Monthly Archives: June 2021

Beginning June 22nd, you'll be able to hear the Secret Origins of Comic-Con International on a Sirius XM radio podcast mini-series called Comic-Con Begins. In fact, you'll be able to listen to it for free even if you don't subscribe to Sirius XM radio. It'll be in six parts with bonus episodes later.

A nice, smart gent named Mathew Klickstein interviewed dozens of us who were at or around the early Comic-Cons and I suspect there will be overtones of Rashomon in there. He wisely lassoed the lovely actress Brinke Stevens to do the narration and you'll hear her, you'll hear us and you'll hear audio artifacts (excerpts from speeches, commercials, etc.) that will give you some sense of how and why this astounding annual-when-there's-no-pandemic event came to be.

One educational point! I suspect a lot of folks who gripe how Comic-Con used to be just about comics and is now about movies will be amazed to learn the following: That it was always trying to be somewhat about movies…and science-fiction and other related arts.

When we get closer to 6/22, I'll tell you how and where to hear it. Right now, you can listen to a brief teaser over on this page.

I'll confess here that the teaser makes me a teensy bit worried that the documentary will lean a bit too far into a notion that has long bothered me about comic book fandom. It's this acceptance — to the point of almost sounding like a brag — that we are a merry band of misfits and outcasts from society who found each other. It's the caricature of comic fans (or s-f fans or Star Trek fans, etc.) as bespectacled guys who live in their parents' basement, confuse fantasy with reality and couldn't get laid to save their pathetic lives.

I don't like words like nerd and geek and dweeb. I don't like hearing them applied to any group, especially one that includes me and my friends.

In a lifetime perhaps longer than yours of being around people who get described as such I've never felt it was valid…or at least any more valid than it was of any assemblage of folks of like specialized interests. When I was in high school, it was as true of the males at University High who didn't read comics as it was of the ones who did. There were some who if you made an 80's teen comedy film about them should have been played by my pal Eddie Deezen…but not many.

I really don't get why so many of my fellow followers of comics and allied art forms seem to self-identify with that view of us. Humility can be a good thing but I don't think it's healthy to think of one's self as a permanent member of some loser breed. In and around comics, I have met people who are brilliant…and not even just brilliant at comics — brilliant at whatever they've chosen to do in life.

Every year when there's Comic-Con, I get a few calls and e-mails from strangers and near-strangers who want to know if I can get them in. Last time there was Comic-Con, one fellow called me and asked if I could get him passes to "Nerdtown" because he wanted to get his "dweeb" on. Or maybe he wanted to get into "Dweebtown" to get his "nerd" on. I forget. I told him, "Even if I could get you in, I wouldn't."

I'm probably worrying needlessly that the Comic-Con Begins podcast will do that to us. But next time some form of Comic-Con convenes, which is looking more and more like the day after Thanksgiving, someone will. We have to stop letting them do that to us and we really have to stop doing it to ourselves.

My God, my friend Larry Gelman was in a lot of TV shows and movies. I think he guested something like eight times on Barney Miller as different people and he even got an Emmy nomination for one of those appearances.

He was Dr. Bernie Tupperman the urologist on The Bob Newhart Show. He was a member of the weekly poker game on The Odd Couple with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. He was on three or four episodes of The Monkees. He was Hubie Binder on Maude. He was Officer Bernstein on Eight is Enough. He was on Night Court a half-dozen times.

His IMDB page lists 118 credits for him. I don't think that's even half-complete but if you look over it, you may notice that most of the shows that hired him had him back over and over, often playing different roles. That says something about how reliable an actor he was, about how people liked having him around and how they knew that no matter what the part was, big or small, Larry would do something memorable with whatever they gave him.

Larry was this cute little guy — I'm not sure he was even five feet tall — who always seemed to be happy and pleasant…and working. One reason IMDB doesn't have all his credits is that he did some real small parts in some movies without billing. Another is that he appeared in a couple of cheapo R-rated comedies under other names.

One cheapo R-rated film he did use his real name in was a thing called Slumber Party '57 which I like to say was "Not the worst movie ever made but certainly in the bottom two." I would not have made it past the first three minutes of the videocassette version except that a lady friend of mine was in it…and she was nice enough to tell me when I could fast-forward through scenes she wasn't in.

Also in the film were Larry as a cat burglar and Joe E. Ross as a policeman. Among the many reasons Bridget hated making this movie was that Joe E. Ross, she said, was unable to be on the set with a woman without touching her and suggesting they go someplace where he could touch her more and vice-versa. When she first told me these stories, it was before I'd met Larry and I asked her how he was. She said, "Thank heaven for him. He was a perfect gentleman. He even tried to stop the man playing the cop from misbehaving towards us."

