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Monday, October 03, 2011

Monday Matinee: The Wizard Of Oz

Allow me to introduce all of you to the very first day of Wizards and Witches week on the Pop Culture Addict's Guide To Life.

From October 3 to October 9, we'll be taking a look at some of the wizards and witches that have appeared in various forms of pop culture. Some of them are wizards capable of casting magic spells. Some of them are witches who happen to be the star of the show. And in the case of the Sunday Jukebox, we have a singer who isn't really a wizard, but plays one on television.

I have chosen seven pop culture references that have at least some minor connection to a witch or a wizard, and as Halloween approaches, expect to see a lot more spooky entries as the month of October progresses. There will be some non-Halloween entries for October, but most of them will be positively 'spook-tacular'.

This first day...well, I suppose it doesn't really qualify as being overly scary, but it is the only pop culture reference that I have that has both a wizard AND a witch in the movie.

Before we get into that though, I would like to tell you a story about this movie as it relates to my childhood memories.

In Canada, we celebrate our Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. In the United States, however, their Thanksgiving is celebrated around the end of November. Back in the day, many of the television networks would have special programming that aired during the American Thanksgiving. During the day, you could watch the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City, and during the afternoon, it was almost a guarantee that there would be at least one football game airing.

But during the primetime slots (at least as long as I can remember), CBS would air a screening of a particular movie that kept me glued to my seat as long as I can remember. I can even recall the very first time I watched this movie. It must have been sometime in the late 1980s, as I was probably no older than six at the time. My mom switched on the television as she made homemade popcorn on the stove (as we didn't own a microwave back in those days), and we sat down to watch a movie that was first released in 1939.



The Wizard Of Oz starred Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, a young girl from Kansas who lived on a farm with her little dog, Toto. The farm was the home of Dorothy's Auntie Em and Uncle Henry, and Dorothy helped out by doing various chores around the farm. She was assisted by three farm hands, Hickory, Hunk, and Zeke (Jack Haley, Ray Bolger, and Bert Lahr respectively), and life was idyllic for all.

Ah, who're we kidding? Dorothy couldn't wait to get out of Kansas. I mean, it was barren, desolate, sepia-toned...a rather bland looking place. Add to the fact that the nasty, sharp-tongued, bicycle-riding neigbour Miss Gulch was lurking around, and it was understandable as to why Dorothy felt like going somewhere over the rainbow.



Can I just state that I can so identify with Dorothy Gale? I know what it feels like to be in a place where you feel like you just don't belong, or you feel out of place. I especially know what it's like to have nasty, nosy neighbours prodding around, making your life a misery, whether intentionally or not. Heck, if I were Dorothy, I probably would have gone searching for that rainbow years ago.

Honestly, there are some instances in which I want to find my own rainbow myself. A place where troubles really do melt like lemon drops, and where dreams really do come true. Of course, I guess in some ways, I can achieve this through my writing. Whenever things get too much for me, or whenever something happens where I end up feeling alone, I can always write about it, and feel one hundred per cent better.

Therapy by way of blogging. Imagine that.

Of course, this was the summer of 1939, and computers (let alone blogging) did not exist. I suppose Dorothy could have penned a journal, but somehow, I don't think it would have been much help to her in the brown, brown, state of Kansas.

No, Dorothy's motivation to head somewhere over the rainbow was inspired of all people by Miss Gulch, and not in a good way either. Apparently, Toto hated Miss Gulch just as much as the others did, and showed it by biting Miss Gulch. Miss Gulch gets an order from the sheriff, and she takes Toto away to be put down. Luckily, Toto manages to escape, and when Dorothy finds her dog, she makes the decision to run away from home so that Miss Gulch would not be able to take Toto away a second time.

On the way, she happens to come across a traveling fortune teller named Professor Marvel, who correctly predicts that Dorothy has run away from home, but is otherwise lousy at his real ability to predict the future. Once Dorothy enters the wagon, the man manages to convince Dorothy to return home after spinning a tale about her Auntie Em falling ill from grief.
Unfortunately, at that possible moment, a tornado is fast approaching the farmhouse, and Dorothy and Toto arrive back home just seconds after the rest of the family evacuates to the storm cellar. She tries to take shelter inside the house, but when the window behind her shatters, a piece of the wooden frame knocks Dorothy out cold. When Dorothy awakens, she finds that the house is inside the tornado being blown far, far away from Kansas.

Okay, I'm going to interrupt this plot to talk a little bit about the production of the movie. The movie was based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, penned by author L. Frank Baum. The rights to turn the book into a movie were bought by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (better known as MGM Studios) in early 1938, and went through a number of writers and revisions before shooting for the film began later that year, with the final script being approved on October 8, 1938.

It is interesting to note that when the script was completed, there were a couple of ideas for scenes that were left on the cutting room floor or the wastepaper bin for whatever reason, but I'll get to that a little later.

The film was officially released at a small opening at a single movie theater in Wisconsin on August 12, 1939. Over the next few days, more theaters started to show the movie, and by August 25, 1939, the film was playing nationwide. What was interesting was that when the film was originally released in 1939, it actually was considered a bomb. The film initially made three million dollars at the box office (which works out to a little over $47 million in 2011 money) against the production/distribution costs of $2.8 million (a little over $44 million in 2011 money). So, the film did make a profit, but not a big one. However, when the film was re-released for the 10th anniversary, in 1949, the profits were much higher.



The film was memorable in a number of different ways, but perhaps the reason why so many people were fond of the movie was because of the fact that it was one of the first films to ever be seen in full colour. Using a process known as Technicolor, much of the movie was filmed using this new technology. The process to colour the film was a lengthy, long-drawn affair. The process took from October 1938 to March 1939 for it to be fully completed. Add the large, elaborate costumes and complicated make-up that the actors had to wear, and it made for an rather chaotic atmosphere on set.

Although as you can see in this clip where Dorothy first sets foot inside the land of Oz, it was well worth the effort.



"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.”

No, you most certainly are not, Dorothy. Gone are the dreary sepia-toned plains of Kansas. You're in the world of lush green trees, bright blue skies, and a gigantic yellow brick road.

