Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.
Jangly Byrd like guitars attracted me to this and the sixties vibe. Peter Buck helps Robyn out on this song.
Robyn started his career in a 1972 London Art School with a band called The Beetles. In 1976 he started The Soft Boys and they went on to release A Can of Bees (1979) and Underwater Moonlight (1980). Robyn influence bands such as R.E.M. and The Replacements.
In 1981 released his first solo album Black Snake Diamond Röle. Robyn never had much chart success but continues to influence other artists.
So You Think You’re In Love was on the Perspex Island album that was released in 1991. Robyn describes his songs as ‘paintings you can listen to’. That is a great description.
Robyn released his 21st album in 2017.
So You Think You’re In Love
So you think you’re in love Yes, you probably are But you wanna be straight about it Oh, you wanna be straight about it now
So you think you’re in love Yes, you probably are But you wanna be straight about it Oh, you wanna be straight about it now
Can you imagine what the people say?Can you? But the silent majority is the crime of the century You know it
Are you sure that it’s wise? No, you probably ain’t You don’t wanna be faint about it Oh, you shouldn’t be faint about it now
By the look in your eyes No, you probably ain’t But you shouldn’t be faint about it Oh, you gotta be faint about it now
What is love made of? Nobody knows What are you afraid of? Everyone knows It’s love It’s love
So you think you’re in love Yes, you probably are But you wanna be straight about it Oh, you gotta be straight about it now
So you think you’re in love Yes, you probably are But you wanna be straight about it Oh, you gotta be straight about it now
Glam Rock straight from the seventies. The Dolls were full of attitude, raw music, drugs, and mascara. They would offend as many as possible and often sabotage their own career…but they made their mark in rock history.
This song was written by Dolls lead singer David Johansen and guitarist Johnny Thunders. It was on their self titled debut album. The song was released as a single in 1973 with the B side called Trash. The song sounds loose and rocking. They had a punk hard rock sound and they influence many bands such as KISS, Guns n’ Roses, The Replacements, Sex Pistols, and The Smiths. Morrissey from the Smiths helped organize a reunion concert in 2004.
Todd Rundgren (Todd was everywhere in the 70s) produced this album and Jack Douglas engineered it…he would later produce and work with artists Cheap Trick and John and Yoko on Double Fantasy.
The album peaked at #116 in the Billboard album charts but never hit the top 100.
Jack Douglas on guitarist Johnny Thunders: “Johnny never played the same thing twice. Sometimes, playing with the rhythm section, he just got the feel and he nailed it. At other times, he would stop playing because he knew he wasn’t going to get into it and he’d want to redo it later. Suddenly, he’d be in the control room with me. Then, when he overdubbed his leads, I would do four or five tracks and just comp them like a vocal. He was totally, totally unpredictable, and that’s how he was in life.”
Personality Crisis
Well we can’t take it this week And her friends don’t want another speech Hoping for a better day to hear what she’s got to say
All about that Personality Crisis you got it while it was hot But now frustration and heartache is what you got (That’s why they talk about Personality)
But now your trying to be some no you got to do some Wanna be someone who cow wow wows But you think about the times you did they took every ounce When it sure got to be a shame when you start to scream and shout You got to contradict all those times you were butterflying about
(You were butterflying) All about that Personality Crisis you got it while it was hot But now frustration and heartache is what you got break
And your a prima ballerina on a spring afternoon Change on into the wolfman howling at the moon hooowww
All about that Personality Crisis you got it while it was hot But now frustration and heartache is what you got
Now with all the crossing fingers that mother nature says Your mirrors get jammed up with all your friends
That personality everything starts to blend Personality when your mind starts to blend Personality impression of a friend, Of a friend, of a friend, of a friend, of a friend Personality wondering how celebrities ever met (Look and find out on television)
Personality Crisis you got it while it was hot Frustration and heartache is all you got, don’t you worry Personality Crisis please don’t cry It’s just a Personality Crisis, please don’t stop
Rod Serling served in WW2 and he does have quite a few episodes about war. It’s been said that you pay for everything you do in this life. The character Carl Lanser will be paying for an eternity. World War II hadn’t been over for 15 years when Judgment Night premiered. It was still fresh in everyone’s mind.
