Rap's Hawaii (1982)

I recently re-watched the DVD of Rap Reiplinger's Emmy winning TV special hosted by his Hawaiian-Chinese-Portuguese-Japanese-Puerto Rican-Spanish-et al old man.

The old man (Reiplinger) introduces comedy segments that describe Hawaii locals and their particular dialect, idiosyncrasies and humor.

Although Reiplinger made his career in comedy, he was a troubled young man, dying in 1983 of cocaine-related problems.

Tragedy often boosts a personality's fame, and the same could be said of Reiplinger's so-called "legendary status." Today, fans consider him a comedic genius. I never did, still don't, and probably never will.

I have to say that when I first watched this program 'way back when, I didn't think it was very funny (except for the one called "Room Service," and a few references to frugality). After re-watching, my opinion hasn't changed.

People may say I'm being sacrilegious, but what the hell. I don't think he was a genius, and in general, he wasn't very funny.

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen,
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men.
Feared by the bad, roved by the good,
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood.

He called the greatest archers to a tavern on the green,
They vowed to help the people of the king.
They handled all the trouble on the English country scene,
And still found plenty of time to sing. 

* * * * *

'Way back in the late '50s, when I was still in junior high school, I used to spend quite a bit of time watching television on our brand-new set in its blond cabinet with state-of-the-art black-and-white square picture. 

One of my favorite programs was The Adventures of Robin Hood, a series of 143 episodes starring Richard Greene as Robin of Locksley, and Alan Wheatley as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Archie Duncan (Inspector Lestrade in the 1954 Sherlock Holmes series) played Little John, Bernadette O'Farrell and Patricia Driscoll played Lady Marian "Maid Marian" Fitzwalter, and Alexander Gauge was Friar Tuck.

A couple of months ago, I bought a DVD set of 26 selected episodes that covered the origin of Robin Hood, his first encounter with the Sheriff of Nottingham, how Little John came to join his merry band, how Friar Tuck became a valued ally, and his acquaintance with Maid Marian. 

Very entertaining and nostalgic stuff indeed. I'm still singing that blasted theme song.

Where is San Salvidor?

The truth is, there's no such place as "San Salvidor." At least, not in one of the Mike Hammer episodes I've been watching at night. (See how I segue right into it after talking about the DVD series yesterday? Clever, huh?)

I did a Google search for "San Salvidor," and it kept popping up results for "San Salvador." On one beach vacation site, a reader asked about San Salvidor in the Bahamas. So I checked "San Salvidor Bahamas." No such place. I went to the official Bahamas website, and lo and behold, there's a "San Salvador Island" there.

In the 1959 Mike Hammer episode, "Save Me in San Salvidor," Hammer actually travels to the Republic of San Salvador in Central America.

So obviously, the person who prepared the title for the episode doesn't know his "A" from his "I" when it comes to a Spanish place name.

I wonder if he got fired for this. I mean, after all, it WAS on national television and has now been perpetuated on DVD.

And why am I cursed with this ability to spot typographical and word-use errors?

Congratulations to Erik Svetin

Here’s a young man with a promising future. Erik Svetin, the son of one of my former colleagues, is an entering freshman at Molokai High School, and was named Hawaii merit winner in the 2013 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

His science project examined how a baseball would perform if it had an extra row of stitches in it. Check out the video that he made:

I’m not sure Major League Baseball is ready for this super-action alteration to their baseballs, but you have to admire Erik’s curiosity and reporting skills. Plus, as a sports fan, he’s looking at doing more research and development like this – new bat, new helmet, new catcher’s gear.

You go, Erik!

Ellery Queen Mysteries

Whilst wandering around Fry’s Electronics in Las Vegas, I checked out the TV shows section and found a DVD set titled “Ellery Queen Mysteries” that contains uncut episodes of the entire 1975-1976 NBC television series of 22 episodes and the show’s pilot.

The one-season tenure of Ellery Queen’s “who dunnit” adventures takes place in the late 1940s, when people believed that television was just a fad, and would never last. Why, New York Police Department Inspector Richard Queen (Ellery's dad) remarks, shaking his head, would anyone want to watch bad news and weather just before going to bed?

It was a time when radio shows were popular, and writers used the two-finger hunt-and-peck method on manual typewriters to put their thoughts down on paper … making copies with carbon paper at that. Shot in typical big-city detective style with spinning New York Daily Star front pages screaming sensational headlines, the show has a certain class and simplicity that grips your interest.

I haven’t read the Ellery Queen novels yet, but because of the DVD, I just might have to do that.

Jim Hutton plays the nerdy, forgetful, klutzy Ellery Queen, who helps his father, Inspector Queen, solve murders that often baffle the police. Ellery has a knack for spotting the most insignificant of clues and putting everything together. He’s a kind of post-World War II “modern-day” Sherlock Holmes, except more lovable a character.

The two Queens are assisted by the cigar-sucking Sergeant Velie, played by Tom Reese, who always addresses Ellery by the moniker, “Maestro;” recurring cast members include John Hillerman ("Higgins" on Magnum P.I.) as the smarmy mystery-radio host Simon Brimmer, who’s always butting in and getting in the way; Ken Swofford as sensationalist New York Gazette columnist Frank Flanagan, who also, in search of an exclusive, becomes quite a nuisance; and Arch Johnson as Deputy Commissioner Arch Johnson, who applies the appropriate pressure at the appropriate time.

I haven’t enjoyed mystery television like this; I once started watching Murder She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury, but kind of lost interest. I guess putting out the cash to actually buy the DVD set impresses a certain responsibility on me – I’d better like it, or I’ve wasted my money, right?

Just before the final scene, where Ellery gathers all the suspects (which includes a lot of very famous stars of the time), he turns to the audience and challenges us to figure out who the culprit is. After all, all of the clues were presented to us at one time or another. We just need to remember what they are and get into his mind so we can figure everything out.

By the way, the name “Ellery Queen” is a pseudonym. Despite the fact that the name appears as the author of the Ellery Queen novels, it’s actually a name used by two cousins – Daniel Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay, and Manford Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee. Jeez … aliases AND pseudonyms.

Why was Ellery Queen cancelled after only one season? I can't find a good answer, but it probably had something to do with the fact that Jim Hutton died of cancer in 1979, so perhaps it had something to do with his health, or a desire to do some living before he died.

So … I’ve been watching one or two episodes a night and force myself to stop, lest I keep watching until the wee hours of the next morning. These things are addictive because they’re so well done.

You ought to give Ellery Queen a try yourself.

The Carol Burnett Show: Carol's Favorites

Occasionally, when watching cable television, you'll bump into nostalgic infomercials that are terribly tempting. One such was a half-hour promotion of Time-Life DVDs from the '70s CBS variety show hosted by Carol Burnett.

Oft described by her contemporaries as the best comedian ever (male or female), Burnett entertained audiences for 11 seasons. The infomercial promotion included interviews with her co-stars – Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and the inimitable Tim Conway – and some of her guest stars (e.g., Betty White, Joel Grey). The offer was for one DVD set, the first of the entire series, which would then come to you at regular intervals.

As intriguing as the offer was, I don't do those "regular shipments" that require one to take action to cancel. So I didn't bite. And then, one day, I saw the first set on sale at Costco at a nice discount (for about $30  ... sorry, I don't remember exactly how much).

After spending several nights watching the episodes, I can say they were very enjoyable. Some of the skits are classic, especially those featuring Tim Conway and Harvey Korman. Conway just cracks me up, and Korman was notorious for having to bite his lip and keep from busting out laughing at Conway's unrehearsed surprises.

If you remember The Carol Burnett Show, you'll love this set. If you've never seen it when it aired in the '60s and '70s, now's your chance to be entertained by a true professional.

The entire Time-Life set of 50 episodes on 22 DVDs is priced at $199. And no, I'm not going to buy the entire set. The one collection was enough for me.

Now, if they have a disk set of just Tim Conway/Harvey Korman sketches, that would be a different matter entirely.

Watching Looney Tunes

Last night, my son, grandson and I were watching a classic cartoon, "Rabbit Seasoning," the second cartoon (1952) in the "Hunter Trilogy" starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

We were laughing and laughing, each for different reasons: My son because he remembered them from his younger days, my grandson because he just loved the antics even though the words flew by too fast for him, and me, because I've always loved Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and the gang.

I remember getting up at 7 a.m. on Saturdays when I was in college, just so I could watch the Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour. And what college kid ever wakes up at 7 a.m. on Saturdays anyway?

This cartoon is the one where Daffy keeps getting shot in the head by hunter Elmer Fudd, causing his bill to reposition all over the place ("Shoot the duck! Shoot the duck!). It of course ends with Daffy spitting out his signature line to Bugs: "You're dethpicable!"

According to director Chuck Jones, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies weren't created for kids by the boys from the termite terrace, as the young creators called their shaky offices on the Warner Brothers lot. Nope. They were created for adults. Hence the often-risqué and violent themes.

I saw them in theaters when I was a kid, and on a small black and white TV in college. My sons watched them on a color TV, and my grandson is watching them on high-definition DVDs and Blu-Rays on a flat-screen TV.

Oh my, how things change while they stay the same.

Christmas Time is Here!

Taking Christmas Off the Shelf

I was a little late doing it this year, but last night, I finally took my three must-see Christmas DVDs down from the shelf and watched them.

It's become tradition with me, as you probably hear me say every year. Somehow, they seem to awaken the Christmas Spirit hidden deep inside. 

My annual transformation always begins with Mannheim Steamroller's 1977 "Christmas Live" concert performed in Omaha, Nebraska.

Their beautiful music mixes traditional instrument and style with electric instruments and large-screen video presented before a live audience. The music is deep, rich and full, and always perfectly synchronized. 

Immediately after, I watch the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve,” featuring the soul-stirring, hard-electric guitars that present a story of a young girl yearning to be back home on Christmas Eve.

Performances by Michael Crawford, Jewel, Allie Sheridan as the girl, and Ossie Davis as the theater caretaker always bring a lump in my throat.

Finally, I watch Santa Claus: The Movie, released in 1985 and starring David Huddleston as the kindly old toy carver who is destined to bring joy to all the children of the world, Dudley Moore as his right-hand elf, John Lithgow as the mean toy company tycoon, and Burgess Meredith in a cameo as The Ancient Elf.

Santa Claus: The Movie tells us in its first half how the Santa legend came to be, and when Santa and his reindeer fly for the first time ever, I always find myself wiping the tears from my eyes.

Ah, the magic of Christmas!

Why did I wait so long this year? Can't really say for sure, but if I had to venture a guess, maybe it's because I'm more into the season this year. After all, I didn't grumble as much this year about getting and decorating a tree, did I?

Maybe I'm growing up again.

Harold the Helicopter

Remember a couple of years ago, I posted a video of the kiddy song, “Six Little Ducks”? You know, the one my little grandson used to love? (“The one little duck with the feather on his back, he led the others with a quack, quack, quack” … yeah, that one.)

Well, he’s 2 years old now and has discovered the “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” franchise – videos and songs. He’s got the DVDs, and even watches it on his parents’ iPhones.

So … while we were visiting San Jose a few weeks ago, we watched his DVDs and sang his favorite song over and over and over again, having a great time watching him sing some of the lyrics, in particular, “Harold will be there!”

I think if you’re reading this, you need to hear the song:

So tell me, did it give you an ear worm? Huh? Huh?

Japan Tsunami Videos

Tsunami Video Capture

Watching the Earth react to an underwater paroxysm as it sends the ocean inland is both horrifying and mesmerizing. These videos, the latest that I’ve seen of the Japan tsunami, will both fascinate and terrify you.

In this first video, the sea surface slowly rises until everything in the beginning of the video is totally destroyed – cars, buildings, boats … everything.

Watch how the tsunami begins with a small stream just this side of the highway, then grows and grows and grows until the entire valley is inundated.

In this next one, you can hear the people on the hill yelling, “Hayaku! Hayaku!” which is “Hurry up! Hurry up!” in Japanese. This is one of the more emotional clips that I’ve seen because you can actually see people trying to stay ahead of the approaching tsunami.

