Bill Stulla, a fixture of early Los Angeles television, has died at the age of 97. A generation or two of L.A. kids knew him as Engineer Bill and the L.A. Times obit will tell you plenty about him. (The above pic shows him with another train enthusiast, some guy named Disney.)
I have my own special memory of Mr. Stulla — a memory that dates back to before he was Engineer Bill. And it felt like he was Engineer Bill forever. If you'd like to read my experience, go read this post and then go read this post. In that order.
I'm not sure I can explain the appeal of Engineer Bill...though it certainly wasn't the cartoons he ran, which were among the worst ever made for television. You might get a bit of an inkling from this rough assemblage of clips, totalling about nine and a half minutes from some episode from some year...
Len Reid sent me this. It's a link to a site that will tell you what the number one selling song was in the country the day you were born (or the day you got married or the day you first ate creamed corn or any other date you enter). Caution: If you click far enough into this index, it may try to sell you the song as an itunes download.
The day I was born, the number one song was "Cry" by Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads. How appropriate.
I mentioned yesterday that I'm attending a comic convention in Kansas City next month and that I intend to try some of that town's barbecue restaurants. I have since received twenty-three recommendations that I try Gates Barbecue, which is apparently the unanimous favorite of folks in that area who read this website. A few of them also suggested that if I want to try a second place while I'm there, I should hit Arthur Bryant's, Jack Stack and/or Oklahoma Joe's.
Actually, many years ago, there was a short-lived outlet of the Gates empire in Las Vegas. I tried it and didn't like it much...but I wouldn't hold that against the ones in Missouri and Kansas. Maybe it closed in Vegas because it just didn't equal the quality of the original. If I have a say in where we go during the con, I'm dragging everyone to Gates.
In case anyone's interested, my current fave BBQ place in Southern California is Porky's, a wonderful little establishment located in a former KFC drive-thru in Inglewood, right near The Forum. I especially like their pulled pork and pork ribs, plus they serve Golden Bird fried chicken. Golden Bird was once a thriving chain in and around Los Angeles and it had the finest, extra-crispy-crusted poultry around. They're down now to just a few locations and happily, Porky's licensed the recipe and added it to their wondrous menu. (Porky's, by the way, also has a location in Long Beach — to which I have not been — and is about to open another in San Pedro.)
The Bob's Big Boy Restaurant about a mile from me closed recently, possibly because I hadn't eaten there for more than twenty years. So what, you may be wondering, happened to the signature Big Boy statue that was displayed at the eatery? Answer: It was just sold on eBay.
I'm sorry I didn't know about in time. Next month is the birthday of my longtime friend, Scott Shaw! This would have been the perfect gift for him...assuming he doesn't already have a couple of 'em.
And hey, speaking of Scott: Over on his Oddball Comics website, he's currently featuring one of the oddest Marvel Comics ever done. You know how back when comics had the cheapest possible reproduction, we used to remark that they were printed on toilet paper? Well, sometimes they really were.
This is a clip from a 1984 cable show — The Young at Heart Comedians Special, I think it was called. David Brenner was the host and it featured seven veteran comedians (i.e., older gents) doing their acts. Part of the format was that while one guy was on stage performing, the camera would cut to the others backstage, sitting around and talking. In this segment, you'll see backstage chatter from Jackie Vernon, Jackie Gayle, Henny Youngman, Norm Crosby, Shelley Berman and George Gobel, along with Brenner.
Onstage is one of my all-time favorites, Carl Ballantine, aka "The Amazing Ballantine," performer of what was deliberately the most inept and hilarious magic act ever. I wish you could see his whole routine uninterrupted and untruncated but this is all we have to offer.
It is worth noting, by the way, that though the show was done nearly a quarter of a century ago, two of the "young at heart" comics — Norm Crosby and Shelley Berman — are still actively performing, plus Ballantine still works as an actor and is occasionally coerced into hauling out the old act. I got to work with Carl a few times and we occasionally have a meal. He's just as funny off-stage as he is on...which as you'll see in this clip is pretty darned funny.
(An aside to the three people who write to complain every time I link to a clip or article that contains a wee bit of profanity: This one does. Instead of getting outraged, you might consider that this is how much of this country talks and that a lot of good, decent people see nothing wrong with it. Please stop sending me those messages.)
August 15, 2008
