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TV Draft Round 5 – Pick 4 – Lisa Selects – Ray Donovan

Welcome to the Hanspostcard TV Draft. I hope you will enjoy it! Today’s post was written by Lisa at https://tao-talk.com/

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Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan

Originally on Showtime
7 seasons, from 2013 – 2020 (and a movie in 2022)
82 episodes (12 in each of the first 6 and 10 in the 7th season)
Directors: with # of episodes: John Dahl (11,) Tucker Gates (9,) Michael Uppendahl (9,) David Hollander (6,) Allen Coulter (4,) Daniel Attias (4,) Colin Bucksey (4,) Guy Ferland (3,) Joshua Marston (3,) Michael Apted (2,) Lesli Linka Glatter (2,) Phil Abraham (2,) Liev Schreiber (2,) Ed Bianchi (2,) Robert McLachlan (2,) Daisy von Scherler Mayer (2,) Stephen Williams (2,) Zetna Fuentes (2,) and 1 episode each for Daniel Minahan, Jeremy Podeswa, Greg Yaitanes, Tricia Brock, James Whitmore Jr., Carl Franklin, Denise Di Novi, Tarik Saleh, Nick Gomez, Dash Mihok, and Kyra Sedgwick
Genres: drama, crime

Starring
The Donovan Family
Liev Schreiber is Ray Donovan, the central character in the series, the planet the rest of the satellites revolve around. Set in L.A., Ray is a fixer to the stars and star makers. Kill your mistress by mistake on a coke binge? No problem. Macho star in love with a trannie? No worries. There is Ray the professional fixer that never fails. Then there is Ray the second oldest brother of a severely dysfunctional family, where he can never seem to do right or fix anything.

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Eddie Marsan as Terry Donovan

Eddie Marsan is Terry Donovan. Terry is the oldest brother. He manages Donovan’s Fite Club, the family boxing club that always loses money but is a perfect front for Ray’s money laundering (that Terry knows nothing about!) Terry, who was a strong contender to be a top boxer, was put into a mismatch by his father and got a brain injury that has given him palsy in one of his arms. Terry is a serious sort that acts as a mentor/trainer to talented young boxers. He has a pattern of attracting women who, for one reason or another, leave. He has a lot of pent-up anger about a lot of things.

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Dash Mihok as Brandon “Bunchy” Donovan

Dash Mihok is Brandon “Bunchy” Donovan. Bunchy was molested for years as a kid by a Catholic Priest and has real intimacy issues because of it. When the series opens, Bunchy is part of a class action suit against the Catholic Church for his childhood sexual abuse. Bunchy also boxed as a kid and may have been hit in the head too many times, leaving a cognitive impairment and some impulsivity issues. Bunchy sleeps at the gym. Terry looks after him.

test4 Pooch Hall as Daryll Donovan

Pooch Hall is Daryll, the Donovan brother from another mother. When the other brothers’ mother was dying of cancer, their dad went and shacked up with Claudette (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and together they had Daryll. When Mickey, their father and the patriarch of the Donovan clan, goes to prison, Claudette hooks up with Alan (Paul Michael Glaser,) a big movie producer, and moves to Palm Springs. As the story opens, Daryll has never met any of his brothers.

test5 Jon Voight as Mickey Donovan

Jon Voight is Mickey Donovan, the patriarch of the family. As the story opens, Mickey is in Walpole doing a 20-year sentence for a murder he didn’t commit. While Mickey has been in prison, Ray has stepped into the patriarch role. Everyone is worried about when Mickey gets out of prison because he is a force of mayhem and chaos, one who is always scheming but one whose schemes always get f*cked up. Unfortunately, those around him are the ones who suffer because of his f*ckups. Mickey is the charismatic flim-flam man who could talk a leopard out of its spots. Ray seems to be the only one who can see Mickey for who and what he is, even when others who have borne the brunt of his mistakes again and again seem to have amnesia. Mickey is a lovable, but toxic, rascal.

Emily Richardson is Bridget, the oldest sibling and only sister of the Donovan brothers. As the story opens, we learn that Bridget committed suicide back in high school. The facts surrounding it are blurry, but over the seasons the pieces are put together.

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l.-r. Bridget, Conor, and Abby Donovan

Ray’s Family
Paula Malcomson plays Abby, Ray’s attractive, feisty, haranguing wife. Ray is a serial cheater and Abby turns a blind eye to it as much as she can. Ray’s work is his life and he’s away from home more than most. He also has his own private apartment downtown that the family isn’t welcome to visit. Abby has a beautiful home in the burbs of L.A., but often she’s lonely and bored. She’s been with Ray since the beginning, when the two were growing up in Boston. They each know that theirs is a forever relationship. Abby’s a decent mother, but often it seems she is preoccupied by what she feels is Ray’s emotional abandonment and what she doesn’t have, which leaves the kids with their own form of double parental abandonment.

Kerris Dorsey plays Ray’s daughter, Bridget Donovan, named after her long-departed aunt. Bridget is a brainy high school student with the best grades. She has a guitar and writes and sings her own compositions. She’s searching for something to fill the empty spaces in her world and sometimes makes poor choices. She loves her parents but has an uncanny knack of seeing through them, which makes her a little jaded when it comes to them. Ironically, she loves her uncles and her grandpa unconditionally.

Devon Bagby plays Ray’s son, Conor Donovan. Conor is 14 when the story opens. Devon is the typical 14 year-old who likes to play video games. Conor also has a violent streak. He is never one to start a conflict, but you can be sure he will finish it when it comes to bullies. Conor feels like the most alone one in the series. Bridget tries to advise him, as do his uncles and grandpa from time to time, but he doesn’t really seem to connect well with anyone.

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Steven Bauer as Avi

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Kathering Moennig as Lena

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Elliott Gould as Ezra

Ray’s Work World
Katherine Moennig plays Lena, who is often in the office making her magic happen, but she sometimes gets her hands dirty out in the field. Lena is a lesbian who is unlucky in love as it often turns to domestic violence. Her loyalty to Ray is unwavering. He’s a demanding but fair boss who gave her a chance when things were at a low ebb for her.

Steven Bauer plays Avi. Avi used to be in the Israeli Special Forces and is the man you want on the case to adjust/convince/neutralize and clean, as needed, under Ray’s direction. Avi lives at home with his invalid mother. Like Lena, Avi’s loyalty to Ray is unwavering. I think Ray met Avi through his first boss in the series, Ezra.

Elliott Gould is Ezra Goldman. Ezra is a potent mogul in L.A. He first met Ray as a young thug when Ezra was on a movie shoot in Boston and saw Ray’s potential. He convinced Ray to move to L.A. and become one of his main fixers. Ray potentially could have other clients he’s a fixer for, but Ezra and his realm keeps him pretty busy.

Guest stars
There are a plethora of stars that traverse the seasons. Usually they last a season, sometimes they carry over into more than one, and sometimes they don’t last but a few episodes. Just a partial list of well-known names: Susan Sarandon, Hank Azaria, Katie Holmes, Ian McShane, Alan Alda, Sherilyn Fenn, Lisa Bonet, Tony Curran, Rosanna Arquette, James Woods, Ted Levine, C. Thomas Howell, Paul Michael Glaser, Brent Spiner, Jake Busey, Ann-Margret, Stacy Keach, Bronson Pinchot, Dabney Coleman, Richard Benjamin, Cheryl Ladd, Diane Ladd.

Aside from them are dozens upon dozens more in the cast.

Non-human Characters
ALCOHOL saturates pretty much every scene of Ray Donovan. Thankfully the kids don’t take after their family members. Ray especially drowns himself in it to forget things. Everybody but the kids are guzzling the stuff. Sometimes other mind altering substances like powders show up – especially with Mickey – but mostly it’s the sauce that is the preferred poison.

