Easily Mused

Why Chicks Cry: The Book?

2012-01-19T08:15:00.000-05:00

In June of 2009, I sorted through piles of old DC romance comics, extracting only those panels in which women were shedding tears. I then assigned captions to each panel explaining why each lady was crying, using only the clues found in each panel. A lady was crying and saying she had a headache, so my caption was simply "Headaches." When I started, I was simply cataloging reasons based on my first impressions of the panel. Soon however, I began to make the reasons more absurd. In one panel a lady is tearfully exiting her house, thinking "NO--NO--I MUST NEVER COME AGAIN!" To this panel, I assigned the reason "Being evicted." The only rule I followed when captioning was to try not to be mean-spirited towards the panel ladies, to rest my snark on a soft velvet pillow. Given the subject matter, I tried to tread lightly, to present the ladies and their dilemmas without judging them. I called my exercise "Why Chicks Cry" and sent it out into the world.

Incredibly, the post began to spread. Thanks largely to higher profile sites like Tumblr, Metafilter, and Feministe people of both genders were talking about the crying ladies. Another surprise, the response was 99% positive. Some people commented on which was their favorite panel. Others were drawn to the wonderful art of the panels, which reminded them of Lichtenstein paintings. The concept seemed to be cathartic for some ladies who revealed that they had also been known to shed a tear over something silly. A reader named Claire wrote " I am ashamed to admit that I do actually cry at sudden rains, but only if I'm caught in them. There is nothing I despise more in life than stomping around in soggy shoes." The most intriguing comment to me was from someone who said that I might have come up with a good idea for a book that her company would be interested in publishing.

The idea of me being a published author was entirely alien to me, so it took me a few months to get up the guts to e-mail this lady, who was still interested. The first step, she wrote, was for me to contact DC Comics to find out how much it would cost to license about 180 panels to fill up a whole book. Using information I found here I wrote and mailed a letter detailing my request to DC Comics. Unfortunately, I never heard back from them, and a bit disheartened, I just went about my business, convincing myself that I had missed the moment.

But, it's been a few years now and people all around the world are still discovering the crying ladies, and I do believe, given the proper exposure, there could me a market for this hypothetical book. So, I'm asking for help. I need to know how to correctly contact the right person or persons at DC Comics to find out how much it would cost to license the 200 panels I would need to expand my post into a nifty book, suitable for any discerning reader's bookshelf. If anyone out there can put me in touch with the right people at DC, I will gladly send you an autographed copy of the finished book if it is published. If you prefer to contact me confidentially, my email address is gopower73@yahoo.com.

Thank you, and may all your tears be joyful.

Fred and Barney Sell Cereal!

2012-01-10T01:01:00.000-05:00

Duke University Libraries is home to AdViews, a humongous archive of vintage commercials. When AdViews first made an online presence, the commercials were only available for viewing on iTunes. The collection is now also available for viewing here at the Prelinger Archive. Sites like YouTube have made lots of vintage commercials available, but I am impressed by the high quality of the AdViews spots. Here is a Post Pebbles cereal ad from the 1970's.

That's One Way To Win A Game Show

2012-01-10T00:38:00.000-05:00

The Archive of American Television continues to conduct fascinating interviews with the legends of the medium and I've lost many hours of my life there. In this clip from the Richard Dawson interview, Richard, still spry at 94, discusses meeting his future wife Gretchen when she was a contestant on Family Feud.

The full interview is here.

Funnier Than A Speeding Bullet

2012-01-07T19:41:00.000-05:00

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Without a doubt, two of the key figures in the history of American comic books. To imagine a world in which their most famous creation, Superman, never existed is to imagine an infinitely poorer world. Much has been written about how Siegel and Shuster were basically forced to watch from the sidelines as their creation reaped massive profits for the company that would eventually be known as DC Comics. Not much has been written about their follow-up creation, Funnyman. And with good reason. It's not too good.

You can read more about Funnyman at Don Markstein's Toonopedia, then sit back and enjoy (if that's the right word) the first story from Funnyman #1 (January 1948, Magazine Enterprises).

My theory is that, having learned a thing or two about lawsuits, Siegel and Shuster were most deliberate in creating a character that could never be construed as a Superman clone. Superman has black hair. Funnyman has red hair. Superman has tights and a cape. Funnyman wears a clown suit with polka dot pants.

But, y'know, I also wonder if Funnyman was a character that came out of Siegel and Shuster's unconscious desires to laugh again after the bad hand they had been dealt. It could not have been easy for them to see Superman flying high, generating huge revenues from comic sales, merchandising, radio shows, etc. and to not be given their due share of the proceeds. It makes a lot of sense that they would create a character brimming with youthful exuberance and spouting jokes as an antidote to the hurt feelings and lawsuits.

Still, the Shuster artwork ( with a probable assist by Dick Ayers) isn't bad at all, and one must admire the tenacity of Siegel and Shuster to even try following up Superman. Funnyman might just be a footnote in comic history, but Siegel and Shuster's legacy will endure forever. Not bad for two kids from Cleveland.

What do you think of Funnyman? Write right now!

A Rare UPA Cartoon Narrated By Stan Freberg!

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

1949 was a very good year for an animation studio named United Productions of America, UPA for short. That year, UPA released a cartoon called The Ragtime Bear, and this marked the screen debut of a character that would prove to be the studio's biggest star, the nearsighted Mr. Magoo.

In 1949, young Stan Freberg, having enjoyed some success providing voices for a handful of Warner Brothers cartoons, secured a steady gig as puppeteer on Bob Clampett's soon to be Emmy-winning televised puppet show Time For Beany.

Now, through the magic of YouTube, here is Big Tim, a little-known sales film produced by UPA in 1949 for the Timken roller bearing company, featuring voicework by Stan. The uploader, Eastwillis, states his assertion in the comments section that the animation for this project was done by "Paul Smith, Art Babbitt, Grim Natwick, Pat Matthews, and Willy Pyle," a claim I can neither confirm nor deny.

2012 promises to be a very good year for UPA fans, too! Let Jerry Beck fill you in.

Stan Freberg is still going strong as well, having released (in collaboration with his wife Hunter) Songs in the Key of Freberg, in 2010. You can sample every track from the album on Amazon.

You Bet Your Sweet Bippy!: Selections From Laugh-In Magazine

2012-01-04T00:26:00.000-05:00

Let's start off 2012 with some chuckles and guffaws from 1968. Here are a few selections from the first issue of Laugh-In, a magazine tie-in to the popular television show hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.

A Stepping Stone Year

2011-12-28T02:30:00.000-05:00

Hello, fellow travelers! The topic for today is 2011, a memorable year for me, if not for this blog. This entry is not for the casual reader of Easily Mused, one who arrived here by googling "Kaspar The Dead Baby" or "Betty Betz," although I appreciate that there are still people out there who still are curious about such arcane subjects. No, this entry is for the faithful few who have come here regularly, especially this year, and may have been disappointed by the infrequency of the posts or the direction, or lack of direction, of this blog.

Let me start by telling you a few things that happened this year that contributed to my absence here. In the summer, feeling a bit cramped in our smallish apartment, my girlfriend Heather and I moved down the street to a smallish townhouse. Around the same time, I received a promotion at work, which consumed more of my time and mental energies than I initially expected.

Another unexpected thing happened when I decided to cancel my cable service. My attention span grew! I was a serial channel switcher for years, and it had gotten to the point where my attention span was so short that I could not make it through a two hour movie to save my life. It was alternately amusing and deeply frustrating putting on a movie I really wanted to watch and falling asleep twenty minutes into it. I don't want to put the blame entirely on cable, as this phenomenon started occurring when I became a stay-at-home Dad and was routinely operating on four hours of sleep. I am happy to report that my attention span is quite healthy now, but as I again reclaimed the ability to watch entire movies, even entire seasons of television shows, less of my free time was used to blog. Last week, I had the cable reinstalled. I could happily do without 90% of all programming, but the shows and channels I missed, I REALLY missed. Turner Classic Movies, I'm talking to you. I also have noticed that there seem to be even more commercials than ever and the cadence of people's speech patterns sometimes seems unusually fast, especially on news channels. Or maybe I'm just slowing down.

What really drained most of my time and energy this year was a desire to focus less on the creative people who have inspired me ( and continue to do so ) and concentrate more on my own creative endeavors. I have written songs for many years, and most of them only exist in my mind. I feel the need to purge myself of this backlog of material, to record the old to make room for the new. I have no desire to be famous, but I do feel it would be a shame to spend so much time developing a talent and not share the results of my efforts. I have to admit, it would be exciting if one or more of my compositions resonated with people. At any rate, I am proud that I still have the optimism required to pursue a dream. I think it's a good thing.

As for this blog, there are a few things I know for sure. First, I still enjoy blogging and I want to find the time to post regularly. The blogs I follow regularly, like Mark Evanier's News From Me and Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.'s Thrilling Days of Yesteryear are fun to visit, in part, because they are updated frequently. Also, I think it's very important that I zero in on particular areas of interest, so that people have some idea of what kinds of articles to expect when they visit.

This blog is essentially a way of sharing the creative works that stimulate me, especially those works that I feel have been overlooked or are underappreciated. I am not an expert on copyright law, but let me pose this hypothetical question. If I post a "Sugar and Spike" story by Sheldon Mayer, and complement that with some information and/or links to information about Sheldon Mayer, and someone who was previously unaware of Sheldon Mayer or his work stumbles upon the story, and as a result, becomes interested in reading more stories by Sheldon Mayer, is this not educational and a legitimate Fair Use of said material? Consider that I am not profiting from sharing the story, and that I do not even allow ads on this blog. Even if the story is reprinted in a Sugar and Spike Archive, is there really a serious concern that a reader would not purchase a 200 page volume of Sugar and Spike stories because one of the stories was posted on a blog? In fact, isn't it at least slightly more likely that someone with no prior knowledge of Sheldon Mayer might discover his work on this or another blog, and become interested in buying a Sugar and Spike Archive based on that exposure? If an entire story is too much, what is appropriate? A panel? A page? Who determines this? Of course I want to stay on the right side of the law. I just can't convince myself it's a crime or even a tiny disservice to say to a friend or even a stranger, "Sheldon Mayer is great. Check out this story, and you too may become a fan."

