Small House of Everything
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
BAD JOKE WEDNESDAY
My brother started a band and called it 999 Megabytes. They don't have a gig yet.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES
Chris Smither.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVbj0Wcb5go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVbj0Wcb5go
OVERLOOKED TELEVISION: TIME OUT FOR GINGER
Time Out for Ginger was an unsold television pilot based on Ronald Alexander's hit 1953 play. The show had been adapted once before for television for a 1955 episode of the anthology series Shower of Stars, with Jack Benny and Ruth Hussey. The version we are concerned with here was filmed around 1960 and aired as the September 18, 1962, episode of The Comedy Spot, a summer replacement for The Red Skelton Show. (The Comedy Spot was basically an excuse to burn up unaired pilots.)
The Ginger in the title is Ginger Carroll, a precocious 13-year-old girl, very loud and very determined. Ginger's big sister Joan needs a car for her date so spunky li'l sis decides to buy one. Insert standard Fifties sitcom material here.
Ginger is played by Candy Moore, who went on to play the daughter in The Lucy Show and Jeff's girlfriend in The Donna Reed Show. She appeared in a few films, including Night of the Grizzley and Raging Bull, but had quit acting around 1981. For most of the Seventies she was married to Paul Gleason (All My Children, The Breakfast Club, Die Hard). Now 70, Candy Moore is currently teaching English in Los Angeles.
The role of Joan went to Roberta Shore, who began singing at age ten in Tex Williams' Knotts Berry Farm show. The next year she joined The Pinky Lee Show, then went on to be featured in a number of Disney productions, including The Shaggy Dog. A devote Mormon, she left show business in 1965 to concentrate on raising her family. She is currently a manufacturer's representative for a furniture company. One interesting note: Shore was the first person to record the song "Let There Be Peace on Earth."
Ginger and Joan's parents were played by Karl Swenson and Margaret Hayes. swenson had a long career in radio, film, and television as a character actor and had recurring roles in Little House on the Prairie and Cimarron Strip. Margaret Hayes started on Broadway in 1940, then quickly moved to film, often playing the second lead. In the late Forties, she became fashion editor for Life magazine, leaving that position to return to acting. Hayes kept busy -- mainly in small roles and guest roles in television -- throughout the Fifties and into the Sixties when she retired once again from acting. She became a fashion and jewelry designer, model, and boutique owner. She passed away in 1977 from cancer.
Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz and a gazillion other great performances) played the Carroll family's housekeeper, Lizzie.
Not the greatest and not the funniest, but Time Out for Ginger could have been a contender had it been allowed to grow past the pilot stage.
Enjoy.
https://archive.org/details/Time_Out_For_Ginger
The Ginger in the title is Ginger Carroll, a precocious 13-year-old girl, very loud and very determined. Ginger's big sister Joan needs a car for her date so spunky li'l sis decides to buy one. Insert standard Fifties sitcom material here.
Ginger is played by Candy Moore, who went on to play the daughter in The Lucy Show and Jeff's girlfriend in The Donna Reed Show. She appeared in a few films, including Night of the Grizzley and Raging Bull, but had quit acting around 1981. For most of the Seventies she was married to Paul Gleason (All My Children, The Breakfast Club, Die Hard). Now 70, Candy Moore is currently teaching English in Los Angeles.
The role of Joan went to Roberta Shore, who began singing at age ten in Tex Williams' Knotts Berry Farm show. The next year she joined The Pinky Lee Show, then went on to be featured in a number of Disney productions, including The Shaggy Dog. A devote Mormon, she left show business in 1965 to concentrate on raising her family. She is currently a manufacturer's representative for a furniture company. One interesting note: Shore was the first person to record the song "Let There Be Peace on Earth."
