New Years Resolutions: Easy to make. Hard to keep.
My guess is that you’ve made your share of lists of things you hope to achieve in the New Year. The most common? According to Jonathan Fader, writing for Psychology Today, they are: Losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, managing debt, saving money, getting a better job or education, reducing stress, and taking a trip or volunteering.
The bad news: Resolutions are easy to make and very hard to keep. Why? One sentence statements are rarely backed up with action plans. It’s human nature to give up at the sign of the first obstacle. And often, we don’t set the bar high enough.
The good news: People who make resolutions, write them down and work to create the habits to make them stick are much more likely to succeed in keeping them.
There are many tales of people who decided to reinvent themselves and transformed their lives in the process; Martha Stewart, Joy Behar, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Kroc and Col. Sanders are a few of the more well known.
In reality, we are in a constant state of becoming. Our skin regenerates every 2-3 weeks and our skeleton is completely different today than it was ten years ago. The Buddhists say that the sooner we can understand that everything is impermanent, the more we can take advantage of the situation to grow into happier, more productive people.
Perhaps author and entrepreneur James Altucher said it best. “Every day, you reinvent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: forward or backward.”
Deciding to do nothing is a decision, too.
Nearly three decades ago, Chicago newspaper columnist and author, Sydney J. Harris penned a set of resolutions that have resonated with me ever since. They are just as meaningful today as they were when he first wrote them. As you look ahead to 2019, all of us at the wish you success in pursuing whatever your dreams may be. Here’s hoping that a little Sydney Harris creeps into those dreams.
Resolutions I’ll try to keep if you’ll try to make
Sydney J. Harris
To remember that we all basically want the same things, and our differences of opinion are less fundamental than our similarities of need.
To stop blaming ‘them’ for what is wrong with the world, and to examine more honestly and scrupulously our own failure to live up to our beliefs and ideals.
To respect goodness as much as we despise evil – otherwise, it becomes too easy to turn into a hater instead of a healer.
To keep in mind at all times that ‘justice’ is a seamless web, and not until we defend and assure justice for others do we gain the right lo claim it for ourselves.
To know that real strength most often discloses itself in gentleness, and weakness in furious aggression.
To refrain from self congratulations in contributing to charity – rather, to work for the elimination of the underlying conditions that continue to make such a charity necessary.
To say no more than we know, to speak no more than what we mean, and to give others as much the benefit of the doubt as we expect from them.
To cease imagining that we can improve conditions by ‘doing’ more than we do, without at the same time ‘becoming’ more than we are.
To understand that what we loosely call freedom is not a personal attribute, but a social relation – and that the optimum of freedom for everyone depends on self-imposed restrictions democratically arrived at.
To look beyond the transitory issues that divide us, and grasp for the permanent ends that unite us – not in mere sentimentality, but as a sheer matter of survival of our self-destructive species.
To recognize and admit our prejudices freely, and – if it is beyond our power to extirpate them – to discount them as realistically as we discount our limitations of eyesight or hearing or taste buds.
To accept the hard moral truth that from the moment we do anything credible in the anticipation of applause or popularity, we have forfeited our right to such credit.
To stop justifying selfishness because ‘the world is a jungle’ – for it can also be a garden depending on whether one wants to plant and water, or to plunder and uproot.
Finally, to treat people as if they were what they ought to be, which is the only way to help them become what they can be.
Be safe this New Year’s Eve. It’s what we DJs call “Amateur Night”. People who don’t typically drink a lot, drink a lot. Drive a little more carefully. Watch your own consumption. Have a little more patience. Kiss someone you love at midnight. Be safe!
See you next year!
Who is the Best Batman?
Growing up in the 60s, I vividly remember Batman’s short prime as a hugely popular, if campy, television show on ABC followed by a 1966 movie iteration. Adam West and Burt Ward in the roles of Batman/Bruce Wayne and Robin/Dick Grayson rocketed to stardom and just as quickly faded into typecast oblivion.
When Michael Keaton took on the role in the Tim Burton directed film version in 1989, Batman’s bankability at the box office was reaffirmed and a franchise bloomed.
