A book is like the TARDIS. Open it up and it's bigger on the inside. One part reading journal, one part educational tool for pop culture newbies and parents of young geeks. This blog is your portal into the world of movies, TV, superheroes, and of course books!
Today's post marks the debut of the play The Shadow Box. It opened at the Morosco Theatre in New York, the play ran for over 300 showings and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony for Best Play. Written by actor Michael Cristofer, the play is about a trio of terminal patients being interviewed for some psychological experiment. In exchange for being interviewed, the patients and their families get to stay in cabins at their local hospital.
The playwright, Michael Cristofer today.
The Shadow Box is noted for nobody in the play dying, nor any sort of poignant character development being made by any of the characters. It's a classic character study- plain and simple. I've never seen the Shadow Box. But the play is noted for it's use of monologue and raw emotion. That's probably why it won so many awards!
TV Guide ad for the TV movie adaptation
ABC, 1980.
Well. that's all for my look at 1977 for today. But before I go, here's a clip of one of the play's monologues. This one is performed by Alberto Frezza at the LaValle Actors Studio. Enjoy...
I've been working my butt off... I've got 2 massive deadlines due Friday and I'm working myself to exhaustion to the point I need a break.
Usually when somebody is sick or in need of a day off, they stay home and watch some TV. As chicken soup is to the Jewish guy with a cold, the Price is Right is to someone just needed to lie in front of the tube as veg out to Bob Barker and the Price Is Right. There's something therapeutic about guessing the price of a 32oz of creamed spinach in order to prevent a tiny Bavarian man from failing off a cliff. So I present to you the March 30, 1977 showing of the CBS Studios class- The Price is Right. So grab some snacks, relax, and come on down...
Yesterday, I decided to talk about the Final Four. I had the choice to talk about them winning or the Oscars. But I went NCAA. I think it's quite interesting that the networks pitted the Oscars and the Final Four against each other. It's a major statement as to how unimportant basketball, especially college basketball was considered back in 1977. Nowadays, it would be considered unthinkable to pit the Final Four against the Oscars. Why, it's considered bad form to have the President do a public address against the Final Four because he'd lose in the ratings. Not 40 years ago however...
Rocky Meets the Great One.
The winners of the Oscars were all from films released in 1976. Best Picture was Rocky and it's director won too. But Rocky himself, Sylvester Stallone lost out to the late Peter Finch for his role in Network in the Best Actor category. (Many film experts agree that had Finch not passed right after Network's release, Sly would have gotten the award.) Stallone also missed on on Best Original Screenplay.
Finch's widow Eltha Finch accepting the Best Actor Osca.r
Faye Dunaway won Best Actress for Network. Best Supporting Actor was Jason Robards for All the President's Men.
Add caption
Best Supporting Actress was Network's Beatrice Straight. Her less than 6 minutes of screen time made her the winner with smallest film role in Oscar history. Rounding out some of the more memorable award winners, composer Jerry Goldsmith won for his haunting work in the Omen while Barbra Streisand won Best Original Song for the Love Theme to A Star Is Born. Well, that's my daily look at 1977. Tune in tomorrow for another look at my favorite year.
I was this close (---) covering the Oscars for today's A Madman Turns 40. But I just can't up and pass on a chance to talk about the Marquette Golden Eagles winning the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. It's not because I'm a fan of them. I just can't miss any chance to discuss how the Tarheels of North Carolina were this close (---) in winning the National Championship! See in my family, it's a good thing when Carolina loses! As you know I was born in North Carolina and if you think we're a bunch of back woods hicks who are ignorant racists and prejudice (we're the home of HB2, that stoopid bathroom bill, for goodness sakes!!!)- well, you haven't meet a UNC fan or a UNC alum from North Carolina. Before I go any further, a UNC fan from anywhere other than this state is tolerable. But if you were born in North Carolina and you like North Carolina- well there's only one way to describe them and words doesn't do it any justice. Just watch this video...
