70 years ago with Jack and the gang.

70 years ago with George and Gracie.  

Swiss Family Robinson was written by Swiss pastor Johann David Wyss , and edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss , the novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good husbandry, the uses of the natural world and self-reliance. Wyss's attitude towards education is in line with the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and many of the episodes have to do with Christian-oriented moral lessons (frugality , husbandry , resignation , co-operation , etc).[1] The adventures are presented as a series of lessons in natural history and the physical sciences and resemble other similar educational books for children in this period, for example, Charlotte Turner Smith 's Rural Walks: in Dialogues intended for the use of Young Persons (1795), Rambles Further: A continuation of Rural Walks (1796), A Natural History of Birds, intended chiefly for young persons (1807) . However the novel differs in that it is based on the model of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe , a genuine adventure story,[1] and presents a geographically impossible array of mammals — including pangolins, porcupines, capybaras, camels, monkeys, lions, leopards, tigers, bears, onagers , peccaries, wild boars, tapirs, mustangs, kangaroos, elephants, hyenas, wolves, giraffes, jackals, walruses, platypuses, koalas, wombats, dingos, zebras, bison, rhinos, hippos, and moose — and a flora that probably could never have existed together — including the rubber plant, flax, coconut palms, sago palms , and Myrica cerifera — on a single island for the edification, nourishment, clothing, and convenience of the children

Over the years there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Perhaps the most well known English version is by William H. G. Kingston first published in 1879.[1] It is based on Isabelle de Montolieu 's 1824 French adaptation and continuation Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfans in which were added further adventures of Fritz, Franz, Ernest, and Jack.[1] Other English editions which claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by W. H. Davenport Adams (1869-10) and Mrs H. B. Paull (1879). As Carpenter and Prichard write in The Oxford Companon to Children's Literature (Oxford, 1995), "with all the expansions and contractions over the past two centuries (this includes a long history of abridgments, condensations, Christianizing, and Disney products), Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured."[1] The closest English translation to the original is William Godwin 's 1816 translation, reprinted by Penguin Classics.[2]

Although movie and TV adaptations typically name the family "Robinson", it is not a Swiss name; the "Robinson" of the title refers to Robinson Crusoe . The German name translates as the Swiss Robinson , imply a Swiss version of Robinson Crusoe, rather than a Swiss family named Robinson.

Wonderfully funny episode featuring the great Joan Bennett, as well as both Benny writers Ed Beloin and Bill Marrow!  At the conclusion of Paramount's ARTISTS AND MODELS (1937), following lavish scale of musical numbers, the Yacht Club Boys tell their manager, Mac Brewster (Jack Benny), "Hey Boss, have we got it. A great idea for the show next year. The greatest Artists and Models ball ever staged ..." thus, an opening for a proposed sequel. The following year did provide the latest installment, ARTISTS AND MODELS ABROAD (Paramount, 1938), directed by Mitchell Leisen. In spite of the return of Jack Benny, the Yacht Club Boys, glorious models (and no artists), it's very much a sequel in name only in the tradition to popular 1930s musicals, namely MGM's "The Broadway Melody" (of 1936, 1938, 1940); Warners' "Gold Diggers" (of 1933, 1935, 1937, in Paris) or Paramount's own "The Big Broadcast" (of 1936, 1937 and 1938), many of which consists of the same leading player(s) assuming different character roles with plots bearing no connection whatsoever to the previous entry or entries.

This time Benny assumes the role of Buck Boswell, head of a theatrical troupe, stranded in Paris, denied passage back to the States, making every attempt returning to their rooms after getting locked out by proprietors until their large hotel bill is paid, while The Yacht Club Boys (Charles Alder, Jim Kern, Bill Mann and George Kelly) add humor and song as troupe members Swifty, Dopey, Jimmy and Kelly. Instead of Ida Lupino or Gail Patrick as Benny's co-stars, this time he's acquired Joan Bennett. Bennett's participation in this edition is that of Patricia Harper, an heiress engaged to the distinguished Elliott Winthrop (G.P. Huntley Jr.), whom she finds equally as dull as her existence. When she finds herself in a restaurant without any money to pay for her meal, she encounters Boswell (dressed in cowboy attire following dress rehearsals) for the loan of 3 francs. Believing her to be an American stranded in Paris, he invites her to join his troupe. Taking part of the masquerade and having her down-to-earth Texas oil tycoon father, James Harper (Charley Grapewin) accompany her, Pat soon finds herself having the best time of her life, much to the dismay of her social climbing Aunt Isabel (Mary Boland).

