of Les' lawyer, Lou Springer (Paul Sorvino), who's been having an affair with Katie behind Les' back.

7- California Split (1974)
Bill Denny (George Segal) and Charlie Walters (Elliot Gould) are two compulsive gamblers with nothing in common except incredibly bad luck. But after a chance meeting in a Los Angeles card parlor, they find that they make an unbeatable team. Embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime winning streak, Bill and Charlie bet their way to the plush casino tables of Reno, where they risk it all in a "friendly" little poker game with the reigning world champion

8- S*P*Y*S (1974)
Griff (Elliott Gould) and Bruland (Donald Sutherland) are two inept secret agents targeted by the KGB when the CIA kills two Soviet operatives. Little do the Russians know, Griff and Bruland don't exactly rank high on the CIA's list of most valued employees. Soon, the hopelessly incompetent duo find themselves pursued not only by the Russkies but by their own agency as well.

9- Getting Straight (1970)
Shortly after completing his tour of duty in Vietnam, disillusioned Army vet Harry Bailey (Elliott Gould) returns to college to complete his education and finds himself in the center of a battle between the rebellious student body and the straight-laced faculty.

10- Busting (1974)
LA cops, Detective Michael Keneely (Elliott Gould) and Detective Patrick Farrel (Robert Blake) get in over their heads when they don't heed orders from above and go after a big crime boss. While higher ups in the police department want the cop duo to just focus on nabbing petty criminals, the team does so while still going after LA kingpin Rizzo.

Billy Kelly - "I Can't Get Away From Myself" - Directed by Frank Fusco

2010-04-06T14:05:00.004-04:00

I know I've been pretty quiet here on the Franklin Mint Blog, but I've been busy pursuing other interests. One of which was making a video for my good friend Billy Kelly (above).

Billy recently released a children's CD, Thank You For Joining The Happy Club. He's gotten great reviews and Time-Out Magazine listed it as one of the Top 10 Children's Albums of 2009. To help promote the album I shot a video for the song, "I Can't Get Away From Myself". It was fun to make and my daughter Chloe especially loves it. She makes me show it to her all the time.

Here she is running through the set before a take...

If you're interested in hearing more of Billy Kelly...you can check out his YouTube page, or buy the album at amazon or iTunes. My kids go bananas dancing to it!

Fired From YouTube

2010-03-16T11:14:00.003-04:00

It recently came to my attention that the Franklin Mint Blog YouTube page has been removed due to copyright infringement – which affects most of the videos I've shared on this blog. I don't deny uploading copyrighted material so I am indeed guilty. But so is 95% of YouTube. Why pick on me? I never uploaded entire movies...just clips. Clips, I might add, from mostly obscure movies that might benefit from someone seeing and learning from my clip. But that's the way it goes.

- Franklin Mint

Merry Christmas

2009-12-18T09:29:00.004-05:00

I probably won't be posting anything before Christmas so I'll leave you with this photo of Brooke and Santa.

Merry Christmas!

A Franklin Mint Potpourri Christmas Compilation

2009-12-15T09:18:00.005-05:00

pot·pour·ri [poh-poo-ree] – noun
1) assortment: a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
2) medley: a musical composition consisting of a series of songs or other musical pieces from various sources
3) a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent

[DOWNLOAD] A Franklin Mint Potpourri Christmas Compilation
01- Ho Ho Ho -- Lawrence Welk & His Champagne Music Makers
02- Frosty The Snow Man -- Arthur Godfrey
03- Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer -- Jimmy Durante
04- Jingle Bells -- Mickey Rooney
05- Little Johnny Snowball -- Red Buttons
06- Christmas City -- Merv Griffin
07- Jingle Bells -- Frank Sinatra
08- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town -- Tina Sinatra
09- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus -- The J's with Jamie
10- Santa Won't Be Blue This Christmas -- Jimmy Charles
11- Jingle Bell Rock -- Music City Chorale And Orchestra
12- Captain Santa Claus (And His Reindeer Space Patrol) -- Bobby Helms
13- Christmas Time Is Here Again -- Marty Robbins
14- Out On the Road For Christmas -- Red Simpson
15- Blue Christmas -- Johnny Cash
16- The Little Drummer Boy -- Bert Kaempfert

For last years Franklin Mint Christmas Compilations, click the below links...

A Franklin Mint Swingin' Groovy Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Instrumental Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Country Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Kiddie Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Novelty Christmas Compilation

A Franklin Mint Disco Christmas Compilation

2009-12-14T12:49:00.003-05:00

Because someone out there must be into disco-fied Christmas songs...

[DOWNLOAD] A Franklin Mint Disco Christmas Compilation
01- Sleigh Ride -- The Salsoul Orchestra
02- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Disco -- Santa's Disco Band
03- Winter Wonderland -- The Mistletoe Disco Band
04- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing -- Mirror Image
05- The Little Drummer Boy-Disco Version -- Moonlion
06- Disco Santa Claus -- Raindolls
07- Disco Bells -- The Walter Murphy Orchestra
08- Jingle Bell Rock -- P.K. and the Sound Explosion
09- Christmas Comes In Winter/Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride/Jingle Bells/Jingle Bell Rock/The Chipmunk Song/Frosty The Snowman -- K-Tel Records
10- Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer -- Holiday People
11- Santa Claus Is Disco'n To Town -- Max Fagen
12- Sleigh Ride -- Irwin The Disco Duck
13- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus -- Disco Belles
14- Jingle Bells Disco -- Mirror Image
15- (Mamacita) ¿Donde Esta Santa Claus? -- Charo
16- Montana Christmas Medley

For last years Franklin Mint Christmas Compilations, click the below links...

A Franklin Mint Swingin' Groovy Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Instrumental Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Country Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Kiddie Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Novelty Christmas Compilation

A Franklin Mint Jazzy-Funky-Rock 'N' Rollin' Christmas Compilation

2009-12-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

Todays Franklin Mint Christmas Compilation is called A Franklin Mint Jazzy-Funky-Rock 'N' Rollin' Christmas Compilation because it's a compilation of jazzy, funky and rockin' Christmas songs...

[DOWNLOAD] A Franklin Mint Jazzy-Funky-Rock 'N' Rollin' Christmas Compilation
01- Hip Santa -- Jimmy McGriff
02- Jingle Bells -- Booker T & the MG's
03- Getting Down for Xmas -- Milly & Silly
04- I'll Be Your Santa, Baby -- Rufus Thomas
05- Merry Christmas, I Love You -- James Brown
06- Up On The House Top -- The Jackson 5
07- Santa Loves Rock 'N Roll Music -- The Rhodes Kids
08- Jingle Bells -- The Partridge Family
09- Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town -- Bobby Sherman
10- Christmas Child -- Rotary Connection
11- Wombling Merry Christmas -- The Wombles
12- Christmas Bop -- T. Rex
13- Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) -- The Ramones
14- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer -- The Ventures
15- Frosty The Snowman -- The Candy Store
16- Sleigh Ride -- The Ronettes

For last years Franklin Mint Christmas Compilations, click the below links...

A Franklin Mint Swingin' Groovy Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Instrumental Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Country Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Kiddie Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Novelty Christmas Compilation

A Franklin Mint Swingin' Groovy Christmas Compilation (Part 2)

2009-12-10T14:05:00.002-05:00

Last year I shared a few "Franklin Mint Christmas Compilations" of Christmas music I acquired through the years. The posts were pretty popular – judging on the number of downloads – so I figured I'd do a few more for the 2009 holiday season. Plus, it's been a while since I've posted something...

[DOWNLOAD] A Franklin Mint Swingin' Groovy Christmas Compilation (Part 2)
01- The Christmas Song -- Peter Wood Singers And Orchestra
02- Winter Wonderland -- The Golddiggers
03- Bell That Couldn't Jingle -- The Anita Kerr Singers
04- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town -- The Soulful Strings
05- Little Drummer Boy -- Dali Caldis
06- Mister Santa -- Tony Sandler & Ralph Young
07- Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree -- Harry Simeone Chorale
08- Winter Wonderland -- Floral Pops 70
09- Jingle Bells -- Ben Best
10- Deck The Halls -- The Glad Singers
11- Sleighride -- The New Christy Mistrels
12- Vive Le Vent -- Herman Apple Ses Carillons Et Ses Percussions
13- The Christmas Song -- Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
14- The Bell That Couldn't Jingle -- Herb Alpert
15- The Christmas Waltz -- The Going Thing
16- I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You -- Margo Guryan

For last years A Franklin Mint Swingin' Groovy Christmas Compilation, click the below link...

A Franklin Mint Swingin' Groovy Christmas Compilation (Part 1)

And here's some more from last year...

A Franklin Mint Instrumental Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Country Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Kiddie Christmas Compilation
A Franklin Mint Novelty Christmas Compilation

Beastie Boy - "Sabotage"

2009-11-02T09:35:00.007-05:00

Hope y'all had a great Halloween! We sure did!! My son and I even made this video to commemorate it...well not the trick or treating part...the costume part.

Halloween Countdown: The Invisible Man (1974)

2009-10-23T09:36:00.003-04:00

If you follow my blog you know I have a love for Wonderland Records (see here). They seemed to put out two types of records...music and stories. Today's post is the story of The Invisible Man. I never owned this record but I always wished I did as I studied the backs of other Wonderland records (they always advertised their other releases on the backs of their LP's). So I was very happy when I found this record on
Azathoth's Abode on the Plateau of Leng blog last year. He runs a pretty cool Halloween blog...check it out.

[DOWNLOAD] The Invisible Man (1974)
01- The Invisible Man - Side 1
02- The Invisible Man - Side 2

Charles Thomas Sierra, Where Are You? ...or... Charles Sierra, Where Are You?