Larry died early yesterday morning at the age of 90. He'd been hospitalized for a bad fall and there were complications and…well, a friend of his sent out an e-mail that said that his final audience was his beloved wife Barbara and nine I.C.U. nurses. I'm sure, no matter how much pain he was in, he made them all laugh. Just a delightful man.

You may not know this song I had on my mixtape but I really liked it…and many years later, I got to know the man who recorded it and I really liked him, too. From 1967, it's Hamilton Camp with "Here's To You."

That same year, Hamilton was a scene-stealing regular on a great TV sitcom called He and She that deserved many more seasons than the one it had. I only knew him from there; didn't know he was something of an ever-growing legend in the world of folk music; didn't know he was a skilled actor and improvisational comedian. He was just one of those guys who did so many things well that it was hard to pin one label on him.

This record of his was never a big hit but they played it on KHJ now and then and I not only saved the tape I made off the air, I went out and bought the album it was on. I still have it and now it's signed by him. Hope you like it…

My Internet service has gone kablooey on me and the robotic lady who answers phone calls on my I.S.P.'s Tech Support line has no idea when it'll be fixed. Based on their past track record I'm guessing some time between now and the turn of the century…and note that I'm not specifying which century.

I'm posting this via my cellphone and I'm now going to see if I can put up another one of my mixtape video links using only that cellphone and my thumbs. Note the time stamp on this post. I'm giving myself ten minutes to accomplish this or I'll give up. If the next post (the one above this) is not a mixtape video, you'll know I couldn't do it.

Even Randy Rainbow's commercials are funny…

I took a lady friend to see Mr. Rainbow last year just before we were all confined to quarters. He put on a great show. Not everyone who can be talented on the Internet can be talented in person and especially not in a huge place like the Wiltern Theater here in Los Angeles. But he didn't disappoint.

Usually, I don't answer calls with no Caller I.D. than I recognize but the last few days, I've been waiting for an important call from someone whose number I don't know. So to play it safe, I'm answering everything except calls that say they're from Huntington Park, California.

For some reason, about a third of all the spam calls I receive are from Huntington Park. I just looked it up and Huntington Park has a population of around 60,000. I've decided that every single one of those 60,000 people is a Telemarketer. I know of no one in Huntington Park who disproves my theory.

So yesterday, the phone rings and it's a call from the 904 area code. That's almost certainly not the important caller but, hey, why take that chance? I answer and a man says, "I have your pizza here and you aren't answering your doorbell. Would you like me to leave it in front of your door?" I tell him, "I think you have the wrong number. I didn't order a pizza."

He says, "I'm calling the number that was on the order" and he reads it off. I tell him "That's my number but I still didn't order a pizza. What's the address on the order?" He reads off a street address — house number, street number — and it isn't mine and it doesn't sound familiar. I ask, "City and state?"

He says, "Jacksonville, Florida." I tell him, "I'm in Los Angeles. I'd give you my address but it might be cold by the time you got it here."

He says, "Sorry to bother you. But now I've got to figure out what to do with this pizza." I ask him what's on it and he consults the paperwork and tells me it's "Sausage, white onion, garlic and mushrooms." I tell him, "Mmmm…that sounds good. I'd eat that if I were you."

He says, "Y'know, I might just do that" and hangs up.

Okay, first thing: This video will be taken offline in a week or so…so if you want to watch it, watch it soon.

Theater in London's West End reopened yesterday with a live concert featuring numbers from everything that's reopening there. It's a little over two and a half hours of magnificent performances. If you don't have time to watch it all, pick out your favorites from the list below.

ACT ONE: 9:35 The Show Must Go On (Original Song) • 20:00 It's My Life (& Juliet) • 24:50 Heart of Stone (Six – the Musical) • 31:57 Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Disney's The Lion King) • 34:37 Practically Perfect (Mary Poppins) • 41:10 You'll Be Back (Hamilton) • 44:53 For Forever (Dear Evan Hansen) • 53:25 I Can't Go Back (Pretty Woman – The Musical) • 58:16 We Don't Need Another Hero (Tina – The Tina Turner Musical) • 1:02:23 The Winner Takes it All (Mamma Mia!)

