WFMU's Beware of the Blog

"Harmony of Horror"

"Did you ever hear a melody of murder, a dirge of doom, a tune of terror?  Heh-heh!    Sharpen you ears and they will catch that strain right now!  Many things are possible in this strange world.  I should know ... I'm one of those things myself!  So harken closely and get the wits scared out of you!"

Thus goes the cheerful introduction to another happy little WFMU comics supplement, courtesy our host The Thing, coming from his very own comic book "The Thing" number five, from the October/November 1952 issue.

It appears that mayhem of every nasty kind has been perpetrated in the comics world by music and musicians, so let's look in on another poor soul done in by one of nature's most deadly forces -- right after the jump!

"Favorite Fiddler!" (May 1947)

In todays Comics Supplement we'll learn a bit about the early years of synchronized film sound and we'll find out about the USA's favorite fiddler (in 1947 at least).

About all that we know about the featured TRUE Comics is that they were produced as a subsidiary to Parents' Magazine, which was edited at the time by Clara Savage Littledale (about whom there is more information here, and also over here). The books themselves were edited by Harold C. Field, and art-directed by Ralph O. Ellsworth. Artists and writers were not credited (although a frequent writer for the series was Louis Wolfe, so he may well have scribed these two stories). They are fun books, and well-produced, though.

Let's check out excerpts from two issues of the 1940s right after the jump-!

Space Ace and "The Harp of Death!"

Today we'll take the WABAC machine to 1952 and go rocketing with Space Ace Jet Black and his pal Jak Tal the Jack of Stars, where we'll meet some really strange characters and a few sexy space-women as well as the mysterious Harpist of Death himself.

All from the one and only issue of Space Ace magazine, which is full of very odd stories and art, as produced by an unknown writer plus famous (and prolific) Golden Age artist Fred Guardineer and edited by the wonderfully-named Raymond C. Krank.

Let's join our heroes in their dangerous adventure with a musical theme right after the jump!

Clyde Crashcup Invents Hi-Fi

"When all's said and done Leonardo, there is such a thing as too much realism in hi-fi!"

Although spoken in 1964,  the modern quest for high definition imagery leads down some thorny paths as well. Today we find our protagonist 'Clyde Crashcup', a Ross Bagdasarian creation, in the fifth book of his short five-issue run, seeking to improve his hi-fi set with mixed results.

From the John Stanley / Irving Tripp creative team that wrote and drew so many terrific 'Little Lulu' stories for Dell Comics comes this quirky series about a 'real gone' scientist and would-be inventor, adapted from his segments on the televised cartoon program The Alvin Show between October 1961 and September 1962 as voiced by Shepard Menken (in his impression of actor Richard Haydn).

Discover who really put the 'woof' in your woofers right after the jump!

A Singing Barber in the Battle of the Juke Boxes

"It started in a barber shop in Warren, Ohio..."  Today we meet the methodical man
who spurned cooked-up publicity feuds and gimmicks and made a sensation with only his pipes and his handsome five-foot nine-inch, 160-pound cleft-chinned self. 

You'll guess soon enough who beat Crosby, Sinatra, and even Dick Haymes in the Billboard polls during the month of this issue of Picture News, issue #2, from February 1946 (artist and writer unknown).

We'll also learn about the wacky DJ from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey who insults his radio sponsors on the air every morning - and they love it!

All this excitement awaits in our sixth Comic Supplement Section here at BOTB, come and join us right after the jump!

"The Record of Doom"

You've heard the one about the songwriter who was also a disc jockey, have you, bunky?  Today's sordid little tale shows the problems inherent in splitting your talents this way.  We've examined songs that kill and maim before here at BOTB, and it seems that along with soothing savage breasts, some records just have nothing but ill will to convey. 

The forthcoming tasty yarn is called "The Record of Doom", by an unknown writer and drawn by Bill Ely. Originally published in 1956 in the April-May issue (#2) of Tales of the Unexpected.