Oh, and a whole bunch of little people known as the Munchkins of Munchkinland.

Dorothy looks around the weird, mystical place that the tornado seemed to drop her into, not even aware that the house had fallen right on top of somebody, killing them instantly. As it would later be revealed, this proved to be a blessing for the Munchkins, as thanks to an appearance by Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, tells Dorothy that the person who the house fell on top of was the Wicked Witch of the East, a rather nasty woman who inflicted pain and fear into the hearts of the Munchkin community.

The Munchkins come out of hiding once they hear that the witch is dead, and celebrate by singing the song 'Ding-Dong, The Witch Is Dead', proving just how broken-hearted they are to hear of the woman's demise.



But, wait! The celebration is interrupted by the sister of the dead witch. The just as wicked, if not more, witch of the West!

Who strangely resembled Dorothy's annoying neighbour, Miss Gulch.

Anyway, the reason for the Wicked Witch of the West dropping in on the scared citizens of Munchkinland was to mourn her sister's passing. Oh, and to get her hands on the powerful ruby red slippers (which in the original novel were silver, but changed to red as a result of the Technicolor filming process). Glinda, proving that she is much more clever than either of the wicked sisters, managed to magically remove the slippers from the dead woman, and place them on the feet of one Dorothy Gale.



(On a side note, wearing a pair of shoes that were just worn by a dead woman...um...ick!)

At any rate, the witch threatens to get Dorothy and her little dog too before disappearing into thin air. At this point, Dorothy is afraid, and all she wants to do is escape this strange new world and go back home. She doesn't know how though. Glinda tells Dorothy that there is a wizard who lives in the Emerald City. He is known as the Wizard of Oz, and he has the power to grant any wish that anyone desires. In order to find the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to get to the Emerald City. Glinda also warns Dorothy that under no circumstances should she ever take off the ruby slippers, or else she would be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West.

And Dorothy did not want that at all.

So, Dorothy set off down the yellow brick road along with Toto, hoping against all odds that the Wizard of Oz could set her free.

What Dorothy didn't count on was the fact that she would soon be encountered by three friends along the way. Three friends who surprisingly looked like the three farmhands that Dorothy had befriended on Auntie Em and Uncle Henry's farm. Peculiar...

The three friends that Dorothy takes with her on her journey are all different backgrounds, natures, and personalities, but like Dorothy, they all feel as if something is missing in their lives, and they agree to accompany Dorothy to the Emerald City in hopes that the Wizard of Oz could help them get something.



Take the Scarecrow for instance (in a dual role by Ray Bolger). The Scarecrow is the first friend that Dorothy meets in her travels. He explains to Dorothy that he always wanted a brain because he didn't feel as though he was smart enough to be a scarecrow, as the crows were no longer afraid of him. Though there are a couple of instances in the film where the Scarecrow is taken apart and Dorothy is forced to put him back together again, the Scarecrow comes up with some rather intelligent ideas during the journey. Not bad for someone who didn't think that he had a brain.



The next person that Dorothy comes across is the Tin Man (Jack Haley), a man completely made out of metal. When Dorothy and the Scarecrow find the Tin Man, it is discovered that he is unable to talk, walk, or even so much as make a sound. It is only by chance that the duo find the Tin Man's oil can and use it to bring the Tin Man back to life. The Tin Man is grateful towards Dorothy, and almost immediately decides to join them on their quest to see the wonderful Wizard of Oz. Reason? The Tin Man is in need of a heart. He never had a heart inside of him, and he wanted on badly. This despite the fact that he is moved to tears when Dorothy fell under the witches spell crossing the field of poppies that put her to sleep. Despite the fact that of all the characters in the movie, he was always the kindest. A recurring gag in the film was the fact that whenever the Tin Man got caught in wet weather or shed tears, he would rust to the point of being frozen, so Dorothy would have to oil him up once again.



The final character to join the group is the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), shortly after the group talks about how they would hate to be ambushed by lions, and tigers, and bears.

Oh my.

Of course, we all know that this particular King of the Beasts is not exactly the most bravest of the bunch by his name. As if that didn't clue you in enough, when the lion tries to scare Dorothy and her friends, Dorothy ends up scolding the lion by lightly tapping him, and he bursts into tears. It's explained that the lion wants to go see the Wizard of Oz so that he may be able to give him the gift of courage. That's despite the fact that as the movie progressed, he is able to face any fear that comes across his way. Heck, when he first meets the Wizard of Oz, his first instinct is to run away, but he came back. He is also fiercely protective of Dorothy and her friends, and eventually becomes a friend himself as a result.

So, it's interesting...you have four characters in the film, of which three of them claim to be looking for a particular thing they feel they need while surprisingly showing those characteristics that they all claim to be lacking.

Poor Dorothy must be feeling a little left out. But, don't worry, we'll get to that.

After almost being incapacitated by the poisoned poppies, almost getting knocked out by apple-throwing trees, and having the witch and her flying monkeys wreak havoc on the quad every chance they get, they finally arrive at the Emerald City for an audience with the Wizard of Oz. But when they finally meet the Wizard, all they see is a giant head (which kind of reminds me of the giant head the Power Rangers used to communicate with back in the show's heyday). And that giant head tells them that he'll grant their wishes...IF they bring back the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Geez...way to make it easy on them, huh?

As if that weren't bad enough, when the group approaches the witch's castle, the witch sends her army of flying monkeys to distract the attention of Dorothy's friends while Dorothy and Toto are abducted and taken prisoner inside the castle. Inside the castle, the witch cruelly threatens to drown Toto unless Dorothy gives up the ruby slippers, and Dorothy, who couldn't bear to see anything happen to Toto, agrees to hand them over. But when the witch tries to grab the slippers, the magic barrier protecting them gives the witch a rather nasty shock. The witch realizes that in order for her to get the shoes, she must kill Dorothy. An hourglass is set up while she thinks of a way to get the shoes without diminishing their power. When the time ran out, Dorothy's time would run out too.