Sexual addiction is a condition that drives Ray. As the series goes on, Ray’s addiction to alcohol, pain, and sex thread their way through his world. Since Ray is the “strong one” that everyone turns to for this and that, nobody’s really interested in suggesting he seek treatment for any of them, as perhaps their fear is that he won’t be so good at what he does if he stops doing them.

The baseball bat that Ray keeps in his trunk. He doesn’t pull it out very often, but when he does, you know the beat-down about to go down.

test10 Ray with his bat

Linked closely to the baseball bat is violence. Ray will use everything aside from violence to fix work issues, but if those fail, he is ready, willing, and able to use it. He never lays a hand on Abby or the kids, yet he’s gotten into more than one drunken family brawl with his brothers and dad. Ray himself sometimes takes a beating; yet he has a curious relationship with pain. His tolerance for pain is very high. Even if he’s hurting, he shrugs it off, and there is a sense that he may feel that he’s earned his punishments on earth for his many bad acts. This stoic acceptance of physical damage combined with emotional numbness are certainly tied to his Catholic upbringing.

The phone – Ray is always on the phone. You know how they do a body count on John Wick movies? Or how many times Al Swearengen said f*ck in Deadwood? Seriously, someone needs to do a phone count on Ray. In the car, at home, in meetings, anywhere and everywhere.

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Donovan’s Fite Club

The boxing club is the one place in the series that truly feels like home base. Lots of the show is filmed at Ray’s family home, but honestly, it never feels homey there. It feels like so many strangers co-exist in it but seldom connect with each other.

The ocean and some homes near the ocean are settings for memorable events.

Synopsis: After reading the above information, you can pretty much guess what happens in Ray Donovan. Problems come up at work and at home; Ray finds a way to fix work problems and a way to deepen family problems. Ray has been a very criminal-minded individual for a very long time; yet at the same time he is passionate about giving his wife and kids every material comfort, price is no object. He seems well-aware how he disappoints them emotionally yet clueless as how to fix it. A crucial piece that has only been touched on so far is Ray’s relationship with his father, Mickey. Where Ray is the expert fixer, Mickey is the expert breaker. Ray hates his father and wishes he would go away, but he always worms his way back into things. Most of the seasons, Ray has a new “boss” that is his primary client, and all of them are high power players in their fields. The first several seasons are set in Los Angeles, so there are lots of directors, producers, actors, movie sets, filming, screenwriters, drugs, kinkiness, etc. going on in the episodes. They say Las Vegas is sin city, but my bet is on L.A.
Impressions: I love the show because I love Liev Schreiber as Ray. He’s like an Iron Man Energizer Bunny that never wears down. I like how strong he is. What makes him such a compelling character to me is that, despite his giving his all, rarely does anyone acknowledge or appreciate that fact. In many ways, he’s an object that is being exploited for his workaholic ways and his chronic religion-cultivated toxic guilt. I love watching his face, his expressions, the way he moves, his navigating through all of it like a shark in the water. I also love how Ray’s relationship with each of his family members plays itself out through the seasons, especially the one with Mickey. Jon Voight is exceptionally good as Mickey. Wow! I also like how the creators of the show try to give all family members fresh story lines to work with.
Grade: 10
Etc.: from imdb: The necklace Ray Donovan wears carries a Saint Genesius medallion pendant. Saint Genesius is considered the patron saint of actors, lawyers, barristers, clowns, comedians, converts, dancers, people with epilepsy, musicians, printers, stenographers, and victims of torture.
Awards: 4 wins and 42 nominations

…

Who – Young Man Blues

Young Man Blues was written by jazz artist Mose Allison in 1957. Mose’s version is jazzy and smooth. The Who took the song and set it afire with an explosive charge. Mose Allison called The Who’s version The “Command Performance” of his song. That’s a great compliment from the author. Pete was a big fan of Mose Allison. He has said that if he never heard this song he would not have written My Generation.

The Who version has great dynamics. The bass and drums are all over the place and yet perfect. The Who sound like they are driving near a cliff and you know the song is going to fall off but they save it at the last moment time after time. The song was on the Live At Leeds album released in 1970.

The key to this song and most Who songs was the rhythm section. Keith Moon and John Entwistle pushed each other to greatness. The frenetic chaotic bass and drums made it exciting. You had the lead guitar player punching in licks between the lead bass and drums. Later on, when Keith passed away and Kenney Jones took his place…they were not the same. That is nothing against Jones…he was one of the best British drummers at that time but that touch of insanity was gone permanently.

A year or so before John Entwistle died, Roger Daltrey was complaining about John’s volume on stage to Pete. Pete replied that without that volume and John’s style…they are not the Who. That was a true statement. I saw the Who with John and later on without him. It wasn’t the same. Was it a great show without him? Yes, the songs were great but that element of danger was gone. That is what both Keith and John added to the Who.

So I’ll take this note for myself… February 14, 1970… I’ll buy a ticket for Leeds University when I get my time machine working…I’ll take some cotton balls though.

Young Man Blues

Oh well a young man ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days
I said a young man ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days

You know in the old days
When a young man was a strong man
All the people they’d step back
When a young man walked by

But you know nowadays
It’s the old man,
He’s got all the money
And a young man ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days
I said nothing

Everybody knows that a young man ain’t got nothin’
Everybody!
Everybody knows that a young man ain’t got nothin’
He got nothin’
Nothin’

Take it easy on the young man
They ain’t got nothin’ in the world these days
I said they ain’t got nothin’!
They got sweet fuck-all!

….

TV Draft Round 5 – Pick 3 – Paula Selects – One Day At A Time

One Day at a Time (ODAAT)

Welcome to the Hanspostcard TV Draft. I hope you will enjoy it! Today’s post was written by Paula at http://paulalight.com

Welcome back to Paula’s Power Pop reviews and a big thanks to Max for putting these rounds together. I am having fun revisiting shows from back when, and one of my favorite shows in high school was One Day at a Time (the original series, not the 2017 reboot). The premiere aired on December 16, 1975, and the show ran nine seasons until May 28, 1984. It actually surprised me to learn that it went on so long ~ I did not catch all the later episodes in the 1980s. ODAAT was hugely popular for years and had a sweet spot in the CBS Sunday night lineup.

The premise of the show is that Ann Romano (played by Bonnie Franklin, RIP) navigates her new life in Indianapolis as a single mom to two teen girls, Barbara Cooper (played by Valerie Bertinelli) and Julie (played by Mackenzie Phillips, who was fired twice and did not appear in later eps). Pat Harrington Jr. (RIP) had a key role as their building superintendent, Dwayne Schneider. Back in the 1970s, Schneider seemed funny to me, but now he seems more like a creepy stalker always hanging around the girls’ apartment. Many things have changed regarding my perspective of the show, including believing that it was the height of romance for Mark (Boyd Gaines) to kidnap Barbara and not let her out of his car on their disastrous first date. Situations like these seem romantic in fiction, when you know the cute guy is a “good guy,” and the couple will up together, but in real life this would be totally cringe if not outright criminal. Anyway, in the 1970s, I identified more with Julie and Barbara, depending on the episode, but now I would identify more with Ann.

The original series focused heavily on second-wave feminism, which occurred during the 1960s to the 1980s. This is when women had achieved basic rights (somewhat), but still had to deal with workplace sexism, relationship roles, sexuality, and gender-based family issues. The show is not heavy-handed about these topics and relies upon on humor to smooth things along. I would say the writing ended up being tame overall, not really tackling big issues in a bold way, unlike, for example, All in the Family (which I will also be reviewing). Ann, Julie, and Barbara engaged in traditional, monogamous relationships with men, including eventual marriages for all three. This is not a criticism, just an observation. I enjoyed the show very much, back in the day.

