1966 My Favorite Year

Pamela Austin and Dodge

2012-02-24T07:14:00.000-05:00

Pretty Pamela Austin made waves as the popular Dodge Girl of 1966 in commercials like this one, leading to her one and only starring role in a film, THE PERILS OF PAULINE, the following year.

R.I.P.-Billy Strange

2012-02-22T21:08:00.001-05:00

In 1966, Billy Strange was making a name for himself with albums like this but he was also associated with Nancy Sinatra's music and recording with the Breach Boys as part of the legendary Wrecking Crew. He died on February 22nd, 2012.

Ellington '66

2012-02-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

Another old-timer still around and performing better than ever in 1966 was the great Duke Ellington, here with a collection of classics and pop hits including Sir Duke's take on the Beatles' I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND!

Harvey Comics

2012-02-21T19:51:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of '66, I began collecting comic books but I got some even before that--Harvey Comics! My Dad had long mad it a point to bring me back issues of CASPER, LITTLE DOT and HOT STUFF and just because I was getting into superheroes, I didn't leave my old friend behind. Here are Harveys that were on sale around October of 1966.

Plastic Man

2012-02-20T13:27:00.000-05:00

Jack Cole's PLASTIC MAN from Quality in the forties and early fifties was one of the most original and best drawn superhero strips of its day. It was popular enough to be parodied in an early issue of MAD. DC took on the rights to most Quality characters when that company went out of business in the mid-fifties but the only ones they kept going were BLACKHAWK and, I believe, a couple of the war titles. IW/Super put out a couple of legally dubious PLASTIC MAN comics after that and the character appeared in one DIAL "H" FOR HERO story but this 1966 title, initially with great Gil Kane art, was the first full attempt at a legit new series.

Walter Cronkite UFO Report

2012-02-20T06:57:00.002-05:00

Batstuff # 27

2012-02-20T04:13:00.000-05:00

A Man For All Seasons

2012-02-19T11:39:00.000-05:00

Probably THE classiest film of '66, this stage-derived historical drama gave Paul Scofield his defining role onscreen as Sir Thomas More and provided early proof that actor/playwright Robert Shaw was more than just the big, silent bad guy in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. The stellar cast also included a very early appearance by John Hurt who would forever become known for an alien bursting through his chest. In spite of being rather dull and talky, the brilliantly acted A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, from the director who also brought you HIGH NOON and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, would go on to win 6 Oscars as well as many other awards.

Perry Mason in Color

2012-02-17T19:09:00.000-05:00

One of the final episodes of TV's classic lawyer detective series, PERRY MASON, was shot in color, preparing for the whole series to follow suit the next season but instead the venerable series came to an end.

Fantastic Giants

2012-02-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

In 1966, comic book artist Steve Ditko famously left his greatest creation, SPIDER-MAN, for reasons that have been much speculated on but never completely confirmed. He immediately found some respect at Charlton, the low-paying publisher he had also done work for since the fifties. Note the self-caricature in the center of this well-remembered reprint collection of monster stories by the now-legendary artist.

The Ugly Dachshund

2012-02-15T06:38:00.000-05:00

Batstuff # 26

2012-02-14T08:10:00.002-05:00

The Wrong Box

2012-02-13T06:45:00.000-05:00

This all-star British dark comedy was yet another big hit for Michael Caine in '66. It really was HIS year at the box office.

The Honeymooners

2012-02-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

Jackie Gleason's Honeymooners sketch on his early fifties variety series led to a regular sitcom that rightly became a classic. In the early sixties, Gleason revived his variety series and here, as evidenced by this 1966 LOOK cover, he revived The Honeymooners. This time every week featured a new roughly hour-long musical version done in color live on stage in Miami Beach Florida! Sheila Macrae replaced Audrey Meadows as Alice but Art Carney and Jackie reteamed as one of the all-time great comedy teams. As you might expect, the strain of writing and producing a mini-stage musical each week showed pretty quickly but seeing the combination of Gleason and Carney together again was much fun. This was one of my dad's favorite shows in '66! By the seventies, both men had made a successful leap to the big screen with Carney winning an Oscar for HARRY & TONTO.

Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

2012-02-11T10:55:00.001-05:00

The beach movie genre was winding down by this point and the second string stars like Tommy Kirk, Deborah Walley and Aaron Kincaid starred in this late, horror-themed comedy entry from '66. Like most of the earlier films, however, there were old-timey stars to keep the parents interested, also, and in this case, those included the great Boris Karloff, the classic Sherlock Holmes actor Basil Rathbone and Hal Roach comedienne Patsy Kelly. Nancy Sinatra also made an early appearance here on the eve of her becoming a sixties icon.

