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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Fisher-Price Memories


Before I get into today’s entry, I just wanted to take the time to remember someone who meant a lot to me.

If you want to, you can read the entry that I wrote about her that is dated December 21, 2011, but it was one year ago today that I ended up losing a dear friend of mine.  There are just some friends out there who make a lasting impression on your life, and for whatever reason, you will always remember them even long after they pass away.

On December 19, 2011, my friend Teresa (who I affectionately called Pierette) passed away just days before her 54th birthday, and I miss her every day.  Even though we had never met each other face to face (we met on an online forum in the summer of 2001), she and I developed a really tight-knit bond.  I still have every Christmas card that she ever sent me, and I’ll always remember the friendship and the joy that she brought not only to me, but to the hundreds of people whose lives she touched in some way.

So, I want to take this opportunity to dedicate this post to my friend "Pierette".  Even though it’s been a year since you were taken away from us, the memories will always remain.  I just hope that wherever you are, you are at peace.

And with that, let’s get to the topic of the blog for today.

Today marks Day #19 of The Pop Culture Addict’s Advent Calendar, and for today’s blog entry, we’re going to be looking at a set of toys that brought me much happiness throughout my entire childhood.  In fact, if I remember correctly, I actually received one of these toys for my very first Christmas!

I obviously do not remember Christmas 1981 all that well - mainly because of the fact that I was only seven months and seven days old at the time.

(Wow...that’s a lot of sevens.  And, I was born at 7:35am to boot...draw your own conclusions from there.)


Anyway, in addition to the lovely train ornament that I received for my first Christmas (and which you can see above in a rather out of focus picture due to my trying to figure out how my digital camera worked), I ended up getting some really cool presents.

(Or, so I’ve been told by my parents.  Back in December 1981, I likely did nothing but nap, eat, and cry for diaper changes to really care about many toys.)

Now, here’s the kicker.  I know that I have always talked about how I grew up in a family where the phrase “disposable income” did not exist, and certainly this was the case when I was a baby.  So, for Christmas 1981, quite a few of my baby toys back then were hand-me-downs from my older sisters.

(Well, the unisex toys, that is.)

And, well, this was one of them.


Recognize this one?  Apparently it was known as the Fisher-Price Farm Animal Mobile, and when I was a baby, it was hanging above my crib.  It was the first thing I saw when I woke up, and the last thing I saw when I went to sleep.  What’s insane about it is that I kind of have hazy memories of trying to grab the floating animals that were spinning around my head...keeping in mind that this was easily thirty years ago!  And I also remember the song that was programmed into the mobile as well...it was a soothing piece known as “Brahms Lullaby”.  I don’t know what it was about that particular song, but every time I heard it, I zonked out and immediately fell asleep...of course I suppose that’s the whole purpose of what a lullaby is supposed to do, right?


To this day, every time I hear that song now, I can’t help but remember having hazy memories of being in that crib, listening to that song.  It kind of makes me smile in a way because I will always carry that memory with me as long as I live. 

That mobile brought me a lot of happiness as a baby.  And, it also introduced me to the wonderful world of Fisher-Price, as it was my first Fisher-Price toy!

But it certainly wasn’t the last.


(In case you haven’t guessed yet, this post is all about Fisher-Price Toys!)

The history of Fisher-Price toys goes back over eight decades!  In 1930, the company was founded by four people...Herman Fisher, Irving Price, Price’s wife Margaret, and Helen Schelle.  The name of the company obviously stemmed from combining the names of Fisher and Price.

(Poor Schelle...)

Fisher ended up bringing a lot to the creation of the company.  Prior to the company’s founding in 1930, Fisher actually worked in the toy industry, manufacturing, selling, and advertising games for a company based out of Churchville, New York.  Irving Price had recently retired from a major variety chain store, and Helen Schelle had operated a Binghamton, New York toy shop.  So, to say that the team behind Fisher-Price had the experience in toys and games is like saying that the sun is hot.

The code of ethics for Fisher-Price toys was very strict.  The Fisher-Price company insisted that all their toys were built with quality materials, great value, and creativity and ingenuity.  In fact, when Fisher-Price toys first hit stores in 1931, the toys were constructed with such materials as ponderosa pine and heavy steel.


