And So the Year Finally Comes to an End

After nearly 6 years of celebrating my favorite year, it's time--now 50 years on-- to leave it in the past...at least for now. Check BOOKSTEVE'S LIBRARY for posts going forward. Thanks for spending parts of this great pop culture year with me for all these years!

HaPpY NeW YeAr!

Pogo's Christmas Card

Georgy Girl

To this day I've never seen the movie but in 1966, "Georgy Girl" by the Seekers was my favorite song. I had a vague idea who the Beatles were and I didn't hate their music or anything like that but it was "Georgy Girl" that had little me bopping around with my transistor radio in hand!

The Grinch!

50 years ago this evening.

Beatles '66

Not necessarily a recommendation as I just started reading it but consider this a notification that this book all about the Fabs in that magical, transformative year of '66, is available.

Nashville Rebel

A veteran of Buddy Holly's backing band on his last tour and later the focal point of country music's outlaw movement, this '66 feature was Waylon Jennings' sole starring movie vehicle as an actor.

ABC's Second Season

The Funnies On This Day in '66

The big event in the comics in October of '66 was the anticipation of the Great Pumpkin in PEANUTS. The concept had been introduced in the strip in 1959 but this year it was leading up to the debut of one of the most popular of all Charlie Brown TV specials, IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN!

But what else was going on in the Funnies on today's date in '66? Here we see a number of examples from both hugely popular and in some cases now legendary strips as well as from some obscure trivia questions. 

My Two Favorite TV Series

Today marks the 50th anniversary of my top two all-time favorite television series, THAT GIRL and STAR TREK. Both series premiered on Sept. 8th, 1966. The former ran for five seasons and the latter, famously for three. That first night I was seven years old and didn't have control of the TV set--a black and white one, I should add. My parents chose for us to skip STAR TREK in favor of the highly touted TAMMY GRIMES SHOW. Never heard of it? It was canceled after a month. We watched THAT GIRL from beginning, though. We didn't see much STAR TREK until Season three.

Wish You Were Here, Buddy-Pat Boone

Not everyone in '66 was against the Vietnam War. Good ol' Pat Boone, who homogenized rock 'n' roll so that white folks in America would accept it, was as gung ho as John Wayne when he put out this album dedicated to American servicemen in Vietnam and their families. Unfortunately, he chose to not just support the troops but also to attack the ant-war activists and protesters (even Muhammad Ali) in the US. It was a more conservative time. But over the next few years, more and more people from all walks of life would turn against the undeclared war--including a fast-growing number of Vietnam vets themselves--and Boone's vicious attacks here would leave him out of touch and out of favor with any groups other than hardcore Christians.

Lyrics:

Well, hi there, buddy
Thought I'd drop you a line
I haven't seen you
For a hundred years

When you get time
Will you let me know
If it's true what a fella hears

Heard you been leading
Those campus demonstrations
You're as busy as you can be
If the sit downs, walk outs
And others aggravate you
Bet you hardly ever think of me

Well, I'm on a little
Vacation in South Vietnam
An expense paid trip for one
I got my own little rifle
And a great uniform
And a job that must be done

Well, we're sleeping in the jungle
And ducking real bullets
And man, it's a lot of fun
Wish you were here
(Wish you were here)
Wish you were here
(Wish you were here)

I heard you let your hair grow
Til it's hanging on your shoulders
And you hardly have time to shave
Bet the girls all flip
Cause you look so fine like
Something crawled out of a cave

Heard Uncle Sam
Nearly scared you to death
But you fooled him just in time
Just struck a little match
To your old draft card
And you burned up
A future like mine

Well, I'm on a little
Vacation in South Vietnam
An expense paid trip for one
I got my own little rifle
And a great uniform
And a job that must be done

Well, we're sleeping in the jungle
And ducking real bullets
And man, it's a lot of fun
Wish you were here
(Wish you were here)
Wish you were here
(Wish you were here)

Oh, I know you're not scared
You're a real brave guy
You're a regular Cassius Clay
And I know you'da fought
When the country was young
But the world's just different today

Well, you just stay home
And leave the fighting to us
And when the whole
Durn mess is through
I'll put away my rifle
And the old uniform
And I'll come looking for you

Well, we're sleeping in the jungle
And ducking real bullets
And man, it's a lot of fun
Wish you were here
(Wish you were here)
Wish you were here
(Wish you were here)

Wish you were here, old pal
(Wish you were here)
Wish you were here
(Wish you were here)
Wish you were here, little buddy
(Wish you were here)

I wanna introduce
You to them Comms
(Wish you were here)
Come on over and we'll just
Hold em til you get here, okay
Wish you were here

Bat Stuff # 77

Revolver, Jesus and the Beatles--August of '66

On this date in history, REVOLVER, often cited as THE greatest Beatles album and sometimes as THE greatest rock album of them all, was released in England. In America, however, no one noticed as everyone was too busy losing their minds over an out of context John Lennon statement and resorting to Nazi tactics to "punish" the Beatles. 1966--For the Fabs, it was the best of times and the worst of times.