2009-10-20T09:33:00.006-04:00

Sorry to treat this blog like a missing persons ad...but I'd like to reconnect with an old childhood friend – Charles Sierra. I have a lot of fond memories of Tommy (he didn't go by Charles back then) and I'd just like to know what he's up to. So on the chance he may Google his name (because we all have), he may stumble upon my blog. Hope to hear from you Tommy.

- Frank

Halloween Countdown: A Scooby-Doo Halloween (2002)

2009-10-12T08:45:00.011-04:00

I went to the KISS concert at Madison Square Garden this past Saturday night. I know that wasn't Ace and Peter...you don't think I know that wasn't Ace and Peter?! I know they're imposters...stop giving me a hard time!! They were free tickets...box seats...so I couldn't say no!!! (Actually, it was a good show, even without Ace and Peter.)

KISS has always been associated with Halloween for obvious reasons (see KISS on The Paul Lynde Halloween Special...here) so the band showing up on a Scooby-Doo Halloween special is expected. Actually, it's just Paul Stanley who supplied his voice for this episode, but the rest of KISS is represented in animated form. Usually Gene's the one who does these extra curricular "Hollywood" type things, but in this case it's Paul...good for you Paul.

Check out Ace's close-up below. He's somehow missing half his costume...
I didn't even know they were still making Scooby-Doo cartoons? It wasn't till I had a kid that I noticed. You'd think since every episode is basically the same episode – the gang comes to town...the gang runs from a ghost...the gang catches the ghost...the gang unmasks the ghost – the show would've gotten stale and abandoned decades ago. But no...it's still going strong. And Casey Kasem is still supplying the voice of Shaggy – though he sort of has that old man whistling of his "S's" thing going on.

Anyway, here's KISS' scene (performing "Shout It Out Loud") from A Scooby-Doo Halloween...

What's New, Scooby-Doo? "A Scooby-Doo Halloween"
Original Air Date: 24 May 2002 (Season 1, Episode 14)

Casey Kasem - Shaggy
Frank Welker - Fred / Scooby-Doo
Mindy Cohn - Velma
Grey DeLisle - Daphne
Stacy Keach - The Mayor
Julia Sweeney - Aunt Meg
Jenny McCarthy - Marcy
Rhea Perlman - Agnes
Paul Stanley - Himself

Halloween Countdown: Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)

2009-10-08T09:51:00.009-04:00

This year my Halloween Countdown will be sporadic...unlike last year's (click here). Dracula seems like a good topic to start things off with. There are a ton of Dracula movies out there, but only one has stuck in my mind for years. Actually, just the ending of one...Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968).

Now I guess I should warn you that from here on out I'll be talking about the ending of Dracula Has Risen From The Grave...so...SPOILER ALERT! But come on...like you don't know Dracula dies at the end! It's the way he dies in this one that's haunted my memory for years (haunted in a good way, not the bad way).

I also say haunted because for years I didn't know which Dracula movie it was? I first saw the movie on TV when I was just a boy. It's a pretty slow movie so I'm sure I only half watched it as I played with Legos or something. But the ending got my attention. Dracula (this time played by Christopher Lee) falls off the cliff of his castle and gets impaled in the back by a large cross!...cool!! A quick google search yielded the title of the movie and I immediately added it to my Netflix queue...then uploaded the ending to YouTube for your enjoyment.

Here's the ending to Dracula Has Risen From The Grave...(YouTube tends to make scenes darker than the original source, so it's a little dark...but watchable)...

Scatman Crothers in Print (Jet - June 11, 1981)

2009-09-29T08:52:00.005-04:00

It's "Scatman Crothers Week – Extended Again!!!"...because a week and a day of Scatman just ain't enough. Actually, a week is 7 days and this makes the 7th Scatman post in a row, so technically it has been a week...I just don't do weekends.

This article is from Jet magazine (June 11, 1981). The inset picture of Scatman and his young daughter (below) can also be seen in Black Belt Jones (here). Happy reading...

Scatman Crothers in Print (Ebony - July 1978)

2009-09-28T08:49:00.006-04:00

It's "Scatman Crothers Week – Extended!!"...because a week of Scatman just ain't enough.

Back in the mid-90's I was working at an ad agency with a very large reference library (a place where it's a person's job to comb through every magazine in existence searching for photos and articles that may prove useful for future ad campaigns). One day while looking for swipe – that's ad talk for a photo – I came across this Scatman Crothers article from Ebony magazine, so I literally swiped it. Scatman had already been dead for 10 years so I figured no one would miss it. The magazine cover above I found through a google image search, but I'm not sure if it's the correct issue – it seems to be a "music" issue. Anyway, it's a great article...hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Scatman Crothers in Film

2009-09-25T08:41:00.015-04:00

Last day of "Scatman Crothers Week!"...or is it?

Besides the blaxploitation and sexploitation films of the 70's (last post), Scatman also landed many legit film roles – thanks to Jack Nicholson, his friend in film and weed. Yep, Jack and the Scat used to toke together – I read that in Scatman: An Authorized Biography of Scatman Crothers by James Haskins and Helen Crothers. Scatman appeared in four Jack Nicholson movies...each time getting more and more lines. Here's a sampling of Scatman's films...

Chandler (1971)
Chandler (Warren Oates), is a bored, aging night watchman in Los Angeles, who quits his job in order to revive his private detective business. His first assignment is to protect a former mistress of a racketeer who is slated to be a witness for the state. But of course he falls for her. In this scene, Chandler acquires some knowledge from piano player Smoke (Scatman)...

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
Diana Ross stars as legendary jazz singer Billie Holliday in this biopic chronicling Lady Day's hard-knock beginnings, her remarkable musical career and the personal demons that led to her tragic demise. Scatman has a funny role as "Big Ben The Lover Man", a patron of the brothel where Billie worked.

The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
Uptight deejay David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) travels to Atlantic City, N.J., to learn more about an outlandish, get-rich-quick scheme cooked up by his manic brother, Jason (Bruce Dern). But luck is against them both and the game ends badly. Here, Scatman plays bad-ass loan shark Lewis...

The Fortune (1975)
Two bumbling hustlers (Jack Nicholson & Warren Beatty) in the 1920s attempt to gain the fortune of an heiress (Stockard Channing). Nothing will stop them...not even murder. Here, Scatman stumbles upon their half-baked scheme...

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Upon arrival at a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse. Here's the scene where McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) smuggles two girls into the institution to lift everyone's spirits...including Turkle's (Scatman), the night orderly...

Stay Hungry (1976)
A syndicate wants to buy a whole district to rebuild it. They've bought every house except the small gym owned by Joe Santo (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Rich sunny-boy Craig Blake (Jeff Bridges) is brought in by the syndicate as a dummy to buy the gym. But then he starts to like the people and falls in love with Joe's friend Marie-Tate (Sally Field). Here, Scatman plays a fed-up servant who's worked for the Blakes for 52 years...

The Shootist (1976)
A gunfighter (John Wayne), dying from cancer, spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity. This was the last feature film Wayne made before losing his own battle with cancer. In it, Scatman plays liveryman Moses Brown...

Silver Streak (1976)
George Caldwell (Gene Wilder) witnesses a murder aboard a train, but no one believes him. With his life now in danger he gets thrown off the moving train...twice. Then he acquires the help from small-time criminal Grover Muldoon (Richard Pryor). Scatman plays one of the train's crew...

Mean Dog Blues (1978)
After hitching a ride, country singer Paul Ramsey finds himself in trouble, when his driver hits a little girl while driving drunk. Paul takes the rap and is thrown in a prison that trains fighting dogs...which turns out to be a living hell. Scatman plays Mudcat, a prisoner whose job is to act as live bait for the dogs to sniff out.

Scavenger Hunt (1979)
To inherit a fortune, various addressees of a will must compete in a wild scavenger hunt to collect selected items, that cannot be simply bought. With it's large ensemble, Scavenger Hunt is paced and feels a lot like It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Scatman plays a security guard in a dress shop and gets to sing a little of "Ain't She Sweet"...

The Shining (1980)
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father (Jack Nicholson) into violence, while his son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future using a telepathic gift known as "The Shining". We learn here that the hotel's head chef, Dick Hallorann (Scatman), also has "The Shining"...

Bronco Billy (1980)
An idealistic, modern-day cowboy struggles to keep his Wild West show afloat in the face of hard luck, waning interest, and a bad luck woman. Scatman plays Doc Lynch, one of the ragtag troupe of misfits led by Bronco Billy (Clint Eastwood)...

Zapped! (1982)
When a lab explosion gives nerdy whiz kid Barney (Scott Baio) telekinetic powers, high school suddenly becomes fun; Barney can conquer bullies, win at roulette and make girls' skirts fly up. But his best friend Peyton (Willie Aames) has grander plans for Barney's new abilities. Scatman plays the school's janitor, Dexter Jones, and he's a trip...literally.

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Four horror/sci-fi segments directed by four famous directors recreating classic stories from Rod Serling's landmark television series. In the second story, directed by Stephen Spielberg (a remake of 'Kick the Can'), Scatman plays Mr. Bloom, a mysterious man who arrives at an old folks home and gives the seniors a chance to relive their childhood. Scatman never had a lead role in a film but this is his closest, and he did a wonderful heart-felt job.

Two of a Kind (1983)
When God gives up on humanity and orders the race destroyed, four angles plead with him that there is good in the world. Now it's up to a struggling inventor/con-artist and a thieving bank teller (John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – trying to relive the magic of Grease) to save the world. Scatman plays Earl, the angel...

The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
Set during the Great Depression, this inspirational story chronicles a young girl's journey to find her father and her never-waning faith that they'll be reunited. Scatman plays a street vendor named Sherman...

Scatman Crothers in 'Ploitation Films

2009-09-24T08:52:00.012-04:00

Day four of "Scatman Crothers Week!"

