One week. That’s all I did. One week and I am exhausted!
As she recovered from surgery, I took on all the responsibilities of my wife for one entire week. I look back in amazement. I just don’t know how she does it. How does she manage the calendar that she keeps while I am at work? I don’t even know!
Before I explain just what a crazy week it was let me share an incident to set the stage for you.
The first night the kids are home, I am getting them ready for bed. I administer the bedtime medications, I get them in pajamas, we brush teeth, etc… From my bedroom, my wife calls from the bed,
“What are you doing?!”
“I’m getting the kids ready for bed, why?” I reply.
“Well, that’s not the way I get them ready!!!” she says.
As she laid in bed, it drove her stir crazy to know that she wasn’t doing the bedtime routine! She likes things done a certain way, and she hates to not to be able to do it THAT WAY.
So just what did my week entail? What rollercoaster ride of craziness was I on for a week? Here’s just a peak…..
Wednesday of last week the kids came home. Without time to even acclimate to this new schedule, I was caught up in it with no time to look back! I guess I never knew just how much she juggled each week.
One night there is dance class, which runs well past dinner time. So then there has to be dinner before bedtime because tomorrow is a school day. Bedtime is later on dance night. It isn’t easy to fit it all in unless you drive through somewhere.
The next day, you drive to school and drop off. You squeeze a few little things in before you are off to the school again to pick up. From school, you have time to grab lunch in time for Occupational and Physical therapy. Then you are finally off to get home by mid afternoon. Bath’s before bed on this night, followed by story time, teeth brushing and bedtime.
Chances are there is a doctor appointment the next day, so you are up early and hurrying around to get yourself ready as well as the kids. If one is staying with Nana, you drop off there and head down to the appointment. Maybe it is the ENT, the sleep doctor, or a visit to the primary care doc. You never know.
The next day you are at the mercy of when the grocery shoppers have finished your order. Hop in the car and go to the designated spot, text them that you are there and wait for them to bring the groceries out. Drive back home and unload the groceries. Clean out the fridge and freezer so you can put what needs to be cold in there. Maybe you get a minute to enjoy half a cup of coffee here while you wait for the dryer to ding. When it does, swap loads and fold the clean stuff.
Make dinner. What’s for dinner? Who knows?! But it needs to be something that they will eat. It’s anyone’s guess if they will eat what is on their plate, even if they loved it a week ago. While eating, be on the look out for the kitten, who seems to think human dinner time is also her dinner time. Shoo her off the table!
Bedtime again. Bath’s first? I don’t know, depends on the day! When the kids fall asleep, sneak out so you can pick up the toys from the front room floor. Maybe you can sweep, vacuum or even mop the floor before a child knows you are not in bed and they come looking for you.
In between the semi-schedule, you have to break up fights. You have to explain why you don’t put forks in electrical outlets, and answer the 18 “why?” questions that will ultimately follow your explanation. You have to switch food from the pink plate to the green plate because today that is the color they want. You have to drink a glass of white milk because they wanted chocolate milk when they asked for “milk.” You have to be the bathroom police and ask “Do you have to go pee?” every now and then because they might forget and have an accident. You call both children by their first and middle names because they are doing something they aren’t supposed to. You have to go get a “snack” for them, even though dinner was over 12 minutes ago. You have to watch the same episode of Blippi for the 87 millionth time and restrain yourself from wanting to punch him through the screen. On and on the list goes…..
… and my wife MASTERS this chaos EVERY NIGHT! My God, she is truly a marvel.
I have walked a week in her shoes and they do not fit! There are not enough kudos to bestow upon her for all that she does to make our house run smoothly. She is a miracle … and I love her so very much.
Every once in a while my kids will do something that just amazes me. That happened last night on Halloween.
I took the day off so I could be with the kids yesterday. However, I wound up going to work for a few hours. I need to bank a few extra hours for upcoming stuff. My daughter decided that she wanted to come to work with me. She was welcomed by a big box of donuts in the break room!
After I sorted through things to get my coworkers ready for the night, we drove home. We had about an hour before it was time to trick or treat, so we all enjoyed dinner together.
The temperatures were not too cold, unlike the last couple years. It was windy, which made it feel chillier than it was. As you know, the kids have been on the mend, so we made sure to dress them warm.
My wife is all about matching. This year, we “coupled” based on their costumes. Andrew was a fireman. Naturally, the fireman had to have a Dalmatian dog. Mommy was happy to help.
Ella was Wonder Woman, and needed someone to help her fight off the candy stealing criminals. I was happy to step in as “Bat-Dad!”
This year we opted not to take the wagon with us, so that meant we were all walking. We got one half of our street done and made our way to the next one over. About halfway down, Ella decided that she wanted to go home. We completely understood, and it was decided that Andrew and I would keep going.
A few minutes later, my phone rang. I had told the folks at work to call if they had any questions about the night. It wasn’t work. It was Sam.
“You locked the door.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You have the key!”
“Uh, yeah, I do.”
So Andrew and I walked back home to let them in the house. When we got back home, he said he wanted to stay home. I was surprised. I thought for sure he’d want to go back out, but he didn’t.