Fortunately, Toto ended up escaping from the castle and finds the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. From there, the group overpowers some of the guards, steal their clothes, and run through the castle in an effort to free Dorothy. In one final confrontation, the group is trapped by the witch, who immediately attacks them with a barrage of fire, which ignites the Scarecrow's arm. Dorothy tries to put out the flame and we get this iconic scene...



(Just on a side note...if water made the witch melt...could you imagine how ripe she must have been after being unable to shower or bathe with water? Yuck!)

Nevertheless, they got what they came for. They got the broomstick of the now deceased Wicked Witch of the West and brought it back to the Wizard of Oz, hopeful that now that they have brought what he requested, he could use his magic powers to bestow what each of them wanted...

...that is, until Toto whips back a curtain, and it is revealed that the Wizard of Oz is just an ordinary man (who resembles the fortune teller Dorothy visited with before the tornado hit.

The man, once exposed, is extremely apologetic towards Dorothy and her friends, and he immediately tries to appease their disappointment by insisting that all of them had the qualities they were looking for all along.

It was the truth, you know. Take our Scarecrow. He spent years believing that he didn't have a brain, yet ended up being the most intelligent of the whole group. Tin Man thought he didn't have a heart, yet he ended up being the kindest and most emotionally driven character in the whole group. And the Cowardly Lion proved that he wasn't quite so cowardly because despite his fear, he stuck the quest out until the end.



Of course, the wizard did make gifts for each of them to symbolize this fact. He made a brain for the Scarecrow, a heart for the Tin Man, and a medal of courage (which originally was a liquid of courage) for the Not-So-Cowardly Lion. As for Dorothy, it was explained that the Wizard of Oz came from Kansas as well, and had a hot-air balloon stored away for him to return to Kansas one day. He agrees to take Dorothy and Toto home with him in the balloon. But before the balloon could take off from Munchkinland, Toto leaps out of the basket of the balloon. Dorothy leaps out of the balloon after him, but when she reaches Toto, the balloon takes off without her.

Dorothy is upset, feeling as though she has wasted her one chance to go back home...or has she?

The ruby slippers hold the key to her return. And, yes, I am well aware that I am going against my policy to never reveal the ending of a Monday matinee movie, but I'm going by the assumption that most people have seen the movie, so I'm just going to reveal all. This isn't going to happen very often though, so don't expect me to reveal every ending for a film.



As it turns out, the way back home comes with a great message. A life lesson, if you will. It all comes from a special appearance by Glinda the Good Witch of the North, who told Dorothy that she had the power to go back home whenever she wanted to. She just had to realize that she didn't always have to run away from home to find her heart's desire. By clicking her heels three times and saying 'there's no place like home', she could find her way back to Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, Hunk, Hickory, Zeke, and everyone else she cared about. And when she does this, she awakens back inside the brown hued world of Kansas where she is reunited with her loved ones. Her loved ones insist that Dorothy only dreamt about the Emerald City, and Munchkinland, and the Wizard of Oz, but she insists that everything that happened to her was real. Though she promises everyone that she will never leave again, and that there is no place like home.

Life lesson learned. Never forget where you came from and realize that in most cases, you really can go home again.

In a way, I do believe this to be true, it's just that in my case, I'm not exactly sure where home really is...but that is a whole different story.

To conclude this rather lengthy look back on one of the most popular and influential films of all-time, here's some little known trivia about the movie itself, as well as some behind the scenes action.

  • Originally, the role of the Tin Man was to be played by Buddy Ebsen (who later gained fame on The Beverly Hillbillies), but after ten days, began to develop an allergic reaction to the makeup used as part of the costume, and had to be replaced by Jack Haley).
  • During the scene in which Margaret Hamilton (The Wicked Witch Of The West) was in Munchkinland, she was severely burned after a stunt involving fire went wrong.
  • The role of the Wicked Witch of the West originally went to Gale Sondergaard, but she left the project when she became unhappy with being turned into an 'ugly hag' persona.
  • W.C. Fields was originally considered as the role of the Wizard of Oz.
  • Both Deanna Durbin and Shirley Temple were originally considered to play the role of Dorothy before Judy Garland was cast.
  • In the original book adaptation, the Tin Man was originally a human being named Nick Chopper. The Wicked Witch of the East had enchanted his axe to chop off all of his limbs, which were replaced with a metal substitute. This continued until the Tin Man was entirely made of metal.
  • It took an entire week for the art department to agree on the exact shade of yellow to be used on the yellow brick road.
  • The movie first aired on network television on November 3, 1956, on CBS.
  • Believe it or not, the song 'Over The Rainbow' was almost left on the cutting room floor! MGM had thought that the segment where Dorothy sang in a barnyard was degrading, and made the Kansas scenes seem lengthy. Mervyn LeRoy (producer), Arthur Fleming (director) and Arthur Freed (associate producer) fought to keep the song in the film. Good thing they did.
  • Contrary to popular belief, no munchkin committed suicide during the filming of The Wizard of Oz.
  • It took a dozen takes to get the scene where Toto runs alongside the actors as they head down the yellow brick road.
  • A couple of scenes were left on the cutting room floor. One scene had Dorothy competing in a singing contest with a snobbish Oz princess. Another scene was left off from the ending, which saw Hunk leaving the farm to attend a school of agriculture. Dorothy promises to write to him every day, which kind of makes the finale seem more special when Dorothy tells the Scarecrow 'I'll miss you most of all...”


Sunday, October 02, 2011

Sunday Jukebox: Eternal Flame by the Bangles



I have always been fascinated by flames. And no, I don't mean that in the sense that I love starting fires, because I am definitely not that kind of guy.

I mean I've always been drawn to places that have the nice warm, comforting glow of a flame nearby. Whether it be lit candles, a warm fireplace or a bonfire, there's just something so cozy, warm, and I suppose even romantic about getting close to that beautiful orange glow.

Well, as close as one can get without setting their clothes ablaze and making you practice the stop, drop, and roll lesson you learned all about in elementary school from the firemen who visited the school during safety assemblies.

The point I'm trying to make is that under the right conditions and circumstances, a single flame can be quite comforting to watch and behold. In some cases, it can bring back memories of a former person, or remember a tragic event, and having the flame there can bring some peace of mind to those who gaze upon it.