The first Fisher-Price toy manufactured was the Dr. Doodle toy, first sold in 1931 (and which would be worth a LOT of money if one were to find one in pristine condition).  By the 1950s, the wooden Fisher-Price toys began to be replaced with plastic versions, and the first toy to be manufactured entirely out of plastic was the “Buzzy Bee” toy.  By the end of the 1960s, at least thirty-nine toys were brought out that were partially or fully made out of plastic.

When Herman Fisher retired from the company in 1969, Quaker Oats bought the company.  In 1991, the company regained its independence from Quaker and became a publicly traded entity before being incorporated as a subsidiary of Mattel Toys two years later.  As of 1997, all preschool-aged toys manufactured by Mattel bear the Fisher-Price label.

So, what were some of my favourite Fisher-Price toys?  I’m going to offer up a Top 5 list from my own personal memories.


05.  FISHER-PRICE AIRPORT

If memory serves me, this playset was the very first one that I had that was brand-new.  I think I ended up getting it for my third birthday, or something like that.  The playset included a helicopter, a jumbo jet...even a chain of cars that was supposed to resemble the vehicle that drives around the airport with everyone’s luggage on it.  I think that I must have played with that set all the time.  Oddly enough, the playset did not inspire me to be an airline pilot or even a steward (truth be told, I’ve never flown in my life!)


04.  FISHER-PRICE RECORD PLAYER

Would you believe that I recently saw an ad for the record player in a recent catalogue?  It’s true that the record player was initially released in the late 1970s, but for whatever reason, I loved it.  The record player came with four plastic records in pastel colours, each one with its own set of grooves.  You see, the record player worked by putting the plastic record in the slots, and then as the needle ran over the grooves, it would make a musical note.  Mind you, most of the songs that came with the record player were either classic kids songs, or nursery rhymes, but I didn’t care.  I remember being in awe of that record player.  It truly was an introduction to music.  Though, I do admit that I wondered when Michael Jackson was going to make a Fisher-Price version of his wildly successful “Thriller” album.  J


03.  FISHER-PRICE SCHOOLHOUSE

Okay, so this one was a hand-me-down from my sisters...and unfortunately for them, I completely trashed it when I was younger.  I scribbled on it with Crayola crayons and markers, because I just felt like doing it.  But the Fisher-Price schoolhouse was interesting because there were tons of activities that one could do with it.  In addition to the playground sets and the desk sets that you could host a class with, there were other unique features associated with it.  There was a bell at the top of the schoolhouse that you could ring.  There was a clock on the wall that helped you learn how to tell time.  There was a chalkboard included in the set that you could write on.  And there was a little magnetic board attached to the roof of the schoolhouse that you could stick your little Fisher-Price alphabet magnets to.  Here’s the good news though.  My sister ended up regaining possession of the schoolhouse playset, and completely restored it to its former glory.  I guess we can all be grateful that Crayola made washable products, huh?


02FISHER-PRICE MAIN STREET SET

This playset was easily my favourite.  It was two-tiered with seven different stores...five of which were designed in a way that you could place your Fisher-Price characters inside.  If memory serves me, the stores that were included were a bank, a grocery store, a fire station, an ice cream parlour, a post office, a pet store, and a barber shop.  There were other accessories that made the street a lot more fun as well.  You had a traffic light that taught you the difference between stop and go, you had a taxi cab that could travel up and down the slides that attached the second tier to the first, and you had a mailbox, stop sign, and phone booth to make the street seem more realistic.  Even the little mail truck had little plastic letters – one for each business on the street!  The attention to detail was incredible, and you know something...I wish I still owned that playset today.  I would love to let any future children that I hope to have one day play with it so they could have as much fun as I did.

01 – FISHER-PRICE LITTLE PEOPLE

They are quite literally the glue that held all the Fisher-Price playsets together.  First introduced in the 1950s, the Little People proved to have a big impact.  Take a look at some of the original Little People that were first brought out.


Until the early 1990s, the majority of the Little People looked like this.  The men were always straight and tall, the women were always curvy, and the kids and animals were short and stubby.  The design of the Little People was indented at the bottom, and made flat so that it could be easy to place them in chairs, seats, and in the various vehicles that were included in playsets.  Some variations of the Little People were made for specific playsets (for example, in the airport playset, some were designed as pilots, and in the farm playset, some of the Little People wore cowboy hats), and when the Sesame Street line of Little People products were first introduced in the 1970s, there were Little People likenesses of Bert, Ernie, Gordon, Susan, and Mr. Hooper.