Hmmm, went off on a tangent. I will close for now by wishing you every happiness in the coming year. And I can't sign off without mentioning that I asked my sweetheart Heather to marry me and she said yes! She is my special angel and I am one damn lucky son of a gun!

Cheers!

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

2011-11-22T22:07:00.001-05:00

Did you hear the one about the guy who wrote hundreds of songs but never shared them with anyone? Well, until recently, that guy was me. I have begun the task of transferring years of words and music from my brain to my hard drive. Here is a song called "We've Died," which is about the feelings of loss that I felt when my second marriage ended a few years ago. It's not purely autobiographical, but the emotions are real.

It was Elvis Aaron Presley who pulled me into the world of music. I can only speculate, but his death in 1977, when I was only four, was accompanied by an unprecedented amount of media coverage, and I believe that was one of my first brushes with the concept of death. Radio stations played his music around the clock for weeks, and I listened. Although Elvis was not a songwriter, he employed some of the best songwriters of his era. Elvis' greatest contribution was the embracing of so many different genres of music. Rockabilly, bluegrass, country, pop, gospel, blues, r&b, even world music, "It's Now or Never," anyone?

Once I was hooked to E's ear candy, any thoughts of being a normal little boy were soon discarded, as I stocked up on Elvis records, magazines, and bubblegum cards. I even had a little statue of The King on top of my dresser, replete with fake little rhinestones. You never saw a kid get so excited as when I discovered his movie oeuvre. Yeah, those flix are cheesy, but c'mon, it's The King!

Childhood obsessions fade, and mine did eventually, and for many years I was very uninterested in listening to music. How do you top Elvis? I do remember really enjoying an 8-track collection of novelty tunes my brother brought home. My parents played records and tapes around the house, but I was more interested in drawing, reading comics, watching tv, and playing with my friends.

Then The Beatles happened. No kidding. 1988, and the Beatles happened to me. Totally out of sync with my generation's own musical revolution (Sorry Madonna and Whitesnake), I discovered that everything I knew about The Beatles was wrong. They weren't just four mop-top having, grey suit wearing, head bobbing freaks singing "Yeah Yeah Yeah!" and making girls faint. Their sound evolved year by year, becoming more complex, tearing down walls, building bridges, and illuminating truths with maddeningly catchy melodies. If Elvis had handed me the key, then the Beatles had flung the door wide open!

The Beatles had been influenced by other artists and so I traced that path. Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Carl Perkins. All revelations. The Beatles had contemporaries and I listened and learned from them. The Beach Boys, The Who, The Kinks. The Beatles had influenced artists so I followed them, too. Squeeze, Elvis Costello, XTC. All kinds of threads emerged. I followed labels. Motown. Stax. Sun. My tastes became more eclectic. De La Soul. Randy Newman. Frank Zappa.
I worked my way into the present day, careful to avoid fake hype, refusing to buy something only because it was new and commercially successful. I demanded authenticity! Screw Vanilla Ice, give me They Might Be Giants! Milli Vanilli no! Joni Mitchell yes! Backstreet sucks. NRBQ rocks. Other people my age wanted music to dance and make out to, I wanted music to help guide my life, to give me the answers I was seeking. And it did.

It elevated my consciousness, conveying an aural history of mankind, putting me in touch with emotions I did not know I had. I felt as though I had climbed to the top of the mountain. I found nirvana, and it wasn't Nirvana. It was the truth in beauty, and the beauty in truth. Most impotantly, the music I was drawn too reinvigorated my soul, giving me joy to combat the sorrow. Did you know the blues was a music of joy?

This then is the goal of my music. To tell the truth and make it beautiful. No genres, just catchy melodies capturing life. Stories of love, stories of loss. I won't be dressing up in egg shells. I'm not trying to be a gazillionaire. I only hope that one or more of the hundreds of songs I have written and continue to write might make someone a little less jaded, or in touch with their life's purpose, or a little less unhappy. I won't be working hard to manufacture an image that shallow people can accept and idolize. That's not what a good songwriter does. I am only hoping to write a song as good as a Beatles song, a song that might be sung after my day is done. If that song can put my daughters through college one day, that will be gravy.

I am standing on the shoulders of giants.

Grateful, Not Hateful

2011-11-21T02:54:00.001-05:00

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I have been pondering all the reasons I have to be thankful, and there are many. Among the greatest blessings I count is an optimistic disposition, one that has enabled me to stay strong through many setbacks. This quality, optimism, seems to be rare. When I am out in the world I feel as though I am surrounded by cynics and negative thinkers. People who have had misfortunes befall them, and now feel it is their duty or right to project their suffering on others. Randy Newman wrote a great song about this subject called "I Want You To Hurt Like I Do." I've never wanted anyone to hurt like I have. And whenever I have hurt, I have made it my top priority to honestly work through my feelings to reach equilibrium as soon as possible, figuring I am no good to myself or anyone else if I allow negative thoughts to weigh me down. Sing it, Curtis...

The Impressions "We're a Winner"

Hate. It's out there. Where does it come from? Is it a moral failing of mankind, a biological phenomenon, or a supernatural force? Is my lack of understanding or unwillingness to participate in the concept of hate a sign of naievete or evolution? Like anyone else, I have been the recipient of hate feelings. I'm sure there have been times when I have thought hateful feelings but somehow those feelings have always been trumped by a desire to forgive and forget, rather than act out in a rage.You know what's weird? Sometimes when people have directed anger towards me and I have failed to reciprocate with anger, it seems to have made them even angrier. What is that about?

Hate by Robert William Service

I had a bitter enemy,
His heart to hate he gave,
And when I died he swore that he
Would dance upon my grave;
That he would leap and laugh because
A livid corpse was I,
And that's the reason why I was
In no great haste to die.

And then - such is the quirk of fate,
One day with joy I read,
Despite his vitalizing hate
My enemy was dead.
Maybe the poison in his heart
Had helped to haste his doom:
He was not spared till I depart
To spit upon my tomb.

The other day I chanced to go
To where he lies alone.
'Tis easy to forgive a foe
When he is dead and gone. . . .
Poor devil! Now his day is done,
(Though bright it was and brave,)
Yet I am happy there is none
To dance upon my grave.

Of course, I use the word "hate" sometimes, or I should say I misuse it. I might say " I hate brussels sprouts," but that's just a shorthand way of saying "Brussels sprouts are not a food that I care to eat, ever, ever, ever." Sometimes, I get migraines and I will claim to hate them too, but all I'm really saying is that the pain I feel is unpleasant and I wish I never had to experience it. Let's face it, most of the people and things we purport to hate are really just annoyances. That rude driver who cuts us off in traffic, the rain that plagues our parade, the apartment dweller who lives aboves us and likes to play his balalaika all night long.

A sequence from Optic Nerve #6, by Adrian Tomine

Well, you might ask, what about Hitler? Surely, he was at least one man that is worthy of all the hate one human race can muster?

Long pause....thinking...

Hitler's actions were unconscionable, wicked, horrid, obviously the deeds of a madman. I am glad his plans were thwarted by brave soldiers and citizens, many of whom sacrificed limbs and even their own lives to remove him from power. I feel tremendous sadness for the innocents that were decimated by Hitler's own dogma of hate and intolerance, beautiful souls that had their futures stolen. But hating Hitler? Hating was Hitler's stock in trade. Hating is what Hitler did, and it is not what I do. I would never shed a tear over Hitler's death, and I surely feel great relief that he no longer menaces mankind. I could, in a shorthand way, absolutely state " I hate Hitler," but I think I would really be saying "Hate and the architects of hate must be challenged and defeated by love and the practitioners of peace." The old "hate the action, not the person" theory.

I wonder if I'll get hate mail for admitting a reluctance to practice hate on someone whose behavior was so inhuman?

I'm not claiming a moral high ground. Maybe I was just born minus the hate chromosome. I think there is ample evidence to suggest that children can be taught to hate, brainwashed to believe that some people are inferior because of their skin color or gender or wealth level. I wasn't taught to hate. My parents were deeply committed to the Golden Rule: treat people the way you want to be treated. Ironically, they were largely unsuccessful in practicing that philosophy towards each other. But their countless arguments did teach me that nothing fruitful ever comes from personal attacks or hateful rhetoric. Their hate sprang from frustrations, financial hardship, fear of an uncertain future, the same kind of scenarios that are playing out on a larger scale in today's 1%, 99% America. It must surely be tempting to a person who has been out of work for a year, a person for whom the planning of his or her every meal is an exercise in frustration, a person who can scarcely afford to provide the very basics to his or her own child to be filled with rage an anger and to want to direct that rage toward the people who have gamed the financial system to ensure that they will live in absolute opulence, without the slightest care for the plight of the very people they have exploited to create this reality for themselves.

Why is it then that the hate I have seen in Zuccotti Park and elsewhere comes not from the downtrodden citizens, seeking to exercise their inalienable right to publicly express their frustrations, an idea at the core of our American system, but from the purveyors of pepper spray and rubber bullets whose salaries are paid by the very people they are using these weapons against? From the beginning of the Occupy movement, the media has largely portrayed the demonstrators as radical socialists, dirty hippies, lazy hipsters, thieves, and rapists. The comment sections on these hatchet pieces are filled to the brim with hateful comments against the 99%, but in truth, the anonymous nature of such forums makes it hard to tell how many of these blistering barbs are authentic, and how many are paid for by the machine that has been engineered to keep Americans divided so that we might continue to be conquered. If you had a small child to feed and no money, would you not consider typing hateful comments eight hours a day for say, $1,000 a week?

"It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get." Rene Descartes

As an optimist, I believe that hate is not our future. It didn't work for the Nazis 70 years ago and it's not going to work for Americans now or at any point in the future. I think the Occupy movement would do well to reject hate in thought, speech, and action and to extol the winning qualities of love, peace, and brotherhood no matter how associated they are with the "dirty hippies," no matter how ridiculed those concepts are by the well-oiled machine of hate.

I believe hate is a kind of slavery, and love is the key to freedom.

