we all loved art

When I was a little fella, Art Linkletter was a household word. At one time he had a different show airing on all three networks. He's the guy that brought the Hula-Hoop to the world's attention as well as Milton Bradley's 'Game of LIFE'.

Art had one of the longest marriages of any celebrity in America. He married Lois Foerster on November 25, 1935. They had five children together, and outlived three of them. Art spoke out against drugs after his daughter Diane committed suicide in 1969. He felt that LSD had played a part in her death and used all of his influence to urge children not to use drugs.

Like his good friend Walt Disney, Linkletter had a distinctive voice and a way with children.  Art had a lot of radio and television airtime, but I remember him most for interviews with children in 'Kids Say The Darndest Things'.

born to be wild

Dennis Hopper died today.

Dennis Hopper died of cancer today at the age of 74.   Hopper had a wild ride of a life on and off the screen.  I remember his early rolls in several James Dean films and John Wayne films.  I remember his later rolls in movies like Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, and Hoosiers.  There will not be another talent like Hopper.  On screen his incomparable characters always demanded your attention.  The most memorable roll, his most iconic, was the roll of Billy in Easy Rider (1969).  He not only starred in this movie, but co-wrote and directed the film.

The week (May 26) before his passing, he was honored to receive his very own Hollywood Walk of Fame Star.  Photos show a very frail and emaciated Hopper sitting beside his old riding compradre Jack Nicholson.  It's been a long hard road, but a good ride.

 

Question: "Is it better to burn out or fade away?"

Hopper: "I like the direct cut."

School's Out!

School's Out

I didn't care for Alice Cooper, but his 1972 'School's Out' captured the souring feeling I had when Summer rolled around.  I loved getting away from school. The YouTube clip above is from the 1993 movie 'Dazed & Confused', which was supposed to take place in 1976. I graduated from Emma Sansom High School (Gadsden, AL) back in 1977.  This is a great song. 

"Inspired by the question "What's the greatest three minutes of your life," Cooper and guitarist Glen Buxton worked to capture the last few minutes before the bell rings and the explosion of anarchic joy that follows."  -K. Thor Jensen

 The song always captured the joy that I felt.

By the way, did any of you know that Alice Cooper is a Christian?

and now time for a news update

WTCG, Channel 17, Atlanta, Bill Tush. Those were the days

We here in the south enjoyed getting our news from Bill Tush.

Cap & Gown

When I was growing up, this time of year, the song Cap & Gown by Marty Robbins was played on all the local AM stations.  Back in the seventies around graduation time, I used to sing it for the audience of the old Christian Brother's Coffeehouse.  Anytime anyone graduates, I'll sing it to them whether they want to hear it or not.

A few weeks ago I sang this song to my niece, Sara Noojin.  She had just graduated from Alabama University.  She looked and me and asked if that was a real song.  She thought it strange that one's graduation be associated with a wedding.  Yes it is an odd song, but I like it.

a beautiful tan....

Do you remember when tans were not only cool, but good for you?  To be a young woman in our day, you probably wanted to look like this.  In this advertisement, Coppertone promised a "Beautiful Tan Today.  Young looking skin tomorrow".  Is there something wrong with this picture?

I wonder where this woman is today.  Is she still living?  If she survived the malignant melanoma, what does she look like today?  Did Coppertone keep her skin young looking?   And what of the little naked butt Coppertone girl?  If she survived all those dark tanned Summers - what do you think she would look like today

But who am I kidding?  Women are still being sold the same bill of goods.  A tan is sexy!  A tan is beautiful!  But at what cost?  Let the buyer beware!  Let the consumer smarten-up!  No matter what the ointment the billboards sell you - there is no such thing as safe tanning.  Young looking skin tomorrow?  

WOW - SHE'S HOT & SEXY!   Do you think the leather bag lady pictured here used suntan lotion?  ALL tans represent damage to the skin.  A tan is the body's attempt to defend itself against violent ultra-violet rays.  If you want to get your Vitamin D on - get it from diet - not directly from the sun.

Now, go enjoy Summer - and try to learn to enjoy it under some shade.