Starting in the 1950's, Scatman was cast in a bunch of small film roles that were typically delegated to black actors, but by the 1970's his acting career started to take off. Besides legit films (which I'll get to tomorrow), Scatman accepted many roles in blaxploitation and sexploitation films during this time. Here's a few...

Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)
Slaughter (Jim Brown) is back as a streetwise vigilante who's determined to clean up the streets, one pimping drug dealer at a time. A crime syndicate once again puts a hit out on his life. But when they miss him and kill his friend instead, Slaughter must exact his revenge, protect his woman and take down an intimidating crime kingpin (Ed McMahon). Here, Slaughter gets some words of wisdom from old-time hustler Cleveland (Scatman)...

Detroit 9000 (1973)
An interracial pair of cops investigating a jewel heist uncover more than they bargained for as they navigate an urban underworld of call girls and corrupt politicians. Here, Scatman plays Reverend Markham, the master of ceremonies...

Black Belt Jones (1974)
The Mafia wants to buy Pop Byrd's (Scatman) downtown karate studio in an area planned for redevelopment. They get Pinky and his thugs to pressure Pop into selling, but they accidentally kill him. The karate students then call the kung-fu expert, Black Belt Jones (Jim Kelly), for help. Here's Pop, before his demise, at his studio...

Truck Turner (1974)
Truck (Isaac Hayes), is a bounty hunter on the trail of a violent pimp named Gator. But when Truck and his partner finally get their man, Gator's woman (Nichelle Nichols) puts a hit out on them. Truck will now have to survive the wrath of the baddest pimp ever – a menacing thug named Blue (Yaphet Kotto). Here, Truck gets some words of wisdom from pimp-daddy Duke (Scatman)...

Linda Lovelace for President (1975)
An intentionally campy film designed to capitalize on Linda Lovelace's sudden fame following "Deep Throat", this film centers around Linda's fictional grass roots campaign to run for president. Touring the country with a rag-tag team of strange and wacky people, hilarity supposedly ensues at every stop. Here, we meet Super Black (Scatman), the pool hustler...

Coonskin (1975)
Written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, Coonskin is about an rabbit, fox, and bear who rise to the top of organized crime in Harlem. The film combines live-action with animation and stars Philip Michael Thomas, Barry White and Scatman Crothers in both the live-action and animated sequences. The film's opening credits also features Scatman Crothers performing a song called "Ah'm a Nigger Man", which Scatman wrote the music, with lyrics by Bakshi. Here's an animated scene where Scatman plays a homeless man (one of many roles) who finds a sweater in the trash...

Friday Foster (1975)
Friday Foster (Pam Grier), an ex-model magazine photographer, goes to Los Angeles International airport to photograph the arrival of Blake Tarr, the richest black man in America. Three men attempt to assassinate Tarr. Foster photographs the melee and is plunged into a web of conspiracy involving the murder of her childhood friend, a US senator, and a shadowy plan called "Black Widow". Here, she meets Noble Franklin (Scatman), a man of the cloth with a dirty mind...

Chesty Anderson, USN (1976)
Chesty Anderson of the U.S. Navy and her sexy squadron are commissioned to investigate the disappearance of their youngest team member. When government corruption and mob influence are clearly at work against them, Chesty and friends decide to "bust" the case wide open. Again, Scatman plays a pool hustler and a friend Chesty's girls...

Scatman Crothers on TV

2009-09-23T08:43:00.021-04:00

Day three of "Scatman Crothers Week!"

Scatman guest-starred on just about every TV show in the 1970's/early 80's, and co-starred on Chico and the Man for 65 episodes. Here's a smattering of his work...

Love, American Style (1969)
Scatman played the One Man Band in the segment "Love and the Dummies"...

Bewitched (1971)
Scatman plays a horse stable hand who catches Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) talking to a horse in the episode "Three Men and a Witch on a Horse"...

Kojak (1973)
Scatman played hustler/informer Gaylord Fuller in the episode "The Corrupter"...

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
Scatman played voodoo shop owner Uncle Filemon in the episode "The Zombie"...

The Odd Couple (1974)
Long before Seinfeld became famous for shooting an entire episode waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant, The Odd Couple filmed an entire episode waiting in a subway car. Scatman played the Blind Man in "The Subway Story"...

Sanford and Son (1975)
Scatman played Fred Sanford's (Redd Foxx) long-time friend Bowlegs in the episode "The Stand-In"...

Chico and the Man (1975)
Scatman played Louie the garbage man on Chico and the Man from 1974 to 1978. In the episode "The Invention", Ed (Jack Albertson) and Chico (Freddie Prinze) are taken for $500 when they try to patent Ed's invention of a motorcycle with training wheels.

Starsky and Hutch (1977)
Scatman played Huggy Bear's (Antonio Fargas) friend Fireball in the episode "Long Walk Down a Short Dirt Road"...

Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts (1977)
Here's Scatman and LaWanda Page roasting Angie Dickinson on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts...

Charlie's Angels (1978)
Here's Scatman again with Dean Martin in Las vegas, playing Jip Baker in the Charlie's Angels episode "Angels in Vegas"...

The Love Boat (1978)
Scatman guest-starred on two episodes of The Love Boat. Here, Scatman does a little hambone, playing Virgil 'Scattergun' Gibson in the episode "Isaac's History Lesson"...

The Incredible Hulk (1979)
Scatman played theatre owner Edgar McGee in the episode "My Favorite Magician" – which was a nod to Ray Walston's other TV show "My Favorite Martian".

Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1980)
Set in 1935 Tennessee, Scatman plays a pitcher when a town integrates its baseball team, in the episode "Black Travelers"...

Magnum, P.I. (1981)
Scatman played Tickler, the piano player, in the episode "Lest We Forget"...

The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981)
Scatman once again associates himself with The Harlem Globetrotters (click here for past connections), this time as their coach Dewey Stevens...

Taxi (1983)
Jim (Christopher Lloyd) gives each of the cabbies $1000 to give to someone in need. Tony (Tony Danza) spends it on Walt (Scatman), in episode "A Grand Gesture"...

Scatman Crothers in Cartoons

2009-09-22T09:38:00.008-04:00

Day two of "Scatman Crothers Week!"

Scatman Crothers was a prolific voiceover artist, starting with his portrayal of Scat Cat in Disney's The AristoCats. From there he worked with Hanna-Barbera in the 1970's providing the voices for two incarnations of The Harlem Globetrotters, as well as the title character in Hong Kong Phooey (one of my favorites as a kid). Scatman also provided the voice of Crazy Legs in Disney defector Don Bluth's Banjo the Woodpile Cat. And towards the end of his life, Scatman was the voice of Transformer robot Jazz.

Below are some samples of his work...

The AristoCats (1970)
Scatman Crothers played Scat Cat, a trumpet playing band leader and close friend to lead cat Thomas O'Malley. This is the scene where Thomas takes Duchess and her kittens to Scat Cat's pad where they all jam out to the song "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat".

The New Scooby-Doo Movies: Guest Starring The Harlem Globetrotters (1973)
Besides having an animated show of their own – from 1970 to 1973 – The Harlem Globetrotters also showed up three times on The New Scooby-Doo Movies. Here's Scatman as Meadowlark Lemon and the rest of the Globetrotters trying to get a good nights sleep...

Hong Kong Phooey (1974)
Scatman played the title role of Hong Kong Phooey, the secret alter ego of Penrod Pooch, a "mild-mannered" police station janitor. Scatman also sang the ultra-cool theme song to Hong Kong Phooey (which you can find here), In this clip we see how Penry transforms into Hong Kong Phooey...with a little help from his feline friend, Spot...

The Super Globetrotters (1979)
Hanna-Barbera once again cast Scatman as a Harlem Globetrotter for The Super Globetrotters. This time Scatman played Nate Branch, who would transform into superhero Liquid Man. Here's the Super Globetrotters learning that Atilla The Hun is on the loose...

Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979)
Banjo is a short film that Don Bluth and other young animators made in their spare time while they were still employed at Disney – they felt Disney abandoned this sort of animation. It's about a curious and rebellious kitten who runs away from home. Here's the scene when Banjo meets Crazy Legs (Scatman)...

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Scatman supplied the voice of Jazz on the TV show Transformers from 1984 to 1985. I personally never got into this cartoon but enough people did for them to make an animated movie – and even later a live-action movie. Here's Jazz's final scene, which also happens to be the last scene Scatman ever played...

Scatman Crothers in Music

2009-09-21T08:56:00.009-04:00

Day one of "Scatman Crothers Week!"

If you folllow my blog then you know I'm a huge fan of Benjamin 'Scatman' Crothers. He's one of my favorite all-around entertainers. I was first introduced to him through Saturday morning TV where he supplied the voice for a few Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Then it was 1970's TV shows – Scatman guest-starred on just about all of them. Then it was his movies. Then finally, I discovered Scatman's music...even though that was his first foray into entertainment. And that's what I'm kicking off "Scatman Crothers Week!" with...his music.

Check out this mix of super-rare Scatman...

[DOWNLOAD] Scatman Crothers Mix #2

01- I'm The Melody Man -- from Big Ben Sings
02- Nobody Knows Why -- from Big Ben Sings
03- Tell Me How Long The Train's Been Gone -- from Big Ben Sings
04- Hey Lawdy Mama -- from Big Ben Sings
05- Sweet Lips (Jazz Lips)
06- Saturday Night Drag Race -- Joe Daresbourg and His "Flat Out" Five with Scat Man Crothers
07- Do Something
08- Do You Love Me -- with Alvino Rey & His Talking Steel Guitar
09- Easy Money
10- Unemployment Blues
11- Shuffleboard Blues
12- Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy -- with Phil Harris
13- Planet Fazoo
14- A Gruntin' And A Groanin' (The Wrestlers Song)
15- Everybody Wants A Key To My Cellar -- from Rose On Broadway
16- Beale Street On A Saturday Night -- with Calvin Boze
17- The Death Of Emmett Till (Part 1) -- The Ramparts
18- The Death Of Emmett Till (Part 2) -- The Ramparts
19- Transfusion
20- Woodchoppers Ball -- from 4 A.M.
21- Keep That Coffee Hot
22- What's A Nice Kid Like You Doing In A Place Like This?
23- Killer Joe (From Kokomo)
24- Scatman's Answering Machine Message

For Scatman Crothers Mix #1 click here.