Growing up in this state in the 80s and 90s, when you'd say anything like how you like Duke or State or the NC School For the Blind, you'd get bullied by a UNC fan. Typically, they are wearing seersucker suits that look like they came from Col. Sanders estate sale. They get really exasperated and they make sure you are told it's your Southern Heritage to like the Tarheels. Well, I'd like to point out that several buildings at UNC were named after supporters of another type of 'southern heritage'- slavery. OK- I'm getting off topic. But I can't stand that antebellum attitude that family members and family friends have when it comes to UNC. It's very embarrassing. It's probably why I have embraced the Pittsburgh contingency of my family. We've a superiority complex when it comes to the Steelers but the reasons to like the team doesn't include a fondness for the good ole days of white supremacy either. (BTW- a native-born Carolina fan never goes out and say that they are racists. But if you listen carefully to their reasons of being a UNC fan, it's very disturbing. It only gets exacerbated by the local media who feel like they have to turn the tri-annual DUKE/UNC match-ups into a miniature Civil War.)
I'm not sure why Kareem Abdul Jabbar is wearing a Marquette tee. He went to UCLA. Also don't know where his arms went either...
Anyways, 40 years ago today- Marquette lead by Al McGuire won their first and only National Championship in Men's Basketball and they beat the Tarheels to do it: 67-59.
A post-victory photo of the Marquette Men. Calling the Final Four the Big Dance came from their Coach Al McGuire, hence why everybody looks like they are going to prom.
Now it's 40 years later and UNC has a chance to win again. But my money's on a Gonzaga/ Oregon match-up (with Zaga winning) and I've got a very good chance with that happening next weekend. Until tomorrow...
Once again on the run from authorities, Bruce Banner is backpacking through the Rockies when he stops at a convenience store for supplies. There, he runs afoul of hostage situation. Normally, Banner would let his little green friend deal with the situation but he is a wanted man. Tasked with being the go-between on the store's phone with the hostage negotiator, Banner's trying to defuse the situation quickly. He really doesn't want to make a scene and now that the FBI has arrived, Bruce really wants to be on his way and fast. It looks like the fugitive doctor has an out as the agents claiming to be Feds are willing to trade the on-site negotiator for him... The first half of this book was excellent. I liked the whole set-up of having Bruce be stuck in a hostage situation, unable to Hulk-out without serious ramifications. But about half way through, the book takes a turn and the Albatross from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner is used ad- nauseum and I hated it. When I read a comic book, I don't mind being challenged by social justice motifs. But I don't expect my comics to double as English Lit text-books! Plus, if your going to go that route, maybe add a small Crib's Notes section so I know what the hell your talking about. Great art by Lee Weeks (Captain Marvel) but I think writer Bruce Jones (Eerie) was trying just a little too hard. Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.
J'onn J'onzz finds himself being haunted and turns to the Mystery Gang for help. The Martian Manhunter has become the target of a pair of clandestine agents that investigate aliens living on our world. As a series of broadcasts seemingly featuring J'onn declaring war on the human race, the Justice Leaguer needs to clear his name or he might become a science experiment for the CIA!
Featuring some really awesome forgotten characters of the DC Universe including J'emm: the Son of Saturn, Ultra the Multi-Alien, and Starman (no, not that one... no, not that one either- you know, the blue one!) Writer Sholly Fisch and artist Dario Brizuela really outdid themselves with this Scooby-Doo Team-Up.
I really think this series is best when is focuses on DC characters and this is a long overdo return to series greatness by focusing on the heart and soul of the Justice League. Worth Consuming Rating: 10 out of 10 stars
Today is another tragic 40th anniversary. In this date 2 Boeing 747 collided with each other on a runway at the Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife. 583 people died marking this the single most deadliest accident in aviation history. The whole incident was because of a bomb explosion planted by Spanish revolutionaries at another airport in the Canary Islands. With the threat of a second bomb, planes had to be diverted. The airport at Los Rodeos didn't have radar and as a result, the two 747s were sadly diverted into each other.
Aerial view of the Los Rodeos Airport on Tenerife, circa 1980.
Some good came out of the tragedy in hopes of never repeating such a tragedy. Airports were now required to change how the communicated with planes. Radars were no longer an option, all airports: public, private, and commercial/ military had to have a radar in order to operate. Also answering with 'OK' or 'Roger' was no longer allowed as both the pilot and air traffic control had to repeat all actions and duties being performed.