Norman Rockwell's The Four Freedoms

And as Thanksgiving approaches, I am thankful that I still believe that.

Love, John

"A Lotus of Countless Petals"

2011-11-08T02:51:00.002-05:00

Jerry Beck at Cartoon Brew, a wonderful resource for animation fans, recently posted a great find, a half hour video autobiography of artist Eyvind Earle. Mr. Earle wrote and narrated this account of his life before he died. He is perhaps most well-known in this country for his work for Disney in the 1950's. The amazing backgrounds in Sleeping Beauty are one example of his work. In the film, Eyvind recalls the many hardships he faced on his road to becoming a master painter, and shares some inspirational philosophies on art and life.

Watch Eyvind Earle: My Life

Eyvind Earle's Ocean Cliffs (1991)

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth." Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path." For the soul walks upon all paths. The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals. ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923

I find it very comforting that David Letterman is still hosting a late night show, although I confess I have not made it a top priority to tune in very much in the last decade. If you never had the opportunity to watch his antics on Late Night with David Letterman in the early to mid 1980's, then, by all means, YouTube some of these clips at your earliest convenience. The show had a kind of magic "anything can happen" atmosphere surrounding it. The ensemble seemed like a very close knit group, and Dave was the wry ringmaster, a latter day Carson with Ernie Kovacs ambitions.

This full-length episode from August, 1985 is not typical of the Late Night format, being an affectionate parody of every variety show ever made, but it should give you a sense of the kinetic, wacky, and above all fun atmosphere that Dave and his motley crew generated on a nightly basis. I do wonder if this episode contains the first instance of Dave speaking the immortal words "I been hypmotized!" It seems very spontaneous.

The Golden Years

by Billy Collins

All I do these drawn-out days
is sit in my kitchen at Pheasant Ridge
where there are no pheasants to be seen
and last time I looked, no ridge.

I could drive over to Quail Falls
and spend the day there playing bridge,
but the lack of a falls and the absence of quail
would only remind me of Pheasant Ridge.

I know a widow at Fox Run
and another with a condo at Smokey Ledge.
One of them smokes, and neither can run,
so I’ll stick to the pledge I made to Midge.

Who frightened the fox and bulldozed the ledge?
I ask in my kitchen at Pheasant Ridge.

From Fantastic Worlds # 6 ( November 1952, Standard). Artist unknown.

Extra Mangy Bone-us Link Treat!

A Strange Arrangement

2011-10-13T07:16:00.001-04:00

Salvador Dali's Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening (1944)

"Most people don't grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging."
Maya Angelou

A fan-made video for Mayer Hawthorne's "The Ills" from A Strange Arrangement (2009)

"Me, Ghost!", art by Jack Katz

Adventures into Darkness #10 (June 1953)

Everybody Tells Me Everything

Ogden Nash

I find it very difficult to enthuse

Over the current news.

Just when you think at least the outlook is so black that it can grow no

blacker, it worsens.

And that is why I do not like the news, because there has never been an era

when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons.

Super Bonus Fun Link!

Gezunt Heights

2011-10-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Early this morning, on a whim, I decided to try something different here on the blog. I thought about an approach based on the concepts of simplicity and variety. On a piece of paper, I wrote the following:

a comic

a song

a link

a video

a quote

a poem

a painting

an advertisement

All of the exhibits except for one (the song) were found over the course of the last seven hours. The selection process was both random and intuitive, and the exhibits chosen all hold some appeal to me personally.

Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy, as reprinted in Comics on Parade #74 (Oct-Nov 1950)

Georgia O'Keeffe's Oriental Poppies, 1928

Jimmy Webb's "P.F. Sloan," from the album Words and Music, 1970

“The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully have been kindness, beauty, and truth. The trite subjects of human efforts, possessions, outward success, and luxury have always seemed to me contemptible.” Albert Einstein

CBS Outtakes and Bloopers

Pepsi-Cola magazine ad, May 1957

Democracy

Democracy will not come

Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.

Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.

Langston Hughes

Super Top Secret Mystery Link

What is your reaction to this exhibit?

Big Underdog News!

2011-10-07T02:17:00.000-04:00

Patrick Owsley drew this magnificent portrait of Underdog.

Pinch me, I must be dreaming! My inner child is posilutely delightificated at the news over at TVShowsonDVD concerning a January 2012 release of Underdog: The Complete Series! Amazon has it listed with a runtime of 1260 minutes, which hopefully means that the show will finally be presented as nature intended, uncut, with original titles and openings/closings, and with all the other character shorts (Tennessee Tuxedo, Go Go Gophers, etc.) included.

It just occurred to me that now would be the perfect time to explain to you my passion for things such as this. I had a lonely childhood, but there was something in me determined to overcome all obstacles to happiness. The key for me was in nurturing my own imagination. I instinctively knew on some level that, while bullies could succeed in marring the landscape of my reality, they could never penetrate the outer walls of my fantasy world, a place where I could safely guard my optimistic dreams of the future.

So, very early on, I began to draw constantly. I created my own characters and comic books. The fruits of my creativity were amateurish, but it was great fun drawing, and great therapy too. It was only the next logical step that I should be drawn to the products of other people's creativity as well. At first it was comics and Saturday morning cartoons. There were so many places and times I could escape to when life was bearing down on me in unpleasant ways. As I grew older, I became more and more interested in music. I found I could escape into a song just as easily as I could escape into a book. Any form of creativity shared is a portal to an alternate reality. Being ostracized by classmates was a fortunate thing, as I rarely fell under the sway of peer pressure, the most subtle bullying of all.

There are people who believe it is foolish to spend any time in a fantasy world. There are those that believe that becoming an adult means suffocating their inner child. There is such a large difference between being "childlike" and "childish." As kids, we see our parents, weary from their jobs, complaining about high prices and their overbearing bosses, acting increasingly jaded as the years limp by. I made a promise to myself that I would never be that person. I must tell you, it has made all the difference.

The standard stereotype placed on all dreamers, except for the few like Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs, who derive millions of dollars from their creative pursuits, is that they are lazy, non-contributing cellar dwellers. It isn't the dreaming that is the problem. It is the failure for some to even try to turn those dreams into realities. Some dreams, in the end, do not pan out, but that is no reason not to pursue them. Because I dreamed of being a songwriter, I ended up playing music in a club where I met the eventual mother of my two precious daughters. Pursuit of my dream led me to a reality that surpassed my dream. That's what dreams do. They inspire better realities.

I like The Underdog Show because it encapsulates, in it's own way, 1964 America, a time when John F. Kennedy had been killed, but his optimistic dreams for the future were more alive than ever. I like The Underdog Show because creative men and women joined together to create something not meant to maim, destroy, or oppress, but rather to entertain and delight. I like The Underdog Show because it thrills and comforts my inner child, and that, in turn, fuels my desire to be a responsible caring adult, and not a jaded cynical one.

There's no need to fear...

Hiatus No More!

2011-10-05T06:46:00.000-04:00

Crrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak!

Well, that door could certainly use a touch of oil...Now where is that consarned light switch? Ah!

Much better! Well, the old place seems to be pretty much as I left it. A few cobwebs here and there. No biggie.

Y'know, I have a pet peeve about bloggers who don't blog for a while and then feel it is necessary to apologize and then explain the reasons for their absences in excruciating detail. It is my opinion that a blog should never stray too much from it's topic(s), and so I will spare you the details of my sabbatical, the moving to a slightly bigger apartment, the job promotion, etc. I will certainly not bore you with anecdotes about my recent trip to Harrah's Cherokee Casino and the 50 free spins I won on the Lancelot slot machine or how my girlfriend actually made bodily contact with her beloved Rick Springfield at a concert that was louder than an A-Bomb blast. I will not be sharing the details about the renewed focus on my songwriting endeavors which will soon yield actual recordings that you will actually be able to hear with your actual ears on my actual new songwriting blog.

What I will say is that I truly missed the company of my pop culture loving brethren. I am delighted to see more and more bloggers appear on the scene to share and celebrate the products of inspired creativity. Art, in all forms, is fuel for the positivity that shields us from the weapons of apathy and despair. Whether you follow this blog regularly, or just now stumbled upon it accidentally, I hope you will find something here to inspire you.

PYTHON IN THE MORNING DEPT.

What do you get when you cross a legendary British comedy troupe with an American morning show? This 1975 clip, submitted to YouTube by "FirstNews8," gives us a taste of Holy Grail-era Monty Python, minus John Cleese, practically taking over AM America, ABC's precursor to Good Morning America. Peter Jennings' interspersed reports on the fall of Saigon add an additional ingredient to this weird cocktail.

MUSIC TO MY EARS DEPT.

In the last 24 hours, I have become the newest ardent admirer of Curt Boettcher, a name synonymous with the California Pop sound of the 60's. My first dose of his greatness comes in the form of a 1968 album called Begin, the only LP effort from his band The Millennium. Here is a small taste, contributed by "GuyLiguili."

Much more information about the visionary sounds of Curt Boettcher can be found on Spectropop.

THE MOPPET SHOW DEPT.

Longtime readers of this blog will be familiar with my fondness of the cartooning work of Sheldon Mayer. Thus, I simply must point you in the direction of the first ever book collection devotely solely to his work. The Sugar and Spike Archives Vol. 1 is 240 pages of whimsical brilliance, guaranteed to delight young and old alike. The book reprints the first ten issues of this charming, but oft-overlooked masterpiece. You'll scarcely be ten pages in before you forgive the garishness of the way-too-pink cover.

NECESSARY QUOTATION MARKS DEPT.

"You know that being an American is more than a matter of where your parents came from. It is a belief that all men are created free and equal and that everyone deserves an even break." - Harry Truman

Ch-ciao!

The Shmear: Inaugural Edition

2011-07-26T03:21:00.014-04:00

Ceilings, Nothing More Than Ceilings Department:

These are historic days here in the U.S. of A., what with our two major parties locked in a fierce tussle over the future of our country. Keeping my personal opinions off the table so as not to polarize my brothers and sisters in pop culture, it does occur to me that although it would appear our government is broken, what we are really seeing is a horribly extreme example of the effectiveness of the checks and balances that are built into the system. Problem is, in an age of instant mass communication, this system of checks and balances seems like a fossil from a quaint bygone age. There is a tug of war playing out in front of our very eyes. Ultimately, either one side is going to prevail, or as it seems increasingly likely, the rope is just going to snap. Or, as Howard Fineman observed last night on Hardball, "What's going on here, as I see it, is a kind of slow motion secession."