In 1991, the Little People design was changed after parental concerns about their children choking on the toys were raised.  The figures were increased in size and diameter to make it harder for kids to swallow.  And by 1998, the figures looked like this.


Personally, I can’t relate to the “new” Little People, but my nieces and nephews loved them.  But I still liked the old design better.  Maybe because it’s what I grew up with.

At any rate, that’s our discussion on Fisher-Price Little People for today!  I hope I brought back some really great memories for all of you!


Coming up on Day #20 of the advent calendar...there certainly is a lot of talk about the end of the world.  In the Thursday diary, I share my holiday plans in brief detail, as well as talking about my experience with the Y2K bug that never happened.  Hey, if we’re going to talk about the end of the world, we may as well have some survival stories from the threat of 12 years ago, right? 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

December 18, 1980


Welcome to Day #18 of “The Pop Culture Addict’s Advent Calendar”, and this is the time of the week where we are going to be featuring our weekly look back through time in what we like to call the Tuesday Timeline!

I’ll admit that trying to incorporate a holiday theme into this piece was a difficult challenge, but I managed to sneak a little holiday treat at the end of this entry for you to enjoy.  Hey, it’s what I do...try to spread the holiday joy!

So, let’s not waste any more time babbling on.  We have a whole bunch of things to discuss.  Why don’t we begin by wishing the following famous faces a very happy birthday?

Birthday wishes go out to...Roger Smith, Lonnie Brooks, Jacques Pepin, Roger E. Mosley, Michael Moorcock, Harold E. Varmus, Harvey Atkin, Keith Richards, Alan Rudolph, Steven Spielberg, Gillian Armstrong, Leonard Maltin, Elliot Easton (The Cars), John Booth, Ray Liotta, Ron White, Geordie Walker, , Julia Wolfe, Brian Orser, Norman  Brown, Greg D’Angelo, Allan Kayser, Brad Pitt, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Don Beebe, Robson Green, Shawn Christian, Mick Collins, Fawna MacLaren, Rachel Griffiths, Casper Van Dien, Nina Wadia, DMX, Victoria Pratt, Cowboy Troy, Rah Digga, Raymond Herrera, Leila Arcieri, Trish Stratus, Daniel Cleary, Katie Holmes, Tara Conner, Ashley Benson, Ashley Slanina-Davies, and Bridgit Mendler.

And here are some of the events that have taken place on December 18ths of yore...

1642 – Abel Tasman becomes the first European to land on New Zealand

1777 – The United States celebrates its first ever Thanksgiving, which stemmed from a celebration over winning the Battle of Saratoga that October

1787 – New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the United States Constitution

1878 – The last of the “Molly Maguires” (John Kehoe) is executed in Pennsylvania

1888 – The ancient Indian ruins of Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde are discovered by Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law

1892 – Premiere performance of “The Nutcracker” in Saint Petersburg, Russia

1898 – Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized speed record in a Jeantaud electric car (39.245 mph)

1912 – The Piltdown Man is announced by Charles Dawson; later proven to be a hoax

1916 – The Battle of Verdun ends; Germany is defeated by the French; 337,000 people lost

1917 – The resolution containing the language of the 18th Amendment to enact prohibition is passed by the United States Congress

1932 – Because of a blizzard, a football game between the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans had to be moved to the Chicago Stadium from Wrigley Field, in what would be known as the first NFL Championship Game

1939 – Battle of the Heligoland Bight

1944 – Hankow, China is bombed during the Second World War

1956 – Japan joins the United Nations

1958 – The world’s first communications satellite, Project SCORE, is launched into orbit

1966 – The Saturn moon “Epimetheus” is discovered by Richard L. Walker

1972 – President Nixon announces plans for Operation Linebacker II during Vietnam War

1978 – Dominica joins the United Nations

1989 – The European Economic Community signs a trade and commercial/economic cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union

1992 – Legendary game show producer Mark Goodson passes away from pancreatic cancer in New York City at the age of 77

1996 – Ebonics is declared an official language/dialect by the Oakland, California school board

1997 – HTML 4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium

2000 – Irish singer Kirsty MacColl is killed in a controversial boating accident in Mexico

2006 – The United Arab Emirates holds their first ever elections on the same day that floods devastate the country of Malaysia, killing 118 and leaving 400,000 homeless

2008 – Mark “Deep Throat” Felt passes away in Santa Rosa, California at the age of 95

Quite a lot of history to digest, isn’t it?  Well, the date we’re visiting this week is...drum roll please...