Some of my favorite eps involve Shelley Fabares, as scheming businesswoman Francine, and of course the eps with the wonderful Howard Hesseman who just passed this January (RIP). He played Mark’s father Sam and became Ann’s love interest/husband (awkward!). One of my favorite episodes overall was “Airport” (S7, E2), where Barbara, Schneider, and Alex (the son of Ann’s boyfriend Nick, played by Glenn Scarpelli and Ron Rifkin, respectively) are all stuck at the airport waiting for Ann, whose flight has been delayed. Each of the three meets someone who seems like a romantic possibility, but none of them work out, so it is much more realistic than most sitcom plotlines. As a sidenote, Nanette Fabray (RIP) plays Ann’s mother Katherine, and she is the aunt of the aforementioned Shelley Fabares. Originally, Nanette’s last name was also spelled “Fabares.”

Whitney Blake and Allan Manings, a husband and wife writing team, created the show, and Norman Lear developed it. Polly Cutler performed the theme song “This Is It,” which played in the opening and closing credits. Jeff and Nancy Barry wrote the song. Bonnie Franklin and Pat Harrington Jr. each won an Emmy in 1984 for their performance in ODAAT, and Alan Rafkin won an Emmy in 1982 for directing the episode titled “Barbara’s Crisis” (S7, E15). Pat also won a Golden Globe in 1981, and Valerie Bertinelli won two Golden Globes, in 1981 and 1982.

~*~

Paula Light is a poet, novelist, flash fiction fan, cupcake connoisseur, mom, grandma, cat mommy, etc. Her blog can be found at http://paulalight.com.

Moody Blues – I Know You’re Out There Somewhere

The Moody Blues hit big in the early 80s. I first got into them in the late 70s and I had all of their albums up to Seventh Sojourn. When Long Distance Voyager came out in 1981 a new generation of fans was made.

After I graduated in 85 I heard the single “Your Wildest Dreams” the following year and loved it. I remember the video on MTV and then a few years later in 1988 I heard this song. I could tell by the video alone it was essentially a sequel to Your Wildest Dreams. Guitarist/singer/songwriter Justin Hayward wrote both songs.

Sometimes we kick ourselves over missed opportunities and I do regret not seeing the Moodies live. I never looked at them as prog rock…they were just The Moody Blues…somewhat in a genre by themselves in some ways.

The song peaked at #30 in the Billboard 100, #52 in the UK, #15 in Canada in 1988. This was the band’s last top 40 single in the United States.

Justin Hayward: “I did the keyboard and the guitar and the LinnDrum for ‘Wildest Dreams,’ which was finished first, and for ‘I Know You’re Out There Somewhere’ I decided to use the same keyboard sound and bass sound that I’d got on a Yamaha DX7 and continue that theme. It’s identical tempo and everything.”

Justin Hayward: “I love performing it. Wherever we go, people like it. It wasn’t a massive hit, but people know it. It wasn’t a massive hit because it’s about 6 minutes long and no one did a successful edit on it. That’s probably the one that gives me the most pleasure.”

Since the two songs were connected…here they are.

I Know You’re Out There Somewhere

I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere, somewhere
I know I’ll find you somehow
Somehow, somehow
And somehow I’ll return again to you

The mist is lifting slowly
I can see the way ahead
And I’ve left behind the empty streets
That once inspired my life
And the strength of the emotion
Is like thunder in the air
‘Cos the promise that we made each other
Haunts me to the end

I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere, somewhere
I know you’re out there somewhere
Somewhere you can hear my voice
I know I’ll find you somehow
Somehow, somehow
I know I’ll find you somehow
And somehow I’ll return again to you

The secret of your beauty
And the mystery of your soul
I’ve been searching for in everyone I meet
And the times I’ve been mistaken
It’s impossible to say
And the grass is growing
Underneath our feet

[Interlude:]
You see I know you’re out there somewhere
O yes I know you’re out there somewhere
You see I know I’ll find you somehow
O yes I know I’ll find you somehow

the words that I remember
From my childhood still are true
That there’s none so blind
As those who will not see
And to those who lack the courage
And say it’s dangerous to try
Well they just don’t know
That love eternal will not be denied

Yes I know it’s going to happen
I can feel you getting near
And soon we’ll be returning
To the fountain of our youth
And if you wake up wondering
In the darkness I’ll be there
My arms will close around you
And protect you with the truth

TV Draft Round 5 – Pick 2 – Keith Selects – 30 Rock

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Welcome to the Hanspostcard TV Draft. I hope you will enjoy it! Today’s post was written by Keith at https://nostalgicitalian.com/

For this round of the TV Show Draft, I figured I would jump ahead a few years to prove that I watch shows that aired after 1980! There are very few shows that actually make me laugh out loud. For this round, I want to feature one of them – 30 Rock.

The show aired on NBC from 2006-2013 and was created by Tina Fey (who also starred on the show). It was based on many of her experiences while working as a writer on Saturday Night Live (SNL). The show was actually produced by SNL’s Lorne Michaels, and the character of Jack Donaghy is said to be loosely based on Michaels.

The show was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards every year it was on the air. It won for Outstanding Comedy series in 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2009, the show was nominated for a whopping 22 Primetime Emmy Awards – the most in a single year for a comedy series. The Associated Press once wrote, “NBC’s Thursday night comedy block – made up of My Name Is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, and 30 Rock – is consistently the best night of prime time viewing for any network!”

In the first episode of the series, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is the head writer for an NBC comedy series, The Girlie Show. It stars her best friend, Jenna Marone (Jane Krakowski). When Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) enters as the new NBC Executive, he begins to revamp things at the network, including The Girlie Show. In the episode, he forces Liz to hire the very unpredictable (and sometimes crazy) Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) as the new star of the show, which will now be called TGS with Tracy Jordan.

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A typical episode would feature the rigors of writing a comedy show, the jealousy of Jenna after being forced to share stardom with Tracy, Tracy’s immature behavior, arguments between Jack and Liz, and pokes fun at NBC’s parent company (at the time) General Electric.

As with many of the shows being featured throughout the draft, 30 Rock is one of those shows that features a wonderful ensemble cast – each with their own distinct and unique personality. The blending of these personalities is just one of the many reasons why this show is so funny. Wikipedia has a wonderful description of each cast member (here are a few):

Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) – a “sexually frightened know-it-all” and head writer of TGS
Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) – the loose-cannon, crazy, and unpredictable star of TGS
Jenna Marone (Jane Krakowski) – original star of the Girlie Show, now co-star of TGS. She is Liz’s constantly attention-seeking, arrogant, and clueless best friend.
Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer) – the cheerful, obedient, Southern-born NBC page who “lives for television.”
Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) – the decisive, controlling, suave, and occasionally senseless network executive who constantly interferes with the on goings of TGS.

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In the 7 seasons that 30 Rock was on the air, there are thousands of laughs, ridiculous story lines, hundreds of catchphrases, and quirky characters. So what makes it such a funny show? Here are just a few reasons.

Rapid Fire Humor

Today, most comedy shows are designed for a laugh or two. Long build ups with poor payoffs which basically allows the viewer to watch without really having to pay attention. 30 Rock, however, was like watching a stand-up comic. The jokes (and insults) come at you one after another! Those lines are often delivered in a straight manor by the actor. It is reminiscent of the movie Airplane! where the actors are spouting off silly lines with a serious tone and deadpan. I feel like every time I watch an episode, I catch something I miss (just like when I watch Airplane!).