At least there is one thing that both Dems and Republicans seem to agree on: our debt is too damn big. I think Bob Dorough said it best when he described the national debt as "a fiscal misadventure with trillion dollar dentures."

Dim The Pilot Lights Department:

From Wikipedia:

The pilot episode of Gilligan's Island, titled "Marooned", was filmed in November 1963. On November 22, the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination, the crew continued to work after hearing the shocking news. The departure of the Minnow was filmed on November 26, and all the flags in that sequence can be seen flying at half-staff.

Revolting History Deptartment:

If it is true as some are saying, and revolution is in the air, then this is the perfect time to view an excerpt from Give Me Liberty:A Revised History of the American Revolution, an Underground Comix effort which is credited to "Gilbert Shelton and Ted Richards with Gary Hallgren and Willy Murphy," fine patriots all. This comic was first published in the American Bicentennial year 1976, supporting my long-held theory that a lot of comics from the 20th century are 100 times better than the crap that passes for comics today.*

* with many notable exceptions of course :)

Looks Like I've Got A Theme Going Here Department:

I'll leave you today with XTC's 1978 chart-bottomer "Statue of Liberty," a song which was banned by the BBC for seemingly portraying that American treasure as an object of lust. Andy Partridge discusses the song here.

From The Old Grey Whistle Test:

Spider-Man! Spider-Man! Up On Netflix Then Gone Again!

2011-07-14T15:42:00.005-04:00

As of this writing, Netflix subscribers can enjoy every single tintinnabulatin' episode of the weirdly wonderful 1967 Spider-Man cartoon. However, if you search for it and it's not there, do not panic. I added it to my Instant Queue the day it arrived on streaming, but the next day it was nowhere to be found. Subsequently, it seems to have been re-added and then taken off at least two more times. At least that has been my experience.

I have a frustrating history with this show, dating back to my childhood. How well I remember the long-ago Saturday Morning when, while manually turning the dial on my 13 inch set, Spider-Man '67 entered my consciousness for the first time. Unfortunately, the station was too far away to provide a clear signal and I could barely glimpse the Spidey magic through the forbidding snow. In those days, cavemen sometimes relied on rabbit ear antennas to improve tv signal quality. Sometimes, if you placed just the right amount of aluminum foil on the tips of the rabbit ears, positioned each rabbit ear just right, taped the rabbit ears to your head, stood on one foot, and held your mouth open just right, your signal quality would be almost perfect, at least for thirty seconds or so. Nothing I tried that morning worked, and for years I held in the sorrow of missing my chance to watch what I imagined to be the greatest entertainment spectacle of all time.

Then there was the time, in the late 90's, when, at a toy show, I acquired a fan-made set of the entire series. I was glad to finally fulfill a childhood desire, but gee, the quality of the prints was horrendous. I still longed to see Spider-Man '67 in all of it's glory, especially when I learned of the Ralph Bakshi connection.

That's why I was delighted when, in 2004, the folks at Disney came out with their dvd collection of the series, every episode restored to a quality that far surpassed my wildest dreams. I'm pretty sure I bought that set on release day, and it would have proudly remained a gleaming jewel in my collection forever, had an unfortunate series of events not led to what I now jokingly refer to as "The Great DVD Purge of Ought Eight."

Ever resolute in the face of personal disaster, I have rebuilt my collection, but Spider-Man '67 has eluded me. Long out-of-print and going for insanely high prices on the secondary market, the 2004 release is, in fact, one of the only dvds I have not repurchased. Instead, I have watched the occasional episode on YouTube and hoped that Disney might issue a second printing. You would think a dvd set that quickly went oop and was fetching up to $120 on eBay might get a second printing. Are you listening, Mickey?

All that doesn't matter though. Spider-Man '67 is on Netflix, and hopefully soon, it will stop teasing me and stay on my queue on a regular basis. This is truly a wonderful show. Sure, Spidey's costume design is awful and one cannot fail to notice that he is obviously swinging from clouds, but that Ray Ellis crime jazz score is superb, and the Bakshi episodes in particular show how sheer imagination can trump low budgets. The colors jump off the screen and it all has an air of that effervescent 60's atmosphere, back when comics, cartoons, and superheroes were exciting and fun to the max degree.

And you don't even need Reynold's Wrap to watch it.

The Leakin' Lena Sails Again!

2011-07-13T10:00:00.008-04:00

Does the debt ceiling crisis have your stomach tied in knots? Are you worried that your dollar bill collection will soon be as valueless as the hairball your mangy cat just hacked up on your imitation berber carpet? Take your mind off the doom and gloom with a full episode of The Beany and Cecil Show from August 1965, complete with commercials advertising ABC's 1965 fall lineup!

The three cartoons featured in this rip roaring episode are "The 7th Voyage of Singood," "Cecil Meets Cecilia," which is available in much better quality on the dvd Beany and Cecil: The Special Edition Volume 2, and "The Capture of Thunderbolt the Wondercolt."

Thanks to YouTube user "foxeema" for sharing this priceless piece of TV history!

Don't forget to pay a visit to the all new official Beany and Cecil website!

When Super Friends Fall Out

2011-07-13T02:35:00.007-04:00

Today I spent some time perusing some comics from 1983, a year in which I could regularly be found "spinning the rack" at the town drugstore, a magical place that always smelled of cherry syrup. 1983 was the year in which Batman quit the JLA due to their refusal to intervene in the Markovian Revolution. This, you may remember, was the impetus for the formation of The Outsiders, a team I ceased caring about before I got my first zit.

The Batman/JLA hostilities bled over into the pages of World's Finest #294 (August 1983), which reads in part like an episode of Dynasty with capes. I couldn't help but chuckle at the overarching gravitas of this sequence:

Man, I hate to see a grown Superman cry.

(Look for a flurry of posts this week...I'm feelin' it!)

Day Trip to Yesterday

2011-06-22T13:02:00.004-04:00

Much more on Gregg Koenig's Flickr Photostream

Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No

2011-06-22T07:12:00.003-04:00

Illustrator James Blagden's engaging short animated film "Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No" tells the true story of former Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Dock Ellis, who pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in June of 1970 while tripping on LSD. Do not try this at home, kids!

Sarong It's Right: A Dorothy Lamour Comic

2011-06-22T05:28:00.007-04:00

Here's a comic that may be of interest to classic Hollywood enthusiasts: a brief biography of the glamorous Dorothy Lamour. I can't positively identify the artist, but I love that half splash. Some trees have all the luck.

From Miss Beverly Hills of Hollywood #3 (July-August 1949, DC)

Winters' Final Approach

2011-06-02T17:59:00.008-04:00

Buy Jonathan Winters' new album today at Amazon!

I downloaded Jonathan Winter's Final Approach from Amazon this morning and I am happy to report that I was not disappointed. I knew what to expect going in. Improv is a young person's game for the most part. A mental game that requires sharp mental reflexes that must inevitably be somewhat dimmed by the natural aging process. Actually, I was impressed with how sharp Jonathan's skills remain.

This is an album of chuckles, not guffaws. However, while listening I also felt very privileged to be able to spend a little more time with this man who has already brought so much laughter to my life. The experience was not unlike paying a visit to a favorite uncle, one who is a little out of step with the times, but still gregariously entertaining. Here is a preview clip, courtesy of SeeofSound/MVD:

This is one of the few times when I wish Easily Mused had more reach. How wonderful it would be for Jonathan if 100,000 people would buy his cd in the next week. What a great way to show him that he is well remembered and appreciated by many people, as I know he is. Why does it seem like tributes are only paid to folks after they have passed away?

So, once again, if you are or ever have been a Winters fan, please buy Final Approach and spread the word through your blog, Facebook page, and/or Twitter account. Let's put some color into Jonathan Winters' cheeks! This is the last of my hard sell pitches, but the Jonathan exhibits will continue until Sunday.

Today, I want to share Jonathan's 1993 induction into the Comedy Hall of Fame. The audio is a little sketchy, but it contains some nice photos and clips that I can't find anywhere else. Thanks to YouTube poster MyTVcollection for posting this.

A Week of Winters

2011-06-01T17:18:00.005-04:00

Jonathan's newest album available on cd and digital download at Amazon!

Please read this post before you continue. Thanks!

I have not been able to post all the great Jonathan Winters moments that I intended to today, so I am going to dedicate this entire week to the cause of encouraging people to purchase Jonathan's new (maybe last) comedy album, Final Approach.

I want to thank cartoonist Mike Lynch for helping to spread the word on his blog, and I want to encourage as many bloggers as possible to participate. It's not very often that people get the chance to personally show appreciation to their pop culture heroes, and I think it would be a shame if we waited until his passing to celebrate his achievements or to just say, simply, "We love you." Even if your blog is not normally associated with Show Bidness or comedians or actors, if Jonathan has ever slayed you with his inventive improvisational skills, please consider making an off-topic post. Facebook it. Tweet it. Tell your friends at work.

Jonathan Winters is 85 years old. He is a veteran of WWII. His trailblazing comedy has left an indelible mark on humor. His acting turns in classic movies like It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World are unforgettable. If laughter is the best medicine, we are all much healthier because of his presence in our lives.

I know Jonathan is too shy and proud a person to solicit sales in this way. That's why I am doing it. I still haven't heard Final Approach, but I am looking forward to the experience of reuniting with old friends like Maude Frickert, and I hope you are too.

Speaking of Maudie, here's a clip of Jonathan in that memorable role, getting a little frisky with Dean Martin and ribbing Dean's pianist Ken Lane.

YouTube clip originally posted by marilynmortician

Let's Buy Jonathan Winters a New Hip!