We had a big bowl of candy from past trunk or treats. Sam thought it would be a good idea to pass it out to the kids walking. So we went on the porch and passed out candy. They kids LOVED being able to give candy to the kids. Now here is the unexpected twist…
As we were getting to the bottom of the candy bowl, we said we’d have to go inside. The kids both grabbed their candy buckets and dumped them into the bowl. We asked if they were sure they wanted to do that, and they said they were.
Every time someone walked up to our house, they’d run over to them and hand them sweets. The joy and excitement on their faces and those who were receiving the candy was worth it. When we finally ran out of candy and went inside, we asked they why they gave away their candy. Ella said, “I like sharing.”
Ok, the last two weeks were flashbacks of a serious nature, so I thought I would find a picture I could pick apart a bit. I know Max over at the PowerPop blog loves these photos.
According to the date stamp, this was developed in 1988 (the year I graduated from high school). That being said, we never seemed to develop film right away, so this could have been taken in 1987. Welcome to a little corner of my brother’s room.
The first thing that hits me are two 70’s/80’s decorative staples – Paneling and wallpaper! I can still remember when my folks hung that astronaut wallpaper. I cannot remember if this was my room first or my brother’s. At some point, maybe before they hung the wallpaper, we switched rooms. Mine had globes and maps on the wall.
While my brother and I are very different, we are also very similar. Case in point: we both had shelves in our rooms for photos and display pieces. My shelves had Three Stooges dolls, a couple autographed pictures, ceramic pieces that my mother had made, and little collectibles. This bookcase/shelving unit was were my brother displayed many of his favorite things and photos.
Before I look at the shelves, I want to point out that in 1987 our band went to Disney in Florida and marched in a parade there. The Goofy hat on the wall was something that I believe both my brother and I had. I have no idea what that red thing is hanging in the upper left of this picture. He may remember.
I have blogged in the past about mom’s ceramics hobby and this photo features some of her work. You can read about that hobby here:
We were obviously into Star Wars back then. Starting at the left on the top shelf is the first Star Wars piece mom made, R2-D2. She may have asked the two of us what pieces we’d like for her to make for us. I seem to remember asking for Chewbacca, who is next on the shelf. The R2-D2 was fairly simple. The detail was good and it had a shine to it. I remember my mom did something different with Chewbacca. For the life of me, I can’t remember what she called it, but it had more of a dirt/flat look to it. You really can’t tell, but in front of Chewbacca is the controls to the Millennium Falcon. I remember thinking how professional the thing looked and thinking, “My mom made this!”
In front of Chewbacca is a small ceramic cat that mom made for my brother. It is much like the little pieces that I mentioned in the blog link above. I have to chuckle at the that coconut next to Chewbacca. We both had one, I think one was just a single person, while it looks like Chris’s may have been two. I think those were banks, but I could be wrong. Did we get those at Disney, too? I think so, but I cannot recall.
Next to that coconut is one of the best pieces my mom ever did – Yoda. This was the final Star Wars piece she worked on and it was fantastic. She was always trying new things and for Yoda’s coat, she used some kind of sandy stucco stuff that really made it look cool. The detail on this piece was just amazing.
Before moving to the last piece on the top shelf, I have to point out that the US and Italian Flags on that shelf were something that we both got while in Epcot, a trip that (for me) was cut short because of an ambulance ride to the hospital (it was nothing).
The last piece on that shelf may be the piece that started it all for my brother’s Wonder Woman collection. He has always loved the show, the comics, and everything about her. At one point he had enough Wonder Woman stuff to fill that entire book case. Today he has a Wonder Woman ROOM!
As you move down a shelf, there are a load of pictures that I know just by looking at them. Even though they are blurry in this photo, I know exactly what they are. The first is a photo of my folks, my brother, and my grandma in Florida. It was one of those “old time” photos. I was off with my friends when they had it taken. Then there are photos of my Aunt Jodi and my grandma. I’m not sure where the cross came from, but it looks like maybe there is a rosary hanging from it. (We were raised Catholic, but no longer practice that). Then there is a photo of my other grandparents, my cheesy senior picture, my brother’s favorite photo of him and my grandpa, a Polaroid of a lot of us on squeezed on the couch with my other grandpa and our dad, and finally another old time photo of Chris and my dad in some Civil War get up.
I have to admit that the dog on the shelf below the photo shelf looked familiar. I kept thinking it was something like Teddy Ruxpin and I wasn’t far off. Long before they produced Webkinz, Ganz made Wrinkles Talking Dogs. When I looked it up, it said it was a puppet.
Each one of those dogs had a tag with a number on it, making each one unique. Ebay had one for sale – for $400!! Yikes.
Back to the photo…I remember Garfield being a big deal around this time. All of the school book sales had Garfield books, the book stores always had a big display of them, and it was always on the front page of the Sunday comics page. Not to mention the TV show and movies… I don’t remember my brother being into Garfield, but there he is with Odie. Another picture of grandma and Jodi in on that shelf, too.
Here’s where it get’s sketchy, but I can make out most of the rest of the photo. Below Garfield are Disney’s Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy (that’s a tiny bit of his hat you can see). My brother has always loved Disney and goes there almost annually. If I had $5 for every Disney Character he has taken a photo with, I could maybe fund a trip to Disney!
Just a couple more observations. Next to the Disney stuffies, you can make out the top of an old time radio. I think, and I may be wrong, my brother and I both had one of these. You could listen to AM/FM radio on it and on the side was a spot you slid a cassette tape in to listen to it. We had MANY old radio shows on cassette and listened to them often.