Batstuff # 25

2012-02-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

Corgi toys competed with Matchbox (and later Hot Wheels) cars but their Batmobile was a definite winner. I still have one!

Tales to Astonish

2012-02-09T16:05:00.000-05:00

One of the earliest Marvel comics I remember buying was the October, 1966 issue of TALES TO ASTONISH. At the time, for reasons too complicated to get into for our purposes, Marvel was limited as to how many magazines the company could put out. Thus, several of their mags were split between two features. This one had the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner and alternated each on the cover. Oddly, during this period, Ol' Greenskin's stories were generally illustrated by Bill Everett, who created Namor, star of the co-feature! The issue I started with had an odd crossover between the two features as both characters ended up inside the same movie theater at the same moment. The scene is depicted from the Sub-Mariner's point of view in his story and the Hulk's in his.

Lady Jane-The Rolling Stones

2012-02-08T10:38:00.001-05:00

Willie Mays

2012-02-07T09:30:00.000-05:00

Say Hey! In 1966, San Francisco Giant Willie Mays WAS baseball. He also appeared on TV's BEWITCHED that year as himself, with characters hinting that his athletic prowess might be the result of his OWN witchcraft!

Captain America Aurora Model

2012-02-06T16:23:00.001-05:00

Mad

2012-02-06T00:18:00.001-05:00

MAD was at a peak of its Al Feldstein incarnation in the mid-sixties. It had become a badge of honor to be made fun of in MAD. Most of these covers are by Norman Mingo, the premier Alfred E. Neuman artist!

James and Bobby Purify-I'm Your Puppet

2012-02-05T23:04:00.000-05:00

Radio's Golden Age

2012-02-04T14:37:00.000-05:00

The last days of "old time radio" ended in 1961 with the final episodes of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR and SUSPENSE. Radio was left with some talk and variety series but mostly music deejays. Oh, there were a few more attempts at dramatic radio such as 1965's THEATER FIVE but television had successfully brought the older medium to its knees.

Then along came Frank Buxton and Bill Owen with the book seen here, a nostalgic catalog of radio shows and stars from the twenties through the fifties. When the nostalgia boom hit big over the next few years, this book would be revised and rereleased as THE BIG BROADCAST and precipitate quite a bit of interest in the old shows, exciting many (including myself) for whom the passion of the now almost lost art form still burns.

The Quiller Memorandum

2012-02-04T01:05:00.002-05:00

THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM was not just another 007 cash-in spy movie. No, this was modern old school espionage at its finest. A smart script by playwright Harold Pinter from a bestselling novel, a memorably unusual music score by John Barry and a cast toplined by the amiable leading man George Segal, backed up with some amazing A-list players including George Sanders, Alec Guinness and Max Von Sydow. The lovely Senta Berger who alternated between major films and things like WHEN WOMEN HAD TAILS is the female lead and, again, not your typical Bond girl.

The plot may now seem cliche as its been done in comic books and low-budget exploitation films for years but in '66 it was still a very real concern---the rise of a new form of Nazism in West Germany.

In these days of appealing to the lowest common denominator, THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM, like the previous year's THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, seems almost too smart for the room but, for the spy aficionado, it's a more than worthwhile trip.

Judge for yourself for free on HULU--- http://www.hulu.com/watch/314713/the-quiller-memorandum

Mustang Commercial

2012-02-03T05:53:00.001-05:00

I Spy

2012-02-02T14:17:00.000-05:00

The obscure 1965 LOBO western comic book from Dell is generally considered to be the first mainstream comic book with an African-American hero but hot on its heels was the comic book adaptation of TV's ground-breaking black/white drama, I SPY.

The TV series co-starred actor Robert Culp with popular recording and stand-up comedian Bill Cosby in his first dramatic role.

I SPY's first issue premiered in 1966 with very good art by Al McWilliams (TWIN EARTHS) who would continue throughout most of the title's oddly sporadic run through 1968.

00 Division # 21

2012-02-02T05:12:00.000-05:00

Along with ALPHAVILLE, this Lemmy Caution film also came out in '66. In English, it was RESIDENCE FOR SPIES.