The featured song of doom "Blue Monday" actually has a real-life pedigree as a genuine crowd-thinner for your radio audience, with some information regarding that to be found here. I guess some folks need a little music to get them into the proper mood to do themselves in. I suppose you should be careful if you plan to put this into the random-play selections in your music player or online radio - it may have grave consequences...

Join me here after the jump to find out the whole story about this charming number!

"How to Draw 1000 Funny Faces" Cartooning Instruction Record by Art Ross

Budding cartoonists and incurable doodlers take note: today's record will sharpen those skills!

From the front cover: "This amazing FUNograph record and cartoon course supplies countless hours of amusement for kids from six to sixty!  Anyone capable of writing his name can learn to draw more than a thousand faces."

No foolin'! This 1946 record by Art Ross (on the Funnyface Records, Inc. label, out of Forest Hills, NY) and the accompanying instructional charts will show you how!

Below is the record itself, so get out your pencils and paper and get ready to draw yourself raw - instructions follow right after the jump!

                               How to Draw 1000 Funny Faces

"The Song That Brought Disaster!" from 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!' Comics, January 1954

Today let's learn about the song that killed! Not just
on the charts but really killed them dead, in several countries even.

I've had records that killed parties and DJ sets, but I generally avoid pieces that actually do murder.

Who composed this gem? What was the piece? All this and more (including how RIPLEY's caused 'The Star-Spangled Banner' to become our National Anthem) - right after the jump! And don't worry - there's no mp3 files or sheet music to accidentally kill you - WFMU wants you back at the blog for more future amusements!

"A Bored Young Lawyer Makes the Nation Ring with His Tunes" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hoagy Carmichael Bio from Picture News #1

"To Boys and Girls, Brothers and Sisters, Mothers and Dads: PICTURE NEWS looks the same as other books, but with appearance and method of presentation the likeness ends. PICTURE NEWS reports the news, the news with its endless appeal and its prophecy of things to come, in action and speaking and color pictures.

Drawn pictures in bright colors with balloons, which are comics, have thrilled, amused, informed and taught. The U.S. Army has used them, so have important advertisers, and schools are beginning to know their value.

Most of these comic books have their virtues. Their millions of eager readers devour the drawn stories of dramatic adventures and sudden success. And many a comic character has become better known and admired and more widely imitated than Cousin Jack or Aunt Tillie.

Why is this so? Because the leading comic book characters personify the energy, dash, unbeatable spirit and the pure motives of our American ideal. And it is this ideal and that spirit that will make America enduringly great.

Now PICTURE NEWS for the FIRST time uses this new medium of action pictures and color and dialogue to make life real on the printed page. And life, as we know, has its ups and downs. It is what it is - life. And we, being what we are, work and play, and sometimes suffer and die to make life more secure and better. Everything that happens is news. Reporting it, is an important job. To PICTURE NEWS, it is a challenge."     (from the "January 1, 1946" introduction to the first issue)

That is an excerpt from the long inside-front-cover mission statement for the new book, and in it, among other things, we'll learn about musician, composer and actor Hoagy Carmichael in a tidy little four-page tale. Come feast your eyes and glut your soul - right after the jump.

"Disc Jockey" by Bob Powell

Today we begin our new Comic Book Series at Beware of the Blog with a jazzy little five page yarn ripped from the pages of Black Cat Mystery issue number 46,  cover dated October 1953. We'll meet Sam Webb, the owner of radio station WOW, a hard-working but unpopular on-air personality, and join him for one of his last broadcasts.

This tender tale was written and drawn by the prolific and unusual Bob Powell (1917 - 67), born Stanley Pulowski, who learned the ropes of the comic book business in the 1940s at the famous Will Eisner studio, over in Tudor City, NY.  His work during the period this story comes from was often inked by Howard Nostrand and I suspect that this piece was finished by Nostrand.  So settle back in your radio chair and enjoy this slice of broadcasting history - right after the jump.

"Santa Claus" the 1959 Film by Rene Cardona

I just can't resist pointing to this film today; I'm hoping I can get a few more unsuspecting people to watch this charming, scary and bizarre little gem (although I suspect a lot of regular WFMU people already know it - it's worth another viewing). 