Have you ever heard of something called an 'eternal flame'? It's a flame that is lit that burns day and night for an indefinite period of time. It's origins are both cultural and religious in nature. It is a religious aspect of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where the Menorah would burn continually. The practice began when Moses oversaw the construction of the original menorah for the Israeli Tabernacle. The concept was also assimilated from Persian religions Zoroastrianism and later used into other Abrahamic religions as well.

During the earliest years that eternal flames came into existence, they were fueled by wood or olive oil, but in recent years, propane or natural gas is used. Some eternal flames exist in nature as well.

The reason for eternal flames are largely for memorial purposes...either to remember a historical event with major significance, or to honour a public figure who passed away.

There are several eternal flames that are currently lit all over the world, all for various reasons. Some of the more famous ones include...

  • One lit in memory of John F. Kennedy, lit on November 25, 1963 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on the day of his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.
  • Several eternal flames are lit in various locations in memory of those lost on September 11, 2001. These locations include New York, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • One lit in memory of Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia
  • One lit in memory of Elvis Presley at his gravesite in Memphis, Tennessee
  • The Centennial flame celebrating Canada's 100th birthday in 1967 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • One lit underneath the Arc du Triomphe in Paris, France in 1921 in memory of those who lost their lives in World War I.
  • One lit in Sarajevo in memory of those who lost their lives in World War II.
  • Two eternal flames are set up in Saint Petersburg, Russia in memory of those who perished in both the Bolshevik Revolution and the Siege of Leningrad.

Some other eternal flames have been lit until the day something historic happens, and once it does, the flame will be extinguished. One such example is in the city of London, Ontario, Canada, where the eternal flame is called the Flame Of Hope. The flame is lit at 442 Adelaide Street, where Sir Frederic Banting did research that lead to the discovery of human insulin. The flame will be extinguished the moment a permanent cure for diabetes is found.

And some former eternal flames have already been extinguished. When Estonia gained independence following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the eternal flame in that city went out. And in 1997, a group of students attending Oral Roberts University extinguished the eternal flame on campus as part of a prank...a prank that got them severe punishment.

So, that is your history lesson on the eternal flame. I promise I won't bore you too much with too many of these...it was just a nice little introduction to today's blog post on a different kind of 'Eternal Flame'.

An eternal flame that was 'lit' in 1988 and released as one of the first singles of 1989.



ARTIST: The Bangles
SONG: Eternal Flame
ALBUM: Everything
DATE RELEASED: January 20, 1989
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 1 week



Eternal Flame was released in early 1989, and hit the top of the charts on April Fools Day, 1989, the band's second #1 hit since 1986's 'Walk Like An Egyptian'. The song was really one of the only ballads done by all girl group The Bangles, and immediately became one of their best known hits. The group was made up of Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, Vicki Peterson, and Michael Steele.

To say that this song was a huge hit was actually kind of an understatement when you consider just how many compilation albums this song appeared in. I guarantee you that if you go to a record store, or the music section at a Walmart or Target location and browse through the 1980s compilation albums, you'll likely find 'Eternal Flame' on at least half of the albums alone. I actually have four different copies of Eternal Flame thanks to the song appearing on four different compilations that I own!

Of course, the song originally was released on The Bangles 1988 album, Everything. When Everything was released, it was released with the lead-off single, 'In Your Room', which was a decent effort. That song reached #5 on the charts in late 1988. But when it came time for the album's second song to be released, the song Eternal Flame was chosen.



The song itself was actually inspired by a couple of eternal flames, one of which I listed above. Inspired by the eternal flame at the gravesite of Elvis Presley when the Bangles visited Graceland, as well as one that was lit at a synagogue in Palm Springs visited by the writer of the song's lyrics, Billy Steinberg. Steinberg recalls Susanna Hoffs talking about the flame at Graceland which was meant to serve as a shrine to Elvis, and immediate after hearing Hoffs describe the flame as being an 'eternal flame', the memories came flooding back to Steinberg. He thought back to when he was living in Palm Springs and attending the synagogue as a child. During Sunday school classes, the teacher would take the group of children on a walk through the sanctuary where they saw a little red light inside. It was explained to the class that the red light was what they called an 'eternal flame'.

The name stuck, the song recorded and released, and it immediately became a huge hit. The sound was a big departure for the Bangles, who were previously known for having a hard, edgy sound in their previous releases. Billy Steinberg described the song as being one that sounded like what might have came to be had 'The Beatles met The Byrds'. And here's a bit of trivia for all of you regarding this song. When it was recorded, Susanna Hoffs sang the song completely in the nude!

Eternal Flame became one of the Bangles biggest hits. Sadly, it also was one of the Bangles last hits. Shortly after Eternal Flame was released, the band went its separate ways with Susanna Hoffs going on a solo career, although the band did get back together in the late 1990s, and a new album was released on September 27, 2011 entitled Sweetheart Of The Sun. And Eternal Flame has been covered by a few artists over the years, with British pop group Atomic Kitten having released their own version in the 2000s (though I personally prefer the original. Judge for yourself though).

Of course, there is more than one meaning to the phrase 'eternal flame'. I've already talked about the literal meaning of the phrase.

But what about the emotional meaning?



Listen very closely to the lyrics of the song. Obviously, Susanna Hoffs is singing about being in love with someone but somehow feels a little bit insecure in the relationship. She clearly loves him, and wants to be with him, but is unsure if he feels the same way about her. She knows that she belongs with him, but she wants to know if he feels the same.

Is she only dreaming, or is their relationship burning an eternal flame?

She mentions in the bridge of the song that whenever he says her name, the sun shines through the rain, and her pain is eased. She no longer feels lonely whenever he's near her, and she loves the feeling of that so much that she doesn't want to lose it.

Which I guess could explain the questioning that she has throughout the song.