The Supremes A' Go-Go

2012-02-01T06:55:00.000-05:00

The Supremes were not yet DIANA ROSS and the Supremes in 1966 when this album came out highlighting their now-classic YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE as well as a cover of what seemed tied with the BATMAN theme for everyone's favorite cover song that year, THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING.

The Rat Patrol

2012-01-31T06:20:00.001-05:00

Capt. Storm

2012-01-30T00:55:00.001-05:00

Even as opposition to the war in Viet Nam was on the rise, DC Comics' war titles continued to offer some of the best non-superhero stories and art in comics, albeit set in WWII, mostly thanks to Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. CAPT. STORM, here, the wooden-legged PT boat skipper, was generally drawn by Irv Novick who had started out at MLJ back in the thirties and would go on to some renown for Batman and the Flash. As you can see, the Captain tended to go mano-a-mano with the Japanese enemy...a lot.

Batstuff # 24

2012-01-29T14:57:00.002-05:00

The Poor Side of Town--Johnny Rivers

2012-01-28T22:26:00.002-05:00

Dell's Monster Heroes

2012-01-27T00:41:00.000-05:00

Dell Comics chose never to subscribe to the Comics Code Authority so they weren't bound by the specific restrictions that stated: Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism and werewolfism are prohibited.

In 1966, after a brief flirtation with more classic monsters a year or two earlier, Dell launched Frankenstein, Dracula and "Werewolf" as superheroes! All of the titles were short-lived and DRACULA was revived in reprint just a few years later for another failed try at success.

They aren't great comics by anyone's definition but they offer much fun and nostalgia to anyone who appreciates a comic book that's so bad it's good.

Tony Bennett-the Movie Song Album

2012-01-25T00:44:00.000-05:00

I have a book about music from 1968 that talks about Tony Bennett being the hippest of the "older" crowd even then. In the nineties, he famously toured with rock groups and now, well into the 21st Century, he still has albums coming out!

Gambit

2012-01-24T20:31:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen this one but the posters make it look quite a hoot. Caine's first Hollywood film after his success with ALFIE and THE IPCRESS FILE, Shirley at her most delightful point and with reviews comparing it to CHARADE. I am getting a copy as soon as I can. Can't wait!

Twiggy

2012-01-23T14:20:00.000-05:00

Dubbed "The Face of 1966" by London's DAILY MIRROR, it was hard not to see her big-eyed, waifish look everywhere that year. TV, newspapers, print ads, commercials.

Batstuff # 23

2012-01-22T08:24:00.002-05:00

The Mamas and the Papas Debut

2012-01-21T06:04:00.001-05:00

Another group introduced for the first time in '66 was The Mamas and the Papas. Made up of members from various folk music groups (as famously chronicled in their autobiographical song, CREEQUE ALLEY), the public immediately took to John, Denny, Michelle and perhaps especially Cass, a woman whose singing voice was one of the best of the sixties. They would go on to be a major force behind the Monterey Pop Festival. Here's that debut album, controversial in that it depicted a toilet so that was covered up. Still not happy, the black-bordered version below was issued later by the record company!

Gemini 9

2012-01-19T08:27:00.000-05:00

The Space program was big in '66. Here's ABD Science Editor Jules Bergman and the launch of Gemini 9.

Freak Out! The Mothers of Invention

2012-01-17T10:11:00.001-05:00

'66 was the year most folks met, discovered, saw and/or ran from Frank Zappa!

MLK and LBJ-1966

2012-01-16T23:35:00.002-05:00

Blue Beetle

2012-01-16T00:13:00.000-05:00

Seen above is the Feb/March '66 issue of Charlton's BLUE BEETLE, a title and character that had bounced around from one publisher to another for more than 25 years. Drawn by the much-maligned art team of Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico, it is often cited as one of the worst comic books of its day if not of all time.

That issue turned out to be the final issue...until Steve Ditko, recently estranged from Marvel, returned to Charlton and before the end of 1966 had completely redesigned the character in his own inimitable style, as seen here for his debut as a back-up strip in CAPTAIN ATOM. Soon enough, he would get his own title again and it would be Ditko's version on which Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons based WATCHMEN'S Night Owl.

The Great Comic Book Heroes

2012-01-15T06:53:00.000-05:00

Although published in 1965, Jules Feiffer's THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES continued to sell throughout '66 and even beyond due to the boost it received from Batmania!

