Here he is as Letterman.
Gene Wilder died Monday at 83 of complications from Alzheimer's disease. Best performance was Willy Wonka, his part in my formative years was voicing Letterman on the '70s educational TV show The Electric Company, and he was outstanding in his roles in the Mel Brooks comedies Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and The Producers. Here's a collection on his best quips from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Here he is as Letterman.
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Jazz harmonica player/guitarist Toots Thielemans died Tuesday at age 94. His light-hearted, melodic harmonica playing made the instrument resemble a flute or a brass instrument more than a harmonica, and his virtuosity graced recordings ranging from the soundtracks to the movie Midnight Cowboy and the children's TV show Sesame Street to Billy Joel's Top 40 hit "Leave A Tender Moment Alone." Here he is with Billy Joel - dig those runs at 4:10!
Here's the Sesame Street closing credits. Here he is performing "Bye Bye Blackbird." Seeing that today is National Aviation Day marking the birth of Orville Wright on this date in 1871, I was trying to throw together a retrospective of a YouTube clip or two showing the quaintness of air travel 50 years ago in 1966. Not finding enough in that department, I'm instead going for some clips of occurrences at airports back in '66. It's more interesting than it appears, trust me. Here's the Rolling Stones...
Beatles... and a bunch of animals. I doubt activists would permit the elephant's trunk not being secured nowadays. So, what was going on in the world (other than the above TV Guide cover) 30 years ago this week, on August 8, 1986? Well, judging from this block of commercials shown during a broadcast of Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and don't come back!!) toothpaste was red, kids were still playing outside, and people were rushing to Kmart. Here's a breakdown of a fun four-minute flashback to the past: 0:31 - Pre-Raisins Claymation of a guy who looks like Al Franken!
1:01 - Red toothpaste being sold to the tune of a then-10-year-old Seals & Crofts hit. 2:10 - That's Dee Wallace Stone post- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Together We Stand lasted 6 episodes before killing off Elliott Gould's character (he's the guy in the ad) and changing its title to Nothing Is Easy. It was then cancelled 7 episodes later. A bickering couple is always hilarious, as you can see from this ad. (sarcasm) 2:32 - Historical note: Better Days lasted 4 episodes and was the first new program of the 1986-87 season to be axed. 4:08 - Five Nights at Freddy's! (I know, easy one.) Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Beatles' single "Yellow Submarine"/"Eleanor Rigby" and album Revolver in the UK. (The album would hit stores in the US in a different form 3 days later.) Revolver's use of tape loops, backwards effects and vocal manipulation changed the rock scene forever, so I wanted to salute it. I figured we all knew most of the songs already, and the visuals on the YouTube videos aren't very interesting, anyway, so I've collected a potpourri of artists covering my favorite tracks off the album. There's a great variety of different styles here, and I like every one of them. (Note the absence of Earth, Wind & Fire's version of "Got To Get You Into My Life." Enough said.) "Eleanor Rigby" - Zoot Zoot was an Australian band that counted among its membership a before-they-were-stars Rick Springfield (on guitar) and Beeb Birtles, who would go on to play bass in Little River Band. "Taxman" - Junior Parker Barely recognizable R&B take with chicka-bow-wow guitar and '70s slang. "I'm Only Sleeping" - The Lettermen Yes, The Lettermen, with a version that sounds like a cross between The Association and "The Air That I Breathe." I think "Please don't spoil my day/I'm miles away/ And after all, I'm only sleeping" might be my favorite Beatles lyric. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - Monsoon Fantastic cover by a 1980s UK world music band.
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Walburgh's BlogMostly retro, mainly music, but generally whatever's on my mind. Archives
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