And here's some video of Scatman doing his thing...

"Memphis Bill"

"Ghost Riders In The Sky" from The David Steinberg Show (1976)

"Mean Dog Blues" & "Shoes" from Ad Lib (1981)

"The Gal Looks Good" from Jazz Dixieland 2 with host Al Hirt (1983)

"Ain't She Sweet", short interview, "Mean Dog Blues" & "The End of the Road" from American Music with host Brock Peters (1983)

In the previous video, Brock Peters showed an old Slim Gaillard clip with Scatman on drums. Here's a complete Slim Gaillard Trio song...

Slim Gaillard Trio - "Dunkin Bagel"

Northern Calloway (January 22, 1948 – January 9, 1990)

2009-09-02T08:47:00.012-04:00

Northern Calloway played David on Sesame Street from 1971 through 1989 – and he shares a birthday with me! On Sesame Street, David was often seen flirting with Maria, as her unofficial boyfriend, plus he voiced some Muppet characters including Same-Sound Brown. The character of David was also studying to be a lawyer, but when Mr. Hooper died, David took over Hooper's Store. But it was not all sunny days on Sesame Street...

By the late 70's, Calloway slowly began to exhibit signs of bipolar disorder which led to a nervous breakdown on the morning of September 19, 1980 in Nashville, TN. He beat a woman with an iron rod, giving her head and rib injuries. He then fled into the suburbs of Nashville half naked, wearing nothing but a Superman T-shirt. Along the way, he smashed a plate-glass window and storm door at one house and did extensive damage to the the interior of another, destroying the family's collection of fine crystal, smashing a television set and breaking light bulbs with his bare hands. He also stole a backpack from a first grader and smashed a windshield with a rock. He was arrested after hiding out in a couple's garage, screaming "Help! I'm David from Sesame Street and they're trying to kill me!"

Today the tabloids would have a field day with this piece of gossip but back then they were able to keep the incident relatively hushed. Despite the freak-out, Children's Television Workshop showed it's loyalty and allowed Calloway to continue to work on Sesame Street for nine more years. But those years were marked by periods of declining health – Northern got fat – with episodes of erratic behavior. In 1989 Children's Television Workshop finally retired Calloway for "medical reasons", and his character was written out. Calloway died in 1990, two weeks before his 42nd birthday.

In the authorized book Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, author Michael Davis claims that Calloway had been a patient at the Stony Lodge psychiatric facility in Ossining, NY at the end of his life, and had died after going into cardiac arrest during a violent altercation with a staff physician. A coroner's report listed Calloway's official cause of death as exhaustive psychosis, now more commonly referred to as excited delirium syndrome (EDS).

I personally will always remember Northern Calloway as David, the cool guy on Sesame Street.

Here's Calloway, in happier times, singing on his Sesame Street solo album, David...Daydreamin' on a Rainy Day...

[DOWNLOAD] David...Daydreamin' On A Rainy Day
01- I Wish
02- David's Circus
03- Jump Up High
04- Wonderful You, Wonderful Me
05- The Hat Song
06- Rubberband Band
07- What D'ya Wanna Do Today?
08- Safari
09- Sounds
10- Space Cadet
11- Daydreamin'
12- You Are My Friend

TRIVIA: The Beastie Boys sampled David's "I Wish" at the end of their song "And Me" on the album Hello Nasty.

What – Me Worry?

2009-08-20T21:23:00.010-04:00

Last day of "MAD Magazine Week"!

Like many great innovators MAD Magazine spawned some imitators. Cracked Magazine and Crazy Magazine were two of these MAD wannabes and each have come and gone. Though I'd sometimes buy and enjoy their issues – depending who was on the cover – my vote was always with MAD. (To read about how I got Tom Wopat's autograph on this issue of Cracked (to the right), click here.)

Cracked and Crazy blatantly aped just about everything MAD put in print...from it's subject matter...to it's artwork...and even the use of a mascot character. Like MAD's Alfred E. Neuman, Cracked featured a dumb, wide-jowled mascot janitor named Sylvester P. Smythe on its covers, while Crazy had a short, bug-eyed mascot with a large black hat and cape named Irving Nebbish, who was later replaced with the belligerent Obnoxio the Clown in 1980.

Like I said on the first day of "MAD Magazine Week", MAD has been tamed over the years, but it's stood the test of time.

MAD Magazine Presents Up The Academy (1980)

2009-08-20T08:37:00.012-04:00

Day four of "MAD Magazine Week"!

With the success of fellow comedy magazines' National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), MAD Magazine attempted to also cash in with their movie, MAD Magazine Presents Up the Academy (1980). The plot involved the outrageous antics of a group of misfits at a military school. Directed by the independent-minded Robert Downey Sr. (director of Putney Swope), the film features Ralph Macchio in his film debut as one of the troubled teens, Ron Leibman as the mean Major Vaughn Liceman, Barbara Bach as the sexy gun-toting armaments specialist, Tom Poston as the un-PC flamboyant instructor who loves bed checks, and Antonio Fargas as the coach. The movie even starred Alfred E. Neuman in the beginning and the end!

Unfortunately, the movie did not live up to expectations and it was disowned by both the staff of MAD Magazine and actor Ron Leibman, who had his name removed from the credits – although he was the best thing about the movie. MAD's publisher, William Gaines, paid Warner Bros. $30,000 to remove all references to MAD from the film when it was released on home video. However, the film developed a small cult following and following Time Warner's purchase of MAD, all references to the magazine were reinstated on cable television. In 2006, the original version of the film was issued on DVD.

Here's the trailer for MAD Magazine Presents Up the Academy...

In the tradition of MAD making fun of movies, the magazine spoofed their own film with "MAD Magazine Resents Throw Up The Academy" (MAD #218 - October 1980). The parody mainly concerned Ron Leibman's name being removed, and the teenage troublemakers being punished by having to star in the film. Unlike most MAD movie parodies which are often several pages in length, this one was only two, the reason being with a fake note attached saying that the entire staff of MAD has quit over their shame and the article is hereby discontinued. Here's the parody...

The one thing I can't help but notice when I watch Up the Academy is that it has wall-to-wall music in just about every scene...and this was pre-MTV. I guess they felt the scenes were too boring and needed to liven them up. For the most part the soundtrack consists of new wave punk tunes. Here it is...

[DOWNLOAD] MAD Magazine Presents Up the Academy (1980)
01- Kicking Up A Fuss (Main Title Theme) -- Blow-Up
02- X Offender -- Blondie
03- Roadrunner -- Johnathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
04- We Gotta Get Out Of Here -- Ian Hunter
05- Coquette -- Cheeks
06- Boney Moronie -- Cheeks
07- We Live For Love -- Pat Benatar
08- Bad Reputation -- Sammy Hagar
09- Midnight Rendezvous -- The Babys
10- Beat The Devil -- Blow-Up

MAD Music

2009-08-19T09:01:00.009-04:00

Day three of "MAD Magazine Week"!

Through the years MAD Magazine has dabbled in the music industry with it's own brand of silly tunes. Here's a bunch...

[DOWNLOAD] MAD Magazine - "Twists" Rock 'N' Roll (1962)
01- (Throwing the) High School Basketball Game
02- (She Got A) Nose Job
03- Please Betty Jane (Shave Your Legs)
04- Somebody Elses Dandruff
05- Blind Date
06- Agnes (The Teenage Russian Spy)
07- Let's Do the Pretzel
08- I'll Always Remember Being You
09- When My Pimples Turned To Dimples
10- Shes A Serious Teenager In Love
11- (All I Have Left Is) My Johny's Hubcap
12- Written On the Boys Bathroom Wall

[DOWNLOAD] MAD Magazine - Fink Along With MAD (1963)
01- Let's Do The Fink - Mike Russo
02- I'll Never Make Fun Of Her Moustache Again -- The Dellwoods
03- The Biggest Mouth In Town -- Jeanne Hayes
04- Her Dad's Got Money Cha-Cha-Cha -- Mike Russo
05- I Accidentally Messed Up His Hair -- Jeanne Hayes
06- It's A Gas -- Alfred E. Neuman
07- Don't Put Onions On Your Hamburger -- The Dellwoods
08- Loving A Siamese Twin -- Jeanne Hayes
09- She Lets Me Watch Her Mom And Pop Fight -- Mike Russo
10- When The Braces On Our Teeth Lock -- The Dellwoods
11- Contact Lenses -- Jeanne Hayes
12- The Neighborhood Draft Board -- The Dellwoods

[DOWNLOAD] Alfred E. Neuman & His Furshluggier Five - What - Me Worry? (1959)
01- What - Me Worry?
02- Potrzebie

MAD Magazine also occasionally had "Special" issues which came with a flexi-disc! Here's one called "It's A Super-Spectacular Day" from MAD Super Special (1980). It's eight tracks of the same song but each has a different ending.

[DOWNLOAD] The Mad Mystery Sound - It's A Super-Spectacular Day (1979)
01- It's A Super-Spectacular Day (Ending 1)
02- It's A Super-Spectacular Day (Ending 2)
03- It's A Super-Spectacular Day (Ending 3)
04- It's A Super-Spectacular Day (Ending 4)
05- It's A Super-Spectacular Day (Ending 5)
06- It's A Super-Spectacular Day (Ending 6)
07- It's A Super-Spectacular Day (Ending 7)
08- It's A Super-Spectacular Day (Ending 8)

Here's another flexi-disc. It's MAD Disco. Seems like everybody caught disco fever after Saturday Night Fever hit...although MAD was a little late to the game in this case. Saturday Night Fever was released in '77...this issue is from 1980! (For more on the Saturday Night Fever phenomenon check out a past post here.)