And you know, I do understand this. Despite the fact that my romantic history hasn't really been all that memorable (not that you needed to know that per se, just bringing it up because it ties into the conversation), I can see where she's coming from. Sometimes if a person hasn't been on the dating scene for a while, or has been through one loser after another, they may feel as though they are doomed to a life of celebacy, or at the very least, loneliness. I guess the reason why I feel the singer may be questioning the validity of the 'eternal flame' burning inside both of them may be because it really has been the first time she's ever experienced such feelings, and with one false move, that flame could be extinguished faster than those students at Oral Roberts University did with their own flame.

I don't think there's any of us out there who are necessarily 100 per cent secure with their feelings when they first enter a relationship. Those feelings grow over time as they do in any sort of relationship. In many ways, it's up to the people themselves to keep those home fires burning, and it is up to them to keep their flame eternally burning.

Kind of like real life eternal flames. In order to keep them burning, it takes effort, hard work, and maybe even a little bit of luck to keep the winds of change, the bitter coldness...and even a few hooligans away!



Saturday, October 01, 2011

Saturday Morning - Pee-wee's Playhouse

Hello, everybody, and welcome to October!

Can you believe that 2012 is just a little over 90 days away from now? It's absolutely crazy how fast 2011 has flown by. Of course, as I pick and choose topics to talk about in this blog each day, it almost amazes me just how much time really has passed. It seems hard to believe that it was twenty-five years ago on a Saturday morning where I would run downstairs in my pajamas, grab a bowl of whatever sugar-loaded cereal happened to be in the pantry at the time (usually Corn Pops or Cap'n Crunch at my household), and just stare at the television watching cartoons.

The show that I'm featuring in today's blog entry debuted on September 13, 1986. I was only five years old then. Just even looking at that date and realizing that I was old enough to remember watching the first episode of the show makes me feel old. Really old.

Wow. You know, just re-reading that last paragraph, I have used the word old quite a bit. You know what? Just for today, I'm going to make the word old the secret word of the day.

Why have I done this? I'll explain it later. For now, let's take a look at the opening theme of today's blog subject.



Today we're going to take a look at the cult classic Pee-wee's Playhouse, which ran from 1986-1991 on the CBS Saturday morning line-up.



The star of the show obviously needs no introduction as I'm sure anybody who is roughly my age probably knows who he is. Pee-wee Herman (a.k.a. Paul Reubens) could be best described as an overgrown man-child who has a playhouse filled with gadgets and friends and furniture that comes to life. Yet the kids loved him and his show. I can actually remember watching the show as a youngster trying to write a letter to Pee-wee asking him if I could come and see the playhouse close-up in between heaping spoonfuls of Corn Pops.

Of course, the letters never did get mailed, and I never did get to see the playhouse close up, but man, oh, man it was cool.



The whole house looked almost like the entire decade of the 1980s threw up all over it...but in a fantastic way! Bright colours, goofy gadgets, claymation segments...it was basically an visual acid trip for people who grew up in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

It was so engrossing and so eye-catching that you really could not look away.



Pee-wee's Playhouse was a huge hit for CBS, and millions of kids tuned in each Saturday morning to watch Pee-Wee interacting his friends, both human (such as Miss Yvonne and Captain Carl) and non-human (such as Pterri and Chairy). But, did you know that the concept for Pee-wee's Playhouse actually kicked off six years before the debut of the show? And that when it first kicked off, it wasn't exactly suitable for minors?

The year was 1980. That year, Paul Reubens had tried out to become a cast member for the NBC late night show Saturday Night Live. As many of you who watched Saturday Night Live know, 1980 was a year filled with changes. It was the first year that Lorne Michaels stepped down as producer, and it was also the year that many longstanding cast members left the show due to a myriad of reasons. As a result, the show was forced to find all new cast members to replace the ones who had left the series, and Reubens was one of twenty-two finalists to be chosen as a regular cast member. Unfortunately for Reubens, he lost to Gilbert Gottfried, and Reubens was ready to give up on the dream of having a career in the entertainment industry.

But then he came up with an idea to start up a stage show using a character that he created back in 1977. A character that had a cameo in a Cheech & Chong movie.

The character? Pee-wee Herman.

So, with $3,000 cash (funded by his parents), as well as a work force of sixty people (one of which was the late Phil Hartman who like Reubens was a member of the improv group The Groundlings), he created The Pee-wee Herman Show, for the cable channel HBO for the 1980/1981 television season.



There really wasn't a whole lot of difference between the Pee-wee Herman Show and Pee-wee's Playhouse. They both took place inside a giant playhouse. Pee-wee entertained guests by showing old...

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Oh...erm...sorry about that.

Anyways, the show showed cartoons from the 1930s and 1940s (as those were the cartoons that Reubens himself grew up with), and had a lot of the same characters in both shows. But as I said earlier, the 1980 version was a lot more adult oriented. For example, Pee-wee would often get pen pals from prison in the 'Pen Pals Around The World' segment. Yeah, I can see that not working on a kids show, can you? And in some instances there were segments where Pee-wee conducts a puppet show where a puppet hypnotizes a female audience member to undress.

Needless to say, the CBS version was a lot tamer in nature.

Whatever the case was, Pee-wee's Playhouse was a program that attracted a lot of attention, and quite a few celebrities either appeared on the program or got their start on the program.



Did you know that before Laurence Fishburne made a name for himself as a well-known film and television actor that he was the original 'Cowboy Curtis'? And before S. Epatha Merkerson achieved fame on the television drama Law & Order, she played Reba the mail lady? Of course, everyone knows that Phil Hartman (Captain Carl) made a name for himself on Saturday Night Live, Newsradio, and The Simpsons before his tragic death in 1998. And Rob Zombie actually worked on the show as a production assistant before embarking on a recording career.


And when Pee-wee's Playhouse aired a Christmas special during its third season run, lots of stars signed on for a cameo role. Stars such as Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Charo, Whoopi Goldberg, and Zsa Zsa Gabor made guest appearances on the show, which added to the success of the program.

The show was very successful with children, but a lot of adults watched the show as well, based on the retro feel of the show, and because of the classic cartoons that the King Of Cartoons would bring with him each episode.

