Groucho Marx: The One The Only

Back in the 1970s I remember staying up late when visiting Grandpa and watching "The Best of Groucho" on TV with him. These old films from the 1950s were re-packaged reruns of Groucho Marx's series called "You Bet Your Life."

This TV quiz show actually was a showcase for comedian Groucho Marx to ad lib with the contestants. The quiz was secondary. Announcer George Fenneman was the straight man to Groucho's lunacy. It was a one of a kind show that from time to time someone thinks they can re-cast and find success with again. Alas, there is only one "one and only Groucho" as the audience hollers in unison at the start of every show.

I think I read somewhere that "The Best of Groucho" was almost lost forever. The films were thought to be worthless and found in someone's garage. They were quite successful in late night reruns. Unfortunately today's young whippersnapper tv programmers probably have never heard of Groucho or "You Bet Your Life." Too bad, as it would be great to see it on the air again.

Well, rather than ramble on about this show, why don't you watch it? Lots of Youtube videos on Groucho's show. Click here or here for an example....and tell em Groucho sent you.....

Ethel Merman: No Business Like Show Business

The Dollar Tree isn't usually the place where I find my summertime reading...but after combing through their books I found a biography of Broadway legend Ethel Merman entitled simply "Ethel Merman, a life" by Brian Kellow. It was well worth the dollar!

Ethel Merman was a superstar in the heyday of the musical theater. Her loud brassy voice was one of a kind -- no cookie cutter voice there.... Like many stars, her personal life was pretty sad. Through several marriages she never truly found love and her rude behavior at times alienated people. Of course that always makes for a great read.

After reading this book, I remembered that I had a classic recording of Ethel Merman and another show biz icon Mary Martin. It is the soundtrack to a 1953 tv special "The Ford 50th Anniversary Show." Amazing to think about, but when the Ford Motor Company was 50, they had a special seen simultaneously on both CBS and NBC. Ethel and Mary sing for about 12 minutes together and it apparently became the "stuff legends are made of." Sixty million people saw it. Amazingly I found it on Youtube so click here and enjoy it for yourself..... An interview with both ladies taped in the 1970s is also available here.

And don't forget to check the Dollar Tree for some interesting reading this week.

Homefront: a tv show that "Accentuated The Positive"

There are a handful of tv shows that I count among my all time favorites. Anyone who knows me knows that #1 is "I Love Lucy." Everyone knows that show unless they grew up under a rock.

My #2 favorite is probably much less known. It aired from 1991 to 1993 on ABC and was called "Homefront." Why a Nostalgic Rambler blogpost about a show from the 1990s? "Homefront" was centered on a 1940s fictional Ohio community called River Run. The show featured authentic period sets, cars, outfits, and a musical background of pop songs of the day.

The stories were witty, sexy, funny, dramatic and endearing. The dialog was often so clever you had to laugh out loud. The editing was fascinating to watch. And the stars....well, they were cast perfectly for their roles. If I sound like I'm gushing, sorry but I really like this show!

The "Homefront" theme song was the classic "Accentuate the Positive" -- what a great tune! Click on this "Homefront" site to hear the song.

"Homefront" starred Kyle Chandler, Sammi Davis-Voss, Ken Jenkins, Mimi Kennedy, Harry O'Reilly, Wendy Phillips, Jessica Steen, Dick Anthony Williams, Hattie Winston, Tammy Lauren, Guiliana Santini, John Slattery, Sterling Macer, Jr, David Newsom, Kelly Rutherford, and Alexandra Wilson. The cast was large, the sets elaborate, and probably the show was just too expensive to produce past a second season.

Lots of "Homefront" stars have been seen in other shows since then. Their fans might not even know about "Homefront" since it hasn't really been seen on US tv since TVLand aired it in 2000. A smaller cable station did air it for a while, but that outlet didn't have much of a national coverage.