Serling had a message starting with this episode. When Nazi’s fall in the Twilight Zone they will get their comeuppance. Serling didn’t make light of Nazis, pull any punches, or turn them into a cartoon stereotype. Carl is portrayed as someone who perpetuated a deep evil and will be punished by God for it…and punished he is.
I love the twist in this episode but I think it is a little slow moving…but still a good one to watch. There are better WWII episodes.
This show was written by Rod Serling
Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:
Her name is the S.S. Queen of Glasgow. Her registry: British. Gross tonnage: five thousand. Age: Indeterminate. At this moment she’s one day out of Liverpool, her destination New York. Duly recorded on the ship’s log is the sailing time, course to destination, weather conditions, temperature, longitude and latitude. But what is never recorded in a log is the fear that washes over a deck like fog and ocean spray. Fear like the throbbing strokes of engine pistons, each like a heartbeat, parceling out of every hour into breathless minutes of watching, waiting and dreading… For the year is 1942, and this particular ship has lost its convoy. It travels alone like an aged blind thing groping through the unfriendly dark, stalked by unseen periscopes of steel killers. Yes, the Queen of Glasgow is a frightened ship, and she carries with her a premonition of death.
Summary
During World War II, a confused Carl Lancer finds himself as one of only a few passengers on a freighter, the S.S. Queen of Glasgow, traveling from London to New York. As he sits with other passengers, he begins to realize that he is the captain of a U-Boat that is at that very moment tracking the freighter with a view to sinking it. He also knows that in just over an hour the freighter will be attacked.
Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:
“The S.S. Queen of Glasgow, heading for New York, and the time is 1942. For one man it is always 1942—and this man will ride the ghost ship every night for eternity. This is what is meant by paying the fiddler. This is the comeuppance awaiting every man when the ledger of his life is opened and examined, the tally made, and then the reward or the penalty paid. And in the case of Carl Lanser, former Kapitan Lieutenant, Navy of the Third Reich, this is the penalty. This is the justice meted out. This is judgment night in the Twilight Zone.”
CAST
Rod Serling … Narrator (voice)
Nehemiah Persoff … Carl Lanser
Deirdre Owens … Barbara Stanley (as Deirdre Owen)
Patrick Macnee … First Officer McLeod
Ben Wright … Captain Wilbur
Leslie Bradley … Major Devereaux
Kendrick Huxham … Bartender
Hugh Sanders … Jerry Potter
Richard Peel … 1st Steward
Donald Journeaux … 2nd Steward
Barry Bernard … Engineer
James Franciscus… Lt. Mueller
I have always liked this B side to Help! Not a bad B side at all.
It was credited to Lennon/McCartney but Paul McCartney wrote this track… in the style of Little Richard. American R&B singers like Richard were a big influence on The Beatles.
The Beatles used this as their closing number on 1965 North American and UK tours, and the 1966 World tour.
When the Beatles were recording this…Paul took a break after shredding his vocal cords and recorded the classic…Yesterday. John Lennon played the Hammond organ on this track. It was the first time Lennon played any kind of keyboard on a record. When The Beatles played this live, he often played an electric piano.
This was the first song ever recorded by Aerosmith. They used it as a demo which eventually got them a record deal. They used also recorded it in 1987 on their album Permanent Vacation.
Paul McCartney:“I’m not sure if John had any input on it, in fact I don’t think he did. But not wishing to be churlish, with most of these I’ll always credit him with 10 per cent just in case he fixed a word or offered a suggestion. But at least 90 per cent of that would be mine.”
From Songfacts
In this song, Paul McCartney plays the role of a poor sap wallowing in his misery. But the joke is on him, which the arrangement and backing vocals make clear. When he sings, “I’m down,” John Lennon and George Harrison retort in mocking fashion, with lines like “down on the ground.” It’s as if they’ve heard too much of his bellyaching and they’re sick of it.
A telling line is, “How can you laugh when you know I’m down?” You can only have so much sympathy for someone who won’t help himself. After that, you have to laugh.
