retro-the-best....: Dec 5, 2010

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Retro: Kimmer

SHINDIG HULLABALOO AND WHERE THE ACTION IS 1960'S
1966 YOU'RE A MEAN ONE MR. GRINCH!
THE REDFORD THEATER HOLIDAY EVENTS!

SHINDIG HULLABALOO AND WHERE THE ACTION IS 1960'S

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 12:52 PM PST

Shindig! was the first of a kind in the US- a prime-time rock music TV show that featured live ( maybe rehearsed and then taped live) performances by the top acts of the early Sixties.

The Studio band for Shindig were called The Shindogs.. the band lineup was Glen D Hardin Delaney Bramlett Joey Cooper James Burton and Chuck Blackwell. Never knew Delaney was in this group!

Sonny and Cher on Shindig

The Shindig show, hosted Jimmy O'Neill, was broadcast live on ABC September 16, 1964, with house band the Shin-diggers (later the Shindogs) and the Shindigger dancers (the reason anyone over twenty-five might be watching the show). Most of the 'Shindig' shows were broadcast in glorious black and white.

On January of 1966, a year and a half after the series debuted, it was cancelled to make room on ABC's schedule for 'Batman', which was also scheduled to run on two nights a week. Sigh.. Oh well we liked Batman too for a time.

Shingidg was an American version of Britain's rock/pop show Ready Steady Go. They featured a lot of British Invasion bands and lots of American music too like Motown, The Birds, Fontella Bass and more. Here is a video of one of my favorite singers Gerry Marsden and Gerry and the Pacemakers "Ferry Cross the Mersey" I got to meet Gerry at the Premiere Center in Sterling Heights in the late 80's. Loved him.

Paul Revere and The Raiders with Mark Lindsay

Where The Action Is

In 1963, AMERICAN BANDSTAND left the weekday shift for Saturday afternoons. Two years later (1965), Dick Clark created a new spin-off for ABC called Where The Action Is, a half-hour rock 'n' roll show featuring the… More hits of the day.

Buffalo Springfield on Where the Action Is

Where The Action Is took viewers to various locations across the US. In addition to Stateside locations, segments were also taped in Canada, Britain and Japan. One frequent location was Malibu Beach in Malibu, CA, where many of the summer shows were shot. Bear Mountain Ski Resort in Bear Mountain, CA was the frequent site for the the winter and holiday shows.

Steve Alaimo and Linda Scott were the original hosts. By 1966, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the house band, took over the hosting duties.That's when the show was it's best. Other series regulars included Keith Allison, Tina Mason and Jimmy Hubbard. The Action Kids was the series' dance troupe.

Where The Action Is was in black and white during its original ABC run.

Hullabaloo

Hullabaloo was a lot like Shindig, and lasted only a year and a half as well, debuting in January of 1965, and continuing until the Fall of 1966.

Hullabaloo! in the fall of 1965 was a pretty cool show. It was in color and a bit over produced. Not as cool as Shindig but we watched our favorite bands anywhere we could find them.These shows and transistor am radio was all we had to discover new music. No FM, No MTV, VH1 or the internet.

Now days the only way I discover new music is on film soundtracks. They rarely announce the names of the bands on the radio. So if I hear something I really like in a movie I look it up on Amazon for the samplers to listen to. I also really love Playlist.com. It is not a download site it is more of a free jukebox for your favorite tunes. I have lots of playlists for this blog ala the Christmas tunes playing now.

All of these shows, especially Shindig, captured some of the coolest live songs by the best rock, pop and soul stars, The Supremes, Otis Redding, Beach Boys, and James Brown.

Read more on RK

Florence Ballard and The Supremes
Dave Wakeling The English Beat
Darlene Love

1966 YOU'RE A MEAN ONE MR. GRINCH!

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 11:46 AM PST

The Grinch voiced by Boris Karloff

You know it's funny... I absolutely hated this show as a kid. Reason being... How mean the Grinch was to his little dog. I never got over that part, like Bambi's mother I guess. Too much reality in a children's program.

As I grew up I began to like the Grinch and even find the adult humor that is all over this kiddie show. But I still fast foward through the poor Max parts... Wanted to kick that Grinch myself!

Poor Max...

Max only had 2 lines in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. His lines were "yipe" and "raaahh". (Needed a better agent!) The sad plight of Max and the redemption of The Grinch are two big reasons why people relate so much to this story. A modern day Bob Cratchit and Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Grinch

Cindy Lou Who: Don't forget the Grinch. I know he's mean and hairy and smelly. His hands might be cold and clammy, but I think he's actually kinda... sweet.

The Grinch: Nice kid... baaad judge of character.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a 1966 American animated television special directed by Chuck Jones. It is based on the children's book by Dr. Seuss. It's the story of The Grinch trying to take away Christmas from the townsfolk of Whoville below his mountain hideaway.

The special, which is considered a short film as it runs less than an hour, is one of the very few Christmas specials from the 1960s to still be shown regularly on television. Boris Karloff narrates the film and also provides the speaking voice of The Grinch (the opening credits state, "The sounds of the Grinch are by Boris Karloff. And read by Boris Karloff, too!").

