I love Christmas, the whole Christmas season. In fact, I love it a little bit too much where home decorating is concerned. I have a wonderful stereo system with turntable, CD, and FM radio. It’s got the Victrola brand name which I like, even though I know whoever’s making these things is 42 degrees from … Continue reading “Take Tea and See”: Freberg for Salada
I’m a Jack Benny nut. He’s my favorite dead comedian, and that’s saying something considering Johnny Carson is no longer with us! But Johnny himself would bow to the greatness of Benny, and was not shy about using some of Benny’s takes and reactions on his “Tonight Show”. Though not quite as obviously as this: … Continue reading “It’s An Hour Show!”: The Jack Benny Specials Part One
Over the years, KCOW’s basement tenant Bob S. Bestos and I have cooked up a lot of radio nonsense. For the last several years our major annual project has been the Halloween special…but in 2015 we created “The Bestos Christmas Yet”, a holiday special which aired on KCOW. I figured Bob was worthy of the … Continue reading The Bestos Christmas Yet
Before we begin, allow me to put on my “I appreciate The Muppets on a much deeper level than you” T-shirt. I am, as many of you already know, an absolute Muppet freak. And Christmastime is a bonanza of Muppet awesomeness. There’s “Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas”, a show that manages to be a Christmas … Continue reading W/O/C: “A Muppet Family Christmas”
So, Rolling Stone did an article listing, in their editors’ opinions, the 100 Greatest TV Theme Songs Of All Times. Two notes before moving further: One, these lists are generally designed to spark debate and conversation about what was included, what was not, what shoulda been, etc. So I am but a cog in the … Continue reading Ten TV Theme Songs “Rolling Stone” Missed
“Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. And then we have to say goodbye.” “Snoopy Come Home”, released in 1972, is the second Peanuts animated feature film. There are some big differences between this one and “A Boy Named Charlie Brown.” For one thing, aside from certain music choices (which we’ll get into), this movie looks … Continue reading Sob Story: “Snoopy Come Home”
“But did you notice Charlie Brown?” “What’s that?” “The world didn’t come to an end.” As you have heard me grumble about previously, the Peanuts holiday specials no longer air on network television. They are exclusive to Apple TV or, as is the case in my home, a Blu Ray box set, because streaming services … Continue reading Melancholy Blockhead: “A Boy Named Charlie Brown”
For years and years now, I have been adding to a list of things I am thankful for. I have decided to retire ye olde list; if you are desperate to see it, and the annual updates from the 16 years that followed, it’s here. It’s not that I am no longer thankful; in fact, … Continue reading Thankful For Friends
It’s another blog post spotlighting some of my recent efforts in radio advertising. I’m running out of headlines, if that isn’t apparent. We start this time with Keep Alliance Beautiful. KAB uses their commercial air time to deliver friendly reminders about recycling, trash cleanup, etc. Since material is repeated, and it’s important to enrobe an … Continue reading Ads! Radio Ads!
NBC has had an on-again, off-again relationship with late-late-night TV. For nearly two decades, there was only “The Tonight Show.” 1973 brought Tom Snyder’s “Tomorrow” show, which ran through 1982 and was replaced by “Late Night With David Letterman.” In that same year, “NBC News Overnight” broke new ground–airing Monday through Thursday at 1:30am and … Continue reading W/O/C: “NBC News Overnight” 4/29/83