On the musical program, with music and lyrics by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin, songs consist of "Do the Buckaroo" (sung by cast); "You're Broke, You Dope/ Viva Paree" (specialty number written/performed by the Yacht Club Boys and troupe while strolling through the streets of Paris); "So Lovely" (sung by chorus); "What Have You Got?" (sung by Joan Bennett and Jack Benny) and "Viva Paree" (The Yacht Club Boys). Although the score is forgettable, only "So Lovely" the best song, is underscored during the opening and closing credits, and given the grand scale treatment for the 12 minute fashion show sequence set in the Palace of Feminine Arts, headed by Joan Bennett performing similar duties in modeling as she did in VOGUES OF 1938 (United Artists, 1037) starring Warner Baxter, minus the Technicolor.

As entertaining as ARTISTS AND MODELS ABROAD tries to be, it fails to recapture the fun and essence to the original due to its lack of specialty acts (highlighted by Louis Armstrong, Connie Boswell and Martha Raye), or character types (Ben Blue and Judy Canova). Interestingly, Phyllis Kennedy, seen as Marie the maid, close to resembling Canova and both features and mannerisms, but has little to do in regards to "comedy relief" participation. In both films, Jack Benny basically plays it straight, unlike the stingy "Jack Benny" character he developed and perfected on both radio and later television.

Emphasizing more on comedy structure than production numbers, highlights are few and far between in both categories during its 94 minutes. Bennett's notable exception to the rule of comedy has her helping the troupe sneaking back into their rooms by masquerading as troubled girl wanting to commit suicide by jumping off the roof, getting talked out of it by the hotel proprietress (Adrienne D'Ambricourt) who tells her she's too young. Her reply: "I'll wait till I'm older," before walking away. There's also a scene reminiscent to one of many comedy skits later used on Jack Benny's radio and TV shows where he asks for directions and getting the double talk from a double talker (played by Cliff Nazarro). Also taking part in the supporting cast are Joyce Compton (Chickie); Fritz Feld (DuBois); Monty Woolley (Monsieur Gantvoort); Andre Cheron (Count Brissard); Chester Clute (Mr. Simpson); and Francois, the horse.

Unseen on the television markets since the 1970s, ARTISTS AND MODELS ABROAD had resurfaced on video cassette in 2003 and later on DVD in 2006 from Nostalgia Family Video. Although not exactly a misfire since no further "Artists and Models" editions followed, it's interesting looking back at films such as this this with backdrops of famous Paris landmarks, and seeing Jack Benny before his television days and the blonde Joan Bennett shortly before changing a "girl next door" image to a dark-haired femme fatal-type.

60 years ago Charles Boyer kept us in Suspense!

Charles Boyer (28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in movies during the 1930s. Although moving to the U.S., he maintained a heavy French accent. His most famous role was opposite Ingrid Bergman in the 1944 mystery-thriller Gaslight . Other memorable performances were possibly in the era's highly praised romantic dramas, Algiers (1938) and Love Affair (1939). He received four Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

60 years ago more great Sci-Fi.

70 years ago with Fibber.

70 years ago this week with Jack and the gang. Just a few more episodes left for the 1939-1940 season.

The third and last installment of Tom Sawyer

Edward G. Robinson kept us in Suspense 60 years ago today!

Edward G. Robinson began his acting career in 1913 and made his Broadway debut in 1915. He made his film debut in a minor and uncredited role in 1916; in 1923 he made his named debut as E. G. Robinson in The Bright Shawl . One of many actors who saw his career flourish in the new sound film era rather than falter, he made only three films prior to 1930 but left his stage career that year and made 14 films in 1930-1932.

