A Babyboomer's Flashback

 

This is the first post from my blog Gina's Music Memories:

As far back as I can remember, there was music in my house playing 24/7. My mom and dad were known in our community as "the dancers," so you can imagine, they loved music.

The first music I remember hearing was 50's rock and roll and Elvis was the King. I love his music to this day, have seen every one of his movies at least five times and even went to one of his concerts a few months before he died. 

My dad met him when he was filming Follow That Dream in Ocala, Florida . . . they were filming the bank scene the following day and my mom and dad parked themselves outside the bank since my mom was so pissed that it was my dad who met him and not her. They were there early in the morning and as dusk approached, they had to give up and leave, but my mom did get to touch his pink Cadillac. 

One of my prized possessions is my Elvis concert program that takes me back to that day . . . he was visibly ill, but still put on one of the best concerts I have ever been to (and I have been to many concerts in my life).

Elvis Presley - Teddy Bear

This is one of my early favorites . . .

My early childhood musical favorites were Fabian, Bobby Vee, Frankie Avalon, James Darren . . . pop music! My first true love was James Darren until Paul McCartney hit the scene. My female idol was Sandra Dee who I thought was the most beautiful woman ever and so wanted to look like her. My favorite childhood movie was A Summer Place . . . . quite the racy movie for its time and the Gidget series of movies. Of course Cinderella is way up there on my list of favorites . . . I still have the yellow plastic record 78 LP soundtrack from the movie. Somewhere along the way, I lost my Cinderella watch. 

It was a time where families all sat at the dinner table together without the distractions of the television, video games or the computer. Even when we finally got a television, my dad restricted us from watching it all the time as he thought life was about more important things. Of course it irritated the hell out of me, but now, in a weird sort of way, I somewhat understand his thinking. We compromised for the very favorite things to watch on television, which for me included American Bandstand on Saturdays, The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights, and The Mickey Mouse Club every weekday afternoon. My musical roots were already formed when I was a little girl in elementary school. Even with the new exciting thing, the television, for me it was all about the music.

It was a time when families were close, times seemed slower paced and my brother and I were quite content with the simple toys we played with . . . it occurs to me that children are very spoiled in these times with such a vast array of toys . . . and do they ever have enough of anything? I often wonder how my life would have been different and/or changed if we had all these "things."

Mork and Mindy

It was one of my favorite sitcoms from back in the 70's and 80's.  Although it was on the air for only four seasons, didn't it seem like it was on forever, like an old friend?  

Mork and Mindy was one of those memorable and unique sitcoms that ran along the edge of bizarre.  The world was introduced to the mad comedic genius of Robin Williams, who drove the writers crazy with his improvisational whims that he just threw in as it was being filmed.  They ultimately had to leave gaps in the scripts, giving Robin the artistic freedom to put in his unique touch.  Fans of the show responded favorably, making it one of the most successful sitcoms in it's first season.

The sitcom started as a spoof of the 60's sitcom, My Favorite Martian, in the form of a dream Richie Cunningham of Happy Days had.  Robin Williams' character Mork was so popular with the viewers that the powers that be had to spin it off into a sitcom all to itself.

Mork arrives on earth in an egg-shaped space-craft with the intent of the Orkans to study human behavior.  However, the real intent was to get Mork off the planet of Ork, where humor was not allowed.  Imagine that . . . Mork must have drove them mad!

The sitcom centered around Mork trying to understand American culture while Mindy (Pam Dawber) attempts to assist him with adjusting to life on Earth.  A feature of each episode came at the end of the show in the form of a summary, when Mork reports back to Orson, his superior from Ork, on what he has learned about Earth.  This feature gave Robin the chance to throw in his outrageously comical commentary on social norms of the times.

While the first season was wildly popular, the ratings began to slip in the second season when attempts were made to change what didn't need fixing. Between the changes and constant changes to the time slot, the series never regained the popularity of the first season.  The biggest mistake of the second season was the attempt to link Mork and Mindy romantically.