[DOWNLOAD] MAD Magazine - MAD Disco Special (1980)
01- Disco Suicide
02- Sorry, No Words
03- This Time, This Night
04- Barely Alive
05- The Disco Clap
06- It's a Gas! (Disco Version)

* None of these rips are my own. I've downloaded these albums from various sites through the years and I unfortunately don't remember where I got them from – with the exception of the Alfred E. Neuman & His Furshluggier Five single, which was downloaded from cheezefactory.blogspot.com.

Sergio Aragonés

2009-08-18T09:09:00.009-04:00

Day two of "MAD Magazine Week"!

The best thing about MAD Magazine has always been it's artists. I can easily rave about the works of Al Jaffee or Don Martin but today I'd like to highlight the little talked about Sergio Aragonés – little probably because his "marginal" cartoons are so...little.

Aragonés became famous for his wordless "drawn-out dramas" or "marginals" which were inserted into the margins and between panels of the magazine. The drawings are both horizontal and vertical, and occasionally extend around corners. Prior to Aragonés' arrival at MAD, the magazine had sometimes filled its margins with text jokes under the catch-all heading "Marginal Thinking." According to Aragonés the staff of MAD enjoyed his marginals, but expected him to only last one or two issues. They did not expect him to be able to maintain the steady stream of small cartoons needed for each issue. However, Aragonés has provided marginals for every issue of Mad since 1963 except one (his contributions to that issue were lost by the Post Office).

Here's some of his "marginal" work...

MAD Magazine

2009-08-17T09:25:00.014-04:00

This week is "MAD Magazine Week"!

When I was a kid I wasn't really into super-hero comics, my comic of choice was MAD Magazine. I was born in '71 so I would've missed out on MAD from the 60's and early 70's – what I consider their heyday – if it wasn't for my cousins who were 10 to 15 years older than me. Every time we visited I'd ask permission to go down to their basement to study the piles of back issues. They even let me have a few.

Back then MAD was a lot more raunchy than it is today. Just check out the above issue from April 1974 (with the finger) – they can't get away with a cover like that today. Back then MAD also made light of drug use and, if your pre-pubescent eyes were sharp, you'd sometimes stumble upon some nudity...in cartoon form.

The issue I read over and over again was actually a mini-issue that came inside MAD Special Number 15 from 1974. It was a nostalgic mini-issue of MAD comics from the 50's – the third in a series. Here's a PDF of the complete Nostalgic MAD mini-comic...

[DOWNLOAD] The Nostalgic MAD mini-comic No. 3

Mad Men Yourself

2009-08-12T14:29:00.005-04:00

Speaking of advertising and Mad Men in my last post. To promote the new season of AMC's Mad Men, they put together a nifty little site that let's you "Mad Men" yourself. It's fun! I did one depicting all my colleagues (pictured above). I'm the one standing on the steps...with hair.

My Top 10 Advertising Films

2009-08-06T10:19:00.014-04:00

If you follow this blog you've probably read about my exploits as an advertising creative from time to time. Advertising is sometimes seen as an evil industry but Hollywood tends to use the advertising profession as an interesting backdrop for it's movies. I always get a kick out of how wrong they get it, though. They often blur the lines between job titles and responsibilities...usually making one character do it all.

Below are my Top 10 films with advertising themes...

1- LOVER COME BACK (1961)
Jerry Webster (Rock Hudson) and Carol Templeton (Doris Day) work for different agencies in the advertising business, and both have different methods of pleasing their clients. Annoyed by Jerry's methods of using alcohol and women to ensure contracts for his agency, Carol tries to get him thrown out of his profession. To avoid this Jerry bribes the girl who'd testify against him, by starring her in a TV commercial for a product named VIP that he's just made up. By accident these commercials are broadcasted and to keep his job, Jerry has to come up with VIP for which he enlists the help of Doctor Linus Tyler. Carol goes to see the Doctor to try and steal the VIP account, but because she and Jerry have never met, she mistakes Jerry for the Doctor. Jerry then takes advantage of this situation and eventually the two fall in love. Here's the opening scenes introducing our characters characteristics...

2- WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? (1957)
In this spoof of the TV advertising industry, Rockwell Hunter (Tony Randall) is the low man on the totem pole at the advertising company where he works. That is, until he finds the perfect spokesmodel for Stay-Put lipstick, the famous actress with the oh-so-kissable lips, Rita Marlowe (Jayne Mansfield). Unfortunately, in exchange, Rock has to act publicly as Rita's "Loverboy", and Rock's fiancé Jenny isn't too happy about that. Here's the opening scenes in which Tony Randall breaks the fourth wall – I love when movies do that – and the introduction of Rockwell and his job...

3- NOTHING IN COMMON (1986)
David Basner (Tom Hanks) is a successful advertising executive who has it all: money, happiness, and women who want him. Then one day his world falls apart when his mother leaves his father (Jackie Gleason). Now, he must balance his life between his mother, who is happy with her newfound independence, and his father, a recently laid off salesman who is hard-headed, stubborn, and hides a lot from David. This makes David reevaluate his life and jeopardizes his career. Tom Hanks does a great job at being funny while also showcasing his acting abilities in this Gary Marshall film. Here's a scene where David and his team pitch a spot for an airline...

4- KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979)
Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy while juggling his career. When he has learned to adjust his life to these new responsibilities, Joanna resurfaces and wants Billy back. Ted however refuses to give him up, so they go to court to fight for the custody of their son. In this scene, after losing his job, Ted forces an interview the day before the Christmas break...and lands it...

5- CRAZY PEOPLE (1990)
Emory (Dudley Moore) works in advertising, and is beginning to crack up. His latest idea is honesty...truth in advertising. This doesn't go down too well with the boss, so Emory is sent to a psychiatric hospital to "recover". Meanwhile, back at the office, Emory's work is accidentally sent to the printers and his ads are a huge success. But now Emory has fallen for fellow patient Kathy (Daryl Hannah) and doesn't want to leave. So he and the other mental patients begin to run an advertising agency from the institution. Here's the scene where Emory unveils his new way of thinking...

6- MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948)
Cary Grant stars as an advertising executive who dreams of getting out of the city and building a perfect home in the country, only to find the transition fraught with problems. Though mostly about building his dream house, this movie has a fair share of Mr. Blandings at his job in advertising. One thing I find funny is that Blandings has about six months to a year to come of with a slogan for WHAM Ham. Maybe the advertising world was like that back then – probably not – but today we're lucky if we get two weeks to do it...or even two days. And in the end, he doesn't even come up with the slogan! His maid does!! See for yourself...

7- BOOMERANG (1992)
Marcus (Eddie Murphy) is a successful advertising executive who woos and beds women almost at will. After a company merger he finds that his new boss, the ravishing Jacqueline (Robin Givens), is treating him in exactly the same way. The two begin having an affair and his work goes badly downhill. But then Jacqueline's more quietly attractive assistant Angela (Halle Berry), helps him through the harsh times and the two fall in love. Here's a scene where the advertising agency screens a new commercial for the Strangé perfume client. Unfortunately, Marcus was preoccupied with gettin' it on that he hasn't even seen the finished product...

8- B.S. I LOVE YOU (1971)
Paul Bongard (Peter Kastner) is a young advertising producer who sleeps his way up the corporate ladder by having an affair with his new boss Jane (Joanna Barnes). He's also, unknowingly, having an affair with his bosses teenage daughter Michele (Joanna Cameron) – definitely influenced by The Graduate. Plus, he has a fiancé in Connecticut. In this scene Paul arrives to work at his old agency to find that he's being pushed out for bungling a soda pop commercial...

9- THINK DIRTY (1970)
Teddy (Marty Feldman) works for a large advertising agency. Given the seemingly impossible task of selling frozen porridge, he decides to produce commercials which make the product seem sexy. This leads him into confrontation with the "Keep Television Clean" movement, of which his wife is a senior member. Further problems ensue when the family take on Swedish nanny Inga Giltenburg (Julie Ege). Here's a scene in which you see Teddy always has advertising on his mind...

10- PUTNEY SWOPE (1969)
Dark satire in which the token black man on the executive board of an advertising firm is accidentally put in charge. Renaming the business "Truth and Soul, Inc.", he replaces the tight regime of monied white ad men with his militant brothers. Soon afterwards, however, the power that comes with its position takes its toll on Putney. Here's how Putney winds up in charge...

I know this is a Top "10" List but I have to add one more. The reason it's at #10.5 is because it has very little to do with advertising, but it's Elvis!...

10.5- LIVE A LITTLE, LOVE A LITTLE (1968)
Greg Nolan (Elvis Presely) is a newspaper photographer who lives a fun and carefree life. That is, until he meets a headcase named Bernice (Michele Carey), who assumes different names and personalities whenever the mood hits her. She manages to lose his job and apartment after drugging him. However, she manages to find him another apartment, and he wants to pay her back. So he gets two photographer jobs: one at a Playboy-like magazine and the other at an advertising agency. He now has to manage balancing the two jobs along with dealing with Bernice and her odd ways. Here's how he lands two jobs with "the truth"...

When it comes to advertising's portrayal on television...besides reruns of Bewitched, I strongly recommend Mad Men – set in the 60's when advertising was cool and respected. Season 3 premieres Sunday, August 16th at 10pm. Set your DVR's...you know...to fast forward through those annoying advertisements.