December 18, 1980!

Thirty-two years ago, a songbird was born, and over those thirty-two years, her wings have spread in a multitude of ways.  I suppose in one way, you could claim that she has actually gone full circle because she began her career on a talent show, and she is currently a judge on a talent show!  Of course, that’s just the first 32 years of her life.  I assume that she has years ahead of her still. 

Of course, in those thirty-two years, this person has had their share of highs and lows.  When she was high, we all loved her and girls wanted to be like her.  But when she was low, she became fodder for the tabloids and trash talking websites, as so many other celebrities have had to go through.

But she seems to be going full steam ahead these days, and with a brand new album and brand new tour on the horizon, she’s well on her way to smooth sailing.

So, who am I talking about?  Maybe this video will give you a bit of a clue.


ARTIST:  Christina Aguilera
SONG:  Your Body
ALBUM:  Lotus
DATE RELEASED:  September 17, 2012
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #34

Okay, so it might not be her biggest smash single, but it’s one of her newest, and it did receive reviews that glowed as brightly as the pink hair extensions that she is sporting in the video.


But when you consider that this single comes from her seventh studio album, it’s easy to make the judgment that Christina Aguilera has made her own mark in the music industry.

And, since today’s her birthday, why not make this blog entry all about her?

Born on December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York, Christina Maria Aguilera was the eldest of two children born to Fausto Xavier Aguilera and Shelly Loraine Fidler-Aguilera.  Because Aguilera’s father was a soldier in the United States Armed Forces, the family was forced to move around to several places by the time Christina was six years old.  Around that time, her parents ended up divorcing, and Christina (along with her mother and sister) moved to Rochester, Pennsylvania.  To this day, Christina remains close with her mother, but rarely has any contact with her father.

Here’s an interesting piece of trivia in regards to how Christina Aguilera began her career...her rise to stardom almost exactly paralleled that of Britney Spears.  Christina got her start singing on the talent show “Star Search”.  So did Britney.

(Both lost.)


Both Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears were cast in the television series “The Mickey Mouse Club” in the early 1990s, both of whom were initially rejected on their first audition because they were too young.  Spears was cast before Aguilera, and Aguilera reportedly had the nickname of “The Diva” because of her rich vocal abilities.  The show ended in 1994, when both were still cast members.

TRIVIA:  Apparently, the parallels continued after both Spears and Aguilera hit it big...both of them kissed Madonna in that infamous MTV Video Music Awards moment, and both of them are currently judges on television reality shows (Spears for The X Factor and Aguilera for The Voice).  Go figure.

But, there is one thing that Aguilera can claim.  She had a single hit the charts before Britney Spears did.


While Britney’s debut single, “Baby, One More Time” was released in September 1998, Christina Aguilera’s debut was three months earlier, in June 1998.  The song was recorded for the soundtrack for the Disney feature film, “Mulan”, and the name of the song was “Reflection”.  When the call from Disney came out about finding a vocalist for the song, Christina sent in a demo tape of herself singing the Whitney Houston single “Run To You” from the soundtrack of “The Bodyguard”.  Christina’s dream of being a famous singer was very real to her, and she felt that if she got the job of recording “Reflection”, it would help her get her name out there.

The demo immediately attracted the attention of Ron Fair, who would later become her mentor, and who was a key figure in helping Aguilera land her first recording contract with RCA Records that same year.  Long story short, “Reflection” ended up becoming a Top 20 Adult Contemporary hit in late 1998, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.


In August 1999, Christina Aguilera released her debut album (with the original title of “Christina Aguilera”), and the album became a huge success.  All four of the singles released from the album (“Genie In A Bottle”, “What A Girl Wants”, “Come On Over Baby”, and “I Turn To You”) reached the Top 5, and in the case of the first three singles, hit #1.

TRIVIA:  Christina’s song “What A Girl Wants” was the very first #1 song of the new millennium.

