Amazing they are, too. A fabulous version of Batman and a campy (the cool kind of campy) Green Hornet--and those are just the half of it. Wade Denning, who directs the Port Washingtons (whoever they were), shows up on eBay on various kiddie LPs, most on the Pickwick and/or Mr. Pickwick label. I could swear that one or two of the female voices on this first number (Alice Is Coming to Tea) popped up on the Peter Pan label. That's not impossible--there must have been a kiddie-background-singer list that record producers referred to back when.
Alice Is Coming To Tea, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966. From The Amazing TV Themes.
Turns out that the above tune came from a videotaped live-action version of Alice in Wonderland called Alice Through the Looking Glass. The cast included Jimmy Durante, Ricardo Montalban, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Palance, and The Smothers Brothers! Damn. Moose Charlap (who?) wrote the music. Click here for a great write-up (with photos). Glad I found the site--I was thinking the song was from the 1966 Hanna-Barbera cartoon version. Not.
Ahhhh--Batman memories. As a nine-year-old Bat fanatic, I had my own bat cape, a decent number of Batman cards, two cool gumball-machine bat rings, and some other stuff I didn't keep. The cards weren't Topps cards, either--they were sold in packs that varied in the no. of cards (five to eight), and they featured photos from the show. Actual photos! Plus a piece of stale bubble gum. Always stale. But who cared about the gum?
I recall that, along with a friend, I kept the location of the store a secret from enquiring classmates (the spot that sold the five-to-eight-pack cards). In those 7-11 days, little stores like that were all over the place. We used to pass a bunch of them during our seven-mile walk (through ice and snow) to our one-room schoolhouse.
Batman, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
Just kidding. Our schoolhouse had two rooms. The classroom plus the bathroom.
This next theme, I don't remember, but I remember the show, which starred Ron Ely. I just read that Mike Henry (Donald Penobscot on M*A*S*H* ) was to star as the TV Tarzan but decided he'd suffered enough injuries in the three Tarzan flicks he'd made up to that point.
Tarzan, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
What's better than a great instrumental rendition of The Green Hornet theme? A great rendition with lyrics:
The Green Hornet, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
Did Nikolai Rimsky-Kosakov have any notion of how often his Flight of the Bumblebee theme would show up over the years? Something tells me no, seeing as how he's been gone for nearly 100 of them.
Lee
Friday, June 16, 2006
"Ten times as big as a man"!
More like 50. Anyway, I had misremembered the lyrics as "Ten times as strong as a man." The lyrics to what, you ask? Why, to the theme of the 1966 Rankin-Bass cartoon King Kong, which we're about to hear in a version by Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons:
King Kong, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966. From LP The Amazing TV Themes.
Memory tells me the cartoon really sucked--something about it really annoyed me. Was it the limited animation? The annoying little boy? The fact that King Kong was a good guy? I honestly don't remember. I loved this next series, though--my brother and I never missed an episode. Which is a good thing for us, since the show was cancelled after only one season. For years, its theme has been replaying in my noggin as "It's about time, it's about space. It's about life in the human race." Not quite, as we're about to hear:
It's About Time, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
Yup, astronauts traveling back in time to the Stone Age--that was the premise. Sherwood Schwartz (Gilligan's Island) created the show. Now you know. A bunch of people should write to TV Land and tell them it's about time that It's About Time was rerun, but something tells me that joke's old as the caves.
At the time, I had no idea The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was only semi-serious, if that--even the title didn't tip me off. It's because I was a kid. At that age, the Adam West Batman seemed serious, so no way did the silliness of U.N.C.L.E. seem, in any way, silly to me. As silly as that might sound. The show's theme music, after all these years, strikes me as so-so. Maybe I expect better from Jerry Goldsmith:
Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Goldsmith), Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
Now, our final TV theme for Friday morning--Flipper. Never cared for it at all, but has it ever left my head? Nope. Not the melody, anyway. Half the words, yes. Ah, but now I have them back. Lucky me. Lucky us:
Flipper, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
Well, I reckon it's not all that bad. Maybe I just heard it too many times in syndication. Flipper was one of the all-time rerun champs--and then it vanished. Where to, I wonder? (Under the sea?)