Finally, in the bottom right corner of the photo is a TV. I laughed out loud when I saw the dials to change the channels on it! My first thought was that the box on top of it was a cable box, but it is too early for that. I’m pretty sure that was my brother’s alarm clock. That TV was the one we played Atari and Nintendo on back in the day. We may even have had a Betamax video player in there. Those were the days!!
I’ll have to find a photo of the shelves in my room to share one day. If I do, I will warn you, my room was always a disaster!
A couple years ago, the kids got a Tonie Box. If you look at the picture above, you can see the character sits on top of it and it plays a story or music. You can read my original blog about it here:
We bought a small container to keep all of the characters in, and at some point, Ella decided that the characters were fun to play with. So when they are not listening to them, they are playing with them. Today, she asked me to come and play with her. She told me I could be Batman.
I always try to make her laugh and usually it doesn’t take much. Today, Wonder Woman and Elsa asked Batman to dance. I made a gruff voice and said, “I’m Batman. I don’t dance.” She asked me why and I ad-libbed, “My cape trips me up” and made him fall. I told her, “I have to go fight crime! The Penguin is out robbing banks.” She dug into the Tonie container and said, “No he’s not! He’s right here!”
I’m adapting this post from a few years ago because of a couple recent articles on MSN about TV theme songs. I clicked on one about the Top 30 best TV Theme songs, and that lead to MSN offering up many other “TV theme song” articles and lists, naturally. At any rate, back when this blog was in its infancy, I wrote a blog about them and I thought maybe it was time to revisit since I have many new followers.
Today, many shows don’t even bother with a theme song. You see the credits scroll on the screen while the show is in progress. This is sad. To me, a TV theme song kind of sets the mood for the show. Usually, it will be a song with catchy lyrics or a melody that you can hum along with. Using that as my criteria, lets go back and look at some of my favorite theme songs from TV’s past. When we’re done – tell me your favorites that I may have missed.
The 50’s
Two of the earliest themes on my list come from shows considered classics. First, The Andy Griffith Show. This catchy tune is one that you can whistle along with. Even without looking at a screen, whistling it makes you picture Andy and Opie walking with their fishing poles to the lake.
Second, The Dick Van Dyke Show. What’s not to like about this one? You only have to wonder whether or not he’s gonna trip over the ottoman when he walks in the house.
Then there is the Twilight Zone. The haunting guitar part that plays those same four notes over and over is scary as hell! As a kid, I remember freaking out when it was on. Today, as I listen to it, it is perfect for the show. It was the perfect music to play while Rod Serling explained that we were entering another dimension. I can’t tell you how many times something obscure happens and I start humming the theme song!
One of the great 50’s themes is also one of the most recognizable is from the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He is known for his movies, naturally, but his TV work was right up there with the aforementioned Twilight Zone.
Another one of my favorites was the theme to Perry Mason. It was written by Fred Steiner who said he wanted to capture Perry’s sophistication and toughness. The song is actually called Park Avenue Beat and it is a bluesy “piece of symphonic R&B”. The song was re-recorded for the Perry Mason TV movies and was used by the Blues Brothers band while out touring.
Another theme song that I absolutely love, has a Blues Brothers tie in, too. Peter Gunn is a private eye. The initial base line accompanied by low brass instruments screams sleazy private eye. It’s a great piece. The song actually plays in the first Blues Brothers movie as the brothers are driving through Illinois. They do a fine cover of it.
The 60’s
The shows of the 60’s and 70’s had some of the best theme songs!
The theme to Mission: Impossible is instantly recognizable. It was composed by the great Lalo Schifrin. What’s neat about the song is that it is in 5/4 time. From the opening note – you can see the fuse light up and begin to burn. It’s such a cool piece of music. I was glad that they used it in the movies with Tom Cruise (even though I disliked them).
Wanna sing along with the theme to Batman? You only need to sing the word “Batman” and you got it! Neil Hefti, who was a composer and arranger, composed the theme with it’s simple guitar lick and vocal. It was a hit for Hefti, The Ventures, and the The Marketts.
William Dozier, creator of Batman, also created the Green Hornet. Even though the show didn’t last long, the theme song is memorable for a few reasons. First, it is based on the classical piece, The Flight of the Bumblebee. Second, playing the trumpet on the song is the great Al Hirt! Classic! One that you will hum for days.
Who can forget the theme to the Monkees? “Here we come, walking down the street. We get the funniest looks from, everyone we meet….” Hey! Hey! They’re the Monkees! For this show, they gathered 4 guys with little or no musical experience and made them a band. The show appealed to kids and adults alike. It was fast paced with quick jokes and 4 lovable characters who featured many of their hit songs on the show.
In the 60’s the guitar played a big part in theme songs. Think about this, The Munsters theme had such a catchy lick that was sampled for the song Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy. It was cool enough to sample for one of today’s hit songs.
One of those great guitar theme songs was to Get Smart. The opening sequence changed a little from season to season, but it always included Don Adams walking through a corridor with sets of doors one right after another until he finally makes it to the payphone that gets him into CONTROL headquarters. Love this song and it never fails, if I am ever walking down a long hallway – I will almost always start to hum this song.