Lots and Lots of Guest Stars and Cameos

I’ve always loved to see actors appear on Saturday Night Live and do some off the wall character. Many of the guest stars on 30 Rock did just that. Some of the stars who appeared over 7 seasons include: Edie Falco, Jennifer Aniston, Selma Hayek, John Lithgow, Megan Mullally, Peter Dinklage, Steve Martin, Julianne Moore, Jon Bon Jovi, Matt Damon, James Franco, Susan Sarandon, Alan Alda, Ice-T, Richard Belzer, Michael Keaton, Paul Giamatti, and Buck Henry!

Other guest stars appeared as themselves – Buzz Aldrin, Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Seinfeld, Condoleezza Rice, and Al Gore, for example. Recurring characters included Chris Parnell as Dr. Leo Spaceman (pronounced “spa-che-man), Jason Sudeikis as one of Liz’s boyfriends, Dean Winters as Liz’s ex-boyfriend, Will Arnett as Devon Banks (a guy out for Jack’s job), Rip Torn as Jack’s boss and mentor, and the great Elaine Stritch as Jack’s mother.

The Running Gags and Catchprases

Tina Fey loves a good running joke and there were plenty on 30 Rock. Some of them even spilled over into use in pop culture. For example:

“Blergh” is a handy expression you can use when the network won’t let you swear on TV. It is not a coincidence that it is also the brand of furniture from Ikea that Liz Lemon buys! Google trends suggests that 30 Rock pushed the word into the mainstream after it appeared in Season 1’s 2007 episode “Cleveland.” As it often happens with slang, blergh has become so prevalent, people will probably forget where it came from.

“Deal Breaker” is not a new phrase. It has roots dating back to 1979, and it was a Harlen Coben Book title in the 90’s. However, it gained new popularity after 30 Rock used it to describe relationships. Fey’s character write a book the points out all the “deal breakers” in relationships (“He never takes off his socks? Dealbreaker!”)

“I want to go to there” is a phrase that is exclusive to 30 Rock. We even know where it came from: Tina Fey got the odd grammatical construction from her young daughter Alice, and it quickly became one of 30 Rock’s most repeated quotes.

The “EGOT.” In 2008, Tim Long wrote a piece for Vanity Fair about Philip Michael Thomas, who, Long said used to wear a gold medal that simply said “EGOT,” which stood for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony,” awards Thomas planned to win in the next five years. The following year on 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan finds a diamond EGOT necklace and sets out to join the elite ranks of such all-around winners. Tracy reached his goal in Season 5, and, thanks to 30 Rock, the EGOT has become a term used in the entertainment biz today.

“Good God” is a phrase that is often used by Jack in various situations. The 30 Rock YouTube page has a video compilation of some of his best “Good God” moments. My favorite was spoken to an ill Liz Lemon after she get’s in Jack’s face and speaks. Jack simply says, “Good God, Lemon. Your breath! When did you find time to eat a diaper you found on the beach?”

So Quotable

30 Rock is one of those shows that you really just have to watch. I find it really hard to describe WHY you should watch it other than the reasons above. Baldwin was simply hilarious on the show, as was Tina Fey. The cast works so well together and the insane situations that are presented are so ridiculous, you can’t NOT watch. There are so many little “toss ins” and “cut aways” involved. A cast member will say something – the camera cuts to a brief scene – and back to where it cut away. Those “toss in” jokes never cease to make me double over in laughter.

At the same time, the writing and deliver of the dialogue is just brilliant. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite lines:

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Jack Donaghy

“I’m not a creative type like you, with your work sneakers and left-handedness.”

“What’s wrong, Lemon? When I see you chew your nails like that, it’s either you’re very anxious, or you handled some ham earlier.”

“I only pass gas once a year, for an hour, atop a mountain in Switzerland.”

“Never go with a hippie to a second location.”

“Ambition is the willingness to kill the things you love and eat them to survive. Haven’t you ever read my throw pillow?”

“We all have ways of coping. I use sex and awesomeness.”

“The world is made by those who control their own destiny. It isn’t made by those who don’t do, it’s made by those who do do. Which is what made me the man I am. I do do.”

Tina-Fey-1-1024x683 Liz Lemon

“We have a show tonight. I’ve never missed a show. Not even the time I had that virus they kept saying only raccoons get.”

“Now I’m heading home for a nooner, which is what I call having pancakes for lunch.”

“Why are my arms so weak? It’s like I did that pushup last year for nothing!”

“I also have a lot of imaginary arguments with couples on House Hunters: Why can’t people look past paint color?”

“You can’t solve all your problems by shooting someone or setting a stranger on fire.”

“Fine, I’ll be okay. I got other ideas, like a microbrewery that also serves frozen yogurt. I’mma call it… Microsoft.”

30 Rock - Season 7 — 30 ROCK — “A Goon’s Deed in a Weary World” Episode 711 — Pictured: (l-r) Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan, Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney — (Photo by: Ali Goldstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)

Tracy Jordan and Jenna Marone

Tracy:

“Here’s some advice I wish I woulda got when I was your age: Live every week like it’s Shark Week.”

“I’m not going to rehearse. I’m going to get a sandwich and then eat it on the toilet.”

“I watched Boston Legal 9 times before I realized it wasn’t a new Star Trek.”

“I’m gonna say to you what I say to all my sharks right before they die: Let’s go outside.”

“Liz Lemon, I may hug people too hard and get lost at malls, but I’m not an idiot.”

Jenna:

“We’re actors. If we didn’t exist, how would people know who to vote for?”

“Listen up, fives, a ten is speaking.”

“Your new vibe is a double edged sword, much like the one Mickey Rourke tried to kill me with.”

“Okay I’ll do it, but only for the attention.”

105287-10

Kenneth Parcell

“But comedy is just as important as drama. People need to laugh, especially in these tough times. And after all, isn’t laughter the best medicine? Except for insulin, Spironolactone, and Bupropion, which I have for you whenever you’re ready, sir.”

“There are only two things I love in this world: everybody and television.”

In Closing

In a 2018 article for Business Insider, 30 Rock was listed as one of the Top 20 shows who have won the most Emmy Awards. It had 16 wins and was nominated 103 times. To me, I’ve never really paid attention to whether or not a show was a big “award winner.” What is important is how it makes me feel. 30 Rock was a show that ALWAYS made me laugh – even the bad episodes had good stuff in them. I could always count on being in a good mood after watching it.

This is a show I wish had lasted longer than 7 seasons …

Replacements – Achin’ To Be

A wonderful song from the band’s sixth album Don’t Tell A Soul. It was the first album with new guitarist Bob “Slim” Dunlap after Bob Stinson quit. They recorded their previous album Please To Meet Me as a trio with Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars.

Westerberg has claimed the song’s protagonist was a composite of several people, though one inspiration was his younger sister Mary. She was a Minneapolis budding rock radio deejay, Mary was experiencing the same uncertainties Paul had gone through prior to the Replacements. (In the video showed Mary as both Paul’s shadow and reflection.)

The sound of this album turned some of the older fans off. In order to get more radio play the record company brought in Chris Lord-Alge to mix the album. The album had a lot of those eighties effects used to enhance the music. The result was more of a polished Replacements album.

They would release one more album after this one called All Shook Down in 1990. Chris Mars left the band in 1989 and was replaced in 1990 by Steve Foley. The band toured with Elvis Costello in 1991 and would play their farewell gig in Chicago on July 4, 1991.

In 2012 they would regroup with a different drummer and tour until 2015. They sold out some arenas that held around 14,000 people in 10 minutes in some areas. After they broke up their legend grew and they were heard more than they were when they were together originally. For my money…they were the best pure rock band in the 80s for these ears.