Ginger and Joan's parents were played by Karl Swenson and Margaret Hayes. swenson had a long career in radio, film, and television as a character actor and had recurring roles in Little House on the Prairie and Cimarron Strip. Margaret Hayes started on Broadway in 1940, then quickly moved to film, often playing the second lead. In the late Forties, she became fashion editor for Life magazine, leaving that position to return to acting. Hayes kept busy -- mainly in small roles and guest roles in television -- throughout the Fifties and into the Sixties when she retired once again from acting. She became a fashion and jewelry designer, model, and boutique owner. She passed away in 1977 from cancer.
Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz and a gazillion other great performances) played the Carroll family's housekeeper, Lizzie.
Not the greatest and not the funniest, but Time Out for Ginger could have been a contender had it been allowed to grow past the pilot stage.
Enjoy.
https://archive.org/details/Time_Out_For_Ginger
Monday, May 7, 2018
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: THE STUFF SONG
An all-too-true song from Lou & Peter Berryman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K9QcV3Pm3E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K9QcV3Pm3E
BITS & PIECES
Openers: There appeareth in these days of ours (of which many do believe that they be the last days) among the common folk, a certain disease which causeth those who do suffer from it (so soon as they have either scraped and higgled together so much that they can, besides a few pence in their pocket, wear a fool's coat of the new fashion with a thousand bits of silk ribbon upon it, or by some trick of fortune have become known as men of parts) forthwith to give themselves out gentlemen and nobles of ancient descent. Whereas it doth often happen that their ancestors were day-laborers, carters, and porters, their cousins donkey-drivers, their brothers turnkeys and catchpolls, their sisters harlots, their mothers bawds -- yea, witches even: and in a word, their whole pedigree of thirty-two quarterings as full of dirt and stain as ever was the sugar-bakers' guild of Prague. Yea, these new sprigs of nobility be often themselves as black as if they had been born and bred in Guinea. -- The Adventurous Simplicissimus (also known as Simplicius Simplicissimus) by Hans Jakob Christof von Grimmelshausen (1668)
[Not the most politically correct way to start off a novel, I know. Despite tha, this book is a true comic treasure.]
I've Been Off: Sine last Tuesday. Why? Take your pick:
a) Life interfered, or
b) You're not the boss of me, Internet! or
c) Both of the above.
I've Been Reading: Well, I finally finished August Derleth's The Milwaukee Road, a history of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway from its humble start as the Milwaukee & Mississippi Rail Road Company in 1847 through its first century. Behind Derleth's detailed (perhaps too detailed) look at the growth of a small line to a powerhouse reaching the Pacific, are the people and anecdotes that made the Milwaukee Road one of the best-operated and progressive railroads in the country. Interesting reading, although the inclusion of some decent maps would have been helpful. I also read Antiques Wanted, the latest Trash n Treasure mystery from Max Allan Collins and Barbara Collins writing as "Barbara Allan." This time Vivian decides to run for sheriff. Throw in an explosion at a nursing home and an autographed poster of Gabby Hayes and we are often to another wonderful adventure of Brandy and Vivian Bourne. It's difficult to keep a series like this fresh and funny, but the authors manage it easily. Recommended. Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy collects the first four issues this comic book. Set at Miss Giunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types, five young kickass girls meet up with three-eyed foxes, river monsters, talking statues, werewolf boys, and poison ivy. Written by Noelle Stevenson and Garace Ellis and illustrated by Brooke Allen, this one's great fun. Also great fun but a lot darker is Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, Compendium Three which covers issues #97-144 of the comic. The comic varies from the television show quite a bit, but this is the volume that covers the war with Negan -- essential reading for TWD fans.
Coming up: The House on the Mound, a historical novel by Derleth, part of his Winconsin Saga. Due soon from the library are Steven King's latest, Dean Koontz's latest, and Ace Atkins latest post-Robert B. Parker Spenser novel.
Haunted?: The house at the end of Christina's road just went up for sale, the third time in the three years we've been here. It reminded us of a house near where Kitty's brother lived in the Mount Vernon area of Arlington, Virginia. That house went on sale several times a year and we always wondered why no one stayed there very long. Was it haunted? Built on top of an old Indian burial ground? Were there bodies inside the walls or beneath the floorboards? Was it a former meth house and dangerous to occupy? Were biker gangs and neo-Nazis determined that no one should live there? Or, since the land was once part of Geo. Washington's estate, could the ghost of George be dropping in on a regular basis, demanding to know what had happened to his wooden teeth? The possibilities are endless. Feel free to use this in a story.