The Beatles performed this on their third live Ed Sullivan Show appearance – September 12, 1965. Before The Beatles broke through in America, Sullivan was in the London airport when The Beatles returned from a tour of Sweden. When he saw the massive crowd there to greet them, he thought The Queen was arriving. When he found out the throngs were there for The Beatles, he made sure to book them on his show. He became a big fan and had them on whenever he could.
This was recorded at the same session with “Yesterday” and “I’ve Just Seen a Face.”
The Beastie Boys recorded a version of this in 1986. Michael Jackson, who owned the publishing rights to this and many other Beatles songs, would not allow them to release it.
Paul McCartney played this at the “Concert For New York,” a benefit show he helped organize in 2001 to help victims of the World Trade Center disaster. It was the first song of his set.
I’m Down
You tell lies thinking I can’t see You can’t cry ’cause you’re laughing at me I’m down (I’m really down) I’m down (Down on the ground) I’m down (I’m really down) How can you laugh when you know I’m down (How can you laugh) When you know I’m down
Man buys ring woman throws it away Same old thing happens everyday I’m down (I’m really down) I’m down (Down on the ground) I’m down (I’m really down) How can you laugh when you know I’m down (How can you laugh) When you know I’m down
We’re all alone and there’s nobody else You still moan, “Keep your hands to yourself!” I’m down (I’m really down) Oh baby, I’m down (Down on the ground) I’m down (I’m really down) How can you laugh when you know I’m down (How can you laugh) When you know I’m down, wow Baby I’m down
Oh baby, you know I’m down (I’m really down) Oh yes, I’m down (I’m really down) I’m down on the ground (I’m really down) Ah, Down (I’m really down) Oh baby, I’m upside down, a yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I’m down (I’m really down) Oh baby, I’m down (I’m really down) I’m feeling upside down (I’m really down) Oh, I’m down (I’m really down) Baby, I’m down, yeah Oh baby, I’m down, yeah Baby I’m down (I’m really down) Well, baby I’m down (I’m really down) Well, baby, baby, baby (I’m really down) Oh baby, I’m down I’m down, down, down
This one is off of their last studio album All Shook Down. I was going to conclude with this one having one off of their studio albums but there is one more coming next week.
This is not my favorite off the album but it did have a commercial sound for that time and it’s something that I thought would have charted in the Billboard 100. Merry Go Round did peak at #1 on the alternative charts. The album peaked at #69 in the Billboard Album Chart in 1990.
“Merry Go Round” was written about the lives of Westerberg and his sister Mary (“They ignored me with a smile, you as a child”).
The band went to Los Angeles to make a video for Merry Go Round. With Westerberg’s okay, Warner Bros. hired Bob Dylan’s twenty-three-year-old son Jesse Dylan, who was just starting to direct.
It was shot in black and white and later edited to include some colorful inserts. From the opening moments, with a stone-faced Westerberg staring blankly into the camera, the video lacked the fun that had marked some of their other clips. Paul and Tommy managed a few smiles, and Slim played along gamely. The drummer Chris Mars, miming to Charley Drayton’s drum track, was understandably less than enthused.
Merry Go Round
Hush was the first word you were taught And they watched you wear The clothes they claimed that they bought They brought you down To watch the merry-go around
In fall, you knew how much it cost A trouble doll Around your neck when you lost You wouldn’t make a sound But I could hear your little heart pound And I watched your feet slip off the ground
Merry go round in dreams Writes ’em down, it seems When she sleeps, she’s free Merry go round in dreams
You wake to another day and find The wind’s blowing out of key with your sky Only you can see And the rain dancing in the night Everybody stands around in delight
Merry go round in dreams Writes ’em down, it seems When she sleeps, she’s free Merry go round in dreams
And everybody thinks she’s sick She’s got two worlds she can pick And she’s sad
Hush is the only word you know And I stopped listening long ago They ignored me with a smile You as a child But the trouble doll hears your heart pound And your feet they say goodbye to the ground
Merry go round in dreams Writes ’em down, it seems When she sleeps, she’s free Merry go round in dreams
Merry go round in dreams Merry go round in me Merry go round Round and round in me Merry go round Round and round in me
This one gets really creepy. Filmed in black and white works in the favor of this episode. It’s never been a favorite of mine but does have some scary scenes. I like the way they do the eerie dream scenes. A carnival at night with a cloudy atmosphere that is downright creepy. Suzanne Lloyd is stunning as Maya in Edward’s nightmares and as the secretary Miss Thomas.