Like a lot of folks, I discovered it via the controversial show Mystery Science Theater 3000, where it became one of my favorite episodes. It stands on its own very well, however, and even though it is sluggish at the beginning, with a long sequence showing "children from around the world" in separate little musical numbers, if you stick with it it rewards with many nightmarish props and scenes that must have warped the minds of lots of matinee-going youth. It holds the distinction of being one of the few Christmastime movies to contain some genuinely creepy images without perhaps meaning to.

I think it qualifies as an essential holiday film, for those who like such things. See the video link below, after the jump.

Cheers, and I'll see you here next year!

Walter Brennan's "He's Your Uncle! Not Your Dad..." (part two) and Vick Knight and the KEY Records Story

 

"A fella in the lobby asked me if we were going to record this album in stereo. I told him absolutely not. Stereo has two loudspeakers, one on each side of the set.  The one on the right is OK, but I refuse to listen to anything coming from the left.    Seriously though, if I brought home a record machine with a speaker on the left, my wife wouldn't let me in the house.  Now there's a patriot for you!"

(from side two of "He's Your Uncle!")

Today we're presenting side two of this bizarre ultra-right-wing album from 1967, luridly written and directed by Vick Knight and voiced with gusto by Walter Brennan, in continuation of the first post on this subject two weeks ago. Since then I've tried to uncover more information about the KEY records label and its strong predilection towards hyper-conservative and inflammatory spoken-word albums. Join me after the jump for this entertaining record (via mp3) and the related facts and pictures that have turned up about this under-documented Los Angeles company.

Recent Thurl Ravenscroft Sighting - Early Cereal Pitch

With those holidays upon us, we'll be hearing from Mr. Ravenscroft more than ever, so it was with only slight surprise that I saw and latched onto this clip (as discovered by Mr. Mark Evanier over at his useful blog) recently placed online of a 1952 Kellogg's breakfast cereals commercial.  There's no question in my mind that the announcer is Ravenscroft, and he's most likely singing in the chorus as well. Oddly, there is no depiction of 'Sugar-Frosted Flakes' in the ad, which Evanier suspects may be due to the clips mis-dating, or simply that the cereal hadn't been introduced nationally yet. More information about Mr. Ravenscroft's TV commercial work can be perused here.
After early ads with voice artist Dallas McKennon  (the voice of Gumby, among many others) as Tony the Tiger, Thurl Ravenscroft went on to play the character for 53 years until his death in 2005; quite a respectable run. As a lover of anything Thurl I couldn't resist posting this here, as WFMU and Ravenscroft have a history together at this point, and any new updates should be covered here. Eat up and enjoy!

 

"He's Your Uncle! Not Your Dad..." By Walter Brennan

 

I had an itch to post this during the final weeks of the presidential race, but due to the record's rather hateful (but hilarious) far-right conservative script (as read by one of my record-collecting faves Walter Brennan) I elected to wait and see how the chips fell before I dove in.  Since the reptilian/humanoid candidate lost we'll now present side one of this rare little gem. Again, one of those discs that I've been DJ'ing bits of for a LONG time and I'm glad to share it in its entirety (well, side one this time anyhoo).

   As written by Vick Knight in the early 1960's for Key Records (who I'd like to know more about), it spends two full sides tearing down the LBJ administration and its 'terribly destructive' policies carried over from the Kennedy years. I got quite a shock when I first bought this and heard Mr. Good-Time Ol' Farmer Guy using his normal voice for a change and ripping savagely into anything remotely resembling liberal government policies. The stark cover also struck me as quite attractive as well.

  Both sides of the lp are continuous, so I broke it into eight parts when I ripped it to digital years ago, for easier DJ'ing and listening. So buckle up and hear a side of Mr. Brennan that you may not have heard before.