Achin’ To Be

Well she’s kind of like an artist
Sittin’ on the floor
Never finishes, she abandons
Never shows a soul

And she’s kind of like a movie
Everyone rushes to see
And no one understands it
Sittin’ in their seats

She opens her mouth to speak and
What comes out’s a mystery
Thought about, not understood
She’s achin’ to be

Well she dances alone in nightclubs
Every other day of the week
People look right through her
Baby doll, check your cheek

And she’s kind of like a poet
Who finds it hard to speak
Poems come so slowly
Like the colors down a sheet

She opens her mouth to speak and
What comes out’s a mystery
Thought about, not understood
She’s achin’ to be

I’ve been achin’ for a while now, friend
I’ve been achin’ hard for years

Well she’s kind of like an artist
Who uses paints no more
You never show me what you’re doing
Never show a soul

Well, I saw one of your pictures
There was nothin’ that I could see
If no one’s on your canvas
Well, I’m achin’ to be

She closes her mouth to speak and
Closes her eyes to see
Thought about an’ only loved
She’s achin’ to be
Just like me

TV Draft Round 5 – Pick 1 – Vic Selects – Sisters

Sisters Pinterest Image One — Photo Credit: Pinterest

Welcome to the Hanspostcard TV Draft. I hope you will enjoy it! Today’s post was written by Vic at https://cosmic-observation.com/blog-posts/

I didn’t catch the first season of this show during its original run but, started watching during season two (it was a while before I got to see season one). I was immediately hooked by the quirky interaction between the sisters and their day to day lives in Winnetka, IL and, I was already a Patricia Kalember fan due to the short-lived Kay O’Brien TV show. ~Vic

Created by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, the series begins one year after the death of the family’s father, Dr. Thomas Reed, a workaholic, played in flashbacks by three different actors but, mostly by Peter White. The matriarch of the family is Beatrice (Elizabeth Hoffman), a long-suffering, neglected wife, who turns to alcohol to deal with the doctor’s multiple affairs. She has four daughters:

☆ Alexandra…”Alex” (Swoosie Kurtz), the eldest. She married a plastic surgeon that had affairs on her and she divorced him, retaining some wealth. After battling breast cancer, she became a talk show host. She frequently butts heads her daughter, Reed Halsey (played by three different actresses, most notably Ashley Judd). She eventually remarries.

Sisters TMDb Image Two — New grouping with Charley, on the left.

Image Credit: TMDb

☆ Theodora…”Teddy” (Sela Ward), the second daughter. At the beginning of the series, she is returning from California and is shocked to discover that her ex-husband, Mitch, is engaged to her youngest sister, Frankie. She, drunk, temporarily, stops the wedding with a shotgun (she inherited Beatrice’s drinking habits). An artist in school, she becomes a fashion designer, helming three different companies. She goes on to marry twice more…to Det. James Falconer (George Clooney), the cop that investigated her daughter Cat’s rape (he was killed in an explosion) and Dr. Gabriel Sorenson (Stephen Collins), the doctor that saved her life when she was shot in the head.

☆ Georgiana…”Georgie” (Patricia Kalember), the third daughter. She is the stay-at-home mom with the most level head of all the sisters. A part-time real estate agent, she is the one the other sisters come to for guidance. She and her husband, John, have two sons, the youngest surviving leukemia. She carries and gives birth to Thomas George, Frankie & Mitch’s son. After trouble with her first son, she has an affair with her therapist, separates from John, has a second affair with a much younger classmate in college and, eventually returns to John.

☆ Francesca…”Frankie” (Julianne Phillips…Springsteen’s first wife), the fourth daughter. She is a highly paid executive, a workaholic like her father and discovered that she was infertile. Georgie becomes her surrogate for her baby. Her work habits break apart her marriage to Mitch. Afterwards, she quits her job and buys a local diner. She eventually moves to Japan for another job.

☆ Charlotte…”Charley” (a doctor, originally played by Jo Anderson, then Sheila Kelley) as the unknown, fifth, illegitimate daughter that shows up in the fourth season, looking for a bone marrow donation (a shift in the story-line as Julianne Phillips prepared to leave the show). The nicknames are a product of their father wanting boys and never getting one. The four older sisters tagged Charlotte with her own nickname.

Supporting Characters:
★ John Witsig (Garrett M. Brown), Georgie’s husband.
★ Mitch Margolis (Ed Marinaro), Teddy’s high school sweetheart, ex-husband & Frankie’s ex-husband.
★ Catherine “Cat” Margolis (Heather McAdam), Teddy & Mitch’s daughter that goes on to be a cop.

Much of the show is full of flashbacks, particularly the interactions of the sisters growing up.

Trivia Bits:
♦ Patricia Kalember’s husband in real life, Daniel Gerroll, had a recurring role in season five. He played psychiatrist Dr. David Caspian, who was counseling her character Georgie.
♦ Julianne Phillips and Patricia Kalember also co-starred in Fletch Lives.
♦ Elizabeth Hoffman was a minor, recurring character on Stargate SG-1 and played Eleanor Roosevelt in two mini-series: The Winds of War (1983) and War & Remembrance (1988-1989).

Scene & Opening Theme

Stanley Brothers – Mountain Dew

Ok…we are veering WAY OFF the power-pop/rock path today! I was reading a biography of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll, and it mentioned he would sing this song occasionally. So reading a bio of an American football coach led to this post…you just never know! To paraphrase Bugs Bunny…we are taking that proverbial left turn at Albuquerque.

I got really curious and looked the song up. It’s great…I’ve always liked these old folk songs and bluegrass music because I respect them so much. I’ve played bluegrass with a professional before, and it is some of the hardest music I’ve tried to play. The time signatures are all over the place, and if you haven’t played the music a lot… it can be tricky. It made me a better musician.

I like the music because it’s so rootsy and earthy. I don’t listen to it a lot, but sometimes I will enjoy an hour or so of it. It reminds me of when my dad would go to work in the morning, and sometimes he would have this music on.

Good Ole’Mountain Dew!

This song is an Appalachian folk song that Bascom Lamar Lunsford first wrote in 1928. Lunsford was an attorney; however, he is very fond of folk songs. He once represented a man in court because he was illegally making whiskey called Moonshine. This experience led him to write the song. He ended up selling the song to Scotty Wiseman, and Wiseman changed a few lyrics but remembered Lunsford…he kept the songwriting credit Wiseman-Lunsford.

These songs are special. They were not trying to write hits…they just wanted to tell stories through songs. Instead of newspapers in the backwoods of the Appalachians, you had these songs.

Many artists have covered the song through the years, like Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Mother Maybelle Carter, Grandpa Jones, and more.

Willie Nelson released a version in 1981 that peaked at #23 in the Billboard Country Charts and #39 in Canada.

The lyrics never stay completely the same through the versions, but it still works. We will return to our normal programming in the next post!

Mountain Dew

Down the road here from me there’s an old holler tree
Where you lay down a dollar or two
Go on round the bend come back again
There’s a jug full of that good ole mountain dew

Oh they call it that good ole mountain dew
And them that refuse it are few
I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug
With that good ole mountain dew

Now Mr. Roosevelt told ’em just how he felt
When he heard that the dry law ‘d gone through
If your liquors too red it’ll swell up your head
You better stick to that good ole mountain dew

Oh they call it that good ole mountain dew
And them that refuse it are few
I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug
With that good ole mountain dew

The preacher rode by with his head hasted high
Said his wife had been down with the flu
He thought that I o’rt to sell him a quart
Of my good ole mountain dew

Oh they call it that good ole mountain dew
And them that refuse it are few
I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug
With that good ole mountain dew

Well my uncle Snort he’s sawed off and short
He measures four feet two
But feels like a giant when you give him a pint
Of that good old mountain dew

Oh they call it that good ole mountain dew
And them that refuse it are few
I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug
With that good ole mountain dew

Beatles – Across The Universe

When I became a Beatles fan way back when I was 8 years old…and up to my teenage years I hardly ever heard this one mentioned by people. I’ve seen its popularity grow through the years. My biggest problem with it is they should have spent more time on it. Lennon accused McCartney of subconsciously trying to destroy it. You could see Paul let out a big yawn while rehearsing in the Let It Be film but that probably had more to do with him being tired after hours of playing in a studio…but maybe Lennon had a point.