I mentioned the Ventures earlier, and they have one of the coolest theme songs – Hawaii 5-0. It was a huge instrumental hit for the band. It’s a great balance of guitar and horns. The use of the tympani drum and the pyramid effect by the horns in this song is masterful! It’s one of those theme songs you instantly crank up.
Maybe it’s the marching band guy in me, but I always loved a good march. That’s what you get as the theme song for Hogan’s Heroes. We played this in our alumni band one year.
The 70’s
Disco was in and some theme songs were just “funky”. Two examples of this are Barney Miller and it’s spin-off, Fish. The funky bass in the two theme songs is prominent and sets the tone for the them. The guitar melodies blend in and make them two themes that you could listen to over and over. The horns in Barney Miller continue to crescendo to the end of the song itself. It started slow and funky and ends in such a way that when it’s over you are disappointed cause you want more. The Twin Towers stand proudly in the opening scene as well.
It’s funny to listen to the Fish theme song again, because I realize how much it sounds like the theme from Night Court.
Norman Lear was a staple of 70’s TV. He created All In The Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, Good Times, and the list of his credits goes on and on. I have featured the Sanford and Son theme as a separate blog before, because it is one of my favorites. Here it is again, just because.
The Jeffersons was a spin-off of All In The Family. George Jefferson is “moving on up” to a bigger and better life and that’s where the theme song sets you up. It tells you the story. The theme song was written by Ja’net Dubois (of Good Times) and Jeff Berry and sung by Dubois and a gospel choir. Her vocal is amazing and so is the song.
How do I describe the theme song from What’s Happening!!? As the show opens, the main characters are running down a sidewalk bouncing a ball. The music kinda sounds like a ball is bouncing and then the soprano sax jumps in. It’s odd, but it’s catchy. It’s also written and composed by one of the most respected men in music – Henry Mancini!
The 70’s introduced us to the superhero Wonder Woman. I do not know a boy alive who did not have a crush on Lynda Carter. Much like the Batman theme, this theme repeats the character’s name a few times, but then expands on how wonderful she is. There is a funky little bass line that drives the song and I can’t really remember much more because I was watching Lynda Carter run ….
Welcome Back, Kotter was the show that introduced us to John Travolta. It was a comedy about a guy (Gabe Kaplan) who goes back to his old neighborhood to teach. The show was originally going to be called Kotter. The title was changed, however, because of the theme song. It was written and recorded by former lead singer of the Lovin’ Spoonful, John Sebastian. The song hit the charts and went all the way up to #1. This song give you the feel of the “folksy” 70’s.
Ok, I have to include the theme from a show that I watched faithfully every week as a kid. I was introduced to many stars and a lot of songs by watching this show. How can I not include The Muppet Show
The 80’s
There are so many great theme songs from the 80’s! Let’s start with Night Court. Night Court’s theme song throws me back to the 70’s because of that funky bass open – even more so now that I have listened to the Fish theme! You also have that soprano sax melody. It’s not a long theme, and when it’s done, you wish that you could find somewhere an “extended club mix”.
I just wrote about this next show for a Blogathon and did an entire blog on it as well. Police Squad only produced 6 episodes and it was cancelled. It starred Leslie Nielson as Lt. Frank Drebin. At the time, the network didn’t think that a show like Police Squad would be something an audience would want to watch (so they could catch all the jokes – remember, this was done by the guys who gave us the movie Airplane!). The theme song was accompanied by a voice over announcer reading the credits. He would also announce tonight’s guest star (who would always die during the credits) and give the name of the episode (which never matched with the title read on the screen). Thankfully, when the Naked Gun movies were made, the kept the theme song.
In 1980, Urban Cowboy hit theaters and country music was all the rage. It only made sense that we’d have a country comedy show on TV. That show was the Dukes of Hazzard. Talk about big name singers – Waylon Jennings sings the theme song, and he was also the show’s narrator. The song was released as a single in August of 1980, and it went to #1 on the Billboard Country Charts! Yee-haw!
The 90’s
It is here that we begin to see the decline in the use of the TV theme song. As a matter of fact, it became a habit to edit them down to 10-30 seconds from the already short 60 seconds. There are some that stand out for me though from this decade.
Tim Allen’s Home Improvement was a show based on his comedy act. His grunts and vocalizations intermingle through the theme song, almost as if they are a part of the musical score. The theme song almost sounds like a “work” song, both in sound and in tempo.
Seinfeld was one of those shows who used a theme song for a while, and used it at the end of the show, but often times especially in the show’s later seasons, it was shortened. The bubbly, poppy, twangy bass, and silly feel will forever be associated with the show about nothing and it’s silly characters.
From the opening guitar of “I’ll Be There for You” by the Rembrandts, you are in New York with Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Monica. The theme to the show Friends was an international hit. It was a song that was requested on radio and used at wedding receptions to introduce bridal parties. The song is heavily influenced by the Beatles (I Feel Fine) and the Monkees (Pleasant Valley Sunday). It was originally just one minute long, but the band went in an recorded an extended version, which became a radio hit.
Who could forget It’s Garry Shandling’s Show? The show, in itself, was silly. Garry interacts with the cast, but often will interact with the studio audience as well. It was just so weird. The theme song is just as weird. It’s a bouncy song that basically references itself (this is the theme to Garry’s show) and tells you how it came to be (Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song) and then asks how you like it (we’re almost halfway finished how do you like it so far?). The melody is so catchy, you can’t help but want to sing (or whistle) along with it.
One that I loved singing along to was the theme to That 70’s Show. The first season’s version was done by Todd Griffin, but from season 2 onward the group Cheap Trick sang the theme song. It rocked a bit more that season one.
2000-2010
There were only a few shows that I really enjoyed watching by this time. One that made me laugh out loud all the time was Arrested Development. This ridiculous silly theme song seemed so out of place, but I loved it
I really loved the show House MD. The theme song is actually a song that has a vocal called “Teardrop” by the group Massive Attack. If you hear the vocal version, you wonder how or why anyone would think to use this as the theme to a medical show…
The medical comedy Scrubs was a very good show which reminded me a lot of MASH. The theme on the show is only like 20 seconds long. However, I found the full version by Lazlo Bane called, “Superman.”
Another really short theme which I loved came from another show that made me laugh. 30 Rock. This cast was so good and the theme conveys the craziness that the characters experience while trying to put on their show. There is a couple full versions of the theme which can be found on the official soundtrack, but here is the TV version.
Wrapping up
I know I’m going to go back over this and think about many others I forgot to mention, but for now, I will stop here. So think about this for a minute:
With the TV theme song becoming more and more absent from TV…what are your thoughts? Which ones did you love growing up? Which ones do you still sing? Which ones did you hate?
Now it’s your turn – I look forward to seeing your comments.
Today is National Superhero Day! I think every child grows up exposed to superheroes. I know as I look back on my childhood there were plenty of them.
My brother and I would wake up on Saturday mornings and watch The Superfriends!
Batman and Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman were always there. Sometimes the Wonder Twins were part of the team with their ridiculous monkey and sometimes, it was the even more annoying Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog.
My brother and I were introduced to Batman long before this. We always loved the 1966 TV show.
We were also familiar with Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter was one of my first childhood crushes!
I had other superhero cartoon characters I loved just as much –
My love of rhyme may have stemmed from episodes of Underdog!
Underdog had a pretty amazing theme song, which seemed to be common with cartoon superheroes. Case in point:
I loved watching your friendly neighborhood Spiderman – and singing along with the theme song. Another example:
The number one super guy – Hong Kong Phooey! Scatman Crothers provided the perfect personality and voice for this bumbling character.
Speaking of bumbling superheroes, many won’t remember these guys –
Strong Man, Tornado Man, Rope Man, Diaper Man, and Cuckoo Man were about as crazy as they came. It was always a treat to catch them on TV.
I used to love Blue Falcon, because the great Gary Owens provided his voice!
I guess I still love superheroes even as an adult. One particular family is a favorite
I won’t lie – I hope there is a third Incredibles movie!
Today, I salute these heroes and the many real life super heroes!
It’s been awhile since I posted a musical blog, so in a way this is overdue. In a way, it is also sort of a twist on a combination of older blogs.
What Prompted This Blog?
While I wouldn’t consider my daughter a “TV Head,” PBS Kids or Disney Channel is usually on in the background while Sam and I play with her. Sam has the PBS Kids app on her phone and every once in a while, she will watch a show on there. She knows that every time she presses a new character, the new show will play.
There are three shows on the app that are Super Hero oriented: Hero Elementary, Super Why!, and Word Girl. As Ella presses the buttons, she usually listens to the theme songs and then moves to another show. For whatever it is worth, she must have played the theme song to Word Girl about 6 times in a row the other day. I’m not gonna lie, it’s a pretty cool theme song. I love the driving bass line and horns in it! Give it a listen:
Kudos to the gal singing that! Those are some pretty difficult lyrics to sing that fast.
Anyway, that song got me to thinking about how most super heroes have cool theme songs. So I thought I would present my Top 10 Super Hero Theme Songs. I’m sure yours may differ from mine. Feel free to comment with your favorites, your top 10, or ones you feel I missed….
10. The Greatest American Hero
Probably the wimpiest Super Hero ever, I agree! However, the song went all the way up to #2 on the charts for Joey Scarbury. It also was so popular that George Constanza created his answering machine message to the tune of it…
Fun Fact – William Katt is the son of actress Barbara Hale, who played Della Street on Perry Mason.
9. Batman Movie Theme (1989)
This ominous theme song by Danny Elfman set the tone for the Batman movie starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Obviously, this is MUCH darker and more serious than the 1966 incarnation.
The Elfman score got it’s entire album. Some of the music went on to be a part of Batman: The Animated Series, and can be heard in many video games, too.
8. The Super Friends
Ok, maybe this is cheating a bit. This show contains many super heroes who will appear on this list separately with there own theme. However, this was the show that introduced me to many of them. From 1973-1986, there were 7 different versions of the Super Friends. The great Ted Knight (of Caddyshack and Too Close For Comfort fame) did the narration until 1977, when Bill Woodson took over.
As a bonus – here are all 7 intros to the show….
I never understood why the first series had Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog. They were more annoying than anything. I was never really fond of Aquaman, either, but thought Norman Alden (who voiced him) was a great actor.
7. Underdog
I saw this in reruns/syndication. It originally ran from 1964 to 1967, and again in syndication until 1973. The theme song may have been one of the first songs I learned how to sing. I loved Underdog as a kid, but never realized he spoke in rhyme until much later.