By the fourth season, despite the decline of the sitcom, the network wanted to give it another chance, hoping to capture the magic once again since Robin Williams remained hilarious as Mork.

The changes that came with the fourth season were personally an insult to my intelligence.  The addition of Jonathan Winters, along with Robin Williams, could have been a genius move if not for the unbelievably lame storyline.

Mork and Mindy got married.  Mork laid an egg that grew larger and larger, hatching a full grown adult, Jonathan Winters, as their son.  The explanation was that Orkans aged in reverse from humans.  Although I always loved Jonathan Winters, I was not amused with him talking like a baby.

As a huge fan of the show, I wanted it to succeed and continue on since I loved the characters, but it died a dismal death of awful ratings that ended at #60. Seems like I was not the only one whose intelligence was insulted.  Too bad they couldn't have come up with a better storyline.

Mork and Mindy was cancelled after four seasons and 95 episodes.  

I still hear the greeting Mork often used, na-nu na-nu . . . the saying is a piece of pop culture history in itself.

Robin Williams went on to super stardom . . .

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Remembering Dick Clark on New Years Eve

In recent years, as I watched the ball drop on New Years Eve with Dick Clark, I wondered if it would be the last.  The pop culture icon, who will always be remembered as "America's oldest teenager," seemed to never age until recent years.

It was evident after his stroke in 2004 and made me so sad to watch the changing times through Dick Clark's deteriorating health and his struggle to simply speak.  Since then, I had so much more respect for Dick Clark as a person for putting himself out there instead of going into hiding, although it was very difficult to watch.  He so loved his place in our lives!

As a lover of pop culture in general, it is my opinion that Dick Clark was the pop culture king of our times . . . an entertainment innovator extraordinnaire and super media mogul!

In the beginning, he landed a gig as a DJ at WFIL in Philadelphia in 1952 with a show he called "Dick Clark's Caravan of Music." Little did he know that he was about to change pop music as we knew it back in the day . . . or did he?  Dick Clark broke into the big time, hosting Bandstand, an afternoon dance show for teenagers.

American Bandstand was born in 1957 as ABC took over the show with the whole country watching.  The show gave many new music artists their first exposure to national audiences . . . anyone who was or was going to be anyone in the music industry showed up on the show, launching the careers of too many megastars to mention.  He was a starmaker who brought the music AND the performers to the masses and we loved him for it!  American Bandstand ran from 1957 to 1987.

How many of us learned all the latest dance trends watching the show?  I know I did!!

Dick Clark Productions formed in 1963 and cranked out one hit show after another with the "$25,000 "Pyramid" to "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" to the "American Music Awards." 

In 1972, Dick Clark became synonymous with one of the biggest nights of the year and we have celebrated New Years Eve with him since.

Ryan Seacrest, who has taken the lead in recent years, will be ushering the new year for the first time without his mentor.

"Ryan Seacrest tells TMZ ... the countdown to 2013 will be a special one, because he'll be honoring his late friend and mentor ... the great Dick Clark."  Read more here. 

This year, ABC is set to air “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve: The 40th Anniversary Party,” a two-hour celebration of the show, which will lead into “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” . . . but it will never be the same again.

For now, Dick Clark. So long!

Gidget . . . The Taco Bell Dog

When I think about some of my favorite television commercials of all time, The Taco Bell Dog is in my top 5 . . . could possibly even be my favorite.

Since Gidget died and Taco Bell changed their television marketing, their commercials just aren't special anymore.

This is my tribute to Gidget . . . The Taco Bell Dog.  Miss you!

Vintage Television Commercials

Television commercials are like

 a time capsule of pop culture history.  

I've gathered some videos that depict

 what I consider the lost era of innocence

 . . . the 50's and 60's.