ACT TWO: 1:29:50 The Power of Love (Back to the Future – The Musical) • 1:35:50 You and Me – but Mostly Me (The Book of Mormon) • 1:38:40 Me and the Sky (Come From Away) • 1:46:00 When I Grow Up (Matilda – The Musical) • 1:49:42 Beautiful/Spotlight (Everybody's Talking About Jamie) • 1:57:01 Bring Him Home (Les Misérables) • 2:01:15 All I Ask of You (The Phantom of the Opera) • 2:08:30 The Wizard & I (Wicked) • 2:13:11 When You Believe (The Prince of Egypt) • 2:28:18 The Show Must Go On (by Queen)

The online video starts with a long title card so I have this video configured to begin at 8:45.  Enjoy.  But enjoy before they take it down. And if you enjoy it, please consider a donation to Theatre Support Fund+, which you can make at this link…

So…as we suspected, Donald Trump did not wear his pants backwards while giving a speech.  The Snopes folks say he didn't and they're usually right about this kind of thing.  I can't believe so many people fell for this hoax.  Like I said, I wish people would stop doing this kind of thing.

My iPhone this morning had a flurry of news "headlines" that said Donald Trump made a speech wearing his pants backwards, suggesting it was evidence of senility that he'd done this without realizing it. First question: How is this possible? I don't think any of my pants are completely reversible; not unless they're like sweat pants, which is not what Trump was wearing. Dress pants are cut to be worn one way.

Secondly: Let's say I could somehow get mine on in reverse. I'm 69 years old. I've been dressing myself since I was about five. Sheer muscle memory would tell me something was wrong if I was reaching around behind me to buckle my trousers and zip up the fly. And what if I needed to use a restroom after I put them on?

Okay, I get it: Trump and his minions never missed an opportunity to spread the idea that Joe Biden was senile, confused, suffering from Alzheimer's, soon to croak, clueless as to where he was, etc. I understand the temptation to turn Trumpian tactics against Trump. I just wish people didn't do that. I wish a lot of things that aren't going to happen.

Quite a few e-mails in my inbox are now trying to convince me of the worthiness or even the brilliance of Frank Zappa music. One person even sent an Amazon gift card and specified the Frank Zappa CD they'd like me to purchase with it. Thank you all and please note I did not say I thought the guy was lousy; merely that I mostly ignored him. Truth to tell, I've probably ignored more than 99% of all the music acts out there and so have you. Maybe I'll give him a chance some day. Don't take it personally that I haven't unless you're Frank Zappa, which I'm pretty sure you aren't.

Last Wednesday, I was in Beverly Hills for a doctor's appointment and I also stopped at my bank. I was wearing a mask the entire time and every single person I passed in either building or on the street was, as well. Some mask-wearing friends have told me they've been scolded by passers-by who yell, "Take that off!" I have the feeling that regardless of the state of COVID-19 or any future diseases, mask-wearing is going to be around for a long time…and certainly during flu season. And in medical facilities and doctors' offices.

I don't know why but I just love these "flash mob" instant musical numbers. I once saw one very much like this — same song, in fact — pop up in Vegas in the spot just between Harrah's and what was then the Imperial Palace. I have no idea who organized it or why. It didn't seem to be selling anything. The film Mamma Mia! was not playing at the time nor was there any ABBA-based show then in town.

But it sure made people happy. If I ran a big casino, I think I'd hire a troupe to wander around the place and just do these in unpredictable spots at unpredictable times…

The videos of The Turtles brought a lot of e-mail from folks like — well, here's one from John Hall…

"Happy Together" was not the first hit. It was their fourth Top 40 hit and their only #1 hit. First was a Bob Dylan cover, "It Ain't Me Babe," which made the top 10. Third was my personal favorite Turtles song, "You Baby."

Okay…first and only #1 hit. Duly noted. Now, here's one from someone who didn't want his name mentioned…

Here's something you might not know about the Turtles: On the liner notes to Frank Zappa's 1965 album Freak Out was a quote attributed to a noted L.A. D.J. that said he could make him "as popular as the Turtles!" By 1971, the Turtles had broken up and three of them — Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman, and bassist Jim Pons — were all in Zappa's touring band. Cool, huh?

Cool, indeed. And right after I got that, I received this from voiceover guy supreme (and a former L.A. D.J.) Neil Ross…

One of the great live shows I ever saw was when Volman and Kaylan were briefly part of Frank Zappa's aggregation. I saw them in San Diego. They did a truncated onstage version of their 200 Motels movie which had recently been released. The high point of the show was when Kaylan and Volman, backed by Zappa's other excellent musicians, launched into a medley of their old Turtles hits. Brought the house down. Those cats could really sing! You'd have enjoyed it.

I would have. And we'll all be listening to hear Neil Ross as the announcer on the new season of Press Your Luck on CBS. (I'm not sure if it's a secret that he's also the voice of The Whammy so I won't mention that.) Then Jeff Blair wrote to ask…

I'm sure others have inquired, but did your interest in the Turtle boys follow over to their stint with Zappa?