Her next two albums were a Spanish version of her massive selling debut, as well as a Christmas album, both released in 2000.  And in 2001, she recorded a duet with Ricky Martin, “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely”, and teamed up with Lil Kim, Mya, and Pink for the cover version of “Lady Marmalade” for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.  But by 2001, Aguilera was becoming disenchanted with her management.  She was beginning to tire of the bubblegum pop image that seemed to saturate the radio in the early 2000s, and wanted a change of pace.  But when the record company refused to play ball with her, she decided to switch up her management team (replacing Steve Kurtz with Irving Azoff), and in 2002, she changed her image to one that was a complete 180 from her previous one.


When “Stripped” was released, the first single was “Dirrty”, which given the raunchy visuals and controversial image makeover she debuted made tongues wag.  The single did not perform well, and Aguilera was lambasted by critics and fans for her new image.  But one thing that I will credit Christina for is that she always stood by her work, and claimed that “Dirrty” was a song about power and control.

But, to be fair, I liked this single much better...


ARTIST:  Christina Aguilera
SONG:  Beautiful
ALBUM:  Stripped
DATE RELEASED:  November 16, 2002
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #2

(As someone who has had – and still has to some extent – self-esteem issues, you’ll understand why I enjoy this song.)

In more recent years, Christina Aguilera has changed her image quite a bit.  Her retro throwback sound that was infused throughout her 2006 album “Back to Basics” won critical praise and kept her in the spotlight.  Her personal life was also at a high at the time, marrying Jordan Bratman in 2005 and giving birth to their son, Max, in January 2008 (the marriage would end in 2010, the same year that Aguilera received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame).


Christina appeared in the 2010 film “Burlesque”, and while the movie itself was torn apart by critics, the star’s performance was widely considered to be the only shining quality of the whole movie.  The following year, she was hired to serve as one of the judges on “The Voice” alongside Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton, which currently is among one of the most viewed programs on NBC.  It was announced in 2012 that Aguilera would be leaving The Voice at the end of its third season to promote “Lotus”, and that Colombian born singer Shakira would be taking over her spot for season four.

And there you have it...a brief history of Christina Aguilera.

One thing that I have not talked about in this blog entry as of yet is my own personal thoughts about her.  I know that she has not had an easy road to stardom over the years, and I know that she made a few mistakes (including an arrest for public intoxication in 2011 and that whole kiss with Madonna/Britney Spears scandal) in her lifetime...but who hasn’t?

As far as I’m concerned, she is only human, and as far as I know, none of the mistakes she has made have been harmful to herself or to other people (unlike the person whose song helped Christina get a recording contract with RCA Records back in the late 1990s).  I can look beyond that to see the talent within.  And regardless of what one might say about her personal choices, that talent overshadows it all at this moment in time.  I’m not afraid to admit that I do enjoy Christina Aguilera’s voice, and I think that she still has that star power.  I’m not interested in the slams towards her about her actions, or even her waist size (which is frankly nobody’s business).  She still looks beautiful, and I think that she’s at a point in her life where she’s ready to take on the world and not let anything stop her.


And, to end this look back on December 18, 1980, why don’t we post a holiday favourite from Christina Aguilera to end off this note (and to have some holiday link to this entry?)


Coming up on Day #19, we’re going to examine a world filled with Main Streets, Schoolhouses, Airports...and Little People?

Monday, December 17, 2012

Ernest Saves Christmas


It's Day #17 of “The Pop Culture Addict's Advent Calendar”, and it happens to be a Monday Matinee today.

And today's blog entry is all about a movie that didn't exactly make a lot of money at the box office, and yet it still has its fans.



How many of you remember the late Jim Varney? I see a few of you raising your hands up high exclaiming “I know him, I know him!”

But for those of you who might not know who he is, I thought I would open up this entry by doing a little biographical sketch on him before launching into today's feature presentation.

Jim Varney was born in Lexington, Kentucky on June 15, 1949, the fourth child of James and Louise Varney. When Varney was a young child, he had the uncanny ability to memorize long poems and passages from books, and would often recite everything that he had just read to his family who were completely amazed by his ability. I guess you could say that Jim Varney had a bit of a photographic memory.

As it turned out, Varney ended up having a memory for sounds and voice dialects...by the time he was eight years old, he had the ability to mimic the same voices of the cartoon characters that he had just watched on television.

When Varney entered his teenage years, he was determined to pursue a career in entertainment, and he won several prizes and awards in state drama championships during his time at Lafayette High School. After his graduation in 1968, Varney continued to act in various stage productions and college plays, and studied Shakespeare in the Barter Theatre in Virginia.