The end has a nice twist but it’s not a classic episode but a good one.
This was the first Twilight Zone episode aired that was written by Charles Beaumont and also the first that was not written by Rod Serling. This episode was based upon a short story of the same name by Beaumont that was first published in the November 1958 issue of Playboy magazine.
This show was written by Charles Beaumont
Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:
Twelve o’clock noon. An ordinary scene, an ordinary city. Lunchtime for thousands of ordinary people. To most of them, this hour will be a rest, a pleasant break in a day’s routine. To most, but not all. To Edward Hall, time is an enemy, and the hour to come is a matter of life and death.
Summary
Edward Hall seeks the help of a psychiatrist, Dr. Rathman. He tells the doctor he hasn’t slept for days, and has been taking pills to stay awake, because he has a fear that if he does go sleep, he’ll die. He’s been having a series of dreams where each on’s part of a long story – like chapters in a book. The main character in his dream other than himself is a beautiful young woman, named Maya. He’s now reached the point of the story where he believes Maya will kill him and so he’s terrified to fall asleep.
Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:
They say a dream takes only a second or so, and yet in that second a man can live a lifetime. He can suffer and die, and who’s to say which is the greater reality: the one we know or the one in dreams, between heaven, the sky, the earth – in the Twilight Zone.
CAST
Richard Conte … Edward Hall
John Larch … Dr. Eliot Rathmann
Suzanne Lloyd … Maya / Miss Thomas
I’m a bona fide sucker for a guitar tremolo effect…throw in a voice that melts into the song and yea…I’m hooked. During the last part of the first verse backup singers come in and give it a short gospel quality. That makes me warm inside.
John Hiatt did the solo whistling and backing vocals.
The song was written by singer-songwriter Ben Vaughn, off his 1990 album Dressed In Black. Vaughn grew up in the Philadelphia area. He has said that At age 6, his uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record and forever changed his life.
In 1983, he formed the Ben Vaughn Combo. The band was together five years, releasing two albums and touring the U.S. several times. They received rave reviews in Rolling Stone and People magazine and video airplay on MTV.
Vaughn started a solo career in 1988 and has released over 17 albums. He is very versatile… he plays Rock, blues, jazz, folk, soul, R & B, country, Bossa Nova, movie soundtracks, easy listening and more, all with Vaughn’s musical slant.
Too Sensitive For This World
Ev’ry day starts with a broken heart I must be too sensitive for this world Well I know it ain’t right to cry ev’ry night I must be too sensitive for this world
And the world is such a careless place It’s a wonder, hummm it’s a wonder It’s a wonder Anyone survives
The clouds in the sky just make me cry I must be too sensitive for this world I don’t think I can last until these bad times pass I must be too sensitive for this world
Solo
And the world is such a careless place The world is such a selfish place And life is such an awful fate It’s a wonder, hummm it’s a wonder It’s a wonder Anyone survives I must be
This one is an excellent episode. This one probably isn’t recognized as a classic episode but it’s great. Two great character actors John Dehner and Jack Warden are in this episode. Plus you have a future star in Ted Knight that would go on to star as Ted Baxter in the Mary Tyler Moore show.
This episode…you feel the heat and the guy’s loneliness being a prisoner on a distance barren planet. This show makes you think…about the loneliness of the prisoner and when Captain Allenby gives the Jack Warden character a big box to open… makes you wonder what constitutes a human being.
The Lonely was filmed on location in Death Valley. Unprepared for the terrible conditions they would face, the crew suffered extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion and director of photography George T. Clemens even collapsed, falling from a camera crane while filming continued.