One of Many Things I Can't Understand: Gas prices. They go up when oil production goes down. They don't go down when oil production rises. They vary depending on demand or season. there are three "cheap" gas stations in my immediate area -- usually their prices are seldom than a penny off from each other. Last week one jumped up ten cents; two days later the others jumped up ten cents while the first dropped four cents. Yesterday they were down to the price they were at last week. We can drive by a station on a brief errand and return ten minutes later to see the price jump up three cents. This past week one station changed its price three times in one day! I think these gas stations enjoy playing with my mind, but why? I'm going to buy the gas anyway. Does the ever erratic price of gas drive you crazy, too?
Props: I have to give props to the Green Gators, Jack's soccer team for five-year-olds. Friday night only three kids on his team showed up, meaning that Jack, Cooper, and Rachel played the entire game against the rotating team of the Purple Lasers who had six kids show up. A gallant effort was made but the Green Gators lost 9-2. (The score is approximate because five-year-olds playing can be confusing.) Rachel got her first goal ever (we think; she may have scored after the whistle for the quarter's ending was blown -- but what the hell, give it to her). The second goal the green Gators got was actually kicked in by one of the Purple Lasers. During the third quarter, Jack and Cooper played alone because Rachel had to run off the go pee. Christina spent a lot of time trying to convince Jack that when there only three players on your team, it's not a good idea to play defense -- especially when the other two players are hesitant to kick the ball. One of the coaches for the other side took the game to heart, jumping up and down and screaming; to his credit he did scream his profanities, only the non-profanities. Anyway, a valiant effort on the part of all players. Kudos.
Another of the Many Things I Can't Understand: The though processes of other people, such as the 26-year-old Denver woman who was cited after a 7-11 microwave blew up a urine sample she had place in it.
Rudy: In response to Trump's hiring his latest personal lawyer, Robert Mueller has taken to relaxing in a hammock with a margarita while letting Rudy do his work for him.
Happy Birthday, Gabby: George "Gabby" Hayes was born 133 years ago today in Stannards, New York. He played semi-professional baseball while in high school, ran away from home at 17 and joined a stock company and became a successful vaudevillian. He retired at age 43 in 1928 and lost his savings in the 1929 stock market crash. His wife suggested that he try his luck in films. They moved to Los Angeles, where he began his career as a character actor, eventually becoming best known as the sidekick of William (Hopalong Cassidy) Boyd, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Wild Bill Elliott, Randolph Scott, and John Wayne in many. Although most identified with westerns, Hayes had never ridden a horse before he was well into his forties. In real life, Hayes was an "intelligent, well-groomed and articulate man."
An autographed poster of him plays a part in Antiques Wanted by "Barbara Collins" (see above).
Amaryllis: Here's a poem by Edward Arlington Robinson:
AMARYLLIS
Once, when I wandered in the woods alone,
An old man tottered up to me and said,
"Come, friend, and see the grave I have made
for Amaryllis." There was in the tone
Of his complaint such quaver and such moan
That I took pity on him and obeyed,
And long stood looking where his hands had laid
An ancient woman, shrunk to skin and bone.
Far out beyond the forest I could hear
The calling of loud progress, and the bold
Incessant scream of commerce ringing clear;
But though the trumpets of the world were glad,
It made me lonely and it made me sad
To think that amaryllis had grown old.
Endings: Th-Th-That's all folks! -- P. Pig (1953 on; although the phrase had been used by other cartoon characters [Bosco, Buddy, Beans] earlier)
[Not the most politically correct way to start off a novel, I know. Despite tha, this book is a true comic treasure.]
I've Been Off: Sine last Tuesday. Why? Take your pick:
a) Life interfered, or
b) You're not the boss of me, Internet! or
c) Both of the above.