A Scenic View of Youth

Years ago my sister Cindy asked if I would write something to accompany Christmas gifts that were being given to our nieces and nephews.  She gave to each one a decorative boxes filled with various types of candy's that the baby-boomer Finlaysons had sought after when we were kids growing up in the sixties.  I thought it was an excellent idea.  Cindy searched high and low for the kind of old candies that we used to find at Pearly's and Bens, Claytons, or Cartee's.  These were names of the mom and pop stores atop Noccalula Mountain.  Anyway, I wrote the letter that went with her heart felt gift.  Writing 'A Scenic View of Youth' stirred a lot of old memories for me.  I hope they do for you as well.

http://issuu.com/dbf16/docs/scenic_view_of_youth

on tiptoe with Tiny Tim

Our parents didn't get Tiny Tim...then again...neither did my generation.  Tiny Tim was a curiosity though.  Though he'd already obtained a cult following, it was Rowan & Martin's Laugh In that made Tiny Tim a household name.

Many are familiar with his version of Tip-Toe Through The Tulips.  I posted another performance (above) of his as well. He had a comprehensive knowledge of popular pre-rock music in a time when rock music had taken the stage.  Tim was playing the big gigs reviving the old songs of generations past.

Tim was a quirky fellow, and yet, a very traditional kind of fellow in real life.  

"He was born to a Polish Jewish mother and a Lebanese Maronite Catholic father, and was raised in his father's faith. After attending a Jack Wyrtzen rally, he reportedly became a devout evangelical Christian, but he died a faithful practicing Catholic.  On several of his records and interviews, he often proclaimed his devotion to Jesus." - Wikipedia

The Story of Wooly Willy & G.C. Murphy

You can still find a Wooly Willy at your friendly neighborhood Cracker Barrel Restaurant.  Here's the nifty capitalist story behind this classic American toy.  Enjoy!

 

http://www.americanprofile.com/article/35775.html

for the pretenders out there

This is an interesting old Jackson Browne find on YouTube.

Clackers?

I remember Clackers.  Back in the seventies, this is the fad toy that kids sought.  Believe it or not, for a short time, we were actually allowed to take them to school with us.  This photo doesn't represent the actual size of the toy.  The Clackers that I had, each ball was about 2" in diameter.  Mine were pale blue with a brass ring.  Clackers made such a loud clatter that it wasn't long before teachers started confiscating them.  What's the fun in taking Clackers to school if you couldn't clack?

Eventually this toy disappeared from stores.  I heard that a lot of kids got hurt playing with them.  I heard that some of the huge marble-like balls were known to shatter.  I heard that some kids injured other kids with them.  Even as kids, we knew that the toy looked a lot like the ancient hunting/ killing implement called the Bola.  It was only a matter of time before us kids were deprived of this most wonderful toy.

spoof

Here's an SNL spoof of the old Lawrence Welk Show featuring Betty White.

still unchained

pop to cop

Bobby Sherman was a big pop star back in the late sixties and early seventies.  I remember one of my older sister's Irene being a fan of Bobby's during that time.  Bobby learned out to play thirteen instruments through out his teens.  In 1964 He sang at a local Hollywood party and was picked up by an agent that got him a part on the show 'Shindig' (1964-1966).  Bobby then got opportunities to be on The Dating Game, The FBI, and The Monkees.  He later got his own show, Getting Together,  that spun from another teen pop show, The Partridge Family.

Bobby Sherman's fan site states that Bobby never minded his down-time from acting and touring.  He enjoyed being a dad.  He trained to be an EMT back in 1988 and is now with the L.A. Police Department  as a specialist officer.   Bobby is responsible for teaching thousands of cadets first-aid and CPR.   Bobby has said that medical rescue work and teaching is the best life experience and training that he could ever have.

It makes me wonder how many middle aged women out there have feigned a faint in order to be resuscitated by their old teen age heart throb - Officer Bobby Sherman. 

burning butt rubber

This time lapse gem came out in the late sixties. It probably inspired every kid that had access to a movie camera to mimic this spot. I remember Brook and Jamey Moore doing their own spin of the commercial. Billy Daugette and I later did a version of it as well. Even though the print of this commercial doesn't hold up, the actual commercial is first rate.