Salt & Pepper (1968)

2009-07-29T09:04:00.003-04:00

The same year Richard Donner directed Danger Island from The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (last post), he also directed the movie Salt & Pepper, starring Peter Lawford (Pepper) and Sammy Davis Jr. (Salt) – the latter's another favorite here at Franklin Mint Blog. It's about two nightclub owners in London's swingin' Soho district who reluctantly get caught up in some government espionage and must double as secret agents. Their current assignment is to put the kibosh on a half-baked military officer, who plans to hijack a nuclear sub and hold England captive. Salt & Pepper was followed two years later by a sequel, One More Time, directed by Jerry Lewis.

Here's a scene where Charles Salt thinks he may have seen a dead body in his closet...

And here's a scene with Salt performing "I Like the Way You Dance"...

And here's the theme song "Salt & Pepper"...

Danger Island

2009-07-23T10:42:00.007-04:00

In my last post – My Top 10 Charles Bronson Films – # 4 was Twinky (1969) directed by Richard Donner. Donner has directed many famous films including, Superman (1978), The Omen (1976), The Goonies (1985), Lethal Weapon (1987), and Scrooged (1988). But early on in his career he directed the Danger Island live-action segments from The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968).

The story concerns Professor Irwin Hayden, his daughter Leslie, and his young assistant Link Simmons (Jan-Michael Vincent – a favorite here in the Franklin Mint Blog). The trio are searching for the lost ancient city of Tobanya – as well as for the professor's missing brother – among uncharted islands of the South Pacific when they are attacked by pirates seeking lost treasure. The pirates destroy their boat, marooning our heroes on the island -- but not ending their search. They are soon joined by newfound friends Morgan and Chongo, two merchant seamen who had been marooned themselves years before. Along the way, our heroes must not only fend off the pirates, who are after the rumored treasure of the lost city, but also outwit native island headhunters.

About two months ago my cable provider finally offered us the Boomerang cartoon channel, which airs all the cartoons I grew up watching. Among the shows currently in the schedule is The Banana Splits Adventure Hour with the Danger Island segments. I've been having fun introducing all these cartoons to my 4 year old son. Some of his favorites (as mine) are The Herculoids, Hong Kong Phooey, The New Scooby Doo Movies, Thundar The Barbarian, and The Banana Splits Adventure Hour – but more specifically...Danger Island. Every night before he goes to sleep he makes me fast forward (we DVR the show so we don't have to sit through the boring Three Musketeers and Arabian Knights cartoons...and let's face it...The Banana Splits characters are not as funny as the canned-laughter would have us believe) straight to the Danger Island segment. "Uh oh, Chongo!"

Danger Island (episode 15)

For The Banana Splits record click here.

My Top 10 Charles Bronson Films

2009-07-16T22:36:00.024-04:00

Up until a year ago I had only seen one Charles Bronson film, The Mechanic (which I've written about in length here). To me this is surprising because The Mechanic might very well be in my Top 25 Favorite Films of all time...and a large part of that is the Bronson persona. So about a year ago I rented Death Wish because it's Bronson's most famous role...and that started my Charles Bronson obsession. Since then I've seen many many Charles Bronson films – some aren't available on DVD so I had to hunt them down on VHS.

Charles Bronson was best known for his "tough guy" image and often times criticized for it. Some critics dismissed his movies for the random violence and killings – I've seen Indiana Jones kill more people then in some so-called "violent" Bronson films. While Bronson did star in these types of films that is not all he produced, which you'll see below. Many of Bronson's films also starred his wife, Jill Ireland...and judging by her acting skills it was probably a stipulation in his contract.

Below are my 10 personal favorite Charles Bronson films. I'm not a fan of westerns or war movies – which Bronson made his share of – so they're not represented in this list. You'll also see that I added a "Death by Bronson" tally under the film titles. This is to prove my point from above.

Here we go...

1- The Mechanic (1972)
(Death by Bronson = 18)
This is the second film Bronson made with director Michael Winner. In it Charles Bronson is a professional hit man who works alone for "The Organization." But when willing acolyte Jan-Michael Vincent proves he has the stuff aspiring killers are made of, Bronson agrees to train him. But Jan-Michael Vincent may have ideas of his own. In the scene below Bronson gets a new assignment...killing his longtime friend and father of Jan-Michael Vincent (this is before Bronson and Vincent team up).

2- Death Wish (1974)
(Death by Bronson = 10)
This is the fourth time Bronson teamed up with director Michael Winner. Death Wish became a franchise for Bronson/Winner but the sequels were not as good – Death Wish 3 was just ridiculous. In Death Wish, Bronson plays Paul Kersey, a New York Architect whose world is suddenly torn apart by the murder of his wife and the rape of his daughter. After a vacation to Arizona, Kersey returns to New York with a vengeance against crime, and takes to vigilantism. Here he is doing his thing...

3- Violent City (1970) a.k.a. Città Violenta
(Death by Bronson = 10 plus 1 tarantula)
In Violent City, Bronson plays a hit man who's double-crossed by his girlfriend (Jill Ireland) and barely escapes a murder attempt on his life. He then sets out to take his revenge on the woman and the shooter but finds himself blackmailed by a powerful crime boss (Telly Savalas), who's now with Ireland, who wants Bronson to join his organization. Violent City is one of the films Bronson made in Europe during the late 60's/early 70's before making it big in the States. It's my favorite from that time period...although I was a little confused the first time I saw it which I'll explain. Apparently, the DVD release is a directors cut (which I wasn't aware of) so besides there being some filler shots there are a few scenes that all of a sudden switch to Italian for no reason. I thought this was an odd choice but the reason is because the director added these scenes later so they weren't dubbed to English – even though Bronson is speaking English he was dubbed in Italian so I'm not sure what's going on there? One thing that I found fascinating in the DVD extras was the director talking about the amazing soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. The director explains that for the final scene (the elevator scene) Morricone had scored a beautiful piece of music but the director decided to keep the scene absolutely silent..not even ambient background noise...the only sound being bullets breaking through glass. Sometimes simpler is better. Anyway, here's the double-cross scene...

4- Twinky (1969) a.k.a. Lola
(Death by Bronson = 0 but he breaks a young girl's heart)
Directed by Richard Donner (of Superman fame) Twinky is a mod comedy of a middle aged writer of pornographic novels (Bronson) who meets and falls in love with a sixteen year old school girl (Susan George). This alone is cause for concern but when the couple get married and move to America, the trouble (and fun) really begins. For some reason they changed the title to Lola for the American release. I've seen both versions and the only difference is that they poorly overdubbed Bronson saying "Lola" everytime he says "Twinky", and they also butchered the theme song to take out the "Twinky" reference. Not sure what they achieved by changing the name? Here's a scene...

5- St. Ives (1976)
(Death by Bronson = 1)
Novelist Raymond St. Ives (Charles Bronson), an ex-reporter who covered the crime beat, may be in over his head when he agrees to negotiate the return of stolen ledgers for stinking rich Abner Procane (John Houseman). St. Ives will need all his mental acuity and physical prowess to complete the task: If the books fall into the wrong hands, an all-out gang war could follow. Also stars the lovely Jacqueline Bisset (which helped this film secure a spot high on my list). In this scene St. Ives applies pressure on a local snitch...

6- Mr. Majestyk (1974)
(Death by Bronson = 5)
Vietnam veteran Vince Majestyk just wants to grow his watermelons and live in peace on his farm. But he finds his peaceful existence shattered when racketeers threaten him after he refuses their demand to replace his migrant workers with their people. Majestyk winds up in jail on bogus charges and meets a local mobster and right away the two are at odds. But the favor is in Majestyk's court.

7- The Stone Killer (1973)
(Death by Bronson = 10)
In the third film Bronson made with director Michael Winner, Bronson plays Lou Torrey, a detective who's transferred to Los Angeles and uncovers a plot by a Sicilian mafioso for a future massacre. The mafioso's plot involves the use of Vietnam veterans to murder all his enemies in a rerun of the "Sicilian Vespers" when the previous generation of Sicilian mafiosi were all killed on a single day. Torrey gets various clues that something big is about to happen but will he discover what is planned before the big day? I chose this scene not for Bronson's acting, nor the action, but just for being whacked out...you'll see...

8- The Valachi Papers (1972)
(Death by Bronson = 2)
When Joe Valachi (Charles Bronson) has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese, he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful attempt to slit his throat puts him over the edge to break the sacred code of silence. This is a mob movie that doesn't show the glitz and glam of being a mobster...which is probably more accurate than some other films in this genre.

9- Hard Times (1975)
(Death by Bronson = 0)
In the depression, Chaney (Charles Bronson) rides into New Orleans with two dollars in his pocket. He meets Speed Weed (James Coburn), a fast-talking promoter of bare-knuckle fights. Speed, against his own instincts, gets Chaney a bout with one of the local toughs, and a career is launched. Speed goes on to borrow money from local mobsters to set up fights for Chaney, but then gambles away all winnings. This leads to a final fight that's a life or death matter for Speed.

10- Breakout (1975)
(Death by Bronson = 1 but accidental)
When American businessman Jay Wagner (Robert Duvall) lands in a Mexican jail after being framed for murder by his shady grandfather (John Huston), Jay's wife (Jill Ireland) hires maverick pilot Nick Colton (Charles Bronson) to break him out – a near-impossible task, as Colton soon discovers. Turns out Grandpa's in cahoots with the CIA and the Mexican government and will do everything in his power to keep Jay behind bars. Here's a scene where they dress Randy Quaid in drag for a conjugal visit with Duvall...to break him out, of course...

Some other Charles Bronson films that are worth a watch are: Cold Sweat (1970), Rider on the Rain (1970), Telefon (1977), Someone Behind the Door (1971), Love and Bullets (1979), and Chato's Land (1971) – I know the last one's a western but it's the first time Bronson worked with Winner so I had to include it.