TRIVIA: Jim Varney was extremely passionate about the works of William Shakespeare. He was once quoted as saying that one of his wishes as a performing actor was to act in a production of Shakespeare's classic play “Hamlet”.

Although Jim Varney never did get the chance to star in “Hamlet”, that's not to say that his career wasn't spectacular in itself. He ended up getting a lot of big breaks over his lifetime, which included the following roles...

  • Was a regular cast member in the 1976 variety show “Johnny Cash & Friends”
  • Held a guest starring role on “Fernwood 2 Night”
  • Cast in the role of Seaman “Doom & Gloom” Broom in the television version of “Operation Petticoat” between 1977 and 1979
  • Portrayed Evan Earp in the 1983-1984 television series “The Rousters”
  • Co-hosted HBO's 1985 New Years Eve special with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson



  • Assumed the role of Jed Clampett in the 1993 movie adaptation of “The Beverly Hillbillies”



  • Was the voice of Slinky Dog in the first two “Toy Story” films
  • Was the voice of 'Cookie' Farnsworth in the 2001 film “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”

Sadly, that last entry on that list would end up being his last role ever. In the summer of 1998, Varney developed a nagging cough while he was filming a movie, and grew concerned when he saw a spot of blood inside of his handkerchief. After having an appointment with a doctor, he was given the grim news that he had lung cancer. Despite his diagnosis in 1998, Varney spent much of 1999 continuing to work on projects. A chain smoker for almost his entire life, the day he heard the diagnosis was the day that he quit smoking for good, and even filmed a public service announcement about the dangers of smoking.

Varney battled lung cancer for a year and a half and underwent chemotherapy to try and combat the disease...but on February 10, 2000, Varney passed away at the age of 50.

Throughout Jim Varney's lifetime, he obviously had a lot of great success in the world of film and television, and he certainly had a lot of fun bringing his talents to the big and small screens. But I haven't even touched upon the role that truly made Jim Varney a huge star. It was also a role that was so silly and so goofy that I actually ended up doing a double take when I read that Varney had studied Shakespeare!

I'm sure you know the role that I am talking about, don't you?



It seems hard to believe, but the character of Ernest P. Worrell was created by Varney for a series of television commercials thirty-two years ago. In 1980, Ernest made his television debut in a local commercial for Beach Bend Park, which advertised an appearance by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. From there, Ernest became the official spokesperson for several dairy advertisements, and Varney created two more characters (Auntie Nelda and Sgt. Glory) that were used in various commercials that were taped between 1980 and 1990.

Eventually, Ernest's popularity grew nationwide, and the idea to spin-off the Ernest character into a series of feature films became a reality beginning with 1987's “Ernest Goes To Camp” (a movie that I did an entry in my blog about last summer). Other feature films followed, such as 1990's “Ernest Goes To Jail”, 1991's “Ernest Scared Stupid”, 1993's “Ernest Rides Again”, and 1998's “Ernest In The Army”. There was even a Saturday morning television show entitled “Hey Vern, It's Ernest”, which aired during the 1988-1989 season.

TRIVIA: Jim Varney had the distinction of winning an Razzie Award (in 1988 for “Ernest Goes To Camp”, and then winning an Emmy Award the following year for “Hey Vern, It's Ernest!”

You've probably figured it out by now, but today's blog will be taking a look at an Ernest film...and yes, it is one that takes place during the Christmas season.



"Ernest Saves Christmas” was released on November 11, 1988, and in addition to Varney, the film also starred Douglas Seale, Oliver Clark, and Noelle Parker. The film was directed by John Cherry, who directed all the other Ernest films, and made about $28 million in profits. On one hand, it was a success, since it did make four times its budget, but it was hardly considered to be worth a success when you consider that 1988's top-grossing film, “Rambo III”, made almost $200 million at the box office.



Regardless, the film remains a favourite to many Ernest fans, and I admit that I do love this movie (although “Ernest Goes To Camp” will always be my all-time favourite Ernest film).