This show was written by Rod Serling
Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:
Witness if you will, a dungeon, made out of mountains, salt flats, and sand that stretch to infinity. The dungeon has an inmate: James A. Corry. And this is his residence: a metal shack. An old touring car that squats in the sun and goes nowhere for there is nowhere to go. For the record, let it be known that James A. Corry is a convicted criminal placed in solitary confinement. Confinement in this case stretches as far as the eye can see, because this particular dungeon is on an asteroid nine million miles from the Earth. Now witness, if you will, a man’s mind and body shriveling in the sun, a man dying of loneliness.
Summary
James A. Corry’s a man sentenced to prison; 50 years solitary on a distant asteroid. After 4 and a half years, James anxiously waits for Captain Allenby and his crew who every now and then bring him supplies, and also give him someone to talk to. When Captain Allenby arrives, he brings a suprise box for James; the ultimate female robot, named Alicia that is human-like and has feelings. James initially rejects her but soon falls in love with her. On the Captain Allenby’s next visit, he informs James he’s been pardoned and will return to Earth. But the ship only has enough room for him.
Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:
On a microscopic piece of sand that floats through space is a fragment of a man’s life. Left to rust is the place he lived in and the machines he used. Without use, they will disintegrate from the wind and the sand and the years that act upon them. All of Mr. Corry’s machines, including the one made in his image, kept alive by love, but now obsolete—in The Twilight Zone.
CAST
Rod Serling … Narrator (voice)
Jack Warden … James A. Corry
John Dehner … Captain Allenby
Jean Marsh … Alicia
Ted Knight … Adams (uncredited)
James Turley … Carstairs (uncredited)
Remember those old E.F. Hutton commercials? If you don’t youtube one but anyway…when Johnny Cash talked or sang…everyone listened. This song is a fantastic B side that was raised up from that years later.
In 1956, Johnny Cash released his No. 1 song “I Walk the Line.” The B-side of his song is his rockabilly song “Get Rhythm.” Not much attention was given to this song.
After fourteen years, Cash released his song “Get Rhythm” again in 1969. This time he released it as a single. It peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart…and #60 in the Billboard 100. Not bad for a forgotten B side.
Get Rhythm
Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues Come on, get rhythm when you get the blues Get a rock ‘n’ roll feelin’ in your bones Put taps on your toes and get gone Get rhythm when you get the blues
A Little shoeshine boy never gets low down But he’s got the dirtiest job in town Bendin’ low at the peoples’ feet On the windy corner of the dirty street Well, I asked him while he shined my shoes How’d he keep from gettin’ the blues He grinned as he raised his little head Popped a shoeshine rag and then he said
Get rhythm when you get the blues Come on, get rhythm when you get the blues A jumpy rhythm makes you feel so fine It’ll shake all the trouble from your worried mind Get rhythm when you get the blues
Get rhythm when you get the blues Come on , get rhythm when you get the blues Get a rock ‘n’ roll feelin’ in your bones Put taps on your toes and get gone Get rhythm when you get the blues
Well, I sat down to listen to the shoeshine boy And I thought I was gonna jump for joy Slapped on the shoe polish left and right He took a shoeshine rag and he held it tight He stopped once to wipe the sweat away I said you’re a mighty little boy to be-a workin’ that way He said I like it with a big wide grin Kept on a poppin’ and he said again
Get rhythm when you get the blues Come on, get rhythm when you get the blues It only costs a dime, just a nickel a shoe Does a million dollars worth of good for you Get rhythm when you get the blues
I’ve been reading about the early to mid-seventies Memphis scene and have found out that we missed out on some great power pop that was never heard by the general public. To my readers I have to pass all of this along. I do appreciate of you reading about these more unknown artists…but if one person listens to some of these posts and likes one…it makes it worth it…it also feels good living up to my WP power pop name.
Tommy Hoehn is another in a long line of musicians who should have been heard but it just didn’t happen. I would have never thought of Memphis as a power pop location but a generation of local musicians were heavily influenced by the Beatles, Who, and the Kinks. They took mid-sixties pop… along with Badfinger and the Raspberries and put a different spin on it.
