Monday, April 30, 2007

Today is singer and songwriter Willie Nelson's birthday.



Above is a ticket stub for a Willie Nelson show that took place in Jackson, Mississippi thirty years ago next month.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Since Spider-Man 3 is coming out at the end of the week, we decided to go ahead and cash in like everyone else is bound to do and find a cool Spidey comic to post for today's Sunday Funnies. We like this one, issue 31, for a couple of reasons.

First, check out the cover. It's uber groovy, using the spider-shape to reveal six groovy action-packed scenes. Second, it has a classic Stan Lee cover title to pull you in: "If This Be My Destiny!" Finally, it's dedicated to you the great new Marvel breed of reader! All that action, all that grooviness and it's all for you!

By the way. This Sunday Funnies happens to be dedicated to you, as well! You're that swell new eBay A Day breed of reader(s)!



Oh yeah, this issue also introduces a couple of new minor supporting characters named Gwen and Harry.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

On this week's Cartoon Saturday we note that Pound Puppies was essentially the Hogan's Heroes of animated cartoons. The pound was basically prison, and the cool dog with the neat jacket led the group in various attempts to escape, or failing that, to make their lives a little more fun.

The cartoon was based on the toy line of stuffed dogs put out in an unlikely move, by Tonka. Known for their durable toy trucks, the Pound Puppies had a look to them that made giving them a big hug perfectly acceptable to the metal dump truck sort of kid. They were also aimed, perhaps, at slightly less responsible kids who didn't want to raise a Cabbage Patch Kid all on their own.



We opted to show you the box art side of this Pound Puppy. Since we don't endorse buying any of the items we show you, we didn't think it wise to show you it's cute widdle face!

Friday, April 27, 2007

One hundred and ten years ago today a parade and dedication ceremony was held to mark the opening of Grant's Tomb. It also happened to be the 75th birthday of the former President and Civil War General.



Groucho Marx, seen here in a press photo, popularized the question "Who's buried in Grant's Tomb" during his tenure as host of the game show "You Bet Your Life."

Thursday, April 26, 2007

The sounds of organ music first filled a baseball park in Chicago on this day in 1941.



The organ pictured above is better suited to the lair of a mad scientist than a ballpark.

Wednesday, April 25 2007

On this day in 1684 the thimble was patented.



The Popeye cast of characters originally appeared in creator E.C. Segar's strip Thimble Theater.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Seventeen years ago today, the Space Shuttle Discovery carried the Hubble Space Telescope into space.



The telescope pictured here is not the Hubble Space Telescope.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Today is William Shakespeare's birthday. He was a writer. You've probably heard of him. You probably even quote him from time to time without realizing it.



Pictured above is a bronze bust of Shakespeare that also functions a secret switch to activate whatever you plug into it. It's a replica of the one used by millionaire Bruce Wayne on the 1960's Batman television series.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Some time ago we mentioned Buster Crabbe. We might have even used an issue of his very own comic book as the item pictured. Well, on this Sunday Funnies, we found the very first issue. For those of you tuning in late on Mr. Crabbe, he was an Olympic swimmer who played jungle hero Tarzan, both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, and Billy The Kid in the early movies and serials, and later starred as Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion in the early days of television.

In his own comic, the tales often set Buster Crabbe in the environments he was famous for: outer space, the jungle and the wild west. Crabbe was branded "The All American Hero," a title which no doubt came not only from his action-packed movie heroics, but also from his well known status as a gold medalist Olympian.



In addition to all new stories of Mr. Crabbe's greatest amazing adventures and many other surprises, the ten cent comic also included free autographed picture!

Saturday, April 21, 2007

On this Cartoon Saturday, we were going to spotlight the Truly Outrageous 80's rock and roll band Jem and The Holograms, but sadly in our efforts to find a good eBay listing related to them, we made a shocking discovery. Apparently two members of the Hologram's rival group The Misfits, Roxie and Stormer, along with Holograms member Kimber (the younger sister of Jem) and the Misfits' number one fan, Constance "Clash" Montgomery have fallen on hard times.

For quick background, Jem and The Holograms were the superstar girl band coming out of Starlight Music in the mid-1980's. The brainchild of studio executive Jerrica Benton, the Holograms were the talk of the town for several years. They turned out multiple singles, had their own television series, participated in a charity relief single, inspired a line of fashion accessories and were pioneers of the fledgling music video industry.

Their main rivals were label-mates The Misfits, led by wealthy heiress Phyllis Gabor (under her stage name Pizzazz), though the critics often cite bandmate Mary "Stormer" Phillips as the real creative force behind the group.

The Holograms and The Misfits were locked in a battle to be the glamour band flavor of the month during their prime, but all good (or tacky, depending on your view of the decade) things must come to an end, so too did the 1980's. With the end of the decade came the end of both The Holograms and The Misfits.

In the ensuing years, Jem herself would perform with a number of smaller bands before settling down and getting married. She now performs to critical acclaim in a duo with her husband.

Fate was not as kind to the rest of the Starlight Music family. Legal troubles and rights negotiations crippled the company and froze the rerelease of all of the back catalog of Holograms and Misfits recordings and television appearances. Rhino Records attempted to reissue the pioneering reality show based on the lives of the Starlight Music roster, but before the project could be completed, the rights sank back into the murky depths of confusion.

The Misfits and the rest of the Holograms made attempts to try their luck at other ventures and in foreign lands, but soon they invariably drifted off into obscurity.