Sorry if the videos upset you. But if they did, maybe they’ll motivate you to make a donation to the American Red Cross’s Japan disaster relief fund: https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052

The Christmas Shopping Blues

Here’s a nice, rhythmic, bluesy tune to ease your mind after you get home from a hectic day of Christmas shopping.

There’s a Reason

There’s a reason for the sunshine sky, warm sweet nights and candle lights.

I saw this license plate in a downtown garage and wonder what this driver’s reason is.

Whatever … I just hope s/he lets his/her love show, and lets it flow like a mountain stream. ‘Cause it’s the season for a bird on the wing and all living things.

That’s the reason.

So ... let your love flow!

Pearlridge Dinosaurs

There’s something about dinosaurs that turns an old fart like me into a kid again.

Case in point: I went to Pearlridge Center yesterday and spent an hour or so taking pictures and videos of their new dinosaur exhibit, and watching the children gawk at the giant moving lizard ancestors.

This is the fourth such exhibit I’ve seen in the past couple of years – Pearlridge had one last year, as did the Bishop Museum. And, I went to see the dinos at the Las Vegas Museum of Natural History two weeks ago.

I have to say that this new Pearlridge Center exhibit is the best one of the lot; the dinos are more realistic in their appearance and movement.

Hope you enjoyed the video I put together.

Dino Butt … The End

Wake Me When It’s Over

It must have been a yawner of a speech that President Obama gave at the Kalamazoo Central High School graduation yesterday.

The president was fulfilling a promise to speak to the graduating class whose school won his “Race to the Top” video competition. Thousands of schools across the country participated.

The audience and graduating class were suitably impressed with President Obama’s message. All but one boy, that is. He just dozed off. But y’know, at least he knew when to clap.

Oh well, maybe he stayed up too late celebrating the night before.

My Wellman Bobble-Head Doll

A good friend of mine from Texas knows I’m an Atlanta Braves fan.

Her husband, Phillip Wellman, just happens to be the manager of the Mississippi Braves, one of Atlanta’s minor league clubs.

The other day, she sent me a terrific Mississippi Braves cap as a souvenir that I can wear while cheering on the Braves. Included in the box of Braves souvenirs was this bobble-head doll of her husband, Phillip Wellman.

I don’t know if you watch ESPN, but Phillip Wellman is famous for blowing his stack when the umpire tossed his pitcher out of their game against the Chattanooga Lookouts, earning him a three-game suspension, but also making him famous.

ESPN ranked his episode #1 in their Top Ten Meltdowns of 2007.

Not only is he famous, he’s a pretty good manager. Last year, he led his Mississippi club to the Southern League championship, beating the Carolina Mudcats 3-2 in a decisive extra-inning game.

And I’ve got his bobble-head doll sitting on my desk now, nodding at me with every key that I punch on my keyboard.

Street Magic

One of these days, I’ll be walking down the street and a strange young guy wearing a tee shirt and black jeans is going to walk up to me and say, “Wanna see something? Wait. Look at this.”

I’ll stop and look at him curiously. He’ll stare into my eyes and say, “I don’t know if this will work, but it’s pretty neat.”

Okay, I’ll be hooked.

He’ll take out a pack of cards, fan them out face down and tell me to pick one. I will pull one out … it’s the 8 of spades, but he won’t know that.

“Put it back in the deck,” he’ll say. I’ll do just that.

He’ll then shuffle the cards and throw them against a store window. The cards will hit the glass and fall to the ground.

All except one. It’ll be the 8 of spades, and it’ll be stuck to the window, face side toward us.

The thing is, it’ll be on the OTHER SIDE of the window.

“How … how’d you do that?” I’ll ask incredulously.

The young man will just look at me seriously, and say, “Wanna see another one?”

Hell yeah, I would. So he’ll have me pick out another card, write my name on the face, and return it to the deck … which I’ll do.

He’ll tell me to “keep your feet planted firmly on the sidewalk.” I’ll do that.

He’ll drop the deck of cards on the ground in front of me, bend down, and as I watch him like a hawk, brush the cards away from my feet. My feet will remain planted firmly on the sidewalk.