The plot for the film is very simple. Santa Claus (Seale) is the most recent in a long line of Santa Clauses before him (the idea of Santa being replaced by a new Santa was also featured in “The Santa Clause”). And this Santa Claus is on a mission. He is in Orlando, Florida with the purpose of finding someone else to take over for him this Christmas. The lucky winner of the new promotion is the host of “Uncle Joey's Treehouse”, Joe Carruthers (Clark). And on the surface, Carruthers seems to be the perfect choice. The catchphrase of his show, after all, is “they never get old, they always stay new, those three little words, please and thank you!”

Santa just has to find him.

And Ernest P. Worrell happens to be his taxi cab driver.

So, here you are, thinking that the situation is bound to get a little more complicated with Ernest involved. Well, you're right. Just minutes after Ernest picks up Santa, they cross paths with a runaway teenage girl who calls herself Harmony Starr (Parker), who joins the two.



Upon arriving at their destination, Santa is embarrassed to admit that he has no money to pay Ernest (the only money in his possession is money from a board game). Fear not though, Ernest is in the giving spirit for Christmas and lets Santa off, free of charge. Unfortunately for Ernest, his boss doesn't seem to feel the same way, and fires Ernest on the spot.

Ah, but Ernest soon discovers that Santa has left his magical bag behind in Ernest's cab. And, Ernest, who would never play the game of “finders keepers, losers weepers” embarks on a mission to return the bag back to its rightful owner.

At the same time, Santa tries to get close to Joe in order to tell him of his new job promotion, but Joe's agent keeps him from doing so. The agent even mishears Santa's name, actually calling him Mr. Santos instead! To compound the matter, Santa realizes that he has lost his bag, and that his mind isn't as sharp as it used to be. When he tries to explain to Joe why he has come, Joe refuses to believe it, and Joe's agent actually has Santa arrested!



So, here's the situation. Ernest and Harmony discover that Santa has been arrested and work on a plan to try and bust him out of jail so that he can convince Joe to take on the job.



Meanwhile, Joe's agent manages to sink his claws into Joe, urging him to pull the plug on his children's show to star in a horror film that has aliens terrorizing children on Christmas Eve. The movie's plot is so offensive to Santa that he ends up decking the director, but Joe seems determined to go ahead with the project. Can anyone make him see reason before Christmas Eve?



And, what about the teenage girl who calls herself Harmony Starr? When she discovers the secret behind Santa's magical sack, she decides to take advantage, and plots to run away with the loot. Will a Christmas miracle make her see the light?



Oh, I can't tell you. I never reveal endings. You'll just have to watch the movie for yourselves...

...by clicking HERE. Consider this a Christmas present to you all. And, considering how rapidly movies get yanked from the site where this is posted, you may want to take advantage while you can.



With just one more week left to go until the big day, I have a lot of holiday memories left to post. Tune in on Day #18 where we will talk about the birth of a recent pop icon who has worn a lot of hats. She's been a singer, a judge, and a Mouseketeer! And, we'll be featuring both a contemporary song of hers as well as a Christmas song. Hey, gotta keep the theme going, right?

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy


The last couple of days have been quite hard on a lot of people.  I still am in disbelief over what has happened, and I am sure that millions all over the world are still grieving.  If you haven’t already, do take the time to look at the piece that I wrote yesterday.  The title is “How Do You Mend A Broken Heart?”

For today, I want to go back to a more normal schedule for the blog.  We are right in the middle of The Pop Culture Addict’s Advent Calendar, and I think that part of the grieving process is finding a way to continue living our lives as best we can.  We’ll never forget what happened, nor will we forget the names of those who lost their lives that fateful morning, but at the same time, we can’t live our lives in fear.  We all have to find a way to deal with our pain in our own ways, and if I can offer up a blog entry that makes people smile, laugh, or just find out something that they might not have known in the world of pop culture, then maybe I’m doing some good.

So, let’s begin Day #16 with the weekly Sunday Jukebox entry.  As I have done for the last couple of weeks, this entry is Christmas themed.  And today’s song was performed by what could be called the most unexpected and odd duet that modern pop music has ever seen. 

And yet, it worked.  It worked brilliantly.

In the world of pop music, there have been some interesting collaborations over the years, each one seemingly paired up for shock value.  Some examples over the last thirty years include the following...









(Wow...after watching that KLF video, I must make a note to myself to feature that song in a future entry.  It’s so bad, it’s too good to pass up!)

And, then there’s this collaboration, which was released thirty-five years ago...