I've Been Reading: Well, I finally finished August Derleth's The Milwaukee Road, a history of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway from its humble start as the Milwaukee & Mississippi Rail Road Company in 1847 through its first century. Behind Derleth's detailed (perhaps too detailed) look at the growth of a small line to a powerhouse reaching the Pacific, are the people and anecdotes that made the Milwaukee Road one of the best-operated and progressive railroads in the country. Interesting reading, although the inclusion of some decent maps would have been helpful. I also read Antiques Wanted, the latest Trash n Treasure mystery from Max Allan Collins and Barbara Collins writing as "Barbara Allan." This time Vivian decides to run for sheriff. Throw in an explosion at a nursing home and an autographed poster of Gabby Hayes and we are often to another wonderful adventure of Brandy and Vivian Bourne. It's difficult to keep a series like this fresh and funny, but the authors manage it easily. Recommended. Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy collects the first four issues this comic book. Set at Miss Giunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types, five young kickass girls meet up with three-eyed foxes, river monsters, talking statues, werewolf boys, and poison ivy. Written by Noelle Stevenson and Garace Ellis and illustrated by Brooke Allen, this one's great fun. Also great fun but a lot darker is Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, Compendium Three which covers issues #97-144 of the comic. The comic varies from the television show quite a bit, but this is the volume that covers the war with Negan -- essential reading for TWD fans.
Coming up: The House on the Mound, a historical novel by Derleth, part of his Winconsin Saga. Due soon from the library are Steven King's latest, Dean Koontz's latest, and Ace Atkins latest post-Robert B. Parker Spenser novel.
Haunted?: The house at the end of Christina's road just went up for sale, the third time in the three years we've been here. It reminded us of a house near where Kitty's brother lived in the Mount Vernon area of Arlington, Virginia. That house went on sale several times a year and we always wondered why no one stayed there very long. Was it haunted? Built on top of an old Indian burial ground? Were there bodies inside the walls or beneath the floorboards? Was it a former meth house and dangerous to occupy? Were biker gangs and neo-Nazis determined that no one should live there? Or, since the land was once part of Geo. Washington's estate, could the ghost of George be dropping in on a regular basis, demanding to know what had happened to his wooden teeth? The possibilities are endless. Feel free to use this in a story.
One of Many Things I Can't Understand: Gas prices. They go up when oil production goes down. They don't go down when oil production rises. They vary depending on demand or season. there are three "cheap" gas stations in my immediate area -- usually their prices are seldom than a penny off from each other. Last week one jumped up ten cents; two days later the others jumped up ten cents while the first dropped four cents. Yesterday they were down to the price they were at last week. We can drive by a station on a brief errand and return ten minutes later to see the price jump up three cents. This past week one station changed its price three times in one day! I think these gas stations enjoy playing with my mind, but why? I'm going to buy the gas anyway. Does the ever erratic price of gas drive you crazy, too?
Props: I have to give props to the Green Gators, Jack's soccer team for five-year-olds. Friday night only three kids on his team showed up, meaning that Jack, Cooper, and Rachel played the entire game against the rotating team of the Purple Lasers who had six kids show up. A gallant effort was made but the Green Gators lost 9-2. (The score is approximate because five-year-olds playing can be confusing.) Rachel got her first goal ever (we think; she may have scored after the whistle for the quarter's ending was blown -- but what the hell, give it to her). The second goal the green Gators got was actually kicked in by one of the Purple Lasers. During the third quarter, Jack and Cooper played alone because Rachel had to run off the go pee. Christina spent a lot of time trying to convince Jack that when there only three players on your team, it's not a good idea to play defense -- especially when the other two players are hesitant to kick the ball. One of the coaches for the other side took the game to heart, jumping up and down and screaming; to his credit he did scream his profanities, only the non-profanities. Anyway, a valiant effort on the part of all players. Kudos.