The 26-minute short was originally telecast on CBS on December 18, 1966. CBS repeated it annually during the Christmas season until 1987. It was eventually acquired by Turner Broadcasting System, which now shows it several times between November and January.

The special was originally produced by The Cat in the Hat Productions in association with the television and animation divisions of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. MGM owned the special until 1986 (although they still show the logos at the end of the program airing on television).

This terrific theme song has been mistakenly attributed to Boris Karloff. Mr. Karloff could do many things but he did not sing. The fantastic baritone is done by Thurl Ravenscroft (love that name!) and he was left off the credits! Imagine that mistake! Dr. Seuss apologized profusely and made many efforts to promote Mr. Ravenscroft.

THE REDFORD THEATER HOLIDAY EVENTS!

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:25 AM PST

One of the most exciting things about blogging for me is all the emails I get with story ideas. I received an email this morning and all it had in it was a link. I usually don't click on strange links (not a good idea). But what hacker would know about the Redford Theater? So I braved it out and checked out the Redford Theater site.

A wave of retro joy enveloped me! I haven't been to this theater since the 70's. What a relief to discover that it is a non profit organization now and they are showing retro family fare for the new generations. The theater has been restored and is it gorgeous? So I did a little research on the Redford.

The Redford Theatre opened on January 27, 1928 as a neighborhood movie house. It was billed as "America's Most Unique Suburban Playhouse." The theatre, with its three story grand foyer and full-size stage, has been in continuous operation ever since. This was fortunate, since it enabled the Redford and its theater organ to escape the ravages of neglect that resulted in the destruction of many movie palaces.

Silent films were still being produced when the plans were made for the theater, so a Barton Theatre organ was installed as the theatre was being built.

The theatre was designed with a Japanese motif. That design included appropriate decorations on the organ console.

During World War II, much of the Japanese-style decoration was removed, painted over or covered up.

Redford Theater's original pipe organ was used less and less frequently. Eventually heavy draperies were hung over the organ grillework.

The Motor City Theater Organ Society became interested in the Redford Theater because, while many pipe organs had been removed from theaters, the Redford's instrument remained intact. The Redford Theater and the Fox Theater are now the only two theaters with their original theater organs in the metro Detroit area.

The Redford Theatre, with its historic original 3 manual, 10 rank Barton Theatre Pipe Organ, has served as a Metro Detroit entertainment center since it opened on January 27, 1928.

Read more about the Redford Theater's History HERE

Lance Luce Redford Theater Photos

The non-profit Motor City Theater Organ Society owns and operates the Redford Theatre at 17360 Lahser Road, Detroit, MI 48219. Enjoy the classic film series, organ concerts or your special event, enhanced by this beautifully restored setting.

The Redford Theatre is operated by an all-volunteer staff. Proceeds from programs presented at the Redford are used to restore and maintain the theater building.

The Motor City Theatre Organ Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

The Redford Theatre
17360 Lahser Road
Detroit, MI 48219

We have to support this type of entertainment for the future generations. There are so many kids that will never know what it was like to see a film on a really big screen, not some cubicle screen in multiplex. Yes the multiplexes are convenient but the have no ambiance at all.

Lance Luce Redford Theater Photos

So if you have been to The Redford grab the family this holiday season and show you kids how cool the movies can be!

December 11 at 8pm, 12 at 3pm
The Detroit Theatre Organ Society Presents
The Magnificient Pipe Organ at Christmas
Featuring Lance Luce at the Redford's Barton Pipe Organ
Adults $12.00, children 12 and under - $8.00

White Christmas

December 17 - 8:00 p.m.
December 18 - 2:00 & 8:00
Tickets - $4.00

The Redford Theater has a ton of really fun Retro events for 2011. Here are a few but you can always check their event calendar in their Website

January 14 and 15 - To Kill A Mockingbird - $5.00
Special guest Mary Badham, who played Scout in the film,
will appear live at each showing of To Kill A Mockingbird
Sponsored by National Heating and Cooling

This is one of my most favorite comedies with Cary Grant playing straight man to his two hysterically funny aunts. I have never seen this on a big screen so we may travel out there for this one!

January 28 and 29 - Arsenic and Old Lace - $4.00
PLUS the Columbia cartoon "Willoughby's Magic Hat"

This film a light hearted romp with Kimmer favorites Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

February 11 and 12 - Roman Holiday - $4.00
Sponsored by DetroitMoviePalaces.com

The Redford Theater Events Website

[New post] The Avengers -united against a common threat

The Avengers -united against a common threat

dailypop | December 5, 2010 at 10:42 pm | Tags: marvel animation iron man captain america avengers cart | Categories: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-29c

Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Breakout

review

"And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born — to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand! Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing many times, but their glory has never been denied! Heed the call, then — for now, the Avengers Assemble!"

