Hi y’all, welcome back to Sneaky Dragon for this week’s link post. Ian has posted a whole bunch of links on our Facebook page, but I like to post them here too. Partly to keep our website as interesting as our Facebook page, but also because it gives me the chance to comment on Ian’s links and comments. Sneaky Dragon is all about the back and forth!
Last week in my link post, I kept doubting that we’d even talked about the things that Ian was linking to. As it turns out, we talked about everything that Ian linked to (some things in great detail). So this time, even if I can’t remember the topic, I’m giving Ian’s superior memory the benefit of the doubt.
First up, Ian and I mentioned podcasting in the 1950’s – or, as it was known then, “proadcasting”. Here is an example of vintage “proadcasting”: The Walter Winchell Show.
That was AWESOME! The mid-West/California drawl has become such a dominant media voice now that it’s amazing to think that at one time the high-pitched, nasally accent of the East Coast was all the rage in broadcasting and film. It’s interesting to see the evolution of a radio show into a TV format. I guess people were so thrilled to simply see someone that they didn’t demand anything in the way of visual excitement. I love that Winchell is so rumpled looking with no coat on, his hat slightly askew, and his tie crooked. It’s also great that he controls the sound effect of the telegraph, which seems kind of cheap, but on reflection I suppose that only he would know when he was finished each item. I also love his occasional editorializing on various stories. I can only assume he was being ironic with his “Good girl, good girl” for Dorothy Parker, who was speaking at a hall to benefit communists locked in “American prisons for conspiring to overthrow the United States”. His editorial about cigarette smoking and cancer is priceless too.
Anyway! (I obviously enjoyed that Walter Winchell clip!) Next up, Ian and I, while discussing Chinese New Year, brought up the Mayan calendar. Mayans seem to be enjoying a resurgence of interest these days because some people believe that they predicted the end of the world this year.
What ridiculous nonsense! Did this show start every segment about an ancient civilization with a mish-mash of the Genesis story and scientific theory?
Ian and I also talked about Kermit the Frog. Over my objections, Ian insisted that Kermit suffered from depression. His evidence? Listen and learn:
Well, I think that’s a song about self-acceptance, not depression, but, okay Ian, what else do you have?
Ian! This is a song of triumph over life’s circumstances! “This frog has some climbing to do”? “This frog will never falter”? That’s not depression! Yeesh! I love the Frank Sinatra pastiche though – Kermit walking past the lamppost with his coat casually slung over his shoulder. Speaking of Sinatra, here’s one of the greatest singers of all time Bein’ Green:
Oh. blue eyes, you will always be back.
Since we were talking about Kermit, the manic-depressive, I mentioned Oscar the Grouch, poster monster for schizophrenia. Here he is, living in an alleyway, in a garbage can, talking to trash. Perfectly normal.
He began taking lithium shortly after this song. It helped him a lot. The only side effect being it changed the colour of his fur.
We also spent a lot of time – a LOT of time – talking about the Charlie Brown TV specials. This is Ian’s choice for worst special, Snoopy’s Getting Married, Charlie Brown:
Yep, pretty terrible. Especially since Peppermint Patty doesn’t refer to Snoopy as the “kid with the big nose”. I always thought that was a great gag – her not realizing Snoopy is a dog. It’s terrible, but not as terrible as It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown! That one was awful!
Sorry this clip was in Portuguese. It was the only one I could find that shows the horrible scene of Lucy pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown during an ACTUAL game! Grrr! It’s so frustrating to watch – especially because his teammates, who can clearly SEE that Lucy is pulling the ball away, blame Charlie Brown. Oh man, you feel like jumping out the window!
In my day, Charlie Brown specials were sponsored by MacDonald’s and Dolly Madison:
I briefly referenced The Friendly Giant. We need no other excuse to show this:
*sniff* Tears of nostalgia are streaming down my face.
Ian and I also talked about the disappointment of second place. Ian maintains that the silver medal is perfectly acceptable to Canadians. Here is one of Canada’s many figure-skating sweethearts, Elizabeth Manley, in her silver medal winning skate at the Calgary Olympics in 1988:
Pretty good, I guess. Just not gold medal good. Although it’s hard to tell since figure skating is a giant cesspool of corruption like most Olympic sports. In Canada though, if you win silver, you get to hawk second-tier grocery products:
Sorry kids, you gotta work hard for your Mr. Juicy’s!
If you don’t think that Canadians care about gold medals, watch this video of Vancouver when the men’s hockey team won gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics. We love hockey here.
At 1:19 all hell breaks loose. No riot though. We’re pretty proud of that.
Next up, our discussion turned to Mickey Mouse and his unfortunate counterpart, Oswald the (inaptly named) Lucky Rabbit. You can watch this cartoon and simultaneously feel like you’re in an old-fashioned ice rink.
This cartoon proves one thing: a completely anthropomorphic world is disgusting. That hot dog walking around. Ugh!
Speaking of Oswald and Mickey, Ian mentioned a video game he was playing in which Mickey and Oswald meet. Here’s a mercifully brief clip:
Sorry, but to me that just looks terrible!
A discussion of Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies brought us to the ultra-Silly Symphony, Fantasia. Ian thought it was odd to have the satanic Night on Bald Mountain sequence in a Disney film. Do you?
The introduction by Deems Taylor tells us that the sequence ends with a “message of the triumph of hope and life over the powers of darkness and death”, themes that would resonate through the ages and into the future, I’m sure. Also, the image of a Germanic village swallowed up in the shadow of evil would have resonated with an audience in 1940. So, not odd at all.
Personally, I really like Fantasia and I’ve watched it more than once. The sequel, produced by Walt Disney’s nephew, Roy Disney, is also quite good, particularly the Hirschfeld-inspired Rhapsody in Blue:
I saw that film in an Imax theatres with my daughters and it was very impressive, but here’s where it all started!
Simultaneously impressive and twee.
Talking about Oswald the Luckly Rabbit prompted me to wonder if Bugs Bunny was created in reponse to Oswald. Well, no. Oswald dates from the 1920’s and Bugs saw the light of day in 1938. There go my cartoon credentials out the window! Anyway, the mention of my all-time favourite cartoon character is all that’s needed to post his first appearance in 1940.
Drool.
For some reason, Herbie the Love Bug came up in conversation. I’m not sure why. Probably a dumb joke. Anyway, here is the trailer:
Oh, brother. I love the topically hippy jokes, man. They’re far out.
Later on he went bananas:
Sorry about the quality of that trailer. The video quality was terrible too.
Going bananas is different than Goin’ Coconuts:
Ouch! So the third encore was the same song as the second encore? I guess the second encore was the same as the first.
You can also just have Coconuts:
Wouldn’t Chico have been fun at a party? I love his piano playing!
Or you can just have Bananas:
Woody Allen, everyone!!!
We talked about Marvel superhero names and how Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady sounds like comic book character. I suggested he was the evil villain, Elecutionro. Ian posted the following video while groaning:
Here’s something I’ve always wondered: why didn’t they cast an actor who could sing?
Finally, we turn to Goofy, who Ian maintained was a well-known addictive personality and member of many cult groups. His evidence?
I’m convinced!
Well, that’s all for this week. Come back soon for more links and more podcasts! See ya!