Lee
King Kong, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966. From LP The Amazing TV Themes.
Memory tells me the cartoon really sucked--something about it really annoyed me. Was it the limited animation? The annoying little boy? The fact that King Kong was a good guy? I honestly don't remember. I loved this next series, though--my brother and I never missed an episode. Which is a good thing for us, since the show was cancelled after only one season. For years, its theme has been replaying in my noggin as "It's about time, it's about space. It's about life in the human race." Not quite, as we're about to hear:
It's About Time, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
Yup, astronauts traveling back in time to the Stone Age--that was the premise. Sherwood Schwartz (Gilligan's Island) created the show. Now you know. A bunch of people should write to TV Land and tell them it's about time that It's About Time was rerun, but something tells me that joke's old as the caves.
At the time, I had no idea The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was only semi-serious, if that--even the title didn't tip me off. It's because I was a kid. At that age, the Adam West Batman seemed serious, so no way did the silliness of U.N.C.L.E. seem, in any way, silly to me. As silly as that might sound. The show's theme music, after all these years, strikes me as so-so. Maybe I expect better from Jerry Goldsmith:
Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Goldsmith), Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
Now, our final TV theme for Friday morning--Flipper. Never cared for it at all, but has it ever left my head? Nope. Not the melody, anyway. Half the words, yes. Ah, but now I have them back. Lucky me. Lucky us:
Flipper, Wade Denning and the Port Washingtons, 1966.
Well, I reckon it's not all that bad. Maybe I just heard it too many times in syndication. Flipper was one of the all-time rerun champs--and then it vanished. Where to, I wonder? (Under the sea?)
Lee
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
This isn't Ohio; it's DUH-hio.
So, I'm reading the Columbus Dispatch letter page, and there's a woman going on about how "prevention programs" are the leading cause of teen pregnancy, or something equally brilliant. I can't follow her logic, since there's none to follow. She favors "federally approved" abstinence-education programs, because these give students much more information than do prevention programs, the teachings of which only lead to pregnancy and abortions. Prevention programs, apparently, don't cover prevention. They deliberately skip anything having to do with that topic.
Such a letter is best read with the Twilight Zone title music playing in the distance.
And another missive ends with this gem: "The income tax is insulting enough to American liberty; the estate tax has got to go." Money can't be handed over to the rich quickly enough or in sufficient amounts to please the average Duh-hioan.
Duh-hio. The Buckeye I.Q. State.
Oh, there's a liberal letter at the end. The Dispatch likes to stay balanced. That's thoughtful of them.
Nothing more about Joe Hallett's conspiracy theory (about how my party is out to scapegoat J. Kenneth Blackwell). Maybe the Men in White hauled him away.
Lee
Such a letter is best read with the Twilight Zone title music playing in the distance.
And another missive ends with this gem: "The income tax is insulting enough to American liberty; the estate tax has got to go." Money can't be handed over to the rich quickly enough or in sufficient amounts to please the average Duh-hioan.
Duh-hio. The Buckeye I.Q. State.
Oh, there's a liberal letter at the end. The Dispatch likes to stay balanced. That's thoughtful of them.
Nothing more about Joe Hallett's conspiracy theory (about how my party is out to scapegoat J. Kenneth Blackwell). Maybe the Men in White hauled him away.
Lee
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
CNN--Cheering Nitwits Network?
CNN is cheerleading for Bush right now, and I turned them off in total disgust. Enough is freaking enough. I can't believe Anderson Cooper is at that network. Love him, hate his network.
No, I don't literally love him. Let's not be childish.
Anyway, of course I expect CNN to cover Bush's ridiculous Baghdad visit--it's their job. But they don't have to act so ditzy-joyous about his prospects for a comeback in the polls. Don't they care about the impression that makes? They're on TV, for Christ's sake. Appearance counts on TV, of all mediums. Brilliant strategy--act thrilled when things go well for Republicans, and get all somber when they don't. If CNN is trying to counter a charge of left-wing bias, well, they're doing a damned good job of it. Consider the charge countered.
Frankly, I think they should go all out and wear party hats, hire a Polka band, and jump around making whooping sounds. Hell, why not?