The most known band from that period from Memphis is Big Star…you won’t hear that sentence a lot. Tommy Hoehn played with Big Star’s Chris Bell and Alex Chilton as well as helping out on Big Star’s 3rd album. “Blow Yourself Up” is full of hooks and his voice is perfect for power pop.
All of these musicians at the time hung out a lot at Ardent Studios. The owner John Fry would let them record and gave many keys to come in when they could and no one took advantage of it for a long time. That is one reason many of these artists sounded really good…they had time to get a sound they wanted.
This song was released in 1977 on Power Play Records, a local Memphis label and it was a regional hit. That same year, Power Play Records released Hoehn’s first solo album Spacebreak, which contained two of the songs Hoehn had recorded with Prix as well as the Blow Yourself Up single.
Blow Yourself Up was featured on Rhino’s D.I.Y.: Come Out and Play: American Power Pop (1975-78) compilation that was released in 1993.
He continued to release albums in the 80s, 90s, and 2000’s. In late 2009, Hoehn began work on a solo album tentatively titled Pi. However, in December 2009, he was diagnosed with cancer, and became too ill to sing lead vocals on the album. He died on June 24, 2010, at the age of 55.
Blow Yourself Up
She lie / in a cool repose / She breathing Tries to believe I don’t know it I’m not dull, I show it She shies away: Shaken / and I push her just a little Even enough to fool just her Ooo I really mussed her Cutchya’ I’ll blow yourself up
She-vades / Such a crude contempt I invade She gets away and I feel it Then I just can’t hide it She shies away Thinkin’ / There’s a full moon, I’m not thinkin’ Stupid as nails she keeps askin’ “Who just opened my door?” Come in and blow yourself up
Stop! We don’t care! Step above, I could stare – In your eyes, for a week Maybe two They’re so blue…
She lie! / In a room she made to wonder Tries to believe in a reason Frets inside her feelings Comin’ so close – solo! And the overcast is breathing Even the leaves gonna shudder I see stars and colors Something to blow yourself up
When I hear this song I automatically think of Jack Rabbit Slim’s restaurant in the movie Pulp Fiction. It was played when Mia and Vincent were talking about the five dollar milk shake.
Wray came up with this when he was asked to play a stroll at one of his shows. The song was different from other popular instrumentals, as it helped introduce gritty guitar distortion and power chords to the world of rock.
The song is credited to Link Wray and Milt Grant.
This instrumental was somewhat controversial because it implied gang violence – some radio stations refused to play it. It might be the only instrumental song ever banned on the radio. It was feared that the piece’s harsh sound glorified juvenile delinquency. Did the song cause juvenile delinquency? We can only hope.
The song peaked at #16 in the Billboard 100 in 1958.
Pete Townshend on Link Wray: “He is the King; if it hadn’t been for ‘Rumble,’ I would have never picked up a guitar.”
From Songfacts
Wray was with Archie Bleyer’s Cadence label and he wanted to record this as a single. Bleyer was ready to pass on it until his step daughter said she liked it and that it reminded her of the rumble scenes in West Side Story. Bleyer named the song “Rumble” and decided to release it.
Wray was drafted in 1951 and fought in the Korean War where he caught Tuberculosis. As a result, he had a lung removed in 1957 and couldn’t sing. After returning from Korea, he joined his family band the Palomino Ranch Gang, and went on to record as “Lucky” Wray in 1956.
Wray used a 1953 Gibson Les Paul guitar run through a Premier amp to produce this song.
This was used in a 2017 commercial for the Ford Focus where a cat rides in the backseat and closes the window to drown out the sound of a barking dog.
The song was honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 when they announced a category for “singles.” Five other songs were selected along with it:
“The Twist” – Chubby Checker “Rocket 88” – Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats “Louie Louie” – The Kingsmen “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” – Procol Harum “Born To Be Wild” – Steppenwolf
In this episode we meet the Devil for the first of many times in The Twilight Zone. We also meet the sad little man…hypochondriac Walter Bedeker. This guy is so unlikable that you have no feeling for him whatsoever. You actually root for the devil.
