And as a dozen of you have told me, 64 episodes of Sky King can be viewed online over at this webpage. When I get a moment, I'm going to watch a couple and see if I still like whatever it is I once liked about that show.
As loads of folks have informed me, one can purchase the complete Sky King on DVD if one wishes to spend $258 for it. I liked the show but I don't think I liked it anywhere near that much. If you did, or if you just want to know more about it, there's info on the series and info on ordering over at the Sky King website.
People often ask me, "Where did you get your sense of humor?" Depending on my mood, I may give them the real answer, which is that I ordered it from a supply house in Pittsburgh...which reminds me: Mine wore out around late 2003 and I'm overdue to send off for a new one. Or I may tick off a list of influences that includes Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Mad magazine, Jay Ward cartoons, Warner Brothers cartoons, a whole bunch of other stuff and, usually in first position, Stan Freberg. The comedy records Stan Freberg made in the fifties are still brilliant and I can still recite darn near every word in every one of them from memory.
Every now and then, I have to prove it...to Stan. He likes to hear that I really do know them and I like to show off and prove it to him. If you're familiar with his work, you know what I love about them, and you may be able to recite a couple, yourself. At the very least, lines from them probably turn up in your everyday speech often.
The last album Stan made of new material was in 1996 and the last one before that was 1966. So it's not like he's been flooding the market with them. I am pleased to say that he and his wonderful partner (in life and work) Hunter Freberg have a new one out. It's called Songs in the Key of Freberg and it features ten brand-new silly songs they composed and which Stan performs with an assist from Hunter. You can sample them on this page. You can download them for a modest fee from that page. You can even order them on a CD from that page...and as far as I know, that's the only way you can get Songs in the Key of Freberg at the moment.
I am delighted that Stan is still creating new musical humor and as you can hear, he's still wickedly relevant with his satire. Stan and Hunter played some cuts on their panel at the Comic-Con a few months ago and the audience roared with guffaws. You'll roar as they did...and you'll have a very special album. So don't delay. I plan on ordering several just as soon as I send off for my new sense of humor.
I can't yet find much of an obit online for her but I wanted to note the passing of Gloria Winters, who was so sweet and crushable when she played the role of Penny on the TV series, Sky King. And hey, I haven't looked to see if there is one but I'd like to find a DVD set of that show. It would probably look cheap and contrived today but I remember the performances and simplicity more than making up for that.
Ms. Winters was 78. Some news items just make you feel old.
August 26, 2010