50's and 60's Commercials Vintage 50's and 60's Commercials 60's Commercials Classic 60's Commercials

Here are the Anacin commercials . . . Mother Please is really poor quality, but the only one I could find :(










OMG I'm enjoying this way too much :)

Some updates . . . Hey Mikey!!

How about Mother Nature?




Better refresh the page . . . this post is still evolving!!

The Nanny

The Nanny's theme song, "The Nanny Named Fran", which was written and performed by Ann Hampton Callaway, replaced the former theme song in syndicated reruns of the pilot episode.

"The Nanny" Promo Video

The Nanny is an American television sitcom first aired from November 3, 1993, to May 12, 1999, and starred Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish Queens native who becomes the nanny of three children from the New York/British upper class.  

Fran Drescher created and was executive producer, taking much of its inspiration from her personal life, involving characteristics based on friends and friends, including Fran Fine's parents, Sylvia and Morty, and grandmother Yetta, who all were named after their real-life counterparts.

The show earned a Rose d'Or and one Emmy Award, out of a total of thirteen nominations, and Fran Drescher was twice nominated for a Golden Globe as well as for an Emmy. The sitcom has also served as inspiration for several foreign adaptations.

Funny moments from "The Nanny"

During it's six-season run, The Nanny maintained the same core characters, although a large number of guest stars and recurring characters were introduced through the years.

 

Character	Actor
Fran Fine	Fran Drescher
Maxwell Sheffield	Charles Shaughnessy
Niles	Daniel Davis
C.C. Babcock	Lauren Lane
Maggie Sheffield	Nicholle Tom
Brighton Sheffield	Benjamin Salisbury
Gracie Sheffield	Madeline Zima
Sylvia Fine	Renée Taylor
Yetta Rosenberg	Ann Morgan Guilbert
Val Toriello	Rachel Chagall

Cast list source:  Wikipedia

Early The Nanny episodes were shot in front of a live studio audience on Stage 6 at the Culver Studios, however, during later seasons the taping was no longer performed before an audience.
My favorite running gag of the show was Fran lying about her age . . . followed by  Maxwell's rivalry with Broadway producer Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sylvia's obsession with food and Fran's obsession with Barbra Streisand.
In my opinion, the best storyline was the season 3 finale where Maxwell tells Fran he loves her, but takes it back in the Season 4 premiere.

The sitcom is currently in syndication on TV Land.

The Nanny Official Website

A babyboomer's flashback . . .

As far back as I can remember, there was music playing 24/7. My mom and dad were known in our community as "the dancers", so you can imagine.


The first music I remember was 50's rock and roll and Elvis was the King. I love his music to this day, have seen every one of his movies at least five times and even went to one of his concerts a few months before he died.


My dad met him when he was filming "Follow That Dream" in Ocala, Florida . . . they were filming the bank scene the following day and my mom and dad parked themselves outside the bank since my mom was so pissed that it was my dad who met him and not her. They were there early in the morning and as dusk approached, they had to give up and leave, but my mom did get to touch his pink Cadillac. One of my prized possessions is my Elvis concert program that takes me back to that day . . . he was visibly ill, but still put on one of the best concerts I have ever been to (and I have been to many concerts in my life).


My early childhood musical favorites were Fabian, Bobby Vee, Frankie Avalon, James Darren . . . pop music! My first true love was James Darren until Paul McCartney hit the scene. My female idol was Sandra Dee who I thought was the most beautiful woman ever and so wanted to look like her, even though my italian background had me looking quite the opposite . . . more like Annette, I guess not such a bad thing. One of my favorite childhood movies was "A Summer Place" . . . . quite the racy movie for its time and the Gidget series of movies. Of course Cinderella is way up there on my list of favorites . . . I still have the yellow plastic record 78 LP soundtrack from the movie. Somewhere along the way, I lost my Cinderella watch. :(


It was a time where families all sat at the dinner table together without the distractions of the television, video games or the computer. Even when we finally got a television, my dad restricted us from watching it all the time as he thought life was about more important things. Of course it irritated me, but now, in a weird sort of way, I somewhat understand his thinking.