2011-06-01T02:38:00.014-04:00

If you happen to be in your late thirties as I am, it's possible you may have first encountered Jonathan Winters as I did, in the personage of Mearth, the fully grown baby on Mork & Mindy. The key to understanding the Mearth character is that Orkan minds age normally, but their bodies age backwards. Little did I know at the time how profoundly Mr. Winters had impacted the comedic style of the show's star, Robin Williams, and indeed, comedy itself.

Jonathan Winters is 85 years old and he has recently released a new album called Final Approach. Show biz being what it is, I have a hunch that Jonathan possibly has not raked in the millions of dollars that us Winters fans believe he is due because he is a genius who has made us laugh in ways that would trouble most sane people. It also seems a given that buying this album might provide Jonathan some additional financial security that has been well earned in a career spanning more than half a century.

Amazon link for Final Approach

That is why I am declaring today "Let's Buy Jonathan Winters a New Hip Day" on Easily Mused! I hope that today's JW exhibits will persuade at least a few people to plunk down the dough for Final Approach, which just might contain the last new Jonathan Winters we homo sapiens will ever be lucky enough to hear, although hopefully not.

Disclaimer #1: I haven't yet bought this album, although I will be purchasing it in the next few hours, as should you. I have seen some reviews, and they are mixed. I don't believe anyone expects an 85 year old man to be in peak form, but that's hardly the point. If Jonathan Winters has EVER made you guffaw, snort, or cackle, then you should buy this album if for no other reason than to say thanks for making life a little more pleasant, at least momentarily.

Disclaimer #2: I don't have a personal relationship with Mr. Winters, and so I can't swear that he needs a new hip. Hell, for all I know, he's already got one. All I know is that Jonathan will never stop becoming other people, and some of these transformations might be strenuous enough to cause medical problems. Have you ever transitioned from a Georgia peach farmer into Kaiser Wilhelm? It can't be as easy as he makes it look. Lets help make Jonathan's last years fulfilling and devoid of worry.

I'm beginning the sharing today with a piece of video even hardcore Winterites may not have seen. Taped November 20, 1973, this episode of the public television interview show Day at Night features Jonathan in a reflective and uncharacteristically serious mood. It is rare indeed to experience Jonathan this way, and quite enlightening as well. Props to CUNY TV for posting this on YouTube. Enjoy.

William Hanna Plays The Game

2011-05-20T13:26:00.004-04:00

Here is one half of the legendary Hanna-Barbera duo, appearing on To Tell the Truth in 1975. Hanna was there to promote the new partnership between HB and King's Dominion. I doubt he expected to be told that he looked like Yogi Bear.

And Now A Word From Our Sponsor...

2011-05-17T08:58:00.004-04:00

While I am waiting to receive the new Ernie Kovacs dvd set from Shout! Factory, here's the man himself, extolling the benefits of his nifty sponsor, Food. This clip dates back to 1952, when Kovacs did a brief stint hosting a morning show, Kovacs on the Corner, on NBC's Philadelphia affiliate WPTZ.

If you are planning to order The Ernie Kovacs Collection, note that you get a bonus disc if you order directly from Shout! Factory.

Schooled by the Godfather

2011-05-17T08:12:00.004-04:00

If music was a drug, too much of what passes for music nowadays would fall into two categories: sexual aid or depressant. Now is the time for a revival of the kind of song that makes one's toes tingle with delight. A whole generation of disillusioned young adults have wrapped themselves in a blanket of rage-filled metal and sexually-charged dance music. They have no conception of the true power in music, power to heal body and mind and to foster optimism, goodwill, and a sense of purpose.

By the way, there is no shortage of talented songwriters and musical performers today. The problem, in a nutshell, is that the public cannot access their music on the radio, and, in this hectic workaday world, one can not always afford the time needed to seek out fresh sounds.

And now, a special musical message from a legendary entertainer. Take it away, James!

"It's a New Day, Part 1," from the James Brown anthology Star Time.

"It's Franz Kafka, Charlie Brown!"

2011-05-17T07:17:00.010-04:00

Gregor Samsa has awoken with two problems. Not only has he somehow been transformed into a huge cockroach, but he has also been transported into the wacky world of Charles Schulz's Peanuts gang. This development comes courtesy of R. Sikoryak, a master of such world colliding.

I have not yet obtained a copy of Sikoryak's Masterpiece Comics book published by Drawn and Quarterly, but I soon will, and I think it's safe to recommend it to literary-minded comics fans, based on this excerpt first published in Raw Vol. 2, Issue 2 (1990) and another story I read in Drawn and Quarterly #4 (2001) in which the enterprising artist retells Arthur Miller's The Crucible using Little Lulu characters. Fascinating juxtapositions.

R. Sikoryak's website is here.

Return to Forever

2011-05-17T06:04:00.009-04:00

Greetings friends! JGT here, back from sabbatical to once again shine a light on the geniuses, both well-known and forgotten, that make this world a most wondrous place in which to live, in spite of all the troubles.

I won't go into great detail about my activities in absentia, but, minus blogging on a regular basis, life rolled on pretty normally. The major difference is, since I cancelled my cable, all the time I used to spend flipping from channel to channel is now being used to enjoy the media I could never seem to find on the cable grid. It's very liberating, and I highly recommend it. 90% of every generation's culture is crap and I don't have time for it. Unless it's interesting crap. Like Fernwood 2-Night.

If you look to the top right of the blog, you will see that I have selected six main labels for all the content on this blog. If you're just into comics, you won't have to weed through posts about television to find what you're seeking. Thanks to my old friend Anonymous for suggesting this solution. A special thanks to me for taking on the tedious task of retagging 90% of my posts. I also took the liberty of removing entries that featured dead YouTube clips or mp3 links.

What can you expect from Easily Mused going foward? Choice moments from the long history of comics, television, music, cartoons, and movies, that's what! I firmly believe that dissemination of culture is vital to the health of any civilization. The conglomerations that control our cultural history will, by and large, never see beyond their bottom line, will never realize their responsibility to be good stewards of the great legacy that has been left to us by thousands of artists who made it their mission to give us songs to sing and thoughts to ponder. It's up to people who are truly passionate about such things to share, share, and keep sharing. It's not only fair use, it's medicine for the world's ills. Nothing stifles destruction like creativity.

I truly hope Easily Mused will be a blog you will want to visit on a regular basis, to learn, listen, laugh, and be inspired to perhaps make your own masterpiece.

In short, I think you're in for a hell of a ride.

Which CBS Shows Are Coming to Netflix?

2011-03-01T13:33:00.007-05:00

Netflix recently reached a deal with CBS to begin streaming shows from the CBS library in April. The press release mentioned that "dozens" of shows would be offered, but only the following shows have been announced:

The Twilight Zone
The Andy Griffith Show
Star Trek (every series!)
Hawaii Five-O
Cheers
Family Ties
Twin Peaks
Frasier
Flashpoint
Medium

This is a long way from "dozens," so what other shows will be streaming? I don't think "I Love Lucy" or "The Honeymooners" will be available, because I think they would have announced that in the press release. Perhaps the folks at Netflix thought the price was a little too high for those titles, but that's pure speculation on my part. Assuming there are a dozen slots left to fill, I think we might see the following, a mix of programming aimed at different segments of the viewing audience:

Gunsmoke
Perry Mason
The Beverly Hillbillies (already listed on FeedFliks, due to start today, part of same deal?)
Hogan's Heroes
The Wild Wild West
Mission: Impossible
The Brady Bunch
Happy Days
Love Boat
MacGyver
Nash Bridges
Touched by an Angel

That seems like a pretty safe list of shows. Now if I was a buyer for Netflix, and I had a dozen more choices from CBS's massive list of acquisitions, this is what I would pick:

I Love Lucy (a steal at any price!)
The Honeymooners (ditto!)
My Three Sons
The Fugitive
Gomer Pyle USMC
Love American Style
The Flip Wilson Show
The Odd Couple
Mork and Mindy
Taxi
Police Squad!
Duckman

According to this list, any of these titles and more are possible. For classic tv fans like myself, April just can't come fast enough! What do you hope is in the CBS/Netflix deal?

Note: Your memory is not faulty. Many of the shows currently held by CBS originally aired on other networks.

I'm Not Dead Yet!

2011-03-01T12:49:00.003-05:00

A short time ago, I made the announcement that my little bloggeridoo would confine itself to the subject of comics. The sound reasoning behind this decision was that people who had become frequent visitors to this blog to see comics-related posts would probably be turned off by posts about other forms of pop culture that are equally dear to my heart.

Since I made that announcement, I have had a blue million ideas for blog posts, and only three of them concerned comics. Being a man of my word, I did the only sensible thing possible. I stopped blogging. Of course that was only a stop-gap solution.

I've never claimed to be an expert in anything, but my love, in equal amounts, for comics, music, movies, animation, and television truly knows no bounds. That is why I can't limit the scope of Easily Mused. I could start other blogs, but I prefer to have just the one, at least until I launch my songwriting blog in March (he said nervously).

A sincere apology to anyone who visited just for comics stuff. I would if I could but I can't so I won't.

Philoskopy 101: The Wisdom of Popeye

2011-01-18T07:55:00.017-05:00

Ahoy, swabs! Have you been looking for someone to help you navigate life's choppy seas? Do you need assistance in dealing with the Goons in your life? Good news! Popeye is here, with practical advice to keep you on the right path. Author of thirty books, including the bestsellers I Yam What I Yam...And You Can Too! and Sees Ya Ats The Top!, this sailor has learned much while circumnavigating the globe, and he's more than happy to share his sage wisdom with you! Light a stick of spinach-scented incense and read on, seeker!

This Godless Communism

2011-01-17T05:54:00.026-05:00

In 1961, Treasure Chest, a comic book distributed to Catholic schools in the United States, began an ambitious project. "This Godless Communism" was a multi-part dissection of Communism, including biographies of it's founders and leaders. The series' first part, which was preceded by a word from no less an authority than J. Edgar Hoover, laid out a scary Communist America scenario where Americans do not have a government that represents their needs, homeownership becomes a thing of the past, and women are made to work outside of the home, thus destroying the family as we know it! Thank goodness those things could never happen here!

Illustrated by the legendary Reed Crandall, here is "This Godless Communism" in it's entirety.