One of the reasons John got upset with Paul was because instead of getting professional backup singers or a choir…Paul went out the Abbey Road door and grabbed two “Apple Scruffs” to sing backup on the song. That version did not go on the Let It Be album, however. That version was on a charity album.

This first appeared on No One’s Gonna Change Our World, a 1969 charity album for the World Wildlife Fund. Bird noises were dubbed into this version to create a nature theme. It didn’t sound too bad.

When I bought the Let It Be album it took a few listens but soon this one intrigued me. The lyrics alone are enthralling because of the imagery. Since I first heard it, the song has taken on huge popularity.

It even had a movie that was made around its title and worked around Beatle lyrics in 2007. That alone boosted its popularity.

I always wondered about the Jai guru deva om phrase. “Jai guru deva, om” translates to “hail to the Heavenly Teacher” or “I give thanks to Guru Dev.” That was a mantra was invented by the Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi – the late protégé of Guru Dev.

On February 4, 2008 “Across The Universe” became the first track to be beamed directly into space. It was transmitted through NASA’s antenna in the DSN’s Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex, towards the North Star, Polaris, 431 light-years from Earth. The broadcasting of the Beatles song was done to mark both NASA’s 50th birthday and the 40th anniversary of Across The Universe. Paul McCartney described the transmission as an “amazing feat” adding, “Well done, NASA. Send my love to the aliens!”

David Bowie also did a good version of this song. Liam Gallagher has cited this song as a huge influence on him starting to write songs.

John Lennon: “I was lying next to me first wife in bed, and I was irritated. She must have been going on and on about something and she’d gone to sleep and I kept hearing these words over and over, flowing like an endless stream. I went downstairs and it turned into sort of a cosmic song rather than an irritated song… it drove me out of bed. I didn’t want to write it, but I was slightly irritable and I went downstairs and I couldn’t get to sleep until I’d put it on paper.”

John Lennon: “It’s one of the best lyrics I’ve written. In fact, it could be the best.” He added: “It’s good poetry, or whatever you call it, without chewin’ it. See, the ones I like are the ones that stand as words, without melody. They don’t have to have any melody, like a poem, you can read them.”

John Lennon: “The Beatles didn’t make a good record of it. I think subconsciously sometimes we – I say ‘we’ although I think Paul did it more than the rest of us – Paul would, sort of subconsciously, try and destroy a great song… meaning we’d play experimental games with my great pieces, like ‘Strawberry Fields,’ which I always thought was badly recorded.”

The World Wildlife Fund

Across The Universe

Words are flowing out
Like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
Are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai Guru Deva, Om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world

Images of broken light
Which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a
Restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe

Jai Guru Deva, Om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter, shades of life
Are ringing through my opened ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love
Which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai Guru Deva, Om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world

Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva

Beach Boys – Wouldn’t It Be Nice

When I graduated in 1985, The Beach Boys were on my tape deck in my car. Although the music was 20 years old I could identify with them more than the music I was hearing on top 40 radio.

This was the leadoff track to The Beach Boys’ legendary Pet Sounds album. While the “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows” singles sold very well, the album had very disappointing sales when it was first released in America. The UK appreciated it much more along with Paul McCartney and John Lennon. America wanted more surf songs but Brian Wilson had moved into a different place.

I was very surprised to read that as of 2021, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is the Beach Boys’ most streamed song on Spotify. I would have thought Good Vibrations or one of their early surf songs.

Brian Wilson wrote the song with contributions from vocalist Mike Love and lyricist Tony Asher. Asher wrote all of the lyrics except for the “Good night, my baby, sleep tight, my baby” lines at the end of the song, which was Love’s contribution.

Pet Sounds peaked at #10 in the Billboard Album Charts, #2 in the UK. Wouldn’t It Be Nice peaked at #8 in the Billboard 100, #4 in Canada, #12 in New Zealand, and #58 in the UK in 1966.

Mike Love has said that Brian Wilson made him do his part over 30 times. He started to call Wilson “Dog Ears” because he could hear something that no one else could.

Mike Love: “Brian must have been part canine because he was reaching for something intangible, imperceptible to most, and all but impossible to execute,”

Nick Kent journalist: “This time [he] was out to eclipse these previous sonic soap operas, to transform the subject’s sappy sentiments with a God-like grace so that the song would become a veritable pocket symphony.”

Tony Asher (Lyricist) “It was a great joy making music with him but that any other relationship with Brian was a great chore. I found Brian’s lifestyle so damn repugnant. I mean, for say, every four hours we’d spend writing songs, there’d be about 48 hours of these dopey conversations about some dumb book he’d just read. Or else he’d just go on and on about girls… his feelings about this girl or that girl… it was just embarrassing.”

Wouldn’t It Be Nice

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long?
And wouldn’t it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong?

You know it’s gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new?
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through?

Happy times together we’ve been spending
I wish that every kiss was never ending
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray
It might come true (run run ooo)
Baby, then there wouldn’t be a single thing we couldn’t do
We could be married (we could be married)
And then we’d be happy (and then we’d be happy)
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?

You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But let’s talk about it
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice?

Good night, oh baby
Sleep tight, oh baby
Good night, oh baby
Sleep tight, oh baby

…

Hollywood (1980)

If you have the slightest bit of interest in documentaries or in silent movies, this is the series to watch. Not only is it a great wealth of info on the silent era…it’s one of the best documentaries I’ve ever watched. It is made up of 13 different one-hour sections. It’s quite a series at 676 minutes.

All of these are on youtube. I have them listed at the bottom… just click on the links I gave. If a link doesn’t work…just copy the title of the episode on youtube and it will show up. If you want to watch a couple give it a try…I would suggest Episode 8: Comedy – A Serious Business and Episode 12: Star Treatment (The Great Stars Of The Silent Films).

There is one misconception about silent films that most have. When you think of a silent film what do you think of? Some people think of the hard-to-see Keystone cops running about like they snorted Peru… that is NOT what most silent films looked like. They played at normal speed and the cinematography was breathtaking in many of them. They are as clear as any movie you will watch if the print has been taken care of or restored.

There was a problem with some prints after the silent era. The holes in the film were at a different gauge for the then-modern film projectors and they played them fast and transferred them fast…that meant everything was sped up.

This documentary is to the Silent Era what Ken Burns Civil War doc is to the Civil War. It starts with the pioneers of the movies to the very end when sound took over and changed and some people say ruined an art form. When movies were silent…they were international…no need for translations…just different text. The sound changed all of that and silent movies were at their height.

You get to know the great directors, actors, actresses, cameramen, stuntmen, and movie moguls.

They interviewed these ladies and gentlemen in the late seventies and it was many of their last appearances on film before they passed away. I’m thankful that Kevin Brownlow got this finished and we now have first-hand knowledge of films’ most exciting eras.

I do wish sound pictures would have been held off a few years. The studios weren’t ready for talking pictures. The first “talky” pictures were clumsy and still. The mics had to be placed in flower vases and other stationary places. The silent artists perfected the art of pantomime. Most had great quality (especially in the 20s) that looked better than movies 40 years later. One problem was with the early transfers from the films…now with Criterion and others cleaning up the transfers…we can watch these beautiful movies the way they were intended.