We compromised for the very favorite things to watch on television, which for me included American Bandstand on Saturdays, The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights, and The Mickey Mouse Club every weekday afternoon. I was a little person in elementary school, but my musical roots were already formed. Even with the new exciting thing, the television, for me it was about the music.


It was a time when families were close, times seemed slower paced and my brother and I were quite content with the simple toys we played with . . . it occurs to me that children are very spoiled in these times with such a vast array of toys . . . and do they ever have enough of anything? I often wonder how my life would have been different and/or changed if we had all these "things".

The Soup Nazi

The Soup Nazi came to my mind tonight . . . I was thinking about my dad and my strict upbringing and how rigid he was. I actually think he rarely enjoyed life for fear that he would be caught off guard and someone would get away with bending one of his rules. He hated laughter unless it was his joke and was getting the reaction he was looking for . . . at least this is how I remember him. He had that same intense look in his eyes as the Soup Nazi . . . .


gotta look at life with a little humor sometimes
This episode of Seinfeld and the character of the Soup Nazi has to be one of the highlights of Seinfeld . . . it is definitely one of the best of the classics and I enjoy it as the first time I saw it every time I see it again. And I never get tired of it . . . in fact, I find another detail each time.







"The Soup Nazi" Seinfeld episode #116, Season 7, September 1995
The character is a stone-faced immigrant chef with a thick moustache, renowned throughout Manhattan for his delicious soups. He demands that all customers in his restaurant meticulously follow his strict queuing, ordering, and payment policies. Failure to adhere to his demands brings the admonishment, "No soup for you!", whereupon the customer is refunded and denied his order.
The episode opens with Jerry going on and on about the delicious soups made by the Soup Nazi, making sure to "prep" George on the strict code of behavior required by the Soup Nazi in his store. But OMG . . . George makes a mistake while ordering soup by questioning the absence of bread, and is subsequently refused service.


(George notices he didn't get any bread with his soup.)

George: I didn't get any bread.



Jerry: Just forget it. Let it go.



George: Um, excuse me; I think you forgot my bread.



Soup Nazi: You want bread?



George: Yes please.



Soup Nazi: $3.00!



George: What?



Soup Nazi: No soup for you! (Snaps fingers.)



(The cashier takes away George's soup and gives him back his money.)





A while later . . .



George: I don't see how you can sit there eating

that and not even offer me any.



Jerry: I gave you a taste. What do you want?



George: Why can't we share?



Jerry: I told you not to say anything!

You can't go in there, brazenly flout the rules,

and then think I'm going to share with you!



George: Do you hear yourself?



Jerry: I'm sorry.



This is what comes from living under a Nazi regime!



Meanwhile, Elaine purchases an antique armoire, but cannot move it into the building on a Sunday and leaves Kramer to guard the armoire--which she must leave on the sidewalk. Elaine goes to purchase some soup, however, her behavior at the Soup Nazi's restaurant prompts him to shout, "No soup for you!" and ban her for one year.
Elaine's armoire is then stolen by a pair of homosexual "street toughs" who intimidate Kramer.
Kramer gains favor with the Soup Nazi and gives Kramer his own antique armoire. Kramer gives the armoire to Elaine as a replacement for her stolen one.
Elaine thanks the Soup Nazi for the armoire, but he declares that he never would have given it to Kramer if he knew it was for Elaine.
Elaine discovers the Soup Nazi's secret recipes in the old armoire and seeks revenge against him, taunting him, possibly also informing him for the first time of his popular nickname: "You're finished, Soup Nazi!"
This victory comes with a price, as the Soup Nazi decides to sell his remaining stock and close the business, to the dismay of everyone who loves his delicious soups.

Here are classic moments from this episode: