Happy 73rd birthday to actor and broadcaster Rich Koz! Koz, best known for his portrayal of horror-movie host Svengoolie (originally “Son of Svengoolie”), was born on March 12, 1952 in Park Ridge, Illinois. Check out this piece on Koz and the Son of Svengoolie that aired on PM Magazine Chicago in 1981!
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Hello friends... just a few random Out Of Bodies pics I found on a yucky rainy day...
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| Out Of Bodies brothers - Dan, Joe and Donald |
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| a couple of Dan doodles... Ringo... |
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| ...and Curious George |
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| Charlie's always watching... |
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| For Joey... |
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| Mark |
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| That time Lloyd met Frank Oz (and Grover) |
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| Joey, Donald and a fan |
In case you've been spending the last 10 years tossing and turning at night wondering about that damn chicken in the Tic Tac Toe arcade game and how it would manage to beat you... every... single... time...
Remember this vintage commercial from the 80s for Polly-O String Cheese? A group of kids walk into a typical pizza shop and one of them asks for a pizza with extra cheese... the owner repeats "extra cheese!" - the kid then says "and hold the tomato sauce!" - owner begins to look confused as he repeats "hold the tomato sauce"... the kid adds "and hold the crust!" Owner looks even more bamboozled "hold the CRUST?" - rolls his eyes and shouts out to a worker behind him "Hey Jimmy, give me a pizza with NUTTHIN'!"
Camera cuts to a close up of Jimmy... "NUTTIN'????"
It's a great commercial - - a classic - - and that catchphrase "Nuttin'?" is right up there with "Where's The Beef?", "I've fallen, and I can't get up!" and "Time To Make The Donuts".
Everyone seems to recognize the pizza store owner, played by character actor John Capodice - and even the kid in the middle (asking to hold everything but the cheese) was identified as Vinnie Caravella, a video game aficionado and video producer at giantbomb.com - but no one (to date) has been able to identify the guy that steals the show with ONE WORD...
A brush with celebrity...
Many many years ago I was helping someone set-up their little flea-market table display at the Holliswood Jewish Center in Queens - when I suddenly thought I recognized a familiar face in the room who others were beginning to notice as well...
Several people were greeting him with smiles and waves - and just as I was thinking "where have I seen that guy before?" someone must've asked him to say what he was known for and he happily obliged... with that same exact face you see right here in this picture (minus, of course, the paper hat) he said "Nuttin'?" - delivered like a pro. "Oh crap!" I thought "That's the guy from that Polly-O String Cheese commercial!" and it was. Nice guy... really nice guy... and so happy to oblige.
That was roughly about 40 or so years ago... and they're STILL talking about that commercial today...
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'Tis that time where it is somewhat acceptable to say the word 'Tis and get away with it! Yes, we're talking Christmas Time, folks! Immediate households only, please! Let's face it - we can barely stand the sight of each other, much less the thought of all those germs! No thank you!
But I digress - what sort of Holiday Spirit is THAT? Let's think about the GOOD things, shall we?
Family... Friends...
...and ventriloquist dummies...
Joey sent in these great shots of himself in full Planet Of The Apes make-up and attire - - from various times - - and yes, that's him under all that latex and fur!! Joey wrote...
"Yes! The make up was all done by my old friend Arnold Gargiulo who did movies like Critters, Frankenhooker, Black Rain and Tales From The Parkside TV Show and Monsters TV Show. He works for the Metropolitan Opera too. A great guy and terrific friend... all I had to do was sit there for 3 hours!! WHAT FUN!!