And here's a compilation of music from various Charles Bronson movies...

[DOWNLOAD] Music From Various Charles Bronson Movies

01- Citta Violenta -- Ennio Morricone -- Citta Violenta
02- Svolta Definitiva -- Ennio Morricone -- Citta Violenta
03- Disperatamente -- Ennio Morricone -- Citta Violenta
04- Main Titles -- Roy Budd -- The Stone Killer
05- Jazz Source -- Roy Budd -- The Stone Killer
06- M1 (sk 10) -- Roy Budd -- The Stone Killer
07- Death Wish (Main Title) -- Herbie Hancock -- Death Wish
08- Joanna's Theme -- Herbie Hancock -- Death Wish
09- Fill Your Hand -- Herbie Hancock -- Death Wish
10- St. Ives Suite -- Lalo Schifrin -- St. Ives
11- Main Title -- Jerry Fielding -- The Mechanic
12- The Big Chase/The Big Drop -- Jerry Fielding -- The Mechanic
13- The Party -- Jerry Fielding -- The Mechanic
14- Twinky -- Jim Dale -- Meet Jim Dale And This Is Me
15- Mr. Majestick -- The Ray Davies Orchestra -- Flashpoint
16- Main Title -- Jerry Goldsmith -- Breakout
17- Ambushed -- Jerry Goldsmith -- Breakout
18- Breakout (Part 1) -- Jerry Goldsmith -- Breakout
19- Main Title -- Riz Ortolani -- The Valachi Papers
20- Tarantella Party -- Riz Ortolani -- The Valachi Papers

Beatles Covers Week Extended - Part 6 (The Solo Years)

2009-07-06T09:08:00.001-04:00

It's "Beatles Covers Week *Extended*!" Because a weeks worth of Beatles covers just isn't enough, I'm extending it one day. This time it's the solo years...

[DOWNLOAD] Beatles Covers Part 6 (The Solo Years)

01- Instant Karma -- Bobby Shad and the Bad Men
02- Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey -- Hugo Montenegro
03- My Sweet Lord -- Percy Faith and His Orchestra
04- Let 'em In -- Les Reed
05- Ho Hey Ho (Mrs. Vanderbilt) -- Bourbon Family
06- Silly Love Songs -- James Last
07- What Is Life -- James Last
08- Oh Yoko -- Norman Candler & His Magic Strings
09- You're Sixteen -- Norrie Paramour & The Midland Radio Orchestra
10- Live and Let Die -- Franck Pourcel
11- It Don't Come Easy -- The Hollyridge Strings
12- Imagine -- The Button Down Brass
13- Woman -- Acker Bilk
14- Singalong Junk -- The Assembled Multitude
15- All Things Must Pass -- Billy Preston
16- Maybe I'm Amazed -- The Faces

Beatles Covers Week - Part 5

2009-07-03T09:35:00.001-04:00

So far the songs I chose for "Beatles Covers Week!" have been instrumentals, but to end "Beatles Covers Week!" I've chosen songs with vocals! Enjoy and have a Happy 4th!!

[DOWNLOAD] Beatles Covers Part 5

01- Hey Jude -- Unknown
02- Back In the U.S.S.R -- John Schroeder
03- The Ballad Of John And Yoko -- California Poppy Pickers
04- Lady Madonna -- The Spots
05- A Day In The Life -- Gabor Szabo & The California Dreamers
06- Ticket To Ride -- Cyril Stapleton
07- Eleanor Rigby -- The Standells
08- The Fool On The Hill -- Anita Kerr
09- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds -- William Shatner
10- Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band -- Bill Cosby
11- I've Got A Feeling -- Billy Preston
12- Something -- Telly Savalas
13- Good Day Sunshine -- Claudine Longet
14- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da -- Jack Wild
15- Day Tripper -- Mae West
16- A Hard Day's Night -- Mrs. Miller

Beatles Covers Week - Part 4

2009-07-02T09:16:00.002-04:00

Day four of "Beatles Covers Week!"...

[DOWNLOAD] Beatles Covers Part 4

01- Birthday -- Günter Noris
02- When I'm Sixty-Four -- Los Norte Americanos
03- All You Need Is Love -- The Keith Mansfield Orchestra
04- Don't Let Me Down -- Tony Osborne's Three Brass Buttons
05- The Fool On The Hill -- Pete Moore Orchestra
06- Something -- The Harry Roche Constellation
07- Norwegian Wood -- Enoch Light
08- Penny Lane -- Paul Mauriat
09- Golden Slumbers -- The Jazz Crusaders
10- Hey Jude -- Hair and Thangs
11- In My Life -- Marty Gold
12- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds -- The Tony King Sound
13- Get Back -- Paddy Kingsland
14- A Hard Day's Night -- Ena Baga
15- Yesterday -- The Village Stompers
16- Hello Goodbye -- Bud Shank

Beatles Covers Week - Part 3

2009-07-01T09:05:00.003-04:00

Day three of "Beatles Covers Week!"...

[DOWNLOAD] Beatles Covers Part 3

01- Back in the USSR -- Günter Noris
02- Come Together -- Frank Chacksfield
03- Get Back -- Little Big Horns
04- Eleanor Rigby -- Baja Marimba Band
05- While My Guitar Gently Weeps -- Charlie Byrd
06- I Want You (She's So Heavy) -- Sammy Kaye
07- A Day In The Life/I Am The Walrus -- John Tartaglia
08- The Ballad Of John And Yoko -- James Last
09- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da -- The Original Brasso Band
10- From Me To You -- The Torero Band
11- Lady Madonna -- José Feliciano
12- You Like Me Too Much -- The Waikikis
13- Hey Jude -- Area Code 615
14- Strawberry Fields Forever -- The Ventures
15- I Want To Tell You -- Mike Melvoin
16- Michelle -- Ray Martin

Beatles Covers Week - Part 2

2009-06-30T09:17:00.002-04:00

Day two of "Beatles Covers Week!"...

[DOWNLOAD] Beatles Covers Part 2

01- Blue Jay Way -- Bud Shank
02- Lady Madonna -- Shirley Scott
03- Norwegian Wood -- Paraffin Jack Flash
04- A Hard Day's Night -- Willis Jackson
05- Get Back -- Frank Chacksfield
06- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da -- Günter Noris
07- Come Together -- Count Basie
08- Hey Jude -- Jo Ment Combo
09- Yellow Submarine -- The Torero Band
10- Help -- James Last
11- I Want You (She's So Heavy) -- The Assembled Multitude
12- Eleanor Rigby -- Pat Williams
13- Something -- Sammy Kaye
14- Nowhere Man -- Gershon Kingsley
15- Penny Lane -- The Electronic Concept Orchestra
16- Yesterday -- Ray Martin

Beatles Covers Week - Part 1

2009-06-29T08:49:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I've done a "Theme Week" so this week is going to be "Beatles Covers Week!"...

[DOWNLOAD] Beatles Covers Part 1

01- Something -- Waldo De Los Rios
02- While My Guitar Gently Weeps -- The Assembled Multitude
03- Paperback Writer -- Gershon Kingsley
04- Day Tripper -- Marty Gold
05- Lady Madonna -- Günter Noris
06- Eleanor Rigby -- Mike Melvoin
07- A Hard Day's Night -- Frank Chacksfield
08- Yesterday -- Xavier Cugat
09- Get Back -- Dennis Coffey
10- Come Together -- Tommy Mottola's Guitar Factory
11- I Am The Walrus -- Lord Sitar
12- Norwegian Wood -- The Folkswingers
13- Let It Be -- Living Guitars
14- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da -- Enoch Light
15- Hey Jude -- The Moog Machine
16- Yellow Submarine -- Gordon Langford

Beck's Record Club

2009-06-20T10:40:00.004-04:00

Record Club: Velvet Underground & Nico 'Sunday Morning' from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Beck's new project is inviting fellow musicians to his studio to recreate other artists albums in one day. As Beck himself explains on his site:

"An album will be chosen to be reinterpreted and used as a framework. Nothing rehearsed or arranged ahead of time. A track will be uploaded once a week on beck.com as well as through the web sites of those involved with the project."

The first 'release' will be reinterpretations of Velvet Underground & Nico tracks, collaboraters onboard including Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, drummer Joey Waronker, keyboardist Brian Lebarton and W.A.S.P founding member Chris Holmes amongst others.

Updated Theme Songs - 6/16/09

2009-06-16T16:28:00.011-04:00

I updated a few "Theme Song" posts. Click on the title to check out the original post or just download them by clicking the link...

Theme From 2001 / Also Sprach Zarathustra

Added 6 new tracks.

[DOWNLOAD] Theme From 2001 / Also Sprach Zarathustra (***UPDATED 6/16/09***)

Theme From Star Wars

8 new tracks.

[DOWNLOAD] Theme From Star Wars (***UPDATED 6/16/09***)

Theme From Star Trek

5 new tracks.

[DOWNLOAD] Theme From Star Trek (***UPDATED 6/16/09***)

Theme From Shaft

Added 19 new tracks!
27 in total!!

[DOWNLOAD] Theme From "Shaft" (Part 1) ***UPDATED 6/16/09***
[DOWNLOAD] Theme From "Shaft" (Part 2) ***UPDATED 6/16/09***

The Galactic Force Band - Spaced Out Disco (1978)

2009-06-11T09:14:00.001-04:00

You can never have enough spaced out disco...

[DOWNLOAD] The Galactic Force Band - Spaced Out Disco (1978)
01 The Theme From Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
02 Theme From 2001
03 Cantina Band (From Star Wars)
04 Space Dust
05 Main Title From Star Wars
06 Main Title Theme From Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
07 Theme From Star Trek
08 Galactic Go Go

Wonderland Records: Spaced Out Disco Fever (1977 or 1978)

2009-06-09T09:32:00.005-04:00

I'm back! I've been away much longer than I expected. Turns out my hiatus came at the perfect time. There were layoffs at my job (luckily I survived) but that meant more work for me. So I've been super busy...work-wise. I also used my spare time to finally get to some projects that have been piling dust. How you been?