Batman on Film
Batman (1943); Batman and Robin (1949); Batman (1966); Batman (1989); Batman Returns (1992); Batman Forever (1995); Batman & Robin (1997); Batman Begins (2005); The Dark Knight (2008); The Dark Knight Rises (2012); Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016); Suicide Squad (2016); Justice League (2017); Joker (Coming in 2019).
Batman’s first appearances on the big screen were in two 15 part serials, produced in 1943 and 1949. Both were eventually compressed into full length feature films. (Video-Batman) (Video-Batman and Robin). Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery were the first two actors to don the cape and cowl. The 1966 film featured West and Ward reprising their Television roles with popular guest villans Lee Meriwether as Catwoman, Cesar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin and Frank Gorshin as the Riddler. It received mostly favorable reviews for its tongue in cheek camp.
The 1989 Tim Burton film was heavily promoted and eagerly anticipated as a darker, more serious take on the caped crusader. Michael Keaton, previously known for less serious roles, delivered the goods, with Jack Nicholson‘s frightening portrayal of The Joker mesmerizing audiences worldwide. The film topped $411.35 million in total revenue and was the highest grossing film based on a DC comic book until 2008’s The Dark Knight. (Wikipedia)
Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck contributed their interpretations with varying degrees of success. Bale’s nemesis in 2008’s The Dark Knight Rises was Heath Ledger, in a show stealing performance as The Joker.
The two decade lifespan of the franchise introduced the character to several generations of fans, each associating the star-of-the-day with the titular role. But inevitable “Worst to Best” lists have been created. Zach Snyder likes Ben Affleck. Variety thinks Christian Bale is the best and serial star Lewis Wilson as the worst, with Val Kilmer a close second-from-the-bottom. Business Insider ranks Keaton at the top and George Clooney at the bottom.
Any franchise is hard to sustain. Just ask the Broccoli family, who has produced 24 James Bond films with six different actors in the title role. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig could not be more different from one another. But like the Batmen, each made the role their own and built fan bases who revere their performances.
Will Batman continue to be at the center of our consciousness? As long as there are comic books and kids, we think so.
For the record, I like Connery best as Bond and Keaton head and shoulders above all the others as the Dark Knight.
We leave you with Looper.com’s video review of worst to first Batman films. You may not agree (we don’t) but it’s worth the watch just to see the clips. “Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed.” Let’s go!
Today in Keenerland 12/28
The Instant Pot has become a viral phoenominon and was one of the hottest selling Christmas gifts this year. If you’ve joined the Instant Pot nation this year, here are some helpful hacks for new users.
What happens in “An Internet Minute?” All-Access’ Lori Lewis has been tracking Internet Minutes for several years. Here’s her take on how quickly we jump from screen to screen.
There’s an old saying, often wrongly attributed to Confucius, that if you hold a grudge, you end up digging two graves, including one for yourself. Now, author Sophie Hannah says holding a grudge can be good for you. Check out her irreverent, funny & ultimately enlightening book.
Have you been hooked on the Amazon Prime streamer, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel? We have. Now in season 2, here’s Rolling Stone’s deep dive into the program’s success formula and the backstory on its Emmy / Golden Globe winning star, Rachel Brosnahan.
From our “Gee this makes me feel old” department: Child actress Lisa Jakub was just 14 when she co-starred in Mrs. Doubtfire. She just turned 40. Here’s what is she and the rest of the surviving cast are up to now, 25 years later.
Research shows that more and more parents are staying in on New Years’ Eve. Again this year, Netflix is offering a series of fake NYE countdowns for kids, featuring some of their most popular shows. That way, parents can get kids into bed before midnight and enjoy the last few minutes of 2018 on their own.
Variety columnist, Carolyn Dayra Framke, has crowd sourced a google doc of over 3,000 “books to get lost in in 2019”. If you’re a voracious reader, check it out!
1964 – Initial filming of the movie “Dr. Zhivago” began on location near Madrid, Spain. The movies total running time is 197 minutes.
1971 – George Harrison was at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘My Sweet Lord’. He was the first Beatle to score a No.1 US hit. The song, originally intended for Billy Preston, got George into court for supposedly channeling The Chiffons‘ “He’s So Fine.