George S. Irving (the voice of Heat Miser in the Year Without a Santa Claus) was the narrator and Wally Cox voiced Underdog. Fun Fact: TV Guide ranked Underdog as number 23 on its “50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time” list
6. Superman
I remember seeing this in the theater. I was probably not in band yet, but I remember the trumpet fanfare opening of this song and it really caught my attention. I will forever think of this song when I think of Superman.
This is just one of MANY great movie themes written by the great John Williams (Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc…)
5. Wonder Woman
Let me be clear – the TV show Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter was one of my first celebrity crushes. She was (and still is) one of the most beautiful women. The theme for the show is just “funky.” “In your satin tights, fighting for your rights, and the ole red white and blue….” The running bass line throughout the song and 70’s “gospel-ish” singers singing her name – what’s not to love?
Fun fact: Lyle Waggoner, who plays Steve Trevor, once did a screen test to play TV’s Batman!
4. The Incredibles
Yes, the entire family has a theme song – and it is awesome! The film score was composed by Michael Giacchino. The film’s director, Brad Bird, was looking for a specific sound as inspired by the film’s design — the future as seen from the 1960s. It truly is a musical masterpiece.
Full Credits Score is here – The horns in this are just amazing!!
3. Hong Kong Phooey
How can a theme song sung by the legendary Scatman Crothers not make the list? Ok, to be fair, I might be a little biased. This show only aired in 1974 (and in syndication until 1976), and it is technically only 40 seconds long, but it’s cool! It’s “groovy!” The “number one super guy” had to be on my list ….
Fun Fact: The band Subline covered this song in 1995.
2. Batman (1966)
In 1966, the campiness of Batman took the TV world by storm! Adam West was Batman, Burt Ward was Robin and the celebrity villains were larger than life. The theme song for Batman was created by Neal Hefti. The guitar riff is instantly recognizable. The song was a top 20 hit for him, despite the fact that the lyrics consisted of repeating “Batman” over and over and over….
Here is the “hit” version:
The TV version:
The Marketts also scored a top 20 hit with their version:
Fun Fact: Give the Beatles “Taxman” a listen and see if you can hear a Batman influence. George Harrison based the music for that song on the Batman theme. He was a big fan of the show.
and…..
#1 Spiderman
No surprise to anyone who knows me. This is one of the “baddest” and “coolest” theme songs. While I think there are other super heroes who are cooler than Spidey, he certainly has my favorite theme song! “Is he strong, listen bud, he’s got radioactive blood” – what a great line!!!
The original theme is cool, and then Michael Buble’ comes along and throws an amazing Big Band arrangement of it….. I absolutely love this! I wish I had the sheet music for this. Check out his cover:
In the Creative Writing class I had in college, one of the exercises they had us do was to grab a piece of paper and just write whatever pops into your head. That’s kind of where this blog is coming from. What will it contain? Read on and see …
The above quote is from Sidney Poitier. Randomness will follow:
A forgotten favorite
I forgot how much I love French Toast. We bought frozen French Toast sticks for the boys at the store recently and Sam asked me to make some for her. I asked if she would rather have regular French Toast. She did, so I made her some. I made some for me too. It’s been forever since I have had some. It was awesome.
Back when I worked at Kiss-FM (WKSG) in Detroit, I would work on Saturday nights and on Sunday Mornings, we’d go to the Big Boy right down Gratiot and get the breakfast bar. We’d grab French Toast and bacon. It was a weekly tradition, the waitresses knew us, and always had crispy bacon for us. Good times!
A Cheesy Story
I saw a story this week about a woman who has been washing her hands regularly because of the coronavirus, only what she thought was a bar of soap … was a block of cheese! I don’t get it. You would think the absence of bubbles or lather would have been a clue, much earlier than it was! Of course, she said she probably left out the cheese when she was drunk … thank you, alcohol, for another funny tale. Here is the story:
If you have been on social media at all, there are people who are in quarantine due to the corona virus. Many pictures are of whatever they are watching on TV, whatever they are eating, or their feet up on the ottoman. The rest are selfies. Those selfies take time to get “just right.” According to a new survey, the perfect selfie takes about 20 minutes to get! Who the hell studies this? I have taken selfies in the past, and I may take one or two, but it takes me far less than 20 minutes …. of course, I have no hair, so I don’t have to be sure it is perfect.
The survey says that the subject of the selfie will mess with lighting, angles, and edit with various apps to make sure the picture is “post worthy.” One final fact – only 8% of people will post a candid picture on social media. Many opt for staged photos. Now you know.
Long Before Eminem …
No cheating. What was the first song to feature a white rapper on MTV? It happened in 1981. It was a female singer. Got it? Sure you do! Remember Blondie’s song “Rapture?” It features the first rap verse on the channel and it was a #1 song. Here are some other white rappers and their songs you may have forgotten about:
It’s Good To Be The King – Mel Brooks. (It was a tie in with the movie “History of the World Part 1” Mel was first white artist with a rap song on the Billboard R&B chart in 1982.
Rappin’ Rodney – Rodney Dangerfield. In 1983, I had this on a 45. He was holding a boom box on the cover.
The Rappin’ Duke – Shawn Brown. Duh Haw Duh Haw! Ok, I know, Shawn Brown is black, but the actor he is imitating – John Wayne – is white. This got a lot of radio play in 1983.