The book offered the author's quirky take on comic book history--surprisingly making little or no mention of his own role in it as I recall-- but, even better, Golden Age reprints of, among others, Batman, Superman, Captain America, The Sub-Mariner, the Spectre and The Spirit!

Carry On Screaming

2012-01-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

The other CARRY ON film of 1966 (besides CARRY ON COWBOY which we already spotlighted here), CARRY ON SCREAMING remains a popular entry into that long-running series. It starred Harry H. Corbett in what would most likely have been the Sid James role but with regulars Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale and Joan Sims, there was no question this was a CARRY ON film.

00 Division # 20

2012-01-13T19:01:00.000-05:00

This was one of several feature films strung together by combining episodes of THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., this one being a two-parter from season two featuring fan favorite Yvonne Craig and a young Rip Torn.

Holy 46th Anniversary, Batman!

2012-01-12T18:55:00.002-05:00

The much loved/hated BATMAN Tv series premiered 46 years ago tonight. Soon afterwards, the revived comic strip reappeared in newspapers across the land bearing little resemblance to its venerable comic book counterpart and owing much of its campiness to the TV series!

The Moon is a harsh Mistress

2012-01-12T06:51:00.000-05:00

THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS is a 1966 political science-fiction novel detailing a revolution by the colonies of the Moon against Earth. The massively detailed book deals with the planning, the fighting and the aftermath. IT is considered one of the best books by the somewhat controversial master sci-fi author, Robert A. Heinlein.

Paul Lynde/Elizabeth Montgomery

2012-01-10T07:13:00.001-05:00

Producers rarely knew how to successfully utilize the talents of Paul Lynde but here, in this '66 clip from THE HOLLYWOOD PALACE, he essentially plays the frustrated straight man for, of all people, his BEWITCHED co-star, Elizabeth Montgomery. Liz is almost surprisingly silly and Paul's frustration builds. The two show a rare chemistry that adds to the scene and the humor.

Green Lantern

2012-01-09T07:28:00.000-05:00

The recent movie may not have lived up to expectations but DC's GREEN LANTERN was another of my earliest favorite comic books. It was also the first one I ever wrote a fan letter to (although it went unpublished). Gil Kane was the artist on these and became an immediate favorite.

The two issues above and below were favorites, a two-parter with a wonderful and genuinely emotional space opera setting. Some great writing from John Broome! I got the issue below in July of '66 at a Greyhound station, probably in Virginia, while my parents and I traveled to North Carolina to visit my mother's relatives.

Batstuff # 22

2012-01-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

The Harry James Orchestra--The Lonely Bull

2012-01-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Contrary to popular belief today, the Big Bands did not go quietly when rock 'n' roll arrived. Here we have the great trumpeter Harry James with his big band in '66, legendary drummer Buddy Rich backing him up and the song is Herb Alpert's hit, THE LONELY BULL. Like his mentor, Benny Goodman, James still appeared onstage regularly throughout the world into the seventies and was no stranger to television, often showing up on HOLLYWOOD PALACE,

Queen of Blood

2012-01-05T08:10:00.001-05:00

Take a couple of small time actors (Dennis Hopper and John Saxon), a "washed up" star (Basil Rathbone) and special effects scenes from not one but two Soviet sci-fi productions, throw in a blacklisted Czech actress in weird makeup and publicize through FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine and you've got the recipe for QUEEN OF BLOOD, a surprisingly effective film from early '66! Note that there was even a novelization which was published by Greenleaf Classics, a company known for sleazy porn novels, and it actually featured an intro from FM's Forrest J. Ackerman.

Samantha Meets Ben Franklin

2012-01-03T00:33:00.000-05:00

Here we have one of my all-time favorite sitcom episodes--or rather two of them--as seen in 6 chapters, uncut except for the original sponsor bits. MY FRIEND BEN was the first color episode of BEWITCHED that was filmed (although not the first aired) and is just a delight. It tells the story of Aunt Clara accidentally bringing Benjamin Franklin into the 20th Century. The follow-up, SAMANTHA FOR THE DEFENSE, is also quite wonderful and features a lovely closing speech from the Founding Father himself.

Above is Part One--Look for Part Two linked at the end from the corresponding uploader ad take about 45 minutes to go though all 6 parts. THIS was 1966 TV comedy at its best--heartwarming, magical and hilarious.

Daredevil '66 Original Art

2012-01-02T07:33:00.000-05:00

This is the original art of the splash from what was probably the very first issue of DAREDEVIL I ever saw as a child.