"Homefront" was a show that has developed a cult following among its fans who adore it to this day. Unfortunately Warner Brothers has not released it on dvd and probably never will. Rumors have it that the music rights would be too costly. Nonetheless there is a website trying to get the studio to release it. Click here. There are several "Homefront" websites. Click here or here for a couple. There is a Yahoo Groups Homefront group as well as one on Facebook.

I was clever enough to buy a new VCR back in 2000 and was able to get the whole series recorded over one weekend when TVLand ran it as a marathon. (No, I can't make copies for you, but if you want to come over to watch with us, maybe we can work something out!).

Luckily someone has posted the show on Youtube. I don't know if the quality is that great, but you might want to check it out. You can also find several bootleg outfits selling the series on dvd. I have heard some good and bad comments on that, so hard to tell what is actually out there. One thing is for sure, you will get hooked on the storylines and the characters. They all seem so real. Thanks Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick for creating this show.

Twenty years have gone by since "Homefront" came out. I'm sure the fans would love to see a reunion show. That will probably stay a dream, but maybe a fan reunion with some of the stars of the show could be arranged. I'm willing to help organize if there is some interest!

Song Of The South, 65th Anniversary of Disney Classic

Sixty-five years ago, back in 1946, Walt Disney created a film masterpiece called "Song Of The South." The movie was a creative wonder as it put live action with cartoons, which back then was something quite new.

There were several memorable songs from the movie and the artists of the day recorded their renditions. The song that is probably most remembered is "Zip A Dee Doo Dah" (Academy Award Winner) and you can hear the fabulous Johnny Mercer/Pied Pipers/Paul Weston rendition by clicking here. Here's the clever "That's What Uncle Remus Said" from the soundtrack album.

I recall seeing this movie as a kid at the theaters as a re-release back in the 1970s. Unfortunately Disney thinks the movie is racially inappropriate now so they say they won't release it on dvd. There are websites full of fans wanting to see an official release of the movie. Although it hasn't made an appearance in the USA in years, official VHS videotapes and laser disc versions were available around the world. I recall seeing the video in Germany a few years back alongside other Disney classics at a shopping mall store.

Oddly enough, Disney World's Splash Mountain uses "Song of the South" music as its theme. Too bad many may not even know the background about these happy songs...

Despite the Disney reluctance to recognize this vintage movie, there are plenty of chances to view it. I've seen it for sale on Ebay, for viewing on YouTube, and have spotted videos at the local flea market from time to time! It may not be from a pristine print, but better than nothing.

Is it worth all the hype? The music is magical for sure, as are some of the cartoon scenes which incorporate live action Uncle Remus and kids with the cartoon animals. The actual story is actually pretty schmaltzy in my opinion. "The Wizard of Oz" holds up pretty good to the childhood memories, but "Song of the South" probably isn't worth all of the hoopla it gets from the bigwigs who are keeping the master films locked up in Vault Disney!

YMCA Indian Guides, Lightning Bolt remembers

When I was a boy some of my friends were in the Boy Scouts. I was one of the lucky ones. I was an Indian Brave in the YMCA Indian Guides. This organization was great as it wasn't used as a babysitter for boys. Fathers actively participated in activities with their sons. It was a great memory builder.

As you can see from the pics above, we got to wear our Indian outfits and had a great time at the meetings. Yes, that's me ("Lighting Bolt") on the left circa 1974-75 with my mustachioed dad ("Thunder Cloud") and younger bro Kurt ("North Wind") at one of the lodge campouts.

Recently I posed with my Pa (yes that's us almost 40 years later) in our Indian Guides vests. As you can see there were plenty of patches on them....which meant we spent a lot of quality time together doing various things from campouts to road rallies to rocket derby competitions. Pa received several awards from the YMCA for his contribution to the Indian Guides. I've scanned a few of the plaques above.

The motto of the Indian Guides is "Father And Son, Pals Forever" and the purpose: to foster companionship of father and son. When we got too old for the Indian Guides we didn't want it to end. Luckily we continued on in a club for older boys called the Trailblazers.