The aftermath of the Tenerife crash.
Well, that's my look at my favorite year. But before I go, a moment of silence for the victims. Until tomorrow...
For today's post, I'm looking at a couple of firsts. 40 years ago today, Elvis Costello released his first single Less Than Zero. The song was written in response to Costello's disgust with a BBC interview involving a fascist union leader. Less Than Zero was released as a punk record. But really, Costello's music was more in line with the British New Wave movement that spawned from punk. I'm not really what you'd consider a fan of Costello. However, thanks to Song Pop, I'm getting more exposed to his work and find that I really do like it!
A replica 1977 Elvis Costello World Tour t-shirt.
There's a little bit of controversy with this song but I'll deal more with that in another post later on down the road.
Original logo for
Focus on the Family.
Now let's look at that other first. Today marks the first day that Christian psychologist Dr. James Dobson's Focus On the Family opened for business. The faith-based organization isn't without it's controversies. But it's also done a lot of good offering counseling for parents, couples, and children. Another thing I've enjoyed about Focus On The Family over the years is the amazing job it's done with a long-running radio and later video series called Adventures In Odyssey about an eccentric inventor and the adventures he has with the residents of the town of Odyssey. They're very professionally done and for a Christian series as pretty entertaining.
Well that's my look at 1977 for today. But before I go, why don't we take a listen to Costello's Less Than Zero. Enjoy...
Zephyr is a superhero known as a psiot, a human with psychic abilities like being able to fly and use of very powerful force fields. By day, Zephyr is Faith Herbert but a recent event allowed the world to find out her secret identity. So Zephyr has moved to LA with a new secret identity and a job as a writer for a Buzzfeed type website. The move for Zephyr has been wrought with challenges but she's making her way on her own. However, she's going to have to call in the help of some old friends as Zephyr finds herself the target of a shadowy agency that's trying to make human weapons out of the psiots that reside within the City of Angels. This collection of Faith's first few issues as a solo act has been a critical success. So when I saw this at my local library, I had to give it a view. The Valiant Comics universe is perhaps the one that I am the least familiar with. I have very little knowledge of Valiant's backstory so it took me a while to really understand what has been going on. The parts about Zephyr the superhero weren't as enjoyable as Faith Herbert the person. Faith is a fangirl and I delighted in catching many of the pop culture and geek references peppered throughout this book. It also gave me an idea for a new comic series which I am pretty excited to tackle if I ever get the chance. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the inclusion of the character Archer. From the series Archer and Armstrong, this is about as much as I know about Valiant. Well, that and Turok, that dinosaur hunting Indian guide. Anyways, Archer's story seemed really interesting and if I ever get a chance, I wanna check it out. Seems like it might make another good read. By the final chapter in this book, I was enjoying reading the Zephyr parts as much as the sections that cover her secret identities. There's at least a second volume of Faith comics out there and I am more than willing to give this series another go. A feminist comic that doesn't get very preachy and doesn't seem to be anti-men. Faith doesn't always need help to save the day but when she does, she's not afraid to ask other guy superheroes to help. Refreshingly different in a day and age where the Steve Trevors of the comic book world are 198 lb wimps that only think about sex. Worth Consuming Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
It's that time of year where young girls don green smocks and sell, Sell, SELL. Yep- it's Girl Scout Cookie Season. So, for today's post, let's look at Girl Scout Cookies. The flavors in 1977 were Thin Mints, Scot-Teas, Lemon Creme, Savannahs, Chocolate & Vanilla Sandwich cookies, and Chocolate Chip cookies.
1970s mint cookie boxes. In 1976, the Scouts trademarked the name 'Thin Mints.'
Prior, the cookies were simply known as Cookie Mints.
In my birth year, the Girl Scouts added a cracker to the mix. The Cheddarette was kinda like a Cheez-it. I remember these as a kid and some time over the next 35 years, the Scouts phased them out.
Savannah's, the lemon tea cookie
are now known as Savannah Smiles.
1977 saw a bit of scandal with the Girl Scouts. At this time, the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) was being hotly contested. Opponents of the ERA called for a ban of Girl Scout Cookies. But it ultimately backfired and was a record year of sales of the tasty treats.