That Girl-A-Thon

2012-01-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

If your area has ME-TV, today from 11 to 5 pm ET they're running a mini-marathon of their latest acquisition--my all-time favorite sitcom, THAT GIRL, which premiered in '66!

Laredo

2012-01-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

Watching a marathon of LAREDO On cable this morning. LAREDO premiered on TV in 1965 and ran into 1967 so it was on all trough '66. It was a good, colorful western, spun off from THE VIRGINIAN, but it had a light-hearted feel to its characters. Stars were Peter Brown (formerly of LAWMAN), William Smith (later of scores of exploitation films and biker movies) and, stealing the show every episode. Neville Brand. Brand, like Audie Murphy, was a highly decorated World War II hero who became a cowboy star. Unlike the baby-faced Murphy, however, Brand was an ugly cuss but he could do comedy or menace equally well and here his comedy highlighted spirited performances every episode.

1965 Becomes 1966--Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T12:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Michael Weldon for the tip (whether he knows it or not).

Beatles--1966 Christmas Record

2011-12-30T19:53:00.000-05:00

I can't believe we forgot this last week. Every year while they were together, the Beatles released a special limited edition record during the year-end holidays through their Fan Club. The early ones were just the Fabs thanking their fans but as time went on the Christmas records paralleled the Beatles career in that they became more elaborate and,, in the end, more individualistic. This was the one in between--still a group effort but with a lot more creativity than just a few thank you's.

R.I.P. Sean Bonniwell of The Music Machine, 2011 : Talk, Talk ('66)

2011-12-29T21:09:00.000-05:00

00 Division # 19

2011-12-29T00:48:00.000-05:00

By request--DIMENSION 5, another cool sci-fi spy flick from '66, this one starring Jeffrey Hunter, the man who MIGHT have Captained the USS Enterprise rather than making this movie had the original pilot for that series sold the year before.

00 Division # 18

2011-12-28T00:38:00.001-05:00

AGENT FOR H.A.R.M. is a sci-fi spy thriller starring Peter Mark Richman (as Mark Richmond), a wonderful actor who never really made it big but who has worked steadily in films and on television for decades and is STILL performing in 2011! This film was a staple on television in the early seventies.

You're a Big Boy Now

2011-12-27T00:17:00.000-05:00

YOU'RE A BIG BOY NOW was the first major studio release from Francis Ford Coppola. Notable mainly for its wonderful title song and score by The Lovin' Spoonful as well as an early appearance by Karen Black, the film stars Peter Kastner. Kastner was a Richard Dreyfuss type before there was Richard Dreyfuss. He went from this to starring in a TV series entitled THE UGLIEST GIRL IN TOWN (about a man who cross-dresses and accidentally becomes a top model--seriously). It flopped. Coppola next did Fred Astaire's less than successful musical, FINIAN'S RAINBOW but soon enough would be working on THE GODFATHER and APOCALYPSE NOW.

Mandrake the Magician

2011-12-26T10:16:00.000-05:00

Although he was the prototype for a number of top-hatted comic book magicians, Mandrake the Magician's best success came from his long-running newspaper strip. He never really caught on in comic books--at least in the US market. In 1966, however, his syndicate, King Features, started a short-lived run at publishing their own comic books. The first three issues of MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN came out in '66 and are seen here.

The series would feature other King properties such as Rip Kirby and Brick Bradford as back-up stories.

The Sounds of Silence-Simon and Garfunkel

2011-12-24T02:37:00.000-05:00

Although they had recorded quite a few rock and roll records in the late fifties as TOM & JERRY, none were really very successful. Reinventing themselves as a folk group in the early sixties didn't really work either. Then in '66, producer Roy Hallee added an electric guitar behind their already released recording of THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE (later retitled in the singular). The next thing you know, Paul's poetic lyrics and Artie's angelic voice became a combination that defined the sixties.

Lawrence Welk's Christmas '66

2011-12-23T04:38:00.000-05:00

A staple of a surprisingly large number of American homes in the sixties (as well as the fifties and the seventies), THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW probably received as much or more coverage in show business mags as the Beatles by the end of the decade....seriously!