1973 – The Chamber of Commerce of Akron, OH, terminated its association with the All-American Soap Box Derby. It was stated that the race had become “a victim of cheating and fraud.”
1974 – Helen Reddy went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Angie Baby’, the singers third US No.1. The song was turned down by Cher.
Today’s viral photo:
Roebuck “Pop Staples”, 1915 (Died 2000); Stan Lee (Marvel), 1922 (Died 2018); Edgar Winter, 1946; Mary Weiss (The Shangri-Las), 1948; Alex Chilton (The Box Tops), 1950 (died 2010); Denzel Washington, 1954; Linus Torvalds (Linux Inventor), 1969; John Legend, 1978.
The third in our series of inspirational quotes to fire you up for 2019 comes from author, Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.”Today in Keenerland 12/27
Highlights from today’s morning show include some back story on Radio City Music Hall, two pivotal dates in John Lennon’s timeline, the four women who played “Dolly” on Broadway (plus one on film), Sonny & Cher get a show, sprinting across Antarctica and the third longest running prime time soap opera in history debuts.
The iconic Radio City Music Hall opened on this date in 1932 in New York, home to the Rockettes & in the same complex as the NBC Studio 6-B where Jimmy Fallon‘s Tonight Show is taped. Johnny Carson started his long reign in that same studio.
Today in 1958, John Lennon meets future wife Cynthia Powell at the Liverpool College of Art. 22 years later to the day, just weeks after his death, Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over” (Video) hits #1 in America.
Today in 1970 “Hello, Dolly!” closes at New York’s St James Theater after 2844 performances. Carol Channing originated the title role. Pearl Bailey, Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters have all made it their own since. Barbara Streisand starred in the 1969 film version.
Today in 1971 The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour gets a regular run on CBS after serving as a summer replacement. It stays on the air for three years until their divorce got in the way. The duo would reunite in 1976 for a two year stint hosting the identically formatted The Sonny & Cher Show, proving “The Beat Goes On”.
Tonight in 1979 the wildly popular CBS show, “Dallas”, spins off another prime time soap opera: “Knots Landing“. It will become longest-running primetime drama on U.S. TV after Gunsmoke and Bonanza.
Missing Carrie Fisher today. Our favorite princess left us on this date in 2016. We lost her mom, Debbie Reynolds the next day. Carrie’s autobiographical “The Princess Diarist” is a great listen on Audible. She narrates the book herself, adding a dimension of authenticity and honesty that is at once candidly funny and heartbreaking. Debbie’s “Unsinkable” memoir is equally so.
The Stars above have burned a little brighter ever since.
In the News:
NYT: Sprinting across Antarctica, alone.
Bloomberg: Making sense of the stock market’s wild ride.
Weather Underground: Who gets blizzard conditions today?
Today’s Birthdays: Scotty Moore (Elvis’ Guitar Player), 1931, (Died 2016); Mike Pinder (Moody Blues), 1941; Mick Jones (Foreigner), 1944; Larry Byrom (Steppenwolf), 1948; David Knopfler (Dire Straits), 1952
This morning’s playlist video links:
Roll to Me – Del Amitri
It Don’t Come Easy – Ringo
Shake It Off – Tim Akers & The Smoking Section
The second in our series of inspirational quotes to fire you up for 2019 comes from master motivator, Jim Rohn: “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”
Today in Keenerland 12/26
Today’s highlights include shampoos of the past, dangerous games and the original Mary Poppins. Plus birthdays, today in history and more.
Once upon a time, we were carpet bombed with commercials for these popular shampoos. But 40 years later, the brands behind them aren’t as popular as they once were. Charlie’s Angel Farrah Fawcett and gymnast Dorothy Hamill have faced from memory for many, as have their formerly hot shampoo brands. And look closely at the photo at left. Recognize the Mad Magazine Parody? It made the list of the “Usual Gang of Idiots'” favorite back covers.
What is the best weather for running? According to this piece from the folks at Medium, the colder the better, to a point.
Remember when we worried about what might happen to our kids who were addicted to Super Mario Brothers? There’s a new game out there called Fortnite that has become an all consuming social network and, according to this Wall Street Journal story, is negatively impacting parent / child relationships.