"Bush has scored a PR hit, We're excited 'cause of it. WHOOP!! Do the Bush Shill Polka!"--Bush Shill Polka.
Meanwhile, what's up with Joe Scarborough of MSNBC? I don't know what happened to the guy, but I'm glad it did. It wasn't too long ago that I couldn't stand him, and now I'm watching and cheering along, because he's making the points and asking the questions I would ask and make if I were in his place. Damn. He's the TV equivalent of columnist Kathleen Parker, who also had a visit from the Good Sense Fairy at some point. Two sharp, honest moderates who aren't afraid to speak up, and we can't have too many of those.
Here in Ohio, newspapers are responding, let's say, defensively to the New York Times editorial of days ago. Why, it's absurd (they insist) to even suggest that some 2004-election cover-up has taken place. Joe Hallett, of our very own Columbus Dispatch, takes it further, accusing my party of scapegoating J. Kenneth Blackwell and declaring that we have failed to meet the burden of proof that that the 2004 election was stolen in the Buckeye State. By the way, I'm getting to where I advocate calling Ohio the Buckeye I.Q. State, except that I'm not in any mood to insult the tree in question and/or its nut.
Anyway, since Hallett can't read, allow me to point out that the NYT, Rolling Stone, and others have charged Blackwell with stealing votes for Bush, not necessarily with winning the election for him--that can't be proven, really, without more data, or without a confession from Blackwell (figure those odds). However, hundreds of thousands of votes were stolen, and they were NOT stolen for the Democrats. Is it possible Kerry would have won Ohio? It's more than possible--it's probable. And the vote stealing was more than probable; it happened.
But, but, wait a minute, says Hallett. Because Ohio has a bipartisan election system, the election theft "would have required widespread complicity by Democrats." Oh, yeah, well... ahem. Any (deep voice) rational person would know that. Sure.
Maybe that is something that needs to be explained. Dunno. Why doesn't Hallett tackle that question if he's so intrigued by it? However, anyone who has passed a course in Logic knows that the burden of proof doesn't extend beyond the thing that needs to be proven. To wit, if the evidence indicates that Blackwell stole votes, then the burden of proof has been met. You don't change the damn rules of the game once you find that your side is losing. In other words, you don't raise the bar once it's been cleared. Unless you suddenly find your credibility on trial. Wah, wah. Too bad. These guys should have thought about that before they sold out, no?
At any rate, Hallett (whom I used to respect) can't believe Dems would sit by and let Blackwell steal the election. Yet he has no trouble believing that Dems, nationwide, would conspire against the guy. So, really, he has nothing against conspiracy theories, just the ones that strike him as ridiculous. In that regard, he's like the guy who says, "Aliens from Pluto? That's ridiculous! They're from Jupiter!"
Meanwhile, The Newark Advocate sees no reason that Blackwell can't oversee the election and run for governor--they see no issue at all. And I believe them when they say they don't. Life in the Buckeye I.Q. State.
Lee
No, I don't literally love him. Let's not be childish.
Anyway, of course I expect CNN to cover Bush's ridiculous Baghdad visit--it's their job. But they don't have to act so ditzy-joyous about his prospects for a comeback in the polls. Don't they care about the impression that makes? They're on TV, for Christ's sake. Appearance counts on TV, of all mediums. Brilliant strategy--act thrilled when things go well for Republicans, and get all somber when they don't. If CNN is trying to counter a charge of left-wing bias, well, they're doing a damned good job of it. Consider the charge countered.
Frankly, I think they should go all out and wear party hats, hire a Polka band, and jump around making whooping sounds. Hell, why not?
"Bush has scored a PR hit, We're excited 'cause of it. WHOOP!! Do the Bush Shill Polka!"--Bush Shill Polka.
Meanwhile, what's up with Joe Scarborough of MSNBC? I don't know what happened to the guy, but I'm glad it did. It wasn't too long ago that I couldn't stand him, and now I'm watching and cheering along, because he's making the points and asking the questions I would ask and make if I were in his place. Damn. He's the TV equivalent of columnist Kathleen Parker, who also had a visit from the Good Sense Fairy at some point. Two sharp, honest moderates who aren't afraid to speak up, and we can't have too many of those.