Here, over at the great CLASSIC TELEVISION SHOWBIZ site, is Welk's champagne music holiday special from '66 in all its now-kitschy, old-fashioned entirety.

http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2011/12/lawrence-welk-show-christmas-episode_6138.html

Walt Kelly's '66 Xmas Message to the NCS

2011-12-22T07:20:00.002-05:00

Gil Elvgren Pin-Up Art-'66

2011-12-21T12:42:00.002-05:00

Scenes From the Sears Catalog-1966

2011-12-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

Richard Pryor on The Ed Sullivan Show

2011-12-19T20:44:00.003-05:00

Born Free

2011-12-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

One of the best-remembered movies of the sixties, real-life married actors Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna portray real-life naturalists George Adamson and his wife Joy, on whose book the story was based. The film tells the mostly true tale of how they raised lion cub Elsa.

The Dean Martin Christmas Album

2011-12-17T10:39:00.000-05:00

Trailer-Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD

2011-12-16T17:35:00.000-05:00

This is the second DOCTOR WHO theatrical film starring Peter Cushing. The oddest part is that the character he plays is never mentioned whatsoever! Nor, in fact, are the Daleks mentioned by name! Even when the narrator mentions the title of the film, he skips that part!

As a point of trivia, though, the most interesting thing about this film, based closely on an early BBC William Hartnell serial of the Doctor, is the appearance of Bernard Cribbens who, four decades later, returned to the franchise as Donna Noble's grandfather!

Double Dare Adventures--R.I.P. Joe Simon

2011-12-16T00:06:00.002-05:00

Here's a comic I bought in my first year of collecting. Bought it at Woolworth's in Covington, Kentucky. Legendary comics creator Joe Simon, who died on Wednesday of this week, edited this and a number of other adventure, superhero and sci-fi books for Harvey Comics during this period.

R.I.P. Walt Disney--1966

2011-12-15T13:28:00.001-05:00

Definitely one of the pop culture negatives in '66 was the loss of Walt Disney on this date.

Beatles Colorforms

2011-12-14T08:15:00.002-05:00

For more on Beatles Colorforms check here!

Jack and Jill and the Grinch

2011-12-13T20:25:00.001-05:00

From the 1966 holiday issue of the kids' magazine JACK & JILL, one of only two issues I hung onto, here's the mag's coverage of the then brand-new this week HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. The scans are from this site where you can read more of the '66 issue of JACK & JILL as well as a ton of rare Disney ephemera!

The Christmas That Almost Wasn't

2011-12-12T19:28:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, THE CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST WASN'T was an annual affair for several years, generally playing only at the dreaded kiddie matinees where every seat was filled--or should have been--with running, jumping, screaming, throwing kicking, hair-pulling 9 year olds. Thus one would often have to sit through the picture twice in order to have an idea what it was all about. And this was one we wanted to get as much of as we could. It's a marvelous, enjoyable and almost original Christmas tale from the unlikely combination of Director/Star Rosanno Brazzi (SOUTH PACIFIC) and TV's Mr. I. Magination, Paul Tripp, who wrote it and co-stars. The memorable theme song was sung by former Limeliters lead singer Glenn Yarbrough. Brazzi plays a Grinchy character named Prune who tries to stop Christmas from coming. Ironically, 28 years later the actor himself died on Christmas Eve.

Cereal Commercials from '66

2011-12-11T17:07:00.002-05:00

The Navy Vs The Night Monsters

2011-12-11T00:16:00.000-05:00

This is one of those movies that used to turn up often on TV when I was a kid and every time I tuned in from the great title, expecting something more than I ever got. A dull, bad film but a cult movie because of Mamie Van Doren!

R.O. Blechman CBS Christmas Message

2011-12-10T00:20:00.000-05:00

Bernard Prince

2011-12-09T16:07:00.000-05:00

Also premiering in '66 was the now-classic Dutch adventure comic strip, BERNARD PRINCE, by Hermann and Greg. This is the cover of the album collecting that strip's earliest continuity. Even if one can't read Dutch, the BERNARD PRINCE albums are beautifully drawn and easy to keep up with!

00 Division # 17

2011-12-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

UPPERSEVEN aka THE SPY WITH TEN FACES starred the man considered to be the world's first Swiss movie star--Paul Hubschmid.

The Dick Van Dyke Show--The Gunslinger

2011-12-07T11:51:00.000-05:00

The penultimate episode of the classic early sixties sitcom, THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, was THE GUNSLINGER, a hilarious spoof of Western TV series conventions. The script, by , offers some of the funniest lines of the whole series. Very much played out in a MAD magazine style, Rob is the sheriff without guns (he can't find them) with Buddy as his deputy, Sally as the dance hall hostess, Laura his wife and Carl Reiner as Big Bad Brady! We also get one gag shot outdoors--the only time that was ever done on this series. It was shot on the neighboring GUNSMOKE set. The script of THE GUNSLINGER is by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, both of whom cameo as cowboys (along with Gary Marshall who cameos as a bartender). Co-star Jerry Paris directs.