Side One pt. 1           pt. 2           pt. 3           pt.4

Monster Songs and Stories from Sesame St. and Environs

"Lakes, carillons, / Pools and bells, / Fifes and freshets, / Harps and wells; / Flutes and rivers, / Streams, bassoons, / Geysers, trumpets, / Chimes, lagoons. / Hear the music, / Drink the water, / As we poor lambs / All go to slaughter. / I love you Eliot. / Good-bye. I cry. / Tears and violins. / Hearts and flowers, / Flowers and tears. / Rosewater, good-bye."                          Kurt Vonnetgut / God Bless You Mr. Rosewater

As a follow-up to one of my other puppet-monster-related posts, this week I had a hankering for some brightly-colored furry monsters and friends, they're "clumsy but not scary." The first one featuring the lovely music of Samuel Pottle, followed by some Carrol Spinney and Bob McGrath, in two cuts from Big Bird's 'Birdtime Stories' lp. We'll close this short set with a teaser cut from the beginning of Jim Henson's 'Muppet Musicians of Bremen' album. Expert voice work, music, and production all around as usual. Happy All Hallow's Eve!

Sesame St. Monsters: Games Monsters Play          Grover: Be Kind to Monsters       Oscar: The Three Billy Goats Gruff         Bob McGrath: The Emperor's New Clothes (edit)         The Muppet Musicians of Bremen, pt. 1

Dr. Reginald D. MacNitt with more Psycholaxation (side two)

"All persons, living and dead,   are purely coincidental,   and should not be construed."  (Kurt Vonnegut)

"That is not dead which can eternal lie,  /   And with strange aeons death may die."  (H. P. Lovecraft)

{ PSYCHOPOMPOS :  The guider of souls,  another name for Hermes. }

      "May I come into your home,  and help you relax your mind and body?  Thank you."

      "If you don't mind, I will sit right here beside the couch on which you're lying."  (Reginald MacNitt)

This week I'm back to present side two of this relaxing disc. It's not so much that is an amazing relaxation course or groundbreaking in any way - it's the man's sweet delivery that forced me to eventually DJ him for the public. I think it's the preparatory material on each side, the first few minutes while he sets the stage for his work, that I find the most fun. Side one was presented here two weeks ago, and now let's plunge into the deep waters of side two.

Psycholaxation with Dr. Reginald D. MacNitt / side two

Dr. Reginald D. MacNitt Brings You 'Psycholaxation' - Side One

"Now, let's check your breathing..."     Today I have a lovely little bit of self-help that should be useful to one and all;  step one of learning 'Psycholaxation', which is all the rage these days. You didn't know that you could learn something about it for free from WFMU, did you? Well, worry no more. Relaxation can be yours.  

  Some time ago, rummaging through some dusty old cassette tapes that my mother owned but hadn't played in years and years I came across one entitled "Dr. MacNitt - Psycholaxation", hand-written in someone else's hand, most likely given to my mom as a helpful tool of some sort.  It was clearly copied from a vinyl record, which I've been unable to locate a picture of, or any detailed info about. Upon playing it for the first time, I fell in love with the fellow's voice - he sounds almost like a cartoon character. No insult to the guy - even compared to lots of hypnosis and sleep-training records that I've heard over the years, his pipes and his delivery are priceless!  I think you'll hear what I mean. A more marble-mouthed and nebbish-ey spoken style I can barely accomplish myself - but he's a fun model to imitate.

     Here's some things that I did manage to find out about this technique: The good doctor apparently published a lot of small-press self-help books and articles, including this one attributed to his wife, Mildred L. MacNitt - "Psycholaxation: A New Dimension for Living", as told to Mildred L. MacNitt, 93 pages, published by the Living Arts Foundation in December, 1955. On the record he mentions the book "Three Steps to Better Living", and he also worked up a "Personality and Vocational Guidance Test" course in 1943, which fits him.  