And apparently, Instagram is bad for your health, too.
Can you name the people in this picture? The easy ones are Julie Andrews on the left and Walt Disney on the right. The two kids should jog memories if you were a fan of the original Mary Poppins. They are Karen Dotrice & Matthew Garber, who played Jane and Michael Banks. The barely smiling lady to Julie’s left is Mary Poppins author, P.L. Travers, who turned out to be less than happy with the finished product.
Have you seen Mary Poppins returns, yet? The verdict from my wife, daughter-in-law and grandson parallels the Rotten Tomatoes opinion: It’s a hit.
Quick Hits for December 26:
In 1933 American engineer Edwin Armstrong patented FM. It would be two more decades before it became ubiquitous on radios everywhere.
In 1963 The British Invasion began when The Beatles released “I Want To Hold Your Hand“(Video) & “I Saw Her Standing There” (Video) in the US. Still have your 45?
In 1973, our nightmares got a lot worse as “The Exorcist” (Video Trailer), starring Linda Blair & Max von Sydow premieres. It’s the 1st horror film to be nominated for Best Picture.
Time magazine named “The Computer” Man of the Year on this date in 1982. When did you buy your first one? Got mine in ‘84.
And today’s birthdays include: Richard Widmark, 1914 (Died 2008); Steve Allen (Tonight Show), 1921 (Died 2000); Phil Spector, 1939; Abdul Fakir (The Four Tops), 1935, Jared Leto, 1971
The first in our series of inspirational quotes to fire you up for 2019 comes from author life optimizer, Tim Ferriss: “Think big and don’t listen to people who tell you it can’t be done. Life’s too short to think small.”
The WLS Top 89 Hits of 1968
As we say goodbye to 2018, lets look back 50 years to see what Chicago’s WLS dubbed “The Top 89 Hits of 1968”.
It was quite a year in Chicago. The Democratic Convention demonstrations gave the city and its long serving mayor, Richard Daily a black eye. Top-40 radio was at the zenith of its popularity across the country and the Windy City had two rockers that were constantly challenging one another for dominance: ABC owned WLS and WCFL, licensed to the Chicago Federation of Labor. Nothing like some hot competition to keep everyone at the top of their game.
And so it was on the charts in 1968. The Beatles had, arguably, their biggest hit record, the double sided Hey Jude & Revolution. Motown was still churning out the hits and R&B had gone mainstream. The Brits were well represented with the Four Lads, the Stones and the Bee Gees leading the charge. And a new genre, “Bubble Gum”, was starting to pop into the pop charts.
Here’s how WLS ranked the most popular tunes of the year as part of their final Hit Parade, published on December 23, 1968..