Another of the Many Things I Can't Understand: The though processes of other people, such as the 26-year-old Denver woman who was cited after a 7-11 microwave blew up a urine sample she had place in it.
Rudy: In response to Trump's hiring his latest personal lawyer, Robert Mueller has taken to relaxing in a hammock with a margarita while letting Rudy do his work for him.
Happy Birthday, Gabby: George "Gabby" Hayes was born 133 years ago today in Stannards, New York. He played semi-professional baseball while in high school, ran away from home at 17 and joined a stock company and became a successful vaudevillian. He retired at age 43 in 1928 and lost his savings in the 1929 stock market crash. His wife suggested that he try his luck in films. They moved to Los Angeles, where he began his career as a character actor, eventually becoming best known as the sidekick of William (Hopalong Cassidy) Boyd, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Wild Bill Elliott, Randolph Scott, and John Wayne in many. Although most identified with westerns, Hayes had never ridden a horse before he was well into his forties. In real life, Hayes was an "intelligent, well-groomed and articulate man."
An autographed poster of him plays a part in Antiques Wanted by "Barbara Collins" (see above).
Amaryllis: Here's a poem by Edward Arlington Robinson:
AMARYLLIS
Once, when I wandered in the woods alone,
An old man tottered up to me and said,
"Come, friend, and see the grave I have made
for Amaryllis." There was in the tone
Of his complaint such quaver and such moan
That I took pity on him and obeyed,
And long stood looking where his hands had laid
An ancient woman, shrunk to skin and bone.
Far out beyond the forest I could hear
The calling of loud progress, and the bold
Incessant scream of commerce ringing clear;
But though the trumpets of the world were glad,
It made me lonely and it made me sad
To think that amaryllis had grown old.
Endings: Th-Th-That's all folks! -- P. Pig (1953 on; although the phrase had been used by other cartoon characters [Bosco, Buddy, Beans] earlier)
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
MUSIC FROM THE PAST: PIPELINE
Dick Dale, King of the Surf Guitar..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9QYCriMrw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9QYCriMrw
OVERLOOKED FILM: THE EYES OF THE MUMMY (1918)
No mummy.
No monster.
What it is is an interesting film from the great German director Ernst Lubitsch with early appearances by Pola Negri and Emil Jannings.
Pola Negri plays Ma, a dancer who is kidnapped and held in an ancient Egyptian temple. She is rescued and flees to London with her mysterious captor following her. Emil Jannings lays Radu, a mysterious and sometimes comical Arab. Harry Liedtke provides a bit of romance as the painter Albert Wendland.
(An interesting note and completely off-topic: Liedtke was killed in 1945 by Red Army soldiers when he tried to prevent the rape of a young girl.)
The tagline for this film was: "Bewitching Pola Negri as an Oriental dancer who comes from the burning Sahara to capture London society by storm. All the charm and mystery of the East caught into a passion-swept romance irresistible appeal."
Enjoy this film, but watch out...because "The eyes are alive!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDhwdfPAxc4&index=106&t=0s&list=PLYbocufkwRFCeA_pFZEhXyChB36zVOuQ_
No monster.
What it is is an interesting film from the great German director Ernst Lubitsch with early appearances by Pola Negri and Emil Jannings.
Pola Negri plays Ma, a dancer who is kidnapped and held in an ancient Egyptian temple. She is rescued and flees to London with her mysterious captor following her. Emil Jannings lays Radu, a mysterious and sometimes comical Arab. Harry Liedtke provides a bit of romance as the painter Albert Wendland.
(An interesting note and completely off-topic: Liedtke was killed in 1945 by Red Army soldiers when he tried to prevent the rape of a young girl.)
The tagline for this film was: "Bewitching Pola Negri as an Oriental dancer who comes from the burning Sahara to capture London society by storm. All the charm and mystery of the East caught into a passion-swept romance irresistible appeal."
Enjoy this film, but watch out...because "The eyes are alive!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDhwdfPAxc4&index=106&t=0s&list=PLYbocufkwRFCeA_pFZEhXyChB36zVOuQ_
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