Peter Kuper's "True Martian Romance"

2011-01-16T08:54:00.005-05:00

A tale of star-crossed lovers from Peter Kuper. This selection is from Commies From Mars #4 ( 1982, Last Gasp). Dig it!

The Saturday Morning Post!

2011-01-15T00:18:00.016-05:00

zZZZzzzZZ...huh...what's happening? Yaaawwwnnnn...sleepy...WAIT! I can't sleep! It's time for me to report to my...

While I wait for the tv tubes to warm up, I'll think I'll grab a bowl of

Let's see...blanket...check...pillow...check...spoon for cereal bowl...check...volume low so parents won't wake up mad...check...aluminum foil for rabbit ears...check! Let's begin!

Alex Toth's "Sierra Smith, Western Detective"

2011-01-12T04:45:00.008-05:00

Kicking off Easily Mused's return to an all-comics format, here is some rarely seen Alex Toth, from Dale Evans Comics #5 (May-June 1949, DC).

Rise and Fall and Rise Again

2011-01-11T11:56:00.008-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, two years ago I started Easily Mused as a way to share my pop culture passions. The thrill I get from listening to a Beatles song or studying Alex Toth's linework, just to cite a few examples, is practically unbeatable. Aside from the experience of being a father, it is the greatest high I have ever attained.

The first year I blogged here very regularly. In the midst of an almost complete life reset, I found the act of sharing very cathartic and grounding. I was and still am spending 95% of my free time at home alone or with my amazing girlfriend Heather, cocooning, if you will. Initially I wanted to blog about all kinds of culture. I quickly found that the comics related posts found the largest audience. Occasionally, I would do something creative. The post Why Chicks Cry, a gentle lampoon of romance comics, generated an unexpected and much-appreciated amount of attention. The response was almost universally positive. For one brief shining moment, I experienced firsthand the awesome speed and scope of internet communication.

Sometime last Summer, I started to feel less inspired to post here. I felt that blogging about pop culture was somehow taking away the time I needed to enjoy pop culture. I really wanted to take a step back from the routine I had established, and examine it more closely, ask myself some pertinent questions. What is my purpose in blogging? Is it simple narcissism, or an attempt to connect with others? Or is it just cheap therapy? I confess to being a weary soul, tired of all the strife in the world, feeling powerless to affect real positive change. I don't think I am the only one who feels that way.

My time away from blogging was revelatory. I now have a deeper sense of the direction I want to head, here at Easily Mused, and elsewhere. Here is a list of some of the events and ideas that that have been generated from this period of introspection:

1. Easily Mused really should be just about comics. It's really a no-brainer. A cardinal rule of blogging is to stick with one subject. If you get people excited about the idea of daily visiting a blog about eggs, don't surprise 'em with posts about grits or bacon.

2. I have spent much time absorbing art and culture, and not nearly enough time contributing. I am a songwriter. I have written hundreds of songs, but I have not shared them properly. I could write the greatest song in the world, but it wouldn't matter unless I shared it. Responsibilities, fears, and financial obstacles have held me back, but I must share my art, and I will. Not here though. A new blog. It might be called Eastern Standard Time. Or Tin Pan Rally.

3. I need more friend experiences. I'm afraid I give the impression that I don't like people or care about others because I have spent so much time away from society. As an artist, I do tend to observe more than participate. I admit that. I say little but I think much. I wish to have friends who make art. To talk with them, be in their circles. Writers, songsmiths, artists. More importantly, I wish to be friends with civilized people, trustworthy people, people with a healthy sense of humor. Non-judgmental people. Idea people. People who dig Zappa and Bob Clampett. I need to leave more comments on blogposts and forums. I need to check out one of Skip Elsheimer's A/V Geeks events here in Raleigh. I must find my friends!

4. Multi-tasking is not necessarily good. I have always been into multi-layered sensations. What do I mean by this? I can't just read a comic. I have to read a comic while eating sushi and listening to Vince Guaraldi. It's the combination of sensations that excites me. Look at that Kirby machine! MMMM ginger. Nice piano riff. Drum fill, wasabi, meanwhile in Metropolis...fresh eel, Joe Cooool, you get the idea. And then I think, how many people in the world are eating sushi, reading Kamandi, and listening to Vince Guaraldi at this exact moment? 500? 10? Sometimes it's nice to just do one thing at a time though.

5. Limit news exposure. A friend once told me I was living in a time warp, but actually I like to stay very informed about current events. The only problem is, too much of the news is negative. Everyone knows that good news is not reported as much because it doesn't sell as well. Brian Wilson talked and sang about "good vibrations," and I feel that people today suffer from the results of too many "bad vibrations." Negativity comes in many forms, and I have to avoid it as much as I can, like Superman avoids kryptonite. I would never tell anyone how to live their life, but I think negativity is the single greatest challenge facing the world today. Many artists live lives of suffering and great art comes from it, but i don't think those artists are, on the whole, filled with negativity. I think instead they are absorbing the negativity and reflecting it back as something positive. Like a tree absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen in return. This is why art moves me. It's so often quickly dismissed as entertainment, unimportant. Maybe it's one of the most important things for human well-being. Tigers do not draw. Mice do not pen novels. There is too much talk I think about humans being a disease on the face of Planet Earth. We have every right to be proud that our ancestors have opened doors of enlightenment with their fine works of art. My hope is that societies will re-engage in that enlightenment process and resist the primal urge to once more retreat into barbarism. Death metal sucks...the positivity out of people.

6. I canceled my cable. I will no longer waste precious time flipping through 500 channels of lowest common denominator tripe to find something inspiring (or at least entertaining) to watch. I can watch Netflix and Hulu on my PS3 and it's great. this past week, I watched a Dana Gould concert, 30 Rock, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Woody Allen's Bananas, The Munsters, a Moody Blues concert, Naked Lunch, Louie, and Drawn Together. I caught a fascinating 1973 Tom Snyder interview with Alfred Hitchcock on YouTube and during last night's ice storm I streamed the local news right from their website. The future has happened, and cable is irrelevant. I have my own network! I will miss TCM...

7. Time to get healthy. This has been an ongoing battle for as long as I can remember. I recently discovered that the Prilosec I had been taking for heartburn and GERD has terrible side effects. It's tough to go off the Prilosec because, not being used to feeling heartburn, the pain seems enormous. I've been a week without though, after initially cutting my dosage slowly, and I feel great! I wouldn't be at all surprised if the weight I gained (15 pounds, ugh!) in 2010 was not partially caused by Prilosec. I have been running, drinking lots of water, eating smaller portions more slowly. If you also want to get healthy I recommend Bragg's all-natural cider vinegar. Also, liquid vitamins, because pill vitamins are a crock. Your body only absorbs a fraction of the vitamins delivered in pill form. My girlfriend has educated me greatly on the subject of nutrition and it's finally starting to get through. I want to live to be 100 so I can see my great-great grandchildren graduate! I also want to live long enough to see how great America and the world will be once we all get our heads out of our arses!

8. There is no #8.

9. I really have to try harder to get a Why Chicks Cry book published.

So that's about it. Tomorrow or later today, look for another in what will soon be a long line of comics related posts here at Easily Mused, where comics are once again king (and I really really mean it this time part XVII).

Oh Henry!

2011-01-06T13:01:00.008-05:00

The filler comics that Henry Boltinoff contributed to DC's stable of publications were nice enough to look at, but the humor was irretrievably corny, even then. Perusing a few of them recently, I wondered what would be the result if today's cruder darker comedy sensibilities were applied to these innocuous strips. The results were horrifyingly disturbing. Enjoy!

Warning: Profanity

Gerry Rafferty Has Passed Away

2011-01-05T13:51:00.003-05:00

RIP Gerry Rafferty (1947-2011). "Mary Skeffington" is a beautiful song Gerry wrote for his mother in the wake of his dad's passing. It seems appropriate to share it now, and I hope it will provide a wee bit of comfort to Gerry's many fans.

Flop Sweat

2011-01-02T09:46:00.003-05:00

Writer Jennifer George recalls her family's greatest shame, the 1972 Broadway fiasco Via Galactica.

My Family's Flop

The 1982 Tron Holiday Special

2010-12-29T10:31:00.003-05:00

Gabe Kaplan, Burt Reynolds, Dom Deluise, O.J. Simpson, the members of Jefferson Starship...just a few of the celebrities who never appeared in this made-up holiday special, presumably inspired by the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. Watch for a very special appearance by the very real Rip Taylor.

The 1982 Tron Holiday Special from Rip Taylor

Sun Zoom Spark

2010-12-29T09:40:00.010-05:00

Captain Beefheart was an artist in the purest sense of the word. His creative M.O. was to place imagery-laden poetry over the top of highly complex blues constructions. Like many artists whose works are impenetrable to the general public, his influence is greatest among other artists. RIP 1941-2010

Sun Zoom Spark

Nothing makes it move
From the bottom to the top
Does it start at the bottom
Or does it start at the top?

Magnet draw day from dark
Sun zoom spark
Sun zoom spark

Now which hand's got it?
Bottom, or the top?
Neither hand's got it
It's just got it
Hope it don't stop

Magnet draw day from dark
Sun zoom spark
Sun zoom spark

Think you can uh hold it
Once it start
I don't care who ya are or what
size ya are
I'm gonna magnetize ya

Magnet draw day from dark
Sun zoom spark
Sun zoom spark

It goes every which way
Once it start
Does it start at the bottom
Or does it start at the top?

Magnet draw day from dark
Sun zoom spark
Sun zoom spark

Ohh, don't let it get away
I'm gonna zip up my guitar
'n then when I've gone too far
I'm gonna zip down my guitar

Magnet draw day from dark
Sun zoom spark
Sun zoom spark

(from the album Clear Spot, released in 1972)

Marlys' Resolutions

2010-12-29T07:18:00.004-05:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to read more books by the fabulous Lynda Barry. For Christmas I received The! Greatest! of! Marlys!, a very funny collection of her early strips sure to put anyone in touch with their inner child. Right now, Amazon has this title on sale for the unbelievably low price of $10.85. That's 224 pages of Lynda Barry brilliance for what works out to be about a nickel a page! You can't afford to not buy it! At these prices you'll probably also want to buy copies for your nine closest friends too.