David Wayne does a great job playing Mr. Bedeker and Virginia Christine is very good as his put upon wife. Thomas Gomez is a very business like devil who lays it out straight for Bedeker. I had it at 3 1/2 stars until I watched it again…the ending is worth it.
Saying that a Twilight Zone episode has a great twist is like saying the sun will rise but this one…is wonderful…and you feel some justice.
A couple of facts about this episode: The cast includes two actors each best known for starring in a long-running TV commercial: Virginia Christine (Mrs. Olson for Folgers Coffee) and Dick Wilson (Mr. Whipple for Charmin Bathroom Tissue).
This show was written by Rod Serling
Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:
You’re about to meet a hypochondriac. Witness Mr. Walter Bedeker age forty-four. Afraid of the following: death, disease, other people, germs, draft, and everything else. He has one interest in life and that’s Walter Bedeker. One preoccupation, the life and well-being of Walter Bedeker. One abiding concern about society, that if Walter Bedeker should die how will it survive without him?
Hypochondriac Walter Bedeker has once again had his doctor come to his bedside but he can find absolutely nothing wrong with him. The doctor tells him his aches and pains are psychosomatic but he refuses to accept it. Later that night, a Mr. Cadwallader suddenly appears in his room and has a proposition for him: in return for his soul, he will give him immortality. He even has an escape clause in that if he ever gets tired of living, Cadwallader will provide him with a hasty demise. He accepts the deal and soon collects 14 insurance claims over a variety of accidents. He finds it all very boring however but his quest for a thrill brings results with an unexpected outcome.
Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:
There’s a saying, “Every man is put on Earth condemned to die, time and method of execution unknown.” Perhaps this is as it should be. Case in point: Walter Bedeker, lately deceased. A little man with such a yen to live. Beaten by the devil, by his own boredom, and by the scheme of things in this, the Twilight Zone.
CAST
Rod Serling … Narrator (voice)
David Wayne … Walter Bedeker
Thomas Gomez … Cadwallader
Virginia Christine… Ethel Bedeker
Raymond Bailey … Doctor
Wendell Holmes … Cooper
Dick Wilson … Jack
Joe Flynn … Steve
Nesdon Booth … Guard (as Nesden Booth)
I didn’t know they ever did anything together and to find this was special. Two of my favorite performers coming together. Ray of course from one of my favorite bands of all time and Alex Chilton from another band I admire, Big Star.
Ray had an album in 2010 called See My Friends, a 2010 album featuring versions of classic Kinks’ songs recorded with Alex Chilton, Black Francis, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica and many others.
This song was recorded a year before Alex died. They were neighbors in New Orleans and Alex would bring beer over to Ray’s house although Alex didn’t drink. Alex and Big Star were huge fans of The Kinks.
Ray Davies:
“Way back in 2004 I was in New Orleans, recovering from an injury, and I was befriended by a neighbor called Alex Chilton. Alex had been in a band called Big Star, and had sung on a record called ‘The Letter’ by The Box Tops. We didn’t talk about music much, but he did say to me before I came back to England, ‘You know, I’ve recorded one of your songs, ‘Till the End of the Day’, with Big Star, and I’d love to do another song with you. And he asked me to write some songs for him – I felt really flattered, because by then I had found out about his history. A very unassuming guy.”
“In 2009, on July 4th, Independence Day, he came up to Konk Studios. He was a real character – he was wearing a New Orleans beret, he had a cigarette holder – he was a chain smoker, and I think a recovering drinker – and he said, ‘Let’s do it!’ I said, ‘What would you like to do?’ He said, ‘‘Til The End Of The Day’ and ‘Set Me Free’. So I just had an acoustic guitar and a rhythm box, because I hadn’t organized anything. I played guitar and Alex sang. We did five or six takes and comped it together. “
I cannot find Set Me Free but here is a short clip of Ray talking about Alex.
“We apologize, here they are… The Replacements.” (see story at bottom)
I’m going to stick with the album Don’t Tell A Soul for one more song. The album has a bunch of good songs and this is around the time I stopped following them. I’ve picked the band back up with earnest but a box set was released with this album mixed how it was meant to be.