I think you'll find his dialog and vocal style as charming as I did, despite the low-grade old cassette and the scratchy record it was sourced from. Settle back -don't cross your legs or arms - and enjoy the flow of the wonderful Doctor MacNutt. Ooops - I mean MacNitt.                              PSYCHOLAXATION - side one

Walter Brennan Reads Mark Twain - Redux

frog          general: 1. being amphibious, its meaning also is often ambivalent;  2. its natural enemy is the serpent: e.g. Dante (Inf. C. 9, 76f.);

               special meanings: 1. frogs are often found on sign-boards and on stone tablets of facades; most probably they symbolize fertility and evolution;  2. D. Thomas: embryo: swimming in the uterus, 'spinning' his body ("a grief ago");

              folklore:  A. curative: esp. against diseases for which witches may be responsible; B. magic: 1. frogs can be used as effigies to work the harm on meant for a human being;  2. frog-bones (or a portion of them) of a slowly killed frog, have great magical power; 3. a frog's toe is a talisman against disease and evil;  4. frog-skin is a protective charm because of its slipperiness; cf. the "rabbit-foot" for speed; C. a frog coming into the house is a bad omen; D. frog-stones (cf. toad-stones): yellowish stones having the shape of a frog, found near lakes: lucky;   E. proverbs: a. "the frog cannot out of her bog";  b. "the frog said to the harrow: Cursed be so many lords";

             vinyl albums:  recording of famous Mark Twain short story as read by Oscar-winning thespian Walter Brennan during the glow of his long run on the Emmy Award-winning TV program 'The Real McCoys'.  Presented here in MP3 format for your edification.

The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

 

 

David Carradine Sings Gilbert Shelton

Gilbert Shelton, gifted storyteller, cartoonist and illustrator, was another of the small party of terrific early 'underground'   creators of the 1960's and '70's who influenced not only my visual design education but my ideas of plot construction and even my perceptions of radio and record collecting. I've tried to locate where and why David Carradine decided to record a solo version of a cute and memorable (even though I was at first confused about the page - not  having a hard copy of it in a book conviniently available, I was thinking it was a Robert Crumb page {sorry Gilbert!}, and finally remembered that it was a rare Shelton one-off page) Gilbert Shelton strip from Bijou Funnies # 01, 1968, but have not yet found a first-hand account by Carradine; his discography is rather spottily documented, it appears.  I must have discovered this strip through the very rare, and probably bootleg, or at least grey-market, 1970's reprint paperback my father gave me, and like so many of the better-executed underground works (the first book my dad pointed me to was Justin Green's incredible and rightly acclaimed 'Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary'- a mind-bender at nine or less years old...), these stories really rattled your cage in those days of less/less extreme media saturation. When I've read more about the story behind this record I'll post it here, but in the meantime, enjoy this short piece by David Carradine, music-lover and guitar collector, doing a lovely and letter-perfect version of this bit of funky Texan hippie poetry.

 Set My Chickens Free

Don't Lend Rip Torn Your Hammer

I'm more of a peripheral student of the 1970's New York art film scene, and continually finding surprising new things to look at in that loose genre, I haven't worn it to a nub as with other film genres that I've studied since those days. Much of the interesting stuff from back then was really hard to see, it wasn't on cable or videotape - you had to know somebody. Recently my pardner was looking at film clips of legendarily-edgy actor Rip Torn and she pulled up this stunning scene from the end of Norman Mailer's self-written and directed 'Maidstone' (1970), and I found it a very compelling piece of footage, as I love studying very exreme theater and film experiments, and this one appeared to have gone totally haywire, or not; in my opinion, even though Torn is clearly high as a kite, he pushed the film into its most memorable area, reminding me of some scary psychodramatic theatrical 'happenings' that I've witnessed where there was little or no line between the 'drama' and the 'reality' of the moment. And of course Mailer makes such a ripe target to mess with. Some of the many famous names involved with this project were: D. A. Pennebaker, Isaac Hayes, and Ultra Violet. Even though this scene is rather harsh and scary (with some strong NSFW language), it's also hilarious in a David Lynchian kinda way, as it seems 'out of control' somewhat, but since the camera operator just keeps on running, and no one jumps in very soon to 'save' Mailer, at this point in the filming they must have known good and well what they were getting into.

   Also included for your edification, the trailer from another Torn opus 'Coming Apart'... Enjoy.