Another part of the charm that Pee-wee's Playhouse had were the various collection of running gags that the show would have. Probably the one that most everyone remembers is the one that involves the secret word of the day. Usually within the first three minutes of each episode, Conky the Robot would print out the secret word of the day. Pee-wee would show the audience the word, and if any character on the show said the word, then everyone (including presumably the television audience) would have to scream really loud. Because the words were different each episode, the gag never got old.

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Oh, yeah, that's right...I had forgotten that the secret word for today's blog was old.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

Of course, that was just one of the many gags that was present in the show's five year run. Another gag involved the character known as Magic Screen. Pee-wee would hop into the screen through a portal, take out a bunch of dots from his pockets, throw them up into the air and sing the Connect The Dots song. Here's an example of this below.



Other running gags involved the pen pals sketch that Pee-wee acted in the original HBO show (with Globey the globe pointing out the locations to teach kids about geography), the refrigerator where claymation animation was used to make the food in Pee-wee's fridge come to life, and the 'Marry It' joke, where whenever someone admitted that they loved something, Pee-wee would retort 'if you love it so much, why don't you marry it?'

The joke backfired though in one episode, which saw us witness the marriage of Pee-wee to a bowl of fruit salad.

The show was quite a spectacle to be had, and upon its debut in 1986 attracted mostly positive responses from media sources and television viewers. Most praised the show's postmodernistic tendencies and wide array of characterization by representing all kinds of people from all walks of life. During the whole run of the series, the show won fifteen Emmy awards. Bob Keeshan (who most know as Captain Kangaroo) had nothing but praise for the show, citing its 'awesome production values' and creativity.

So, why did the show end in 1991 after five seasons?



I'm sure most of you will probably remember the incident that happened back in July of 1991. For those of you who don't, or were too young to understand what had happened, here's the basic info. Paul Reubens was arrested in Florida for allegedly committing lewd acts inside of an adult movie theater. This incident caused CBS to pull the show off of the airwaves, but I want to make clear that by this time, Pee-wee's Playhouse was on hiatus anyways. His arrest had nothing to do with the show stopping production, as the last original episode had aired eight months prior to the arrest, on November 10, 1990.

Still, with the news of Paul's arrest being front page news in the summer of 1991, it proved to be quite damaging to his career. While hardly his first brush with the law (he was arrested twice in his lifetime when he was younger), the fact that it had been made so public definitely caused Paul Reubens' career to stall. With the television show being pulled off the air, many other companies followed suit in removing Pee-wee Herman memorabilia from their stores and projects. A home video that showcased Pee-wee talking about how voiceovers were made was suspended, and Toys R Us pulled all Pee-wee Herman merchandise from its store shelves.

Paul Reubens attempted to try and clear his name, and issued a statement proclaiming his innocence, but by then, the media was so engrossed in the scandal that his pleas went ignored. Eventually, Paul made a plea of no contest while maintaining his innocence to avoid what would have likely been a highly publicized trial. The charges were not listed on his record, but he did have to perform seventy-five hours of community service, including filming a public service announcement that he would write, produce, and finance. I believe this is the very ad that he in fact did as part of his community service.


Although the publicity surrounding Paul's arrest was decidedly negative, he did have quite a few supporters in his corner. His Pee-wee's Playhouse co-star, S. Epatha Merkerson, and several crew members spoke out on his behalf and criticized the media for treating Reubens like a monster. Other people who spoke out defending Reubens included many of the people who starred in the Christmas special, like Annette Funicello and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Cyndi Lauper (who sang the theme song for the show, albeit under a different name) also defended Reubens, as did Bill Cosby, who believed that the story was being blown way out of proportion. Many people took to the streets of major cities, protesting the arrest, and many polls at the time supported Reubens. However, the shock of the arrest and surrounding media coverage really affected Reubens, and he refused to give any more interviews or make talk show appearances for several years after the fact.

At this point in time, I don't know whether Reubens was guilty of what he allegedly did in that movie theater twenty years ago. So much time has passed now that I honestly don't care whether he did do it or not. I really don't want to make this blog one that accuses him or clears him either way, as everyone has their own opinions about the case. Certainly his 2002 arrest for possession of pornography got tongues wagging, but when the allegations were that he was in possession of child pornography, he immediately went on the offense, stating that he would never support that. Eventually, the child pornography charges were dropped, although he still had to register his address with the sheriff's office for the next three years.

It's really all a matter of perspective really. I mean, keep in mind that when the arrest occurred, I had just turned ten, and wasn't really at the age where I even knew what Paul Reubens was being charged with. My perspective might be different than that of say, someone who was thirty years old...

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...at the time, or someone who had a child that watched the show. The only one who really knows the truth about what happened is Reubens himself, so it's not really my business to judge him at all. I do have my own thoughts about what really happened on that fateful day in 1991, but this isn't the place to talk about it.  Though just to put it out there, it is telling just how many of his work colleagues went to bat for him, and who continue to work with him even today despite the allegations.  Just a little food for thought there.

Anyways, I want this blog to have as much positivity as possible, and in the case of Paul Reubens, he certainly found a way to make lemonade out of the lemons that were dealt to him. By 1992, he had taken bit parts in feature films such as Batman Returns and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and in 1995, he received his one and only non Pee-wee Emmy nomination for his guest role on the sitcom Murphy Brown. His role proved to be such a hit that he appeared on the show for six guest appearances in total, the last one being in 1997. He also earned critical acclaim for his role in the movie Blow.

In 2009, he revived The Pee-wee Herman show as a Broadway stage show, and had hosted performances in various cities all over the United States between 2009 and 2011. He guest starred on Saturday Night Live as Pee-Wee on January 15, 2011, and he has talked about wanting to bring Pee-wee Herman back to the big screen. If successful, it would be the first motion picture made since 1988's Big Top Pee-wee.

There does seem to be a resurgence of people who are rediscovering the program. A retrospective book entitled Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomenon is slated for release on November 1, 2011, and with the success of the Broadway show, it appears as though Reubens has moved on from the scandal, which has since become old...

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...news.