The Beastie Boys. They hit the scene in 1986 and were HUGE! Their album License to Ill sold over 100,000 copies the first week! (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) still is requested at weddings and parties!
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice. This one hit wonder dropped in 1990 and sampled Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure. This was the first hip hop single to reach #1 on Billboard’s charts. Eminem once said that Ice Ice Baby actually made him want to STOP rapping!
Good Vibrations – Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Another #1 song that came a year after the Ice Man in 1991.
Jump Around – House of Pain. From 1992, I’m not going to lie – I love this song! I still get requests for this at high school dances!
Eminem shows up on the scene in 1999 with “My Name Is”.
I wonder if I still have that 12 inch single of Rappin’ Duke….
2020 Seniors
My son Dante’ is a senior this year. This coronavirus has basically robbed him (and every other high school senior across the country) of the best year of their lives! It saddens me. Over the weekend, he was so happy to tell me that the girl he asked out to prom said yes. Now, the prom has been cancelled. Kansas has basically called school “over and done” for the year. Just like that – it’s over.
He posted a picture of a headstone that read “My Senior Year” on his Facebook page this week. It hurts me to see how sad this makes him. Oh, I am sure that some students are glad, but my son was looking forward to so much more before the school year was over. I still don’t know how they are handling commencement ceremonies. U of M and MSU have cancelled theirs.
A Louisiana teacher posted a letter to the 2020 Senior Class that is worth sharing here. If you have a high school senior and haven’t seen it – share it!
Growing up in the 70’s, there were plenty of Super Hero shows on TV. Wonder Woman was one of them. Lynda Carter was – and still is – beautiful. Even as a 5-7 year old boy, there was something about seeing her in that outfit! Lyle Waggoner, who passed away this week at age 84, played Steve Trevor on the show. I don’t remember much about his character, but I do remember that whenever they showed him in the opening credits, there was this “sparkle” that flashed off his teeth! HA! I tried very hard to find a picture of just that, but couldn’t. I am sure if you YouTube the opening credits, you will see what I mean.
Lyle also had a role on The Carol Burnett Show. He was actually on more shows than I remember. He played comedy well. He was a great strait man and could deliver comedic lines as strait and as good as Leslie Nielsen! Did you know he was almost Batman on the 1966 TV show? He actually did a screen test, but lost the role to Adam West.
December 2020
It’s funny to me what people think about. I have seen all kinds of memes and posts on social media joking around about the quarantine for the coronavirus. There are lots of jokes about how there will be a boom of babies born in December of 2020 because so many people are stuck at home. Dr. Oz even came out and said that couples should have sex to break up the boredom! If you are stuck home alone, there was another article about how masturbation can actually boost the immune system!
It will be interesting to see just how big the Baby Boom of 2020 is!
Work
The situation is changing every minute. For now, my lab is open. We had only a couple patients last night, but I was able to work. It looks like if we have low census or the lab closes, they will find work for us within the hospital system screening people, answering phone, or stuff like that. That freaks me out a bit, but at least I can work and get some or my hours.
It’s a time like I have never seen before. I am guessing its the same for you. Traffic is light. Everything seems to be closed. Meetings and gatherings are taking place via video chats. Life events like weddings are being cancelled (or postponed). People are fighting over toilet paper. Visitors are being limited or prohibited in medical facilities and nursing homes. It is crazy!
I wanted to share a few things friends posted on social media – feel free to share.
You can probably add to the above list. There are many things we take for granted. When this is all over, perhaps we will be a bit more grateful for them.
The following is a prayer read by our classic rock morning man, Carl Coffey just before St. Patrick’s Day. It was pretty powerful, too.
Another friend posted this:
“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.” – Kitty O’Meara
Tonight on ABC, one of the greatest Halloween specials of all time aired again – It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It is in this special that poor Charlie Brown utters those sad words, “I got a rock.”
In that scene, Lucy is wearing a witch mask. It got me to thinking about Halloweens of my past. I remember the streets would be packed with kids when I went out trick or treating! I remember standing in lines at the doors of my neighbors, waiting for my turn to yell “trick or treat!” By the time I took my boys out on Halloween, I was sad to see that the streets were not very busy at all. I remember being out late and rushing from house to house – hoping to get them all before they turned the porch light out (telling you that “we’re out of candy”)!
As I sat here pondering this blog, I tired to think of some of my past Halloween costumes. I can remember some of the ones from when I was older: a vampire, Oliver Hardy, and a Robot. The robot was a couple cardboard boxes my dad taped together and spray painted silver. We put cassette tapes, a vacuum hose, and other things on it and it was actually very cool. My brother used the same costume for a play he did in elementary school.
Other than those mentioned above, I didn’t remember any specific costumes off the top of my head. This is probably because most of the costumes I grew up wearing sucked. They were so bad, Jerry Seinfeld did a bit about them in his comedy act. I did a Google search for Halloween Costumes of the 1970’s and it all came back to me! Halloween costumes back when I was a kid were hardly original. Today, if you go to an elementary school and watch a Costume Parade, you will see some really good costumes! Many of them will even be homemade. This was not the case when I was a kid!