As you may remember...I'm a huge fan of the children's record label Wonderland Records. This album marks the fourth time Wonderland recycled their Star Trek recording. The same exact song also appears on Themes From "Star Trek" & "The Planet Of The Apes", Theme From Star Wars, and T.V. Themes. And each time it's credited to a different band...The Jeff Wayne Space Shuttle, Wonderland Space Shuttle, The Wonderland Singers and Orchestra, and this time The Wonderball Singers & Orchestra (or) The Wonderball Disco Orchestra...depending on which side of the cover you're looking at.

I'm also not sure why they called the album Spaced Out Disco Fever? Only the first three songs are space related and only three songs are disco related. But that's the wonder of Wonderland Records.

[DOWNLOAD] The Wonderball Singers & Orchestra - Spaced Out Disco Fever
01 Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
02 Star Wars
03 Star Trek
04 Name Of The Game
05 Stayin' Alive
06 Short People
07 We Are The Champions
08 Emotion
09 Jack And Jill
10 I Can't Smile Without You

(Stayin' Alive has some massive skips...sorry.)

Dom DeLuise (1933-2009)

2009-05-06T09:49:00.003-04:00

Rest in peace Dom.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T09:36:00.001-04:00

Chill Mode

2009-04-08T08:30:00.003-04:00

Yesterday's post marked the one year anniversary for Franklin Mint Blog...thank you. It was a goal of mine to post something new once a day for the entire year (except weekends...I don't do weekends). And I was successful!

I'm now going to reward myself by chilling out and only post when I want to, or have the time to post. I'm not giving up by all means. I still have a lot to share/say. I'm just not going to stress out over the daily post. You may not realize it, but a lot of research and preparation goes into this madness. Blah...blah...blah...wahh!

So what does this really mean? Well, from now on you don't have to check this blog everyday. Feel free to use this opportunity to check out my archives, though. But don't forget about me! I'll still be posting from time to time...and knowing me it'll be often.

Thanks for your dedicated readership. Keep in touch.

An Anniversary and Armageddon with Charlton

2009-04-07T08:44:00.007-04:00

Today marks the anniversary of two things... Exactly one year ago today was my very first Franklin Mint post, and today also marks the day Charlton Heston past away – which was what my first post was about.

In my first post I mentioned that Planet of the Apes (1968) is my favorite movie...still is. One day I'll do a proper post on the whole Planet of the Apes saga. After filming Planet of the Apes, which depicted the end of our world, Charlton also starred in two more films about the world's end: The Omega Man (1971) and Soylent Green (1973).

The Omega Man, based on the novel I Am Legend (1954) by Richard Matheson, is about Dr. Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) who, due to an experimental vaccine, is the only survivor of an apocalyptic war waged with biological weapons. The plague caused by the war has killed everyone else except for a few hundred deformed, nocturnal people calling themselves "The Family". The plague has caused them to become sensitive to light, as well as homicidally psychotic. They believe science and technology to be the cause of the war and their punishment, and Neville, as the last symbol of science, the old world, and a "user of the wheel", must die. Neville, using electricity, machinery, and science attempts to hold them at bay.

Here's a scene from The Omega Man (1971)...

Soylent Green begins in year is 2022. New York City has become overpopulated with 40 million people and pollution has caused the temperature to be risen and all natural resources have been destroyed, leaving 40 million people starving. The Soylent company has create a new food product, Soylent Green. In the overpopulated and polluted New York City, police detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of an corporate official of the Soylent company. Thorn's investigation into the murder leads him to uncover a conspiracy in the Soylent company and the Soylent Green food product itself, where Thorn uncovers the horrible truth about Soylent Green.

Here's some scenes from Soylent Green (1973)...

And here's a few of my favorite songs from the soundtracks of The Omega Man (1971) and Soylent Green (1973)...

[DOWNLOAD] Best Of The Omega Man and Soylent Green
1- The Omega Man -- Ron Grainer - The Omega Man
2- Surprise Party -- Ron Grainer - The Omega Man
3- On the Tumbril -- Ron Grainer - The Omega Man
4- Neville Crashes Through -- Ron Grainer - The Omega Man
5- Opening City Music -- Fred Myrow - Soylent Green
6- New Tenant -- Fred Myrow - Soylent Green
7- Funiture Party -- Fred Myrow - Soylent Green

R.I.P. Charlton.

Missile Command (1982)

2009-04-06T08:34:00.007-04:00

I found this album for $1 a few years ago. I bought it for my friend Joe (that's his hands holding the LP) because he's super into classic Atari stuff. Before I gave it to him I managed to rip it but I forgot to scan the cover so the images I have here were found on the web – gotta love Google images.

Missile Command is a 1980 arcade game by Atari Inc. The plot of Missile Command is simple: the player's six cities are being attacked by an endless hail of ballistic missiles, some of them even splitting like multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, and in later levels smart bombs which can evade a less than perfectly targeted missile. As a regional commander of three anti-missile batteries, the player must defend six cities in their zone from being destroyed. Well, it actually is simpler than it sounds.

In 1982, the record label Kid Stuff started putting out records based on the most popular video games. The first three albums were for Atari's flagship games: Asteroids, Missile Command, and Yars Revenge. Each included a theme song followed by a usually rather nonsensical adventure story. Anything to cash in on a craze. Here's Missile Command...

[DOWNLOAD] Missile Command (1982)
1- Atari Theme
2- Missile Command
3- Zardon Commanders

Brooke Shields

2009-04-03T08:50:00.018-04:00

Last day of "Childhood Celebrity Crush Week!"

There's just no one more beautiful than circa-1980 Brooke Shields. She was the definition of beauty. Brooke's another one of those actresses who was just about everywhere in the late-70's/early-80's. Being a fashion model also added to her exposure.

Her most famous ad campaign was for Calvin Klein Jeans, with Brooke saying "Want to know what gets between me and my Calvins? Nothing".

Below are a few scenes from Brooke's various acting roles...

Alice Sweet Alice (1976) (a.k.a. Communion)
Alice is a withdrawn 12 year old girl who lives with her mother and her younger sister, Karen (Brooke Shields). Karen gets most of the attention from her mother and Alice is often left out of the spotlight. But when Karen is found brutally murdered in a church before her first holy communion, all suspicions are turned towards Alice. But is a twelve year old girl really capable of such savagery?

Pretty Baby (1978)
It's 1917, and Violet (Brooke Shields) lives in the red-light district of New Orleans known as Storyville with her prostitute mother (Susan Sarandon). On the eve of her 12th birthday, when she'll soon join her mother in life's oldest profession, she meets photographer Ernest Bellocq (Keith Carradine), whom she aspires to marry despite the fact that he's much older. In this scene, Violet tells the house pianist (Antonio Fargas) that her mother just delivered a baby boy...

King of the Gypsies (1978)
Eric Roberts plays defiant gypsy youth Dave Stepanowicz, who tries to turn his back on his legacy but can't escape it when his dying grandfather makes Dave the tribe's new leader. Trouble begins to brew as Dave's father (Judd Hirsch) – who covets the crown – plots his son's downfall. The star-studded cast includes Susan Sarandon, Shelley Winters and Brooke Shields.

Tilt (1979)
Tilt is the story of a young girl, who's a pinball wizard. Because she does not get on with her parents, Tilt (Brooke Shields) is contemplating running away from home, and skipping school one day she decides to play pinball at Mickey's Bar. There she meets and befriends a gambler/hustler and the two hit the road betting and scamming people at various pinball joints. It all leads up to Tilt playing the pinball champ, Harold "The Whale". Here she is hitching a ride with a perverted truck driver (Geoffrey Lewis)...

Wanda Nevada (1979)
Romantic drama following the fortunes of a drifter named Beaudray Demerille (Peter Fonda) who wins a young orphan named Wanda (14 year old Brooke Shields) in a poker game and takes her gold prospecting in the Grand Canyon.

Just You and Me, Kid (1979)
George Burns stars as a former vaudevillian who befriends a young runaway, played by 14-year old Brooke Shields, who is being chased by a drug dealer. Here's the scene where George finds a naked Brooke in the trunk of his car...

The Muppet Show (1980)
In this episode of The Muppet Show, Brooke Shields reenacts various scenes from "Alice In Wonderland". Here's the scene where Alice meets the Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar perfectly cast with Sgt. Floyd Pepper...

The Blue Lagoon (1980)
Richard (Christopher Atkins) and Emmeline (Brooke Shields) are two young children who are swept up on a desert island after a shipwreck. The film follows them as they grow up and become more mature, without the intervention of grown ups. Nature takes its course, and Emmeline gets pregnant, totally unaware of the fact that a child is growing inside her. On the night their boy is born, Richard finds out about the origins of the drums they hear from time to time from the forbidden side of the island and realize they must leave.

Endless Love (1981)
Two young kids fall in love with each other. But the passion is too consuming for the parents of Jade (Brooke Shields). Her parents try to stop them from seeing each other but this winds up with their house accidentlly burned down by her boyfriend. After time in a mental institution the boyfriend once again tries to make contact with Jade.

Wet Gold (1984)
Wet Gold is the story of a young woman (Brooke Shields), who works as a waitress in a cafe. Laura stumbles across a drunk elderly man (Burgess Meredith), who fills her with exciting stories of a boat that went down with millions in gold. Together, along with Laura's boyfriend and a dive shop owner, they set off from Key West in search of the gold. But tension fills the air as greed and lust sets in.

Not sure how to end this post so I'll leave you with a photo of Brooke with Gene Simmons of KISS...