A January 1977 article with recipes
that call for Girl Scout Cookies.
Some how dumb stuff like this keeps happening 40-years later. A very wise man told me that if you want something to fail, the worse thing to do is to protest it and call for it's removal from the public eye. Bans such as the Girl Scout Cookie protest of '77 garner media attention and ultimately draws in people sympathetic to a cause that otherwise would have been faded into obscurity. Though, I doubt Girl Scout Cookies are ever going to go away. They're just so tasty.
Well, that's my look at my favorite year. Who knows where I'll turn up next. Until tomorrow...
Dear Readers, Every Friday, I post an article called Family Comic Friday. Well, I've been ready some family friendly books but I've been extremely busy with work and family stuff of my own. Well, fret not- next week Family Comic Friday will return. Thanks for being patient with me.
Alan Moore and friends bring to a close Tom Strong's Terrific Tales. In the Old Tom stories, relive the golden age of cartoons when Tom and his daughter Tesla are challenged to a ghoulish drag race. Then a man dreams what it would be like to be Tom Strong and imagine what the Strong family would be like if they were the Osborne's. Lastly, take a tour of Tom's Millennium City with beautiful illustrations by Michael Kaluta. Then Young Tom Strong comes of age on the mystical island of Attabar Teru discovering his origins, being reunited with an old friend, and learning about the opposite sex. Things come full circle by the end of this story line and in a way I'm glad I read this series before Tom Strong as this is full of great backstory and origins. The biggest disappointment are the Jonni Future stories. It's not that these sci-fi adventures aren't of superior quality. They very much are. But these are literally the last stories of a dynamically titillating series unless co-creators Steve Moore and Arthur Adams craft so further episodes. It's been over a dozen years since the last Jonni Future adventure saw print, so her future isn't so bright. A bittersweet end to a great series... Worth Consuming Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
Today in Madman history, we go to the grid iron. It was 40 years ago today that the NFL changed the official schedule from 14 games to 16. The move was made for a couple of reasons. 1) The most obvious reason was money. Thanks to the Super Bowl, football was quickly becoming the number one spectator sport in America. Now in '77, baseball was still king. But Football was putting up impressive numbers against the NBA and the NFL. So more games meant more ticket sales, more televised events and of course more money.
Commissioner Pete Rozelle,
the brains behind many NFL innovations including the 16-games schedule.
2) There were more teams. Thus in order to ensure more teams got a chance to go to the play-offs, more games were added. This also added more games to the play-off schedule and thus once again- MORE MONEY! 3) The move helped the Seattle Sea-hawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to have a permanent division. Thus it made it even across the board for all teams to play the same number of opponents every year. Of the 3 moves- this was the least permanent actually, as when more teams in the 90s were added to the league a new schedule system had to be adopted.
16 games in a season now put football starting into early August.
I think it's interesting that 40 years after this expansion of games to the schedule that the NFL is once again talking about adding more games to the schedule. The league wants to go to 18 games but the player's union, concerned about injury, will only agree to it if the league removes 2 exhibition games. I don't think that the NFL is going to allow for an even swap of games but eventually, I think the season is going to expand to 18 games with the loss of only 1 exhibition game. Honestly, I don't think 4 exhibition games are needed. None of the really good players play in the fourth game and the exhibition season has become a bit of a joke with it becoming a sort of phantom zone where players facing a suspension still get to play. I'm sorry but if you are banned from the first 4 games of the regular season, that punishment should also include pre-season as well. Injury and conditioning aside, a punishment is supposed to hurt not reward and allowing someone to play prior to getting sent to the bench really doesn't reinforce a need to correct a bad behavior.
I had to add this- it's the Steelers!!!
Okay- maybe it's the teaching part of me that's taken over but I feel that this is a change to needs to happen if you don't want anymore Ray Allen/ Le'Veon Bell/ Tom Brady situations anymore. Well, that's my look at good ole 1977. Come back tomorrow. Who knows where I'll turn up next!