Regardless of what his personal life was like back then, you can't deny that Pee-wee's Playhouse was the pinnacle of 1980s entertainment for children, and that it remains one of the most creative and outstanding shows of the entire decade. Paul Reubens actually said this about the show in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

I'm just trying to illustrate that it's okay to be different – not that it's good, not that it's bad, but that it's all right. I'm trying to tell kids to have a good time and to encourage them to be creative and to question things'.

Well said, Mr. Reubens.


Friday, September 30, 2011

TGIF - Gimme A Break!

It's hard to believe that we are at the end of September already, isn't it? Only a few weeks ago, the hot sun was shining down and people were at the beach sucking back ice cold sodas and walking around in bathing suits. Now as I look outside my window, the leaves on the trees are changing colour, and the temperature is dropping one degree at a time. It's funny how time flies.

I think that is mainly why I started up this blog, and why I chose to make the main subject on pop culture. Pop culture trends are always constantly changing and it's hard to keep up with what is in and what is out. By talking about the trends of the past, present, and future, I want to open this blog up to a wider audience, and I hope that most of you can see that I'm trying to open this blog up more to talk about shows, movies, and songs from all eras. As we approach October and Halloween, I have some spooky entries coming up from all different eras, and it is my hope that you will all take something from at least one of the October entries.

But before we get into October, we have to wrap up September.

Have you ever had days where you feel as though everybody and everyone is on your case at every turn? Days where you feel as though you have a hundred and twenty different things to do and only twenty-four hours a day to get them all done? Days where you are so stressed out that you aren't sure of what to do next?

Days where you just want to cry out 'GIMME A BREAK!!!'

I'm sure we all have had those days. I know there are instances in which I have had lots of days where I wish that people would have given me a well-deserved break. We all have them.



Certainly in the NBC sitcom Gimme A Break (which ran from 1981-1987), Nellie Ruth Harper (played by the late Nell Carter) definitely had moments in which she wanted a break. With good reason too. If you had to move into the Kanisky household as the housekeeper to a police chief and his three teenage daughters, it would probably make you a little bit crazy as well. I know it certainly would me if I were in that situation.



The thing is that Nell genuinely enjoyed taking care of the chief and his girls. And the reason Nell took on the job as housekeeper was as a favour to the chief's late wife, Margaret. Margaret and Nell were friends during the time that she was alive, and before she died, she made Nell promise to look after her husband and their children. Nell said that she would, and when Margaret passed away, Nell moved into the family household in Glenlawn, California.

Gimme A Break managed to attract a few celebrity guests during its six season run. Notable celebrities that appeared on the program included Pat Sajak, Whitney Houston, Ray Parker Jr, Andy Gibb, and Sammy Davis Jr, amongst others. And while the show never managed to get past the top thirty in the Neilsen ratings, the show still garnered enough interest from viewers to stay on the air.



Over the years, more cast members would come and go, and by the end of the series, Nell Carter was the only cast member to last the entire run of the series. Other cast members over the years included Telma Hopkins, Rosetta LeNoire, John Hoyt, Rosie O'Donnell, Jonathan Silverman, and Joey and Matthew Lawrence. So, as you can see, Gimme A Break really ended up being the big breakout show for many of these stars, in particular with O'Donnell, Silverman, and the Lawrence brothers.



Gimme A Break also had some behind the scenes drama associated with it as well. It was widely reported that upon Rosie O'Donnell joining the cast of the show in its final season that O'Donnell and Carter did not get along. According to O'Donnell, Nell wasn't overly friendly with her, and rather than call her by her real name, called her 'Maggie', which was the name of the character she played on the show. In Carter's defense, she claimed to have had done this with all the actors who were on the show as a way to help Joey and Matthew Lawrence (who at the time were ten and six) focus on their lines and give better performances. O'Donnell later told an interviewer that while initially excited to be a part of a big named show like Gimme A Break, she soon grew disappointed, as she felt snubbed by most of the cast that was there.

There was also some controversy at the beginning of the show's run when reports of the stormy, friction-filled relationship between Nell Carter and the original producers of the show came to light. The show's original producers (Coleman Mitchell and Geoffrey Neigher) clashed with Carter over creative differences and personality conflicts. Things had gotten so strained that by the beginning of the third season, Mitchell and Neigher were dismissed from the show as a result of this. For the next few months, Mort Lachman (who had co-created the sitcom) served as co-producer until the team of Rod Parker and Hal Cooper were brought in to serve as producers for the rest of the show's run. This was a team that Carter firmly stood behind, and because she and the team of Parker and Cooper saw eye to eye more often than she had with the previous team, it helped Nell reach the decision to stay on with the series.

Now that you know a little bit about the history of the program, let's meet the characters of Gimme A Break (or at least the ones that were heavily featured).



Clearly, Nell Carter was the star of the show, having been the only character to stay on the show's full six season run. Her character Nell Harper was an interesting sort of character in itself. Born in the state of Alabama, Nell had aspirations of becoming a singer. She ran away from home at eighteen to pursue her dream, and it is on that pursuit that she meets Margaret Kanisky. In the episode 'Flashback', it is shown that Nell meets Margaret in 1974, after Margaret catches her act. It is explained that Nell ends up quitting a job because her boss tries to hit on her, and feeling sympathy for the woman, Margaret takes her into her home to meet the family. Of course, once Nell meets Margaret's husband, Carl, there is an immediate dislike between Carl and Nell, and after a few days, grows sick of Nell being there, as she doesn't have a job. Eventually, Nell ends up getting a job in Bakersfield, California but before she can go, Margaret reveals to Nell that she is dying of cancer, and asks Nell if she would stay behind to look after Carl and the girls. Margaret feels terrible for even asking Nell of this request, but knows that Nell would take good care of her family. Nell eventually honours Margaret's last request, and the rest is history.

Nell is best described as being a sassy, sarcastic, sharp-tongued woman when the need arises, and usually saves some of her best comebacks and barbs towards Carl. She is also a kind, gentle, loving woman though who would do anything to help Carl and Margaret's daughters get through boy troubles, school troubles, medical emergencies, and much more. In 1983, Nell became a foster mother to Joey Donovan, and in 1986, Joey's brother Matthew would become Nell's second foster child. So clearly, Nell's maternal instincts kicked in, even though Nell herself never had children of her own.