In late 1930's, comics published the adventures of strange masked men and women fighting against the forces of darkness. The genre of superhero comics became immensely popular and also acted as a morale booster to US soldiers stationed overseas. In the 50's, comics came under attack as subversive material leading to juvenile delinquency, causing publishers to panic and attempt various different ideas, dropping the men in tights who were suspected of warping the minds of the young. Back in 1960's, in what is regarded today as the Silver Age of comics, the publishing world found a resurgence of of superhero comics, leading Martin Goodman, publisher of what would one day be Marvel Comics, to allow his head creators free reign in developing new heroes for a sophisticated reader looking for escape. The mighty Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man and the Wasp and the rampaging Hulk were immensely successful, but what if they were all in one book together?

The result was the might Avengers, a superhero team book that embraced the mood of temperament of the Marvel Universe, meaning that the members spent more time fighting amongst themselves than fighting evil doers. Tony Stark had donated a mansion to act as a headquarters along with his personal manservant, Jarvis. Few believed that Thor was actually a Norse God and Hank Pym's ability to grow and shrink looked superfluous and absurd when compared to his teammates' powers. The Wasp was desperate to impress her boyfriend and also operate in what was essentially a men's club with very few special powers. The Hulk despised them all and it was only a matter of time before he exploded into a fit of rage that would bring the house down.

It was a marvelous book.

The new animated series developed by Simon Philips, Eric S. Rollman, Joshua Fine and Christopher Yost takes a few ideas from the classic 60's comic books along with over 40 years of published history to bring what must be the most lavish depiction of the Marvel Universe ever seen before outside of the printed page. The series kicked off with a 2-part story that in many ways mimics the first adventure of Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers in 2005.

Exiled from Asgard, Thor is confronted by his brother Balder who asks that he admit humility and return to Asgard while their father takes his Odin Sleep. Thor is too proud and obstinate, however, and declares that the world of mortals needs his help. It becomes clear quite quickly that Thor is sweet on one mortal in particular, EMT Jane Foster. But he is also correct, there is far too much trouble on Earth for humanity to deal with. Not even Iron Man, the armored adventurer, can be in all places at once. He has also discovered that his own technology is being used by terrorists and cannot explain how they got their hands on it, though he suspects the global peacekeeping force S.H.I.E.L.D. who are annoyed with him for not developing weaponry for their use. Both of these plots take a back-seat to the four-way super villain breakout.

There are four separate high security prisons (The Vault, The Cube, the Big House and the Raft) where the world's super-powered criminals are being held, with S.H.I.E.L.D. providing security for each. In the Cube, Bruce Banner tries to explain to his captor Doc Samson that the Cube is not a prison at all but a weapons development facility where gamma radiation is being studied as a tool for war. Before Samson can take the claim seriously, the Cube is shut down. The Leader takes the opportunity to gather his forces for a future plot against the planet rather than chase the Hulk who has escaped from the facility. The Mad Thinker predicted the breakout, much to Hank Pym's confusion as the prediction comes true in short order. The prison cells in all four facilities open, giving the villains free reign to secure the gear and weapons before taking to the streets. In the Vault, Hawkeye, wrongly imprisoned as a traitor, is mistaken for a crook by Iron Man who ultimately has to destroy the building which has become over-run with super villains.

Despite all of this mayhem, Nick Fury decides to head directly for the Raft where the most dangerous villain of all is being held, Gravitron. Before he can get on site, Gravitron has freed himself from his chains and begins to unleash his awesome power on the world at large. It will take the combined might of all the various super powered humans to take down Gravitron before he lets his rage loose on his former jailers.

Iron Man is clearly over-powered but has all the smarts needed to deal with Gravitron, Thor has the raw power, but lacks the tactics to deal with the villain's mesmerizing attacks. Hank Pym enlarges himself to take Gravitron down, but is obviously out-matched. Throughout the conflict, the Hulk looks on with conflicted emotions. He wants to pitch in, but knows that he is 'just another monster' in the eyes of the humans.

Then Gravitron has to go and claim to be the strongest there is... and it's on.

It should come as no surprise that with the Marvel Entertainment machine moving towards an Avengers film in 2012, a series of tie-ins to remind those unfamiliar with the comic book series just who the characters are. For those unfamiliar with the world of the Avengers, this may all come across as a bit fast and furious with characters leaping across the screen so quickly that it's difficult to keep track of them without a handbook. That being the case, the writing is so sharp that the heroes and villains are given just enough time on screen to get the idea across without becoming distracting from the main plot.

When the Justice League cartoon debuted back in 2004, it bore more than a striking resemblance to the Avengers. There are even specific stories that feel more like Marvel Comics tales than those published by DC (such as the union of Solomon Grundry, Doctor Fate and Aquaman that feels very like a Defenders adventure). It's clear to me that Bruce Timm and crew were big fans of comics in general and had no qualms about using material from the other side of the street where Marvel's offices lay. I'm happy to see that after a few false starts, Marvel finally has a cracking comic book cartoon on its hands that embraces its strengths, history and obscure characters all at once.

After following the micro-sodes week, after week, I was worrying that I was being shown all of the good material in short bursts, leaving nothing but dross for the premiere, but I could not have been more wrong. Now in its 13th episode (episodes 3-7 are compilations of the micro-series episodes), it is evident that the Avengers have finally arrived in full form. If you are unfamiliar with the team, this is a great way to catch up and see why the Avengers is such a big deal.

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