More Lynda!

Spider-Man Takes a Fall, is Hospitalized!

2010-12-21T04:23:00.007-05:00

Breaking News: CNN is reporting that an actor was injured during last night's performance of the new Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark. The actor-stuntman (apparently not lead actor Reeve Carney) apparently fell 20 or 30 feet. Details

Sugar and Spike Meet Santa Claus!

2010-12-15T08:32:00.009-05:00

Christmas is right around the corner, so it's a perfect time to share this classic Sheldon Mayer tale from Sugar & Spike #26 (Dec 1959-Jan 1960, DC)! Is there a different Santa on every street corner, or just one, moving really fast? Join the comic toddlers as they set out to solve "The Mystery of the Man Inna Funny Red Suit."

Uncle Sanders Wants You!

2010-12-10T17:26:00.006-05:00

Go Bernie! Go Bernie! Go Bernie!

Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) has been speaking on the Senate floor for the better part of seven hours, speaking common sense about a horrible injustice that is about to be perpetrated on the great majority of the American populace.

The chart above ( from The Institute for Policy Studies) shows that 1% of our citizens holds 33.8% of the weath in this country, while 50% makes do with a measly 2.5%. In really easy to understand terms, that means that a handful of rich people owns Boardwalk and Park Place and there are four hotels on each space. It doesn't take a genius to know that the middle class is a dice roll or two away from game over.

Go Bernie! Go Bernie! Go Bernie!

I have not read anything that indicates to me that the hard working people of this nation want to steal the assets of the wealthy and redistribute them Socialism-style. Americans want to work. They want to contribute. What they don't want is to live hour to hour wondering how they are going to provide their next meal to their kids or what they will have to pawn to keep the lights on for another month.

Pay attention working class! That sucking sound is your freedoms going down the toilet. A 69 year old man is talking himself hoarse for you right now. He is speaking against monopolies and standing up for your interests! He is sharing your stories of struggle and survival in Amerika today!

If President Obama really cared about the middle class who voted him into office, he would have surely by now realized that one does not compromise with a brick wall. One bursts through it. That is what this aged Senator is doing so eloquently right now, with words to unjade the jaded, if it is not too late.

Go Bernie! Don't stop! Go man go!

Let your words ring out and light upon the ears of the people that have been deafened by the desperation of their own dismal realities. Let the spirit of the original Tea Party once again echo the chorus "No taxation without representation!" Since the interests of only the very rich seem to matter in Washington, maybe the very rich should pay ALL the taxes for a while!

15 Mind-Blowing Facts About Wealth And Inequality In America. (Business Insider)

Go Bernie!

Jay Kinney's "Too Real"

2010-12-07T08:44:00.011-05:00

There is no shortage of prognosticators in our society today, soapbox sages who describe at length the bleak dystopian future facing humanity. I am more interested in people like writer and cartoonist Jay Kinney, who accurately predicted the troubles of today more than thirty years ago. Case in point: "Too Real," created for the premiere issue of Anarchy Comics (Sept 1978, Last Gasp) . Follow the adventures of Normal Joe and his family as their American Dream turns into a nightmare. Too bad stuff like this wasn't in our school textbooks.

Jay Kinney is here.

Bugsploitation

2010-12-02T14:22:00.007-05:00

If you've ever had the urge to see Elmer Fudd as a pimped-out drug dealer, strutting down the street singing Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman," today is your lucky day. "Rabbit Habit," a short film made in 1975, is a parody of Looney Tunes cartoons, the likes of which I've never seen before.

More surprising than the scenes of Daffy all hopped up on cocaine is how well executed it is, given the obvious budget constraints. I think it captures the energy of the Underground Comix movement much more effectively than Ralph Bakshi's infamous Fritz the Cat movie. Steve Peck ( a pseudonym?), the director of this cartoon, obviously has great affection for the source material, and it shows throughout.

Let the cartoon begin!

Jack Kamen's "Payoff Blues"

2010-12-01T18:34:00.005-05:00

Jack Kamen was an artist very closely associated with EC's legendary horror comics, but this tale of crooks and spooks appeared in Fiction House's Ghost Comics #6 (Spring 1953). The artist id was provided by Frank Motler at GCD. Interesting use of blues music in a horror story.
Author unknown.

Orson Welles Narrates "Freedom River"

2010-11-15T08:30:00.004-05:00

A parable for our times if there ever was one, Freedom River is a 1971 animated short directed by Sam Weiss. It posits indifference as the chief cause of the erosion of liberty.

Watch and discuss.

What if Martin Scorsese Directed "Harvey"?

2010-10-18T04:56:00.007-04:00

"If I ever catch you talkin' to an imaginary rabbit again...I'll kill you. Capish?"

From SCTV's Cinemax show, which remains unreleased on dvd.

The Illustrated Life

2010-09-26T15:09:00.009-04:00

Illustrations from the May 21, 1945 issue of Life Magazine.

What? People used to make their own soap? Yes, it's true. Thank you, Samuel Hopkins.

"The Army Needs MORE NURSES and all women can help!"

Borden's mascot Elsie the Cow gets an earful from her husband for serving him a dinner of beet tops.

One of these cars has Goodyear tires and is quite safe. The other car will burst into flames any second now.

I hope these nice folks chose the car with Goodyear tires!

An ad for Campbell's Scotch Broth soup. MMM MMM politically incorrect?

Angel doctor babies give me the creeps. Wasn't this the cover of a Van Halen album?

Studebaker trucks in the service of the Russian Army being transported across a stream.

Velon. A nifty stain resistant fabric. Also a pretty cool Etlon Jnoh snog.

BVD invented comfort, but apparently not good taste. Is that an amoeba print? Zingo!
Why did the chicken cross the road? To flee the spooky candle-wielding tire child.

Northern Tissue...softer than ducks, frogs, and ice cream!

A deeply affecting ad that begs one to turn off the computer and go gaze at a lake for a few hours. Couldn't hurt.

Never a good idea to try to shave when you're popping bennies.

Here's the small print from this Belmont radio ad: "By showing a black and white picture on the television screen in the above illustration, Belmont is being realistic. this is the type of picture you can expect to see. But when television in color is ready and practical, Belmont will have it for you."

Adam West for Eyehole Paintings

2010-09-26T12:50:00.000-04:00

Eyehole Paintings with Adam West from Adam West

The Schizophrenic Superboy

2010-08-25T07:10:00.005-04:00

Shades of Sybil! When Clark Kent is exposed to Red K after attending a ventriliquism performance, he becomes schizophrenic and builds a Superboy dummy. He then proceeds to berate and slap said dummy around, to the astonishment of his foster parents! This Silver Age gem is from Superboy # 122 ( July 1965, DC). Story by Leo Dorfman, art by George Papp.

The earliest adventures of the Smallville Sensation have just been collected in hardcover form in The Adventures of Superboy. The book reprints Superboy tales from More Fun Comics #101-107 and Adventure Comics #103-121.

The Most Silent Movie

2010-08-09T17:51:00.007-04:00

Last night Pooh and I went to a screening of Fritz Lang's 1927 masterpiece Metropolis, one of those classic films that everyone should see, but somehow we both hadn't. After remarking here last week how no one discusses utopias much these days, I was struck by this vision of a future dystopia where the poor, living in a subterreanean city, toil tirelessly to satisfy the whims of the super-privileged. The workers synchronized movements looked like a macabre ballet, and I had an eerie feeling of deja vu. The big message of this surprisingly Christian-toned movie made in Germany less than a decade before Hitler's rise to power is "the mediator between the head and hands must be the heart." Why doesn't someone put that slogan on a billboard somewhere?

This current incarnation of Metropolis is billed The Complete Metropolis and it features recently discovered scenes that had been edited from the original. It also features a beautiful score by Gottfried Huppertz. It was a pity an audio glitch silenced that beautiful score a minute or two into the third act, Furioso.

A dead silence hit the theater. One person behind me whispered "Oh no." A question, borne of new experience, bubbled up in my mind. "How upset should I be that this silent movie is now a silent movie?" The visuals were still there, but they now seemed to have lost the illusion of reality. There was an emotional disconnect, as if it didn't matter as much what happened, even though logically I knew that wasn't true. It made me realize what a misnomer the words "silent movie" are. Without a musical underpinning to help convey the emotions, I found my interest waning slightly.

Suddenly, I became hyper aware of every noise in the theater. The slightest creak or shuffle sounded five times louder than normal. I began to wonder what the other citizens of this community of about thirty were thinking or feeling. It had been about four minutes since the silence began. In reaction to a particularly fake looking shot of the subterranean city being flooded, a few people began to snicker. My stomach growled and it sounded to me like a foghorn. Then it growled much louder. Other people got the giggles and I wondered if it was because of my stomach growls or a particular hammy expression on the face of lead actress, Brigitte Helm, writhing with sadistic glee amongst the proletariat. Without music to add weight to the dramatic events of the final act, "Metropolis" had become , to at least half a dozen people, a comedy.

I have to admit, though I loved the film, I was a little relieved when "The End" came. I did come away with a revelation though. Even well-heeled art movie afficianados can turn into 8 year old giggleboxes when something unexpected happens. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Here's a great article about the film by film collector and historian Fernando Martín Peña.

SCTV Kraft Cheese Spoof

2010-08-08T06:01:00.003-04:00

YouTube reaction:

Snickpickle sez: "This is one of SCTV's all-time greatest spoofs! If you've never seen Canadian television in the 1970's: The networks would have occasional prime-time 2- or 3-minute commercials, featuring a Kraft product, where they would give a full recipe, with visual illustrations, of how to make the item. The spoofing is obvious, of course."

maskof sez: "Those have got to be Eugene Levy's hairy meat-hooks!"

Basil Wolverton's "Nightmare World"

2010-08-03T23:32:00.007-04:00

Strung Out Rodent Converses With Atoms

2010-08-03T21:23:00.004-04:00

The origin of Atomic Mouse, from Atomic Mouse #1 ( March 1953, Charlton). Kids, if an evil cat magician ever shrinks you down to the size of an atom, and then atoms start talking to you and offering you uranium pills, just say no! Story and art by Al Fago.