Here in Ohio, newspapers are responding, let's say, defensively to the New York Times editorial of days ago. Why, it's absurd (they insist) to even suggest that some 2004-election cover-up has taken place. Joe Hallett, of our very own Columbus Dispatch, takes it further, accusing my party of scapegoating J. Kenneth Blackwell and declaring that we have failed to meet the burden of proof that that the 2004 election was stolen in the Buckeye State. By the way, I'm getting to where I advocate calling Ohio the Buckeye I.Q. State, except that I'm not in any mood to insult the tree in question and/or its nut.
Anyway, since Hallett can't read, allow me to point out that the NYT, Rolling Stone, and others have charged Blackwell with stealing votes for Bush, not necessarily with winning the election for him--that can't be proven, really, without more data, or without a confession from Blackwell (figure those odds). However, hundreds of thousands of votes were stolen, and they were NOT stolen for the Democrats. Is it possible Kerry would have won Ohio? It's more than possible--it's probable. And the vote stealing was more than probable; it happened.
But, but, wait a minute, says Hallett. Because Ohio has a bipartisan election system, the election theft "would have required widespread complicity by Democrats." Oh, yeah, well... ahem. Any (deep voice) rational person would know that. Sure.
Maybe that is something that needs to be explained. Dunno. Why doesn't Hallett tackle that question if he's so intrigued by it? However, anyone who has passed a course in Logic knows that the burden of proof doesn't extend beyond the thing that needs to be proven. To wit, if the evidence indicates that Blackwell stole votes, then the burden of proof has been met. You don't change the damn rules of the game once you find that your side is losing. In other words, you don't raise the bar once it's been cleared. Unless you suddenly find your credibility on trial. Wah, wah. Too bad. These guys should have thought about that before they sold out, no?
At any rate, Hallett (whom I used to respect) can't believe Dems would sit by and let Blackwell steal the election. Yet he has no trouble believing that Dems, nationwide, would conspire against the guy. So, really, he has nothing against conspiracy theories, just the ones that strike him as ridiculous. In that regard, he's like the guy who says, "Aliens from Pluto? That's ridiculous! They're from Jupiter!"
Meanwhile, The Newark Advocate sees no reason that Blackwell can't oversee the election and run for governor--they see no issue at all. And I believe them when they say they don't. Life in the Buckeye I.Q. State.
Lee
Monday, June 12, 2006
New "Stairways" for Monday morning
Two more Noteworthy-Composer®-composed pieces by me. One of them took forever to come up with, while the other came to life as quickly as I could enter the notes. Funny how that happens. But nobody said art wasn't work. I used to think that, as I (hopefully) got better as a composer, things would get easier. But logic dictates the opposite. After all, as our skills improve, we're able to do more. And we're driven to do more. And, so, we work harder.
Boy, that sounded grim. Maybe I need to rethink this whole composer routine.
While I'm doing that, here are Stairway to Kuhlau (as in, Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau, 1786-1832) and Stairway to Satie (as in Erik, 1866-1925). This brings the number of stairways to six....
Stairway to Kuhlau (Hartsfeld), Lee Hartsfeld, 2006.
Stairway to Satie (Hartsfeld), Lee Hartsfeld, 2006.
The patches came from my Dell soundcard and were doctored by MAGIX. I reckon the composing software adds to the card's patch options, but I'm not enough of a techno-nerd to be sure. I'm assuming, though.
I just write the notes. Don't ask me how they're produced!
Lee
Boy, that sounded grim. Maybe I need to rethink this whole composer routine.
While I'm doing that, here are Stairway to Kuhlau (as in, Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau, 1786-1832) and Stairway to Satie (as in Erik, 1866-1925). This brings the number of stairways to six....
Stairway to Kuhlau (Hartsfeld), Lee Hartsfeld, 2006.
Stairway to Satie (Hartsfeld), Lee Hartsfeld, 2006.
The patches came from my Dell soundcard and were doctored by MAGIX. I reckon the composing software adds to the card's patch options, but I'm not enough of a techno-nerd to be sure. I'm assuming, though.
I just write the notes. Don't ask me how they're produced!
Lee
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