1. HEY JUDE/REVOLUTION-The Beatles
2. LOVE IS BLUE-Paul Mauriat
3. HONEY-Bobby Goldsboro
4. HARPER VALLEY PTA-Jeannie C. Riley
5. THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU-Herb Alpert
6. YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY-Ohio Express
7. THOSE WERE THE DAYS-Mary Hopkin
8. HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE-Marvin Gaye
9. FIRE-Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
10. JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH-Rolling Stones
11. GRAZIN’ IN THE GRASS-Hugh Masakela
12. VALLERI-The Monkees
13. LOVE CHILD-Supremes
14. MONY MONY-Tommy James & The Shondells
15. BEND ME, SHAPE ME-American Breed
16. LADY MADONNA-The Beatles
17. MRS. ROBINSON-Simon & Garfunkel
18. PEOPLE GOT TO BE FREE-Rascals
19. GREEN TAMBOURINE-Lemon Pipers
20. JUDY IN DISGUISE-John Fred & The Playboy Band
21. VALLEY OF THE DOLLS-Dionne Warwick
22. LITTLE GREEN APLES-O.C. Smith
23. WOMAN WOMAN-Gary Puckett & Union Gap
24. HELLO, I LOVE YOU-Doors
25. YOUNG GIRL-Gary Puckett & Union Gap
26. ABRAHAM, MARTIN & JOHN-Dion
27. TURN AROUND, LOOK AT ME-Vogues
28. SLIP AWAY-Clarence Carter
29. TIGHTEN UP-Archie Bell & The Drells
30. THE HORSE-Cliff Nobles & Co.
31. I WILL ALWAYS THINKABOUT YOU-New Colony Six
32. THE DOCK OF THE BAY-Otis Redding
33. 1-2-3 RED LIGHT-1910 Fruitgum Company
34. A BEAUTIFUL MORNING-Rascals
35. BORN TO BE WILD-Steppenwolf
36. THE GOOD, BAD & THE UGLY-Hugh Montenegro
37. SPOOKY-Classics IV
38. DO IT AGAIN-Beach Boys
39. I WONDER WHAT SHE’S DOING TONIGHT-Boyce & Hart
40. STONED SOUL PICNIC-5th Dimension
41. SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE-Aretha Franklin
42. HOLD ME TIGHT-Johnny Nash
43. LIGHT MY FIRE-Doors
44. OVER YOU-Gary Puckett & Union Gap
45. CHEWY CHEWY-Ohio Express
46. SEALED WITH A KISS-Gary Lewis
47. MacARTHUR PARK-Richard Harris
48. PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN-Status Quo
49. I GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU-Bee Gees
50. CHAIN OF FOOLS-Aretha Franklin
51. LADY WILL POWER-Gary Puckett & Union Gap
52. MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS-Grass Roots
53. ANGEL OF THE MORNING-Merilee Rush
54. I LOVE YOU-People
55. SIMON SEZ-1910 Fruitgum Company
56. I WISH IT WOULD RAIN-Temptations
57. FOOL ON THE HILL-Sergio Mendez & Brazil 66
58. INDIAN LAKE-Cowsills
59. GOING OUT OF MY HEAD-Lettermen
60. THERE WAS A TIME-James Brown
61. ELEANOR-Turtles
62. I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME-Supremes/Temptations
63. WHITE ROOM-Cream
64. FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE-Stevie Wonder
65. DIFFERENT DRUM-Stone Poneys
66. BONNIE & CLYDE-Georgie Fame
67. I’M A GIRL WATCHER-The O’Kaysions
68. LA LA MEANS I LOVE YOU-Delphonics
69. SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE-Cream
70. THERE IS-The Dells
71. REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS-Friends & Lovers
72. MAGIC CARPET RIDE-Steppenwolf
73. JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE MIND-Amboy Dukes
74. I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER-Aretha Franklin
75. CLASSICAL GAS-Mason Williams
76. CINNAMON-Derek
77. I SECOND THAT EMOTION-Smokey Robinson/Miracles
78. SPECIAL ANGEL-Vogues
79. DANCE TO THE MUSIC-Sly & The Family Stone
80. CRY LIKE A BABY-Box Tops
81. HOW DID WE EVER GET THIS WAY-Andy Kim
82. SUMMERTIME BLUES-Blue Cheer
83. YOU KEEP ME HANGIN’ ON-Vanilla Fudge
84. WHO’S MAKING LOVE-Johnny Taylor
85. JUST DROPPED IN (TO SEE…)-First Edition
86. THE UNICORN-Irish Rovers
87. DOWN AT LULU’S-Ohio Express
88. COWBOYS TO GIRLS-Intruders
89. I NEED LOVE-Third Booth
The Greatest Christmas Hits
What are your favorite Christmas tunes? When my wife was putting together her list on Amazon Prime Unlimited, we got to talking about our all time Christmas faves. Casey Kasem recorded an All Time Christmas Countdown for his American Top 40 program in 1971. It’s vastly different than the latest Billboard iteration. Let’s look at them both.
BTW.. The top selling single of all time is still Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”.
