This week’s show is a Consumer Guide episode that once again unites the sources of fascination for many a counterculturalist in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Marx and Lennon (yes, the Firesign album does make an appearance). To augment the former part of that equation, I offer up some clips from various You Bet Your Life episodes that didn’t make it onto the two wonderfully crafted boxes that were released by Shout! Factory.
First, Groucho doing his quizmaster shtick on the Jack Benny Program (one of Grouch’s own faves):
The most likeable of the pop-idol pop-rockers who followed in the wake of the first R’n’R revolution, Mr. Beach Party himself, Frankie Avalon, seen here in 1961:
Exercise master Jack La Lanne (did dig his old b&w show when I was kid, now that’s some minimalist television!). Here Jack is 44, but he’s currently still kicking (and pressing, and I’m sure sitting up and crunching) at ninety-friggin’-three! The most interesting thing besides Jack is that the duck was dispensed with for a while, and the “secret word” award is given by a babe in cage!
There are men who are big, and men who are giant. And then there was the mighty Tor!!!!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Chuckling, smoking & dominating the conversation: Tom Snyder's gender-bending guests
This week’s episode features my review of the DVD release John, Paul, Tom & Ringo, which features solo Beatle interviews from Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow Show. Instead of offering up Beatle links, though, I wanted to salute the boorish but thoroughly absorbing Mr. Snyder. So, let me send you flying into some vintage items from the Disco Era, the scary depths of the Seventies.
Here’s a show that’s a good kind of drag: the immortal Divine and living legend (still out there performing) Holly Woodlawn, and their stage director Ron Link in 1979:
A cheat here: not a Tomorrow clip, but Snyder hosting a segment on a newsmagazine show in the same year, ’79, talking about the Rocky Horror Picture Show cult, focusing on its showings at the Eighth Street Playhouse. That chick playing Frankie was adorable, I saw her do her shtick a few times back in prehistory.
And to continue the gender-bending with Tom (who was the straightest, most overwhelming conversation-dominator you ever did see), here’s Alice Cooper in one of his leaner moments (seriously lean) in his oddest stage outfit, a weird look that can only be summed up as “leather geisha.” Alice looks seriously ill, but he later chalked it all up to living exclusively on liquor.
Here’s a show that’s a good kind of drag: the immortal Divine and living legend (still out there performing) Holly Woodlawn, and their stage director Ron Link in 1979:
A cheat here: not a Tomorrow clip, but Snyder hosting a segment on a newsmagazine show in the same year, ’79, talking about the Rocky Horror Picture Show cult, focusing on its showings at the Eighth Street Playhouse. That chick playing Frankie was adorable, I saw her do her shtick a few times back in prehistory.
And to continue the gender-bending with Tom (who was the straightest, most overwhelming conversation-dominator you ever did see), here’s Alice Cooper in one of his leaner moments (seriously lean) in his oddest stage outfit, a weird look that can only be summed up as “leather geisha.” Alice looks seriously ill, but he later chalked it all up to living exclusively on liquor.
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