On this date in Madman history, journalist David Frost would conduct his first of 20 some odd interviews with former President Richard Nixon. Over the next month or so, Frost would interview Nixon near his California home for an hour or two every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It was Nixon's first interview since he resigned from office in 1974. It was also an series of interviews that would take David Frost from satirical newsman to serious newscaster. This whole event is in one way or another Family Madman. My father was a huge fan of Nixon. He idolized the man. A member of the young Republicans when Nixon was in office, my dad NEVER thought that the President did any wrong in the Watergate scandal. As for myself, I have an affinity for David Frost. Frost was the Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert of his time. In the 60s, he hosted a satirical news show called 'That Was The Week That Was.' The show skewered everything from the Royal Family to the Beatles. This series only lasted 2 years but it would spawn another David Frost lead vehicle called 'The Frost Report.' Several of the writers of that 'news show' would go on to make comedy history. Do these names sound familiar? John Cleese. Graham Chapman. Eric Idle. Michael Palin. Terry Jones. These guys would go on to form the legendary comedy troupe Monty Python's Flying Circus. And it all started thanks to David Frost.
A not-so-scrupulous accountant has crossed too many players of Manhattan's underbelly. Seeking protection and sanctuary, the money-man (and his laptop full of incriminating evidence) goes straight to the top for help- DEADPOOL! But these crooks aren't willing to blink and they've brought in a heavy hitter to take in the turncoat accountant- Typhoid Mary!! Enter the wildest team-up and the first (and probably only) single issue multi-issue crossover in comics history. Guest-starring Daredevil, Power-Man, Iron Fist and most of the sanitation crew at Fresh Kills landfill! Then things get supernatural when a horde of inter-dimensional beings invades Deadpool's wife Shiklah's subterranean kingdom. This Last Days of Magic tie-in will shock long-time Deadpool fans and looks to change the game for the Merc With A Mouth for some time to come. The first storyline was classic Deadpool! It's crazy funny and a shining moment in a era of Marvel that's been sub-par at best. But why does Gerry Duggan, along with writers Charles Soule and David Walker insist on making Wade Wilson such a tragic character!? He's much better when he's funny and surreal than a homicidal version of Charlie Brown. That's why I buy the book- fun and games not going down in flames... Worth Consuming Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
On this date in Madman history, India's first female Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi would resign from office after both her and her son lost soundly in elections. She would leave office 2 days later. This wouldn't be the last the world would hear of Indira Gandhi. She would win re-elections in 1980 and would stay in office until October 31st of 1984 when two of her bodyguards assassinated her in defiance to her military actions against an insurgency lead by a militant Sikh religious leader.
Theatrical release poster for Gandhi, 1982.
As a child, the film Gandhi starring Ben Kingsley was a massive hit. It stole the Academy Award for Best Picture for the Empire Strikes Back. WELLLLLLLLLL...... Upon doing a little research for today's article, turns out I was wrong about that. Sir Richard Attenborough's Gandhi was released in 1982. Empire was in 1980. So, all this time I've been mad that Gandhi won Best Picture over my favorite film of all time- I actually should have been mad at Ordinary People, one of my wife's favorite films.
Prime Minister Nehru, Indira's father and unintentional fashion icon.
I guess this is a good time to speak of another confusion that has to do with the film Gandhi. As I had mentioned a few days back, my parents watched the Nightly World News every night and I was strongly encouraged to do the same. So, I would always pick up bits and pieces about world events. When Indira Gandhi was murdered in 1984, because of popularity of the Gandhi motion picture, I always thought that she was Gandhi's daughter or daughter-in-law. It turns out she was neither. They both had the same last name and I was 6- give me a break folks!
Young Indira with Mahatma Gandhi, 1924.
Yes- Indira knew the beloved advocate for independence from England. But her father was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minster of India. And NO- her last name was not some sort of tribute to Gandhi. Indiri Nehru meet a man who would be her future husband with last name of Gandhi but he was no relation to the political legend.
News of Indira Ganghi's death is front page news, The Washingto Post, 10/31/84.
So that's my very confused look at my favorite year for today. I learned a lot about misconceptions I had as a child. I just hope that I don't get confused and think all this stuff wrong again years later. Until tomorrow...