This guy will rise up again, stand back, and ask me to lift my left foot.

Under my left foot will be the card I picked, with my name on it in my own handwriting, exactly the way I wrote on it.

I’ll stare at the card, look at the guy, back at the card, back at the guy.

“How’d you do that?” I’ll ask.

He’ll just look at me, expressionless, turn around, and walk away.

His name will be David Blaine.

I can’t wait!

‘Wicked’

Were you ever curious about the witches made famous in “The Wizard of Oz”? Here’s your chance, via a musical production based on the back- and side-stories from their points of view before, during and after Dorothy’s famous visit to Oz.

“Wicked” opens with the appearance of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, following the melting of the Wicked Witch of the West during a confrontation with Dorothy, then moves ‘way back in time to the birth of Elphaba (the West witch).

Fast forward to Shiz University, where the green-skinned Elphaba and her disabled sister Nessarose are enrolled. Amongst the new students are Glinda (known then as GA-linda), the Munchkin Boq, and the Vinkus prince Fiyero.

At first sharing their loathing for each other, Elphaba and Glinda become the very best of friends. Elphaba’s passion to do the right thing rubs off on Fiyero, who transforms from a scandalous playboy to a passionate naturalist.

Glinda, as a prank, has Boq declare his love for the wheel-chair bound Nessarose in order to get him out of her life so she can concentrate on Fiyero.

Madame Morrible, Shiz U’s head mistress, arranges for Elphaba and Glinda to meet the Wizard in the Emeral City, who, it is revealed, is the driving force behind a movement to ban animals from speaking, and to remove them from prominent societal positions.

Elphaba rebels against this and takes on the role of animal savior, pitting her against everyone else in the Emerald City.

That’s the basic story. What’s interesting is the interplay between song lyrics, stage dialogue and characterizations that parallel the Oz story with which we are so familiar. There are allusions galore to the scenes we’ve seen in the 1939 classic movie. Witches “explains” how the monkeys came to fly, why the Cowardly Lion is that way, why the Tin Man has no heart, and how the Scarecrow came to be.

Elphaba, it seems, is NOT a wicked witch, but the victim of image manipulation. If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. If you frame circumstances a certain way, people will believe it to be the truth. And that’s what happens to Elphaba, whose “greenness” induces xenophobia at its worst.

Kendra Kassebaum delivered a wonderful performance as Glinda, portraying her evolution from shallow, ditsy blonde to a deep, kind-hearted … well, ditsy blonde.

Patty Duke performed well as Madame Morrible, evoking fond memories of her early teenage years when she won an Academy Award for her performance as Helen Keller in “The Miracle Worker.” To be sure, her role then wasn’t anything like her Wicked role, but she does a most credible job in the musical.

The star performer, however, had to be Vicki Noon, filling in for Teal Wicks, who had the matinee performance off. Ms. Noon’s powerful performance as Elphaba touches deep into the audience emotion, and I wager there were quite a few moist eyes in the theater during her plaintive solos, and the surprise revelations at the end of the show.

The lyrics are funny, informative and entertaining. The music is uplifting when it has to be, and emotional when the time was right. I have to admit that I became very emotional and teary-eyed several times during the performance, and especially at the conclusion.

Do I sense a movie on the horizon? It's very possible. In fact, a movie is rumored to already be in production and expected to be released this year.

Check it out: http://www.filmshaft.com/theatre-review-wicked/

Penguins at the Zoo

I could sit there and watch them for hours – penguins, that is.

We didn’t have hours to sit there, as we still have a couple more areas to cover during our walk at the San Francisco Zoo yesterday.

But we did enjoy watching them bob in the water, some doing a comical side stroke, others waggling their bodies, still others zipping at supersonic speed beneath the surface of the water.

Occasionally, one would waddle to the edge of the rock it was on, and dive into the water, where it seemed most comfortable and in its element at last.

Yep, that was fun yesterday at the zoo. You should visit YOUR local zoo soon and watch the penguins cavort and play.

Joy to the World!

Joy to the World!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.