An acclaimed performance as the gangster Rico Bandello in Little Caesar (1931) led to him being typecast as a "tough guy" for much of his early career in works such as Five Star Final (1931), Smart Money (1931; his only movie with James Cagney ), Tiger Shark (1932), Kid Galahad (1937) with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart , and A Slight Case of Murder and The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938). In the 1940s, he expanded into psychological dramas including Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window (1945) and Scarlet Street (1945); but he continued to portray gangsters such as Johnny Rocco in John Huston 's Key Largo (1948), the last of five films he made with Humphrey Bogart .

After a hiatus (see blacklisting, below), Robinson returned to the screen in Cecil B. DeMille 's 1956 Biblical epic, The Ten Commandments , in which he played Dathan . Afterward, Robinson's most notable roles were in A Hole in the Head (1959) opposite Frank Sinatra and The Cincinnati Kid (1965), which showcased Robinson alongside Steve McQueen . Director Peter Bogdanovich was considered as a possible director for The Godfather in 1972, but turned it down, later remarking that he would have cast Robinson in the role ultimately played by Marlon Brando .

Robinson indeed tried to talk his way into the part (which was how he had won the role of Little Caesar 40 years earlier), but Francis Ford Coppola decided on Brando instead, over the initial objections of the studio. Robinson was popular in the 1930s and 1940s and was able to avoid many flops during a 50-year career that included 101 films. His last scene was a euthanasia sequence in the science fiction cult film Soylent Green (1973) in which he dies in a euthanasia clinic while watching nature films on a Todd-AO 70 mm widescreen picture.

60 years ago this week with Phil and Alice. Still one more new episode next week to end the season!

South Pacific is a 1949 musical with music by Richard Rodgers , lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan . The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning , 1948 novel, Tales of the South Pacific , weaving together characters and elements from several of its stories into a single plotline. The musical won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950 . The issue of racial prejudice was sensitively and candidly explored, particularly for the 1949 stage work.

South Pacific is generally considered to be one of the greatest musicals in history.[1] [2] Several of its songs, including "Bali Ha'i ," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair ", "Some Enchanted Evening ," "Happy Talk ," "Younger than Springtime," and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy ," have become worldwide standards. The Broadway production of South Pacific was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won all of them, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Libretto. It was the only musical production ever to win all four Tony Awards for acting. The show was a critical and box office hit and has since enjoyed many successful revivals and tours and spawned a 1958 film and other adaptations.

The last episode of the season from 60 years ago this week, and a great one it was. How Jack met Mary, the Sportsmen Quartet, Phil, and Dennis.

Out west 50 years ago this week!

60 years ago in Sci-Fi.

Just found this fun episode and had to share it! This one just comes at the twilight of radio to television.

70 years ago this week with Jack and the gang!

70 years ago this week there was more Gracie for president craziness!

One last episode, goodbye Art!

Another episode with Art Linkletter!

Unfortunately, Art Linkletter died today, so here is my tribute to him.  I was lucky enough to have met him.  This year would have been his 75th wedding anniversary.

Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter [1] (July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010)[2] [3] [4] was a Canadian radio and television personality and the former host of two long-running United States television shows: House Party , which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny , on NBC radio-TV for 19 years. Linkletter was famous for interviewing children on House Party and Kids Say the Darndest Things , which led to a successful series of books quoting children.

Found some kind of rare high quality Bob Hope shows and noticed this one was recorded on todays date in 1942, so I had to bring it to you.

Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. (March 17, 1902 – December 18, 1971) was one of the greatest golfers ever to compete on a national and international level. He participated only as an amateur , primarily on a part-time basis, and chose to retire from competition at age 28.

Explaining his decision to retire, Jones said, "It (championships) is something like a cage. First you are expected to get into it and then you are expected to stay there. But of course, nobody can stay there."[2]

Jones is most famous for his unique "Grand Slam," consisting of his victory in all four major golf tournaments of his era (the open and amateur championships in both the U.S. & Britain) in a single calendar year (1930).

The second episode in the Tom Sawyer saga!

60 years ago today with Dennis O'Keefe!

Dennis O'Keefe (29 March 1908 – 31 August 1968) was an American actor. Born as Edward Vance Flanagan he was the son of Irish vaudevillians working in the United States . As a small child he joined his parents' act and later wrote skits for the stage.

O'Keefe started in films as an extra in the early 1930s and appeared in numerous films under the name Bud Flanagan . After a small but impressive role in Saratoga (1937), Clark Gable recommended O'Keefe to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , which signed him to a contract in 1937 and re-named him Dennis O'Keefe. His film roles were bigger after that, starting with The Bad Man of Brimstone (1938), and the lead role in Burn 'Em Up O'Connor (1939).

O'Keefe left MGM around 1940 but continued to work in mostly lower budget productions. He often played the tough guy in action and crime dramas but was also known as a comic actor as well as a dramatic lead. In the 1950s he did some directing, wrote mystery stories, and appeared on TV in The Dennis O'Keefe Show .

Another great Michael Nesmith song, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band made a hit out of this one!

 

Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942) is an American musician, songwriter, actor , producer , novelist , businessman , and philanthropist , perhaps best known for his time in the musical group The Monkees and on the TV series of the same name. Michael Nesmith is notable as a songwriter, including "Different Drum " sung by Linda Ronstadt with the Stone Poneys , as well as executive producer of the cult film Repo Man . In 1981 Nesmith won the first Grammy Award given for Video of the Year for his hour-long Elephant Parts .

 

Great deals on his albums!  Two albums on each CD for under $10 including shipping!

Magnetic South/Loose Salute on one CD - A great place to start!

Nevada Fighter/Tantamount to Treason on one CD

And the Hits Just Keep on Comin'/Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash on one CD - My favorite album purchase in over a decade!

 

60 years ago Bing put on his big season finale!

60 years ago with Phil and Alice!

60 years ago with Jack and the gang!

50 years ago out west!

Fred Allen with guest Jack Benny have a lot of fun together!

70 years ago with Jack and the gang.

Northwest Passage is a 1940 film in Technicolor , starring Spencer Tracy , Robert Young , Walter Brennan , Ruth Hussey , and others. It is based on a novel by Kenneth Roberts titled Northwest Passage (1937).

It is set in the mid 18th century during the French and Indian War (as the Seven Years' War in North America is usually known in the US). It gives an account of an attack by Rogers' Rangers on Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec , a settlement of the Abenakis , an American Indian tribe. The purpose of the raid is to avenge the many attacks on British settlers and deter further attacks.

The title is something of a misnomer, since this film is a truncated version of the original story, and only at the end do we find that Rogers and his men are about to go on a search for the Northwest Passage .

70 years ago this week with George and Gracie!

Andy Devine appeared in more than 400 films and shared with Walter Brennan , another character actor, the rare ability to move with ease from "B " WesteDns to "A" pictures. His notable roles included ten films as sidekick "Cookie" to Roy Rogers , a role in Romeo and Juliet (1936), and "Danny" in A Star Is Born (1937). He made several appearances in films with John Wayne , including Stagecoach (1939), Island in the Sky (1953), and as the frightened marshal in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). While most of his characters were reluctant to get involved in the action, he played the hero in Island in the Sky, as an expert pilot who leads his fellow aviators through the arduous search for a missing airplane. Although Devine was known generally for his comic roles, Jack Webb cast him as a police detective in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955).

His film appearances in his later years included movies such as The Over-the-Hill Gang , and "Coyote Bill" in Myra Breckinridge .

Devine also worked in radio. He is well-remembered for his role as "Jingles", Guy Madison's sidekick in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok , which Devine and Madison reprised on television. He appeared over 75 times on Jack Benny 's radio show between 1936 and 1942, often appearing in Benny's semi-regular western series of sketches "Buck Benny Rides Again".

Devine worked in television. He hosted a children's TV show, Andy's Gang on NBC from 1955 to 1960. He played "Hap" on the TV series Flipper , also on NBC , in the 1960s. He starred in a Twilight Zone episode as "Frisby", a talkative fibster faced with an alien invasion called "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby ". He was also a frequent guest star on many television shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including the role of Jake Sloan in the 1961 episode "Big Jake" of the acclaimed NBC anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show , He was Honest John Denton in the episode "A Horse of a Different Cutter" of the short-lived ABC series The Rounders .

Devine also cameoed as Santa Claus during one of Batman and Robin's famous Batrope climbs on the 1960s live-action Batman TV series . The episode was originally broadcast on December 22, 1966, just a few days before Christmas. During the appearance he directly addresses the viewers wishing them a Merry Christmas.

Finally, Devine performed voice parts in animated films , including "Friar Tuck " in Disney's Robin Hood . He provided the voice of Cornelius the Rooster in several Kellogg's Corn Flakes TV commercials.

In 1973, Devine came to Monroe , Louisiana , at the request of George C. Brian , an actor and filmmaker who headed the theater department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe , to perform in Edna Ferber 's Show Boat .

60 years ago today Claire Trevor kept us in Suspense!

Claire Trevor's acting career spanned more than seven decades and included success in stage, radio, television and film. Trevor often played the hard-boiled blonde, and every conceivable type of "bad girl" role. After attending American Academy of Dramatic Arts , she began her acting career in the late '20s in stock. By 1932 she was starring on Broadway; that same year she began appearing in Brooklyn-filmed Vitaphone shorts. Her first credited film role was in the 1933 film Life in the Raw , with her feature film debut coming that same year in Jimmy and Sally (1933), with her portraying "Sally Johnson". From 1933 through 1938 Trevor starred in twenty nine films, often having either the lead role or the role of heroine . In 1937 she starred with Humphrey Bogart in Dead End , which would lead to her being nominated for Best Supporting Actress .

By 1939 she was well established as a solid "leading lady". Some of her most memorable performances during this period were opposite John Wayne , including the classic 1939 western Stagecoach , which was Wayne's breakthrough role. She also starred opposite Wayne in Allegheny Uprising that same year, and again in 1940 in Dark Command . Over a decade later, she would again costar with Wayne, gaining her final Oscar nomination for The High and the Mighty .

Another two of Trevor's more memorable roles come starring opposite Dick Powell in Murder, My Sweet and Born to Kill , in the latter playing a divorcee who gets more than she bargained for by falling in love with a bad boy who impulsively murders. Key Largo the following year, gave Trevor the role of Gaye Dawn, the washed up nightclub singer and gangster's moll. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film.

Trevor moved into supporting roles in the 1950s, with her appearances becoming increasingly rare after the mid 1960's. She returned for one final film, playing Sally Field 's mother in Kiss Me Goodbye (1982). Following a few television appearances, Trevor retired from acting in 1987. She made a special appearance at the 70th annual Academy Awards in 1998.

Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942) is an American musician, songwriter, actor , producer , novelist , businessman , and philanthropist , perhaps best known for his time in the musical group The Monkees and on the TV series of the same name. Michael Nesmith is notable as a songwriter, including "Different Drum " sung by Linda Ronstadt with the Stone Poneys , as well as executive producer of the cult film Repo Man . In 1981 Nesmith won the first Grammy Award given for Video of the Year for his hour-long Elephant Parts .

 

Great deals on his albums!  Two albums on each CD for under $10 including shipping!

Magnetic South/Loose Salute on one CD - A great place to start!

Nevada Fighter/Tantamount to Treason on one CD

And the Hits Just Keep on Comin'/Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash on one CD - My favorite album purchase in over a decade!

 

60 years ago today, Bing Crosby treated the country to a visit by Fred Allen!

The episode we skipped because of Mother's Day.

Going back a week to get a show we skipped because of Mother's Day.

50 years ago out west.

More great Jimmy Stewart as the Six Shooter!

A scientist builds a robot-- "Junior"-- capable of intelligence and consciousness, but the machine is stolen by a criminal who has other ideas for its uses. Junior, however, has plans of his own. Story by Robert Bloch .

Another Mutual Radio Theater adventure with your host Leonard Nimoy!