Enjoy the entire episode free online here: http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1722090521/

Pretzel Jetzel

2011-12-06T00:25:00.001-05:00

More Coca-Cola Ads

2011-12-05T07:54:00.000-05:00

Raquel Welch and One Million Years BC

2011-12-04T13:03:00.000-05:00

Yes, the legendary Ray Harryhausen created the special effects for Hammer's 1966 movie, ONE MILLION YEARS, B.C. but in reality what made the film a hit was pure and simply a special effect of nature named Raquel Welch. In the same year that she started to be taken seriously with her role in FANTASTIC VOYAGE, Ms. Welch became an iconic vision in her cavewoman outfit with full makeup. The black and white poster at the bottom was a huge seller for years to come and cinched Raquel's spot as the number one sex symbol of the sixties.

00 Division # 16

2011-12-03T14:43:00.000-05:00

The pseudonymous Clyde Allison wrote at least twenty pulpy adventures of Secret Agent 0008 starting in 1965, each outdoing the other in sex, violence and, eventually, camp. Here are some of his '66 selections.

Whipped Cream and Other Delights

2011-12-03T11:11:00.000-05:00

Released in 1965, this LP by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass was the number one album on the charts as the year changed and became the number one album again from February 19th through March 4th. The cover was so popular (and parodied) that Alpert used to apologize he couldn't perform the cover itself in concert!

A Collection of Beatles Oldies

2011-12-02T18:37:00.000-05:00

This was the Beatles Christmas album in '66, cobbled together by their record company in lieu of any new product from the Fabs for the holiday market.

Batstuff # 21

2011-12-01T17:29:00.002-05:00

Nashville Cats-Lovin' Spoonful

2011-12-01T06:42:00.002-05:00

It's January of 1967 and here's John Sebastian and the Lovin' Spoonful with their late '66 hit record. NASHVILLE CATS.

The Daydreamer

2011-11-30T08:03:00.000-05:00

THE DAYDREAMER was a 1966 feature film based on Hans Christian Anderson tales that was part live-action and part puppet animation. Narrated by Boris Karloff, it featured an all-star voice cast and memorable ad and album art by the great caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.

Bing and Andy in '66

2011-11-29T06:58:00.002-05:00

Fanzines

2011-11-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

Comic Book Fanzines were just starting to come into their own in '66 before their peak period of the early '70's. Here are a few from that year.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

2011-11-27T21:26:00.000-05:00

Released in late Summer of 1965 but still playing in 1966, Russ Meyer's oddly titled FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! was a new type of movie. It was an exploitation movie but hardly the same as standard fare. It was explicit but it was hardly pornography. It was funny and bizarrely shot but with odd sensibilites and violence. Meyer would carve a niche for himself and his big-breasted heroines throughout the sixties and seventies that even the rise of more explicitness in film could not stop. It's said that he made a fortune more off of his cult films with the coming of video!

Flying Saucers-Serious Business

2011-11-27T17:47:00.001-05:00

Things you couldn't find in a school library in the sixties--Edgar Rice Burroughs books, Ray Bradbury books, science-fiction or fantasy books in general, comic books or graphic novels.

One book you COULD find...at least in MY school...was 1966's FLYING SAUCERS-SERIOUS BUSINESS! I checked it out so much in 1969-70 I may as well have considered it MY copy! I guess I probably did!

Batstuff # 20

2011-11-26T23:41:00.000-05:00

This was one of my favorite of all the various Batman coloring books that came out during Batmania.

Modern Monsters

2011-11-25T17:30:00.000-05:00

In the wake of the popularity of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND since the late fifties, there were a score of other monster mags on the stands throughout the decade. This one, MODERN MONSTERS (except for the first issue, MODERN MONSTER) only made it out in '66. Note the bat symbol on issue two!

Superman in Macy's Parade

2011-11-24T00:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Here we have the man of Heliu...I mean Steel, himself--SUPERMAN. This is the 2nd version of the Superman balloon from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This version debuted in '66.

Batstuff # 19

2011-11-23T22:25:00.000-05:00