One of the running gags of Gimme A Break was Nell's attempts to lose weight. A heavier woman, Carl would often make jokes about Nell's size at Nell's expense, but to Nell's credit, she often gave it as good as he could give it. In some early episodes, Nell became a member of a weight-loss group called PORKO'S, and while she had some success and some failures along the way, Nell never let what other people said about her get to her. She actually had one of the best self-images and self-perception out of all the cast members of the show, which was pretty cool to see upon retrospect.



It is here that we meet our next cast member. Carl Kanisky, portrayed by Dolph Sweet. One thing you could say about Carl Kanisky is that he had a tough, no-nonsense exterior. This worked fine for the police station, where he was employed as a police chief. It didn't exactly work well for the home, especially one with three teenage daughters. One might say that Carl Kanisky was a little bit too rough with his daughters when it came to disciplining them. When his daughter Katie was caught shoplifting in the pilot episode and she sassed him back, he slapped her in the face. When Julie took up smoking and Carl found out, he slapped her. As for Samantha, I don't think he ever slapped her, but he certainly threatened to spank his girls a few times, such as in this clip from the first season of the show.



The only thing I can say was that it was the early 1980s and back in those days, television programs could get away with airing things that they probably couldn't get away with now thanks to political correctness.

But even though Carl had a tough exterior, he was often soft on the inside. He immediately felt terrible after punishing his daughters, and although he never really showed much affection towards Nell, he really did appreciate having her there deep down. Although it takes him some time to accept, he welcomes Joey into the Kanisky family with open arms.

Sadly, Dolph Sweet was diagnosed with cancer during the fourth season of Gimme A Break. Despite the fact that the cancer was wreaking havoc on his body, Dolph wanted to work as much as possible to get his mind off of the treatments that he was experiencing. He passed away on May 8, 1985, just three days before his final Gimme A Break episode aired. At the beginning of season five, the first episode addressed Dolph's death by killing off the character of Carl Kanisky, setting the stage for the revamping of the whole series just one year later.

The Kanisky kids were all different in personalities and character traits, but they all loved Nell, and in many ways were all the apples of their father's eyes. All three of them were mostly gone by the show's final season, but they made an impression on the seasons they were on.



We'll start with Kathleen Kanisky (Kari Michaelsen), who went by Katie. Katie's first appearance on the show wasn't all that great, as she had been caught shoplifting. Katie was the eldest of the three Kanisky girls, but she wasn't exactly the brightest penny in the fountain. She did enough work at school to get by, and she seemed more concerned with how she looked, rather than making a difference in the world. She opted not to go to college and opened up a boutique called 'Katie's Korner'. When the boutique closed up shop, Katie took a job in San Francisco and left the series in 1986.



Next comes Julie Kanisky (Lauri Hendler), who could be considered the polar opposite of Katie. Where Katie took great time and effort in making herself look beautful, Julie was content with her plain Jane bookish appearance. Where Katie wasn't all that interested in schoolwork, Julie was very intelligent and got really good grades. Where Katie was a hit with the boys, Julie sometimes struggled to get a date, and well, you get the idea. Therefore, it's interesting to note that Julie was the first of the Kanisky girls to get married, and have a child (whom she named Nell). Julie also left the series in 1986.



The youngest Kanisky daughter was Samantha (who liked to be called Sam). Sam (Lara Jill Miller) started off on the series as a tomboy type who loved playing sports and doing all the things that boys liked to do. As she matured, she grew into becoming a boy-crazy teenager. She was the only Kanisky daughter to stay on during season six, albeit in a recurring role rather than contract.

Samantha was involved in some of the most controversial storylines that Gimme A Break had ever done. One particular episode that starred Samantha dealt with the subject of race. It was an episode that was so shocking that it ranked #38 on TV Land's 100 Most Unexpected Moments list. The episode in question was one titled 'Baby Of The Family' which aired in December 1984. In the episode, Samantha is incredibly angry with Nell because she wouldn't let her go on an unchaperoned camping trip where boys would be present, and also because she feels that Nell favours Joey more than her. So when Joey is asked by Nell's church to sing in front of the congregation, Samantha decides to get even by tricking Joey into painting his face black for the concert. When Joey performs for the church with the face paint on, everyone is offended, and when Nell finds out the reason, the showdown between Nell and Samantha is not to be missed. In fact, you can view the episode by clicking here and here to see what I mean.

I should warn you though...the episode does contain a rather direct racial slur.  The only reason I posted the video is because the word is uttered to prove a point in the episode, but I figure that you should know that it is present before you click on the links in question.  You have been warned.  Again, let's just say that television (especially sitcoms) could get away with more back in the 1980s than it can nowadays.



Finally, we can't really end this note off without talking about the foster children that Nell took on responsibility for. Joey Donovan (Joey Lawrence) initially came onto the show as a seven year old boy con artist (who was raising money to see his uncle in Chicago). Nell decided to take Joey on as a foster child, and Joey ends up becoming an honorary member of the Kanisky family. There are some moments in which Nell is forced to say goodbye to Joey (especially when his father comes by with his little brother Matthew to take him back). But when Joey and Matthew's father admits that he cannot handle taking care of the two boys, Nell becomes their legal guardian, and the two boys stay with Nell when Nell relocates to New York during season six.

There are several life lessons that we can learn from Gimme A Break.

We have learned that sometimes keeping a promise to a friend can be quite rewarding in the long run.

We have learned that sometimes if your heart is big enough, you can really become a good influence to someone you never thought you would (as in the case with Nell being there for Matthew and Joey).

We have learned that sometimes the brainy girls CAN get everything they want.

Most importantly, I think the one lesson that Gimme A Break can teach us is that it doesn't matter what colour your skin is, or what size you are, or what economic background you have, or whether you have two different coloured eyes. Nell Harper showed that she had love for everybody. She may not have always shown it in the most gentle or appropriate ways (which could also be said for Chief Kanisky), but it was there. And, really, as long as you have love, isn't that the most important thing?

And so ends September. Stay tuned for October!