Thursday, August 2, 2007

The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder with guest Maynard Ferguson (1982)

Few trumpet players could hit octaves as high as Canadian born Maynard Ferguson. He was quite a well respected jazz musician in the fifties and sixties before "going commercial" with his monster hits - discofied interpreations of the Rocky theme and Macarthur Park.

The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder (1979)

Perhaps the only good thing about having a legendary showbiz or media figure pass away in this day and age is the sudden influx of clips that flood the internet, hitherto unseen since their original broadcast. I can't make heads or tails of this interview but it's still swell.


Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Tom Snyder 1936-2007

The Tomorrow Show with the late Tom Snyder and guests Ken Kesey & Jerry Garcia.

Monday, July 30, 2007

The Lucy Show Bloopers (1967-68) - Footage Offline 2/20/08

Lucille Ball made her return to television in 1962 in The Lucy Show. It co-starred Gale Gordon who Lucy and Desi had originally wanted for I Love Lucy but he could not abandon his commitment to Our Miss Brooks. Lucy was divorced by this time and The Lucy Show was nowhere near the quality level of the original program. Fans didn't care much however, as the show received huge ratings. By the late sixties the program seemed out of place and corny. Most of the writing staff were still churning out scripts that seemed left over from 1940s radio (to be fair, most sitcoms from 1962 to 1968 were in the same boat). The shows were often peppered with impressive guest stars to hide this fact. The same materail in somebody else's hands would have made it unbearable, but Lucy makes it worth watching. Television producer Sheldon Leonard makes a cameo in the blooper reel. You'll also see Desi Jr. and Buddy Rich in bloopers from the next Ball sitcom, Here's Lucy.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Raquel (1970)

Sadly this footage has been, according to YouTube, "L'utilisateur a supprimé cette vidéo." Not sure what that means exactly, but I know it's shitty.

At the height of her fame, Raquel Welch starred in this television special that featured right wing celebrities John Wayne and Bob Hope as guest stars.

Van Dyke and Company with guests Andy Kaufman and John Denver (1976)

It's too bad this isn't longer, but regardless it is a rather fascinating combination of people. Who would have guessed that Van Dyke would out live his guests?