The degradation of the Starlight Music legacy is clear as Kimber, Roxie, Stormer and Clash have been reduced, like Tiffany and Belinda Carlisle before them, into posing for nude photographs.

Friday, April 20, 2007

The element radium was first isolated on this day in 1902. The scientists responsible were Marie and Pierre Curie.



Madame Curie, in addition to her scientific achievements, also wrote a biography of her husband and scientific collaborator, Pierre. Pictured is the title page.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Today is Bewitched actor Dick Sargent's birthday. He was the second Darrin.



Pictured is a glossy 8x10 of Mr. Sargent

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Historic Yankee Stadium opened in Brooklyn, New York on this day in 1923.



Above is the program from the 1963 World Series at Yankee Statium, which pitted the Yankees against former Brooklynites The Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

An FBI sound lab gave up trying to figure out the lyrics to the song "Louie Louie" on this day in 1964.



Northern Soul singer Richard Berry is but one of thousands who recorded the song. Surely some of them know the lyrics?

Monday, April 16, 2007

Today is film and television composer Henry Mancini's birthday. One of the most prolific composers of the 1960's through the 80's, his frequent collaborations with director Blake Edwards led to the classic scores to such films as The Pink Panther, Breakfast At Tiffany's, The Great Race and The Pary.



Here is a reproduction of a studio photo of Mancini.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

On this week's Sunday Funnies we found Fantastic Four issue 72, published just over 40 years ago. The Silver Surfer (and The Watcher) appear on the cover. The Surfer popped up a lot in the Fantastic Four in the years following his debut in the storyline building to issue 50. He'd also appear a bit in Thor, and Lee and Kirby both seemed especially fond of him, possibly more than their other many creations. All that's well and good, but really it just has a graphically pleasing cover design, with mostly red hues except for the Surfer in his natural silver.



Pictured is the swell cover that caught our eye.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

The Smurfs are little (approximately 3 apples high) blue people who live in mushrooms in the forest. Gargamel is an evil wizard who hates the smurfs. Azrael is Gargamel's cat, who also dislikes smurfs. On this Cartoon Saturday, we salute them. Any questions?



This is a vintage 80's Gargamel and Azrael PVC figurine pair.

Friday, April 13, 2007

The first town to be named in honor of George Washington, Washington, North Carolina, was incorporated on this day in 1782.



Pictured above is the Beaufort County Courthouse, located in Washington, NC.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Tiny Tim, the singer and musical historian of sorts, was born on this day in 1932. Though best known for his rendition of "Tiptoe Thru The Tulips," that was but one of many songs from earlier eras that Tiny Tim resurrected for new audiences in the 1960's and later.



Though he never left them for long, Tiny Tim would occasionally set aside the older songs for forays into new music, as indicated on this picture sleeve.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Fashion designer Oleg Cassini celebrates a birthday today.



This colorful 70's blouse is a Cassini design.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The safety pin was patented on this day in 1849.



Pictured is a safety pin.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Continuing our bunny theme from this weekend, we'd like to point out that today is the birthday of Playboy mogul, Hugh Hefner.



Pictured is a "Ms. Playboy" statue, featuring a bunny dressed as a bunny.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

On this Easter edition of Sunday Funnies, we continue yesterday's Peter Cottontail theme, and point out that there are many different Peter Cottontail stories out there. The Rankin-Bass version mentioned yesterday is only one, and apparently in the 1950's, there was also this one, a 3-D comic book version.



Though coverless, the 3-D Peter Cottontail comic has a nice splash page that works just as well.

Saturday, April, 7, 2007

Since tomorrow is Easter, we thought we'd use this Cartoon Saturday to remind you that even though their Christmas cartoons are better known, the fine folks at Rankin-Bass put out several Easter specials, as well. The best of them is Here Comes Peter Cottontail which features Danny Kaye in several roles, as well as Casey Kasem and Vincent Price. In addition to Easter, the special's plot takes Peter Cottontail through almost every holiday in the calendar.



Though it's not the best photo, pictured above is a complete set of action figures based on the special.

Friday, April 6, 2007

Actor Billy Dee Williams celebrates his birthday today.



Though people are immortalized in plastic, due to his role as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars films, Billy Dee Williams has more than a few poor likenesses floating around out there.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Joseph Lister, champion of sterile surgical and the cleaning of wounds, was born on this day 130 years ago.



His accomplishments in cleanliness were celebrated in the unusual way of having a mouthwash named after him.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

The city of angels, Los Angeles, was incorporated on this day in 1850.



Pictured is a menu from Carl's in Los Angeles, which boasted delicious food, delightfully served in pleasant surroundings.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Today is actor Marlon Brando's birthday.



Pictured above is a "life mask" of Mr. Brando as Don Corleone from The Godfather.

Monday, April 2, 2007

The first annual White House Egg Roll was held 130 years ago today.



Pictured are two eggs from the 1994 roll.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

We were going to find an amusing Richie Rich cover and try to come up with something clever to pretend we had something to say about Richie Rich first and then found the cover. While looking we found something else entirely and were so horrified by it, we had to share it with you. It's timely, what with Easter on its way. It's the Richie Rich as The Easter Bunny plush toy.

It's a poorly made doll with a shoddy likeness, and it captures the spirit of what has become of Harvey Comics. They have great characters like Richie Rich, Casper, Hot Stuff and Little Dot but they stopped making comics. They'd probably cite market forces as the culprit, but Archie Comics, which makes its fortunes off the "all ages" market, has dozens of monthly titles and seems to be doing just fine.



If you think this looks like either Richie Rich or the Easter Bunny, we salute your powerful imagination.