Just like today, you had your formula movies and your great movies. In my opinion, I think the best genre of silent movies is comedies. Not Keystone Cops…they are more like cartoons than films. For me, it would be Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. They both had some of the most subtle and genius gags. Many of their gags have been copied to this day. There were others like Harry Langdon and Harold Lloyd that were popular.

I know it’s a big task BUT…if you like documentaries or silent movies…this series is worth it! Every episode is out there on youtube.

Here are the different episodes.

Episode 1: Pioneers (Groundbreakers Of Film)

Episode 2: In The Beginning (Birth Of Cinema)

Episode 3: Single Beds And Double Standards (Censorhip)

Episode 4: Hollywood Goes To War (World War I)

Episode 5: Hazard Of The Game (Stunts And Stuntmen)

Episode 6: Swanson & Valentino (The 2 Great Hearthrobs Of The Silent Films)

Episode 7: Autocrats (The Great Directors)

Episode 8: Comedy – A Serious Business

Episode 9: Out West (Westerns)

Episode 10: The Man With The Megaphone (The Evolution Of Directors)

Episode 11: Trick Of The Light (The Cameraman)

Episode 12: Star Treatment (The Great Stars Of The Silent Films)

Episode 13: End Of An Era (The Birth Of Talking Pictures)

This is the 12th episode and it is about two people…John Gilbert and Clara Bow. Clara Bow is my favorite actress of all time…and yes that includes today.

The cast listing is below the video.

Actors

Mary Astor
Eleanor Boardman
Louise Brooks
Olive Carey
Iron Eyes Cody
Jackie Coogan
Dolores Costello
Viola Dana
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Janet Gaynor
Leatrice Joy
Lillian Gish
Bessie Love
Ben Lyon
Marion Mack
Tim McCoy
Colleen Moore
Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers
Gloria Swanson
Blanche Sweet
John Wayne
Eva von Berne
Lois Wilson

Directors

Dorothy Arzner
Clarence Brown
Karl Brown
Frank Capra
George Cukor
Allan Dwan
Byron Haskin
Henry Hathaway
Henry King
Lewis Milestone
Hal Roach
Albert S. Rogell
King Vidor
William Wyler.

Choreographer: Agnes de Mille,

Writer: Anita Loos,

Writer: Adela Rogers St. Johns,

Press Agent/writer: Cedric Belfrage,

Organist: Gaylord Carter,

Cinematographers: George J. Folsey, Lee Garmes and Paul Ivano,

Writer: Jesse L. Lasky, Jr.,

Special Effects Artist A. Arnold Gillespie, Lord Mountbatten

Agent Paul Kohner

Producer/writer Samuel Marx

Editors William Hornbeck and Grant Whytock

Property Pan: Lefty Hough

Stuntmen Bob Rose, Yakima Canutt: Paul Malvern, and Harvey Parry, Rudolph Valentino’s brother Alberto Valentino

English set Designer Laurence Irving

…

Steppenwolf – Sookie Sookie

Steppenwolf…they all look like badasses…all of them especially the ring leader John Kay. They had some danger in their rock and roll and Kay’s voice is just killer. I saw a version of Steppenwolf once in the 80s and John Kay demanded and commanded the stage swinging his mic stand like a weapon.

I met Mr. Kay one time very briefly…just shook his hand…a very nice guy so he wasn’t a badass that day. This song was written by Don Covay who wrote a lot of early rock songs about dancing. Don Covay was recording for Atlantic Records at this time. As they did with many of their artists, they sent Covay to Memphis to record at Stax Records, where the house band was top-notch. Covay wrote Sookie Sookie there with Stax guitarist Steve Cropper.

Steppenwolf had this song on their 1968 debut album Steppenwolf. It was released as the first single that year but didn’t do too well. The song did peak at #92 in Canada and that was it. The next single did a little better…it was a song called Born To Be Wild.

The third single was“Magic Carpet Ride,” ABC-Dunhill saw the wisdom of re-releasing the “Sookie Sookie”….however, this time it was a “B” side. Like the “Born to be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride,” “Sookie Sookie” not only featured the extraordinary guitar work of Michael Monarch and vocals by John Kay, it had that Steppenwolf signature organ sound

The song also ended up being used by some radio stations as background music for promos and commercials.

Sookie Sookie

Let it hang out baby, let it hang out now, now na-na now
Let it hang out baby, everybody work out
Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sue

Let it hang out baby, do the Baltimore jig
Let it hang out baby, boomerang with me
Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sue

Really got it bad child, drink a bottle of turpentine
When you wake up in the morning, feelin’ kinda fine
Let it hang out baby, let it hang out now, now na-na now

You better watch your step girl, don’t step on that banana peel
If your foot should ever hit it, you’ll go up to the ceiling
Hang it in baby, hang it in baby
Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sue

Let it hang out baby, let it hang out now, now na-na now
Let it hang out baby, everybody work out
Hang it in baby, hang it in baby, hang it in baby
Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sookie, Sue

Twilight Zone Precursor – The Time Element

★★★★ November 24, 1958 Season 0 Episode 0

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

I should have posted this before I started the series so when I reached the end of 5th season I thought it was time to feature this one. CBS purchased a teleplay in 1958 that writer Rod Serling hoped to produce as the pilot of a weekly anthology series. “The Time Element” marked Serling’s first entry in the field of science fiction.

It’s a Time Travel episode and a good one. William Bendix as Peter Jenson goes back in time right before Pearl Harbor takes place.

This show premiered on November 24, 1958. Rod Serling wrote this episode and it appeared on the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. This one could have been a Twilight Zone.

Although this isn’t the pilot episode of The Twilight Zone, it was this Rod Serling production that eventually led to The Twilight Zone. It proved to be very popular with viewers, which led CBS to pursue a new series with Serling. Because TV viewers at the time were not used to the kind of surprise, twist endings for which Twilight Zone became noted (as in this episode), Desi Arnaz appeared on-screen at the end of the episode to offer his explanation of “what really happened.”

IMDB Trivia:

Martin Balsam (Dr. Arnold Gillespie) later played Admiral Husband Kimmel in Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), which likewise concerned the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This episode takes place on October 4, 1958 and from December 6 to December 7, 1941.

Uses music that was later used in George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968).

The man at the bar is Joe DeRita from The Three Stooges.

This show was written by Rod Serling

Summary

A man is sent back in time to December 6, 1941, to Pearl Harbor on December 5, 1941, two days before it is bombed. The episode relates his frantic efforts to warn military officials of the approaching catastrophe.

The complete episode

CAST

William Bendix…Peter Jenson
Martin Balsam…Dr. Arnold Gillespie
Darryl Hickman…Ensign Janoski
Jesse White…Bartender
Carolyn Kearney…Edna Janoski
Jesslyn Fax…Maid
Alan Baxter…Army Doctor
Bartlett Robinson…Mr. Gibbons
Don Keefer…Hannify
Joe DeRita…Man at Bar (as Joe De Rita)
Paul Bryar…Paul Bryar…… Bartender at Andy’s
Desi Arnaz…Host
Gene Coogan…Bar Patron (uncredited)

TV Draft Round 4 – Pick 8 – John Selects – JAG

Welcome to the Hanspostcard TV Draft. The remaining 7 rounds will be posted here. We will have 64 different TV Shows by 8 different writers. I hope you will enjoy it! Today’s post was written by John from https://thesoundofonehandtyping.com

SHOW: JAG
NETWORK: NBC (Season 1), CBS (Seasons 2-10)
YEARS: 1995-2005

From a high-concept perspective, JAG was Perry Mason meets Top Gun. It centered around Harmon Rabb Jr., played by David James Elliott, whose father was a Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. Rabb Sr. was shot down over Vietnam and taken prisoner by the Viet Cong. Rabb Jr. decides to follow his father into the Navy as a fighter pilot. On one mission, he crashed his plane on the flight deck of a carrier. This led to a diagnosis of night blindness and made him unfit for flight duty. He transfers to the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, which is responsible for “administrative law, government contracting, civilian and military personnel law, the law of war and international relations, environmental law, etc. They also serve as prosecutors for the military when conducting courts-martial.”