ARTIST:  David Bowie and Bing Crosby
SONG:  Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy
ALBUM:  Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993
DATE RELEASED:  November 30, 1977*
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: N/A



There are a couple of things that I want to explain about this song before I talk about how this collaboration came about.  First, you might have noticed that I have put a star beside the date of release.  That’s because the song was first heard on this particular date on a Christmas special that aired in both the United States and the United Kingdom.  The actual song release was not pressed until five years later in November 1982.  The song was released in the UK shortly before the 1982 Christmas season, and quickly reached #3 on the UK charts that year, setting the stage for the huge release of David Bowie’s 1983 album “Let’s Dance”.

TRIVIA:  Did you know that the UK version of this song is almost twice as long as the one released in the USA?


So, how did the collaboration between David Bowie and Bing Crosby come to happen?

I mean, if you were to go back in time to the year 1977 and tell people that David Bowie and Bing Crosby were going to perform a duet together, they would probably have given you a clueless look or laughed in your face in disbelief.  After all, both men were as different as night and day.


David Bowie (a.k.a. Ziggy Stardust) was known for his androgynous style (at least in his early days), frequently pushed the button with his songs, and worked hard to become one of the most well-known and respected male vocalists in the United Kingdom.


Bing Crosby was far more conservative in appearance than David Bowie was.  His claim to fame was the wildly popular “White Christmas”, which broke records all over the world...in fact, he is estimated to have sold half a billion records during his career!

To pair both of them up for a recording of a Christmas song seemed like a rather goofy idea, especially since Bowie’s style of music and performing seemingly clashed with the more traditional approach that Crosby was known for.

And yet that’s exactly what happened when David Bowie was asked to appear on Bing’s upcoming holiday special, “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas”, set to air just in time for Christmas 1977.

The performance between Bing and David was recorded, like most Christmas songs at the time, on a warm, September day...September 11, 1977, to be exact.  And, as you saw in the video, the segment opened with David dropping by Bing’s house from down the road (!!) and the two of them sharing their holiday traditions. 

What you might not have been aware of was the fact that despite their on-screen rapport with each other, David Bowie was a bit apprehensive about performing a duet with Bing.  He later admitted in an interview years later that the only reason that Bowie agreed to guest star on Bing Crosby’s holiday special was because his mother was a fan.  At the same time, there was some speculation that Bing Crosby had no idea who David Bowie even was!  Of course, re-watching the video again, if Bing really was clueless about whom David Bowie was, he certainly did not appear to show it!

The song that both Bowie and Crosby performed was a medley of sorts.  Initially, both men are singing the classic Christmas carol, “The Little Drummer Boy”, which was first recorded in 1941.  But as the second verse begins, David starts singing the original composition entitled “Peace on Earth”, written by the songwriting team of Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan.  Bing continued to sing “Little Drummer Boy”, creating a harmony that worked incredibly well. 

It was a collaboration that on paper looked ridiculous...but seeing it on screen and hearing both of them singing just made the song even more magical. 

TRIVIA:  Of course, some of the magic might be taken away when I tell you that David Bowie actually despised singing “Little Drummer Boy”, and wanted to sing something else, hence the reason for the creation of the lyrics for “Peace on Earth”.

Although, I’m sure that nowadays, David Bowie can probably look back on this performance and be proud of it, because it was such a big hit in the United Kingdom...but I think that the performance also holds another special meaning for Bowie.

David Bowie would end up being the very last person that Bing Crosby would ever sing with again.

Just a little over a month after the two got together and performed that song for Bing’s Christmas special, Bing Crosby passed away on October 14, 1977 from a heart attack sustained while he was playing golf.



Bing Crosby was seventy-four years old.

The Christmas special aired posthumously, on November 30, 1977, on CBS, and fans watched as he sang with David Bowie in the special, not realizing that this duet was one of his final performances ever.

It’s been thirty-five years since Bing Crosby died, and yet his legacy continues to live on.  “White Christmas” is still widely popular today, and even the duet that he did with David Bowie all those years ago is still a regular staple on radio stations every December.

And that is the story of a collaboration that seemed a bit peculiar on the outside, but ended up being sweet music to everybody’s ears.


Coming up tomorrow, it’s Day 17...and in the Monday Matinee, we’ll see how a cap wearing Southern gentleman helps save Christmas for the people of Orlando, Florida.  Know what I mean, Vern?