Yesterday, Duke lost in the NCAA Tournament to South Carolina. But there was an even bigger loss to the Duke program as it was sportscaster Bob Harris' last stint as the play-by-play announcer. This was Mr. Harris' last season and though he got started in 1976 calling Duke football games on the radio, if you do the math, this season's 2016-2017 basketball season was #40! That means as long as I have been alive, nobody else has ever called a Duke football or basketball game for Duke Sports Radio. So of course, I've got to pay some tribute to the man known as the 'Voice of the Blue Devils.'
My mother was an NC State fan. My father loved UNC. Being an individual, I went my own way and choose Duke. In middle school and high school, I wanted to go to Duke so bad. I loved watching Laettner, Hurley, Davis, and the Hills (no relation) destroy the competition! Lead by the one and only Coach K, the Duke Blue Devils were back-to-back Final Four Champs! It was a great time to be a Duke fan. Back in the 90s, you didn't get to see every Duke game on TV like you can now. You only had ESPN, ABC, NBC, and CBS. So unless you got lucky and Duke was selected as the game of the week, the only way to regularly catch a Duke game was on the radio. So I spent many a day and night listening to Mr. Bob Harris call those Duke games on AM radio.
At the same time I was listening to Harris call the games on the radio, my future wife and future in-laws were doing the same as I and listening to the games being called by Bob. Janni was a Duke grad, an original Cameron Crazie, and she works for the Duke hospital system where she is the system's reigning Social Worker of the Year! Though I never got to go to Duke, I now work there too in the University's dining system as a chef manager. So Duke's a very big deal in our home and Bob Harris' retirement is a very bittersweet thing.
Check on the video at 1:25 for the
Ultimate NCAA baskestball play of all-time.
Before I go, let's look at the achievements of Bob Harris' career and the amazing things he had the privilege to call on the Duke Radio Network:
Member North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
3 time North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year
Recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, 2016
Acting impulsively (as always) upon some clues as to who killed his parents (IT WAS DEADPOOL!), Deadpool tracks down Sabretooth (who was there, but didn't kill Deadpool's parents) (( I told you Deadpool who killed his parents. Weren't you reading what I wrote?)) Regardless of who killed who ((( Deadpool killed his own parents- GEEZ!!!))), it's an epic battle between two anti-heroes with regenerative abilities and are impossible to be killed. Then it's another journey into the future with Deadpool 2099. We've meet Deadpool 2099 but just who is Zenpool 2099??? More insanity Deadpool style. But the characters that are really stealing the show in this Deadpool series- the Mercs for Money- are seriously underused. Good read but it could've been better if writer Gerry Duggan would just abandon the 'who killed Deadpool's parents?' storyline ((((For the last time: Deadpool killed his own parents!!!)))) and focus on Wade Wilson's new found fame as a beloved superhero. Worth Consuming Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
Yesterday the legendary artist and writer Bernie Wrightson lost his battle with brain cancer. It's a real sad day for the comic book community and fans like me. Wrightson was a master horror and the macabre and I spent many a day of my youth pouring over his works. Let me just say that my parents didn't have the best sense of discretion. Or maybe they were the coolest parents ever. When it came to books, they let me read just about anything I wanted. The very first comic book I ever bought was a horror comic book was Ghostly Tales #152. It didn't feature artwork by Bernie Wrightson but it did start me down the path to reading and collecting horror comics. One of my group of favorite horror books are the classic EC books from the 1950s. Those controversial books influenced Wrightson to focus on horror books over the course of his career. Well it had been a goal of mine to own an original EC Comic of any sort. In a bittersweet moment of glory for this Madman, on the same day I finally get to own an original EC book, the comic book world lost Bernie.
In '77, Wrightson did a series of lithos
based on dinosaurs.
Wrightson's most famous creation, Swamp Thing.
A short story from an issue of House of Secrets, the plant man hero is a fan favorite.
Some villagers trying to kill a vampire.
A scene from Wrightson's 1977 Frankenstein project.
Though Wrightson is noted as a master of horror,
he did many other genres including this Jonah Hex cover, a western.
Yesterday, I got to me one of my childhood heroes and favorite artists of all-time, Neal Adams! I thought in honor of that occasion I would share with you some of the covers Adams did for books not only that were on shelves in March of '77 but some of my favs for the entire year. Enjoy...