The show was cosiderably different in its first season than the rest of its run. LT (later LCDR) Rabb was assisted in his investigations by LTJG Meg Austin, played by Tracey Needham (last seen on NBC’s Life Goes On), and did more investigations than arguing cases in court. His partner for the two-part pilot episode was LT (Kate) Pike, played by Andrea Parker. Evidently NBC wasn’t impressed with the chemistry between Harm and Kate, though later Parker was hired to play Miss Parker on the network’s Pretender. The chemistry between Harm and Meg was practically nonexistent, so then a third female JAG officer, Commander Allison Krennick (played by Andrea Thompson) was added as a supervisory officer. Cmdr. Krennick quite clearly had the hots for Rabb, but the relationship stayed professional, even prickly, during working hours.

The first season ended with Harm thrown in the brig for murdering a former girlfriend, LTJG. Dianne Schonke, who was played by Catherine Bell. (This will play a role later in the show.) Producer Donald Bellisario clearly intended for this to be the season finale cliffhanger, but NBC cancelled the show for low ratings.

JAG was picked up by CBS and was a midseason replacement in January 1997. In the first episode, Harm meets the new JAG, RADM A. J. Chegwidden (played by John M. Jackson, who had a minor role as the JAG in A Few Good Men), and the rest of his team, including LTJG Bud Roberts (played by Patrick Labyorteaux, who reprised his role from the pilot) and Marine MAJ Sarah “Mac” McKenzie, played by the aforementioned Catherine Bell. (Strangely, Bellisario didn’t clear up the cliffhanger from the first season until the middle of the third season.) When Harm sees Mac, he’s haunted by his former girlfriend, and that remains throughout the rest of the series.

Harm has two primary objectives when the show starts: to find out what happened to his father and to go back to flying F-14’s. He accomplishes the first objective in the third season, when a notebook found during an investigation contains information that could lead to Harm finding his father at last. Of course, the notebook disappears, taken by a Soviet agent who later agrees to give it to him. In the season 3 finale, he and Mac (who speaks Russian) take off for Russia, then in the season 4 season premiere Harm learns that his father died not long before he arrived. Also in Season 4, we learn that Mac is a recovering alcoholic, has been married before, and had an affair with a previous commanding officer, and is reprimanded by the Admiral for it. Also arriving on the scene in season 4 is LCDR Mic Brumby of the Royal Australian Navy (played by Trevor Goddard), mostly to woo Mac and make Harm jealous. By the end of Season 4, Harm has been approved to go back to flight duty and leaves JAG.

Season 5 starts with Harm as a fighter pilot again, but for some reason he keeps getting hauled into prosecuting or defending courts martial. Finally his commanding officer recommends that he go back to being a lawyer, which he does. When he gets back to JAG, he discovers that Mac has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and that she and Mic are becoming an item. He now has new objectives: get Mac back and be promoted to Commander.

And the wheels kind of come off at that point. Over the next five years, Bud, kept in the show more for comic relief than anything, marries LT Harriett Sims and the two have several children. Mic goes back to Australia, then comes back, getting engaged to Mac, who secretly has been in love with Harm the whole time, something that comes out during her engagement party (how embarassing). LCDR Sturgis Turner (played by Scott Lawrence), a friend of Harm’s from the Naval Academy, joins the cast more for diversity than anything. Turner helps Bud get back into shape, whereupon Bud volunteers for duty in Iraq, only to have his legs blown off. Chegwidden falls in love and is ready to get married, only to find his bride-to-be in bed with another man. They break up and he retires to spend the rest of his life traveling around the country with his daughter and going to baseball games. His replacement is Marine Major General “Biff” Creswell, who had prosecuted Mac’s lover, so she’s worried he’ll hold it against her, but he tells her that he figured she was young and stupid and she’d get a clue and straghten up. David James Elliott’s real-life wife Nanci Chambers joins the cast as LT Loren Singer, who has designs on the Admiral’s job, but is eventually murdered, providing the basis for introducing the cast and premise of NCIS.

The show ends with Harm and Mac being sent to opposite corners of the world, deciding they can’t live without each other, and that one will resign their commission and follow the other, they’ll get married and live happily ever after. They decide to let Bud toss a coin to decide who stays and who goes, and the show concludes with the coin in the air.

Okay, so JAG was a soap opera. There were many more characters and many more things that happened than I was able to squeeze in here. Nevertheless, it was an entertaining show with well-crafted characters, interesting stores and plenty of humor.

Rolling Stones – I’m Free

This song has been underappreciated throughout the band’s history. It’s a good song that sometimes comes off better live than the studio version they recorded. The song sounds like an anthem, and it deserves to be heard. The song was played a lot in 2008 because it was released on the DVD Shine A Light. Shine a Light was a 2008 concert film directed by Martin Scorsese documenting The Rolling Stones’ 2006 Beacon Theatre performances during their A Bigger Bang Tour.

I saw them on the Bigger Bang Tour at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Although Churchill Downs is well known for its horse racing it was not built for concerts. Alice Cooper opened and he sounded great but they never could get the Stones sound right. On top of it all…it rained all through their performance. The next day I went home and actually downloaded a bootleg of the show so I have it for always which is cool. My dream tour of the Stones would be them just playing the Brian Jones era. They are the Stones…they could get by with it.

The song was released on their Out Of Our Heads album in the UK and later on December’s Children (And Everybody’s) album in America in 1965. They seemed to be listening to their competition because the line Hold me, love me, hold me, love me was in the Beatles Eight Days A Week. It’s a great B side to Get Off Of My Cloud. Rolling Stone Magazine rated it 78th best Rolling Stone song. The magazine had this to say about it: “A tambourine-spangled folk rocker with chime-y, Byrds-like guitar, this offhandedly libertarian tune wasn’t a big hit, but it’s one of the Sixties’ most pliant anthems.”

I think the song stands up with their hit songs at the time. They must think the same because it ended up on a lot of live albums. I’ve always liked B sides because sometimes you hit gold. Give me a choice between Get Off Of My Cloud and I’m Free…I’ll take I’m Free. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. You could see the growth in their songwriting after Lennon and McCartney gave them I Wanna Be Your Man.

John Lennon: We were taken down to meet them at the club where they were playing in Richmond by Brian Epstein and some other guy. They wanted a song and we went to see what kind of stuff they did. Mick and Keith heard we had an unfinished song – Paul just had this bit and we needed another verse or something. We sort of played it roughly to them and they said, “Yeah, OK, that’s our style.” But it was only really a lick, so Paul and I went off in the corner of the room and finished the song off while they were all still sitting there talking. We came back, and that’s how Mick and Keith got inspired to write … because, “Jesus, look at that. They just went in the corner and wrote it and came back!” You know, right in front of their eyes we did it. So we gave it to them.

I’m Free

I’m free to do what I want any old time
I’m free to do what I want any old time
So love me, hold me, love me, hold me
Cause I’m free any old time to get what I want

I’m free to sing my song though it gets out of time
I’m free to sing my song though it gets out of time
So love me, hold me, love me, hold me
Cause I’m free any old time to get what I want

Yeah

Love me, hold me, love me, hold me
Cause I’m free any old time to get what I want

I’m free to choose whom I please any old time
I’m free to please whom I choose any old time
So hold me, love me, love me, hold me
Cause I’m free any old time to get what I want, yes I am