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| ...hold still... |
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| ...we done yet?... |
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| Ready to hit the clubs... |
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| What's a guy gotta do to get some BANANAS around here? |
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| I'm ready for my close up! |
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Thinking back to my days of working at The Brooklyn Union Gas Company, where catching a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge was a daily occurrence - either as I commuted to work or grabbed a bite to eat on the promenade - there she was. Being a boy from Queens my whole life I surprised even myself how I suddenly found myself waxing poetic one day about my time spent in Brooklyn, and thinking about a Brooklyn that some might say doesn't exist anymore. Perhaps they are right - much has changed - even the company itself has morphed throughout the years... from The Brooklyn Union Gas Company, to KeySpan - and now National Grid. Oh, and yes, real Brooklyn Union sticklers will remind you how at one time they even gave MarketSpan a try. Today a MarketSpan duffle bag will earn you a pretty penny on eBay - and I mean that literally... you might get a penny for it.
Then I came across this - at one point in time Brooklyn Union was involved in a little time capsule movie called "My My Brooklyn, USA" (1973) and the subsequent toe-tapping title song by The Wizz, (Martin Fulterman and Clif Nivison, formerly of the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble) on a 45rpm record - one side stereo, the other side mono - and on Capitol Records, no less!
My, My Brooklyn, USA (titled simply "Brooklyn" on the record) is a catchy ditty... somewhat of a cross between The Beatles "Honey Pie" and Emitt Rhodes "Fresh As A Daisy" - I've heard some people refer to this as a minor novelty song that got some airplay in the 70s - although I've never heard it, until somehow someone handed me the 45rpm record one day at work. I may still have it somewhere - I'd have to look.
Anyway - if you're curious, here's a Youtube video of someone playing the record...
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And here's My My Brooklyn USA - The Movie, where this came from...
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I'm reminded of the day I met George Romero (you KNOW who he is - - don't make me SMACK you!!) and the first thing I said to him as he was signing an autograph picture for me was "Well, first off I want to THANK YOU for scaring the shit outta me all these years!" and he looked at me with the most sincere look I've ever seen and said
"Oohhhh.... I'm SORRY!!"
- - as if I had meant that LITERALLY - and he was imagining me ACTUALLY having involuntary BOWEL MOVEMENTS in my pants...
Well - - THIS Halloween goes out to ole' George... and yes - - once again THANK YOU, sir!! You're right up there with all the greats who've one way or the other have made this such a continuing odd holiday - - filled with monstrous delights filled with your zombie creations!
Do yourself a favor, folks - - watch the ORIGINAL Night Of The Living Dead - - when all the Trick Or Treaters have rang their last doorbell for the night... even if you've seen it a hundred times already - - just to remind yourself what good old fashion scares feel like again - - and thrill again to that ominous catchphrase "They're coming to GET YOU, Barbara!!"
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Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment said, “For generations, the Looney Tunes have held a soft spot in the hearts of fans the world over, including my own. It’s a true pleasure to bring into theaters Peter Browngardt’s hilariously smart, emotional, and gorgeously rendered story for fans and movie-lovers of all ages to experience a wholly new and original cinematic adventure with our friends, Porky and Daffy.”
Presented by Ketchup Entertainment and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is directed by Pete Browngardt and written by Darrick Bachman, Pete Browngardt, Kevin Costello, Andrew Dickman, David Gemmill, Alex Kirwan, Ryan Kramer, Jason Reicher, Michael Ruocco, Johnny Ryan, and Eddie Trigueros. Sam Register and Pete Browngardt serve as Executive Producers, Alex Kirwan as Supervising Producer, Michal Baum as Line Producer, Nick Cross as Art Director, and Aaron Spurgeon as Production Designer.
If John Lennon were still alive today he would have turned 84 years old yesterday... Paul McCartney posted this pic from a recent concert of his and wrote "Happy Birthday John. Thanks for being there."
My sister in law sent me a picture of John Lennon with his son Sean, both of them celebrating their birthdays which were coincidentally on the same day - - and I couldn't help adding myself crashing the party!!
Happy Birthday John!!
Spend the creepy season with Haunted Barn at the grand old Paramount Theater for our annual 2024 Horror-Thon! We'll be haunting the lobby with our collection of movie artifacts, monstrous memories and all those stories! (Make sure to ask about the one with the miniature ghost couple sitting at the end of the bed - that one is guaranteed to give you chills!)
Come SEE the best weekend of monster movies anywhere, eat a truck full of popcorn and meet up with all your favorite FIENDS! It's going to be a FANGtastic weekend!
Individual Movies are $7
or
grab a weekend pass for $30
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The Wolf Man – Friday, October 25th at 6:00 PM
1941 – 1 Hour 10 Minutes
Upon his return to his father’s estate, aristocrat Larry Talbot meets a beautiful woman, attends a mystical carnival and uncovers a horrifying curse.
Horror – Fantasy
Friday the 13th – Friday, October 25th at 8 PM
1980 – 1 Hour 35 Minutes – Rated R
A group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
Horror
Christine – Saturday, October 26th at 1:15 PM
1988 – 1 Hour 50 Minutes – Rated R
A nerdish boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.
Horror – Fantasy
The Wickerman – Saturday, October 26th at 3:45 PM
1973 – 1 Hour 28 Minutes – Rated R
A puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.
Horror – Mystery
Dracula – Saturday, October 26th at 6:00 PM
1931 – 1 Hour and 15 Minutes
Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naive real estate agent to his will, then takes up residence at a London estate where he sleeps in his coffin by day and searches for potential victims by night.
Horror – Drama
Eraserhead – Saturday, October 26th at 8:00 PM
1977 – 1 Hour and 29 Minutes
Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newborn mutant child.
Horror – Fantasy
The Witches of Eastwick – Sunday, October 29th at 2 PM
1987 – 1 Hour 58 Minutes – Rated R
Three single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.
Comedy – Horror
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Just some random model sheets to brighten your day of my favorite cartoon character of all time - - and a naked Elmer Fudd, because - well - - WHY NOT?...
I was minding my own business on the world wide web and someone slapped me on the back yelling "TAG!! YOU'RE IT!!" I got hit with The Album Challenge - - Damn!! - - and since this blog is in need for some new content, might as well put it HERE TOO, albeit out of context - but that doesn't really matter, does it? Enjoy... and just be thankful I can't slap YOU on the back!!...
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Okay, Julian, [the back slapper who tagged me] I'm not going to be able to rack up a list but I will (quite randomly) pick a few albums I remember being - what's the assignment - influential? Inspiring? Part of my childhood? Okay - here's an odd one. My first pick...
... includes of course "Rainbow Connection". I can recall listening to that album quite a bit - in fact, I'll tell you something you probably might find amusing - but there's a cassette tape somewhere of Lloyd and I doing the whole damn movie (I kid you not!) - including all the songs. Imagine Lloyd, practically bursting blood vessels in his head - doing Miss Piggy's "Never Before". We also did a pretty convincing "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along" I was Kermit and Lloyd did a pretty impressive Rowlf The Dog.
We would often slip into everyday conversations lines like "millions of people happy!" just for a laugh. If you've seen the movie (which I bet you have) that's what intrigues Kermit to set out on his adventure, when Dom Deluise (as a Hollywood agent) coaxes Kermit to spread his talents outside of his familiar swamp.
"Moving Right along" - another good song, a very buddy-movie moment between Kermit and Fozzie Bear- and then there was a song you can almost imagine Aerosmith covering, Dr Teeth and The Electric Mayhem doing "Can You Picture That?" (Has sort of a "Walk This Way" feel to it, I think).
Now I'm no Mike Sargent, but this being a "soundtrack" album - you think he'd approve? Who needs Jerry Goldsmith when you've got Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher! Oh, lest I forget, the album also includes the beautiful and yet oddly out of place "I'm Going To Go Back There Someday" sung by Gonzo.
What's he singing about? Where's this fit in with the rest of the movie? No one knows - and it's never explained. Perhaps that's all part of the plan.
The magic of Jim Henson - to keep you wondering.
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When I first saw this I didn't know whether I should laugh, scream, or ball up in a fetal position in the corner.
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