The YMCA (Young Men's Christian Associations) of yesteryear has undergone a lot of changes. Its mission then (as stated in the Indian Guide manual) was "to achieve its Christian purpose by interpreting moral and spiritual values in all relationships and activities....based on the teachings and examples of Jesus."

Unfortunately today the YMCA is simply known as "The Y" and the Indian Guides have been disbanded in many states due to Native Americans balking at the perceived stereotype. I say "perceived" as the Indian Guides manual tells the true story. It uses "the high standard of relationship between fathers and sons among early Indian sets as an example for fathers to follow. The Indian father was responsible for his son's ethics, physical development and attitudes toward others."



If only this would be used as an example today. Luckily it still is in some localities. The Indian Guides haven't vanished altogether and I found several websites of "tribes" still enjoying and promoting father and son companionship like we did back in the 1970s with campouts, fishing trips, and bonfires.

With Father's Day this month it is nice to be able to recall the time spent growing up in the YMCA Indian Guides. Thanks Pa!

(Last pic above was found in my photo album, I think it is of Mike, Tim and Robby Miller, who were members of our Indian Guides Cree Tribe in the Detroit, MI area in the early 1970s....wonder whatever happened to them....)

Singer Gisele MacKenzie, 1950s star with class

I often wonder if today's TV personalities will be remembered. Probably not when the Nostalgic Rambler can recall many very talented stars who once dominated entertainment but are now distant memory.

Take Gisele MacKenzie for example. She was a singing sensation for years as she guested on everyone's TV show, from Ed Sullivan to Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Comedian Jack Benny was in awe of Gisele, not only for her singing talents but her violin abilities. He showcased her on one of his shows which led to her long term gig on "Your Hit Parade." Several years later she headlined her own "Gisele MacKenzie Show." Click here or here. Here is a clip of her with pianist Roger Willams (see the recent blog I did on this great piano man). Oddly enough these shows are now on Youtube through a friend of Gisele's who said MacKenzie had her whole series on film, archived and in her garage getting ruined by the California heat!

After seeing her on a Jack Benny rerun several years ago, I found one of her RCA record lps (pic above--dontcha love those earrings?) in a thrift shop. Collector's Choice released a cd of her recordings which is about the only collection available and highly recommended.

Gisele was a Canadian but eventually obtained her American citizenship. She died in 2003 but apparently was still working theater and concerts in her later years.

As you can see from the pics, she was on the cover of TV Guide, kids used to play with her paper cutout dolls, and she was seen by millions every week. Nice to bring her back in the spotlight this time on the Nostalgic Rambler Blog.

Steve Allen, Mr. Versatility

If I would choose an entertainment legend to emulate, it would be Steve Allen. This man was the ultimate in talent. He was the one who started the legendary tv show "Tonight". He published 54 books, wrote 8,500 songs (!), recorded multiple albums as a pianist, and was married to the beautiful Jayne Meadows. Not too long ago he was featured on a stamp (which is pictured here).

He passed away in 2000, but before that gave several concerts here in Florida. I was lucky enough to attend two of them.
His piano playing was very much easy listening style and the audiences loved it. His wit was always refreshing. I loved it when he said that the more "modern" songs are just as lovely as the older ones. He said he would recite some lyrics to prove his point. He then proceeded to play "Glory Glory Hallelujah" on the piano as he recited "Hot stuff, baby....I want some hot stuff baby....tonight......." with all the appropriate pauses that would make Jack Benny proud. Apparently he had been doing this satirical shtick for years...Here's a clip from the 1950s!

Here's one of the clever songs he wrote in the 1950s for the McGuire Sisters, a novelty tune called Banana Split. I dare you to listen and not smile! Here's another song "The Gravy Waltz" you might get a kick out of!

Here are a few clips of his television appearances. Click here for a black a white classic and here for a cool color show from 1960 (wait until you see his convertible...wow...1960 Plymouth Fury).

For more info on this multi talented icon, visit his website by clicking here.