Not so much. I can't really explain it but I never warmed to the work of Mr. Zappa. It may have had to do with a couple of interviews I caught of him where he talked at some length about the greatness of the work he was doing and the even-greater greatness of the work he had yet to do. Or something like that. Perhaps I was judging him unfairly but I pretty much ignored him after that. The one exception was "Eddie, Are You Kidding?", which I thought of mostly as the work of Kaylan and Volman.

Thanks to all who wrote in about that and/or to be generally supportive of the new mixtape feature. More to come.

In 1967, The Turtles followed up their first hit — "Happy Together" — with this tune, "She'd Rather Be With Me." I do not understand the visuals of this video at all. I have a vague memory of them performing it on some show with a lot of real cute ladies dancing around, which of course made sense…but I don't see a clip of that on YouTube.

I really liked The Turtles, partly for their music but mainly because at least the two lead performers — Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman — seemed to be pretty funny guys who never took their act too seriously. They were the only one of those groups who were more interesting when talking to Dick Clark than when singing on his program. I'll show you how funny they could be in a moment but first, here's one of their songs which I had on my becoming-infamous mixtape, "She'd Rather Be With Me"…

Okay, great song. Now, here's a clip I featured here a long time ago. This video starts with a clip from "Happy Together" which I'll feature here in full in a future mixtape post. It's followed by Volman and Kaylan explaining about the group's managerial problems. An awful lot of groups had problems like this but I doubt many (or even any) of them could laugh about it like this…

Hey, remember the other day here when we were talking about how the Archie people were bringing out a new comic book of The Shield? And remember how I wasn't pleased that in parodying the cover of Captain America #1, they'd credited Jack Kirby for drawing that iconic issue but not his partner Joe Simon? Well, the fine artist who drew that cover for Archie — Dan Parent — wrote me to say it was an unintentional oversight and that Joe's name has been added. Happy ending! Thanks, Dan!

And we see that famed lawyer F. Lee Bailey has died at the age of 87. Mr. Bailey is one of those public figures — and there are quite a number of these — for whom I once had some admiration only to see it wither and die. Even before he took on the colorful case of defending O.J. Simpson, Bailey became a symbol of the main reason people hate attorneys — this notion that the point of any trial is to prove that he, F. Lee Bailey, is so powerful that he will win. Any questions about whodunnit or that unimportant thing called "justice" didn't matter; only the courtroom supremacy of the überlawyer.

I think in some ways he kinda liked the idea that so many people thought that despite the verdict in the criminal case, O.J. was guilty. You could almost imagine the guy saying, "Hey, any lawyer can get an innocent man acquitted. I'm so good, a client can be guilty-as-sin and I can get him off." On talk shows, which he of course loved doing, his main argument that O.J. was innocent seemed to be something like, "I'm F. Lee Bailey and I say he's innocent. That should be proof enough for anyone."

I do remembering him promising to shock the world with a book he was writing — or maybe had written — that would reveal who had really committed the murders Simpson was accused of. Now that Bailey's dead, I guess we'll never know.

Fearless Fosdick was a comic-strip-within-a-comic-strip, in this case appearing within Al Capp's popular Li'l Abner strip. Fosdick was Abner's hero and every so often, Capp would give the strip over for several weeks to the adventures of this Dick Tracy parody. At first, Tracy's creator Chester Gould was said to be amused by the spoof but increasingly less so as the spoof went on and on for years and Capp's merchandising revenues from the parody character eclipsed Gould's merchandising on the source material. (Gould himself later tried doing the same thing with Charles Schulz's Peanuts.)

One way Fosdick was exploited was with a short-lived TV series performed by marionettes. Thirteen episodes were made, the first debuting on June 15, 1952. Perhaps you are of sounder stock than I am but I was not able to sit through even the one below, let alone more than that. But it is a nice novelty. Mary Chase, proprietor of the Mary Chase Puppets, directed and did a lot of it. The script was by Everett Crosby, who occasionally wrote or managed business affairs for his older brother, Bing.

The voices were supplied by John Griggs and Gilbert Mack, two New York-based character actors who were seen on a lot of TV shows that came out of Manhattan. Both had really good careers doing voiceovers from commercials and cartoons. Mack is the guy who was often called in by Golden Records and given the impossible task of replicating the voices of the star characters usually voiced by Mel Blanc or Daws Butler. He was a pretty good voice actor when he wasn't trying to do that.

Here's the first episode of the Fearless Fosdick TV show. You will not be tempted to seek out others…

Al Roker chats with Kennedy Center Honoree Dick Van Dyke. I don't know why the Kennedy Center felt the need to honor Dick now. Couldn't they wait until he's older and has accomplished something of note?