At the time it was mixed with a pop sheen that felt outdated by the end of the decade. The original mixes are great and this one is one of my favorites off the album…and the band.
They were invited to play the International Rock Awards show and they felt out of place in the star studded audience…then came the introduction…”We apologize, here they are… The Replacements.” You then hear Paul ask… “What the hell are we doing here?” before they start into the song.
Before the show the producers told Paul that they would have to bleep out the line “We’re feelin’ good from the pills we took.” and Westerberg suspiciously happily agreed. He wasn’t going to leave it at that though…they did silence out the line and he rolled his eyes. For the song’s closing “It’s too late to turn back” coda, Westerberg began to sing “It’s too late to take pills” instead—several times. The censors missed it completely and let it go out live on the air… ABC was not amused… the Replacements were ushered out of the building at the end and did not get to participate in on jam.
It seemed most in the audience were too busy looking for another star than actually listening to the music…except Matt Dillion at the end.
Here is the live clip of the event
Talent Show
In my waxed up hair and my painted shoes Got an offer that you might refuse Tonight, tonight, we’re gonna take a stab Come on along, we’ll grab a cab
We ain’t much to look at so Close your eyes, here we go We’re playin’ at the talent show Playin’ at the talent show Come on along, here we go Playin’ at the talent show Check us out, here we go Playin’ at the talent show
Well we got our guitars and we got thumb picks And we go on after some lip-synch chicks We’re feelin’ good from the pills we took Oh, baby, don’t gimme that look
We ain’t much to look at so Close your eyes, here we go We’re playin’ at the talent show Playin’ at the talent show Come on along, here we go Playin’ at the talent show Hop a ride, here we go Playin’ at the talent show
Well it’s the biggest thing in my life I guess Look at us all, we’re nervous wrecks Hey, we go on next
Talent show Talent show Playin’ at the talent show Playin’ at the talent show
Wish us luck if you can’t go Playin’ at the talent show An empty seat in the front row We might even win this time, guys, you never know
This episode has more than a strong resemblance to the film Sunset Boulevard. Barbara Jean Trenton who is played by the great actress and director Ida Lupino is an aging actress who continually looks back at her old films and forgets the world has gone on. The ending has a good twist but something about the episode just doesn’t live up to some of the great ones. Saying that, it still is a very good episode…an average Twilight Zone is better than many other’s best shows.
Martin Balsam makes an appearance as her agent Danny Weiss. We will see Martin again in the fourth season in a much scarier role. He was also in the 1985-87 reboot Twilight Zone. I remember him the most in 12 Angry Men and his appearances many 60s and 70s tv shows.
Ida Lupino, who starred in this episode, would later direct The Twilight Zone: The Masks. She became not just the only woman to direct an episode of the The Twilight Zone, but also the only person to both star in an episode and direct one.
Ida Lupino has 42 credits to her name as a Director.
This show was written by Rod Serling
Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:
Picture of a woman looking at a picture. Movie great of another time, once-brilliant star in a firmament no longer a part of the sky, eclipsed by the movement of earth and time. Barbara Jean Trenton, whose world is a projection room, whose dreams are made out of celluloid. Barbara Jean Trenton, struck down by hit-and-run years and lying on the unhappy pavement, trying desperately to get the license number of fleeting fame.
Summary
Former queen of the silver screen, Barbara Trenton’s a woman who lives in her past – watching her movies from more than 25 years earlier. Her housemaid, Sally’s worried by her behavior, and tells Barbara’s friend, and agent Danny Weiss. He tries to make Barbara move on, even getting her a role in an upcoming film. But Barbara lives in the past and won’t accept that she’s older now
Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:
To the wishes that come true, to the strange, mystic strength of the human animal, who can take a wishful dream and give it a dimension of its own. To Barbara Jean Trenton, movie queen of another era, who has changed the blank tomb of an empty projection screen into a private world. It can happen in the Twilight Zone.
CAST
Rod Serling … Narrator (voice) Ida Lupino … Barbara Jean Trenton Martin Balsam … Danny Weiss Jerome Cowan … Jerry Hearndan Ted de Corsia … Marty Sall Alice Frost … Sally
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 