Here’s Billboard Magazine’s Take:
Look and Listen to the entire list
1 ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU-Mariah Carey
2 IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR-Andy Williams
3 JINGLE BELL ROCK-Bobby Helms
4 ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE-Brenda Lee
5 A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS-Burl Ives
6 Nat King Cole – THE CHRISTMAS SONG-Nat King Cole
7 RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER-Gene Autry
8 LAST CHRISTMAS-Wham!
9 LET IT SNOW-Dean Martin
10 HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS-Gene Autry
11 SLEIGH RIDE-The Ronettes
12 FELIZ NAVIDAD-Jose Feliciano
13 (THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE) HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS-Perry Como
14 WHITE CHRISTMAS-Bing Crosby
15 IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE CHRISTMAS-Perry Como
16 BLUE CHRISTMAS-Elvis Presley
17 IT’S COLD OUTSIDE-Dean Martin Baby
18 IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS-Michael Buble
19 WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME-Paul McCartney
20 UNDERNEATH THE CHRISTMAS TREE-Kelly Clarkson
American Top 40 All Time Christmas Countdown December 25, 1971
01. WHITE CHRISTMAS-Bing Crosby
02. RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER-Gene Autry
03. LITTLE DRUMMER BOY-Harry Simeone Chorale
04. THE CHRISTMAS SONG-Nat King Cole
05. JINGLE BELL ROCK-Bobby Helms
06. SILVER BELLS-Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely
07. WINTER WONDERLAND-Ray Conniff Orchestra & Chorus
08. SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN-Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
09. BLUE CHRISTMAS-Elvis Presley
10. THE CHIPMUNK SONG-Chipmunks
11. JINGLE BELLS-Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
12. FROSTY THE SNOWMAN-Gene Autry
13. SLEIGH RIDE-Leroy Anderson
14. HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS-Gene Autry
15. I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS-Jimmy Boyd
16. PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS-Charles Brown
17. ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE-Brenda Lee
18. NUTTIN’ FOR CHRISTMAS-Ricky Zahnd
19. YOU’RE ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS-Frankie Laine* (Not played on countdown)
20. I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS-Bing Crosby
21. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH-Spike Jones
22. MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY-Charles Brown
23. CHRISTMAS IN KILARNEY-Bing Crosby
24. HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS-Perry Como
25. IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS-Chipmunks
26. I YUST GO NUTS AT CHRISTMAS-Yogi Yorgesson
27. SANTA BABY-Eartha Kitt
28. MARY’S BOY CHILD-Harry Belafonte
29. CHRISTMAS DRAGNET-Stan Freberg
30. PRETTY PAPER-Roy Orbison
31. SNOOPY’S CHRISTMAS-Royal Guardsmen* (Not played on countdown)
32. LITTLE SAINT NICK-Beach Boys
33. BABY’S FIRST CHRISTMAS-Connie Francis
34. SANTO NATALE-David Whitfield
35. SANTA & THE SATELLITE-Dickie Goodman
36. LITTLE ALTAR BOY-Andy Williams
37. THE HAPPY REINDEER-Dancer, Prancer & Nervous
38. SANTA CLAUS IS WATCHING YOU-Ray Stevens
39. MERRY CHRISTMAS POLKA-Andrews Sisters* (Not played on countdown)
40. IF EVERY DAY WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS-Elvis Presley
Here’s Bing singing “White Christmas” in the 1954 film of the same name.
Rupert Holmes’ Only #1
One of the most underrated talents of the 70s was Rupert Holmes. He first came to my attention when I got a hold of his 1974 album “Widescreen”, a collection of musical stories that had great lyrics and even better music. That one never got traction and it wasn’t until this week in 1979 that he had his only number one with “Escape – The Pina Colada Song“.
What is less known is that he was the driving force behind the band The Bouys. Holmes convinced Scepter Records to give them a one-single contract. The label refused to promote the band, so Holmes tried to think of an angle that would get them some viral publicity. He landed on writing a tune that would get The Bouys “banned” from airplay, thus generating major buzz. He wrote a tune that hinted at cannibalism and that did the trick, ultimately getting The Bouys’ one hit, “Timothy” on the charts. It peaked at #17 in February of 1970.
Goldfinger: The Best Bond Film?
Two perennial questions for James Bond fans: Who is your favorite Bond and what is your favorite Bond movie? On December 22, 1964, the third film in the long running series, “Goldfinger,” starring Sean Connery, Shirley Eaton, Gert Fröbe, and Honor Blackman, had its North American premiere in New York City.