You usually bought your costumes at K-Mart, or Kresge, or the local drug store. The costumes of the 70’s consisted of primarily a mask. The mask had two big eye holes (which you really couldn’t see out of!), two small nose holes (which you couldn’t breathe out of!), and a slit by the mouth. It was a cheap piece of plastic and it sometimes cracked. The mask had a cheap rubber string that was stapled to each side. This rubber string was what kept the mask on your head. If the string broke, you either re-stapled in, or you took it off and didn’t wear it.
The costume also included a cheap one piece outfit. They were like “onesie” pajamas. You first put your feet and legs in it and then your arms. There was a tie that you tied behind your neck to keep it on. On the outfit it usually has the character’s name in bold letters on it. This must have been so if the mask fell off, people knew who you were supposed to be. 97% of all kids wore these dumb costumes when I was a kid!
While I Googled, I came across two of those stupid costumes I sort of remember having. The first was The Six Million Dollar Man:
I also remember having C-3PO:
I think I may have had an Underdog costume, too!
The outfits were so cheap that by the end of trick or treating, there were rips in the crotch or legs. Sometimes they were ripped up before you even got to go out trick or treating! We’d wear our costumes to school that day and they would rip in the classroom! They were paper thin, too, so you either had to buy it three times too big, so you could wear something underneath it, or you covered it with your coat and no one saw what you were anyway!
Here are some of the funnier costumes I found while searching:
From TV – Welcome Back, Kotter:
Mr, Kotter (above) and Barbarino (below)
Mork from Mork and Mindy
The Fonz from Happy Days
There were plenty of super heroes, including Batman!
And, despite how sexy she looked on TV, the Wonder Woman costume was actually quite scary …
I mean – look at Lynda Carter! She’s beautiful!! That costume is just freaky!!!!
One of the most ridiculous costumes was this one based on the movie Jaws!
Finally, for the gals who thought Donny Osmond was cute … this costume should make them think twice.
Come on! That looks like a weird Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner!!!
For whatever it is worth, I am going to guess that these costumes are probably worth money today. I have a lot of friends on Facebook who have extensive toy collectibles, and they probably have some. Mine are long gone, more than likely because they were ripped up and destroyed the same year we bought it.
It was fun to just spend time searching up the old costumes and looking at them. Do you remember wearing these? What were some of your favorite costumes? What are some of your favorite Halloween memories?
College is hard. I know, I’ve done it. Going to college while working two jobs (full and part time) is unheard of. Yet, that is exactly what my wife did. I don’t know how she kept it all straight! She juggled her full time job, her part time job, planning birthday parties, running family to doctor’s appointments, planned holiday get togethers, kept the budget and made sure that all of our bills were paid on time, AND the rest of the every day things that happened in her life! She did it. Tomorrow, she will walk the stage at graduation with her Bachelor’s degree in Medical Case Management. To say that I am proud is an understatement!
Let me back track and say that when we first met, she was doing much of the stuff I previously mentioned. We met after I got my Associate’s degree and she was working on hers in the same program. During that time, she was not only doing almost all of the things I mentioned, but she was also going through some health issues of her own and working in her own doctor’s appointments. She was traveling to do speaking engagements, running marathons, and more! I used to ask her how in the hell she did it. Her reply was simply, “It has to be done.”
Before we started dating, it was clear that she was a very independent woman. She took care of what needed to be done and was one of the most organized, level-headed, rational, and smartest women I had ever met. She wasn’t going to let the world tell her what she could and couldn’t do and constantly put it in its place. She was a self starter who saw deadlines as a challenge and over delivered every time. I used to call her Wonder Woman. I still do. The things she has accomplished and will continue to accomplish leave me standing in awe.
Throughout the schooling that led her to this degree, I only heard her “stress” over one class – Statistics. I have never taken this particular class, but I have many friends who have. They told me all I need to know about it – it is one of the most difficult classes a student can take. Factor in that she was taking this class online with a teacher who was very “hands off”, and you can imagine her stress level. This was the only class I thought might “break” her. She plugged away, went to videos online, read more, found tutorials on the web. Her final grade in that class was still an A! Wonder Woman once again triumphs over evil!
Through it all, I made sure to do what I could to make it a bit easier for her. I cooked and cleaned when I could. I made sure the house was quiet when she was taking exams or recording videos. I proofread her papers and offered suggestions for conclusions. I did all I could to support her and give her the time and space she needed to focus on school.
So, tomorrow, she will walk the stage and thousands of people will watch her receive her diploma. To them, she is a name – another name that proceeds or follows their graduate. To me, she is a tower of strength. She is a prime example of determination and will power. She is a woman who accomplished what she set out to do – and no one was going to stand in her way. She is the product of many hours of anxiety, studying, sweat, frustration, tears, hard work. She is a picture of success.
Sam, this blog is a poor attempt at me trying to come up with the words to say how proud I am of you. You continue to leave me watching in awe of all that you do. As I look back and wonder just how you did it all, I can hear you saying back to me, “It had to be done.” You will continue to grow and move up into positions of importance and authority. Your future had always been bright, and this will only add to the possibilities ahead.
I am proud of you. I am proud to be your husband. I love you with all that I am. Congratulations, my love! You deserve to stand tall and be recognized for this amazing accomplishment!
Oh, and I will probably cry tomorrow.
ADDITION TO ABOVE POST:
She did it! I held it together and didn’t cry. Here she is newly graduated!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 