And Now A Word From Our Sponsor...

2010-08-03T20:23:00.004-04:00

Gaffigan Made Me Laugh Again!

2010-08-03T17:12:00.009-04:00

Pooh Bear and I had the pleasure of attending a Jim Gaffigan concert in Myrtle Beach Friday. Jim, looking resplendent in way-too-tight jeans, had the audience rolling in the aisles riffing on an assortment of topics ranging from gyms to seafood. For an encore he did an extended jam on his classic "Hot Pockets" monologue.

Here is a clip from one of Jim's appearances on David Letterman:

Immediately after the show, we headed to The Giant Crab, an all-you-can-eat buffet that is way overpriced, but at least the food was unspectacular. The big attraction of The Giant Crab is the actual Giant Crab made of stone that hovers menacingly over the front entrance. It is supposedly the largest crab in the world. Here is a pic from Google Images:

Upon our arrival, we were invited to pose for a complimentary photograph. When we got ready to leave, we were shown our complimentary photograph, which was about the size of a postage stamp and attached to a much bigger and nicer photograph that cost $10. Of course we had to have it. How many chances does one get in life of owning a photograph that clearly shows an angry shark about to chew off one's entire shoulder?

One Man's Haul: Haul Fun in the Summertime!

2010-08-03T15:34:00.010-04:00

More eye candy to share from some recent eBay comic purchases. I want to point out how fantastic the logos are on these covers! I also like the colors and the effective simplicity of the layouts. You can tell these comics were made by humans, and not computers!

Booker T. & the M.G.'s - "Slim Jenkin's Joint"

A Pro-Marijuana Cartoon

2010-08-03T12:44:00.006-04:00

"The Flower" is a short cartoon that pretty well sums up my feelings toward marijuana and it's prohibition. The scariest aspect of the war that has been raged against cannabis is that it serves as a glaring example of how effective propaganda truly can be.

How many people who vehemently oppose the use of this substance have never tried it or even been in the company of someone under it's influence? This animation, from blackmustache.com, effectively boils down a century-long mistake into three minutes of beautiful truth. High-ly recommended.

Californians, make history! Vote "yes" on Prop 19!

Superman in Shangri-La

2010-07-30T12:55:00.004-04:00

For his BBC2 series The Innes Book of Records (1979-1981), Neil Innes donned a Superman suit to guide viewers through his vision of a utopian society. The song "Shangri-La" later entered the repertoire of his faux-Beatles group, The Rutles.

No one discusses utopian societies much anymore. I think most of us would be happy with a much less acrimonious society. I know I would. The people who are staging a 9/11 Quran burning might be better served looking for a Double Rainbow instead. It would be a far more worthy endeavor.

Bits of Business

2010-07-28T00:20:00.007-04:00

Not Sergio!

Self-proclaimed Sergio Aragonés superfan Gary Grossmann wrote to tell me that he had sent Sergio the link to this post which featured a 1962 Boris and Natasha story that I speculated might contain early artwork by the Master of Mad Margin Mirth. Karl Wilcox had submitted that credit to the GCBD, but, as it turns out, Sergio himself relayed to Gary via phone that this info is not accurate. From Gary's letter to me:

He went over it in great detail. He admired the overall ink work, saying he wasn't that good back then. But also pointed out the poorly drawn way that Fearless Leader is holding his cigarette holder, the bad perspective on the buildings, the fact that the characters all have three fingers and some other things that are just not the way he would or has ever drawn things.

Thanks for the fine detective work, Gary! And thanks to Sergio, for taking the time to help clear up this matter.

Betty Betz 1920-2010

Some posts take on a life of their own, such as this entry on the enigmatic Betty Betz, which prompted quite a few comments and queries. It appears that after a colorful career sporting many hats (fashion copywriter, teen self-help author, cartoonist, public speaker, Korean War correspondent, etc.), Miss Betz ended up marrying multimillionaire oil magnate Frank McMahon in 1956. After his death in 1986, she spent her remaining years living reclusively in Bermuda, choosing to express her creative urges through the medium of painting. On April 17, 2010, she passed away after suffering through the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease for quite some time. Quite a life.

Wanted: Walt Scott Strips

Easily Mused reader Steve W. Schaefer wants to track down a copy of the Walt Scott adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," first printed in newspapers in 1950 as part of NEA's annual Christmas series. I am no expert in comic strips, so if anyone can point the way, please e-mail me, preferably before the milk and cookies are all gone.

Plug Free Blogging

I have received numerous requests to plug or review new comics projects here at EM. While I appreciate the idea that I might help a project find an audience, I prefer to base the content of this blog on where my muse naturally leads me at any particular time in my pop culture journey.

Scope! SCOPE! SCOOOOOPE! Speaking of my muse, I am currently being inspired by a lot more than comics. As a result, I will probably be posting about a lot more than comics, even though I realize that the comics posts are the real meat and potatoes here. I hope that widening my scope a little bit won't alienate the nice folks who come here only to see four color masterpieces. There will always be comics here. I might even pick up a few new ones to review, if I can ever get this image out of my head:

Actually, I noticed recently that I've been so fixated on older stuff that I may have given the impression that I don't go for anything stamped new. In an upcoming post I'll try to dispel that myth and explain how I decide what culture goes in and what culture stays out of my fevered bean.

Comic-Con Girls

2010-07-19T05:38:00.003-04:00

They're incredible...

COMIC CON GIRLS: Hot girls in a California Gurls parody - watch more funny videos

Harvey Pekar: Scenes From a Life

2010-07-13T11:55:00.015-04:00

It isn't uncommon, upon hearing of the passing of a famous actor or author, to feel a sense of personal loss, even if one only knew the person from their body of work. Harvey Pekar's passing saddens me so much more, because he shared with me and everyone else who adored his autobiographical comics so many of the little personal details that colored his life.

I saw Harvey at his best, and at his worst. I know of his love for jazz, and his contempt for bullshit. I knew of his struggles with relationships and his battle with cancer. Harvey was a grouchy curmudgeon, but he was also a caring individual who helped many people and imparted his wisdom freely.

Yesterday, I lost a real good friend. Here are some of my memories from that long enduring friendship. Thanks for elevating my consciousness, pal.

Harvey Pekar: 1939-2010

All images from American Splendor comics. No library is complete without some Pekar!

Lunch Box Heaven

2010-07-09T04:26:00.006-04:00

It takes a rare degree of dedication to acquire this many lunch boxes. I was surprised to see the Julia lunch box, then The Flying Nun lunch box came into view. I don't remember ever using a lunch box in school because I always ate the cafeteria food.

Do you remember owning a cool or unusual lunch box? Fess up in the comments section.

Dell One-Pagers: Variety Pack

2010-07-03T07:39:00.009-04:00

There is something these comics have that most of today's comics lack.
Marge's Tubby #14 (Oct-Dec 1955); artist unknown
Four Color #303 ( Nov 1950); Art: John Carey? (GCDB)
Tom and Jerry #111 ( Oct 1953); artist unknown
Daffy Duck #20 (Jan-Mar 1960); artist unknown
Four Color #64 ( Feb 1945); Art: Bill Holman
Popeye #15 (Jan-Mar 1951); Art: Bud Sagendorf
Four Color #603 ( Nov 1954); Art: Harvey Eisenberg? (GCBD)
Pogo #8 (Jan-Mar 1952); Art: Walt Kelly
Nancy #150 (Jan 1958); artist unknown; script: John Stanley? (GCBD)

Four Color #918 ( July 1958); artist unknown

Terrytoons: The Saw Mill Mystery (1937)

2010-06-30T18:40:00.004-04:00

From YouTuber krazykat1977: " Terrytoon featuring the original version of Oil Can Harry, later becoming a feline version in the Mighty Mouse cartoons. Released 29th October 1937. Directed by Connie Rasinski."

Dell One-Pagers: Mr. Magoo

2010-06-29T07:13:00.004-04:00

Gerald McBoing Boing and the Nearsighted Mr. Magoo #5 (Aug-Oct 1953, Dell)
Artist Unknown

Terrytoons: Gandy Goose's Swan Song

2010-06-29T06:32:00.005-04:00

Originally released on January 25, 1955, here is the last Gandy Goose cartoon, Barnyard Actor, with key animation by Jim Tyer. Gandy's voice is obviously patterned after character actor Ed Wynn's, but in this short Gandy offers up impressions of Groucho Marx, Jimmy Durante, and James Cagney as well.

Dell One-Pagers: Little Lulu

2010-06-28T08:27:00.003-04:00

Four Color #120 (October 1946, Dell)
Script:John Stanley
Pencils:John Stanley (layouts); Irving Tripp
Inks:Irving Tripp

Terrytoons: Heckle & Jeckle in "Pill Peddlers"

2010-06-28T07:16:00.004-04:00

Everyone's favorite magpies push steroids, from 1952.

Dell One-Pagers: Felix the Cat

2010-06-28T06:11:00.006-04:00

Four Color #162 (September 1947)

Art: Otto Mesmer

This Week on Easily Mused

2010-06-28T05:46:00.004-04:00

The Rarest Filmation Cartoon of All?

2010-06-17T07:53:00.006-04:00

I am intending to dedicate a whole week soon to sharing my thoughts and feelings about Filmation, the animation studio that is possibly the most despised ever. Filmation bashing is practically the official pastime of animation scholars everywhere and my opinion is that some of it is unfairly prejudiced and certainly unnecessarily mean-spirited.

Until then, I'm pleased to bring you possibly the rarest Filmation production ever, a cartoon rather unfortunately named Dick Digit. It looks to be a pilot from around the late
60's, I would guess 1966, 1967, or 1968.

My source for this cartoon stated that he found it on a video released by a small UK company called Video Gems. The video also contained an episode of Blackstar and another pilot called King Arthur, which I'll probably share during my Filmation-athon.

I'm not going to give away any details of the story, but I will say it's pretty strange, and you MUST NOT MISS Ted Knight's most over-the-top narration ever, which occurs at the very end.

Here 'tis.