Oh, will you look at this GORGEOUS clip from NBC's "Hullabaloo" in 1965?
The peacock! The color peacock with the "color voiceover"! This is the most beautiful and clear copy I have ever seen.
Interesting that Jerry Lewis and his son, Gary, appeared as hosts; clearly Jerry Lewis was trying to curry favor with a younger audience that was far too hip and fresh for his asinine antics. He winds up looking like a grade-A asshole. Oh, and his teenaged son? We now know Jerry Lewis used to beat the holy hell out of him, his mother, and the rest of the family on a regular basis.
Gary Lewis fronted a group called Gary Lewis and The Playboys, who released a marvelous tune called "This Diamond Ring." They also had a modest hit in a ballad called 'Tina," written for Tina Sinatra.
Gary Lewis went on to serve in Vietnam. He returned as so many others did: a broken man, addicted to heroin.
Jerry Lewis responded to his plight by shunning him. As I said, grade-A asshole.
Enough about that.
Any time a TWA spot crosses my path, I literally squeal with joy.
The real gem in this clip, however, is the promotional bit for Gene Autry's Continental Hotel. One year after this program aired, the hotel was sold and renamed The Continental Hyatt House. That's right, ladies and germs: this hotel is the legendary Riot House.
Ken and I stayed at Riot House when we visited L.A. in summer 2000. It was really kind of a dump. A faded beauty with secrets to share. In other words, I loved every single minute I was there. It's also very handy to all of the seediness on the Sunset Strip.
Finally, there's a beautiful "snake" NBC logo with the three tones at the end.
Somebody get me a cigarette.
Massive thanks to Anonymous, who sent this to me. I can understand not wanting to be associated by name with me and the rabble who read this blog, but couldn't you have come up with a pseudonym? I want to thank you for reals!
The peacock! The color peacock with the "color voiceover"! This is the most beautiful and clear copy I have ever seen.
Interesting that Jerry Lewis and his son, Gary, appeared as hosts; clearly Jerry Lewis was trying to curry favor with a younger audience that was far too hip and fresh for his asinine antics. He winds up looking like a grade-A asshole. Oh, and his teenaged son? We now know Jerry Lewis used to beat the holy hell out of him, his mother, and the rest of the family on a regular basis.
Gary Lewis fronted a group called Gary Lewis and The Playboys, who released a marvelous tune called "This Diamond Ring." They also had a modest hit in a ballad called 'Tina," written for Tina Sinatra.
Gary Lewis went on to serve in Vietnam. He returned as so many others did: a broken man, addicted to heroin.
Jerry Lewis responded to his plight by shunning him. As I said, grade-A asshole.
Enough about that.
Any time a TWA spot crosses my path, I literally squeal with joy.
The real gem in this clip, however, is the promotional bit for Gene Autry's Continental Hotel. One year after this program aired, the hotel was sold and renamed The Continental Hyatt House. That's right, ladies and germs: this hotel is the legendary Riot House.
Ken and I stayed at Riot House when we visited L.A. in summer 2000. It was really kind of a dump. A faded beauty with secrets to share. In other words, I loved every single minute I was there. It's also very handy to all of the seediness on the Sunset Strip.
Finally, there's a beautiful "snake" NBC logo with the three tones at the end.
Somebody get me a cigarette.
Massive thanks to Anonymous, who sent this to me. I can understand not wanting to be associated by name with me and the rabble who read this blog, but couldn't you have come up with a pseudonym? I want to thank you for reals!
I love your blog. It's fantastic. you are not only funny as hell you are a great writer who knows her stuff. There's a lot of crap out there in the blogging world, thank you for making yours quality.
ReplyDeleteDiana Young
I'm not sure if Leon Russell wrote, "This Diamond Ring," but he played keyboards on it and sings some of the background vocals.
ReplyDeleteAs for fatherhood, Jerry Lewis was every bit as great a father as Bing Crosby was--and that's saying a lot.
Diana: thanks so much for the compliment! :)
ReplyDeleteDDD: You're right. One thing I admire about Gary Lewis is that when he and his band were just getting started, they never once let on that Gary was Jerry's son. They wanted to make it on their own merits, and they did. Another favorite from GL and The Playboys is "Count Me In." Gary Lewis also volunteered to serve in Vietnam, as opposed to being drafted.
I've never liked Jerry Lewis, always thought he was a world-class douchebag, and I think that this clip proves my point nicely. Tool. Gary Lewis was a cutie, though.
So funny - Jerry Louis is a (very) distant cousin of mine, and just tonight I was looking at a stack of photos and there's one of him holding a baby. Could it be Gary?
ReplyDeleteInteresting how Jerry Lewis shunned Gary for his heroin addiction yet he himself was addicted to Percoset. Total A-hole.
ReplyDeleteAs a Broadway fan, I'm sure you'll appreciate that the Hullabaloo Dancers included Michael Bennett, the man behind A CHORUS LINE, and Donna McKechnie, who created the role of Cassie in the original production.
ReplyDelete