Some Bond trivia: Gert Fröbe’s English was so bad that British voice actor, Michael Collins, was hired to loop it. That’s also Collins voice you hear speaking the lines of Tiger Tanaka, the head of the Japanese Secret Service in “You Only Live Twice”.
For me, there is still no bond like Sean. Daniel Craig is evolving into second place on my list. What’s the most underrated Bond flick? To my taste “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, starring one time Bond, George Lazenby and former Avenger, Dianna Rigg doesn’t get enough love. One wonders how it would rate in the series had Sean Connery hung around?
Born In The USA Outruns Thriller
On December 21st, 1985, Bruce Springsteen‘s album, “Born in the USA” passed Michael Jackson‘s “Thriller” to become the second-longest lasting album in the Billboard Top 10. It remained there for 79 weeks, a tenure surpassed only by the original Broadway cast album of “The Sound of Music” at 109 weeks.
What LP holds the distinction of the longest ever run on the the Billboard album charts? Pink Floyd‘s “Dark Side of the Moon”. It was in circulation for 939 weeks, just over 18 years.
Born In the USA – Live
Who was Irene Hervey?
This week’s edition of “Remembering a Forgotten Star” features prolific actress Irene Hervey, who died on December 20, 1998. She was born Beulah Irene Herwick on July 11, 1909. Under the stage name Irene Hervey, she was a ubiquitous face on screen, appearing in more than fifty films and numerous television series over a career spanning five decades.
Among her film credits: The Stranger’s Return (1933), with Lionel Barrymore, The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), Destry Rides Again (1939) opposite Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich, The House of Fear (1939), and the musical The Boys from Syracuse (1940), in which she starred with her then-husband, Allan Jones.
Who was Allan Jones? If you’ve seen A Night at the Opera, you know him as the good-guy tenor managed by Chico Marx, and romancing Kitty Carlisle.
Hervey became a horror queen in the late 40s and 50s, appearing in Night Monster (1942) opposite Bela Lugosi, Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), and A Cry in the Night (1956).
She made a seamless transition to television appearing in dozens of programs, including Perry Mason, Honey West, and My Three Sons, where she earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Single Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role. Later in her career, she had minor roles in the Goldie Hawn vehicle Cactus Flower (1969) and Clint Eastwood‘s Play Misty for Me (1971).
She continued to work on television through the 70s, guesting on Dr. Kildare, The Twilight Zone, Burke’s Law, Ironside, The Mod Squad and Charlie’s Angels. Her last appearance was in the Animal House TV spin off, Delta House in 1979.
She was married to Jones from 1936 to 1957, giving birth to two children, one of whom was singer Jack Jones.
Irene Hervey lived to age 89 and although not a household name, she’s one of those familiar faces you see on MeTV and say, “Hey, don’t I know that woman?”
The Music Man Debuts on Broadway
On December 19, 1957, he original Broadway production of Meredith Willson’s musical “The Music Man,” starring Robert Preston, Barbara Cook as Marian, Eddie Hodges as Winthrop, Pert Kelton as Mrs. Paroo, Iggie Wolfington as Marcellus Washburn and David Burns as Mayor Shinn, opened at New York’s Majestic Theatre for 1,375 performances.
Where was Shirley Jones? She didn’t appear on the scene until the film was made in 1962. The Broadway role was performed by Barbara Cook . It was Cook’s third appearance on the Great White Way, previously starring in Plain and Fancy (1955), Candide (1956). Her her “vocal agility, wide range, warm sound, and emotive interpretations” were renown, taking on a darker tone as the years passed. She continued to be considered one of the leading interpreters of song well into her 80s. Via Wikipedia.
The young actor, Eddie Hodges, also made his Broadway debut in The Music Man in the role of Winthrop, made famous on screen by Ronnie Howard. A bit of trivia. If you’ve seen the film The Right Stuff, the Hodges character is seen competing with as Ed Harris as John Glenn on the game show Name That Tune. This is a true event that happened on October 4, 1957, the day the Russians launched Sputnik 1.
Watch the dance sequence in the Steven Spielberg film 1941 closely and you’ll see Iggie Wolfington as the talent agent, “Myron Mishkin”.
